Book Review: Better Homes and Hauntings

Better Homes and Hauntings by Molly Harper
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Publication date : June 2014
Source : Netgalley review copy

This was definitely not my favorite from Molly Harper. I've read most of her books, and this was probably the worst. I just didn't care for the writing style. The way the hauntings were written took me out of the story instead of drawing me in.

The characters were okay, but I found it all just a bit cutesy. The romances and friendships came extremely fast. I just wasn't feeling any of it. If you want to read some of Molly Harper's books, try just about any other besides this one.

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Book Review: Snow Falling on Bluegrass

Snow Falling on Bluegrass by Molly Harper
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Publication Date: September 2014
Source: Netgalley review copy

 Kentucky Tourism Commission employee and executive assistant extraordinaire Kelsey is known around the office for having everything under control. So it’s not surprising that she and her boss, Sadie, have everything planned to the second for the office winter retreat. But there are things even Kelsey can’t micromanage.

An unprecedented snowstorm smothers half of Kentucky and knocks out the power, closes the roads, and generally shuts down the state. Luckily, the lodge has working fireplaces and enough food to keep the staff from turning on each other like something out of The Shining. Kelsey wouldn’t mind being stuck inside if it wasn’t for the tension with her not-so-secret crush, Charlie, the office’s statistician. But handsome Ranger Luke, the lodge’s only employee on hand, is there to take Kelsey’s mind off her discomfort.

Even though this weekend is supposed to be a planning session for KTC, Kelsey can’t help her mind from wandering and finds herself conflicted over Luke and Charlie. Someone’s love will keep her warm, but whose will it be?

This is the third book in a series, and I didn't read the first two. But I saw this on Netgalley, and I've liked Molly Harper's books in the past, so I figured I'd give it a try.

I really like Molly Harper's writing. It's easy reading and there's always some humor and fun in the stories. I didn't really get a good feel for any of the characters, though. I feel like maybe I would have "known" them more if I had read the previous two books.

That's not to say that I didn't like the characters. They were fun, and I liked the geeky references some of the characters made. I might go back and read the first two books someday, but I probably won't be in a huge hurry to do so.

Book Review: I'm Dreaming of an Undead Christmas

I'm Dreaming of an Undead Christmas by Molly Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publication Date: December 2013 on audio, November 17, 2014 on ebook
Source: Netgalley review copy

College co-ed Gigi is headed home to Half-Moon Hollow for her first Christmas since her sister, Iris, was turned into a vampire by her beloved undead husband, Cal. Iris is working overtime to make this holiday as normal and special as possible. After all, it’s taken her months of working with Jane Jameson and the Hollow’s vampires to convince herself that she won’t bite her baby sister on sight.

Gigi has her own worries. She’s falling out of love with her high school sweetheart, Ben, and has no idea how to tell him. She’s got a secret job interview with terrifying teen Council official, Ophelia Lambert. And there’s a handsome but cagey vampire following her around town and then disappearing before Gigi can confirm that he’s not, in fact, a figment of her fertile imagination. Holidays with family are complicated. Christmas with an undead family can be downright dangerous.

This was a really fun read for the holidays, when you're busy and you don't have a whole lot of time or brainpower. It was really short, and I did feel like it ended rather abruptly. I realize it's a short story, and part of a larger series, but I really thought that we would at least find out who the mystery vampire was. Granted, I haven't read any of the other books in this series, so maybe it made more sense to those who had. I have read the Jane Jameson series, though. So this world wasn't entirely new to me.

I enjoy reading this author's books, and they always make me laugh, or at least smile.

Book Review: How to Run With a Naked Werewolf

The Plot:  Anna is running away from an abusive relationship when she meets Caleb, a werewolf bounty hunter.  They like each other.  That's about all the plot there was.  There was a lot of driving and staying in hotels, and of course the big "action" bit at the end that all these novels seem to have, but mostly I was pretty bored.

Why I read it: netgalley review copy, plus I have enjoyed Molly Harper's novels in the past.

The Characters: I didn't really care for Anna, and Caleb didn't really do anything for me.  I mean, I felt bad for Anna's situation, but never connected with her character.

The Setting:  Blah.  As I said, it was mostly just driving around.  The setting was mainly his truck and dirty hotel rooms.


Who Should Read This:  Fans of Molly Harper.

Final Thoughts:  There were some laugh out loud funny parts, and that is always a plus, but those parts weren't enough to make this book light and fun like I was hoping.  The subject matter was pretty dark, and besides that there just wasn't enough happening to keep me interested.  It's possible that I've just read too many great epic fantasies (my favorite genre) to appreciate this at the moment, but I'm not sure if that's it.  I'll continue to read Molly Harper's books, because she's a fun author, but this definitely wasn't her best.

Cover Thoughts:  Why on earth is this girl running around in the snow with a coat and no pants?  And the blurb, "She's the leader of the pack . . . literally" makes no sense to me in the context of the story.  I think that's a mistake, because that was also on the cover of book number two in the series, where it made a lot more sense.  But anyway, I love the colors on the cover, so there is that.

Grade:  2 1/2 stars (it was okay)

Book Review: Nice Girls Don't Bite Their Neighbors

Nice Girls Don't Bite Their Neighbors by Molly Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publication Date: February 2012
Source: Review copy from the publisher

I read this entire series back to back, and one good thing I can say about it is that I didn't get tired of it. A lot of times when I read a series (or even a couple books in a series) all at once, I get sick of the story, the characters, and the whole thing. This just felt fun.

I can't say I loved everything about the story, though. I just didn't find it believable. Not because of the vampires, werewolves, ghosts, etc. But because the main character, who is a book lover and former librarian, throws books when she's mad. SHE THROWS BOOKS! Sorry about the yelling. As fellow book lovers, I'm sure you see where I'm coming from. It's not even the bad ones. It's not like she read a horrible book she didn't like and threw it against the wall in a fit of anger. No, someone makes her mad, and she throws things like Lord of the Rings at them. Sorry, I just don't buy it. Her character is utterly unbelievable.

Now that I've got that out of the way, I did enjoy this book and the previous books in the series. I (mostly) like the characters, and they're varied enough to not all seem like the same person called different names. There's nothing deep or really thoughtful here, but it's a fun and easy way to spend a few hours, and have a few laughs, so I'd probably recommend the whole series, especially if you're a fan of urban fantasy.

Review: Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs

Publication Date: March 31, 2009
by Pocket Star
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Source: copy from publisher

Maybe it was the Shenanigans gift certificate that put her over the edge. When children's librarian and self-professed nice girl Jane Jameson is fired by her beastly boss and handed twenty-five dollars in potato skins instead of a severance check, she goes on a bender that's sure to become Half Moon Hollow legend. On her way home, she's mistaken for a deer, shot, and left for dead. And thanks to the mysterious stranger she met while chugging neon-colored cocktails, she wakes up with a decidedly unladylike thirst for blood.
Jane is now the latest recipient of a gift basket from the Newly Undead Welcoming Committee, and her life-after-lifestyle is taking some getting used to. Her recently deceased favorite aunt is now her ghostly roommate. She has to fake breathing and endure daytime hours to avoid coming out of the coffin to her family. She's forced to forgo her favorite down-home Southern cooking for bags of O negative. Her relationship with her sexy, mercurial vampire sire keeps running hot and cold. And if all that wasn't enough, it looks like someone in Half Moon Hollow is trying to frame her for a series of vampire murders. What's a nice undead girl to do?

I would probably give this 3 1/2 stars. It's definitely not the best paranormal I've read, but it was entertaining. The story was pretty predictable, and I wish the main character had been a little bit smarter. The part where she worked as a telemarketer really resonated with me, though. I had a very brief job as a telemarketer, and it was like my own personal hell. With every call, I just prayed that the person would hang up on my quickly. So that part alone raised my enjoyment of the book a few notches.

I'm not warming up to the love story, though, as it feels a little bit abrupt and like there's really no chemistry, it just happened. I've got the whole series lined up on my nightstand to read (I need to review the latest one), so I'm definitely continuing on with it.

Review: How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf

Mo is tired of her controlling parents, so after her fiance breaks up with her, she decides to move to a small town in Alaska.  A very small town; there is a Main Street, but not much else.  She gets a job at the local saloon/diner and soon becomes friends with everybody in town, with the exception of Cooper, who doesn't seem to like anybody.  Cooper is also a werewolf (an alpha who left his pack), which Mo figures out on her own (a little too quick, if you ask me), and one day he shows up on her doorstep naked, with a bear trap on his foot.  From there romance blossoms, but all is not well in the quiet little town.  Someone (or some wolf) is killing Mo's new neighbors, and Cooper thinks he might be doing it unknowingly while he's in wolf form.  Mo doesn't believe he's capable of it, but they don't know who else it could be. . .

Mo was intensely likable and Cooper was quite the man, er . . . wolf . . . man.  And the romance was pretty hot and steamy.  (Steer clear of this one if you don't like sex in your books)  I just really liked these characters a lot--all of them, from the main characters to the side characters.  They were the kind that you want good things for them, without being too sickly sweet.
 

This little town in Alaska, Grundy, was so well written and so appealing that despite my intense dislike of cold weather, I wanted to move there by the end of the book.  I liked the small town feel where all the neighbors knew each other.  Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name.

A sample of the Writing:
"I like my processed meats to be somewhere in the unnatural-nitrate-red range.  Ergo I will handle the cooking, thank you."
Cooper was quiet for a long moment.
"You're trying to come up with some sort of 'processed meats' double entendre, aren't you?" I accused him as I held the sticks over the fire.
"Yeah, you didn't leave me a lot to work with," he grumbled.
 

I'm not usually a big laugher while I'm reading books.  Outright attempts at humor will, more often than not, annoy me.  But I found myself chuckling quite often throughout this one.  It's more of a subtle humor that's not beating me upside the head saying "look at me, I'm funny!", and I just found the whole story really fun from start to finish.  I would definitely recommend this to paranormal fans, and as it was such a fun, quick read, I would recommend it to someone who is going through a book slump as well.  I will definitely be reading more by this author, and am anxiously anticipating the next book in this series, The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf, which is due out later this month.

Book Details

Title: How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf

Author: Molly Harper

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Page Count: 371

Publishing Info: February 22nd 2011 by Simon & Schuster

Why I Read It: Received review copy

Grade: B+ (very good)

Cover Thoughts: The cover is really cute, even if the people do look freakishly tall.