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slc333's review against another edition
2.0
The premise was good but it failed in the execution. It was kind of boring with a lot of the story being devoted to Clare struggling to accept what she is, then Zach not believing what she is, and the ghost mystery was kind of bland and boring too. I didn't hate it I just didn't care about any of it.
gotbookcitement's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3/5
This was a dud, sadly. I loved the idea of what it could be, but what it was wasn't that great. It didn't have very interesting characters, they didn't really grow. They also just kept repeating the same things over and over again. All Zach could focus on was his new disability, (which yeah, that did suck) and his distaste over now being a P.I. instead of a Police Officer. He thought being a Police Officer was more noble.
All Clare could go on about was did she see ghosts or not, did she want to help the ghosts or not. If she didn't help them, she would go CRAZY! Like literally crazy and then she would wither away and die. Over half of the book was her being in denial of all things ghost.
Clare's ability is also a little strange. She can only see ghosts from 1850-1900. I guess that was a way for this series to only be about cowboy ghosts.
Enzo the ghost dog was an odd choice. He's a talking ghost dog that reminded me a lot of Dug. Like maybe you don't want your dog to talk to you.
The ghosts could have been cool, but they took more of a backseat in the story. I've read better ghost seeing series. Cassidy Blake by V.E. Schwab and The Mediator Series by Meg Cabot are two that come right to mind.
The romance was cringe, cheesy. It wasn't romance, it was just lust. It started with insta-love, then there was this weird, I can't be with you because I can't date a crazy person who sees ghosts, and then he comes back maybe the next chapter. And then all he thought of was sex. That's it.
Clare constantly brought up how she was now very wealthy and made she sure showed that wealth off by very generous tips and buying stuff. Seemed to me that she just liked blowing her money.
I just didn't really enjoy it. I thought it was going to be a fast read, but it took me a while to push myself through it. I don't know if I'll continue on with the series.
This was a dud, sadly. I loved the idea of what it could be, but what it was wasn't that great. It didn't have very interesting characters, they didn't really grow. They also just kept repeating the same things over and over again. All Zach could focus on was his new disability, (which yeah, that did suck) and his distaste over now being a P.I. instead of a Police Officer. He thought being a Police Officer was more noble.
All Clare could go on about was did she see ghosts or not, did she want to help the ghosts or not. If she didn't help them, she would go CRAZY! Like literally crazy and then she would wither away and die. Over half of the book was her being in denial of all things ghost.
Clare's ability is also a little strange. She can only see ghosts from 1850-1900. I guess that was a way for this series to only be about cowboy ghosts.
Enzo the ghost dog was an odd choice. He's a talking ghost dog that reminded me a lot of Dug. Like maybe you don't want your dog to talk to you.
The ghosts could have been cool, but they took more of a backseat in the story. I've read better ghost seeing series. Cassidy Blake by V.E. Schwab and The Mediator Series by Meg Cabot are two that come right to mind.
The romance was cringe, cheesy. It wasn't romance, it was just lust. It started with insta-love, then there was this weird, I can't be with you because I can't date a crazy person who sees ghosts, and then he comes back maybe the next chapter. And then all he thought of was sex. That's it.
Clare constantly brought up how she was now very wealthy and made she sure showed that wealth off by very generous tips and buying stuff. Seemed to me that she just liked blowing her money.
I just didn't really enjoy it. I thought it was going to be a fast read, but it took me a while to push myself through it. I don't know if I'll continue on with the series.
gwenlynjen's review against another edition
4.0
I love her paranormal series. Might be time for a re read of guardian of honor etc
cranberrytarts's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a fan of Robin D. Owens' Celta's HeartMates series. When I saw she was starting a contemporary series I jumped all over it.
Clare and Zach are both trying to adjust to big changes in their lives. Neither were given a choice about the new direction their futures were headed, and each dealt with that change differently.
The paranormal aspects of this novel are intricately woven in to the story. I never question the appearance of Clare's ghosts or the manifestations of the other paranormal elements of the story. In that, Owens did an excellent job of building her world.
Though the romance was slow-moving, the story itself was engaging and fun. I very much look forward to the next book.
3.75 out of 5
Clare and Zach are both trying to adjust to big changes in their lives. Neither were given a choice about the new direction their futures were headed, and each dealt with that change differently.
The paranormal aspects of this novel are intricately woven in to the story. I never question the appearance of Clare's ghosts or the manifestations of the other paranormal elements of the story. In that, Owens did an excellent job of building her world.
Though the romance was slow-moving, the story itself was engaging and fun. I very much look forward to the next book.
3.75 out of 5
samantha_randolph's review against another edition
4.0
"Clare Cermak, accountant, has just inherited her 'crazy' aunt's wealth and estate. Unfortunately, she also seems to have inherited a gift of interacting with ghosts. Apparently, her aunt was a medium, one who helped ghosts cross over, and now, that gift is in Clare's hands. Failure to accept her gift will leave her dead or crazy. As she battles with accepting, ex-deputy sheriff, Zach, runs into her and the two hit it off...until ghost business gets in the way. The two will have to team up and help a particularly famous ghost or face the fallout of a ghost gone pyscho." Full review at Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=43267
see_sadie_read's review against another edition
3.0
2.5
Entertaining enough to have been worth a read, but nothing to write home about. While the whole idea of a ghost seer is an interesting one and Claire and Zach could have been interesting characters, the truth is that I was bored for most of this book. Never enough to put the book down, but enough to just kind of plod along.
It takes at least half of the book for Claire to come to terms with her powers and I got very ver tired of the redundancies of her denials. Ditto for Zach; he just basically had the same thoughts of denial about his situation over and over and over again.
I disliked Claire, on top of everything else. I found her a fairly weak heroine. In fact, she's basically helpless without Zach there to save her. She even managed to fall down and twist an ankle while running for her life on a flat surface. She's THAT sort of heroine.
Further, I thought the kidnapping felt like a forced ploy to add tension and still failed to do that. He was defeated easily and contributed nothing needed to the plot.
All in all, it wasn't all bad, but I have the next two in the series, as I picked them all up at the library. But I don't think I'll be bothering to read them.
Entertaining enough to have been worth a read, but nothing to write home about. While the whole idea of a ghost seer is an interesting one and Claire and Zach could have been interesting characters, the truth is that I was bored for most of this book. Never enough to put the book down, but enough to just kind of plod along.
It takes at least half of the book for Claire to come to terms with her powers and I got very ver tired of the redundancies of her denials. Ditto for Zach; he just basically had the same thoughts of denial about his situation over and over and over again.
I disliked Claire, on top of everything else. I found her a fairly weak heroine. In fact, she's basically helpless without Zach there to save her. She even managed to fall down and twist an ankle while running for her life on a flat surface. She's THAT sort of heroine.
Further, I thought the kidnapping felt like a forced ploy to add tension and still failed to do that. He was defeated easily and contributed nothing needed to the plot.
All in all, it wasn't all bad, but I have the next two in the series, as I picked them all up at the library. But I don't think I'll be bothering to read them.
dodau's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this, smart funny and entertaining. only complaint the love interest can conveniently see spirits when he touches the heroine.
krisrid's review against another edition
2.0
I flip-flopped on this book all the way through it. Parts I liked, other parts, I was kind of "eh" about. So "it was okay" was the right rating.
I liked the concept of someone helping spirits to deal with unfinished business so that they could move on. I understand that Clare's personality and view on the world made it difficult for her to embrace her new gift, but the amount of denial and angst and hysteria that she continuously displayed began to get on my nerves. At a certain point you either have to accept that this is your new reality, or refuse and accept the consequences. I am never a fan of whining characters, and Clare was more of that than I felt she should have been, so I never really connected to her or fully sympathized with her angst.
Same thing with Zach. He also seemed incapable of accepting the changed circumstances of his life and finding a way to move forward. Both he and Clare should have been able to understand the other person's "stuff" since they each have a full set of baggage, and who better to really "get" your drama than someone else dealing with similar stuff. And yet they spend most of the book not getting each other, not being willing to accept what is and not recognizing the other person as their perfect match. Sometimes, in some books, that kind of clueless blindness can be endearing and draw the reader in. For me, that did not happen with this book. Both of them irritated me.
The actual story and the mechanics of the ghost seeing component was very interesting and I did enjoy that. Learning about the world and the rules that govern this was intriguing so that kept me with this book to the end.
Also, there were a couple of surprising twists that I did not see coming, and that were interesting, so that also helped offset my annoyance with the emotional wah-wahing that both Clare and Zach wallowed in.
Overall, this was an okay read. I doubt I would read others in the series, unless I didn't have anything else available, but it wasn't terrible. It just wasn't fantastic either.
I liked the concept of someone helping spirits to deal with unfinished business so that they could move on. I understand that Clare's personality and view on the world made it difficult for her to embrace her new gift, but the amount of denial and angst and hysteria that she continuously displayed began to get on my nerves. At a certain point you either have to accept that this is your new reality, or refuse and accept the consequences. I am never a fan of whining characters, and Clare was more of that than I felt she should have been, so I never really connected to her or fully sympathized with her angst.
Same thing with Zach. He also seemed incapable of accepting the changed circumstances of his life and finding a way to move forward. Both he and Clare should have been able to understand the other person's "stuff" since they each have a full set of baggage, and who better to really "get" your drama than someone else dealing with similar stuff. And yet they spend most of the book not getting each other, not being willing to accept what is and not recognizing the other person as their perfect match. Sometimes, in some books, that kind of clueless blindness can be endearing and draw the reader in. For me, that did not happen with this book. Both of them irritated me.
The actual story and the mechanics of the ghost seeing component was very interesting and I did enjoy that. Learning about the world and the rules that govern this was intriguing so that kept me with this book to the end.
Also, there were a couple of surprising twists that I did not see coming, and that were interesting, so that also helped offset my annoyance with the emotional wah-wahing that both Clare and Zach wallowed in.
Overall, this was an okay read. I doubt I would read others in the series, unless I didn't have anything else available, but it wasn't terrible. It just wasn't fantastic either.
rpukoszek's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting start to a new series. Fairly predictable plot though.