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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
I received a copy of this via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
I am a big fan of the Bookouture authors I have read so far so was looking forward to this, and it did not disappoint!
Melody is a great central character, and all the other characters are brilliantly developed too. Melody and her families ability to see ghosts makes for an entertaining read, and the mystery throughout the book is intriguing.
A very entertaining and funny read, I look forward to reading more of Melody's adventures and more from the author.
I am a big fan of the Bookouture authors I have read so far so was looking forward to this, and it did not disappoint!
Melody is a great central character, and all the other characters are brilliantly developed too. Melody and her families ability to see ghosts makes for an entertaining read, and the mystery throughout the book is intriguing.
A very entertaining and funny read, I look forward to reading more of Melody's adventures and more from the author.
4.5 Stars
Reviewed on behalf of Reader's Romance Retreat, previously known as Fictional Men's Room For Book Ho's.
Reviewed on behalf of Reader's Romance Retreat, previously known as Fictional Men's Room For Book Ho's.
funny
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the characters are fun and funny, the banter and relationships between them are really good, the mystery was well written and the ghosts are awesome.
It's the first book I've read by this author and I will definitely be reading more of this series to see what other trouble they can get themselves into and what other treats Marina's grandmother makes!
*Huge thanks to Kitty French, Bookouture and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review*
It's the first book I've read by this author and I will definitely be reading more of this series to see what other trouble they can get themselves into and what other treats Marina's grandmother makes!
*Huge thanks to Kitty French, Bookouture and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review*
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I absolutely loved this book! It took a while for me to get into it, as I'd just read several 'traditional' Victorian ghost stories back-to-back, and this is a very bouncy, fast-paced romantic comedy, so it was a bit of a shock to the system - but in a good way!
At the grand old age of 27, Melody 'I see dead people' Bittersweet decides to stop fighting the unique talent which is persistently getting her fired/losing her potential boyfriends, and sets up The Girls' Ghostbusting Agency. Along for the ride are best friend Marina, the terrifyingly efficient Glenda, and young Artie, who is soon completely out of his depth: 'I've never been locked in a cellar before. This is the best job I've ever had.'
Unfortunately Melody is not the only psychic in the village. The deliciously gothic Leo Dark, complete with swirling cloak and a legion of fans known as 'Darklings', is the ex who trampled over her heart in his rush to get his own TV show. Now Melody and Leo are in direct competition trying to help the three Scarborough brothers move on to the other side. All they have to do is solve the mystery of who murdered cricket-loving Douglas way back in 1910, allowing the spooky old family mansion to be sold for development. Simple. Or maybe not.
Why did I enjoy this story so much? Well, it was a lot of fun and I loved the characters and the way they interacted with each other, particularly poor put-upon Artie. There is also a bit of a love interest with two 'heroes' for Melody to choose from, the aforementioned Leo, who might not be quite as ruthless as he appears, and Melody's Nemesis, journalist Fletcher Gunn, who is out to prove both Melody and Leo are a couple of con-artists.
If you're the kind of person who loves Scooby Doo and Ghostbusters you will love this, and you'll also enjoy spotting all the references to classic British and American TV shows. If you want your romantic comedy to have a little bit more edge, you will adore the mystery and the spooky bits, but if you're expecting to die of fright, it's not going to happen. You might die of laughing though.
At the grand old age of 27, Melody 'I see dead people' Bittersweet decides to stop fighting the unique talent which is persistently getting her fired/losing her potential boyfriends, and sets up The Girls' Ghostbusting Agency. Along for the ride are best friend Marina, the terrifyingly efficient Glenda, and young Artie, who is soon completely out of his depth: 'I've never been locked in a cellar before. This is the best job I've ever had.'
Unfortunately Melody is not the only psychic in the village. The deliciously gothic Leo Dark, complete with swirling cloak and a legion of fans known as 'Darklings', is the ex who trampled over her heart in his rush to get his own TV show. Now Melody and Leo are in direct competition trying to help the three Scarborough brothers move on to the other side. All they have to do is solve the mystery of who murdered cricket-loving Douglas way back in 1910, allowing the spooky old family mansion to be sold for development. Simple. Or maybe not.
Why did I enjoy this story so much? Well, it was a lot of fun and I loved the characters and the way they interacted with each other, particularly poor put-upon Artie. There is also a bit of a love interest with two 'heroes' for Melody to choose from, the aforementioned Leo, who might not be quite as ruthless as he appears, and Melody's Nemesis, journalist Fletcher Gunn, who is out to prove both Melody and Leo are a couple of con-artists.
If you're the kind of person who loves Scooby Doo and Ghostbusters you will love this, and you'll also enjoy spotting all the references to classic British and American TV shows. If you want your romantic comedy to have a little bit more edge, you will adore the mystery and the spooky bits, but if you're expecting to die of fright, it's not going to happen. You might die of laughing though.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Before we get into the nitty gritty of this review I would like to show a little appreciation to Emma Rogers for designing such a stunning cover. Melody Bittersweet isn’t the type of book I would normally go for (sorry Kitty) and if it wasn’t for that gorgeous eye-catching cover, I don’t think I would have stopped and taken the time to read the blurb. Once I had done that, I knew that I HAD to read this book and that I was in for something rather special! (It also helped that I saw the word ‘murder’ in the blurb, so that did it for me really!)
Melody Bittersweet and her slightly eccentric family have a gift, ‘they-see-dead-people’. It’s all very run of the mill for the Bittersweets, everyone else…struggles a little with it. At the grand old age of 27 Melody decides that she needs to ‘do’ something, make her mark on the world and stop messing around. Starting a business sounds easy, right? Her family have been running Blithe Spirits for eons, but she doesn’t want to do that – they are unbearable enough, without having to work with them as well. So Melody decides to start her very own business; her family help those still very much alive and left behind so Melody is going to help the ghosts…by becoming a ghostbuster (thankfully no hoovers or green gooey Slimers in sight!). Can Melody make it as a business woman? And get one over on her ex-love, Leo Dark, in the process…?
Loved it! Sorry, let me repeat that, I LOVED THIS BOOK. What a wonderful change for me to read something lighthearted and a little bit silly. There are so many good things I want to say, I just don’t know where to start.
Melody is amazing; sassy, spirited (haha, ‘spirited’) and shed loads of fun. Her family are beyond adorable. Silvana, her mother, we first meet balancing precariously on a table wearing a teeny tiny negligee, coaxing a ghost from the loft! Unfortunately, for Melody, we meet her mother at the same time as her date does. That’s the date she has just brought home for ‘coffee’! Melody’s grandmother, Dicey, is full of youth, vim and vigour with a great big handful of naughtiness. Particularly as her husband died in a rather compromising position and his spirit is forever tied to their bedroom! Oh, and then there’s Marina who is Melody’s best friend. What an enviable friendship they have! Marina is Melody’s guardian angel (and bodyguard!), the voice of reason (and sometimes aggression) in her ear, plus she brings a delicious treat to the office every day baked by her wonderful Italian Nonna. But oh my, Artie, the hired help and the only boy working for the agency. He’s adorable and I loved to see him grow in confidence as the story progressed. He went from being the shy new boy to (almost) superhero status by the end of the book.
The story moved at a great pace with lots of madcap shenanigans along the way. I loved the relationship between Melody and Fletcher Gunn and I hope the author builds on this in book two. The main story line involving the mystery (see, there’s a mystery!) of why the Scarsborough brothers couldn’t move on was interesting. I enjoyed reading about Melody’s ace detective skills and think she could give a lot of my normal literary detectives a good run for their money. The race against ex-boyfriend and daytime TV superstar, Leo Dark, to solve the mystery was quite enchanting.
Would I recommend this book? Without doubt. This is one of my favourites so far this year and I can see it riding high in my top reads of 2016 list. It’s an incredibly funny book which is full of adorable characters who are packed to the gills with eccentricity and love for one another. I have learnt by reading this book that it’s OK, every so often, to step outside of your (reading) comfort zone…you might just enjoy it! Roll on book two…
Five out of five stars.
Many thanks to Bookouture, Kitty French and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Melody Bittersweet and the Girls’ Ghostbusting Agency in exchange for an honest review.
Melody Bittersweet and her slightly eccentric family have a gift, ‘they-see-dead-people’. It’s all very run of the mill for the Bittersweets, everyone else…struggles a little with it. At the grand old age of 27 Melody decides that she needs to ‘do’ something, make her mark on the world and stop messing around. Starting a business sounds easy, right? Her family have been running Blithe Spirits for eons, but she doesn’t want to do that – they are unbearable enough, without having to work with them as well. So Melody decides to start her very own business; her family help those still very much alive and left behind so Melody is going to help the ghosts…by becoming a ghostbuster (thankfully no hoovers or green gooey Slimers in sight!). Can Melody make it as a business woman? And get one over on her ex-love, Leo Dark, in the process…?
Loved it! Sorry, let me repeat that, I LOVED THIS BOOK. What a wonderful change for me to read something lighthearted and a little bit silly. There are so many good things I want to say, I just don’t know where to start.
Melody is amazing; sassy, spirited (haha, ‘spirited’) and shed loads of fun. Her family are beyond adorable. Silvana, her mother, we first meet balancing precariously on a table wearing a teeny tiny negligee, coaxing a ghost from the loft! Unfortunately, for Melody, we meet her mother at the same time as her date does. That’s the date she has just brought home for ‘coffee’! Melody’s grandmother, Dicey, is full of youth, vim and vigour with a great big handful of naughtiness. Particularly as her husband died in a rather compromising position and his spirit is forever tied to their bedroom! Oh, and then there’s Marina who is Melody’s best friend. What an enviable friendship they have! Marina is Melody’s guardian angel (and bodyguard!), the voice of reason (and sometimes aggression) in her ear, plus she brings a delicious treat to the office every day baked by her wonderful Italian Nonna. But oh my, Artie, the hired help and the only boy working for the agency. He’s adorable and I loved to see him grow in confidence as the story progressed. He went from being the shy new boy to (almost) superhero status by the end of the book.
The story moved at a great pace with lots of madcap shenanigans along the way. I loved the relationship between Melody and Fletcher Gunn and I hope the author builds on this in book two. The main story line involving the mystery (see, there’s a mystery!) of why the Scarsborough brothers couldn’t move on was interesting. I enjoyed reading about Melody’s ace detective skills and think she could give a lot of my normal literary detectives a good run for their money. The race against ex-boyfriend and daytime TV superstar, Leo Dark, to solve the mystery was quite enchanting.
Would I recommend this book? Without doubt. This is one of my favourites so far this year and I can see it riding high in my top reads of 2016 list. It’s an incredibly funny book which is full of adorable characters who are packed to the gills with eccentricity and love for one another. I have learnt by reading this book that it’s OK, every so often, to step outside of your (reading) comfort zone…you might just enjoy it! Roll on book two…
Five out of five stars.
Many thanks to Bookouture, Kitty French and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Melody Bittersweet and the Girls’ Ghostbusting Agency in exchange for an honest review.