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l2intj's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was probably my favorite Lily Morton book to date, and I would definitely recommend it to any lover of MM paranormal romance. The primary relationship is of the slow burn variety, which I always enjoy, and the plot is engaging, if sometimes a little outlandish. If you’re like me you will find yourself yelling, “Just get out of the house, you idiots!” a time or two, but, in fairness, that’s par for the course in any haunted house story. Overall, definitely worth reading.
orimega's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
2.75
lita01's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
I received this book from Gay Romance Reviews Tours in exchange of an honest review.
I was totally hyped by the second book and requested the first book as well. I mean, ghosts? Haunted houses? And add to that some LGBT romance with sexy scenes? UM HELLO? Why is this book not yet in my hands? Hello?
This book is about two characters, Levi and Blue. One has inherited a fancy house with well… some deadly ghosts. The other runs ghost walks and is psychic. These two guys don’t know it yet, but they are going to get together. Haha. I really loved reading from both of the characters and learning all about them. We see that Levi just lost his mom and on top of that broke off a relationship of 5 years (because his boyfriend was a cheating dick). Blue has a past full of darkness, prostitution, poverty, and more.
While I was very happy that they didn’t get a relationship immediately, it was at times a bit too much of a slow burn along with some things that should just have been talked (or kissed I am OK with both) out. Sooner. Haha. But yes, in overall I am happy that they didn’t get together immediately. Because Levi is still mourning, and Blue has his past and how he lives now to deal with. But I really loved seeing them get closer. Get more eager to be together. Share kisses that got very steamy. And then when they finally got together and sex happened, oh lord I was just squeeing in absolute delight because these two are clearly meant to be. I found the sex scenes well written and the romance adorable. YEs, I was definitely shouting at my kindle (and this time not because it is a worthless piece of machinery but because I wanted them to share some more hot kisses).
Next to relationships and dealing with the past, we also got a very spooky thing going on. I was curious if it was possible to be both a horror/ghost story with romance. I can tell you honestly that the author found the perfect balance and that it worked. It worked really well. Levi’s house is haunted and something is not happy with him there. We see our guys try to figure out what the hell is going on while not dying of fright or because the ghost (or ghosts) are killing them. It was really spooky to read and at times I had a lovely dose of goosebumps! Doors opening, screams sounding, blood dripping, shadows instead of facing, and more! I loved the mystery of who the ghost was, but also the mystery of why Rosalind killed her brother. And what we find, OH MAN, it was sooooo good. The ending to the haunted house story was exciting and scary and I was just curling up under my blankets.
Tom was a wonderful man and I am delighted that he and Blue got the chance to connect. That Tom can help out Blue with certain things that Blue’s mom couldn’t do for him. I loved their relationship and I loved how the old man is cantankerous as hell, but has a very soft and warm heart. Throughout the story we see that he sees Blue as family and that he cares about him a lot.
Rosalind. Well, I really liked her. Sure, there is that whole thing about having murdered someone, but throughout the book she just seems sweet, protective, and she cleans the house. Yes, really. She warns the boys when things go down. She is a really great characters (though really, reading the descriptions about her face, NOPE).
The ending had me smiling and I am happy for the decisions made by both the characters. We get a very extensive (YAS) epilogue in which we see how the characters are doing now. I am glad that Blue decided to do that and I fully understand it. I am happy he and Levi are still happily together and enjoying tons of fun things together.
All in all, this book was spooky, sometimes scary, other times very hot and steamy, and mostly very cute and it brought a big smile to my face. At the moment of writing it is 26-3 and I am planning on reading the next book as soon as I got some time. I cannot wait to see what will happen to Levi and Blue in that one. And I would highly recommend this one!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I was totally hyped by the second book and requested the first book as well. I mean, ghosts? Haunted houses? And add to that some LGBT romance with sexy scenes? UM HELLO? Why is this book not yet in my hands? Hello?
This book is about two characters, Levi and Blue. One has inherited a fancy house with well… some deadly ghosts. The other runs ghost walks and is psychic. These two guys don’t know it yet, but they are going to get together. Haha. I really loved reading from both of the characters and learning all about them. We see that Levi just lost his mom and on top of that broke off a relationship of 5 years (because his boyfriend was a cheating dick). Blue has a past full of darkness, prostitution, poverty, and more.
While I was very happy that they didn’t get a relationship immediately, it was at times a bit too much of a slow burn along with some things that should just have been talked (or kissed I am OK with both) out. Sooner. Haha. But yes, in overall I am happy that they didn’t get together immediately. Because Levi is still mourning, and Blue has his past and how he lives now to deal with. But I really loved seeing them get closer. Get more eager to be together. Share kisses that got very steamy. And then when they finally got together and sex happened, oh lord I was just squeeing in absolute delight because these two are clearly meant to be. I found the sex scenes well written and the romance adorable. YEs, I was definitely shouting at my kindle (and this time not because it is a worthless piece of machinery but because I wanted them to share some more hot kisses).
Next to relationships and dealing with the past, we also got a very spooky thing going on. I was curious if it was possible to be both a horror/ghost story with romance. I can tell you honestly that the author found the perfect balance and that it worked. It worked really well. Levi’s house is haunted and something is not happy with him there. We see our guys try to figure out what the hell is going on while not dying of fright or because the ghost (or ghosts) are killing them. It was really spooky to read and at times I had a lovely dose of goosebumps! Doors opening, screams sounding, blood dripping, shadows instead of facing, and more! I loved the mystery of who the ghost was, but also the mystery of why Rosalind killed her brother. And what we find, OH MAN, it was sooooo good. The ending to the haunted house story was exciting and scary and I was just curling up under my blankets.
Tom was a wonderful man and I am delighted that he and Blue got the chance to connect. That Tom can help out Blue with certain things that Blue’s mom couldn’t do for him. I loved their relationship and I loved how the old man is cantankerous as hell, but has a very soft and warm heart. Throughout the story we see that he sees Blue as family and that he cares about him a lot.
Rosalind. Well, I really liked her. Sure, there is that whole thing about having murdered someone, but throughout the book she just seems sweet, protective, and she cleans the house. Yes, really. She warns the boys when things go down. She is a really great characters (though really, reading the descriptions about her face, NOPE).
The ending had me smiling and I am happy for the decisions made by both the characters. We get a very extensive (YAS) epilogue in which we see how the characters are doing now. I am glad that Blue decided to do that and I fully understand it. I am happy he and Levi are still happily together and enjoying tons of fun things together.
All in all, this book was spooky, sometimes scary, other times very hot and steamy, and mostly very cute and it brought a big smile to my face. At the moment of writing it is 26-3 and I am planning on reading the next book as soon as I got some time. I cannot wait to see what will happen to Levi and Blue in that one. And I would highly recommend this one!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
mallorypen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
That was a delightful romp of a ghost story and I enjoyed it thoroughly!
The pacing was great - the author didn't sacrifice character development for plot momentum, or vice versa. I had a good idea of everyone's personality and motivation, all while the mystery unfolded. I did figure out who the true villain was about halfway through the book, but in a way that still made the telling of the story wholly fun and believable.
Though I didn't love the "had to turn tricks to keep myself afloat" storyline - in this context, it felt a little cheap in the added-for-the-trope kind of way, and Blue's halfhearted trauma response was underwhelming for someone who had to go to extreme measures to survive. That said, it was a factor of the relationship as it developed between Blue and Levi, and I liked the confrontation wherein Blue was firm that he was able to make his own decisions, no matter the circumstances.
The ghost story was fun - perhaps a tad melodramatic in the descriptions of the haunting and the grand reveal, but still enjoyable. It didn't give me the same creeping sense of horror from other gothic novels, but it was a fun narrative arc that moved the story along at a nice clip with lots of room for storytelling.
The pacing was great - the author didn't sacrifice character development for plot momentum, or vice versa. I had a good idea of everyone's personality and motivation, all while the mystery unfolded. I did figure out who the true villain was about halfway through the book, but in a way that still made the telling of the story wholly fun and believable.
Though I didn't love the "had to turn tricks to keep myself afloat" storyline - in this context, it felt a little cheap in the added-for-the-trope kind of way, and Blue's halfhearted trauma response was underwhelming for someone who had to go to extreme measures to survive. That said, it was a factor of the relationship as it developed between Blue and Levi, and I liked the confrontation wherein Blue was firm that he was able to make his own decisions, no matter the circumstances.
The ghost story was fun - perhaps a tad melodramatic in the descriptions of the haunting and the grand reveal, but still enjoyable. It didn't give me the same creeping sense of horror from other gothic novels, but it was a fun narrative arc that moved the story along at a nice clip with lots of room for storytelling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Violence, Death, and Suicide
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
mapefer3's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
sabrina7's review
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
this book was pretty enjoyable. it was definitely spooky (at some parts more than others) but there were still plenty of lighthearted moments just between our two sweet main characters. i loved their dynamic and was glad that there was no silly and unnecessary breakup . things got a little less engaging for me towards the end for some reason but i would definitely like to continue with this series and witness levi and blue’s relationship as it grows :)
wandering_turtle's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0