Review: Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye by Victoria Laurie

Title: Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye

Author: Victoria Laurie
Publisher: Signet

Publishing Date: December 7th, 2004

Pages: 295
Genre: Adult Paranormal Cozy Mystery

Series:  Psychic Eye Mystery #1
Source: Audio

 

Abby Cooper is a P.I., psychic intuitive. But her insight failed her when she didn't foresee the death of one of her clients-or that the lead investigator for the case is the gorgeous blind date she just met. Now, with the police suspicious of her abilities and a killer on the loose, Abby's future looks more uncertain than ever.

This was a book on my TBR for a very long time. It is one of the first Cozy Mysteries I tried. I wasn't really into the genre yet but this book for sure changed my mind. I love anything psychic... especially those that solve mysteries. This book was a lot of fun and a lot of sass. I just loved the characters and the writing and the mystery. 

Abby Cooper is a psychic. She makes a living off or reading people and has a pretty legit client base. Well one of her clients is murdered and she feels she should have seen it coming... what she did see was a bit of a warning but the client didn't listen and well now she is dead. Abby gets a visit from a very attractive detective and together they venture to solve this mystery... and maybe tangle with a bit of romance. 

I really just loved this book. It was everything I was looking for in a good paranormal mystery. It was all there, the mystery, the fun psychic abilities, the banter between characters, the danger, the attitude, the fun. Oh, so much fun. 

I adore Abby. She is so cute and sassy. She is really caring, she puts everything she has into her clients and she has a confidence in her self that just makes her so lovable. Her spirit guide makes her all the more fun too. The way she gets her readings from her spirit guide is just so cute and makes me think her spirit guide has a real sense of humor. 

I also adore Detective Dutch. Handsome and arrogant but in a smooth way. I couldn't help but like him. The way they banter back and forth is just too much and I smiled throughout the read. I think they would make the cutest couple but at times butt heads so easily and of course this will lead to issues. I can see it already. They are both headstrong and stubborn and of course not as charming as they think they are. Well, maybe they are. I sure am fancied by the two of them. 

The mystery was written well and I really couldn't figure it out until I was meant to. So that makes me very happy with the read. I was more involved with the banter and the humor and didn't concentrate too hard on the mystery. I wanted to enjoy it for the whole story, not just the mystery since the story was also about Abby and Dutch. 

Loved it and can't wait to read more in this series. 

Victoria Laurie is the New York Times bestselling author of 30 books and counting. Victoria divides her time between her two adult mystery series, (The Psychic Eye Mysteries, and The Ghost Hunter Mysteries), and a Y/A thriller, When (Formerly titled Death Date), to be released in early January of 2015.

Victoria loves to connect with her fans, and you can find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/Victo...

Review: Don't Die Dragonfly by Linda Joy Singleton

Title: Don't Die Dragonfly

Author: Linda Joy Singleton
Publisher:  Llewellyn Publications
Publishing Date: September 8th 2004

Pages: 232
Genre:  YA Paranormal Mystery

Series: The Seer #1
Source: Paperback

  

After getting kicked out of school and sent to live with her grandmother, Sabine Rose is determined to become a "normal" teenage girl. She hides her psychic powers from everyone, even from her grandmother Nona, who also has "the gift." Having a job at the school newspaper and friends like Penny-Love, a popular cheerleader, have helped Sabine fit in at her new school. She has even managed to catch the eye of the adorable Josh DeMarco. Yet, Sabine can't seem to get the bossy voice of Opal, her spirit guide, out of her head . . . or the disturbing images of a girl with a dragonfly tattoo. Suspected of a crime she didn't commit, Sabine must find the strength to defend herself and, later, save a friend from certain danger.

I had my eye on this book for a long time before I actually picked it to read it. I was wary over the first few pages, the writing style was a little simpler than I was used to, but once I got into the story, I fell in love.

Sabine has physic powers. At her last school she had visions of a boy dying and she failed to stop it from happening. After his death she is kicked out of the school. She in turn goes to live with her grandmother who lives on a farm and starts a new school. She is not thrilled about the idea of her mother sending her away but a fresh start could do some good. Sabine meets some new friends, finds a boy she has a crush on and everything seems to be going great… until the visions start again. After trying to ignore them, she finds herself uncovering a mystery to save a life. Along the way she starts dating, confides in a friend, learns to have fun, and meets a very hot farm hand that she wants to go away.

I really enjoyed this book. It was questionable for me at the very beginning, it is a very simple and quick read and I was worried there wouldn’t be any meat to the characters or story. After a while I was able to enjoy the writing style and found myself liking the characters and lost in the mystery. It was very fast paced and a lot of fun.

The characters were very cliché’ but I really didn’t mind. The story is more about the mystery then strong character growth… which I find as a breath of fresh air after some deep reads. I was able to connect to the characters on a simple enjoyable level. I felt I knew them and they were not too predictable, and found them very likable. Even though they were cliché’ I found myself enjoying the relationships build and grow. I liked the romance and the friendships, each relationship unique.Sabine was a likable character. At times she did get on my nerves, she did make some stupid decisions and she was whiny at times. By the end of the book, I really liked her. I also really liked Manny, one of my favorite characters. He is smart, sarcastic, and a real brat. He knew what he wanted and went after it. I also like Penny. She is annoying at times because she is really perky, but she shows to be a great friend. The only one I didn’t feel a connection too was Josh, he seems pretty cool, but wasn’t a strong voice in the book. I hope to see more of him in the future.
The tone of the book was very fun, the writing style was quick and simple, but the book never felt rushed to me.

I had a lot of fun with this book and plan to read the rest of the series. I would recommend it for fans of mystery and those who love a book that is light and quick, nothing to deep or thought provoking.

Review: Undead and Unwed by Mary Janice Davidson

Title: Undead and Unwed
Author: Mary Janice Davidson
Publisher: Berkley
Publishing Date: March 4th 2004
Pages: 320
Genre: Adult Paranormal Humor
Series: Undead #1
Source: Audiobook

Goodreads Summary:
It’s been a helluva week for Betsy Taylor. First, she loses her job. Then, to top things off, she's killed in a car accident. But what really bites (besides waking up in the morgue dressed in a pink suit and cheap shoes courtesy of her stepmother) is that she can't seem to stay dead. Every night she rises with a horrible craving for blood. She's not taking too well to a liquid diet.

Worst of all, her new friends have the ridiculous idea that Betsy is the prophesied vampire queen, and they want her help in overthrowing the most obnoxious, power-hungry vampire in five centuries - a badly dressed Bela Lugosi wannabe, natch. Frankly, Betsy couldn't care less about vamp politics, but they have a powerful weapon of persuasion: designer shoes. How can any self-respecting girl say now? But a collection of Ferragamos isn't the only temptation for Betsy. It's just a lot safer than the scrumptious Sinclair - a seductive bloodsucker whose sexy gaze seems as dangerous as a stake through the heart.

Review:
I read mainly YA and when I decided to branch out a little into the adult world, this book was recommended to me by a friend as a really funny book. There were definitely some funny parts, but I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I would have liked to.

The synopsis sounds great; woman wakes up after an accident in a funeral home and learns shortly her life has gone to pots. She finds out she died and is now not dead, she was to be buried in an ugly pink suit and cheap shoes, her step monster mother stole all her designer shoes, and she can longer eat solid foods. She was killed and came back, as a vampire.

I really wanted to like the character, Betsy. I mean she was drew the short straw when it came to living but it’s not all that bad. She has a evil step mother, a wimpy father, a pretty down to earth mother, and a rich best friend, out of these half of whom accept her right away as a vampire. There was a bit too much whining going on for me. At times, she came across okay, when she would put on her snarky suit and those moments gave me a giggle, and she tended to move more towards the fighter stage towards the end of the book. I really liked the other characters in the book, her best friend cracked me up, and Sinclair, the vampire who is stalking her, was pretty hot. The characters did connect to each other really well, so for the most part, I was okay with the characters of the book.

The part I had a bit of a hard time with was the story and the writing. The story seemed a bit cliché for me with cliché vampirism. I think I could have even been ok with that if it wasn’t for the writing. The writing style was good. The book flowed well, great pace, not too simple and not too deep. I didn’t like the raunchy parts of the book. I guess I have been stuck in YA for too long, but the raunchy stole from the funny for me. I would have liked the book way more if it had been just a tad bit cleaner.

All in all, the book was okay, I may continue the series when I feel my book OCD kick in or if it fits a challenge. I will just need to continue on, reading not listening, so I can skip the icky scenes.

Rating: