Review: The Librarian's Ghost (The Supers #2) by Sean Michael

Can love survive the perils of MacGregor House?

The Supernatural Explorers are back and looking for their next big paranormal case. They might’ve found it in a plea from Payne, a mild-mannered librarian who has inherited the family mansion—MacGregor House. Since moving in a few months ago, Payne’s exhausted the list of ghost hunters and experts in his quest for help. The Supers are his last chance.

So why does normally good-natured cameraman Will take an instant dislike to Payne? For that matter, why has he felt irritable and angry since they arrived at the site? It soon becomes clear that the answers they seek will be found in the basement—where nobody has gone since Payne was a little boy. As the haunting grows deadlier, things get sweeter between Will and Payne, but all hell’s about to break loose when they breach the basement door.

Will they be ready?

I think perhaps Sean Michael is growing on me…



This for sure was certainly creeptastic as the gang (a group of 5 gay friends who ghost hunt) is hired to not only confirm there’s a haunted house but also do an exorcism. When cameraman Will meets Payne, their meeting is literally electric upon touch (just like Finn and Blaine) but where things rolled smoothly for the former duo, these two get off on the wrong foot immediately. Is the animosity and chemistry that off? Or are they being influenced by not so nice spirits that won’t leave Payne, nor his ancestral home alone?



Like the first book, make note that there were some good tense moments, there were some disturbing discoveries and definitely, there were a couple of holy shit scaries. This also had insta-lust that progressed to insta-love in a matter of days especially once Will and Payne get over themselves and realize that their hostile thoughts just might not be truly their own.



Seeing as how I thought the first book The Supers, was just quirky odd in mostly dialogue and pacing and thus, not reading very smoothly to me, this second foray into Michael, was a lot better. Ever present is his unique writing style and word choice, and though not as obvious, transitions and figuring out who was who was still a tad cumbersome.



Overall, this excels mostly on the horror as it focused on the classic crazy scary basement no one wants to descend into but must. The romance, though perhaps improbable in lightening quick progression, still had some decent smexy. So if you like that, and you like some fear and anxiety and omg-that-just-didn't-happen with your spooky novels, then be reassured that this delivers!



Thank you to the author/publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Wight Mischief by J.L. Merrow

A ghost of a chance at love.

Personal trainer Will Golding has been looking forward to a getaway with his best friend, Baz, a journalist researching a book on ghosts. But on the first day of their camping trip on the Isle of Wight, Will takes a walk on a secluded beach and spies a beautiful young man skinny-dipping by moonlight. Ethereally pale, he’s too perfect to be real—or is he?

Lonely author Marcus Devereux is just as entranced by the tall athlete he encounters on the beach, but he’s spent the years since his parents’ violent death building a wall around his heart, and the thought of letting Will scale it is terrifying. Marcus’s albinism gives him his otherworldly appearance and leaves him reluctant to go out in daylight, his reclusiveness encouraged by his guardian—who warns him to stay away from Will and Baz.

The attraction between Will and Marcus can’t be denied—but neither can the danger of the secrets haunting Marcus’s past, as one “accident” after another strikes Will and Baz. If they don’t watch their step, they could end up added to the island’s ghostly population.

I read Wight Mischief for the first time in 2013 and while I didn’t remember a lot of details, the imagery still was with me when the book came through the blog for its re-release. I really wanted to visit the Isle of Wight again through J.L. Merrow’s words and I enjoyed it just as much the second time around.

Wight Mischief plays to J.L. Merrow’s strengths with vivid atmospheric imagery and characters who come to life on the pages. I had a real soft spot for Will throughout. Every reader knows the warm fuzzy feeling of connecting and rooting for a character with all their literary loving heart. Will was my dude. He was everything I love wrapped in a big, beautiful humble package. His unwavering loyalty and one sided crush on Baz frustrated me to no end, but I also understood it given their age and history.

Myself, I love a mystery and one with a paranormal bent is even better. The ghost hunting angle that came with Baz’s research set the scene for the tension that flows from start to finish. The research leads them to Marcus’s doorstep and the connection between Marcus and Will was obvious, but also not easy. Marcus is a successful author with a mysterious past and an overbearing caretaker who adds some delicious tension and a character I could love to hate. The story needed a clear villain and Leif delivered.

The mystery evolves along with Marcus and Will’s relationship. I liked reading about Will’s change of affection from Baz to Marcus. It was refreshing and I was happy reading about Will’s happiness. Their relationship wasn’t without its angst but the angst wasn’t overdone considering everything else going on.

And there was a lot going on. Honestly if you are looking for full blown romance, you are going to be a little disappointed. Will and Marcus don’t have a ton of page time together, but the time they do have is intense and they do spend a lot of time pining for one another. That did make the end that much sweeter for me as their HEA was well earned.

Wight Mischief has characters to love, to hate and ones you want to throttle. There’s the mystery, the ghost stories and the Isle of Wight itself which is a character all on its own. I quite enjoy reading a story with all manner of elements and a mystery needs a lot of movement to keep the reader, well, mystified and engaged. Because there were the other elements in the story as well; the romance between Will and Marcus, the changing dynamics between Will and Baz, the new friendships made, etc., the mystery didn’t have to be overly complex and I’m glad it wasn’t. I wanted to read about it, but I didn’t want it to outshine Will and Marcus. In the end the balance worked for me as a mystery lover with bonus romance.

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**

Audiobook Review: The Supers (The Supers #1) by Sean Michael

Hunting ghosts and finding more than they bargained for.

Blaine Franks is a member of the paranormal research group the Supernatural Explorers. When the group loses their techie to a cross-country move, newly graduated Flynn Huntington gets the job. Flynn fits in with the guys right off the bat, but when it comes to him and Blaine, it’s more than just getting along.

Things heat up between Blaine and Flynn as they explore their first haunted building, an abandoned hospital, together. Their relationship isn’t all that progresses, though, and soon it seems that an odd bite on Blaine’s neck has become much more.

Hitchhiking ghosts, a tragic love story forgotten by time, and the mystery of room 204 round out a romance where the things that go bump in the night are real.

Listening Length: 6 hours and 18 minutes
Narrator: Kenneth Obi

I’m quite conflicted about this story for a variety of reasons, and I’m really not sure how to express my experience.

This starts off with a group of gay friends who are basically out to make it big by proving that ghosts are real. Flynn actually has the ability to feel, see, and possibly interact with said ghosts so he’s a very valuable part of the team - a team that needs another to help with data collection and analysis. Enter Blaine. He’s always been a believer due to feeling his dead mother’s presence intermittently throughout his life. Because of this, Blaine is determined to prove that this paranormal phenomena exists, and what better way to do that than to join a group of ghost hunters?

When Blaine first meets Flynn there's literally a spark between them and of course, the instant attraction pushes them down the hill at warp speed. The two fall hard and fast, and there just might be a bit of spooky mojo making their connection all the more fantastical, and it’s “babe, baby, honey, love” in a matter of days. *grimaces* In and amongst this uh-mazing time, strange things are afoot, sinister happenings start to endanger Flynn, and sure enough, there’s a tragic mystery to be solved and justice to be had.

I’ve only listened to Kenneth Obi once before, and he was more than perfectly serviceable. Here??? Not so much. I could not follow the narration well at all. I don’t know if it’s because my ears couldn’t easily distinguish “Blaine” from “Flynn” as they’re both one syllable and end in N, or the fact that there was inconsistent character distinction which was not helped by the seemingly rapid POV changes that made it hard to discern who was who was who was speaking. Oy. To say the least, this took me an unusual inordinate amount of time to get through, and that didn’t sit well.

Soooooo despite the insta love, the banter between Blaine and Flynn was mostly sweet and entertaining, the smexy wasn’t too shabby. The scary bits were tense and disturbing, so if you want that in your ghost story then don’t worry. For me though, this book was just... odd, and it was not helped by the narration. I’m not deterred though, since this is my first from Sean Michael. I’ll forge ahead with the next book whether I listen to it or not!

Thank you to the author/publisher for the audio in exchange for an honest review

Review: The Supers (The Supers #1) by Sean Michael

Hunting ghosts and finding more than they bargained for.

Blaine Franks is a member of the paranormal research group the Supernatural Explorers. When the group loses their techie to a cross-country move, newly graduated Flynn Huntington gets the job. Flynn fits in with the guys right off the bat, but when it comes to him and Blaine, it’s more than just getting along.

Things heat up between Blaine and Flynn as they explore their first haunted building, an abandoned hospital, together. Their relationship isn’t all that progresses, though, and soon it seems that an odd bite on Blaine’s neck has become much more.

Hitchhiking ghosts, a tragic love story forgotten by time, and the mystery of room 204 round out a romance where the things that go bump in the night are real.

I was a huge fan of show Ghost Hunters with Jason and Grant from TAPS. I loved that their reason to investigate the paranormal was to debunk the probability of ghosts being real yet both men had their own experiences with ghosts. I won’t go into detail, but I’ve had my share of experiences and had “the voodoo man” explain my gifts so this book sounded like it would be right up my alley.

I’m Blaine Franks, and with my buddies Flynn, Will, Jase, and Darnell, we’re the Supernatural Explorers.

It started out really good as we get to meet Blaine doing his daily business working at the family farm and the first impression he has of Flynn the new tech guy to possibly join The Supernatural Explorers. It’s group of four friends who like to hunt ghosts and who are all gay. Flynn gets the seal of approval from the boys and he begins a minor crush on the face of The Supers and Blaine begins a crush on Flynn as well.

“Are there any horror stories associated with the place?” Flynn asked. “I mean, obviously people died here, but were any of them under mysterious or sinister circumstances?”

“There was a mass shooting in the emergency room in the early sixties. Eight people died. Four nurses, two doctors, and two patients.”

The ghost hunting aspect of the book was what I loved the most. I liked the guys going into the Eugene Thurston Memorial Hospital, to see if they can get any readings of ghosties hanging out and doing what they do best. The mystery of what happened in Room 204 was what kept me reading the book and it was as tragic as I hoped it wouldn’t be.

We’re told Blaine and Flynn like each other but I never felt it. We are told a lot about what they feel and they tell us out loud how they feel but the chemistry was a hot as a cold spot in a haunted room. I felt absolutely nothing for either of these boys. Yeah, I am calling them boys because even though they are supposed to be 33 years old, they talk to one another like they are perpetually 12!

“You two just keep thrashing over the same shit,”

Honestly this book dragged and went from interesting to OMMFG can we stop rehashing the same issue over and over again?! I get it. Blaine has a bad feeling about Room 204 but the voices kept telling him to go there and Flynn wants to know what the big deal is but Blaine won’t talk and ugh. They beat that issue to death and kept torturing it.

There is sex in this but I skimmed it because of the dialogue during and just wanted to find out what happened in Room 204. An insta-relationship happens and I skimmed most of that too. I just wanted to find out what happened in Room 204. Do we see a theme here?

This had a strong beginning that I liked but it was Sean Michaeled to death. If you are familiar with the author’s style of storytelling and like it, this might be for you.

Sadly, I think I need to steer clear of the authors’ work from this point on.

I’m just not that into it.

Review: The Caldwell Ghost & Butterflies (The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal # 1 & 2) by K.J. Charles

When Robert Caldwell inherits a haunted house, he calls on ghost-hunter Simon Feximal to rid him of the supernatural menace. But the ghost is stronger than either man realizes -- strong, angry, and desperate for release. Trapped in a haunted house with a dangerously attractive ghost-hunter and a sexually frustrated spirit, can Robert survive the night intact...and will he want to?

K.J. Charles’ “The Magpie Lord” is the absolute best book I have read all year. Not many authors can creep the hell out of you, while making you laugh and then leave you fanning yourself and re-reading repeatedly her more sensual scenes.  So of course I went all fangirl twirley when I saw that she was releasing The Caldwell Ghost, the first book in her new series The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal. I am a voracious reader but usually I don’t like to read short stories. Just when you get into the rhythm of the tale you blink and it’s over…if the story is bad it is wasted seconds of your life and if it is any good it is like that Brazilian summer exchange student that left you in a fetal position crying for more.  When I saw it was $1.99 for only 17 freakin’ pages , well yeah NOOO came to mind.  The buzz around the tale though just kept building and many of my friends were all in a tizzy about how much they really liked the story, and not one of them complained about the price. Then Charles released Butterflies the second book in the series (which is a little longer and free) amping up the cacophony urging me to read the books.  Boy, did I have major crow to eat (crow –magpies hee -snort) because man can Charles write... she crams more story into those few pages than most authors do in full length novels.

If you look at this story as an introduction to the tales, it is the perfect prologue to set the mood. The stories are Robert Caldwell’s unedited versions of previously written censored tales of  famous Ghost Hunter Simon Feximal. The set up in the first story is the meeting between Robert Caldwell and Feximal.  Simon is described as looking like an archaic priest with steely gray hair… ummm wait what really? He has a young face though, and then you realize this man has seen and done some things that have ravaged him throughout the years, but once the story gets going sexy doesn’t begin to describe the way you see Simon.  Charles has a way of vividly drawing images in your mind much in the same way the tattoos crawl across her characters' bodies...and I mean literally crawl.

Great googly moogly  K.J. Charles can scare the crap out of her readers. She has you turning on all the lights and getting under the covers, jumping at every noise. But like that idiot that goes into the other room because they heard something, I can not stop reading! Then, just as quickly, she can fog up the room in a whole different way... leaving you restless and moaning, and moaning ... whew......

ok we go on....

The series is supposed to chronicle 20 years of adventures between Ghost hunter extraordinaire Simon and his companion Caldwell. It is no stretch to compare their relationship to Holmes and Watson, Arthur and Merlin, Bert and Ern.... well ok you get the point.. These two men belong together. I don't want to go into more details because you need to enjoy the whole experience.

I had a major epiphany when reading a specific quote

I know about stories. They must have endings. A story without an ending is an unbearable itch to the reader.

Sound the hallelujah choir, this is why I hate cliffhangers!! It is like that itch in the middle of your back you can't reach.

Well I did not feel cheated after reading "The Caldwell Ghost" and yet I want to read more about them. Thank goodness I was able to go right to the next story.

Journalist Robert Caldwell is still smarting from his first encounter with ghost-hunter Simon Feximal. Their night in a haunted house was thrilling, but the aftermath leaves Robert hurt, disappointed, and resolved not to see Simon again.

But just a few days later their paths cross once more, this time investigating a pair of mysterious deaths: two corpses shrouded in butterflies.

Now Robert wants the truth – on the deaths, on where the butterflies came from, and most of all, on the attraction that still burns between him and Simon.

A free standalone short story (8700 words) in the Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal.

Butterflies starts right where we left off… yippie, I love it when we get right back into their lives and I am not left feeling that the characters were having fun without me... yay!

There is a much talked about scene in The Magpie Lord that is the single most horrific thing I have ever read ! It had me glued to the pages. I could not stop reading that scene even while my heart was thumping wildly. Well, Butterflies has an equally horrific scene, where people are being killed by thousands of swarming butterflies, choking them to death. I know what you're thinking, butterflies can kill, really? But it is so logical it will leave you running away from them faster than rats or spiders from now on.  Who effing knew….well J.K. Charles knew... Thank God.

I hate true horror stories. I don’t like blood and guts and yet I am riveted by Charles’ writing. We follow along jumping at shadows with Caldwell and Feximal while they try to figure out where the butterflies are coming from, why they would kill and who is desecrating ancient crypts… Come on!!! We all know you don’t touch the damn burial grounds…sheesh Ghost Hunting 101 people. Did we learn nothing from Scooby Doo?

The humor and chemistry between Caldwell and Feximal also help to ease the scary tension. Of course it ramps it up in other areas but I am not complaining.

I am really excited to read this series and am hoping for many more vignettes.

J.K. Charles is now an automatic buy, no matter the price or length.