Review: Cemeteries by Moonlight (States of Love) by Hunter Frost

When a serious bout of writer’s block threatens to delay mystery author Drew Daniels’s newest book, his aunt offers her New Orleans apartment in the heart of the French Quarter as a writing retreat. She neglects to mention that it’s occupied by the enigmatic and sexy Finn Murphy, a cemetery tour guide with a penchant for Victorian attire and a Cajun accent.

A body discovered in an open crypt forces reclusive Drew to deal with Finn’s eccentric group of friends and his underlying attraction to the hot Cajun—despite warnings about Finn’s violent past. Drew might write this stuff, but he’s never had to solve a real-life murder. With a deadline looming and a killer on the loose, this retreat is proving to be anything but helpful for Drew’s novel. Drew can only hope he won’t end up a tragic tale for the Ghostly Legends & Lore, Inc. haunted tour.

There was a lot for me to love in this tale and being that the theme of this series is centered on the state where the story takes place, I was completely jazzed (see what I did there?) to grab on to Cemeteries by Moonlight based in NOLA.

Drew is a murder mystery writer suffering from writers block and his aunt offers up a change of scenery to see if that will help him out. She conveniently “forgets” that she already has her apartment in New Orleans rented out and thus we have the set up between Drew and his new roomie Finn. I fell hard for Finn from the get go, just like Drew did. He’s a hot tattooed Cajun with a French-Cajun accent and charm to spare. He works as a tour guide for Ghostly Legends and Lore, Inc. so he knows the town inside and out. It was really the perfect setup to make the location into another character. The author was able to weave the history of the locale seamlessly into Finn’s storytelling and Finn’s ability to make the history relatable was a huge attractor for Drew, as they were both storytellers after all.

For a bit Drew assumes that Finn is straight and he doesn’t usually let himself get too close to others in general and other men in particular. He’s got Tourette’s syndrome and has not had the best luck in his past meeting people who he was able to be himself with, he’d been judged and treated harshly so he has no desire to open himself up to that again. Finn isn’t just your average dude though and Drew has trouble keeping his distance from that sexy accent and those kind eyes; the way the author described Finn, I can’t blame Drew one bit!

There are a host of quirky characters and when one of their own is murdered, the junior sleuthing is on. Drew’s dad is a detective and also his beta reader so he’s not unfamiliar in the ways of investigation, that little bit made his involvement more believable. He’s having trouble being completely objective though because his heart is getting pretty attached to Drew and vice versa. Of course, as Drew gets to know the characters more he ends up questioning his own objectivity which makes complete sense, he doesn’t really know these people but he’s gotten himself pretty invested now and is determined to see it through.

There’s a bit of conclusion jumping that throws a wrench at Drew and Finn and it was logical considering what each knew of the other, but when everything came to a head and the mystery got closer to being solved, they figured it all out right quick. The confessions reminded me of old –timey classic murder mysteries with the villain reveling in some monologue-ing attention and while it made the ultimate revelations a little convenient it was still kinda fun to read in a nostalgic way.

The author managed to pack a lot of story and history into just over 100 pages and while I would have loved more of Drew and Finn together the balance was still completely satisfying. And I wanted more Drew and Finn, not because anything was missing, but just because I wanted more Drew and Finn. They were both unique characters and reading their banter as they got to know one another was in turn fun, sweet and hot. Cemeteries by Moonlight makes me want to read more from this series and more from this author.

Also, if Dreamspinner and Hunter Frost decide to make this one into an Audiobook, then this Peach would be damn grateful. Damn grateful.

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

Review: Ethan by Ryan Loveless

Carter Stevenson is looking forward to a fresh start in a new high school on the other side of the country. It’ll give him a chance to escape his reputation for twitching and stuttering. He’ll have the summer to himself in his new home in California, and in the fall, he won’t get involved in any activity that puts his Tourette’s center stage. He won’t stand out as different.

But his new neighbor, Ethan, isn’t just going to change his plans. He’s going to change Carter’s life.

Ethan Hart is recovering from a traumatic brain injury, but it doesn’t dampen his enthusiasm or love for life. As soon as he sees Carter, who moves like the music Ethan sees between the clouds and the grass, he’s determined to become his friend, and then his boyfriend. And even if his parents say their romance can’t get physical, Ethan won’t let it stand in the way of falling in love.

Stepping into the spotlight was the last thing Carter ever wanted, but Ethan, along with a group of friends who like him just the way he is—tics and all—starts to change his mind.

Adapted as a YA edition of the award-winning novel Ethan, Who Loved Carter by Ryan Loveless. 

Ethan is a YA take on Ryan Loveless' novel Ethan, Who Loved Carter. It is pretty much the same with the exception of the MC's ages, and I admit I thoroughly enjoyed both versions of this novel, possibly enjoying this version a tad more than the original. 

I enjoy characters who are not mainstream carbon copies of every other character out there. Carter has Tourette's syndrome and is conscious of his tics. Ethan on the other hand is confident despite his brain injury. I loved him. I loved that he was accepted and had a wide group of loyal friends. It made a change form the concept of jock or nerd or boy-next-door. He was happy in his own skin, even though he does wonder sometimes what he would have been like had he not been injured and carried on the way he used to be. 

I found both families in this book utterly likeable. Accepting and understanding  for the most part, especially the parents. Ethan's brother loved Ethan but we were allowed to see him when he struggled with Ethan's limitations and his less than conventional approach to life. This is real. We can love someone but find the impact they have on our lives difficult at times. Accepting and understanding and learning to deal with this is a valuable lesson. 

This story is thoughtful and well written and I am so glad I have had the pleasure of reading it. There was only one part that I didn't feel crossed from the first novel to this so well, and that is when circumstances meant Carter was left 'looking after' Ethan when his parents had to go away. It didn't work for me. It put their relationship in an uneven position, at this point (and only at this point) did it feel like Carter was in a position of trusted responsibility towards Ethan, which then made the relationship feel a little uncomfortable. I'm not sure I've worded that all correctly, but i hope my meaning is understood.

All in all I highly recommend both these reads, and for those people who have reads Ethan, who loved Carter, I would say read this too, it is a great way to re-look at their relationship.

A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.

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