Dead Girls Are Easy (Nicki Styx, #1)

Nov 10, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this fun paranormal read!

When Nicki Styx has a near-death experience after suffering from heretofore unknown heart problems, she's sent back with the message "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

That sounded great, and the doctor who saved her life in the ER looks pretty dang good, too. But soon Nicki finds out just exactly what that whole "Golden Rule" stuff was about. The spirits of people recently departed, who have unfinished business on Earth, seem drawn to N...more

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Feb 01, 2013 White Picket Fence rated it 5 of 5 stars

Telling by the cover you would think that “Dead Girls Are Easy” is just another one of those books that is all about focusing on complaining, and the newest fashion. Of course there is some of that but, Terri Garey knows how to write without annoying the heck out of me. Usually I wouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover, which lets be honest I did kind of judge this book. But once I started reading it I found that I couldn’t put the damn thing down.

With characters that entertain you all the way throu...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Netha rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: rekomen, ghost-demon-satan, fantasy-supernatural

nicky styx, mengalami NDE - nearly death experience - coz her bad heart
namun setelah nde ada yang aneh pada nicky. tiba2 saja nicky bisa melihat & berbicara pada dead person.
nicky jelas tidak siap untuk menghadapi itu, sikap cuek & judesnya udah mau keluar tapi tiba2 nicky teringat lagi pada perkataan "do unto others as you would have them do unto you", saat kejadian nde-nya.
hal itu lah yang akhirnya membuatnya membantu Irene goldblatt yang mati karna keselak meatball suaminya.
Irene memi...more nicky styx, mengalami NDE - nearly death experience - coz her bad heart
namun setelah nde ada yang aneh pada nicky. tiba2 saja nicky bisa melihat & berbicara pada dead person.
nicky jelas tidak siap untuk menghadapi itu, sikap cuek & judesnya udah mau keluar tapi tiba2 nicky teringat lagi pada perkataan "do unto others as you would have them do unto you", saat kejadian nde-nya.
hal itu lah yang akhirnya membuatnya membantu Irene goldblatt yang mati karna keselak meatball suaminya.
Irene meminta nicky untuk menemui sang suami & mengatakan padanya bahwa semua itu bukan salahnya.
nicky akhirnya setuju, yah mau tidak mau kalo dia tidak ingin terus dibuntuti oleh irene.

karna nde itu pula nicky berkenalan dengan cute doctor, dr. joe bascombe, dokter E.R yang sudah menyelamatkan nicky.
kalo sama2 tertarik, tentu tidak ada salahnya untuk mencoba bukan? tapi mencoba untuk berkencan dengan si seksi dr joe tidak mudah jika tiap kali selalu saja ada ghost yang tiba2 nongol didepan nicky yg membuat nicky harus menolong, well nicky tidak mungkin tidak menolong mereka menemukan light bukan??

paling apes jika ketemu ghost yang udah make vodoo seperti caprice, yang memiliki toko diseberang toko vintage milik evan & nicky.
caprice yang selama ini dikenal nicky baik tiba2 saja berubah menakutkan.
ghost caprice meneror nicky, mengancam & menyakiti evan, membuat nicky harus mengungsi ke apartemen joe (dengan senang hati tentunya), membuat evan harus dirawat di rumah sakit juga membuat nicky tidak bisa kembali ke rumah ke 2 orang tuanya yg sangat disayanginya.

satu2nya cara membuat caprice tidak mengganggunya lagi adl dengan meminta bantuan seorang pendeta vodoo, lha kok ya pas nenek julep, nenek caprice adl pendeta vodoo.
nicky yang ga pernah percaya hal2 mistis begitu tiba2 saja harus mengalami banyak hal aneh, termasuk ketakutan pada ular yang dirasuki arwah caprice juga digunakan sebagai medium oleh nenek julep & albert.

belum selesai masalah caprice eh joe mengaku kalo dia sudah menikah, dengan wanita yg ada kemungkinan adl saudara kembar nicky...nah lhooo, mbuletisasi deh.

benar2 deh kehidupan nicky berubah 360 derajat.......

novel ini termasuk menakutkan, secara penggambaran hantunya cukup membuat merinding juga tapi terri garey merangkum cerita ini dengan baik. buku horor yang menyenangkan untuk dibaca.....
tadinya mo ku kasih bintang 4 tapi mungkin masih buku 1 jadi chemistry joe - nicky aq belum dapat.....(less)

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Apr 15, 2012 Nawnee rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

Recommended to Nawnee by: Amazon

Shelves: authors-i-m-addicted-to, books-i-couldn-t-put-down, hot-and-steamy-yum-yum

This is a great series that I stumbled across by accident, it reminded me of the Stephanie Plum series but with Ghosts and this made me laugh more and kept my interest longer. I love that the author seems to have named her characters in a method to relate them to some of Greek mythology like the reference to the Styx river that happens in this book, when all I could think about was Motley crue which actually isn't that far off either with Nicki's personality the rocker reference actually fits to...more

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Apr 04, 2012 Nath rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, read-2007, romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 4/5 (B)

Why did I get this book? I was looking for something to read/buy. To be frank, I picked up this book, read the back blurb and went: “not another one!” Especially when this book sounded very similar to another one I read a couple of months ago. I mean, let’s face it, Near-Death-Experience (NDE) coupled with abilities to see ghosts afterwards plots have been done and re-done. But I still bought the book ^^; I guess I wanted something to buy :)

My impressions? This was a light and fast read f...more 4/5 (B)

Why did I get this book? I was looking for something to read/buy. To be frank, I picked up this book, read the back blurb and went: “not another one!” Especially when this book sounded very similar to another one I read a couple of months ago. I mean, let’s face it, Near-Death-Experience (NDE) coupled with abilities to see ghosts afterwards plots have been done and re-done. But I still bought the book ^^; I guess I wanted something to buy :)

My impressions? This was a light and fast read for me. Yes, the plot is familiar, but the characters are not and I think that’s what saved the book for me. I liked Nicki and I thought Joe was very sweet :D They make a good pair and there are some twists in this plot that makes this book worthy of a try. Also, it turns out that this is the first book in the Nicky Styx series and I think it shows potential.

The Heroine, the Hero and the Romance: Well, let’s start with Nicki, our heroine. She was adopted as a baby by free-spirited parents and after their deaths in a car accident, she bought a store with her best friend, Evan. She’s on the gothic side, very bold and outspoken; however, she’s not too tough either. I think that she’s pretty vulnerable and actually is not as tough as she would like people to believe. She’s a very likeable heroine and reminds me a bit of Stephanie Plum, minus the clumsiness and the crazy family.

You know the next-door girl? Well Joe the doctor would be the next-door guy. In my opinion, he has two things going on for him: 1) he’s not in law enforcement and 2) he’s not an alpha. LOL :) Instead, he’s the more serious, responsible, dependable guy… and definitively sweet.

The romance was nice… Joe was definitively trying and you know, they’re building up something. No soulmate or instant mating… just a healthy dose of attraction and a few dates. I did think that the relationship was evolving a bit too fast, I mean, they didn’t fall in bed together immediately, but still it was a bit fast to my taste, given their situation.

The Story: So once Nicki gets over the fact that she can see dead people and starts to believe it, it gets interesting. She gets the visit of a few unrelated ghosts as well of a supposedly friend who’s been murdered and asked Nicki to prove that her man was not the killer. However, the supposedly friend is not very friendly as a ghost and Nicki stats to suspect that something is wrong when the supposedly friend “hurts” Evan once Nicki refuses the help. Turns out that some voodoo is involved.

Meanwhile, there’s also Joe. Nicki is not sure what to do with him… She knows he is attracted to her and she is to him too; however, he has also asked if she could be a subject in his NDE research. The most interesting twist in the book however, would be the fact that Joe is married… to Nicki’s twin sister, or at least, that’s what he believes.

What I liked: I liked that it was fluff and fast to read. I liked Nicki and Joe and both together. I even liked the best friend, Evan.

What I didn’t like: The voodoo aspect of the book. Never liked voodoo and this book didn’t change that.

Grade: B. This was a good effort from the author and the storyline does have potential to become better. I guess we’ll have to see with the next book; however, the synopsis and excerpt sure are promising.(less)

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Dec 08, 2011 Sonia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Prima esperienza con una pubblicazione Delos: risultato più che soddisfacente!
Non sapevo bene cosa aspettarmi da un romanzo con un titolo del genere Le ragazze morte sono facili... sono quelle vive a crearmi problemi!
Ad essere onesti mi attraeva e respingeva allo stesso momento.
Il mio lato curioso era disperatamente attirato da quelle parole; il mio lato scettico mi avvisava che sarei rimasta probabilmente delusa, che si sarebbe trattato solo di un romanzo superficiale, di quelli che si dimenti...more Prima esperienza con una pubblicazione Delos: risultato più che soddisfacente!
Non sapevo bene cosa aspettarmi da un romanzo con un titolo del genere Le ragazze morte sono facili... sono quelle vive a crearmi problemi!
Ad essere onesti mi attraeva e respingeva allo stesso momento.
Il mio lato curioso era disperatamente attirato da quelle parole; il mio lato scettico mi avvisava che sarei rimasta probabilmente delusa, che si sarebbe trattato solo di un romanzo superficiale, di quelli che si dimenticano in pochi giorni...
Quando si svolge questa lotta interna, solitamente a prevalere è sempre la Sonia scettica su quella ottimista.
Quando poi ho iniziato la lettura e mi sono resa conto che
a) non mi aveva per nulla annoiata alle prime 50 pagine
b) mi stava coinvolgendo in maniera semplice e spontanea
c) i personaggi erano simpatici, ironici, carini
d) mi ricordava qualcosa di già visto (più che letto) ma questo aspetto non mi infastidiva
... bé, ormai era fatta: il libro mi aveva conquistata!
Nicki Stix è una giovane donna, possiede un negozio di abiti vintage col suo migliore amico gay, non ha una storia fissa ma le piace passare di ragazzo in ragazzo senza impegnarsi mai seriamente (a quanto pare questa sua reticenza è dovuta ad una delusione passata, quando era appena adolescente e già ufficialmente fidanzata ad un ragazzo, Erik, che la tradì e la lasciò), i genitori - adottivi - sono morti tempo prima in un incidente d'auto.
La vita di Nicki cambia quando si risveglia in ospedale dopo aver quasi rischiato la morte, precisamente dopo aver quasi varcato la luce ma sulla soglia essere stata rispedita indietro perché evidentemente non era ancora giunta la sua ora.
Da quel momento in poi Nicki prima di tutto inizia una sorta di relazione col dottore che l'ha salvata, Joe Bascombe, e last but not least, inizia a vedere gli spiriti delle persone morte. Fantasmi, apparizioni che si rivolgono a lei per farle sistemare situazioni che non hanno avuto il tempo di portare a termine in vita...
La storia ha un ritmo molto televisivo: sembra davvero di assistere ad una serie tv, e non ad un singolo episodio. Quando infatti Nicki riesce a risolvere il caso di un fantasma, ecco sopraggiungerne un altro che fa ricominciare guai, problemi, situazioni incresciose ancora una volta...
A tutto ciò si aggiunge poi la possibilità di un'esistenza di una sorella gemella di cui non ha mai sentito parlare prima e che era addirittura sposata col bel dottore che ora le sta rubando il cuore...
Il libro non è lunghissimo, appena 260 pagine, e non ci si annoia mai. Si avrebbe voglia di stare seduti ancora lì a guardare, ops! a leggere, le avventure di Nicki, perché ci fanno divertire, alcune anche spaventare, ma non troppo: in poco tempo abbiamo capito che Nicki è una tosta, e se la caverà in ogni situazione.
La Garey ha guadagnato una lettrice in più, grazie a questa storia, una lettrice che dovrà esserle tanto fedele visto che per ora sono già stati scritti 3 seguiti ma altri ne sono previsti in futuro...

qui:
http://cuoredinchiostro.blogspot.com/...(less)

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Oct 11, 2011 Sarah Jordan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Love this! This is one of the smartest, most original paranormal books I have read in a long while.
Nicki is a great heroine - she is a smart, confident woman who came out of her goth stage with her black eyeliner and originality intact. She co-owns a vintage clothing store with her best friend, Evan, and has a nice life as a single girl in the childhood home she inherited. Nicki is a reluctant ghost whisperer following her near death experience, and her reactions are humorous and understandable...more

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Aug 19, 2011 Christi Snow rated it 5 of 5 stars

Full review reposted from my Smitten with Reading blog...

My Review:
This book is simply a fabulously fun book to read. After being declared dead by Dr. Joe Bascombe, Nicki has come back from the brink with a very special ability...the ability to see dead people whether she wants to or not.

Nicki's a goth girl who owns a vintage dress shop with her gay friend, Evan. She's irreverant, snarky, and a bit of a rebel. She feels completely inadequate to deal with the emotions and layers needed to deal wi...more

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Jun 26, 2011 Amy Jacobs rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

After reading Devil Without A Cause by this author, I just knew I was going to have to purchase the previous books written by this author. Ms. Garey has the ability to keep me stitches with her writing and characters while enjoying a story that is fun and quirky. The author's writing reminds me of Lynsay Sands and her Argeneau series. Fun writing and characters that are memorable make wonderful stories to sit down with.

In the first book of a series, Nicki Styx has a near death experience. Dr. Jo...more

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Feb 21, 2011 Tracy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

~* 3.5 Stars *~
A heart condition killed her. Fortunately for Nicki Styx, the condition wasn't permanent (being dead, I mean...she's stuck with the heart condition), though coming back from the dead isn't as simple as one might think. First, there was the near death experience (NDE) that left Nicki unquestionably changed on a soul-deep level, then there was the ghost of a woman needing a favor. As if those two things weren't enough, sexy ER doctor Joe Bascombe is very interested in her as a patie...more

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Jul 11, 2009 Writtenwyrdd rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: wiccan-pagan-witch, urban-fantasy, female-protagonist

Breezy, nice romantic element, and a gay sidekick who is adorable and funny and also has a romantic subplot.

I liked a lot about this one. It's pretty feel good despite the "I see dead people and it's screwing with my life" issues that comprise the main plot.

Having learned something about voudou in the past, I didn't really like the way the practictioners were painted, and I really found fault with the way some of the loa were portrayed (Damballa and Baron Samedi are 'evil'??? What the hey?) bu...more

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Apr 05, 2009 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, romance, paranormal, series

I joined a group on Goodreads that had this as one of the selections for April. I've since been removed from the group, but I had already requested this book on PBS. So I decided to go ahead and read it.
Lots of fun. Nicki Styx is a woman that knows her own mind and has no problem speaking it when necessary. She doesn't take crap and does what she wants. Then she dies for a few minutes and life is never going to be the same again. When Nicki sees an older lady enter her hospital room, she doesn't...more

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Jan 03, 2012 Felicia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-read, kindlepurchase2011

Bought for Myself
Overall Rating 4.25
Character Rating 4.50
Story Rating 4.00
Future Member of the Snort Club (I think)

NOTE: I was hesitant about picking up Dead Girls are Easy because I read Devil Without a Cause. I loved Sammy, so I wasn't sure how I would react to Nicki. My friend Christi said I had to read them because Nicki was my kind of leading lady. As always, Christi was right!

What I Loved: Nicki Styx! Terri Garey has written a smart nontraditional beauty. Nicki isn't afraid to speak her mi...more

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May 24, 2011 Sonia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Nicki has never been an ordinary girl. With her goth-vintage style, the pink streaks in her black hair and her love for leather and lace, she doesn´t take crap from anybody. And she knows what she wants. She is perfectly happy with working in the vintage clothing store she owns and with having fun with her gay BFF.

And then she dies. And comes back to life. And now she sees dead people.

After coming over the first shock, she finds out that delivering messages from dead old ladies is not that bad...more Nicki has never been an ordinary girl. With her goth-vintage style, the pink streaks in her black hair and her love for leather and lace, she doesn´t take crap from anybody. And she knows what she wants. She is perfectly happy with working in the vintage clothing store she owns and with having fun with her gay BFF.

And then she dies. And comes back to life. And now she sees dead people.

After coming over the first shock, she finds out that delivering messages from dead old ladies is not that bad after all. Especially when the sexy doctor who saved her life writes a paper about near-death experiences and wants to spend time with her.

But then her neighbour Caprice is murdered and her ghost starts to haunt Nicki and it definitely isn´t a friendly spirit. In order to get rid of her, Nicki has to learn more than she ever wanted to know about voodoo, priestesses, ritual sacrifices and evil spirits who want to steal one´s soul. And in all the chaos, she needs to convince her sexy doctor that she is not crazy.

Doctor Joe Bascombe is immediately attracted to the crazy girl who died under his hands. He just can´t let her go out of his life even if she seems to be his exact opposite – too crazy, too independent and afraid of any commitments. And having a strange habit of visiting graveyards after sunset. But as Nicki soon discovers, the good doc has some big secrets of his own.

I immediately fell in love with the characters. They were fun and especially the dialogues between Nicki and her gay BFF Evan made me laugh. Nicki reminds me of Tabby from the Dark Hunters series and I liked her from the beginning. Doc Joe is the right combination of a sexy doctor who always tries to find reasonable explanations for all the events around Nicki and a man who is willing to accept Nicki as she is and pushing his boundaries for her.

The writing style is easy and funny, with some places that are darker (Caprice´s nasty spirit) and some that are more serious (Nicki´s dialogues with the shrink about the near-death experience). The romance was average and was not the main focus of the book which was not a bad thing. Overall I really enjoyed the book. It is perfect for a sunny summer afternoon :-) I will definitely pick the next book in the series.

My rating: 3,5*
(less)

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Apr 06, 2012 Cindy rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a re-read for me, so that I can be brought up to date to read the whole set. I enjoyed this just as much the second time as the first...and THAT'S the sign of a good author! This book starts with our heroine, Nicki Styx (an individual in looks and life), in the hospital being resuscitated after "dying" from a heart attack, by ER Doctor: Sexy Joe Bascombe *sigh*. The next thing you know Nicki is talking with an elderly lady who just happens to be: DEAD. Nicki is freaked out, but handles...more

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Oct 29, 2010 Crystal ♥ RBtWBC rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you like the Garnet Lacy and Jaz Parks series you will love Terri Garey’s Nicki Styx!

Nicki Styx is a late 20’s party girl who considers herself goth-vintage and very cute & stylish, from Little Five Points, Atlanta, GA.
She has a heart attack and dies but when reaching the white light hears a voice that tells her it is not her time and to do unto others, as you would have them do unto you, she then wakes up in the hospital to her best friend Evan Owenby and a very cute Dr. Joe Bascombe…the...more If you like the Garnet Lacy and Jaz Parks series you will love Terri Garey’s Nicki Styx!

Nicki Styx is a late 20’s party girl who considers herself goth-vintage and very cute & stylish, from Little Five Points, Atlanta, GA.
She has a heart attack and dies but when reaching the white light hears a voice that tells her it is not her time and to do unto others, as you would have them do unto you, she then wakes up in the hospital to her best friend Evan Owenby and a very cute Dr. Joe Bascombe…then a dead person. Being pestered by an old Jewish lady is no fun and Nicki ends up at the lady’s funeral doing a little jig and singing sitcom songs to help the spirit move on. Done & done, right? Wrong.
While on a date with the super hawt Dr. Joe, Nicki encounters the spirit of her friend and fellow shop owner, Caprice, who has been murdered and asks for her help. What’s a ghoul to do?
And bring on the chaos!
While trying to help out her dead friend and keep her new hot doctor boyfriend, Nicki encounters ghosts, zombies, voodoo and a Devil figure like dude.

Ghosts, Zombies, Voodoo, the Devil AND a hawt Doctor? Sign me up!

I’ve had this series in my TBR pile for a while now and I am so glad that I finally decided to jump into it.
First off, I LOVE the name of this book. Can I have a t-shirt that says that? LoL Garey also makes references to the Charon and the River Styx (Greek Mythology), which is super cool. And Handbags and Gladrags would be a kick-ass store to work at, is Nicki and Evan hiring by chance?

I was totally enthralled with this story, all the twist and turns kept me glued to the pages. I stayed up half the night with my little book light in bed reading this trying not to roll around too much and disturb the hubby.
Light and humorous with a dark edge, fast paced with a steady flowing plot and sub-plots and characters that you will fall in love with right away.
A very fun read.
The book wraps up nicely with a few loose strings left hanging for further books but nothing to leave you frustrated. Don’t you just love that in a series?

Dead Girls Are Easy is one of the best debuts I've read for a series!

♥♥♥♥ - Really Liked It

On a side note; I had to keep knocking my brain because every time I’d read the name Nicki Styx it’d compute as Nikki Sixx then I’d have Motley Crue songs running through my head. LoL(less)

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Sep 28, 2011 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Mmmm... hard to review this book. I liked parts of it, and I didn't like others... Some bits seemed rushed and uncomplete, while other bits were nice and really nice. I liked mostly the first part of the book, and got scared to death too at some point in Caprice's "ghost" presence (here's an advice: Never read a creepy scene in the middle of the night, in plain dark!), but liked less the last.

I'm not sure how I feel about Evan... He isn't bad... he just hasn't gotten to me.

Caprice was creepy a...more Mmmm... hard to review this book. I liked parts of it, and I didn't like others... Some bits seemed rushed and uncomplete, while other bits were nice and really nice. I liked mostly the first part of the book, and got scared to death too at some point in Caprice's "ghost" presence (here's an advice: Never read a creepy scene in the middle of the night, in plain dark!), but liked less the last.

I'm not sure how I feel about Evan... He isn't bad... he just hasn't gotten to me.

Caprice was creepy as hell. God, that duppy scared the hell out of me more than once!

Joe? Mmmm... I really like him. I liked him from the beginning, then liked him a little less when I found out something about him, and thought he was an asshole. But then he explained himself and I forgave him for his sins (just kidding, no sins! Ha!) And now I kinda love him. He's a stud, really handsome (well, never seen him really, but I guess he is), rich, a doctor, he wears the surgical scrubs very well (or so I've been told), he's protective and brave and he's as sweet as honey! Oh, see, my perfect type of man! Unfortunately you meet the perfect man only in fantasy books.

Now, let's talk about the main character, Nicki. I want to say something to her: "You silly woman! What the hell are you waiting for? Grab that stud of a man and make him YOURS! What are you scared of? He isn't Erik! You know that! Now more than ever! I know you're also scared about that other thing (or person) but you'll deal with that when the time comes. And,by the way, Joe loves YOU now, and he's not gonna change his mind. At least I hope so, or else I would beat him senseless and rip his head off his neck!"
That aside, I liked Nicki. She has a nice sense of humor and made laugh more than once. But she's not in my favorite books characters list.

How about the rating? I don't know, I guess it'd be 3.5 stars, though there's no half points here and I gotta decide whether to give 3 or 4 stars. Not an easy decision this one. Not at this time of the day. Here it's 2 in the morning, so you'd know...(less)

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Nov 25, 2009 Stacey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Very likable character. I'm going to read the next in the series when I have time. In the first chapter, Nicki dies and comes back to life. The near death experience leaves her with a new look on life, including now being able to see dead people. Some good stories around a couple benign "ghosts" she helps, and one good one throughout where the ghost haunts her and she has to use voodoo and a lot of chutzpah to save herself and her new hunk doc boyfriend. Part romance and part paranormal - that's...more

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Oct 29, 2009 ♥Tricia♥ marked it as to-read

Shelves: set-aside-not-finished

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 15, 2010 Kelly rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: tstl

When vintage-boutique owner Nicki Styx suffers a near-death experience, she comes back from the Light with the ability to see and hear ghosts. Before she knows it, the dead are hounding her day and night, in the hopes that she'll help tie up their loose ends. Sometimes this just means passing on a last message of love. But when Nicki's friend Caprice is killed, Nicki's life really gets messy.

Caprice's boyfriend Mojo has been thrown in jail, accused of Caprice's murder. Caprice wants him freed. S...more When vintage-boutique owner Nicki Styx suffers a near-death experience, she comes back from the Light with the ability to see and hear ghosts. Before she knows it, the dead are hounding her day and night, in the hopes that she'll help tie up their loose ends. Sometimes this just means passing on a last message of love. But when Nicki's friend Caprice is killed, Nicki's life really gets messy.

Caprice's boyfriend Mojo has been thrown in jail, accused of Caprice's murder. Caprice wants him freed. She claims he's innocent, that the crime was committed by the woman Mojo was seeing on the side. Mojo has yet another version of events. Nicki has no idea how to untangle the mystery, but she'd better do it fast, because Caprice's spirit is turning into something nasty. Something demonic. Meanwhile, Nicki is falling in love with her doctor, Joe Bascombe, whose estranged wife just might be Nicki's long-lost twin sister.

Nicki is a character with lots of potential, snarky and tough on the outside but secretly vulnerable. Unfortunately, she becomes less dynamic as the plot unfolds, letting herself get pushed around by Joe and by Caprice's grandmother, Granny Julep. And the supporting cast is straight from the shelves of Cliché-Mart. The sexy doctor. The wise black matriarch who knows voodoo. The flaming gay best friend. The voodoo is stereotypical as well; Terri Garey presents most of the loa as "evil" even though that's not the way they're seen within the religion.

Still, I might have found this a fun (if fluffy) read if it weren't for an astounding blunder Nicki makes toward the end. I complain sometimes about heroines who are handed the solution to the mystery rather than figuring it out. This is worse -- Nicki is handed the solution, and it goes right over her head. Granny Julep tells her, by name, who is controlling Caprice's spirit. Umm, Nicki, haven't you heard that name somewhere before? Nicki doesn't recognize it, or even seem to realize that the danger is still out there. She just goes on her merry way, thinking she's free of the whole voodoo thing, until the villain attacks her again. I'm all for flawed characters who make mistakes, but this one was just moronic.

Oh, and the whole "he might be married to my sister" thing is just kind of icky, especially in a light, humorous novel like Dead Girls Are Easy.(less)

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Nov 29, 2008 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

There's something about almost dying that makes a girl rethink her priorities. Take Nicki Styx - she was strictly goth and vintage, until a brush with the afterlife leaves her with the ability to see dead people.

Before you can say boo, Atlanta's ghosts are knocking
at Nicki's door. Now her days consist of reluctantly
cleaning up messes left by the dearly departed, leading ghouls to the Light... and one-on-one anatomy lessons with the dreamy surgeon who saved her life. All this catering to the dece...more

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Dec 11, 2012 Serena rated it 2 of 5 stars

TRAMA: C'è qualcosa nel fatto di esser quasi morte che fa sì che una ragazza ripensi alle sue priorità. Prendete Nicki Styx: era una dark vintage, finché l'aver sfiorato l'aldilà l'ha lasciata con la capacità di vedere i morti. E in un attimo tutti gli spettri di Atlanta stanno già bussando alla sua porta. Ora le sue giornate consistono suo malgrado nel risistemare i pasticci lasciati dai cari estinti, nell'accompagnare i fantasmi verso la Luce... e nelle "lezioni private d'anatomia" del dott. J...more TRAMA: C'è qualcosa nel fatto di esser quasi morte che fa sì che una ragazza ripensi alle sue priorità. Prendete Nicki Styx: era una dark vintage, finché l'aver sfiorato l'aldilà l'ha lasciata con la capacità di vedere i morti. E in un attimo tutti gli spettri di Atlanta stanno già bussando alla sua porta. Ora le sue giornate consistono suo malgrado nel risistemare i pasticci lasciati dai cari estinti, nell'accompagnare i fantasmi verso la Luce... e nelle "lezioni private d'anatomia" del dott. Joe Bascombe, il giovane e brillante chirurgo che le ha salvato la vita. Tutto questo concentrarsi sui trapassati è una vera rottura, specialmente per una ragazza che preferirebbe passare il tempo giocando al dottore col suo nuovo e sexy boyfriend. Ma le cose si complicano ancora di più quando una sua amica stupidamente vende la propria anima al diavolo, e il nuovo dono di Nicki la fa incappare in una magia vudù. Insomma, per Nicki Styx morire è stato solo il primo dei suoi problemi.

Primo volume della serie Nicky Stryx ,personaggio davvero singolare che si è ritagliato un posto suo nel firmamento dei paranormal romance. La Garey è stata molto brava a dare vita ad una figura così diversa dal solito. Nicky è una giovane donna che ha avuto un’esperienza di pre-morte (salvata in extremis dal dottor Joe Bascombe)grazie alla quale ora è in grado di parlare con i trapassati che vengono puntualmente a farle visita per risolvere le questioni lasciate in sospeso e poter passare definitivamente a miglior vita. Nicky vive con Evan ,il suo miglior amico (gay)e insieme a lui gestisce un negozio di abiti vintage in Georgia ,ad Atalanta. Ma il potere di cui diventa padrona le causerà un mare di guai. Spiriti da ogni dove cominceranno a darle il tormento coinvolgendola in rocambolesche avventure in cui rischierà la vita diverse volte. Verrà affiancata dal bel dottorino Bascombe che ritrova in lei la sorella gemella della ex-moglie. Un amore nato sulla falsa riga di un matrimonio andato male. Eppure la storia si evolve gradualmente sbocciando pagina dopo pagina tra battute irriverenti e situazioni esilaranti. Il ritmo del romanzo trascina il lettore pagina dopo pagina con dialoghi forse un po’ troppo serrati lasciando poco spazio a descrizioni o quanto altro. Una prosa fluida e leggera ma niente di straordinario o particolarmente prolissa. Il tema della magia e del paranormale è ampiamente espresso con ricorrenti riferimenti al woodoo e terminologia ad esso attinente. Incantesimi,animali morti,cerimonie religiose. La Garey non ci fa mancare niente,anzi a volte ho trovato la storia un po’ troppo carica e appesantita . L’unica arma vincente è senz’altro lo stile dissacrante con cui viene affrontato un tema così cupo come l’oltretomba con annessi e connessi. I personaggi si delineano a mano a mano che il libro prende corpo. Nicky ,per nel suo essere cinica,è fin troppo generosa verso il prossimo. Joe,è forse quello che mi è piaciuto di meno. Sia perché fa di Nicky un caso da sfruttare per i suoi studi sia perché è identica alla moglie. Evan invece mi intriga molto. E’ un ottimo consigliere e è un tipo con i controfiocchi. Divertente e accattivante. Caprice(spirito che tormenterà a lungo Nicky)fa solo da contorno ed è cattiva al punto giusto. Una sapiente dose di umorismo condisce il tutto smorzando a volte la ripetitività delle situazioni e il macabro di certi riti. Pur trovando spunti per un buon romanzo non sono riuscita ad apprezzare questa storia che molti hanno trovato davvero interessante. Probabilmente sono io che amo una prosa più ricca e meno dialogata o che comunque prediligo amori romantici e veri. Qui mi sempre tutto da limare e anche troppo forzato. Quasi di sicuro leggerò il seguito ma devo ammettere che per ora non sono rimasta particolarmente colpita o soddisfatta. Appunto davvero negativo alla copertina. E’ orribile.
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Apr 05, 2011 Melvin Mathews rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's been sometime since I read a series, so it was really great to be able to read Dead Girls are Easy, which is really a nice read. I liked Nikki's voice, she was spunky without being OTT. Evan WAS OTT but was still eminently loveable. The other characters were also well-written and sictinctive. The only thing that I disliked in the book was Joe. For some reason I could NOT like him - not really sure why. Maybe because he was bland compared to the quirkiness of the other characters. I kept exp...more

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Oct 05, 2010 Kim (Bookishly Me) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ghosts, pnr

After a near death experience Nicki Styx sees ghosts. When her friend is murderd and comes to her everything changes. Her friend isn't just dead and needs help there is something else going on and she has to figure out how so her friend can rest in peace and safe her own life. T do this she finds help from her friend's granny Yulep.
The other part of the story is the love interest between Nicki and the hunky doctor Joe Bascombe. He is the atending doctor when she is brought in with a heart attack...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Valeottantadue rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

http://my-empty-purse.blogspot.it/
Nicki aveva una vita normale, era una ragazza come tante, un po' dark forse, ma per il resto, per nulla fuori dall'ordinario. Rimasta sola dopo la morte dei genitori adottivi, era riuscita ad aprire un negozio vintage con l’amico di sempre, Evan, aveva una casa tutta sua e una vita serena.
Tutto questo fino a una sera, quella in cui il suo cuore decide di fare cilecca. Un difetto ereditario, una valvola miocardica e poco ci manca che vada al creatore. Ma i piani...more http://my-empty-purse.blogspot.it/
Nicki aveva una vita normale, era una ragazza come tante, un po' dark forse, ma per il resto, per nulla fuori dall'ordinario. Rimasta sola dopo la morte dei genitori adottivi, era riuscita ad aprire un negozio vintage con l’amico di sempre, Evan, aveva una casa tutta sua e una vita serena.
Tutto questo fino a una sera, quella in cui il suo cuore decide di fare cilecca. Un difetto ereditario, una valvola miocardica e poco ci manca che vada al creatore. Ma i piani del signore,si sa, spesso sono oscuri e, con il consiglio di “fare agli altri ciò che voleva fosse fatto a lei”, viene rimandata tra i vivi.
Ma Nicki non sarà più la stessa di prima. Da quel momento in poi, infatti, può vedere e parlare con gli spiriti. Cioè tutte quelle persone trapassate, ma che non riescono a trovare pace finché non concludono tutte le cose lasciate in sospeso.
In più, ciliegina sulla torta, inizia una relazione con il suo medico Joe Bascombe, che le contribuirà a sconvolgere la sua vita. Joe si rivelerà prezioso quando la sua amica Caprice viene trovata uccisa e, tra tutti, il suo spirito si rivela il più complicato da aiutare.

Dopo la lettura di proibito, che mi ha lasciato un po’ di terremoto a livello emotivo, avevo bisogno di una lettura che mi facesse sorridere, che fosse leggera, ironica e divertente..di quelle da leggere con il cervello parcheggiato sul comodino.
E così ho scelto d’iniziare la serie Nicki Stix. La storia è carina, è leggera e ironica, Nicki ha un modo di affrontare la vita molto sarcastico e graffiante. Quel poco di paranormale da un tocco in più a quella che altrimenti sarebbe stata una storia d’amore.
C’ è stato anche un pizzico di delusione, perché mi aspettavo una cosa un po’ diversa, ovvero una ragazza che essendo in grado di parlare con i morti, fosse contattata da questi per aiutarli trovare a consegnare alla giustizia il loro assassino; mi aspettavo indagini di polizia, investigatori e lei a rompere l’anima ai buoni tutori dell’ordine. Mi aspettavo un poliziesco sui generis, ecco. È un genere che se fatto bene apprezzo molto.
In ogni caso è una lettura leggera per passare con il sorriso un pomeriggio, per distrarsi o per rilassarsi.

La tragedia della vita non è che finisce troppo presto, è che aspettiamo troppo tempo per viverla. (p.254)

Voto:3 e1/2(less)

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Oct 15, 2011 Melliane rated it 3 of 5 stars

It was a nice book to read and perfect to relax. I really like novels about Voodoo as I don't read a lot about it. It's always interesting to learn a little more.
Nicki is a young girl different from others and it was pleasant to follow her adventures. She enters in a world she doesn't know anything about and since she sees the dead, she has to help them whether she wants it or not. I was a little unconfortable with the relationship with Joe. Indeed, I think the twin sister thing is a little wei...more

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Oct 31, 2009 Tara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, read-in-2009

Another case of a book I would give 3 1/2 stars to if I could. This was an incredibly fast read, once I actually sat down and read it. I think it suffered a little from being the rebound book that followed my 2 weeks of BDB. I did enjoy it enough to continue reading the next 4 books in the series, and at the very least unless something drastic changes, I can imagine even if I never love it, I will never feel like I wasted my time either. It's a little light UF, I like the the supporting characte...more

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Jun 24, 2012 Brandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I liked this book.
I really did...
It was different, but not in the unusual sense.
I've read books like it before.
Same concept, different story.
Okay.
So, I have to get this off my chest.
FYI, I would like to kick Nicki Styx's ass.
She was so annoying and definitely no heroine.
Come on!
You're not so bright if you have to have everything spelled out for you.
Plus, all she did was rant about how she used to be this and how she is becoming that.
STFU!
I mean, all she did was rave about how different and speci...more

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May 21, 2011 JD rated it 3 of 5 stars

I honestly didn't like this one all that much. The idea was great. There aren't many books where the heroine dies from a heart defect in the first chapter and then comes back with the ability to see dead people. The gay best friend was great. He was charming, his boyfriend was very real feeling and sweet. The book however is really really slow. There is too much fluff in between the scenes that really matter and scenes that really have no point. I think the heroine is a spunky girl but for some...more

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May 10, 2012 Sara rated it 1 of 5 stars

Disappointing. I was sucked in, thinking it would be an interesting paranormal read, but it turned out to be little more than a flimsy romance novel (not even a very good one, at that). While more
interesting than "Bled Dry" with more character development, I still felt the characters were shallow pictures of people without depth. The story line of her sister never developed into anything. The relationship was unrealistic, underdeveloped, and boring. The
Voodoo line was interesting and a bit sca...more

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Dead Girls Are Easy (Nicki Styx #1)

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