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Dead Spots
(Scarlett Bernard #1)
by
Scarlett Bernard knows about personal space: step within ten feet of her, and any supernatural spells or demonic forces are instantly defused—vampires and werewolves become human again, and witches can’t get out so much as a “hocus pocus.” This special skill makes her a null and very valuable to Los Angeles’s three most powerful magical communities, who utilize her ability
...more
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Paperback, 293 pages
Published
October 30th 2012
by 47North
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Start your review of Dead Spots (Scarlett Bernard, #1)

First off I want to say that I loved Scarlet, she was smart, sexy, level headed, and chock full of common sense. It was very refreshing to pick up an Urban Fantasy that had a leading lady that was not only practical, but uses her brain to get things done. I mean it, she is a thinker, her job is to clean up messes made by vampires, werewolves, and witches, and she takes her job serious. She never speeds, she services her van monthly, and makes sure she is wearing the most popular shoes so her tre
...more

It's the author's first book, so I guess I'll be nice about minor issues I had. Like the complete fail when it comes to the romance thing. If you are going to put a triangle in your book, just don't put a triangle in your book.

Definitive proof that triangles just confuse the situation.
Just forget the idea of there being a romance in this and you might enjoy some other aspects of this UF world. Well, other than the whole "creation of magical beings" thing. That was really lame. If you are going ...more

Definitive proof that triangles just confuse the situation.
Just forget the idea of there being a romance in this and you might enjoy some other aspects of this UF world. Well, other than the whole "creation of magical beings" thing. That was really lame. If you are going ...more

Dead Spots by Melissa F Olson and narrated by Amy McFadden is book one in a series about vampires, werewolves, witches and more. Our gal of the story is a Null. That is something special that cancels out the magic of all the supernatural creatures that are close to her. There is only a handful in the world. She works for a crabby vamp doing clean up! I don't mean cleaning houses. She ends up getting accused of killing victims of a scene she was sent to clean. Cops got there first, the master cam
...more

This book was deeply mediocre with welcome flashes of originality. Olson's story takes vampires and werewolves and witches and tries to give us a way to explain their existence through Darwinian adaptation to a mysterious connection to magic that evolved over time down three separate paths. Ignore that part. It's as silly as Stephanie Meyers' attempt at giving her vampires a reason for being sparkly. Unfortunately, there's a lot of exposition in the novel and most of it has to do with trying to
...more

“Nulls are the wrecking ball of the supernatural world: we swing in and out of situations, creating damage and chaos. But sometimes in a really useful way.”
Dead Spots is the first of a series that currently has three books out. I haven’t dug into it far enough to see if it’s a completed trilogy. I have the other two books to read, and planned to this month, but you know how that can go.
Scarlett is the go-to girl for the supernatural leaders in town, namely the Master Vampire and Werewolf pack ...more
Dead Spots is the first of a series that currently has three books out. I haven’t dug into it far enough to see if it’s a completed trilogy. I have the other two books to read, and planned to this month, but you know how that can go.
Scarlett is the go-to girl for the supernatural leaders in town, namely the Master Vampire and Werewolf pack ...more

Let's just say I'm team Eli.
...more

Scarlett Bernard is a null. She is a negative space for magic. In her presence vampires become human, werewolves revert and witches cannot cast spells. For supernatural beings she's a very dangerous person to be around. When they're around her, they lose their ability to heal, they age and they can be killed.
But her own life is also very fragile and despite her job working for the super-natural community to cover-up their crimes she discovers very quickly just how fragile. When three vampires a ...more
But her own life is also very fragile and despite her job working for the super-natural community to cover-up their crimes she discovers very quickly just how fragile. When three vampires a ...more

This audio was so freaking good!!
Dead Spots was such a fast passed book that I already can't wait to dive into the next book of the Scarlett Bernard series. Now Scarlett has a unique job. She works with some scary supernaturals, but also some really good looking ones, and she helps dispose of dead bodies. Whether it's an animal, human, or another supernatural. If it's dead, she needs to get rid of it.
Of course, there was some kind of murder mystery drama and she just ended up being the main susp ...more
Dead Spots was such a fast passed book that I already can't wait to dive into the next book of the Scarlett Bernard series. Now Scarlett has a unique job. She works with some scary supernaturals, but also some really good looking ones, and she helps dispose of dead bodies. Whether it's an animal, human, or another supernatural. If it's dead, she needs to get rid of it.
Of course, there was some kind of murder mystery drama and she just ended up being the main susp ...more

Both the back-cover blurb in my edition and the summary at the head of this Goodreads page are fairly accurate this time (although the cover model is supposed to have black hair), so I'll just refer you to the summary and add some notes here.
In this book it's extremely important for the supernatural community, here called the Old World, to remain secret--that gets stressed over and over and plays a very important role in the motivations and events of the story.
Jesse Cruz is a likable plaincloth ...more
In this book it's extremely important for the supernatural community, here called the Old World, to remain secret--that gets stressed over and over and plays a very important role in the motivations and events of the story.
Jesse Cruz is a likable plaincloth ...more

Apr 23, 2019
Laura..devouring books like crumpets
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
over-reading-challenge-2019
Wow this was fantastic, i love the world and different magics and loved the characters too, the ending was unexpected but brilliant i can wait till next book.....
Scarlett is a Null and after finding a gruesome murder scene, she is discovered by pretty LAPD boy Jesse and becomes number one suspect, but the reader falls deeper down the rabbit hole as the whole scope of the world expands as Scarlett and Jesse are out to uncover the real murderer.
Scarlett is such a deep and well written character, ...more
Scarlett is a Null and after finding a gruesome murder scene, she is discovered by pretty LAPD boy Jesse and becomes number one suspect, but the reader falls deeper down the rabbit hole as the whole scope of the world expands as Scarlett and Jesse are out to uncover the real murderer.
Scarlett is such a deep and well written character, ...more

Sep 06, 2017
☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Great start
I really enjoyed his this series starts. I'm definitely going to continue. I really need to know what's going to happen next especially with the wow ending. ...more
I really enjoyed his this series starts. I'm definitely going to continue. I really need to know what's going to happen next especially with the wow ending. ...more

Notes:
The series is on Kindle Unlimited Read & Listen.
It's like popcorn. Just enough substance to make the story fun but not enough to make it stand out. ...more
The series is on Kindle Unlimited Read & Listen.
It's like popcorn. Just enough substance to make the story fun but not enough to make it stand out. ...more

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

Average story badly needed an editor to clean it up a bit. The world is not that interesting to me. It's not fully thought out...bunky science.
As far as characters: Hate Olivia & Dashnel, Eli has potential. Jesse didn't seem like an option for any romance, It feels forced just to move the plot forward. Anyway they all feel thin to me. I am going to read book 2 bc I already have it.
FYI The accent on the audible book for Jesse was annoying. ...more
As far as characters: Hate Olivia & Dashnel, Eli has potential. Jesse didn't seem like an option for any romance, It feels forced just to move the plot forward. Anyway they all feel thin to me. I am going to read book 2 bc I already have it.
FYI The accent on the audible book for Jesse was annoying. ...more

Dead Spot had a unique PNR premise but it was marred by very uneven writing, feeble character development and plot inconsistencies. It got very frustrating to read and DNF.
So I'm skipping the sequels too. ...more
So I'm skipping the sequels too. ...more


Reread: I liked it even more the second time around!
Another urban fantasy novel of vampires, witches, and werewolves but told from the fearful bottom up.
In most of these tales the woman has substantial magical power, kick-ass power, or (let's just tell it like it is) pussy power. Scarlett is the Old Worlds garbage man, a null making little money to be on call 24/7 to clean up messes.
Scarlett’s sex life consists of a three night stand with a beta surfer boy werewolf and a crush on a pretty cop ...more

Scarlett Bernard cleans up the messes made by LA's Old World. Sometimes it is only disposing of a few chickens that a werewolf couldn't resist, sometimes she has to dispose of bodies. When she is called to a horrific murder scene in the park with 3 dead vampires, it is unclear who could be responsible. This is also where she first meets Detective Jesse Cruz. Once she convinces the Cardinal Vampire of LA not to kill Jesse for finding out about the Old World, Scarlett and Jesse team up to figure o
...more

PB/Urban Fantasy: Ironically I am listening to a Dresden book where magic is open in the world. In this world, magic and the creature of the night are a secret to the majority of the world. Usually, I don't like that kind of set up, but the author makes it work. The book reminded me a lot of the Anna Strong series. Our heroine, Scarlett, is not a vampire or a witch; she's a null. There is a ten foot parameter around her that is dead space to any witch, vampire, or were. It keeps her safe, but ma
...more

I thought that the premise for Dead Spots was interesting, the main character, Scarlett is a Null and magic doesn't work in her vicinity, and in this world that means that vamps and werewolves - who have evolved on a magical branch of the evolutionary tree - turn back to human in her presence. Initially, Scarlett's role in their world is really mundane - she's the cleanup crew who steps in when there is a supernatural slip-up and the evidence needs to disappear, so I was worried that she was goi
...more

4.5 stars. I am so glad I gave this one a chance! Scarlett is a null, meaning if she is within 10 feet of a supernatural they turn human for the amount of time she is in their range. Yes I know how odd this sounds! Trust me you will love Scarlett. A little broken, a lot tough she is quite the heroine. If I had one problem with the book it would be the men. I like my guys alpha and Jesse just wasn't alpha enough for me. He got better as I kept reading so don't give up in the beginning. As for th ...more

3.75
I liked the world building and main character Scarlet- with her snarky and I've seen it all attitude. Well, maybe she hasn't seen it all, but she has seen some serious shit being a....cleaner... for the supernatural community.
See, Scarlet is a null, meaning that anything supernatural in a 10 foot vicinity is returned to their natural state of humanity. This endears her to some werewolves due to the fact that keeping a balance with their beast is a difficult endeavor, but most vampires despis ...more
I liked the world building and main character Scarlet- with her snarky and I've seen it all attitude. Well, maybe she hasn't seen it all, but she has seen some serious shit being a....cleaner... for the supernatural community.
See, Scarlet is a null, meaning that anything supernatural in a 10 foot vicinity is returned to their natural state of humanity. This endears her to some werewolves due to the fact that keeping a balance with their beast is a difficult endeavor, but most vampires despis ...more

Sep 10, 2019
Daniel
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
urban-fantasy
Outstanding! Incredibly well written, with great characters, superb pacing and an all around joy to read. So why four stars instead of five?? It does have the dreaded love triangle trope!! Not nearly as bad as some other novels but it still is annoying. Scarlett is dreadfully scarred and is a compelling MC, full of honor and sacrifice. The supporting cast is filled out with Werewolves, vampires, and cops!! So good cannot wait to start book two, Trail Dead!

With Dead Spots, Melissa has created a closed world where supernaturals, those with Old World magic (vampires, werewolves and witches), do what they can to keep their existence hidden from humans. LA is one of the rare cities where the Old World creatures share territory more or less in peace ... where Dashiell, cardinal vampire, is in charge. But, the weres take care of their own while the witches do the same. Dash takes charge if/when things overlap.
Scarlett Bernard is a null - a "dead spot i ...more
Scarlett Bernard is a null - a "dead spot i ...more

Dec 24, 2012
Ami
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Ami by:
Experiment BL626
Shelves:
urban-fantasy-paranormal-futuristic
3.65 stars rounded up
Quick recap (for my own sake):
Scarlet is a null and her ability makes all supernatural beings lost their power when they're within certain radius from her. She works as a cleaner who helps 'hiding' all traces of supernatural from crime scenes. Until one night, she is late to a horrible crime scenes where three vampires are killed brutally and an L.A.P.D Officer, Jesse Cruz, arrives first. Scarlett runs away but Jesse is able to track her, and she is forced to tell him about ...more
Quick recap (for my own sake):
Scarlet is a null and her ability makes all supernatural beings lost their power when they're within certain radius from her. She works as a cleaner who helps 'hiding' all traces of supernatural from crime scenes. Until one night, she is late to a horrible crime scenes where three vampires are killed brutally and an L.A.P.D Officer, Jesse Cruz, arrives first. Scarlett runs away but Jesse is able to track her, and she is forced to tell him about ...more

Even though this is only the first book in the series and some people here on Goodreads weren't impressed by it, I have to give it 4 stars. I didn't expect it to entertain me as much as it did and it gets bonus points for the surprising twist at the end.
Scarlett Bernard is a null, which means she disrupts magic. Vampires and werewolves lose their magic around her, so it's understandable that her job is to clean up magical messes. However, this time, that magical mess might end up killing her.
The ...more
Scarlett Bernard is a null, which means she disrupts magic. Vampires and werewolves lose their magic around her, so it's understandable that her job is to clean up magical messes. However, this time, that magical mess might end up killing her.
The ...more

Apr 22, 2013
Beth
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
kindle,
romance,
paranormal,
mystery,
adventure,
action-adventure,
vampires,
werewolves,
witches,
amazon-prime-lending
Scarlett Bernard is a magical null. Just being around her will turn any vampire, werewolf or other magical creature completely mortal and human. Being a null gives her a special place in the supernatural community, she can use her abilities to clean up their crime scenes. On an extremely gruesome crime scene, Scarlett encounters Detective Jesse Cruz.
Jesse Cruz was in for the shock of his life, coming across an extremely horrific multi-murder with a beautiful woman holding a garbage bag and a wol ...more
Jesse Cruz was in for the shock of his life, coming across an extremely horrific multi-murder with a beautiful woman holding a garbage bag and a wol ...more

All things considered, probably not the best or cliché-free urban fantasy ever, but it worked for me.
Don't really have much to say, but ... yeah. I enjoyed it. Scarlett was a decent protagonist, believable enough and bad-ass without having a huge chip on her shoulder and actually letting other people help her when needed, the plot was engaging enough, and for a change I didn't even mind the sort-of love triangle, probably because it was kept fairly light and there was over-dramatic no plot-hind ...more
Don't really have much to say, but ... yeah. I enjoyed it. Scarlett was a decent protagonist, believable enough and bad-ass without having a huge chip on her shoulder and actually letting other people help her when needed, the plot was engaging enough, and for a change I didn't even mind the sort-of love triangle, probably because it was kept fairly light and there was over-dramatic no plot-hind ...more

3.5 stars/4
I liked it but I didn't love it. I can't put my finger on exactly what holds me back, but it's there.
I will say that I don't think the cover fits the story/heroine. ...more
I liked it but I didn't love it. I can't put my finger on exactly what holds me back, but it's there.
I will say that I don't think the cover fits the story/heroine. ...more

Melissa Olson is a pretty reliable urban fantasy author for me -- snarky, world-weary female protagonists who are saving themselves from messes they didn't get themselves into. I listened to this as an audiobook, and it was very diverting even though I am more than a bit burnt out on reading at the moment; I ended up sitting in the car listening to the end.
This one specifically is about Scarlett Bernard, who is a null -- a very rare power who nullifies the magic that makes the supernatural what ...more
This one specifically is about Scarlett Bernard, who is a null -- a very rare power who nullifies the magic that makes the supernatural what ...more

2.5 stars. Read for the 2020 Kindle Unlimited Shitathon challenge (this one was a read/listen).
The story was pretty boring, the characters just okay, and the book is in need of some editing, but there was some potential there with the MC's interesting "power." Unfortunately, the ending was trite, and in reading reviews for the next books in the series I think I'll pass. ...more
The story was pretty boring, the characters just okay, and the book is in need of some editing, but there was some potential there with the MC's interesting "power." Unfortunately, the ending was trite, and in reading reviews for the next books in the series I think I'll pass. ...more
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Melissa Olson was born and raised in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and studied film and literature at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. After graduation, and a brief stint bouncing around the Hollywood studio system, Melissa landed in Madison, WI, where she eventually acquired a master's degree from UW-Milwaukee, a husband, a mortgage, a teaching gig, two kids, and two comically o
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