The Restorer (Graveyard Queen, #1) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Dec 01, 2011 harlequin {Stephanie} rated it it was amazing

Shelves: paranormal-romance, paranormal-crime, dark-romance, dark-urban-fantasy

I can't say this was horrifying, but the author captured the gothic ambiance with little effort. It's refreshing to find a mystery where the lead character has a unique job.

I had a lot of fun with it. The intro was brilliant. the characters I grew to love. The ending had me guessing til near the very end. I am super impressed. Not expecting a lot from the sequel since a friend was a bit disappointed with it. Who knows I may adore it. Looking forward to seeing where the author takes us next, but ...more

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Nov 06, 2011 Tanya rated it it was amazing

Shelves: urban-fantasy, 2011

This is what Urban Fantasy should be. I cannot gush about this book enough! I picked it by random, not having heard anything about it. I came across it while browsing through my library's ebooks, but now I think I might need to buy a copy. I've already reread several sections. The book intrigued me and the cover blurb was equally interesting. It did not dissapoint. I know some reviews state how creepy the book is. They actually made me a little apprehensive about starting it. It's a little creep This is what Urban Fantasy should be. I cannot gush about this book enough! I picked it by random, not having heard anything about it. I came across it while browsing through my library's ebooks, but now I think I might need to buy a copy. I've already reread several sections. The book intrigued me and the cover blurb was equally interesting. It did not dissapoint. I know some reviews state how creepy the book is. They actually made me a little apprehensive about starting it. It's a little creepy, but I found Patricia Briggs' Blood Bound much more creepy - and I love that book too. If you can handle that amount of creepy, you can handle this.

Amelia Gray is a cemetary restorer. She also see ghosts. She's seen them since the age of nine, which has led to a solitary and staid life. Her father also see ghosts and has set her up with a set of rules by which to live her life. Never acknowledge the dead. Never stray too far from hallowed ground. Keep you distance from those who are haunted. Never, ever tempt fate. These rules are important because, according to her father, if ghosts know you can see them, they will latch onto you, sucking out your warmth and energy until you are left nothing but a shell of a person. She does a good job of following these rules until Decective John Devlin comes into her life. A body was found in the cemetary she's started restoring for one of the local colleges. Devlin asks her to act as a consultant for the case and she finds herself getting further involved, maybe even becoming a target for the killer. During this time, she finds herself drawn to Devlin despite his being a very dangerous person for her to be close to. He's haunted by two ghosts.

As I said before, this is Urban Fantasy at it's finest. Our heroine is not the stereotypical kick-ass chick who has to deal with the supernatural. Her ability is not a gift; it's a curse. There is no love triangle; just her budding, forbidden (possible) relationship with a man who should be off limits. The murder is solved, but Amelia's personal issues go unresolved as this is the first in a trilogy. You're left wondering what will happen next, desparate for the next book, which I, for one, will be buying when it comes out.

Questions I have after finishing: (view spoiler) ...more

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