Gwen’s review of Dead Girls Are Easy by Terri Garey
Contemporary paranormal published 28 Aug 07 by Avon
I picked this out of the TBR pile because I just couldn’t stand NOT reading a book with this title any longer. It’s clever and cute. About how the book read, too – clever and cute. If you like clever, cute, contemporary romances with some paranormal elements, this is your book. Not really my cuppa tea, though. Read on to find out why…
The hero is a hunky doctor – so that’s nice. The heroine is a cute, spunky, hip young woman with a used clothing store and I liked her and felt a kinship for her independence. The scenes between the heroine and an old boyfriend are classic and just how you would want them to go when you meet up with an old flame. The romance between the hero and heroine is believable and fun. However, the sensual scenes stop at the bedroom door. So don’t be looking for anything more than a steamy kiss or hot grope or two to get to know these two characters.
The paranormal elements were the most interesting part of the book. I made the mistake of reading this at night (the book goes quick) and I had ALL the lights in the room on by the end of the book. The spooky elements scared the poo out of me. Very nicely done.
I’m giving this book a middling grade not because it wasn’t entertaining, but because the lack of sex bothered me – I wanted to feel the steam between these two fun characters and it just wasn’t happening for me. Plus, it was kind of like chick lit dressed up as a paranormal romance. Not sure if I liked that but I’m sure some of you out there will.
Grade: C+
Blurb:
What do you get when you cross a hip young woman with a dark side with some uninvited ghosts?
You get Nicki Styx and her very strange life in Dead Girls Are Easy. Poor Nicki just wanted to earn a living with her vintage clothing store in Little Five Points, Georgia, and maybe have a little fun on the side. One near death experience later, and Nicki’s life is changed forever by the ability to see and hear spirits.
It’s dark humor with a Southern slant – the angst of a young woman on the edge, a healthy dash of sex and voodoo, a sprinkling of spookiness.
Read an excerpt.
y’know, I read this one a little while ago, and it really left me flat. I didn’t really buy into the romance with the doctor, and while the scary stuff was scary (too scary for just before bed), The ghost-y stuff was a bit too pat, why do people who hear ghosts always have to do what they want? If mothers can learn to live through colic-y babies, how can reasonable adults not learn to ignore dead people whining? I did like the ex-bf stuff, but at the same time, I kept thinking that it was high school. Why is there so much emotion wasted on a stupid high school boyfriend? Did he have a solid gold penis or something? The relationship between her and her best friend worked and was a highlight, even if the other ones didn’t.
Maybe I’m overdosed on paranormal romance, or my standards got raised and this book didn’t make me want to read the sequel. The author, maybe.
I think you’re dead on, An. All points I felt when I read it too. I think the reason the relationship between the H/H didn’t work is the lack of any sensuality, showing how they related to each other on a physical level.
Sex is about power and intimacy. If you want to know more about how a couple deals with each other, have a peek into their bedroom.
This book had no peek, so it was impossible to get a feel for that dynamic. Unless the author means this to not be a permanent relationship. There is another Nicki Styx book on the horizon…
I have no idea if I’d read it. She’s fun, but….