Week 1: Wonderland
Book: [book:Deader Homes and Gardens|32560734]
Read: 8/18/23
Rating: 4

I enjoyed this series more than I expected. Verity Long is a ghost hunter looking for work. She lands her first paying job, albeit she is paid in produce, trying to find the missing spoils from a tomb raider and figure out how an entire family perished, one by one. With her trusty boyfriend, Ellis, and her not so trusty ghost assistant, Frankie, will she figure out what happened to the missing goods and the family before she joins them?

Another fun read in the Southern Ghost Hunters mystery series featuring Verity and her ghost side-kick, Frankie. This one involves a mansion and a curse. The book was a quick read ,kept me guessing and made me laugh in parts.

I'm not much for scary, so decided to read this for my spooky October book this year and it was perfect! It had suspense and wasn't too violent for me to enjoy. I am a big scaredy cat and I don't like to read about or watch people being hurt or worse, so this wasn't too bad. The contemporary death happens off page and isn't grotesquely described, so I was able to handle it.

Some cozies are still too much for me, this one was Goldilocks, just right!

I enjoyed the dynamics of the family at the end and the explanation of everything that happened, though it was sad, there was a final happiness that made it more bearable.

The ONE thing that irked me, which pops up more in the next book, which I started as soon as I finished this one, is that the MC h doesn't want her ghost Frankie to have his ghost friends over at her place, in her backyard. Unless she's borrowing his power, she can't see or hear them and neither can any of her neighbors, so what does she care? Why keep him from being happy? And does she really want an angry ghost/s to be trapped on her property? He's already upset about losing his freedom, let him have the backyard with his friends for crying out loud. It doesn't really affect her at all.

So that attitude is dropping the book to 4 stars for me, sad to say. Other than that, which just got under my skin for some reason, the book series is really great and I'm going to be continuing with it and will continue to recommend it to cozy readers at our store.

My thanks to NetGalley and Season Publishing, Moose Island Books for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

What a fascinating book. I was impressed by the storyline and the characters were all well written and complex. Where there are complex storylines combined with intriguing characters the reader experience is magnified tremendously. To have a book that is well written as well as entertaining is a delight. Reading is about escaping your world and entering another one. The word building was phenomenal in this book. Here I forgot about my own life and was immersed in the world created by the author. I would recommend this book.

For its genre this is a lively, enjoyable read. Angie Fox has a lovely style and writes interesting characters.

This is such a fun series that just keeps getting better with each instalment.

This ghostly mystery is as welcoming as a hot bath. Cute and engaging dialogue, typical cosy mystery story, interesting ghost sidekick. Nothing earth shattering, but eminently readable for fans of the genre. I'd definitely recommend it as a "good beach read" this summer.

**** ARC kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ****

Warning: I am not a robot! I have feelings, thoughts, likes and dislikes and this review is based on that. You should read the book to form your own opinion/thoughts. Read on!

Rating: 4.5 Ghostly Stars!

The cover, is cute, nothing out of the ordinary.

The story, we jump again into a mystery full of ghosts and fun investigation. Verity is now out of the closest, her town knows she interacts with ghosts and that she is dating Ellis. It was fun reading this book, I will keep reading the series. The one thing that bothers me is she really doesn’t get paid, Frankie is right, she always gets screwed, lol. There is no cliffhanger.

The romance, I like how this romance is developing, is not insta-love and I like that the author gives Ellis and Verity humility. Though I do want to see more action with their romance.

Verity, crazy, pushover (she lets Frankie walk over her), fun.

Ellis, just hot, hot, hot.

Overall, did I like the book? Yes, I did. I had fun reading it, I wanted her to get paid. Would I recommend the book? Yes, you are probably going to love it.

An adorable story that kept me guessing from the start. I didn't realize I was a cozy PNR fan but Deader Homes and Gardens has converted me

Who is Verity Long and what has the newspaper, Sugarland Gazette, published about her that has changed her life? Who is Ellis Wydell? What is Verity doing to help Ellis? What mistake did Verity make that caused her life to change, in a very interesting way? Once you find that out, the title of the book truly makes sense! Who is Frankie? Who or what is Lucy? What happened at the Treadwell Mansion that causes Lee to call on Verity's services? Who is Professor Grassino? Why does Verity call him in for help? Who is Robert and what does he say to Verity? Does she listen to what he has to say? When Professor Grassino enters the Treadwell mansion with Verity and Lee, what happens? When Ellis joins Verity at the mansion, certain events transpire that change the whole feel of the book. Things start happening faster. It was a very interesting read. I look forward to reading more of the Southern Ghost Hunters series by Angie Fox.

RECEIVED THIS BOOK AS A GIFT FOR A FAIR/HONEST REVIEW and REVIEWER FOR Bloggin' With M. Brennan.

This is the 4th book in the Southern Ghost Hunter Series, by Angie Fox. This is also the 4th book in this series I have read. I really like Angie Fox's writing style. I love how with each book in the series get more and more intense. This is also a fun series to read, It is full of down home southern charm.

In this book Verity gets a phone call from Lee Treadwell. He asks if she is still hunting ghosts. Verity finally has her first paying client. Her reluctant partner Frankie, the ghost of a gangster who Verity trapped on her property in book 1, is not very happy about the job. He is bored and wants to hang with is old friends who are now ghosts as well. Verity and Frankie make a deal That he can use the back porch to visit with his friends if he helps her. Frankie takes advantage of this deal. He transfers the ghost seeing power to Verity and sends her out on her own.

The Treadwell Mansion has set empty for decades. Te family that lived there all passed away one after another in the house. The Man of the house was a archaeologist and excavated a Egyptian tomb. Soon after he arrived home the whole family passed away. They are all haunting the house along with the Governess, who was the only resident to live.

Lots of very dangerous things happen while Verity is investigating. She almost dies a couple of times. Can she find out hat happened to the family? Can she banish the bad spirit? Can she come out alive?

You can read this series as a stand alone but it is much better to read it as a series.

As an avid fan of Angie Fox, when the chance to read Deader Homes and Gardens came up, I was only too happy to oblige. I completely devoured the book in a few hours, anxious to see where Verity and her friends would go next in their story.

I was not expecting Frankie's sudden change in attitude, but wasn't put off by it; after all, characters need to have progression and I think this worked well for our ghostly friend. I really loved the dynamic between Verity and Ellis (so cute, right?). I was also really pleased that Verity embraced being a ghost hunter in this book, In fact, Verity's character overall was a delight, as always. Even though I've not been through anything similar to what she has, I found it easy to connect with her character, which is a sign of a great writer. I am very much looking forward to seeing where Verity goes, in both her ghost hunter career, and her relationship with Ellis, as I believe he's got more to his character that we haven't seen yet, and I want to know all about it.

Deader Homes and Gardens by Angie Fox is the fourth book in the Southern Ghost Hunter Mystery series. The previous books, in order, were Southern Spirits, The Skeleton in the Closet, and The Haunted Heist with novellas between each book. I think the previous stories help to understand Verity's powers and some character dynamics. However, I think newcomers could catch up quickly and enjoy the story.

Southern belle Verity Long is back in business—as a ghost hunter. Now all she has to do is visit the town's creepiest mansion and exorcise a family of vengeful spirits. Piece of cake. After all, ghosts love her and need her...that is until she meets the ghosts of Rock Fall mansion. They'll do anything to keep their murderous secrets hidden within the cliff-side fortress—even if that means getting rid of one meddling ghost hunter. With the entire town skeptical and scrutinizing her every move, Verity struggles to uncover the century-old mystery behind the house. And when she stumbles upon a very fresh, very dead body, she realizes there’s more to it than she ever imagined. With the help of her sexy cop boyfriend, Ellis, and her ghostly gangster sidekick, Frankie, she braves the overgrown gardens, the desolate family cemetery, and the haunted mansion that have been locked away for generations.

Deader Homes and Gardens puts Verity and her ghostly partner Frankie back in the thick of a mystery. This time there are angry ghosts (yes again), Egyptian artifacts, and the possibility of an ancient curse. As Verity tries to solve the murders of an entire family, and avoid being killed by those same ghosts, Frankie is looking for more independence and Verity and Ellis are still trying to find their feet as a happy couple. I like that romance between Verity and Ellis is part of the story, and her character development, it does not overwhelm the story around the mystery or Frankie's own troubles. I liked the complication involved in the mystery- long assumed haunted house steeped in tragedy and odd happenings is the main focus of the story. Verity, Ellis, and Frankie all have their roles to play and I like that they each give each other the trust and space to do what they need to while being true to themselves. I will admit to seeing some of the final climax coming, but the journey was good fun and I enjoyed the read.

Deader Homes and Gardens is another fun, fast read by Fox. While it was not something that will stick with me after moving onto the next read, it certainly made what was hopefully the last snow day of the year more entertaining than expected.

Ghost hunter Verity Long is back in business! Makes perfect sense when Frankie the gangster ghost is living with her. Called to her first job, which just happens to be the Munster’s like haunted mansion of Sugarland. Easy peasy, creepy house, murder mystery--check, check, even creepier little girl--double check.

I do enjoy reading the Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries and look forward continuing along in Verity’s journey. The characters are fun, witty and relatively upbeat despite circumstances. Deader Homes and Gardens was far darker than her other stories, but it fits well with the murder mystery and budding romance.

Frighteningly entertaining, and how could it not be with a Southern Belle named Verity and a 20's gangster named Frankie solving crimes. Well at least Verity is trying to solve crimes while Frankie is trying to figure out how to commit them in his non corporeal state. This is the second book in the series and it was just as good as the first, with a bit more of the creepy creepy on top of a cursed Egyptian treasure and ghosts who need help but don't seem to want it. Never fear, Verity and her abilities will take the case and get the job done plus her hunky boyfriend/local cop is there as back up now that he has accepted the fact that Frankie is a not a figment of the imagination.

Book four of the Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries, Deader Homes and Gardens by Angie Fox is a cozy mystery that excels at throwing a dash of chilling menace into the life of our charming protagonist, Verity Long. This is a small southern town mystery that brings along some quirky characters which is something I love. But the best part of this novel is that you have a genuinely creepy mystery that’s wrapped up in the discoveries of a decades old Egyptian archeology expedition. This series definitely stands out in the cozy mystery genre and Deader Homes and Gardens was a treat to read.

I love the paranormal factor and the romance is sweet but the the secondary characters which are the ghost makes it even better. It's a delightfully , quirky mystery

Angie Fox in Deader Homes and Gardens has malicious ghosts trap a ghost finder and her ghostly and living assistants in a haunted house. Modestly interesting.