by Kat Mayor
Release Date: November 13th 2015
2015 Kat Mayor
Ebook Edition; 442 Pages
ISBN: 1517161479
ASIN: B01845NL8K
Genre: Fiction / Paranormal
Source: Review copy from Bewitching Book Tours
3.5 / 5 Stars
Summary
Some places are too evil. Some places should be left alone.
Austin Cole has it made. Star of the hit television show Spirit Chaser Investigations, he has become the world’s most famous paranormal investigator. Although hard work, a talented investigation team, and favorable genetics have something to do with it, it’s his lack of fear and willingness to take risks no one else will that make Spirit Chaser Investigations cable’s number-one show. When a ghost-hunt-gone-wrong seriously injures his best friend and lead psychic, Austin is forced to find a replacement for a team member he considers irreplaceable.
Casey Lawson can’t catch a break. She’s been on her own since she turned eighteen and is scraping by as a part-time psychic and cashier at a New Age store. When a desperate Austin Cole calls her up and offers her a position on his team, has her fortune finally changed?
He’s a control freak; she’s stubborn and opinionated. It takes time, but when they finally realize they’re working on the same side, everything clicks, both on and off screen.
Just when things are looking up, a new threat emerges. Over the years, Austin has angered plenty of demons, and one of them has set her sights on him. Now he’s the one in danger, and it’s up to the team to rescue him from the riskiest investigation of their lives.
My Thoughts
The Spirit Chaser seemed like the ideal book for me because I am a huge fan of ghosts, old houses, ghost hunters, paranormal investigators, psychics, and horror. And with Austin Cole as the leading man, he seemed too good to be true; a natural leader, a hard worker, charismatic, charming, a risk-taker, a team player, and quite successful as the manager of Spirit Chaser Investigations, a hit television show that features psychic investigations into haunted places. And he was too good to be true. While I sort of enjoyed his character in the beginning, he quickly because overbearing and annoying, the main reason I gave the novel the rating that I did.
First of all, I did enjoy the story line and most of the other characters. I was quickly caught up in the events surrounding Barrett's attack and the reasons he pulled himself as lead psychic investigator from the show. I enjoyed the way the author developed the story and the setting, giving us pieces of the story bit by bit so we could figure out what actually happened to Barrett that night. When Casey took over Barrett's position, she had no idea what was in store for her and what kind of mess she had walked in on as the events the night of Barrett's attack were far from over, leaving her in the crossfire. I thought the investigations into some of the other houses and situations were interesting and I liked Casey's interactions with the ghosts and other paranormal creatures. I have always been a sucker for this kind of thing so I just soaked it right up. The author definitely knows how to create an atmosphere, that's for sure.
I also liked many of the secondary characters, especially Josie and Casey's dad. It would be nice to learn more about them and their stories, and since this is book one, I am hoping more of the characters will be fleshed out in future books. I really liked Casey, even if I wanted to shake her at times, as I liked her spunk and her fortitude to deal with anything that came her way. She definitely has a tough personality and is not a quitter. I liked how she fought for herself and her beliefs even against someone as stubborn as Austin, and really wished she had not fallen for him. Which leads me to Austin. While I sort of liked his character in the beginning, it actually didn't take long for him to end up on my list of characters that I don't like very much. While I found him to be driven and charismatic, he was also stubborn, pushy, and downright rude. And sorry about this, but I really need to mention it, but to not know the needs of your partner during sex is a bit unforgivable. To have to do research and book an appointment with a medical doctor seems a bit excessive to me, especially given the situation, when I Austin really didn't try very hard to think about Casey's needs and desires and was only thinking about himself. I was actually shaking my head during those scenes because it made him seem selfish. Let's just say I was not impressed. And also, I'm not really sure what kind of message the author was trying to get across with these scenes. Was she trying to show that some women need help with sexual relations? This is definitely a good theme, but it didn't work here. Because if that was the case, I think the wrong message was being sent out and the only message I got was that Austin was insensitive.
I also couldn't buy into the whole demon thing halfway into the book with Austin simply because of the timing. This part might actually contain some spoilers, but I don't know how to write this without them. To go for so many months without any signs or indications, then for him to suddenly turn The Exorcist on everyone seemed really weird and I didn't quite buy it. I would have preferred for there to be a slow change of personality, not what we saw.
Verdict
The Spirit Chaser was an enjoyable novel overall, even if I didn't care overly much for one of the main characters. I did enjoy the plot and thought the rest of the characters were quite interesting, although I would have loved to learn more about them. I really think there are a lot of fascinating stories that could be told, especially from different points of view. I thought the ending was perfect, if not what I was expecting, but I was glad it played out the way it did. I'm interested in knowing where the author is going to take this series next and I will definitely read the next book when it comes out. For those of you interested in the paranormal, it's worth taking a look.
Author Information
Kat Mayor is a
native Texan, wife, and mom. In addition to The Spirit Chaser, she has written
a young adult series, The Circle. She’s a full-time reader, part-time writer,
and when she’s not kicking a story around in her head, she loves to read and
review books on Goodreads.
That sounds different- though it's admittedly not my genre.
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