Series: Under The Blood Moon
Genre:new-adult, urban-fantasy
Publisher:Curiosity Quills Press
Date of Publication:July 15th, 2014
Cover Artist:AlexandriaThompson(http://alexandriadior.deviantart.com/)
About the Author:
My to-do list dictates that I try to cram 48 hours of living into a day instead of the usual 24. I’ve chosen a life filled with animals. I train for marathons with my dog, then go to work as a small animal veterinarian, and finish the day by tripping over my pets as I attempt to convince my two unruly children that YES, it really IS time for bed. But I can’t wait until the house is quiet to write; I have to steal moments throughout the day. Ten minutes here, a half hour there, I live within my imagination.
Like all busy American mothers, I multi-task. I work out plot holes during runs. Instead of meditating, I type madly during yoga stretches. I find inspiration in everyday things: a beautiful smile, a heartbreaking song, or a newspaper article on a political theory. For example, a long drive in the dark listening to an NPR program on the SMILEY FACE MURDERS theory made me ask so many questions that I wrote HOW TO DATE DEAD GUYS to answer them to my satisfaction.
I’d love to have more time to write (and run, read, and sleep), but until I find Hermione Granger’s time turner, I will juggle real life with the half-written stories in my head. Main characters and plot lines intertwine in my cranium, and I need to let my writing weave the tales on paper so I can find out what happens next.
Social Links:Website| Facebook| Twitter| Goodreads
(website: http://annandersonnoser.blogspot.co.uk/
HowtoDateDeadGuysonGoodreads(https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21856356-how-to-date-dead-guys?from_search=true)
Description:
College sophomore Emma Roberts remembers her mother’s sage advice: “don’t sleep around, don’t burp in public, and don’t tell anyone you see ghosts”. But when charming Mike Carlson drowns in the campus river under her watch, Emma’s sheltered life shatters.
Blamed for Mike’s death and haunted by nightmares, Emma turns to witchcraft and a mysterious Book of Shadows to bring him back. Under a Blood Moon, she lights candles, draws a pentacle on the campus bridge, and casts a spell. The invoked river rages up against her, but she escapes its fury. As she stumbles back to the dorm, a stranger drags himself from the water and follows her home. And he isn't the only one.
Instead of raising Mike, Emma assists the others she stole back from the dead—a pre-med student who jumped off the bridge, a desperate victim determined to solve his own murder, and a frat boy Emma can’t stand…at first. More comfortable with the dead than the living, Emma delves deeper into the seductive Book of Shadows. Her powers grow, but witchcraft may not be enough to protect her against the vengeful river and the killers that feed it their victims.
Inspired by the controversial Smiley Face Murders, HOW TO DATE DEAD GUYS will ignite the secret powers hidden deep within each of us.
How To Date Dead Guys Purchase Links:
Amazon US: http://amzn.com/1620075199 Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1620075199Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-to-date-dead-guys-ann-m-noser/1119938862?ean=9781620075197
MY REVIEW OF HOW TO DATE DEAD GUYS BY ANN M. NOSER
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
How to Date Dead Guys by Ann N. Noser is a 2014 Curiosity Quills publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This mature YA novel will have you embroiled in Emma's awfully strange dilemma right away. Anyone that is a little offbeat will identify with Emma's personality and the pressure she puts on herself. If adjustment to college weren't stressful enough, Emma must deal with her social butterfly roommate and her crush on Mike. When Mike drowns in a river after a night of heavy drinking, Emma is blamed by Kevin, Mike's brother.
The Book of Shadows was left in Emma's apartment by a visitor and Emma gets the bright idea to attempt to bring Mike back. Well, it worked...sort of. Someone comes back from the river, but it's not Mike.
Each person that wound up dead in the river that Emma brings back has unfinished business they want to attend to. Revisiting family and putting things in order before they move on. So, Emma didn't immediately get Mike back but she is able to help some people out. However, she has also caught the eye of Officer Walker. Walker thinks Emma knows more than she is telling about Mike's death and he thinks she knows about others that drowned in the river. One of these poor souls was murdered and this will open up a new mission in Emma's life.
I thought this book was a very imaginative paranormal novel that dealt with great many issues without being patronizing or chock full of platitudes. Some of us really like an oddball character and Emma is certainly a little on the strange side. But, that makes her interesting and less predictable. It's been a good long while since I was the age Emma is, so I don't recall my maturity level at that age, but I did think Emma was a little too old for some the perceived angst she exhibited. Her life was a tad sheltered so that could account for some of it. On the other hand, Emma was very brave and held her own under the sharp eye of Officer Walker and her parents who are very concerned about her.
The ghost were quirky and moody and funny and of course I felt bad for them. All of them had a bright future and were loaded with potential, but their lives were cut short. So, the message perhaps was to live life to the fullest everyday. Also, be aware that even when things look their worse, tomorrow is another day, Be patient and don't do anything rash just because you think your dreams have been crushed. Even though Emma hung out on the fringes of society, her goals and purpose were perhaps more meaningful than that of the more accepted and conformist college peers. Emma may not get all she ever hoped for right his minute, but she may be on a path that will help many people over time, but could also see Emma put herself in serious danger.
This was a very good effort by the author and I do see potential. There were a few chapters that got just bit confusing and were “too busy” and things got a little bit off course. However, the story righted itself in the end and we are assured that Officer Walker and Emma are going to be seeing each other again for more crime solving.
Over all this one gets 3.5 stars rounded to 4.
YOU CAN PURCHASE THIS BOOK IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS:
Amazon US: http://amzn.com/1620075199 Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1620075199Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-to-date-dead-guys-ann-m-noser/1119938862?ean=9781620075197
Goodreads Book Giveaway
How To Date Dead Guys
by Ann M. Noser
Giveaway ends August 14, 2014.See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/100174-how-to-date-dead-guys
a Rafflecopter giveaway
FOLLOW THE TOUR!
http://curiosityquills.com/date-dead-guys-blog-tour/