Title: The Restorer (Graveyard Queen #1)Author: Amanda Stevens
Release Date: April 19, 2011
Paperback: 384 pages
Reading Level: Adult
My Copy: Net Galley
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 wicked hearts
Blurb (from Goodreads.com):
My name is Amelia Gray. I’m a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I’ve always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe.
It started with the discovery of a young woman’s brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I’ve been hired to restore. The clues to the killer—and to his other victims— lie in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret. Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. To warn him would be to invite them into my life. I’ve vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.
It started with the discovery of a young woman’s brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I’ve been hired to restore. The clues to the killer—and to his other victims— lie in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret. Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. To warn him would be to invite them into my life. I’ve vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.
My quick wicked thoughts...In one word...spooky! This book was a surprisingly haunted tale that kept me up late at night!
Why I was tempted to read this...I liked the blurb and thought I would give it a shot.
Cover thoughts...Spooky, just like the book!
Romance meter...There is some definite attraction between Amelia and Devlin but it was on the side of everything that was happening around them. It was enough to keep you interested and wondering but didn't overpower the story and make the book about relationships and sex.
Characters and plot...Amelia learned from a young age that she could see ghosts and her father told her the rules associated with that to keep her safe...
Never acknowledge the dead
Never stray far from hallowed ground
Never associate with those who are haunted
Never, ever tempt fate
My father's rules. I've never broken them...until now
When she meets Devlin he is followed around by two ghosts and she know she should avoid him like the plague but feels so drawn to him that she has trouble following that rule. When bodies start turning up in a graveyard that she is restoring, they are thrown together trying to piece together motives and suspects. This book is spooky, the eerie ghosts popping up and then things they do keeps the hair on the back of your neck standing at attention. I have found very few books that actually spook me but this was one of them. The characters are well written and engaging and I found myself immersed in this book and I didn't want to quit reading. If you are a fan of spooky stories, pick this book up!
The ending...is left wide open for the next book. There are a lot of loose strings that I want to know what is going on with...but I guess I will have to wait until I get the next book! Here is the timeline:
The Graveyard Queen Series:
Prequel: The Abandoned (April 2011)
Book I: The Restorer (May 2011)
Book II: The Kingdom (November 2011)
Book III: The Prophet (May 2012)
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