Review: Southern Spirits by Angie Fox

(2022 note)

Apparently, I never wrote an intro for this blog post and jumped right into the review. I have no idea why that is. It's very unlike me, but okay 2015 Me.

Publication Date: January 13, 2015

Synopsis:
Verity Long is in trouble. She doesn't have a job, she's losing her house, and now she's accidentally grounded a ghost on her property. On top of that, she now has the odd ability to see ghosts and interact with them.

So when Ellis Wyatt, brother of her ex, comes around with an offer she can't refuse, she knows she shouldn't partner with him. But his offer is too good to pass up. Besides, what's a few rowdy ghosts in exchange for all her troubles disappearing?

Thoughts:
I have something to admit here. When I saw the cover and started reading the book, I somehow managed to combine cartoons and reality. So I read the book in a way very similar to Who Framed Roger Rabbit. The paranormal beings were all animated, and all the human characters were...well, human.

I found this to be a very quick, enjoyable read. It only took me about 5 sittings, over the course of two days, to finish this. In fact, I finished most of it in the first 24 hours. It was so easy and fun to breeze through, especially with snarky ghosts and sarcastic humans getting into trouble with old Southern properties.

That being said, I didn't think the story gripped be all that much. While I did find the plot to be highly enjoyable and fun, it didn't really do much else for me. I just saw this as a fun contemporary with a mystery element to it. Yes, even though Goodreads and NetGalley classify this as a Mystery & Thriller, I'd personally say this is a Contemporary with a Mystery element about it.

The romance was cute too, though it was a bit fast. I guess that danger either makes people grow closer or pull them apart entirely. But I did like Verity's love interest.

The ending was well wrapped-up, without leaving me with questions. There were no loose ends that were left to be tied up, and I liked how everything ended. Nothing was rushed and the ending was incredibly satisfying.

Characters:
I love sarcastic characters and this book was filled with them! I loved Verity and how she was always so quick to say something, even if it didn't always make sense. Her humor and her thought process was certainly very amusing.

Frankie, the ghost that Verity accidentally grounded on her property, was such a fun ghost to have around. It made me admit that I wouldn't mind too much if I had a ghost friend like him with me. Though umm...I'd be far more careful with how we become acquainted in the first place.

Overall:
3.5 stars and definitely recommended to anyone who wants a fun, quick book to read.

Acknowledgements:
I'd like to thank NetGalley for hosting this, and I'd like to thank Season Publishing for releasing this book to NetGalley and approving my request to read and review this.