Review: P.S. I Spook You by S.E. Harmon

Genres: M/M Romance, Paranormal Romance, Romantic Suspense
Published by Tantor Audio
Released on 10/23/18
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher

The Delight

Always a delight to discover a book you picked up on a whim is a perfect match for your mood and taste.  I wanted a romantic suspense with a paranormal element in keeping with my (mild) spooky reads binge and first the title caught my eye and then the blurb.  I already enjoy the narrator’s work so this was a win all around.

Review

PS I Spook You does not list as part of a series and stands alone just fine, but I could see it also as the start to a great series.

And, why’s that?  I had a blast getting to know FBI profiler, Rain Christiansen, his police detective ex, Danny McKenna, and Rain’s eccentric hippie family, along with his ghost pest/friend.
Rain tries to be the opposite of his parents and sister and he is in some ways and not others.  He likes order, facts, neatness in his person and surroundings, and he resents that he has to fight to have ‘normal’.  He walked away from Danny saying it was a big chance at the job at FBI headquarters after they had a strong and good relationship because Rain is hiding the fact that he is not nor ever will be normal.  He sees, hears, and can talk to ghosts.

This story begins after Rain comes back from administrative leave because he slipped up and gave a pair of grieving parents their son’s message.  No one trusts working with him and word has gotten out that he’s cracked after pushing and working too hard.  His own boss chooses to send him to work on cold cases with local police agencies rather than big profile bureau cases.

So, he’s back in his Florida home town and working with his ex on a missing girl case.  His past and his issues all swirl around him as he works to track down the facts even while he already knows what they will find at the end because her ghost is one of the many who show up wanting him to help bring them closure.  And, the biggest ghost of all is the chance at love he tossed away because he didn’t want Danny to leave him first when he found out the truth about the ghosts.

So, yes, this one sounds like it could be rather dramatic and it was, but the humor and snark the author infused into the story balanced any angst caused by the conflicts along the way.  Rain is the sole narrator and his wry outlook that can be cynical, but not unkind especially when assessing his own actions was what tipped this book into the enjoyable category.

At first, I was none too keen on Rain.  I wanted to smack him every time he copped a ‘tude with Danny for keeping distance and protecting himself because it crushed him when Rain walked away from their love.  Rain was mad that Danny let him go without a fight and never came after him.  Drama Queen, much?  But, see, that’s the thing… I figured out soon enough that the starched up, otherwise analytical and even-keeled Rain was also impulsive and dramatic.  He didn’t even have common sense as evidenced by a too stupid to live move he made late in the book that had me throwing up my hands and calling him an idiot.  He spewed whatever entered his head even if he put himself in the most embarrassing situations.  He knew he was snippy with people and unfair to Danny.  I liked him, but was also just fine when Danny got up in his grill and called him on his jerk-moves.  I don’t usually like characters like Rain so the author did a great job of giving him that extra something to make me root him on to get his act together with Danny, accept himself, the ghosts, and solve the case.

The romance was a slow mover at first even if the physical attraction was front and center.  Rain screwed up and now he has the job of mending what he broke  while Danny is willing to have a fling, but no more.  And, what a fling it was.  But, I was cheering for this pair to work out and was glad to see little moments when Danny tentatively gave him a chance.

Noah Michael Levine is a long-time favorite narrator.  I enjoyed his intuitive ability to catch the tone and pace of the story, voice Rain and the others.  Some of his female voices were breathy, but not overly so.  I think his timing with the humor and the dialogue was the best part.

All in all, I was well pleased with this impulse grab.  The suspense was strong, the psychic and ghosts were great, and the characters and romance the best.  I hope the author writes more of Rain and Danny’s story.

My thanks to Tantor Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange of an honest review.

Challenges

Recommendations

 

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Sophia Rose

I was born and raised near Sacramento, CA. I have read since I was four years old and developed tastes that run the gamut of literature. I went away to college and have a degree in education, a certificate in family history research, and a certificate in social work. I worked for a non-profit agency with low income families for 20 years which included being responsible for the children’s library and promoting/teaching adult literacy. I have lived in Southeast Michigan for the last 18 years and I am currently a book addicted homemaker with a cat and husband who keep me grounded. Recently, I made it a challenge to review each book that I have read as a favor to author friends who said reviews are important. I have done reviews for Good Reads, Amazon, eBay, and Smashwords, but mostly at Goodreads and Amazon.

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