Monday, June 23, 2014

The Cursed - Review

The Cursed by Heather Graham

Rating: 3 Stars
Source: NetGalley Description:  Hannah O'Brien is used to ghosts being around her haunted B&B in Key West, Florida.  When a young couple is horrified to find a bloody man in the back yard she like everyone else assumes it's a ghost.  Unfortunately for everyone involved it isn't.

Genre: Romance/Mystery

Why I Picked This Book: I was intrigued by the Key West setting and I like a good ghost story.

My Impression:
Pros: I liked Hannah and how invested she was in both her home and the community itself.  The history of Key West and the treasure hunting was really interesting.  The ghost story side added an extra element of suspense and I love how Graham wound the haunted of history of Key West throughout the story with Hannah’s haunted tour.  The mystery itself was pretty good with part being pretty obvious and the other part being a surprise.  There’s a lot of back story with both Hannah’s friends on Key West and her cousin and the Krewe of Hunters at the FBI but while there may be a quick mention of it it isn’t too overdone with too much detail.  It definitely made me interested in reading the other books – especially Kelsey and Logans’s.  I liked that Dallas had a connection to Key West though 

Cons: The relationship between Hannah and Dallas developed way too fast.  He went from not quite trusting her to being willing to die for her in what felt like 20 minutes. I can understand an intense connection given the events but this was quite the switch.  Also, I did find it strange that given how small the island is and how many friends they have in common that not only had they never met but they hadn't even heard of each other. 

Overall: This was a fun ghost story/mystery and a great summer read!  I like the premise and will definitely be reading more of the series.  The romance wasn’t perfect but the book was fun enough to overlook that!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:  Yes definitely!  I've already added the rest to my wishlist!

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Yes - if you like ghost stories and treasure hunting this would be a fun read.

16 comments:

  1. I just agreed to be on book tours for two books in this series! I read a short story by Graham years ago and can't for the life of me remember what I thought of it. I am glad to hear you enjoyed this one. It sounds like a fun book.

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    1. It was really fun though I preferred the mystery aspect to the romance. I'm definitely going to have read more of this series!

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  2. Hannah is a character I think I could like a lot, though its sad to hear that the relationship developed too quickly

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    1. Hannah's really nice. The type that'd be really fun to hang out with. The relationship didn't ruin the book for me I just wish there'd been a few steps between distrust and being head over heels in love.

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  3. It's fun to see that you and I have similar tastes in books. I reviewed The Cursed a few weeks ago. I recently reviewed, but haven't posted, The Collector audiobook. I had a hard time with the whole ghost thing in The Cursed, although I thoroughly enjoyed the setting and history of Key West. Have a good week. Chronicles

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    1. I look forward to seeing your thoughts on The Collector! I've been on a ghost kick lately so that aspect didn't bother me too much but I can see how it would be a stumbling block.

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  4. Romantic suspense tends to have relationships develop quickly, and I just go with it. I loved the tours on this.

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    1. I really enjoyed the tours. I expect a relationship to develop quickly but this seemed a little more like a switch flipped to me! It didn't make me not enjoy the book and I'm looking forward to the next one though!

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  5. In books like these it's pretty common for relationships to form quickly and while i'm not always a fan of that if the characters as individuals are well developed and likable i can go with the flow! Great review :)

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    1. It is and it definitely didn't keep from enjoying the book. I do wish that there would have a step or two between not trusting and being madly in love!

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  6. I do love stories with ghosts, and the setting for this one sounds perfect!

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    1. The setting really makes this book! I really enjoyed it!

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  7. I tried to start this series last year and couldn't get into it but I think I'll give it another try since this one sounds really good. I love a good ghost story and you had me at treasure hunting :)
    -Kimberly @ Turning the Pages

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    1. I've passed on the first few books in this series as well because the blurbs didn't really interest me but I do like a Key West setting. This was a fun read.

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  8. It's a shame about the too fast releationship, but this one still looks really good.

    Great Review!

    Michelle @ Book Briefs

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    1. I did really like it. The relationship was easy to overlook even though I wish it was better done.

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