Going to Hell is easy. Going back home is a different story.They say you can never go back. I wish that was the case.Returning home is complicated when you’re a necromancer and your hometown is the Most Haunted in America. It doesn’t help that your pet hellhound chihuahua thinks the place is a dump, and it gets worse when your high school crush is still there and still dead sexy. Literally, as … sexy. Literally, as he’s now a ghost.
Oh, and did I mention that I have to save the world? Yes, that too.
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Honestly, I think the only thing I need to tell you to spark interest in this book is “hellhound chihuahua.” I’ll elaborate by commenting that he’s extremely sassy!
We’ve got small-town politics, a classic hoaky paranormal investigating TV show that the crew and producers think is fake but a ton of it’s actually real, and that plucky little pocket-sized hellhound named Pookie. Yes, Pookie. Hex Marks the Spot is a effortlessly comical short read and it really does its job as book one of a series well. I absolutely must know was Claire and Pookie are going to get up to next!
If you like paranormal mysteries that aren’t too straight-laced, this is a must read!
I was granted complimentary access to Hex Marks the Spot in conjunction with Lola’s Blog Tours. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
RATING: 3.5 STARS
After reading the words “pet hellhound chihuahua” in the blurb, I knew I had to read this book. By day, Claire is the star of a haunted house television show. Her real job, however, is working as a necromancer who deals with nasty things like possessions. Her latest job, dealing with her family’s ancestral home, ends up proving more challenging than she anticipated. I would recommend Ani Gonzales’ Hex Marks the Spot and the Drop Dead Witchy series to paranormal romance and urban fantasy readers who are looking for something quick and humorous.
The characters were the star attraction of the book. I loved the hellhound masquerading as a chihuahua. Pookie is super sarcastic, and one of my favorite characters in the book by far. I’ve decided that I will be reading any future books he appears in. One of my favorite Pookie-related quotes is, “You are an immortal being projecting an illusory earthly avatar,” I responded reasonably. “You don’t need bacon.” I was also quite amused by Claire’s somewhat love interest Cole (who is a somewhat powerful ghost and has impeccable timing during some of the key scenes in the book).
The storyline was entertaining and exciting. I enjoyed seeing the little trio of Claire, Pookie, and Cole work on discovering how to fix the curse that seems to have spread from Claire’s home to the rest of the house. The scenes with the ghostly informants were also fun. However, I struggled to connect to the worldbuilding and the Banshee Creek setting. Until starting the book, I didn’t realize that this was connected to Ms. Gonzales’ other books in the Banshee Creek universe. There were some references that readers who are not familiar with her earlier books may not understand and they will subsequently end up at a disadvantage. For a more in-depth reading experience, I would recommend starting at the very first book in the Banshee Creek universe (which I believe is Must Love Ghosts). If you don’t mind missing a couple of details and you would prefer starting from one of the spin-off series, I would recommend this one over the Main Street Witches (that series was much harder to understand without the background of the previous series in my opinion).
Thank you to the author and Lola’s Blog Tours for the complimentary review copy. I voluntarily read and reviewed Hex Marks the Spot; all opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.
I’m a big fan of anything Banshee Creek and this book doesn’t disappoint. Love the heroine’s approach to life and to the problems facing her. Pookie the killer Chihuahua is laugh out funny in places with a wonderfully sarcastic ‘voice’. What a great escape from the mundane of everyday life.