The Hexed by Heather Graham
Series: Krewe of Hunters #13
Publication date: July 29th, 2014
Pages: 400
Synopsis (according to Goodreads):
A place of history, secrets... and witchcraft.
Devin Lyle has recently returned to the Salem area, but her timing couldn't be worse. Soon after she moved into the eighteenth-century cabin she inherited from her great-aunt Mina--her "crazy" great-aunt, who spoke to the dead--a woman was murdered nearby.
Craig Rockwell--known as Rocky--is a new member of the Krewe of Hunters, the FBI's team of paranormal investigators. He never got over finding a friend dead in the woods. Now another body's been found in those same woods, not far from the home of Devin Lyle. And Devin's been led to a third body--by... a ghost?
Her discovery draws them both deeper into the case and Salem's rich and disturbing history. Even as the danger mounts, Devin and Rocky begin to fall for each other, something the ghosts of Mina and past witches seem to approve of. But the two of them need every skill they possess to learn the truth--or Devin's might be the next body in the woods...
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Review:
I received an e-copy from the tour host in exchange for participation in the blog tour and an honest review.
It is no true surprise that I was asked to join the blog tour for this little beauty. I am a big fan of paranormal romance and had yet to read anything by Heather Graham. She has a tendency to write trilogies that stick within the same world so they can both be read independently as well as sequentially. I was worried when I found out it was the 13th book in the series, but it was easy to read out of sequence (something I rarely, if ever, do). This was my first experience with Heather Graham as a writer and I was curious how she would stack up against other authors in the paranormal romance genre.
The book opens on Rocky at a much younger age finding his dead friend not far from his house. She had been ritualistically slaughter and was found with her throat slashed and a pentagram hanging from her neck. Rocky never recovered from that experience and went on to join the FBI. It was only fitting that the boy who found his dead friend by way of a ghost leading him to her body would find himself joining the Krewe of Hunters, a branch of law enforcement that works exclusively with odd, supernatural cases. When Rocky discovers, 13-years after his friend's death, that another woman has been murdered not far from his home in Salem, he is the first to join at the chance to find his friend, Melissa's, killer.
Devin had just moved back to Salem after her great-aunt Mina had died. She had give up her career as a reporter in favor of writing children's books about a friendly witch who teaches fantastical creatures lessons every child should learn growing up. She believed Wiccan's were real, but as far as ghosts were concerned, they belonged in horror movies. Yet, she finds herself following a ghostly voice begging for help to where she stumbles across a body. As she is running for help, she comes face to vehicular grill with Rocky. It was from there that Devin enters a world where ghosts are real and a murderer is on the loose.
It is up to Devin, Rocky, and a few friends (both living and dead) to find out who the murderer is and how it could possibly be connected with the Salem witch trials and a 300-year-old murder.
The book was middle of the road for me. That is not based on the level of writing skill or any faux pas in the story line. That is mostly based on my own personal preferences. I am the type of reader who loves paranormal romance that has a lot of romance and a little paranormal thrill. This was more paranormal thrill/murder mystery than romance. There was one particular line that made me physically groan. "And we made love... And made love and made love." What? That's it? No detail of this love making? I feel cheated. Graham's description of the magical event was nice, but, call me crazy, I feel like if you skip the dirty details then it's more mystery than romance.
This book is perfect for those people who are not big romance buffs. It is heavy on the suspense, moderate on the paranormal, and light on the romance. To some that balances out to a great read, to me, it equals... eh.
