The Restorer
Ratings5
Average rating3.8
A cemetery restorer with a haunting secret must break her own rules when she meets a detective on the hunt for a killer in this romantic urban fantasy. Never acknowledge the dead. Never stray far from hallowed ground. Never get close to the haunted. Never, ever tempt fate. My name is Amelia Gray. I’m a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I’ve always held fast to these rules passed down from my father . . . until now. Detective John Devlin needs my help to find a killer, but he is haunted by ghosts who shadow his every move. To warn him would be to invite them into my life. I’ve vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the headstone symbols lead me closer to truth and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.
Series
Featured Series
3 primary books4 released booksGraveyard Queen
Graveyard Queen is a 4-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2011 with contributions by Amanda Stevens.
Reviews
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Amelia is a sheltered southern girl. Who has always followed her father's rules.
1. Never acknowledge the Dead
2. Never stray far from Hallowed Ground
3. Never get close to someone who is haunted by the Dead.
4. Never tempt fate.
But when Devlin walks into her life all these rules go out the window and Amelia realizes just how little she knows.
This book was entertaining. The Mystery was great. You are constantly questioning yourself and after deciding who the killer was you find out how wrong you where. There was definitely some forbidden attraction going on and the sexual tension is well developed in mini scenes. But I had some issues with the character development.
Amelia is supposed to be 27 years old, with a career, and a business that she has committed her life to. And yet the relationship with her parents. How they've protected her over the years and have kept secrets. Has stunted her growth as a woman, as an individual. The fact she follows their restrictions and does not ask questions, contradicts with the inquisitive investigator she becomes while working. It doesn't fit for me. I understand a character who wants to appease and please her parents, believe me I understand that, but not questioning them. It dosent mix with the woman she is while working. These actions do not seem genuine to this character. After I saw the relationship she had with her parents and how much she allowed THEM to control it. It made it hard for me to connect with Amelia.
I also had an issue with the scene at his house. Amanda Stevens did not follow through with the build up of sexual tension. Which is common in a series, build the tension more and more until they finally combust. But the scene felt fake and tainted. It unsettled me especially with how much she was paying attention to the ghosts and not Devlin. It implied that she did not have control of what she was doing, but it was never confirmed by the author. It made me very uncomfortable and I have replayed the scene in my head over and over again.
Amanda Stevens wrote a compelling mystery and I will read the next one in the series. I want answers. But I am not drivin with the need to start the next book ASAP, like I normally am with a really good book.
