Release Day Review: Cemeteries by Moonlight by Hunter Frost
Title: Cemeteries by Moonlight
Author: Hunter Frost
Release Date: January 18, 2017
Category: Mystery/Suspense, States of Love
Pages: 108
When a serious bout of writer’s block threatens to delay mystery author Drew Daniels’s newest book, his aunt offers her New Orleans apartment in the heart of the French Quarter as a writing retreat. She neglects to mention that it’s occupied by the enigmatic and sexy Finn Murphy, a cemetery tour guide with a penchant for Victorian attire and a Cajun accent.
A body discovered in an open crypt forces reclusive Drew to deal with Finn’s eccentric group of friends and his underlying attraction to the hot Cajun—despite warnings about Finn’s violent past. Drew might write this stuff, but he’s never had to solve a real-life murder. With a deadline looming and a killer on the loose, this retreat is proving to be anything but helpful for Drew’s novel. Drew can only hope he won’t end up a tragic tale for the Ghostly Legends & Lore, Inc. haunted tour.
A body discovered in an open crypt forces reclusive Drew to deal with Finn’s eccentric group of friends and his underlying attraction to the hot Cajun—despite warnings about Finn’s violent past. Drew might write this stuff, but he’s never had to solve a real-life murder. With a deadline looming and a killer on the loose, this retreat is proving to be anything but helpful for Drew’s novel. Drew can only hope he won’t end up a tragic tale for the Ghostly Legends & Lore, Inc. haunted tour.
States of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.
5 Stars!
Drew is a writer with a dreaded case of writer's block and a manuscript slated for completion by the end of the month. In an attempt to get the mental juice's flowing, his beloved Aunt Celia offers him the use of her New Orleans apartment nestled in the rich and mystical French Quarter. Of course, she forgot to mention one little thing...the apartment is being rented by the very drool-worthy Finn.
Finn is not bothered a bit by his landlord's writer nephew coming to stay in his apartment. In fact, he immediately welcomes Drew into the fold. Introducing him to his friends and taking him on a guided tour of the Quarter. As a tour guide for the historic cemeteries, he has endless knowledge of the famous and spooky people who've walked the city. There are vast amounts of legends he can share and while Drew may not believe in the paranormal or mystical sides to the city, he can't help but be charmed by Finn's storytelling abilities.
When the murder of Finn's beloved friend shocks their small group of friends it seems everyone is a suspect. Finn wants answers and Drew feels the need to find them. Putting to use the sleuthing skills he's honed from his writing, Drew sets out to find the killer. Unfortunately, though the evidence soon points to Finn.
I loved this story. It was different, which is always refreshing and it held my attention from the first page til the end. I liked not only the characters and the story but I found the writing was very well done and flowed flawlessly.
Finn and Drew were both very likable, individually and as a couple. They had good chemistry and I enjoyed the scenes they shared from their first interaction until the very end. It was interesting to read about a character with Tourette's and how it's dealt with.
The whodunnit storyline was great and while at times it seemed obvious who the murderer was, it still kept me guessing. I loved the legends and stories that Finn tells Drew as they walk the streets of the French Quarter. It adds a fun yet spooky feel to the story and had me intrigued about more of the history of the city.
Overall, I absolutely loved the whole feel of Cemeteries by Moonlight and would definitely recommend it. Great mystery, suspense and romance.
*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*
*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*
Mystery author Drew has a serious case of writer's block and decides he needs to get away from his everyday life to get back on track. His aunt offers to let him stay in her empty apartment in New Orleans in the French Quarter. Only, when Drew finally gets there, he finds his aunt forgot to mention that she has a tenant already living in the apartment. Finn is understanding about the confusion and offers to let Drew stay in the second bedroom. Drew is reluctant to stay with Finn due to his health issue, but he relents. Finn works as a cemetery tour guide and enjoys telling the historic stories of the paranormal in his French Cajun accent. He invites Drew to meet him at a local bar when he finishes with his tour for the evening and Drew is introduced to an eccentric group of people. The next day, Finn offers to take Drew on the tour and when they arrive at the cemetery are shocked to find Finn's best friend. Now instead of writing his book, Drew tries to help police solve a murder.
Both characters were interesting and not what you'd normally find in a romance book. Drew has Tourette's and uses weed to control his tics. Finn has a history of assault charges and is quick to temper. There are A LOT of characters introduced in the beginning of the book, and they all come into play in the solving of the murder. The book was full of descriptions of the French Quarter, of the history of the area (whether true history or not, I don't know), and of food in the area. My only wish would have been for this story to be longer to really delve into the character development. There were so many characters that had wonderful, colorful stories and it would have been nice to have learned a little more. I guessed who the murderer was but there was a twist in it that kept me from figuring it all out. Overall, this was an enjoyable murder mystery.
This novella was a quick, whirlwind of a story that overall, I really enjoyed. This is the first time I've read anything from the author, and I look forward to reading more!
Rating: 4 stars
*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*
Mystery author Drew has a serious case of writer's block and decides he needs to get away from his everyday life to get back on track. His aunt offers to let him stay in her empty apartment in New Orleans in the French Quarter. Only, when Drew finally gets there, he finds his aunt forgot to mention that she has a tenant already living in the apartment. Finn is understanding about the confusion and offers to let Drew stay in the second bedroom. Drew is reluctant to stay with Finn due to his health issue, but he relents. Finn works as a cemetery tour guide and enjoys telling the historic stories of the paranormal in his French Cajun accent. He invites Drew to meet him at a local bar when he finishes with his tour for the evening and Drew is introduced to an eccentric group of people. The next day, Finn offers to take Drew on the tour and when they arrive at the cemetery are shocked to find Finn's best friend. Now instead of writing his book, Drew tries to help police solve a murder.
Both characters were interesting and not what you'd normally find in a romance book. Drew has Tourette's and uses weed to control his tics. Finn has a history of assault charges and is quick to temper. There are A LOT of characters introduced in the beginning of the book, and they all come into play in the solving of the murder. The book was full of descriptions of the French Quarter, of the history of the area (whether true history or not, I don't know), and of food in the area. My only wish would have been for this story to be longer to really delve into the character development. There were so many characters that had wonderful, colorful stories and it would have been nice to have learned a little more. I guessed who the murderer was but there was a twist in it that kept me from figuring it all out. Overall, this was an enjoyable murder mystery.
This novella was a quick, whirlwind of a story that overall, I really enjoyed. This is the first time I've read anything from the author, and I look forward to reading more!
Rating: 4 stars
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