Spirited by Mary Behre

March 4th, 2014 Kimberly Review 76 Comments

4th Mar
Spirited by Mary Behre
Spirited
by Mary Behre
Series: Tidewater #1
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

She’s running from who she is…...All Jules Scott wants is to live a normal, quiet life—preferably one that doesn’t include ghosts. Jules’s talent for communicating with the dead has brought her nothing but trouble. Despite her best efforts, needy spirits always find her and draw her into their otherworldly drama. When one implicates her in a series of deadly crimes, she may need to entrust her secrets to the person least likely to believe her.…
He’ll do whatever it takes to catch her...Detective Seth English can’t get distracted from the big case he’s working on, not even by his alluring new neighbor. He doesn’t believe that Jules had anything to do with the string of robberies-turned-murders that he’s investigating, but when she keeps showing up in all the wrong places, his gut tells him she knows more than she’s letting on. To solve his case, he’ll need to expose what the sexy redhead is hiding—no matter how impossible the truth may be….

I love romantic suspense, and when you mix in a little paranormal woo-woo, this girl gets excited. Spirited is the first novel in the Tidewater series by new to me author Mary Behre. Spirited delivered a murder mystery with likable characters and ghostly communications. Mini-review: an exciting start to the series, with murder, romance, and a little heat.

Jules Scott has returned to her hometown to start again as she continues her search for her sisters. Jules has a crift. (a gift or curse, depending on how you look at it) She can communicate with the dead. After a horrific experience, she has tried very hard to shut them out..but one is about to get very loud. Her neighbor is Detective Seth English a cop who is trying to salvage his career. He is working a string of burglaries that may be a career changer for him. Fate and perhaps a ghost have these two crossing paths. He doesn’t believe this sweet woman has anything to do with the murders, but his instinct tells him she is hiding something. The tale that unfolds was fast-paced, heated and a great start to this new series.

Jules is an interesting heroine with a touch of snark and I liked her. As Behre peeled back her layers and revealed her story I wanted to hug her, help her and hurt a few people. I fully understood her fears and connected. Her humor and three H criteria made me giggle. Detective Seth English is yummy and at times an idiot. He is a good guy who has had the rug pulled out from under him a few times. I found him to be noble and true. The chemistry and banter between them felt natural, and I enjoyed watching the romance unfold. Some of the secondary characters weren’t as fleshed out as I would have liked but they added humor, kept me unsure with regard to the crimes and rounded out the tale.

Spirited was an excellent start to this series. I loved the paranormal element and the overall story ARC that is developed. Since it is not mentioned in the synopsis my lips are sealed, but trust me when I say it is interesting. The robberies and murders were an intense thread, and I loved how the author wrapped our heroine unwittingly into the center of the chaos. The romance developed from physical attraction, and while it could be construed as insta-love, Behre made their emotions feel genuine, and I happily went along for the ride. As I said the secondary characters weren’t very fleshed out and it worked for some since I wasn’t sure if they were friend or foe. The ending wrapped up nicely, giving us a complete story. It looks like each book will focus on a couple and a case. I will tell you that the paranormal element will change in each book. Squee!

Fans of romantic suspense with a paranormal twist will enjoy Spirited. I am excited to continue the Tidewater series with Guarded which will release in August of 2014.

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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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76 Responses to “Spirited by Mary Behre”

  1. Amir

    Argh my browser timed out when I hit submit and I lost the comment I wrote. So let’s try this again: I love romantic suspense with paranormal too and I’m always on the lookout for new authors to read so I will definitely check this book out! Great review Kimba 🙂

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Bad browser..LOL This was a great read Amir, thanks 🙂

  3. Lindy

    I miss my paranormal reads, and the fact that this story had romance, suspense, and paranormal, makes it appealing to me. I have always found the subject of spirits interesting, and the fact that the heroine communicate with the makes me curious about this story. The main characters in this story sound great, and even though the second one’s weren’t fleshed out, I understand why, since you’re not suppose to know if they’re friend or foe. Excellent Review Kim 🙂

    • kimbacaffeinate

      I love romantic suspense and enjoyed the paranormal aspect, I hope you try this one.

  4. Michele-A Belle's Tales

    Eeeep! It’s paranormal woo-woo time! I love it when you say that and when you review this type of book — makes me so giddy! Crift is another new and awesome term! This is going on my list this minute. Wonderful review, my friend <3

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Michele this was a great start to the series, and I love romantic suspense. The woo-woo was a plus!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      This was a great romantic suspense and the paranormal added a cool touch 🙂

  6. Lily B

    Oh yay for awesome new paranormal series that are coming out this season. I am so giddy and excited and I am glad to hear that even thought they are both a bit broken/wounded, that it still made an awesome story.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      This was wonderful and I am excited to continue the series! Thanks Lily 🙂

  7. Rashika

    This girl loves romantic suspense and when you tell her there is a bit of paranormal thrown into the mix, SHE GETS EXCITED!

    I am really glad you enjoyed this!!

    I am now going to run off and get myself a copy to read 😛
    (I have a weakness for romantic suspense :P)

    Great review! 🙂

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Enjoy Rashika, this was well done and I am anxious to read the next one!

  8. Pamela D

    I love the term crift. So many characters in different books would refer to their powers/abilities as a crift. I think I might need to start using this term.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      It is so true, sometimes it’s a gift and sometimes a curse!

  9. Naomi

    Detective Seth English is yummy, and at times an idiot…. bwahaha!! Love the honesty!! Sounds like a great beginning to a series and I am curious as to what other gifts they will have! Fab review girl!!

    Naomi @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace

  10. Jess

    Always fun when a book takes you by surprise and I am curious about the paranormal element. 🙂 What an excellent review! You made me interested!

  11. Christy

    Oh how cool that each book focuses on different couples. I don’t think I’ve seen a series like that in the paranormal genre. I’ll definitely check this one out.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Enjoy Christy, I think you will like this 🙂

  12. Zoe

    I’m really liking the sound of this one! The romance sounds AMAZING, and I’m really glad to hear you enjoyed it! And the paranormal aspect sounds really entertaining as well! It’s a shame that the characters weren’t quite as well-developed as you had hoped for, but I’m thrilled you enjoyed this overall! I’ll definitely have to pick up a copy at some point! As always, fabulous review Kimba and thanks for sharing!

  13. Lauren

    Haha crift, I love it! 🙂 I love paranormal woo woo and romantic suspense, so I definitely want to give this a try! Glad you enjoyed it, lovely review!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      thanks Lauren this had so many elements I enjoy in a good suspense novel.

  14. Giselle

    Oh love this cover! Jules sounds like a fun protagonist – I love when they have a good snarky sense of humor. And Seth sounds like a good love interest! Now I’,m curious about what you want tell us about this plot – I lobe when not everything is mentioned in the blurb it’s actually why I avoid reading them now >.<

    • kimbacaffeinate

      This was a good one Giselle, with so many elements I appreciate in this genre. I loath when the synopsis spoils the book.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      I had no clue either, I thought romantic suspense, but like the paranormal thread.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Oh yeah..I can see you totally loving this series Felicia 🙂

  18. Tanja

    Oh now, once again you’re saying all the things my ear wants to hear. I mean suspense novel, with mystery, interesting characters and a little heat. Who can miss that? I’m so glad you enjoyed and I hope to get to it. Great review, Kim 🙂

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Ah, I am glad this sounds like something you would enjoy Tanja!

  19. Heidi

    I know, I hate it when synopsis give it all away, I have quit reading them for the most part. This does sound like a fun read, though. Hope you are doing okay, hugs and good thoughts headed your way.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      This was neat Heidi, and had many elements I enjoy. Thanks for the hugs and good wishes. We are waiting news of when it will all happen.

  20. ShootingStarsMag

    This sounds like such fun! I like to hear that the MC has a bit of snark too. Always enjoyable. I need to read some more paranormal suspense novels.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      I love mixing romantic suspense into my monthly reads Lauren, and like the paranormal element threaded into this series. Thanks 🙂

  22. Jenea

    Love the sounds of this one. The romance sounds good, and I like a good murder mystery. Great review.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      thank you Jenea, this had so many elements I enjoy 🙂

  23. Toni

    Sounds like a captivating read. I just added it to my TBR. Thanks for the great review, Kim, and for making me laugh, too. Paranormal woo-woo? That’s awesome!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      so glad I could make you smile and add to your tbr pile 🙂

  25. kindlemom1

    Anything that gets you excited is good in my book!

    *Erm, that sounded so much better in my head than it does on virtual paper* 😛

    • kimbacaffeinate

      hehe, and author whom I love refereed to the paranormal in her books as paranormal woo-woo and I loved it and it stuck.

  27. Nick

    This sounds like a fun read, Kim. I like how it’s a blend of romantic suspense and paranormal.
    Love the sound of Jules!
    Great review!

  28. Jessica

    “I love romantic suspense, and when you mix in a little paranormal woo-woo, this girl gets excited.”<—–me TOO! And on the wishlist it goes 😉

  29. kim { Book Swoon }

    Paranormal woo-woo, yes! I really like the sound of this book with its mix of mystery, romance and a touch of paranormal. The author is new to me and your review of the book sounds amazing, checking it out some more. Thanks Kimba 🙂

    • kimbacaffeinate

      thanks Kim, this had so many elements I enjoy.

  30. Mary

    “paranormal woo-woo” *snort* I like when that gets mixed into romantic suspense, too, though I do love it without the paranormal, too. Still, the paranormal just seems to elevate the tension and all that can happen, you know?

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Ha, an author I love who writes urban fantasy called it that in an interview and it stuck!

  31. Jeann

    I love the sound of this book, paranormal and mystery mixed together, with changing of the paranormal element afterwards? That sounds totally amazing! Great review Kimba 🙂

  32. Lee

    I love that combo — paranormal and suspense. I was interested in this one when I saw it on an upcoming release list. You review has further piqued my interest!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      It is a great start Lee, I hope you get a chance to read it.

  34. Amy

    I love paranormal books and suspense stories, but I can’t actually think of many paranormal & suspense stories. So this sounds great! I love female MCs that have a bit of snark to them – it makes them more interesting than the usual ‘sweet & quite’ MCs. And it always makes for some fun scenes, especially with the love interest!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      thanks Amy, the paranormal element is an interesting one.

  36. Jennifer Bielman

    Now you have me interested on what was not in the blurb. I hate when a book literally follows a blurb only. I like when something surprises me.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Seriously..Right? I hate when the synopsis reveals all.

  38. Melliane

    oh that’s nice, I like books like that as well! Jules looks like a wonderful character to discover and I love them when they are full of humor, always nice. And I agree with you romantic suspense are always great and if we add a little paranormal in it it’s just perfect. I’m glad you liked it, I’m curious about it now.