Review: Flip That Haunted House is an enjoyable romp
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 10, 2013
Paranormal mysteries aren't exactly rocket science.Still, when an author manages to get it right, the genre can be endlessly entertaining.`Flip That Haunted House,' by Rose Pressey, is one of those books that mostly gets it right.The setup of the book is pretty simple. Alabama Hargrove, a southern singleton with a sassy mouth and a history of dabbling in different professions (with disastrous results), decides that she's now ready to flip a house.The one she chooses, just happens to be haunted.That's not really a concern for Hargrove - mostly because she just happens to belong to a paranormal investigation group.Sure, that part of the book is a little contrived, Pressey makes up for it though with legitimate home improvement tips (much more helpful than all those books that include recipes these days).Alabama is dealing with an eccentric mother, an injured best friend and the really annoying guy that lives next door. That guy - Reed - just happens to be a contractor who was considering buying the house to flip himself - but also is ridiculously hot.I like kooky stories that have realistic dialogue - and this is definitely one of those. I found the characters likeable and the mystery solid.However, I think Pressey would have benefited from making the book a little longer and expanding the mystery a little bit. It's not that it falls flat - it just could have used some fleshing out.Also, I'm not sure if this is part of a series or not, but Pressey shouldn't force the romance at the end. Let it build in a realistic way. I think that's what a lot of authors inadvertently do - push a romance too hard, too soon.The book is solidly written, and there are very few typos - especially for an indie book. However, there were a few times when I was reading the book when I would have to stop and start the paragraph I was currently reading over.It's not that the grammar was incorrect, just that the word choices were sometimes clunky.Still, as far as paranormal mysteries go, this one is definitely a keeper and I'm looking forward to learning more about Alabama Hargrove - and her hot neighbor.