The Ravenous Dead by Natasha Hoar

This time the dead are hungry...

Rachel Miller doesn't just see dead people, she rescues them. As a member of The Order of Rescue Mediums, she spends most of her time helping stubborn spirits move on from the world. But after she learns the details of three brutal murders, she knows the culprit can only be a reaper, an undead monster that relentlessly stalks its victims to feed on their souls.

A reaper once consumed the soul of Rachel's mentor as she watched frozen in fear. Now, Rachel is in the role of teacher to Kit Elkeles, a rodach just learning to control his wraithlike powers. After Kit and Rachel rescue a half-vampire, they work to protect him while searching for a way to stop the reaper. But when Rachel realises who the monster is really after - and just what kind of dark magic she'll need to stop it - will she be able to do what is necessary before it devours one of her friends ... or even herself?

Release Date 16th July 2012

Since I really enjoyed The Stubborn Dead, I jumped at the chance to read this when I saw it on Netgalley, and I wasn't disappointed. Hoar picks up the storyline and, happily, the "certain someone" I spoke about in the 1st review is back in the 2nd.

Rachel has taken on full responsibility for training Kit and he has moved in with her (Woohoo! Possible sexy times ahoy!), she hears about 3 cases of very similar supernatural deaths and knows it's a reaper. Unfortunately she's had a run in with a reaper before and doesn't entirely feel confident in handling them. But this one isn't the one she's dealt with, it's unusual in it's hunger patterns, they catch it mid feed and save the dude he's eating, he then joins them in the hunt. After another run in, the reaper sets its sights on Kit (NOOOOOO, not Kit! I loves him!).

Excellent addition to this series, I loved the familiarity between Rachel and Kit and the growth of their relationship. I'm really looking forward to the next book.


Amazon UK: The Ravenous Dead

The Stubborn Dead by Natasha Hoar

Rachel Miller thought her next job was a run-of-the-mill haunting. As a member of the Order of Rescue Mediums it's her duty to release trapped spirits from the earthly realm. But when called to client Sylvia Elkeles's house, she finds a wraith who doesn't act like he should.

The Order considers the wraith an extreme threat and Rachel may be forced to use a barbaric ritual to free him — a ritual that comes with a heavy personal price. If she fails to humanely release the wraith, she'll have her supernatural abilities bound.

When Janus Ostara — local supernatural mob boss — shows up demanding her attention, and Sylvia keeps secrets that may place Rachel in mortal danger, she doesn't need her abilities to know something darkly sinister is at play.

Between uncovering Sylvia's disturbing motives, and avoiding Janus, Rachel has enough on her hands without dealing with a wraith who may not realize he's supposed to be dead...

This is book 1 in the Lost Souls series and I really enjoyed it. As usual, Carina Press are bringing some really good authors into the light. Natasha Hoar's writing style and characters are enjoyable, she manages to make you keep turning pages. A sign of a good author for me, is when I don't want to put the book down, even thought I know I have to go to sleep since I'm working early the next morning. Natasha Hoar managed this.

Rachel is an intriguing character, as is her job, I'm looking forward to reading more of her. I had trouble with Janus, the name meant I kept picturing a woman, even after finding out he's a man. I'm hoping that we'll see more of Rachel and a certain someone in later books (spoiler, so I'm not naming names). The story flowed well and it's quite a quick read since it's not too long.


Amazon UK: The Stubborn Dead