Ghostly Interests (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 1)

This book had some real laugh out loud parts. I loved the relationship between the main character and her roommate/best friend a lot. I found the budding romance between the main character and the cop to be a little awkward and forced but the story line was good, with a good back story as well.

The best way to describe this story is Will & Grace meets Ghost Whisperer. I found Ghostly Interests to be a little like a young adult / teen novel. There was no real suspense and every character in the book talked about the chemistry between Harper and Jared but I just didn't feel it. Harper has a gift that seemingly makes her an unhappy person. She is an Eyore. Negative, no real happy thoughts and in need of an antidepressant. She has a sexy cop that is willing to accept her, her baggage and meddling friends. Yet she remains flat. If. You are looking for a good suspense. Look elsewhere. I will say I was a little surprise of who "dunnit." But there wasn't enough of a story line revolving around the mystery that made me want to care.

I loved this book! It contained humor, romance, mystery and more. The book kept me entertained from page one until the very end. I never suspected who the "murderer" was so that made it even more interesting. Although not what you'd call "deep, or thought-provoking", it is not intended to be. That's not it's "type". This is light, humorous, interesting, and entertaining. I enjoyed the character of Zander. The relationship between he and Harley was interesting, fun and I enjoyed it immensely. It was a nice "side" to the main story. I enjoyed the developing romance between Harper and Jared. I guess that the "highest" compliment I can give is that I can't wait to read the next book in this series!!

Not a bad story but would've rated higher if it was more realistic when it came to the ghost hunting, it bothered me that they charged money, $1000.00, to rid ghosts. Real ghost hunters do not charge a dime, they all have other jobs and are ghost hunters voluntarily and never ask for a fee.

Harper made good money ghost hunting. That bothered me a lot. As well as the way they'd capture a ghost. And get it to cross over. It doesn't work that way either. Ghost hunters do not cross ghosts over. They leave that to a professional psychic or medium that knows what they are doing.

Too many holes in the story but it's still not bad. Yes it's JUST a fictional story but I still feel it could've been more realistic when it came to the ghost hunting parts. The author should've done more accurate research on GH.

Unfortunately I knew the murderer upon introduction of that character; so to me it was very predictable. Characters are likeable, pace is good, and sequence of events is well told. I appreciated that the backbone characters in the story were caring, honest and have a sense of humor. I did find there was excessive banter in the " boy meets girl " area which lent a juvenile tone to this book.

Nicely written, very like able characters; a few very obvious editing errors. For example, changing a characters name and later making a dog a cat. A little silly in places, but then people are sometimes silly, so the reader doesn't mind.

Lily Harper Hart's newest series is wickedly entertaining! It is chock full of oddball characters. There's Zander, Harper's best friend soul mate/business partner, who is openly gay, buff, & absolutely hysterical (I want him as my best friend!). Then there's her 2 other partners, Molly & Eric, Zander's uncle Detective Mel & his new partner Jared (who btw is every woman's, & if you believe Zander - every gay man's dream). Harlow's parents had me laughing till my sides ached! They are quite the couple. Harlow sees ghosts. She & Zander own a business called Ghost Hunters, where they help souls transition to the other side, even if they don't want to. In this first of many stories (I hope) Harlow sees the ghost of Annie, a college girl who has been murdered. When Harlow decides to help the young woman by finding her murderer the ride begins & I found the book impossible to put down! I don't want to spoil the plot so I will just say, it is a great combination of suspense & humor & I can't wait for the sequel!!!

Lily Harper Hart's new series is a home run with book 1. The banter between Harper and her friend, Zander, helps keep the mood light and helps her discover that, yes, she does like Jared and yes, she does want to go out with him. Of course, the first part of this process is getting Jared to accept the fact she can see and interact with the dead. It will be interesting to see these characters develop over time.

What a great book! The characters are funny, intriguing, and very believable! I want a Zander in my life! The relationship between Harper and Zander is so cute! Kinda like Will and Grace but better! So much better !! Please make them longer and closer together!!!

This book is unbelievable. Laugh out loud funny, but romantic, to a point, and some mystery thrown in. Loved all of the characters, but instantly fell in love with Zander. Harper's parents are also a hoot. Love the ghost theme as there is so much more you can do with it. Bummed I have to wait until January 2016 for the next book. Please move Jared and Harper's romance along a little faster. A great start to this new series. Book deserves more than five stars, but that is all they will allow me.

3.5 Stars! Ghostly Interests is my first book by Lily Harper Hart (LHH). It’s the first book in a series about a woman who can see and talk to ghosts.

Summary:
Harper Harlow is special. Everyone in Whisper Cove knows that she claims to see and talk to ghosts. Some even believe it. As for Harper, she’s confident in her gifts, and doesn’t hide who she is. Since not everyone feels the same and she’s got her lifelong best friend soulmate for support, she’s not concerned with romantic relationships. That is, she’s not until Detective Jared Monroe moves to town. Jared can’t believe his second day on the job includes a murder of a young girl. It’s not at all what he was expecting of the small, somewhat sleepy town. Meeting Harper isn’t expected either. Jared is intrigued by the beautiful blonde, but he’s not looking for a relationship and he doesn’t believe in ghosts. It seems neither can escape the other after Harper happens across the ghost that belongs to Jared’s dead woman. Each will use their own means of investigation, but any clues they find are destined to lead to the same place. Can Jared and Harper pool their resources and learn to work together to find a killer? What happens when continued interaction betrays a connection neither seem willing to let go?

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LHH has an extensive bibliography, especially since she also writes under the pen-name Amanda M. Lee. Ghostly Interests is my first time reading either pen-name, although I’ve had my eye on several books from each. I chose this book because I liked the idea of a mystery involving ghosts. It reminds me of the tv show, The Ghost Whisperer, which I loved. I liked this book okay, but I think it had the potential to be a lot more. Harper was a pretty cool heroine, but it bothered me that she was sometimes portrayed as being older than she was. I thought she was funny, loyal, loved hard, and had a good heart. She was only in her late twenties, though, worked with a twenty-five and twenty-one year old, and it seemed her and Zander watched plenty of modern tv. It boggles the mind how some of the terminology seemed to take her off guard or confused her when talking to the college students. I did love the ghost aspect. I just wanted more. I wanted to see Harper utilize her skills more, and for them to be a bigger part of the investigation. Jared was also just okay. He doesn’t seem to have a tragic past or great loss or anything, so he was pretty straight forward. I liked his blunt honesty, but didn’t really see him as a black and white kind of guy. He believed in Harper too quickly for me to believe that. Overall, it was an interesting read. I enjoyed the storyline despite wanting more ghost stuff, and guessing who the killer was pretty early on. The one thing I did love was the side characters. Especially Zander. The banter and obvious closeness between them was sweet and funny. I loved it. The addition of Harper’s crazy parents and the unseen, gossipy town added to the humor and endearing quirkiness of the story. As for the romance, I adore my cozies to have an element of it, but at points it felt their togetherness happened extremely fast. It was also a little overly mushy at times. While I wouldn’t want there to be too much conflict, I would have liked a more gradual relationship even if their connection was apparent right away. Despite the issues I’ve mentioned, this book still entertained me and I’m intrigued about what Harper will get up to next. ♡

Fun, witty, well written and addictive characters. I am very happy it is a series because I w t to read many more.
There was a shocker, twist ending, which I loved, and was not expecting at all. The description to dialog was almost perfect, as you will see below. No fillers.

I gave this book four stars which is always hard and very rare. I give e-book writers the benefit of the doubt and give way for errors like grammar and spelling. It has to be bad for me to catch it. I am no pro or writer and least of all an editor, so who am I to say anything about people who work hard to put out a book. I found o e this g that was a bit repetitive but not really a filler. Every bit of dialog seemed to be followed by "he said" and "she said". Within a flowing, influx of dialog it is assumed who is speaking between two people. Yes, it is needed to state who is saying what and to add tone, feeling, characteristics and action. Simply adding "he said" and "she said" is draining to read. I ended up with audio book. Having a voice actor made it sound worse, and even she sounded sick of saying it (obviously it was just me).

I absolutely loved the story, I adored the characters, and I will read every book that follows. I need more.
I just had a mini rant, she said.

© Typos Courtesy of the the store Kindle.

Harper can see ghosts. Most people don't believe her, but her job is to help ghosts cross over, and there are more out there than you would think.

When a new cop comes to town, and a murder is taken place on his first day. He thinks Harlow is a fake, and taking advantage of people, but that doesn't stop him from being attracted to her. She feels the same, but knows he doesn't believe her, so she's unsure where there relationship can go.

This book was okay. It had a nice story line, and great characters. But it felt rushed, and not enough of a mystery really. Harper didn't do too much in it, other than a few things, and that was frustrating.

Other than that I did like it, but I'm not sure if I will read more, and I thought it was pretty funny at times as well.

I learned that an author I like to read, Amanda M. Lee, also writes under this name. I thought these novels would be different.... They're not. I felt like I was reading Aisling Grimlock with a different name and different profession.

Every conversation is similar. Even the love interests are always the same. They are always security or law enforcement.

Does the author know that all gay men do NOT talk like that? Every gay man in her books do. All gay men do not love Golden Girls, fashion, and the color pink.

Not going to bother with the other series under this author's name. I am sure they are going to be like Amanda M. Lee's other series.

I loved this story. It was short enough, had the right kinda characters, romance and mystery.
The only thing I couldn't follow was the dialog, when the characters talk, they say " I..." Then a sentence or statement or opinion. I understand it happening sometimes. I felt it happened too much in this story. I found the dialog between characters hard to follow when that was used.

I coulnt even get past the first 5 chapters it was so annoying. Skipping full pages of nonsense "best friend" banter just to get to the basic underlying story. No one talks like any of these characters. I kind of get what the author was trying and the premise is good but its written the way a person who has never been in real world situations but thinks thats how people interact with each other. Cops dont act or speak like they do in this story. People dont act liks this. Sadly i cannot recommend this book.

Page one of this story is already filled with ghost hunting action and I enjoyed the fact that ot began with a bit of a bang! I found this book bringing me found memories of my Ghost Whisperer binge watching nights and I was made at it! Harper is confidant and proud of her talents and sees no reason to hid them which made her all the more real and girl crush worthy. She lives with her gay best friend Zander who brings the laughs to the story and I loved the special bond the two had between them.

I thought it was cute. In fact, I decided to read all of these in the Harper Harlowe collection. I love when I can read from the beginning (1st book ) to the last or the next story. You become familiar with the characters and understand what's being talked about when they speak about prior things. It's no big deal whether I actually do get to read a series from the 1st one to the next. It's just how I like to read and there's so much going on in these books, it's well worth starting from the beginning.

The summary looked good for this book. The set up of a woman who sees ghost living in a small town is almost a genre in its own right these days. Harper seemed spunky and teaming her with a gay friend sounded interesting. Boy was I fooled. The gay friend, Zander, dominated all the scenes he is in and Harper disappeared in to the back ground. The mystery is pathetic. A child could work it out. Worst the maturity level drops ten years the moment the love interest appears. It is a mess. Too bad. The set up had potential.

I loved the dynamic between Harper and Zander, they were probably the best part of this book. The mystery was okay but obvious and I wish there would have been a bit more...scariness maybe to the ghostly aspect but other than that this was a light and fun read.

i'm always looking thru free ebook offerings to find that author (unknown to me) with a special way to spin a tale. found her! delightful characters..good writing...interesting plot and dialog that reminded me of the quality buffy and angel tv series...i don't often give five stars but will definitely seek out future books by ths author. thanks for getting me started with the first one.

I was SO excited to see that Lily Harper Hart had a new series, and it certainly lived up to my expectations! When reading the description, I was afraid that this book would be too similar to some of her other series. While there are some similar elements (talking to ghosts, cop love interest) this story felt fresh, unique, and all its own.

Let's start with Harper and Jared--I love them! Harper is confident in who she is, but she has been hurt in the past by people doubting her abilities. Jared--like all of Hart's heroes--it fantastic. I like that he's honest and doesn't sugarcoat or avoid things. Zander, Harper's gay best friend, is just perfection. He's hilarious, protective, and totally lovable. The other supporting characters (Molly, Eric, Mel, Harper's parents) are all entertaining and engaging.

The plot of this story was great. I'll admit that I guessed the killer's identity fairly early on, but that didn't take away from the book at all. I was thrilled with the ending and will be impatiently waiting for the next installment of this series!

If you like Amanda M Lee's Aisling Grimlock series, you'll love this series because it's the exact same characters. Snarky girl, gay best friend, quirky family, hot cop boyfriend who is totally open-minded after being closed-minded. She has supernatural powers but is not very feminine but totally hot and sarcastic. And I get sarcasm but seriously it's like reading the minds of 16 year-olds not late 20s/early 30s adults. I love being reminded that she's sarcastic and sassy but it's okay because that's just how awesome she is. Snarky is one thing. Immature and b!thcy another. There are a lot of times I just had to roll my eyes. But there were moments of humor.

It is a light and easy read. The original premise is pretty good. A young woman can see and talk to ghosts, has her own ghost elimination company and helps murder victims and those who suffered unexpected deaths to "cross over". The love interest is the new cop in the small town. A lot could have been done with the murder of a co-ed who is still around and doesn't remember much about her last hours alive. Her story takes up very little of the word count. Most of the book is cute banter between Harper and her gay BFF and business partner, and being at cross purposes with the love interest. The dialogue is cute, but it is repeated many, many times, takes up a lot of space, and grinds along slowly toward romance. I suppose a dose of banter might be interesting to some readers, I just don't see how it can be sustained over more than one book. It's like overdosing on candy. Tastes good for a little while, then, not so good sets in.

I fell in love with the characters Zander and Harper, the place, and I can't wait to read more. All of the characters peopling this book are very interesting and unique, even the bad guys were complex. Hart has become one of my favorite writers of this genre.

You know this author - I really liked the mystery plot, but this constant sexual banter undertone (overtone?) was overwhelming to the point of distraction from the plot. I read this first one before I realized the relationships with these two men and the main character was 3/4 of the book. ??

Harper Harlow started seeing ghosts at the age of eight years old when her grandfather came to visit her one night, thing is her grandfather had just died, and her mother came to tell her just as his ghost was starting to fade away. She uses her talents in her business Ghost Hunters Inc., which she runs with her best friend Zander. The tiny town of Whisper Cove has come to accept her abilities, so when she meets the wandering ghost of Annie Dresden she wants to help solve the mystery of what happened to her so that she can help her cross over, thing is the new police detective Jared Monroe doesn't believe in ghosts and can't help but be suspicious of her. As they both go about solving the mystery their paths cross and the current between them becomes electric. As they come closer to figuring out what happened to Annie, Harper becomes the killers next target!

Well I think I have found a new favorite author with Lily Harper Hart, because I loved Ghostly Interests! A plot that zips along with break neck speed with more than a few twists and a cast of laugh out loud zany characters made this a page turning read where actually it wasn't easy to figure out who committed the crime! I love the relationship between Zander and Harper, those two were so funny together! The relationship that developed between Jared and Harper was electric, and left me what might happen in the next installment of this series. My only complaint about this story is that I have to wait until January to read Ghostly Interests the next book in the series, but I think it will be well worth waiting for!

This was cute and I enjoyed it and the quirky characters. However, for me it was a one-time deal. I started the 2nd book in the series and deleted it after skimming through so much dialogue that seemed the same as the first book. Quirky only gets you so far.

I am completely in live with Jared and Zander!! Love this story... so full of romance, comedy, mystery and a freaking twist towards the end that I did not see coming at all. I recommend it hands down.

I found myself so caught in this one that I'm two hours past bedtime! Great writing and editing/proof reading meant that I wasn't jared out of the storyline at all! I already care about these characters enough that I'm my way back to Kindle for the rest!

This was a delightful, fun, slightly risque, funky and quirky ghostly cozy mystery!! I had a "roaring with laughter" good time reading it and can't wait for the chance to read the next book in the series!!

I liked the book very much. I felt the book showed promise of more good books to come. I hope Harper and Jared stay of ether because I like happy endings. And they seem to meld together. I love Zander.

I borrowed this one & was pleasantly surprised.The mystery was a bit predictable, & the romantic piece was so fast it was kind of silly, I still enjoyed the characters & story. I'll read the next

Loved the store line. A little bit of something for everyone. The mystery combined with fun makes for a great way to escape from the world for a while. Highly recommend this book and can't wait to begin the next in the series.

So far I'm giving it a 3. I just started reading this book and I am very much enjoying it. It is entertaining. The only downside so far for me is the dialogue between characters...it is too long and too cliche. Their interaction makes my eyes roll quite a bit. Other than that, I am happy to read it. And I will probably read the other books once Im done with this one. I do recommend it.

this was a good book. Not a great book, but also not a horrible book. But had both first and second not been on Kindle unlimited I probably would have stopped right here. The story is better than the writing. I think this is where the author filed me. You do not need to use " (insert characters name here) deadpanned" a bazillion times in the same story. I get sarcasm, most people do. I do not need it pointed out ever single instance. And for the author to continue to do that made me feel like I was being written down too, like the author felt I was too stupid to be reading their book. Also the other thing that stripped my nerves while reading was the exasperatingly over used start to a sentence that went like this "I.......insert actual sentence here" especially since more often than not that I.... had absolutely no place in the sentence. But then again, these things, though annoying as they were did not stop me from reading book 2. I did have high hopes that the author would have grown out of those things for that book, but alas I was wrong. And I spent much of book 2 rolling my eyes because of it.

I liked this book and thought it was well written except for the constant use of certain words such as deadpanned and nonpulsed as well as the overly used ellipse. I read ''I...'' so many times that I started rolling my eyes (which the characters consistently did as well).

It seems as if this author and Amanda Lee must be writing partners. The both use the exact same text ("needle in a haystack" explanation, the heroine' s best friend and her "joined at the hip since kindergarten," etc.). The ghost-seeing Harper is a bit insipid for a main character, but her gay roommate adds a lot of comic relief.

This book is not as well written as others by the same author. A lot of the transitions are pretty awkward, and the plot is not very strong. On the other hand, the characters are actually better than in her other work. They're not quite as extreme personalities, so they don't read like caricatures, they're more realistic. I wouldn't buy this book, but I'm happy to read it for free.

I enjoyed this book. Ok, it was a little predictable and syrupy, but I like that in a short romance. The read was easy and flowed well through a nice story. If you want a challenging literary powerhouse, go pick up 'War and Peace'. I find it funny that readers see a cartoon cover for a paranormal romance and then expect Dickens. This book is exactly what I thought it would be and it was delightful. Thank you Lily for a brief uplift to my normally boring day.

I loved this book. I could not quit reading it and read it mostly in one day. The banter between Harper and Zander is entertaining and fun to read. The addition of the other man characters just makes this a great read.

Not much depth, made for a quick read. Highly repetitive writing style especially when it came to dialogue. The character development was either too light or trite with very few characters ensuring limited mystery to the whodunnit premise.

I really enjoyed this book even though my usual read is serious mystery/thriller/ with romance thrown in. ( I.e. J.D. Robb) I gave this book 5 stars because it tickled my funny bone with just the right amount of ghostly appearances and mystery. Look forward to more of this author and series. Would recommend this book to anyone who likes to laugh, enjoys a little bit of ghost play, mystery and a kiss at the end!

The characters are great and I love all the bickering. I am definitely looking forward to the next one. Also it is very well proofed so no bad grammar to distract you. I also liked that there wasn't any graphic sex scenes although it was sexy.

I love everything Lily Harper Hart writes. I look forward to all her books and this was a shining example of her fantastic writing. She has a way of making the "supernatural" fit into the "real" world. I can't wait to read book 2!

Badly written and full of childish banter. I was extremely irritated not amused by the characters . I was not very impressed. I couldn't see the relevance. There was no mystery at all, the killer was obvious early in the book.

Harper is a feisty, lovable woman with a fantastic best friend that will make you laugh. She can see ghosts and the other side so her job is to help those in need and get rid of the ones who cause trouble. Jared is the new cop in town and he's not sure about Harper and her whole ghost thing. They fight the attraction but some things are just meant to be...

This is a light hearted read, for a murder mystery. The best friend characters have a wonderful repartee with each other and their family members. However this authors' other work (Ivy Morgan mysteries) seems to follow the same pattern as this book. Almost interchangeable to me.

Loved it! It was the perfect mix of ghostly paranormal, romance and witty repartee. I've been looking for a story like this for a while.
Enjoyed the rappart between Harper and Zander so much I read it straight through in a few hours. I've already pre-ordered the next book!