The Spirit Chaser

Spirit Chasers #1

by Kat Mayor, Kat M. Montemayor

Some places are too evil. Some places should be left alone.

Austin Cole has it made. Star of the hit television show Spirit Chaser Investigations, he has become the world’s most famous paranormal investigator. Although hard work, a talented investigation team, and favorable genetics have something to do with it, it’s his lack of fear and willingness to take risks no one else will that make Spirit Chaser Investigations cable’s number-one show. When a ghost-hunt-gone-wrong seriously injures his best friend and lead psychic, Austin is forced to find a replacement for a team member he considers irreplaceable.

Casey Lawson can’t catch a break. She’s been on her own since she turned eighteen and is scraping by as a part-time psychic and cashier at a New Age store. When a desperate Austin Cole calls her up and offers her a position on his team, has her fortune finally changed?

He’s a control freak; she’s stubborn and opinionated. It takes time, but when they finally realize they’re working on the same side, everything clicks, both on and off screen.

Just when things are looking up, a new threat emerges. Over the years, Austin has angered plenty of demons, and one of them has set her sights on him. Now he’s the one in danger, and it’s up to the team to rescue him from the riskiest investigation of their lives.

Genres: Horror, Paranormal, Romance, Ghosts, Supernatural, Fantasy, Demons

374 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 13, 2015

About the author

Kat Mayor is the pen name of K.M. Montemayor. She is a native Texan and has lived in the Houston area for most of her life. She is wife and mom who loves to read. When she's not kicking an idea around in her head for a story, she reads and reviews books on Good Reads. Occasionally, she sleeps.

Reviews

[The Sassy Bookworm · Rating 1 out of 5]

Provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Unfortunately this was a miss for me.

It started out really interesting. A team of ghost hunters go to different haunted sites and film for their TV series SPIRIT CHASER INVESTIGATIONS. Throw in some romance and sex, and this should have been a sure hit with me. Alas, it was DEAD boring. I didn't particularly like Casey OR Austin. Both came across as selfish narcissists. The secondary characters were better, but it wasn't enough to keep me interested. Not to mention I HATED the ending with the white hot passion of a thousand suns...

[Alex ☣ Deranged KittyCat ☣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

One of us will be hurt and the other one killed.

The prophecy from the beginning of the book pretty much sums up The Spirit Chaser. And there's no mystery as to who the injured one is and who's going to die. So I mostly disagree with those saying that this book has a tragic ending. You know your destination, you just don't know the journey. And even if you would consider the ending tragic, there are those very last few pages that somehow try to make it all alright. I personally am less fond of them, but you might think different.

Then there's the issue of this being a horror story or not. I think it is, just that there are many everyday aspects of the characters's lives. And everyday has romance and sex. I liked Austin and Casey's relationship, how they started not really liking each other, only to end up in love. What I disliked are the sex scenes. Austin, who is supposed to be a ladies man, fails to say anything about Casey's lack of the big O. He needs to have two or three more sexual encounters before he says anything. But at the same time, after discussing it with her, he goes as far as consulting a doctor about the issue. That I liked. A man who tries his best to please his woman. He actually compared himself with Batman, saying that he added a vibrator to his utility belt. I found that pretty funny.

As to references, it is obvious Kat Mayor is a big fan of Jennifer L. Armentrout. The Lux series appears quite often in Spirit Chaser:

"Opal?" he asked.
"Yes," Casey said. They read in silence for a bit.
"Did she just..."
"Yes, she saw stars."
"What the hell? He makes it look so easy."
"He's an alien."
"So?"
"So, you're not an alien, or a fae, or a vampire, or even a werewolf. You're a mere mortal, Austin. You don't have a magical penis."

That was pretty funny.

Moving on to the scary part. The beginning of the book felt really scary, with the warehouse and Barrett's possession. Then, things got softer and more on the psychological side. Austin's possession was not as scary, as it was sad. He was obviously not going to make it, yet he was in so much pain, both physical and psychological.

All in all, I enjoyed The Spirit Chaser more than I thought I would, and I think you should give it a try and see for yourself whether you like it or not.

*Copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[B. Truly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Spirit Chaser Audiobook
Written by: Kat Mayor
Narrated by: William A. Cline

I just finished the audiobook and can I just say WOW!!! I'm a scaredy cat, so I don't read horror. I only watch a select few horror movies. But I made an exception for this book, and it was worth it.

William A. Clines' phenomenal dynamic voice range really brings this story to life. Each character sounded like different person was talking. The main character, Austin had a country accent, which worked well since he was from Alabama. I loved Luis' voice the best. Every time I heard him talk, I smiled because it made me think of the dad on Transylvania.
William also did a fantastic job with the female characters. The haunted investigations
scenes seemed so real with the special voice effects that were used. The ghosts had an echo quality to them and the demons sounded demonic. The voice effects shoot chills down my spine giving me the Willies.

There are 2 components working together to make a great audiobook. You must have a well-written story and a narrator who can bring your story from written words to life in a theatrical version. I've learned that if a narrator only reads the words then it doesn't do justice for the book. In order for the words to come to life from the page they must be acted out. The narrator needs to have emotion even for the general narration--like they're talking in a real conversation, not just reading out loud. I've heard several books that were only narrated in a monotone voice. which did nothing for the story.
The Spirit Chaser's 2 components have the right formula. A great story and an excellent narrator and wa-la--a marvelous work of art.
The audiobook is highly recommended. One of the best I've ever heard. Grab your copy and listen now!


The ebook Review:

This review contains some spoilers.
I normally do not read horror or anything dealing with ghosts. I tend to have horrible nightmares if I do. This book deals with the paranormal and so much more. It's very realistic. There are so many elements to this novel that I loved. From friendship and family bonds; to passionate romance and loads of action. This storyline has it all. I couldn't put it down. Austin makes me want to quit my full-time job and just follow my dream job of writing full-time. He had everything...living the American dream.
Austin's a heart-throb. His cockiness was appealing and entertaining. Casey and Austin's romance sizzled. Austin was so used to women falling over him. It was nice that Casey stood her ground and didn't run after him. It made for a great romance that I truly connected with.
The ghost hunting action was scary...what the author was aiming for. The scenes were well written. I could easily picture what was happening in my head. The Spirit Chaser would make an awesome movie!
The ending of this novel was tragic and heartbreaking. Although I expected it would probaly not end well, it was still shocking. I cried my heart out. It's been a while since a book has affected me in that way. I believe in heaven and hell. I don't feel you can continue to taunt demons and the damned and not get burned. My mouth was hanging open when Austin 1st said, "Show yourself, you fucking cowards!"
Seriously! Who in their right mind would talk to a ghost that way. Yep! Only Austin Cole. But that's what made Austin's TV show such a success.
This story is one of the rare novels I have read with a tragic ending, that I think is fitting. It's also one where even though it broke my heart, it was still a great ending. The right one.
SPOILER:

I got nerved up because I was unsure if I would get answers. If I hadn't found out whether he was in hell or not...that would have killed me. With my beliefs, your soul is eternal. So, a soul of a loved one that goes to hell, is an unbearable thought. I completely understand how Casey felt.
I love the way the author ended this story. It gives some closure, but at the same time, it could have another story. I Have to know how the last scene will play out.
I knew I would like this book, but I had no idea that I would be blown away by it. I strongly recommend this novel for anyone who loves, Paranormal, Romance, Horror, Action, and Adventure.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Austin Cole is the world's leading paranormal investigator and is the star of cable television's most popular show, Spirit Chaser Investigations. He's earned every ounce of success with a lot of hard work, an excellent team to back him up, a load of charisma, and the fact that he isn't afraid to take risks. When one ghost hunt goes south and injures Barrett, the resident psychic who is one of the best in the business, Austin has to find a replacement before the next season starts production. Enter Casey, an old friend of Barrett's who he has personally recommended for the job. She's never been involved in the entertainment business; she's never seen an episode of Austin's show and she doesn't even own a tv, but she is the real deal. She's barely scraping by and when Austin offers her the position she thinks her luck has changed, but she realizes from the start that she doesn't like her new boss, and the feeling is mutual - he's a control freak and she's outspoken and stubborn. Eventually, things really begin to come together for the new team until a demon sets her sights directly on Austin. It's up to his loyal crew to save him from one of the most dangerous spirits they've ever encountered.

I couldn't put this urban fantasy novel down - it had me right from the first page! It has a little bit of everything for everyone from paranormal horror, mystery, romance, and a sense of humor. My two favorite parts are easily the ghost hunting and the Spirit Chaser Investigations team at the heart of the story.

I like how the author goes her own way with developing the paranormal world the characters inhabit. It's not necessarily entirely original, but it's quite interesting to see where the author goes and to Casey's journey further into this dark realm that's so close to our own. I also enjoyed getting a good look at each member of the ghost hunting team. Gladly, each character gets a good deal of page time aside from our two leading characters, Austin and Casey. They don't feel like they're just there, but are truly valued members of the crew with important skills and abilities of their own.

My only real issue with the story that partially prevented me from awarding a full five stars is the romance. I knew that going in there was going to be a love story, but I didn't realize quite how graphic it would be and how much of a front seat the romance would take in some sections. However, I do like what the romance becomes and how it becomes a greater part of the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Spirit Chaser by Kat Mayor and if you like Supernatural or The Conjuring, you will be hooked on it just like me. Don't just take my word for it either - pick up a copy, stat! This creepy thrill ride will not disappoint! I'm looking forward to seeing more of this author in the future.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform/Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

Ok, I'm not a huge horror reader. I do enjoy some King, Koontz, Max Brooks, but I don't stray far from the big names. I requested this because it sounded interesting and I wanted to expand my horror genre knowledge.

This didn't do a thing for me. As soon as I started it, I had issues with the lack of clarity in identifying the characters in a group. They were referred to by name, by nickname/occupation, etc, so I didn't have a clear idea of how many people were in the group who entered the haunted building.

That annoyance was followed quickly by the most sensitive psychic and best friend of the MC saying, "This is dangerous, we need to leave NOW." He had also been saying he had a bad premonition in the time leading up to them entering this dangerous, haunted building. The MC's response? basically, "Nope, we need the ratings, don't worry, we'll be fine."

So the whole rest of the plot of the book rests on the MC being a jerk and not listening to his best friend and his best friend supporting the jerk ANYway, instead of saying, no, you don't understand, I'm not going in there, it is too dangerous.

And ratings? Yes, they are part of a TV show about finding and exploring haunted areas. So it's for the Benjamins Baby!! Sigh. If they were doing something noble, like cleansing an area of evil and dangerous entities, even if being paid for it, I could see ignoring premonitions and doing their duty. But this is to entertain others and make money?!? Oh HECK no.

Hard DNF for me. Unclear identification of the characters and jerk Hero left me cold and not too interested in what happened next. I didn't get too far into the horror portion of the book, but what I did read seemed to be adequately creepy and atmospheric.

I really can't give it more than 1 star personally, but we do have die-hard readers of horror who come to our store, so I will recommend this to them if they are looking for something different.

[Tasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars. I'm giving this book the extra half star because I thought the first few haunting scenes were spooky and entertaining, if a bit cheesy. However, this book has a whole host of problems that quickly drove me up the wall and into the "life is too short for this crap" zone. A few of the most egregious issues:

*The sex scene was probably the most unsexy sex scene I've ever come across in fiction. It was like reading about someone watching two Sasquatch going at it in the woods. NO.

*There's a whole lot of tell-not-show, which is not *that* bad, BUT – here's the real kicker – what's told and what's shown is frequently contradictory. For example, Josie calls Austin a really cool boss. I mean, if you think a fat-shaming fascist who sexually harasses his female employees is a great boss, that might make sense. But I'm not one of those people. Or in another instance, Casey contemplates how boring ghost hunting is because you sit for hours not seeing or hearing any activity, when literally in the previous sentence in the exact same paragraph she saw a ghost that talked to her and got hella freaked out. It's like this author added stuff after the first draft, but couldn't be bothered to read the book she was writing to make sure everything fit together and was logical.

*In the same vein, there are a bunch of really stupid and lazy errors. The guys enter a haunted house (at night, natch) and say they'd turn on the lights, but the electricity was cut off months ago. Then they're attacked by ghosts and "the electricity went out." ON THE NEXT PAGE, only a few sentences later, the lights cut out. That's some wonky electricity going on there.

*But the most annoying thing about this book to me was that it reads like the author is telling us what she sees on a TV screen, rather than trying to write a novel. One of my major pet peeves.

I would not recommend this book to anyone, even if Ghost Hunters is your favorite show on TV and you have a crush on Josh Gates.

[Crina | booktwist_ · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book seemed perfect for me, because I'm a fan of horror stories, haunted houses, ghosts, people that deal with supernatural and do investigations and stuff, but it wasn't. And I think that the main problem was the writing style which threw me off from the first page; it's that kind of plain, boring, sketched, tons of dialogue, no description and no emotions style. I felt like I was reading a screen play and not a whole fleshed novel. As a reader I have to enjoy a book and not write it myself or fill in the spaces.

Maybe the plot was average and the characters ok, but with this writing style I just wanted to finish it fast before it finished me. It could have been my favorite read of the week but it ended as being a horrible one and I want to forget that I lost my time with it. And I wonder if it's my fault or their, the ones that rated this thing so high. I DON'T RECOMMEND THIS. Better watch a movie or something.

[Siobhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually read The Spirit Chaser a month ago, yet I held off on writing my review until it was my turn to post on the blog tour of book two. I did have some notes of what I wanted to say, yet as is always the way I cannot seem to find them. Thus, I apologise that this review won’t be quite as in depth as my review of book two, which I read much closer to the writing of the review.

Anyway, onto the good stuff!

The Spirit Chaser is the first in what is promising to be a wonderful series of ghostly tales. I’ll admit that I was tentative with this one at the start as I wasn’t one hundred percent sure about what I was going to receive.

Was it a horror story? Not by my usual standards. It wasn’t the keep you up at night kind of read that you get from old school King and Koontz. Nor did it have that true feeling of unease that I associate with Herbert reads. Despite this, it did have many horror elements. There were ghostly events. There was demonic creatures. There were many visits to places you should not be going if you wish to remain safe from the evil of the world.

Was it a paranormal story? Yes, this is what I’d lean towards calling it. It’s not your vampire and werewolf story; rather, it goes for something less mainstream. We’re giving ghost hunters and psychics, and all the goodness that comes from the two of them together. Think the Ghostfacers from Supernatural, only with real talent.

Was it a romance? It was, and this aspect of the story took centre stage more than I’d initially imagined it would. Such a thing annoyed me at the start, as I’d been hoping for a truly terrifying read, but when I came to terms with this story being more of a paranormal romance I was perfectly fine with such a tale. In fact, I came to enjoy it much more than I’d imagined. It wasn’t perfect, but it was certainly enjoyable.

The story starts by throwing us headfirst into the supernatural world, and I loved this. Although, I did have a bit of trouble getting into the story. Throughout the first chapter, we flickered between perspectives so much that I feared I wasn’t quite able to keep up with all that was going on. I’m really picky with actions scenes: I favour it when we follow one person, yet with this we flickered between paragraphs. Such left me uneasy, but when we stepped away from the action in the next scene it didn’t seem to happen quite as much. It continued to happen throughout the story, yes, especially when a lot was happening, but my inability to be drawn fully into those scenes is due to my dislike of such a way of storytelling.

Nevertheless, I was really pulled into the story. Things slow down after our first big introduction to the evil of the world, allowing us to come to terms with the characters and the show. I came to really enjoy them, finding myself pulled into their world and curious to see what would come next for them. They really were a great cast, and I loved the way there were such bonds between the characters. It made them seem much more real, the show an actual possibility.

Not to mention the way things slowly came together. For a while, I wasn’t sure what the big ending would be, how we’d have a real climatic moment. I knew something had to come, but I wasn’t quite sure how it would all link together. Then bam – things really started to move. Once everything was pulled together and we found out how things were intertwined, I found I couldn’t put the book down. It was so much fun, leaving me unable to put the book down.

Then that ending. Personally, I really enjoyed it. It wasn’t quite as hard hitting as it could have been, but it was a great way to end things. I know a lot of people will dislike the way things ended, but I always love it when authors do the unexpected. I like it when they take risks with their choices, and such is what happens here. Moreover, it sets up so well for the next book.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with this one. I came to enjoy it a lot more than I’d anticipated. I’ll admit that it’s not quite a solid four star rating, but it was so close that I had to round it up. After all, it left me super eager for book two, showing I’ve been pulled completely into this world.

[Absurd Book Nerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read! Austin, the star of a ghost hunting TV series, is a ballsy, charismatic hard worker. Casey is a physic who joins Austin’s team after his physic is hurt on a shoot. Casey and Austin bump heads and generally don’t like each other. Just as things start to gel for the team they encounter the most powerful demon they have ever dealt with and Austin has become the demon’s target!

I could not put this book down! I normally don’t read many paranormal books, I am glad I gave this one a chance. It has a little bit of everything humor, paranormal horror, mystery, and romance. The character development is thorough. Not only do we get to know Casey and Austin, the rest of the team gets a good bit of page time too.

The romance was steamier than I expected. Not that it is a criticism, just something I don’t usually read. Still, it was enjoyable – just be warned if you are not into that kind of thing. The ending was absolutely heartbreaking, that’s all I’ll say about that.

Overall, The Spirit Chaser is fantastic. It will have you gasping, laughing, and crying your eyes out. If you’re a fan of the paranormal investigation shows or shows like Supernatural then you will love this book. And even if you don’t normally get into paranormal stories, give this one a shot. I am sure glad I did.

I received this book for free from ARC in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

[Connie Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has everything and seems so real. The premise is the psychic or medium got traumatised doing a walk through on a tv show. So the producer, Austin, had to find someone else to fill his shoes. He hires Casey. It seems as if the two don't get along well at all. That is so much fun because you can sense the sexual chemistry between the two.

The paranormal investigations show they make is like "Ghost Adventures" on steroids. Where Zac is not psychic, Casey can see ghosts and demons. However, she is unable to see that a female demon wants Austin in the worse way.
.
This book is high energy all the way through. It is a high testosterone, hard core book. A very nasty demon is out to shake up everything. It looks like there is no human to stop it from accomplishing its possession.

Austin and Casey become an item. They had to find a way to tell the rest of the team that works on the show with them. The book is not one who ends the way we expect it to, but it is very intense. This book is for paranormal, demon-interacting, scary-loving people. It is also great for people who are out to find a change from the norm. It is so worth the read.

Thank you to CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform and NetGalley who gave me an e-ARC of the book in exchange for my honest review.

[Tyler Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am NOT OKAY. That ending...ahem..give me a minute..

*breathes*

Ok I loved this book so much! There were parts during it I was up and down but I still liked it throughout.

The characters...I fell in love with them. There is also great character development!

The pacing and writing was very good. I loved the plot. I will say I wasn't expecting the graphic sex scenes, though I do see how they were important to the story. I don't mind sex scenes myself but just putting it out there in case someone does.

It made me laugh, smile, get angry and cry. So many feels.

4.25 out of 5 stars, definitely recommend if the premise of it sounds interesting to you.

[Samantha Kilford · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reviewed as part of The Spirit Chaser Book Blitz organised by Lola's Blog Tour. Full tour schedule can be found here. This review and more can be found on my book blog

Not many people know this about me, but I've had an odd fascination with the paranormal since I was little. I was convinced our old home was haunted and I used to watch Ghost Hunters and Most Haunted religiously after school. So when the opportunity to be a part of the blog tour for Kat Mayor's new urban fantasy novel about a team of paranormal investigators presented itself, how could I turn it down?

The Spirit Chaser has all the action, thrills and spine-tingling chills. Austin and the rest of SCI are still recovering after one of their team has a brutal encounter with a demon at the start of the book. The opening passage (and the rest of the novel, might I add) is so well written. As a reader, we're immediately plunged into the action. Throughout The Spirit Chaser we encounter various forms of ghouls, ghosties and demons. Some are kind and will make you dinner whilst some will terrorise the hell out of you and leave you having nightmares. Mayor makes each entity that we meet so distinct and different from the others. They each have their own personality, their own back stories and I love delving deep into the life of the paranormal.

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, every scenario in The Spirit Chaser feels plausible. There's aspects of friendship, family and romance *wiggles eyebrows at Austin and Casey*. I'd like to imagine, assuming ghost hunting shows are real and I would like to believe purely so because I get so wrapped up in them, that it is a behind the scenes look at what really does happen when the reality television cameras go off.

The Spirit Chaser was much more steamy than I expected and it definitely caught me off guard, but I mean in some ways - especially involving a certain demon that wrecks havoc later on in the novel - it was necessary. I just wasn't prepared for it. So, warning, if you're considering picking this one up - prepare yourself for Austin and Casey doing the horizontal tango a couple of times!

The ending to The Spirit Chaser was beyond heartbreaking. I have to admit that I don't know how I feel about it. This novel was definitely unlike anything I've read in recent years so I instantly became hooked and started caring for the characters very deeply which is always a bad idea because something is definitely going to go wrong. While I was conflicted about Austin initially (I'll agree that the guy has balls when it comes to dealing with evil entities), Casey became my favourite psychic chick within seconds of meeting her in the book and I did root for them as a couple because, heck, they were cute! Alas, us bookworms can never be happy for too long! I was speechless reading the last few pages. I didn't know how it was going to end and what did happen took me completely by surprise. I may have also shed a few tears in the process because poor Austin :(

Overall, The Spirit Chaser is a fantastic paranormal page-turner that will have you laughing, gasping and crying your eyes out. If you're a fan of shows like Supernatural or any of the old school paranormal investigator shows then I highly recommend checking out The Spirit Chaser.

[Nancy D Miz-Firefly aka Sparky · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is probably a love it or leave it book. It has an interesting premise and there was potential for a nice meaty story; all the elements were there. A hunky Hot-Shot ghost chaser and a sassy psychic. A tragic backstory for the heroine. A cocky hero who needs to be taken down a peg or two by the right woman. An intriguing peril and a good supporting cast. It shoulda rocked. But it didn't. I wish a good editor had gotten their hands on it before it issued, because it was clunky and dry. And in the romance dept? No-mance!

I really liked the supporting characters and Could Not stand the leads. He's an odd juxtaposition of devout catholic/hellraiser. She's a...you know what? I don't know HOW to classify the heroine. She's boring and predictable and her sarcasm makes a better blunt instrument than a means of communication.

They come together like the Varsity Quarterback and the Queen of the wallflowers after studiously ignoring each other all year..

"So. Do'ya wana?"
"Er. Why not?"

Uggh!

I'm not going to tear the story apart. It's unnecessarily mean. I'll just share a story from my own life that pretty much reflects my experience with this book.

A while back I went to see one of my favorite bands in concert. I was off the charts excited to see them. The warm up band was boring. So boring that sitting there I could not understand how they got the gig. You could feel the lack of energy in the room. We clapped politely when prompted to but were figuratively holding our hands over our ears until the main event took the stage.

Until the last song.

I guess luke-warm praise can light a fire under some people, because Holy Crap. They all but tore the roof off the venue. They did an Amazing rendition of "I am the Walrus". It was like night and day. Hella bad to OH my God where was that 20 minutes ago? Mind officially blown.

I wanted to clap till my hands went numb. They deserved it. I could tell the rest of the audience felt the same, because applause started the moment the last beat fell. (authentic praise, not the polite 'that's nice' sort of clapping we'd been doing) With a lot of enthusiasm and it started to build... for a beat, until it dawned on us collectively that if we clapped like we wanted to we'd probably encourage them to take an encore. No. Just, no. So I kept my applause sedate, everyone else did too. And, no encore. Hallelujah!

Bottom line. The Spirit Chaser is a lot like that performance. An OK debut that covered all the basics and had one hell of an ending. I went through most of this book thinking I was going to recommend it only for new UF readers and people who are put off by too much intimacy -- until the ending scenes when it went dark. Like Prometheus DARK.

[Alex Andrasik · Rating 1 out of 5]

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. A salty review, but an honest one.

No. Skip. Do not enter.

Young writers, don't skip any of your writing classes. You might miss the one about POV, and how that works, and why it's important to be consistent. And if that happens, you might write scenes about a psychic getting choked by a demon, and have to track her physical reaction, and the psychological reaction of her studly boyfriend, as well as the movements of a tertiary character crossing the room with a glass of water.

You may also miss a few points about the differences between "motif" and "repetition." Your character doesn't need to utter his TV catchphrase every three pages ("Let's do this," possibly the worst catchphrase ever, especially when it appears 10,000 times). And if he does, maybe that's a choice you make, but you have to make it, I don't know, meaningful and/or interesting? "Austin knew he was repeating himself, but he had to say it--it was one of his rituals, a good luck charm." There, I just fixed it for you. Keep going like that. Or: "Casey screamed because Austin just delivered his STUPID FUCKING CATCHPHRASE for the THIRD TIME THAT NIGHT please god you don't have to say it every time you walk through the door, or just, Jesus, stop walking through doors, just stay inside all night." Also, "ocean eyes." Every time. Blergh. Vary your imagery. There are other kinds of blue. There are other ways of conveying Cali bad boy good looks. Shit.

Oh, watch out for the gratuitously detailed, pornographic sex scenes! Surprise!

There is potential for an interesting book here. But the author focuses on the wrong things. Note to authors: the paint-by-numbers, rom-com will-they-or-won't-they, "boys and girls are like cats and dogs" thing is NOT the interesting storyline. You can have that storyline. But it's not the interesting one. The interesting one might be, oh, I don't know, how the heck is the world dealing with the fact that this TV show keeps providing incontrovertible proof of the existence of the afterlife? No? Not interested? Austin's with another lady on the cover of a tabloid? Okay then.

I didn't finish this book. I normally don't count unfinished books as "read", what with this yearly reading challenge thing, but I deserve credit for the 52% I made it through.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found the first 1/3 of these pretty interesting. The writing wasn't great (lots of very distracting inconsistencies and changes in POV), but the story at least had potential. But MAN, as soon as the romance kicked in, this plummeted to a 1 star read for me. The characters already weren't my favorite, but Casey went from being slightly annoying to being down right rude and idiotic. And Austin, the hunky heartthrob? Ugh. No. He was a jerk right from the start and being in a relationship just made him worse. Also, this book has some of the worst, unsexiest sex scenes I've read. And I'm not even gonna get started on the sexual dysfunction subplot that was utterly pointless and went no where.
In addition to those things, the action scenes tended to be anti-climatic (just noticing how ironic that is...considering that subplot I mentioned...) and it was pretty clear that the author either A) knew nothing about how TV shows were made or B) simply didn't care about glaring errors and omissions in relation to how shows are made. But as someone who does know these things, I found that HUGELY distracting. I wrote in an update that I wish this had been a web show or maybe a local PBS show. That would have made so much more sense. But no, Austin had to be a super hot celebrity, so #1 rated cable show it is. Ugh. No.
That said, I must be a masochist, cause I AM kinda interested in seeing where the series goes. I saw the ending of this novel coming a mile away, but I'm not sure where the story will go now. But I'm not sure I want to risk it. We'll see.

**I received this copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

[Louise Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Austin Cole is the star of the tv show Spirit Chaser Investigators. There is a talented investigation team and Austin has no fear and is willing to take risks makes this programme no.1 on cable tv.

A ghost hunt goes wrong and injures his best friend so Austin has to find a replacement and Casey Lawson gets the job. Just as things fall into place Austin finds himself in danger and needs his team to rescue him.

I enjoyed this horror-romance and if you're a fan of the supernatural, you might too.

I would like to thank Net Galley, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (IBMA) and the author Kat Mayor for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Candace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it.... Story took off from the start immediately could relate to characters. I could not put it down, the story was excellent I was sad at one point but still loved it

[Lora Milton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story starts right in the heat of the action. A paranormal investigator team enter a property that has had no human residents for a long time but is infested with spirit entities, including a demon. The group leader pushes things because they have a television program and they are recording for the season finale, and naturally things go wrong. His best friend, the group psychic, becomes possessed by the demon.

The team includes a priest and holy water helps extricate the demon, but not without collateral damage. The friendship suffers turmoil and the psychic refuses to return to work with the team, though he promises to help vet a replacement.

The action in the beginning is fast and the characters are well fleshed out. This one grabbed my interest and held it at the start. It even got diversity in early, in the form of the psychic's over protective gay boyfriend. However, the following couple of chapters had me wondering if I had made a mistake.

Our introduction to the female replacement psychic started out with some misogynist antagonism followed by a lot of emphasis on ripped guys, including a big red flag, the word 'hawt' spelled that way. I became concerned that an exciting ghost hunting story was about to turn into a Harlequin Romance novel.

It also pushed believability on a few points, most notably that the first psychic suffers from clinical depression, followed by learning the group leader has a strict health regime because encountering sometimes malevolent spirits, including demons, requires extreme physical and mental discipline. A depressive would be an easy target for a demon, so what could they be thinking?

Apart from that, the gay character angle was pushed too far to fit into the story organically and soon began to look like an agenda. I'm all for diversity in characters but it needs to flow naturally.

As the story progressed, it became clear that the central plot was about the relationship between the new psychic and the group leader. Romance readers might like it for that very reason, but I had plucked it out of the Horror section with different expectations. The haunted house encounters also started to lose believability from the second one, which had too much 'hero wins all despite odds' to it.

The writing itself was generally good, but a little too dragged out. Repetitions about the leader's health routine and what he ate along with the psychic's continual unfavorable comparisons of her body type against the prettier women who were always around the group leader got too whiney for me to like her and Austin was too much of a control freak for me to like him much.

As I said, a Romance reader might enjoy this as the setting is more interesting than the usual cowboy/highlander/construction worker stuff, but it just wasn't for me. Giving it 3 stars because that first chapter told me the author can write. She just didn't write what I wanted to read.

[BookWormAli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here goes....

Im not saying I agree with everything in this book, or that it is for everyone, because it isn't! But this book put me through the 5 stages of grief so I have to say if you can pull that kind of emotion from me you deserve 5 Star.... If you want a traditional HEA with Love roses and wedding DO NOT READ THIS!!!! If you want to face the fact that not everyone's ending is the same and keep an open mind about it then try this book.
Holy hectate Batman!! This book put me on a rollercoaster and shoved me off.

Austin and Casey were odd together at first...Until Austin admitted what he was feeling with Barret and Casey replacing him, He really felt like a jerk...Then he reveals more of what happened with him and Barrett...and I warmed up to him. I liked that Austin was relatable and that although headstrong he could be reached emotionally and faced up to his mistakes. What he goes through with the demon was horrifying, and gut-wrenching, but the way it was written you could see how the demon made things happen.

Casey was complex, she seemed standoffish but with her past it was understandable, and when she did connect with the team it was amazing to watch...She was warm, strong and flawed.

I think that's whey I liked this book. These characters, primary and secondary, were human, They screwed up royally and learned from their mistakes. They had relationships and called each other out when they needed to they meddled in each others lives and were really a family. They were far from perfect. The author even incorporates a struggle many women have in real life: Not obtaining orgasm... and what they go through in that.

Alright now onto the end...Once again this is not an end for everyone. I'm hiding this because it totally gives the ending away! MS. Mayor you ripped my heart out...I did not see this ending coming until Barrett woke up and watched the final episode for himself...I prayed while reading this, I wanted to bargain with you, with the characters. I finished this book and felt gutted, hollow and sad. You went there, and you did it beautifully. I kissed my baby and my fiancée so many times last night, because you made me remember, love isn't just a happy ending, its so much more. I was shocked, then in denial, then angry and finally I realized, you had engaged me so much I felt for the characters. Kudos Ms. Mayor...Kudos. now I need to go read something on the opposite end of the spectrum cuz I have a book hangover!

This book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Angel Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure about this book when I started it. But as I started turning the pages and getting lost in the story, it was fascinating to say the least. I was able to vividly imagine the inner workings of a ghost investigators show, much like Ghost Hunters. Austin is a balls-to-the-wall type leader. He isn’t afraid of facing down ghosts or demons. He finds enjoyment in goading them on to get their attention. His best friend, Barrett, is a psychic with powers of precognition.

After facing down an evil that shakes the Spirit Chaser crew, Barrett quits but offers up his fellow clairvoyant, Casey to take his place. At first, I didn’t think there was going to be a love story within the story line, but I was pleasantly pleased when Austin takes his chance and gets it on with Casey. Neither of them wants a true relationship but as the story moves along, their subtle sex scenes and attitudes change. Soon they are exclusive and Austin wants to find a way to rock Casey’s world. When they finally admit that they love each other, I was elated but I was also waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Soon I was biting my nails as I read through the paranormal meat and potatoes of the book. The evil that caused a rift between Barrett and Austin is back and it focuses all of its attention on Austin. I was angry and disoriented as Austin fell into a downward spiral of demon possession. I was worried along with Casey, Barrett, and Thai. By the final chapters, I was bawling my eyes out and soaking my t-shirt with tears and snot as I ugly cried along with the grieving characters. Spirit Chasers had me experiencing every emotion and spiritual upheaval that the writer invokes in this book. I am going to recommend tissues and eye drops to those who decide to read this work of art.

[Doseofbella · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Spirit Chaser
By: Kat Mayor
Copy Courtesy of Goodreads Giveaway
Reviewed By: tk

If you like the paranormal…you are going to enjoy this.

A wonderful and talented group of investigators are joined together to form “Spirit Chaser Investigations, a hit television show. The investigators have special “gifts” that help them to perform their duties within the company. Austin Cole owner and head investigator only believes in being fit mentally and physically in order to be an investigator. He believes that if your strong in both areas nothing can touch you…or can it?

Have to say this is one of the best paranormal books I have ever read. The assembled team compliments one another, and for the most part play well with others. All of them are charming, intelligent and witty. The writing style puts you front and center of the action by making feel a part of the team. A few twists and turns, but the ending got me. I truly did not see that coming!!! For an spooky, action packed read this is the one for you.
5/5

[D. Messing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feedback for "The Spirit Chaser"
Dixie Messing -- Last update on Jun 3 2016
Review

Wow, wow, wow!!!!! This was a phenomenal read! It had every single one of my favorite aspects, and hooks you for a thrilling, keep you guessing, wild ride! It was perfectly paced, with twists, turns, and enough boos to keep you coming back for more. That ending though!!!!!! I really, really hope there is another book in the works, I'm going to closely follow this authors work'!
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[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Austin Cole is the star of the hit television show Spirit Chaser Investigations. He's at the top of his game with plenty of money, charm and good looks and is fearless when it comes to chasing ghosts and demons. But something goes terribly wrong. Some places are just too evil to mess with. I enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down. It was a little predictable until I got near the end which pulled out a few surprises. I especially liked the cover design which gave a good feel for the story. I received the book for free through Goodreads First reads.

[Jennifer Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hooked from chapter one! This book had great plot and character development. I could not wait to see where the author would take these characters. I was not disappointed in the surprises this book held. Even the love story had so much depth! I was fascinated by all of the paranormal references. The author really did her research and made all of the paranormal encounters so interesting!

[Michelle Willms · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freaking awesome!

This is without a doubt, one of the best books I've read in many years.The characters are well-developed and the story itself is exceptionally well-written. I was captured in the first paragraph and didn't come up for air until the last word. Highly addictive. I am suffering a severe book hangover.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the story and the intrigue and although I was saddened by the ending, the author was kind enough to hint that the Spirit Chaser Book 1, was certainly not the end. I'd recommend anyone who loves ghosts and spirits will thoroughly enjoy this series of three books. Got to go now, I'm heading off to start the second in the trilogy of Spirit Chasers.

[susan rustell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put the book down . Sorry to have finished reading the spirit chased. Look forward to melancholy

Loved the book can't wait for next book. Really enjoyed the spirit chased and would recommend to all to reaf

[Kat Montemayor]

The Spirit Chaser is available on Netgalley.


https://s2.netgalley.com/catalog/book...

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the book, it kept me intrigued until the end the story

[Anjeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved, loved and omg really?

Spoiler alert.... loved the book HATED the ending. I was totally flabbergasted. It was so hard to put down. But again...floored.