41) Pooka In My Pantry by R.L. Naquin

The Blurb :

Zoey Donovan—empath, wedding planner, go-to girl for monsters with personal problems—has been marked twice for pickup by Death. On both occasions, Riley the smoking-hot reaper has refused to follow through. For his breach of protocol, Riley is now on probation. For her refusal to die on schedule, Zoey's right to live is challenged. She will have to undergo a life-or-death trial, but she won't know when or where it will happen…

Staying alive might not be so difficult if the Leprechaun Mafia hadn't strolled into town. Now every business owner with the slightest connection to the supernatural community is being threatened with the most appalling bad luck if they don't pay up. Mirrors are smashed, bodies are dropping, and Zoey's still got clients waiting for fabric samples.

With a little luck, she might be able to save everyone and still have time for a second attempt at a decent first date with her favorite reaper.

My Thoughts :

When I read and reviewed, 'Monster in my Closet', the first book in this series, I was pretty sure that things could get more interesting and mad. However Pooka in my Pantry outdoes the debut in the Monster Haven series and introduces the reader to even more strange and weird monsters, paranormals and supernaturals. Take all those little known about fairy tale characters or old wives tales and you can be sure to find some of them packed into this book.

The mass and mess of elements in this book is sometimes not pretty. The story goes off on tangents and even though you have the feeling that everything does fit together somehow the writing style (or the main character) manages to come across as a drug induced weirdo. It doesn't sound pretty but it actually is. It sounds strange but it works and some how I can't help but praising this weird and wonderful sequel.

No holds barred and some exceedingly nice twists and turns really make this one stand out. Reapers, sea serpents, Leprechauns and yes, as the title suggests, a Pooka, is only the tip of the iceberg when you delve into this fanscinating 'hidden' world the author has created. Your imagination can run wild and what you didn't think was possible can and will happen inside this book. I throughly enjoyed it.

Zoey and her band of friends and monsters make for good entertainment. Her love interest is slowly taking some shape and her friendships are getting well established but her future seems a little up in the air. Some of the strangeness in this book shows that there could be some really hard times ahead for Zoey. Swimming in the newness of the whole 'Hidden' world she has been thrown into to may leave her tired and needing some air but she is turning out to be stronger than she looks.

If you are a Nicole Peeler fan or enjoy some Ben Elton or Douglas Adams then you may find this series to be right up your street. You need a sense of humour and an open mind to love this book but it pays off. I can't wait to see what happens next and despite the 'all over the place' feel of this series so far I can see it for what it is. Special.

Pooka in my Pantry is due out on the 25th of March and is only available in E-book form. Check out the debut Monster in my Closet to catch up with the story so far.