Zack and Clare are working out their special abilities and working together. Clare gets Zack to figure out his ability and open up some to her about it. Interesting little history on Colorado. Next one should be interesting to read. ( )

Eh. The mystery/ghost story is mildly interesting (poor Clare, though, she keeps getting beaten up in various ways). The romance was...well, the emotional connection was pretty good - they both advanced there; it was nice that Zach finally began admitting his own gift. The sex was...rather boring. I get so tired of the "endless lust" trope, and I _really_ don't need to know what Zach's d*** is doing every time he's near Clare. I'm mildly interested, enough that I will probably read the next book if I come across it; I doubt very much I'll bother to look for it. Actually, the most interesting person is one we barely see, Clare's niece (and likely heir) Dora. There are also a bunch of questions that arise and are promptly ignored - like this Bad Spirit who's too fresh for Clare to see. Can it affect others (like the housekeeper who can feel Enzo)? If not, why are Bad Spirits any problem, and if so, hadn't someone better find a ghost layer who can handle ghosts from this one's time? Neither Clare nor Enzo (nor the Other) seem to think of this. It would be a(nother) distraction from the main storyline, but really, if you bring something like this up you need to deal with it. ( )

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

GHOST LAYER had potential as it had a really interesting premise with the main character, Clare coming into her ghost seer powers and visiting a ghost town. Her powers to communicate and talk to ghosts sound pretty awesome. The problem I had was that large chunks of the story were confusing and the story just didn’t hold my attention enough for me to get really invested in the characters. Clare seemed like an okay character but annoyed me as she at first accepts her ghost seeing gift and then ignoring it later. Also, Clare came off as cold and unwilling to learn from her mistakes which annoyed me a lot through the story.

Another aspect of the GHOST LAYER that didn’t really jive well with me was the romance between Clare and Zach. There was some romance and sex but I didn’t see a spark nor was there any really actual chemistry shown between them. I have seen that this book is labelled as paranormal romance but there was no relationship development nor was it integral to the storyline in any way. I don’t really know how they feel about each other aside from physical attraction.

I did enjoy the ghosts Clare had to save. They were unique and compelling characters and their stories of why they were stuck on this plane were interesting. I loved the ghost seer world and that was my main reason for seeing this book to the end. The story is set in a ghost town and ranch naturally with a few ghosts hanging around. I liked the fact that a ghost town for once had actual ghosts in it! GHOST LAYER had potential but its slow and awkward pacing combined with some unfavorable characterization left me feeling pretty dissatisfied. ( )

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads.

I know it’s only September, but I am beyond confident when I say that GHOST LAYER was my least favourite novel of 2014, and here’s why. Clare is an incredibly dense heroine; she doesn’t learn from her mistakes, and consistently made really poor judgement calls throughout this book. The author also used a ridiculous amount of caps to basically point out key elements to readers which I found beyond insulting. The romantic elements didn’t jive at all either. The mystery itself wasn’t horrible, albeit very predictable; the only good aspect of the whole story was Enzo, the ghost dog, but even then, it was unfortunate that nearly his entire dialogue was written in capital letters. I wasn’t sold on this series after the first installment, but decided to give 2 a try because I believe in second chances. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on ME!

Owens delved a bit deeper into her GHOST SEER lore by elaborating on the different types of spooks, what causes them to Go Bad, and the reasons why they don’t always move on. Some additional background is also given on Clare’s family tree such as the specifics of her ancestress’ deal with the Other, and some weird perks like getting a heads up when their deaths are imminent. The story itself was decently constructed, and I like how there’s always some truth to these books; in this case it was that the town of Curly Wolf was based on a real place—Buckskin Joe which is near Alma, Colorado. There were two main plot threads in this installment that ran alongside each other, and although I did enjoy the extra intrigue, I was able to pinpoint who the villain was very early on. The author brought in a couple of secondary characters in an attempt to make the list of suspects longer, but I wasn’t fooled.

My main issue was with Clare (obviously!); she had absolutely zero redeeming quality in my opinion. I can deal with weak heroines who are coming into their powers, but not stupid ones. Her unwillingness to accept her gift really rubbed me the wrong way. I get that she’s in denial, however, when you’re told that you must either accept your abilities or risk death or insanity, the stakes are just too high to ignore. Normally, I’m all for girl power, and hate it when the guy tries to ‘protect’ the protagonist, but in this case Zach is an ex-cop, and actually knows what he’s talking about. Someone is trying to kill Clare, so Slade advises her to stay in her room, and wear a bullet proof vest. Instead, she gets mad at him, completely disregards his warnings, and almost gets blown up by a car bomb. This heroine is seriously too stupid to live.

I really liked Zach as a character, but the more time he spent with Cermak, the more my opinion of him declined. He’s too smart to be falling in love with such an idiot! I struggled a great deal with the romantic aspects of this story because even though there’s LOTS of sex, their relationship was severely lacking in the chemistry department. Plus, Clare kept getting mad at Slade for refusing to reveal ALL of his secrets, yet they have only been dating for a couple of weeks. I found that this couple was horribly unbalanced, and felt sorry for Zach because he was like an abused dog that keeps coming back to his owner hoping to finally do right by them even though the situation is beyond hopeless. And, speaking of canines, I loved Enzo, but Robin D. Owens needs to learn how to use italics for emphasis, and understand the importance of showing vs. telling.

The cons of GHOST LAYER far outweighed its pros which is why I will not be continuing this series. Maybe there are readers out there who enjoy this author’s writing style, but it is definitely not for me. ( )

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Vivacious Valkyrie - Marta:
*Copy gifted in exchange for an honest review

--Actual rating 3.5 Skulls

This is the second book in the Ghost Seer series that features a young woman who inherits the ability to see ghosts but is having a hard time coming to terms with all that's happening in her life. When Clare's great aunt died and the "gift" passed to Clare she also inherited wealth and a very unusual canine companion! Enzo is a ghostly Labrador whose purpose is to guide Claire with her unusual ability. Still reeling from all the changes in her life Claire has discovered that it's only the ghosts of a certain time period that she can help but that does not mean that her life is straightforward, no not at all!

In the short time that Claire has had to get used to things she has met Zach, a private detective who himself is experiencing changes in his life. Wounded and forced to retire from his work in law enforcement he struggles with the effects of his injury but there's nothing like holding a good woman in your arms to make a man be glad to be alive and for Zach holding Clare feels like heaven right here on earth! It's early days for them both as a couple but Zach's boss offers Clare a job solving the mystery of bones appearing at an old mining town . The locals are understandably afraid but when Clare tracks down the ghost of the dead prospector and he tells her he was murdered then it's time for Clare and Zach to investigate but someone does not want the mystery solved and are prepared to commit murder to keep their secret!

This had quite a straightforward plot but it sure does meander along. The mystery of the dead man and why he is haunting is only part of this book. We also have the relationship between Clare and Zach to wade through. Clare is hard to read at times as she is quite an independent thinking sort and yet at times very reliant on Zach. It's not been easy for her and she is very protective of others in her family who might also have the ability to see ghosts but at times I just found her well, a little cold. Oh she's full of life and passion but I didn't really connect with her.

Zach is a character who for this reader felt more well rounded. He has accepted his limitations caused by his injury but refuses to just sit back and vegetate. I liked that he is determined to overcome his disability and challenge himself learning new martial arts and it's wonderful to see him reclaiming his life. He carries the pain of loss and although clearly is sensitive to things that others might not believe, Zach fights hard to subdue his own psychic abilities. A sane rational guy but also one who believes completely in Clare.

I found this to be quite slow paced if I am honest but sometimes with urban fantasy I've noticed that series can start quite slow and then build up to something amazing. I am enjoying this series with its mixture of supernatural and romance and the mystery elements do get me trying to work out just who the villain is and why they are up to no good. This book gives some answers but new questions are now arising. Zach is about to be more front and centre I feel as this story arc progresses. Clare has relied on him but it looks as if Zach and Clare will go forward together in more ways than one. I'm loving the ghost aspect, Enzo is a star and the human dynamics are certainly interesting and I'm very curious to learn just what the author plans for this couple next. ( )