Sunday, November 20, 2011

Past Midnight Series by Mara Purnhagen Review & Giveaway

Past Midnight
One Hundred Candles
Beyond the Grave
Harlequin Teen
Out right now!
Reviewed by: AmyG (big sis)
Sister's say:  Spooktacular, Spine-chilling, & Satisfying

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Past Midnight (Past Midnight, #1)Let me set the record straight. My name is Charlotte Silver and I'm not one of those paranormal-obsessed freaks you see on TV…no, those would be my parents, who have their own ghost-hunting reality show. And while I'm usually roped into the behind-the-scenes work, it turns out that I haven't gone unnoticed. Something happened on my parents' research trip in Charleston—and now I'm being stalked by some truly frightening other beings. Trying to fit into a new school and keeping my parents' creepy occupation a secret from my friends—and potential boyfriends—is hard enough without having angry spirits whispering in my ear.

All I ever wanted was to be normal, but with ghosts of my past andpresent colliding, now I just want to make it out of high school alive….

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

This series is about an ordinary girl, Charlotte, and her family.  Her family is actually one of those real-life teams that go and investigate paranormal activities.  (Don't try to deny it, you know you've seen at least one of those famous reality TV shows.)  They travel to the most haunted and richly historical places in the US.  For Charlotte, she just wants to be an ordinary girl that attends an ordinary school, and lives in an ordinary house.  However, none of those things can happen, and much to Charlotte's dismay, it turns out she is not a normal girl either.  Her family never thought she was the in which energy was drawn, but it turns out they were dead wrong!  Through all 3 books, we are lead through the haunting adventures of Charlotte and her family.

I haven't read many paranormal books that deal with ghosts, so this was an exciting change.  All three novels were a fast-paced, fun reads.  I will say that though the stories are on the shorter side, I never once thought they lacked in action.  Several nights I found myself shaking in my boots or maybe my socks!  I kept thinking I saw something out of the corner or my eye, heard something at night, or felt the air get cooler around me!  Maybe that's the reason why I haven't read many ghost stories!!!  These books had me completely freaked out!  I tend to do that to myself though!  So, I have to give a big thumbs up to Mara, for completely dragging me out of my comfort zone.

Each book dealt with a different paranormal problem that Charlotte has to solve, and each one freaked me out a little more than the last!  The thing about ghost stories that I have to love is they have to be routed in history.  There can't be ghosts with out the history.  I loved seeing all historical places even if one place was a super, scary old prison!

Another thing I loved about this series was the family dynamic.  It was nice to see a heroine that wasn't from a broken home.  The entire story took place in the context of their family.  Was Charlotte's family perfect?  By all means, absolutely not!  Her family fought, disagreed, loved each other and made mistakes.  Her family faced some terrible times and great tragedies, but it just goes to show you that a heroine doesn't have to be born out of a broken family.  

Now, I know what you're thinking right now, and I'm about to answer you!  You are wondering about the romance, and if there is smooching?  Right?  The answer is yes, there is romance, but its not necessarily the driving force especially in the first book.  But, as the series goes on, you will get your shoogie-doogie!  And, it is so worth the wait!  It's a sweet, heart-warming romance that makes you say, "AWWWWW, I love them!!!"

All in all, if you are looking for a fast-paced ghost story, then I highly recommend this series!  What's great is all 3 books are already out, so there's no waiting months are even years between the books.  I can't tell you how great it was to have the next book immediately.  If you are a fan of the Haunting Emma Series by Lee Nichols then you need to definitely give this series a try!

One more spooktastic thing, Mara Purnhagen has graciously volunteered to give away her trilogy right here to one lucky winner!


The Rafflecopter is getting the giveaways mixed up, but if you click on the actual title of the post above, it will take you to the post's single page.  Then everything seems to be fine!