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Monday, February 9, 2015

Book Review: Monster in My Closet (Monster Haven #1) by R.L. Naquin

Monster in My Closet (Monster Haven #1)
by R.L. Naquin

ebook, 209 pages
Published July 30th 2012
by Carina Press
I stopped believing in monsters long ago. But I knew I wasn't imagining things when I found one in my kitchen baking muffins. I'd seen him before: lurking in my closet, scaring the crap out of my five-year-old self. Turns out that was a misunderstanding, and now Maurice needs a place to stay. How could I say no?

After all, I've always been a magnet for the emotionally needy, and not just in my work as a wedding planner. Being able to sense the feelings of others can be a major pain. Don't get me wrong, I like helping people--and non-people. But this ability has turned me into a gourmet feast for an incubus, a demon that feeds off emotional energy. Now, brides are dropping dead all over town, and my home has become a safe house for the supernatural. I must learn to focus my powers and defeat the demon before he snacks on another innocent woman and comes looking for the main course...


"Stephen King meets comic relief!"

The first few chapters made me wonder if Stephen King changed genres and started penning lighthearted urban fantasies! The introduction to the story and characters is so well written (descriptive without being burdensome) that I immediately felt a kinship with Zoey. A nice girl that can't say no to a needy person.....or MONSTER. Haven't we all been in her shoes?!

Zoey is a wedding planner and a sympathetic human that discovers she is really an empath (duh) that has inherited her gift from her mother whom she lost at the age of 8. She really thought that it was normal to be able to "read" other's emotions. (Really would be a nice perk or a "Seventh Sense").

Zoey wakes up one day and comes face to face with her childhood nemesis....the closet monster! Of course waking up to fresh homemade muffins and brewing coffee just might influence anyone to allow a frightening character to find refuge in your house....yeah, right!

She finds herself immersed in a fairytale world of even more needy "hiddens" and realizes they may be monsters but also can become family as they help protect her from a real monster looking to drain her of her life force. Always a great friend, there are moments in this story that just might make you reevaluate hooking up with someone always filled with other people's emotions. That friend just might inadvertently offer you up as part of her delicious buffet for an incubus!

I think my favorite line in the story that shows it's flavor was concerning the smell of dead fish in the ocean air and being to told to breath through her mouth...."if I didn't want it in my nostrils, I sure as hell didn't want it in my mouth"

To me, this story was so well done that it could be abbreviated (and definitely edited as to the actions of an incubus) for delivery to a 5 year old to help banish their own "monster" in the closet. I so enjoyed this book that I will immediately read the next 2 in the series! It was just the right break from the heavier paranormal stories. So head to the beach, mountains or coffee shop to relax but don't forget to take along your own "monsters" and this book!

I give this book 4 1/2 sheep




Jeanie

About the Author:
R. L. Naquin is an urban fantasy novelist and short story writer. She writes the Monster Haven series for Carina Press. You can find her on the Web at: www.rlnaquin.com

Rachel’s head is packed with an outrageous amount of useless Disney trivia. She is terrified of thunder, but not of lightning, and often recites the Disneyland dedication speech during storms to keep herself calm. She finds it appalling that nobody from Disney has called yet with her castle move-in date.

Originally from Northern California, she has a tendency to move every few years, resulting in a total of seven different states and a six-year stint in England. Currently, she’s planning her next grand adventure. Rachel has one heroic husband, two genius kids, a crazy-catlady starter kit, and an imaginary dog named Waffles.

She doesn’t have time for a real dog.


8 comments:

  1. I've got to read this! I've got the first three on my reader and just need to read them! Great review!

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    1. I'm right there with you! I have the first three and feel like an idiot for not reading them yet

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  2. I'm off to order the moment I finish writing this…great review!

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  3. Oh my gosh, I can't believe you haven't read this series yet! Zoey is the BOMB! I am anxiously awaiting book 6, Phoenix in My Fortune.

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  4. I think a lot of us had some sort of monster in our closets as a kid so this would probably be a lot of fun to read and find out there the monster is just misunderstood. lol

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  5. You had me at the monster baking muffins! I think I need to read this one, and I need to read it now! Great review!

    Terri @ Alexia's Books and Such...

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