A Ghostly Grave - Tonya Kappes

Four years ago, the Eternal Slumber Funeral Home put Chicken Teater in the ground. Now undertaker Emma Lee Raines is digging him back up. The whole scene is bad for business, especially with her granny running for mayor and a big festival setting up in town. But ever since Emma Lee started seeing ghosts, Chicken's been pestering her to figure out who killed him.

With her handsome boyfriend, Sheriff Jack Henry Ross, busy getting new forensics on the old corpse, Emma Lee has time to look into her first suspect. Chicken's widow may be a former Miss Kentucky, but the love of his life was another beauty queen: Lady Cluckington, his prize-winning hen. Was Mrs. Teater the jealous type? Chicken seems to think so. Something's definitely rotten in Sleepy Hollow--and Emma Lee just prays it's not her luck. 

My thoughts:

I actually enjoyed this one more than book 1 (love when that happens.) It was just such an easy book to read, suddenly I was on page 150 (love that.) Just so fun to read.

Emma is still suffering from her funeral trauma (she sees ghost and have to help them.) The townies still gossip about her and thinks she is crazy. And then there are the mean gossips, ugh, hate those. Those that try to destroy her business. But Emma is cool. She helps her ghost, investigates, and tries not to throw things at certain people.

The romance with Jack is going, just not really happening. Dang that murder investigation of his getting into way. But then slow is good.

What we then have is him investigation a murder, and her investigation the same. Her grandma is up to her usual business. The gossips are around and something is going on.

Conclusion:

A fun cozy mystery.

Cover

Nice

Paperback, 288 pages
Expected publication: March 31st 2015 by Witness
Ghostly Southern Mysteries #2
Cozy mystery
For review

A ghostly undertaking - Tonya Kappes

Another day. Another funeral. Another ghost. Another average day in the life of young funeral home director, Emma Lee Raines. After a perilous run-in with a plastic Santa Claus, Emma Lee, co-owner of Eternal Slumber Funeral Home in Sleepy Hollow, Kentucky, sees the ghost of town gossip Ruthie Sue Payne, who is proving to be a real pain, more so in death than while living. Recently deceased, Ruthie reveals to Emma Lee that her demise wasn't caused by accidentally falling down the steps at the Sleepy Hollow Inn as everyone believes—she was pushed...murdered. In order for the ghost to cross over—and for Emma Lee to be rid of Ruthie for good—she must find a desperate killer...or risk being haunted forever. 

My thoughts:

Emma runs a funeral home with her perfect sister. And Emma is not so perfect. A plastic Santa fell on her and now she can see dead people. Everyone in town whispers about her and are changing funeral homes. So it's not a good day to be her. I did feel like I would have wanted to see the whole santa thing, maybe a pre novella? But we were told so I am fine with it. Cos I do not like pre novellas anyway.

Right the dead people thing then. It's just one dead person. One annoying arch enemy of her gran, and this annoying person tells Emma it was murder! What to do? Pretend she is not there or solve the murder and get rid of her? She goes for the investigating stuff and stumbles upon a few things. I am not gonna say she is a perfect detective, no, she is lucky but does not always get things right. But that is just fun to read about.

I do wonder what her's sisters issue is though, such a stick in the mud.

There is also a blossoming love interest with the town sheriff, as her path does cross with him a few times. I think they can be good for each other. I liked him.

And more drama is to come. She is still "crazy" according to townies, so how will they run their business? More ghosts are coming too. I guess I will just have to read book 2 to find out :)

Conclusion:

Fun, a good mystery, and a heroine that I enjoyed reading about.

Cover

nice

Paperback, 256 pages
Published February 24th 2015 by Witness (first published October 1st 2013)
Ghostly Southern Mysteries #1
Cozy mystery, paranormal mystery
For review