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    Death Takes a Holiday
    Unavailable
    Death Takes a Holiday
    Unavailable
    Death Takes a Holiday
    Ebook314 pages4 hours

    Death Takes a Holiday

    By Jennifer Harlow

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    CLASSIFIED: F.R.E.A.K.S. On Vacation

    If anyone ever needed a holiday, it's Beatrice Alexander. Crushing a forty-foot snake with her mind? Easy. Dealing with the drama that's tearing apart the F.R.E.A.K.S? Not so much. Being used as a tug-of-war rope between a wounded werewolf and vain vampire has stretched Bea to her breaking point. So she travels home to the sunny beaches of California for Christmas.

    Despite the welcome distractions of family, friends, and her seemingly normal ex-boyfriend, her mind and heart remain thousands of miles away with her knights in tarnished armor. But a F.R.E.A.K. can never really go home again. After helping a teenage vampire companion, Bea and her family find themselves in extremely hot water with the vampire Lord of San Diego, who gives her an ultimatum—leave the F.R.E.A.K.S. to become his concubine or die.

    Praise:
    "Wildly fun and funny, Harlow offers treats for every paranormal lover to relish, with plenty of action, thrills, and laughter."—Leanna Renee Hieber, author of the Strangely Beautiful series

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLlewellyn Worldwide
    Release dateAug 8, 2013
    ISBN9780738730547
    Unavailable
    Death Takes a Holiday
    Author

    Jennifer Harlow

    Jennifer Harlow earned a BA in psychology from the University of Virginia. She has worked as a bookseller, radio deejay, lab assistant, and government investigator. She is the author of the F.R.E.A.K.S. Squad Investigation series, the Galilee Falls Trilogy, and the Iris Ballard series. She lives in Atlanta and is hard at work on her next book.

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    Reviews for Death Takes a Holiday

    3.5/5

    17 ratings4 reviews

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    • 4/5
      3.5 stars. A very enjoyable read, but not my favorite of the series, although not really the fault of the author.

      The last book ended with the team divided and animosity brewing and this book focuses on trying to resolve the tension between Will the were and Oliver the vampire, as well as attempt to resolve the feelings Beatrice has for both of them. This is truly the main plot of the book, while the sub-plots revolve around the Lord of San Diego trying to 'take' Bea and Bea trying to tie up loose ends with the boyfriend she broke up with before leaving San Diego behind. Juggling all three of these made for a bit of a herky-jerky read; the whole Lord of San Diego plot felt anti-climatic - I couldn't believe it ended that easily. The issues with Steven, though hinted at during parts of the story, were all packed into the very end of the book - almost like someone was trying to meld two novellas into one full length book; both were good, but neither meshed with the other into a cohesive single story.

      As always, the characters of this book are great fun. Oliver is so cheeky, I couldn't help but laugh. I'm hoping with all of that's happened in this book, we'll see a lighter side of Will - he's just too, too tortured. The rest of the crew got barely a mention, as the plots this time really didn't call for them to participate.

      Overall, I really enjoy reading this series and I'm looking forward to the next book coming out. If you like the lighter side of paranormal, but not *too* light, you might find this book to fit the bill.
    • 4/5
      Earlier this year I read and enjoyed Jennifer Harlow’s new series debut, What’s a Witch to Do?, a spin off from her popular F.R.E.A.K.S Squad Investigation series. Death Takes A Holiday is the third book in the aforementioned series which I was eager to sample.It is the combination of cozy mystery, paranormal and snarky humour in this series that appeals to me.The characters of the Death Takes a Holiday felt almost immediately familiar, I think largely because of their similarities to those in What’s A Witch To Do?. Beatrice is feisty and resourceful, bringing down a basilisk in the first few pages with the help of her telekinetic skills and a really sharp knife.She isn’t quite as decisive when it comes to her romantic life though, the love triangle between Beatrice, Will and Oliver features heavily in this book, the angst causing division amongst the F.R.E.A.K.S squad and leaving Beatrice contemplating the possibility of quitting.Going home for Christmas is supposed to give Beatrice the time to think about the whole mess but instead she quickly finds herself embroiled in trouble. A powerful (and sexy) vampire Lord has decided Beatrice would make a wonderful wife and her ex boyfriend wants her back.Death Takes a Holiday is a fun and fast read, and I really enjoy escaping into Harlow’s world of monsters and mayhem. I’ll definitely be picking up the next book.
    • 4/5
      Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.Quick & Dirty: A slow start but eventually turns into an entertaining, fun novel with an unseen twist.Opening Sentence: I hate running.The Review:Death Takes a Holiday finds the F.R.E.A.K.S. squad bickering amongst themselves, torn to sides in a fight between Beatrice, Oliver and Will. Ever since the fight in Dallas, when the team lost a valuable member and almost lost Beatrice, Will has been making life frustrating for Beatrice. All Beatrice wants is for Will and Oliver to get along (and have a great makeout session with Will) but since Will won’t even look at her or even speak more than one word to her, Beatrice decides that drastic measures are in order to try and make peace again. Bea corners Will into talking but when another fight breaks out between him and Oliver, she gives them an ultimatum, make up or never talk to her again.The Christmas holiday is coming up so Beatrice decides to take some much needed time off away from the stress of Will and Oliver and to decide if she wants to continue on as a part of the F.R.E.A.K.S. squad. Bea visits her grandma Liz and her friend Rose in San Diego, where the weather is nice (definitely not the icy cold Kansas weather she has been trying to get used to) and she can do plenty of shopping for the Christmas holiday.Once is San Diego, Bea takes a walk down memory lane, remembering why she left and wondering if she should stay. Everyone comments on how much Bea has changed since she left for Kansas. Bea runs into an old flame at a party, an ex-boyfriend who’s heart she broke. She decides to go on another date with him, which only leads to a disaster when she tries to save a girl’s life from a vampire that is about to kill her. There is more to the story but I’m definitely not going to elaborate so as to not completely ruin the story as Beatrice is drawn into the web of a vampire who controls the area of southern California. The vampire wants Beatrice as his bride or dead if he can’t have her.Death Takes a Holiday does start off slow and it seems that it takes a while before events pick up steam. A lot of relationship drama moves the story ahead but it is when Beatrice meets Steve (the old flame) for her date that the mystery really starts to unfold. One thing I really liked about Death Takes a Holiday is that I thought it would go one way but completely takes me in another direction that I just didn’t see coming. I always knew that one character was a scuz-bucket but just not how much of one.Beatrice is quickly becoming the Anita Blake of telekinetics. The men in her life are intensely attracted to her and her power. She’s attracted to most of them but the one man she really wants is the one who keeps pushing her away. I will say that Will was quite aggravating in this novel, I understand his hangups, but he seriously needs to change his anger issues and stop taking them out on Bea. Oliver is quickly becoming my favorite although Connor with his sexy accent may give Oliver a run for his money.Overall, the slow beginning to Death Takes a Holiday sets the scene for all the upcoming events that take place later but once the mystery kicks in, it becomes a very entertaining novel. My rating wavers from 3.5 to a 4 because of the slowness at the beginning but if you enjoy novels with quirky humor, fun (sometimes frustrating) characters and a world that is just as strange, the F.R.E.A.K.S. Squad Investigation series is a fun one to try out.Notable Scene:“You will remember nothing about the past two days. You will not remember following Beatrice to the Lipmann residence. You will not remember Moon, Mariah, or coming to the club tonight. You will leave here and never return.” He breaks eye contact to look up at me. “What shall I replace the memories with?”“He met friends for bowling, took me out to dinner, dropped me off at home, went to work the next day, and was coming to meet me here for drinks.”Connor turns back to Steven and repeats my words verbatim. “And now you will wait outside for Beatrice.” He breaks the gaze. “Release him.”Neil releases the catatonic Steven, who stands up like a good puppet and walks past the still seething vamps. The bleeding waitress snarls at him, but Steven doesn’t register her presence. He should come out of it when I meet him outside. Until then, he’ll be trapped inside his own head. I loathe taking his memories and free will, but he’ll be safer this way. The front door slams shut.“First that mongoloid, then Oliver,” Connor says. “You have abysmal taste in men.”“Oh, shut up,” I say.“You are holding the gun,” Connor says. “But now that the not so good Samaritan has departed safely, what comes next? Do you prove my suspicions correct by firing? Or may we continue our conversation in more comfortable surroundings and with less firepower?”“You know, for a man with a shotgun to his head you sure are calm, especially considering you’re so convinced I’m here to usurp your throne.”“I am over six hundred years old, this is not the first and will certainly not be the last time I find myself in this predicament.”FTC Advisory: Midnight Ink provided me with a copy of Death Takes a Holiday. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
    • 4/5
      Bea has had enough and needs a break. She decides to head home for the holidays and decide where she wants to be and what she wants to do with her life. Unfortunately trouble follows her home. These characters are fantastic. They bring so much to the stories and keep me coming back for more. Bea amazes me. She draws trouble like a magnet it seems but manages to overcome whatever is thrown at her. I really enjoyed seeing her back home with her family. Her Grandma really loves her and does a great job accepting who she is and what her and her friends and teammates can do.I was not crazy about the relationship aspect of DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY. Bea is head over heals for Will although he pushes her away, she has Oliver pining after her even though she sees him only as a friend, then an ex boyfriend who is nothing like the type she usually goes for and she already left him in the past is thrown into the mix. It does not go well and all I could do was wait for her to come to her senses.I thoroughly enjoy these books. I look forward to their upload on Netgalley and I jump into and finish them in less than 24 hours. They are easy to read and they are easy to enjoy.