Allegra Fairweather, Paranormal Investigator by Janni Nell

Publisher:  Carina Press
Pages:  209

From the Cover:

Allegra Fairweather here. Paranormal investigator. Got problems with specters? Shapeshifters? I'm the woman to call. Just don't call me a Ghostbuster. The last guy who did that ended up flat on his back with my boot at his throat.

With my 99.5% success rate, solving the mystery of a bleeding rose that has sprung up on the shores of Loch Furness should have been an easy gig. But already I've heard the shriek of the local banshee, discovered two bodies (and then lost two bodies), and had a near-death encounter with a three-hundred-year-old ghost. And perhaps most dangerous of all, the hot pub owner who hired me now wants to show me exactly what's under his kilt.

Luckily, I'm ably assisted by my very own guardian angel. I'm grateful for his help—but he's also drop-dead gorgeous. A bit distracting when I've got a mystery to solve, and the clock is ticking...

Allegra Fairweather is a paranormal investigator with family issues.  Her stepfather is a senator, so, she a little of an embarrassment to the rest of the family.  But, this doesn't stop the wily investigator, or change the attitude she has about her life.  She's a go-getter, not a wallflower, and though she gets a little heat, she doesn't let it bother or slow her down.  Besides, she has Casper to look out for her.

Casper has always watched over Allegra, he's her personal guardian Angel.  He's not allowed to help, but there's always ways to work the system, and since Allegra came into his life, has had to do a little dancing around the truth.  Though, she's grown up now, not the child she once was, he hasn't changed, no aging on Cloud 9, where he lives when not protecting Allegra from herself.


When Douglas MacGregor contacts Allegra, bringing her to Scotland to investigate the bleeding rose, the Dedfield Rose, she finds there's more going on at Loch Furness that meets the eyes.  People are being killed and their bodies suddenly go missing, Lady Justina is rumored to dance in the woods, naked, but everyone who has seen her, ends up as one of the missing, soon to be dead....  And the song of the banshee rings throughout the village, prophesying the deaths to come.  Oh, and there a nasty ghost that would mind ripping out Allegra's heart.

Allegra Fairweather, Paranormal Investigator by Janni Nell is a well told 1st person POV.  Allegra's finds herself in hot water again and again, but Casper, who is redeeming himself for his wanton ways of his past as Allegra's personal guardian angel, helps to keep her safe, most of the time, well, he can't be everywhere all the time, and Allegra seems to ask for trouble.  Scotland finds Allegra investigating the bleeding rose, a rose said to bring chaos and portent death, and along with the song of the banshee, the whole town is on edge.  As Allegra investigates, she discovers what going terribly wrong at the Loch, and maybe it has something to do with the deaths and the bodies that have gone missing.  And although there a ghost of a Scottish warrior who'd like to rip out Allegra's heart, maybe the devious ghost is the answer to all their problems, if she can get him to cooperate.

Allegra Fairweather is a fun little read that I enjoyed.  There is aspects of paranormal romance, without any major romantic scenes, though there is romance bubbling under the surface.  The urban fantasy aspect is in the world building, where paranormal is the norm, and not so much the extraordinary.  There's a legend and lore surrounding the Loch and the people who exist in the village, which certainly adds to the story.  While I was reading this story, it felt more like reading a YA story than one falling outside that category, and since I have a soft spot for YA, it was all that much more enjoyable for me.  I recommend this story to lovers of YA or adult paranormal romance, urban fantasy, an enjoyable little read for those genres.  I enjoyed meeting Allegra and her world, and it's another beautiful fantasy cover for Carina Press as well.


I received this ebook from Carina Press and Net Galley for review.  All opinions expressed are my own.