Texas Gothic [Paperback]

'Texas Gothic' is a book which has been on my radar for a while. I really enjoyed 'Splendour Falls' by Rosemary Clement-Moore so I was intrigued to check out her new offering which I'd heard described as 'Scooby Doo meets Nancy Drew'. That description definitely piqued my interest and I picked this one up to read as soon as it arrived.

The Goodnights are a family of witches and psychics. Amy Goodnight has grown-up among them and so is able to embrace things that other people would never understand. She and her sister Phin agree to look after their Aunt's ranch for the summer, not expecting to stumble across a ghostly mystery of their own. Amy soon becomes embroiled in the ghost hunt but the danger facing her may not only be paranormal and she could be putting her life on the line in the process.

I absolutely loved Amy as a heroine. She tries to keep her family life separate to her normal, everyday life but in 'Texas Gothic' the two just can't help colliding head on. She's funny and slightly zany at times but she's also brave and courageous and an unstoppable force, determined to meet every challenge that comes her way. I adored the romance between Amy and hot (or should that be super hot!) cowboy Ben, which was most definitely one of my favourite things about the book. There are some incredibly funny moments between the two of them and I loved all the quips and wisecracks they share, as well as some sizzling kisses.

I also really liked the setting for the book which is small town Texas. The closeness of the farming community works as a perfect backdrop for the story and the slightly claustrophobic feel of a small town in the middle of the outback adds to the sense of danger.

This book is an interesting mix of anthropology, paranormal, supernatural and romance. Although this makes for a unique read, I did find that it was almost trying to combine too many different elements, making it difficult at times for the reader to really become completely absorbed in the story. I found it a little slow going at the beginning, although it picked up in the middle as the plot really began to unravel and the ending was extremely exciting.

Hot cowboys, a heroine called Amy Goodnight and a twisty mysterious tale of ghosts and other paranormal activities makes this an enjoyable read which will appeal to readers who like their books full of action and adventure of the supernatural kind.

Amy comes from a rather eccentric family of witches and has spent years trying to keep their secret and smooth things over between them and the rest of the world. She has magical abilities but prefers to live a normal life and worries what will happen if her family's secret is discovered. When Amy and her sister Phin agree to look after their Aunt's ranch while she is on holiday they get a lot more than they bargained for. With work on a nearby ranch disturbing a graveyard Amy soon finds herself having ghostly visits and her family's secrets become harder and harder to keep.

Texas Gothic is the first book I've read by Rosemary Clement-Moore but it definitely won't be the last, I'm glad I already have The Splendour Falls on my to read pile! I really, really hope that Texas Gothic turns out to be the first book in a series because I want to see more of Amy and Ben, I'm sure there is plenty of scope for more stories about Amy's crazy family and the antics they get up to.

It's actually been a while since I've read a story about witches so it made a nice change from the usual vampires and shape shifters that seem to have taken over the paranormal genre at the moment. I also loved the Texas setting, there are nowhere near enough sexy cowboys in YA and I totally want to start a campaign to rectify this! Amy is a great narrator for the story, she is the sensible member of the family, the smart one who always smooths over troubled waters and looks out for everyone. Although she is reluctant to use her magical abilities she steps up to the plate when she realises that there is no other alternative. It was actually nice to see her start to accept herself and her family as the story progresses.

When she first meets Ben, Amy finds herself in a very compromising position and I found it hilarious watching the scene unfold. I don't think I've laughed out loud as much when reading a book for a long time, for someone who is usually so sensible Amy sure does end up in a lot of messes - especially when Ben is involved. Ben was someone I liked immediately, he comes across as cranky but he is also quite a gentleman and yes he is totally swoon worthy. I loved the banter between him and Amy, it was refreshing to see them spend so much time arguing with each other rather than fall straight into each other's arms. It is definitely true what they say about love and hate being the opposite side of the same coin, and you can really feel the attraction between them even while they are fighting. It was great that Amy remained true to herself though and wasn't going to let Ben get away with telling her what she should do.

Texas Gothic really is a fantastic read and one that I almost wish I could wipe from my memory just so I could start it all over again. This is definitely going on my re-read pile though and I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for a sequel. I'd recommend this to any YA paranormal fan who likes smart heroines, a good mystery and a hero to swoon over.

This title was a little late in arriving and to be honest it went onto my back pile to tackle when things quietened down, until that is I picked it up to give the first 20 pages a try to see if it was something that was a light read or something that would require a bit more time. What this title did was establish the lead character very well in those first few pages and then made sure that I couldn't put it down until I turned the last page.

It was quirky, it was fun but above all else it had a mystery that although parts are supernatural others are more man made as it unfurls. Add to this a great use of pace, some wonderful prose and a heroine that you really do like on a personal level and all in it was a satisfactory read. I really can't wait to read more Goodnight adventures.