A Ghost of a Chance (Witch Woods Funeral Home, #1) by Morgana Best

A Ghost of a Chance (Witch Woods Funeral Home, #1) Reviews

• 
  Cheryl

  A new author and series for me, I really loved the premise, the main character Laurel Bay and the nearly (and not so nearly) departed.
  
  BUT ...... I have sincerely never wanted to throat punch a secondary character so much! .... And I'd even entertain kicking her a little when she's down. Laurel's mother is a sanctimonious, abusive, fanatical religious nutbag!! It's so hard to like the series when you have such a disagreeable biaatch shoving religion down your throat every 3 seconds and telling you you're a heathen that's going to burn in hell.
  That'd be a NUP from me for future readings.
• 
  Jamie Russell

  I feel like this book could've been really good, I really wanted to like it, but it seemed choppy and predictable. Almost hurried.
• 
  Ted Tayler

  "Not for me"
  
  I can't say I love cozy mystery stories, but I try to step out of my comfort zone on occasion. This one featured ghosts and white witches too, so it was even more difficult to read. The main character's mother was possibly the worst character I've ever met, with John Jones and Ian just behind her. Are there really people like that? I kept telling myself it was supposed to be a Funny Cozy Mystery and that made all the mad situations acceptable. They weren't... and it wasn't funny. My average rating reflects the fact that I'm not a fan of the genre. It wouldn't be right to savage it, when there will be fans out there for this type of book.
• 
  Catherine Mcfadden

  I liked the book but I was beyond annoyed by the mother's (and even at times by the main character's) actions.
• 
  Kimberly

  3 stars
  
  3 stars. Glad tiffany got closure. Predictable of killer. But pretty good read still for couple chapters a night. The end.
• 
  Elizabeth

  I am pretty torn. The story was cute, but very short. In addition, there were some structural issues (which approximately half would've been addressed by a good editor) that were distracting from the overall effect of the story. For example, at one point the main character said the doorbell rang shortly before 6 and then a few paragraphs later in the same scene, the mother says dinner is at 5:30pm. Other issues with the telling was simply a lack of character development and experience on the author's part. Her conversations lacked a great deal of depth and she tended to introduce characters without any description or point. I'm still not sure why the accountant behaved the way he did or why he was so wishy-washy.
• 
  Louise Castro

  I could not even finish this book. I think it raised my blood pressure a good 20 points. The mother is so awful, and so annoying that I simply wanted to scream.
  I understand there are many horrific mothers out there, but I don't want to have to read page after page of a mother's belittling, crazy and prejudicial remarks against a daughter who is self-reliant and clearly knows better but does nothing to extricate herself from the toxic relationship.
  Perhaps by the end she does, but I'm not sticking around for it and I felt the need to warn others off the hours of hair pulling I went through.
  The author was trying to make a point. She went overboard and that's where this book needs to be thrown.
• 
  Terri Crossley

  This book was well written and the characters were great! Ernie had me laughing throughout the book. Laurel had me laughing and cheering her on. Laurels mom reminds me of a few people and is really annoying but fits perfectly in this book! Basil has me intrigued and I wonder what he is hiding! With crazy funerals, sarcastic ghosts, and a over enthusiastic God fearing mom this book has it all! I can't wait to read the next book and find out what the mystery is that is hiding in the background! I highly recommend this book!
• 
  Stuart Macmartin

  Short book.
  
  I almost like it.
  
  If you are an evangelical Christian you will find it offensive.
  
  The mother is over the top, but sadly not much of a caricature. It just feels that way. But I know people with some of the traits so I could believe it. But I had to choose to believe the character.
  
  I think the intent is humorous madcap and zany characters with a domineering mother with the usual catch phrases of the domineering, but that didn’t work for me. Why didn’t the narrator change the locks? Why didn’t she change access to the bank accounts? Two easy steps. There is an accountant who will go with her to buy a car but not to change a bank account?
  
  I say “the narrator” because I don’t know her name. I skimmed over the first chapters again and didn’t see it mentioned. There’s “Thelma” and “your daughter”. I often don’t remember the names of first person narrators, but I’m not sure it was ever mentioned.
  
  The mother would not say “hell” and the cover her mouth with her hands. The word as an expression just wouldn’t be in her vocabulary.
  
  The culprit was the person with the most obvious motive. No surprise there, but it’s cute how it all played out. So the mystery is not the point of the book, just a backdrop.
  
  I liked the ghosts, but they were incidental to the plot. A contrivance to get our protagonist play detective.
  
  I appreciated correct spelling and the interesting occasional colloquialism. And the forward about this.
  
  So it’s the situation comedy that is the main point of the book, and most characters were too fake for that to work for me. Not like some other books in the genre, where the supporting cast might be weird but are fully fleshed out and feel real. The town is just a town. It’s not any place I’m growing to know, like, say, Deadwood. The mystery isn’t. The protagonist is likeable but doesn’t make any decisions. In Ontario I’m pretty sure you need a licence to be a funeral director. From what I read that might not be true in Australia, but that one detail interferes with the believability for a while until a chose to ignore it. And what’s with the electrical snap whenever she touches the accountant? Not answered yet, so must be resolved or continued in the next book; as a result, this book doesn’t feel quite finished.
  
  Oddly enough I debated giving this 3 stars because I’d not be inclined to read anything else from a 2 star author. But if I run out of things to read and the next book is cheap I might get it. Go figure. Not enough depth of character or of plot, and the mother is over the top, but there is potential in the concept and the writing is easy to read.
• 
  Emily Pennington

  Laurel Bay has come home from Melbourne to attend her father’s funeral. Coming home brought her in closer contact with her overly pious mother – and this was not a pleasant thing for Laurel. She much preferred being 3 days’ drive away from her in Melbourne! After the memorial service, Laurel saw her mother outside complaining loudly to everyone about how Pastor Green should have been trying to save souls; instead, all he did was talk about Larry, her deceased husband!
  
  When Laurel and her mother went to hear the Will read, Laurel found out she has just inherited the Witch Woods Funeral Home and its surrounding property! Her mother was upset and said Laurel had no idea how to run that business and that she herself should own it. Laurel agreed and offered to give it to her, but the Will stipulated that the business be sold if Laurel did not take it. Selling it was not acceptable to her mother. It was imperative that she keep watch on Laurel and that she also should be in charge of “the purse strings” – therefore, Laurel would have to make her mother General Manager! As they were leaving, she told Mr. Goddard to change his name because it was blasphemous and he would not get into heaven. She had already spoken to the pastor about that.
  
  At her first memorial service, the Pastor had not yet shown up. She went to look for him and found him with the deceased’s grandson who wanted one last look in the casket. Laurel gazed at the floor until a scream sounded and the grandson fell through the curtain and exposed the casket to all of the chapel guests! Not only was the grandmother there, but another body -- the girl from the café down the street -- was draped over hers with a knife in its back! Because Laurel can see and speak with ghosts, the dead café worker asked for Laurel’s help finding who killed her. Can Laurel solve the mystery? Will she find the killer? Will she save her failing business after this horrible incident?
  
  This was a fun book which was not meant to be taken too seriously (so you are allowed to laugh at the chaos)! As Laurel tackles the serious matter of murder, she does it in a flamboyant way that has the reader stifling a grin behind his or her hand! There are many characters introduced and it can make for a bit of confusion. But truths do come out. Grab a copy and find out how all of this is ultimately resolved! I received a copy of this book from Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review; needless to say, I also bought my own copy to read it again!
  
• 
  Lina Hansen

  I've read another book by Morgana Best, which was fine. I can't remember the title, it's been a while. Nothing earth shattering, but then cozies seldom are. That's fine, all we need is an enjoyable escape. The experience made me buy the box set.
  Big mistake.
  This wasn't enjoyable.
  Nor was it an escape.
  I kept reading on, it was fascinating to see the author making almost every mistake in the book.
  Characters so flat, a pancake would be a high-rise by comparison.
  Cookie cutter characters doesn't apply either. Cookies are nice. These characters were - what? Tropey? Unengaging? Repulsive? Idiotic? All of the before?
  Whatever. They weren't nice.
  Telling, telling, telling all over the place. A sentence saying something. Then the character telling what they just said. Then another one repeating it. GET IT READER??? Big neon arrows pointing at vital clue. Only, the clue turns to be totally irrelevant in the end.
  Some building blocks were nice, that's why I bought the box set (yes, foolish me. i shouldn't have fallen for that age-old trick. Somebody polished the first chapter to make it reasonably readable. Never mind the rest).
  Why does the main character (I believe she's called Laurel. I wasn't interested enough to care even for her name) first doesn't want her father's funeral home (understandable), but then take it on?
  Her bible-thumping mother could have been fun, but she's so overdone, she becomes disgusting. I flipped pages whenever she or one of her minions turned up. I'm not religious, not in the slightest. I didn't feel offended by her beliefs. Just by her actions.
  The friend who - surprise, suprise - turns out to be a witch. Not that it does anything to the plot. Other than throw a skewed light on the hottie accountant who uses witch incense.
  He had two sheep.
  Those I liked. Great characters. Sadly, they didn't get as much as a "baa" into the novel.
  The murder is standard fare, nothing surprising there, even if the idea of the murder victim hanging around could have added more spice to the plot.
  Summary: A bunch of wasted plot ideas combined with some seriously subterranean writing. I can't imagine the next ones are any better. I will delete the whole set from my device. No point in reading on.
• 
  Lonnie

  Good in one way, not so much in another
  
  I really wanted to like this book. There are different variants, seeing ghosts, friend that's a witch whose abilities are not explained, a religious zealot of a mother who is mentally abusive to her daughter for a few examples. Even though, her father died leaving the business to his daughter instead of her nut job mother, she elects to move back to her family home into her old bedroom. I just couldn't believe this daughter would not move into her own place. She originally moved away to escape her mother but now as an adult moves back to subject herself to mental abuse all over again. I liked the mystery involving finding the killer of the ghost who can't cross over but the mother daughter thing really bothers me. Sorry, but this story didn't need that dragged out. The daughter could have stepped into the business, for her own place & dealt with keeping her overbearing, religious fanatic mother at arms length of further.
• 
  Cheryl

  An interesting story with lots of different and unusual things going on. Meet Laurel Bay who has returned home to attend her father’s funeral. Now things get very interesting from that point on. Her father owned the funeral home and left his business to his daughter and the weird mother gets the house behind the business. Laurel’s mother is a bit of a religious nut and it carries over in all she does. So we have an excellent mystery with a ghost seeing Laurel and a mother who will not leave her alone and spend money like water. There’s lots of characters you will meet as you read this story so put on your sleuth hats and try not to laugh to much as you read this book!
• 
  Monina

  I have received a free copy of this book and am leaving an honest and voluntarily review.
  Laurel Bay can see and talk to ghosts. She inherits a funeral home and has to move back from the city to the small town and is determined to make a go at it. Laurels' mother is so controlling and a church fanatic. she is so funny with all her bickering going on. Laurel just seems to get patience from "the universe" to be able to deal with her.
  There is a dead body and Laurel helps to get the killer with help from her best friend and the dead girls ghost. And that is all that I am telling you, I loved this book, so I recommend you get it to find out more.
• 
  Kate Powers

  3.5/5 stars.
  
  This was actually a fun read. I laughed out loud a lot. Whilst the main character's nutbag evangelical christian mother is totally over the top (and I wanted to squarely punch her in the mouth) I kept reading.
  
  In fact, I PURPOSELY kept reading because so many precious little US christians have left one star reviews on this book. If you're an evangelical christian, this is exactly how we Aussies see you: a bunch of evil charlatans spreading fear.
  
  I'll probably read the next one in the series as they don't take long to read. My only quibbles about this book were that the middle was a bit too meandering and the ending a bit rushed.
  
  
• 
  Amy

  Funny and punny
  
  This was such a fun read. Not only was it humorous but I also loved the little puns thrown in. Although probably more eccentric than most, the frustration that only a parent can bring is definitely relatable. The mystery itself was fantastic, keeping you guessing as you went. Overall, I was impressed with this book. I took a star off because the ending felt slightly rushed and it left me hanging a little with unanswered questions pertaining to the case. I still strongly recommend it.
• 
  norma linza

  Totally dtupid
  
  I couldn't even finish. The woman is an adult but acts like a child with her mother. Her mother is a crazy bully and the daughter alloes it. It's exaggerated and disrespectful to Christianity.
  I was angry over the mother and how the daughter wouldn't grow up I couldn't finish it. The story doesn't center around the murder the mystery is when the daughter is going to tell the bully to shove off.
  I don't need to be reading about cruel behavior. I wanted a copy mystery
• 
  Nadine

  Laugh-out-loud fun!
  
  Smiling the whole way through, which is good, because I needed some smiles! What makes it so funny? I think it’s mostly the characters. They are great! I saw in other reviews that some people think the mother is horrible, but I think you mustn’t take her too seriously. Because of course she’s horrible, but in the setting of this cozy I could appreciate the humor. We all have someone like that in our lives, don’t we? And that makes it relatable in a weird way. So I loved it. It’s chaotic, it’s mayhem! And I love that Laurel can talk to ghosts. It’s exactly what I needed!
• 
  Caroline Doig

  I received a copy of this book from Booksprout and I gladly leave my review.
  This is the 1st book I’ve read and reviewed for Morgana Best and I loved it. This story is about Laurel who takes over her fathers funeral home, her religious mother is angry and upset that it wasn’t left to her so she gives Laurel hell with everything. There’s murder, action, mystery and I had a good laugh, I just couldn’t put this book down and I recommend it.
• 
  Diane J. Caldarulo

  A Ghost of a Chance? not for me
  
  Unfortunately this book has a good plot BUT a big negative. One main character is written obnoxious so well it turned me off...this character has a heavy religious belief that made me feel the author was preaching me to re-baptism; It was a turn-off. Since the story centered around an inherited funeral palor business, I wanted the obnoxious character to be one of the dearly departed. I don't feel I would ve reading any others.
• 
  Holly

  I was looking for a light, fun paranormal cozy mystery. This book started off pretty good. Laurel inherits a funeral home when her Dad dies but her Mom wants to run it. Laurel ' s Mom is very annoying with her overly religious attitudes. And it does not get much better unfortunately. The dialogue tends to be repetitive and the mystery is not interesting or well paced. Even the romance wasn't interesting. I finished it but was happy to be finished.