Book Reviews: The Hexed and The Betrayed by Heather Graham

 Title: The Hexed (Krewe of Hunters)
Author: Heather Graham
Source: NetGalley

Goodreads Summary:

Devin Lyle has recently returned to the Salem area, but her timing couldn't be worse. Soon after she moved into the eighteenth-century cabin she inherited from her great-aunt Mina—her "crazy" great-aunt, who spoke to the dead—a woman was murdered nearby. 

Craig Rockwell—known as Rocky—is a new member of the Krewe of Hunters, the FBI's team of paranormal investigators. He never got over finding a friend dead in the woods. Now another body's been found in those same woods, not far from the home of Devin Lyle. And Devin's been led to a third body—by...a ghost? 

Her discovery draws them both deeper into the case and Salem's rich and disturbing history. Even as the danger mounts, Devin and Rocky begin to fall for each other, something the ghosts of Mina and past witches seem to approve of. But the two of them need every skill they possess to learn the truth—or Devin's might be the next body in the woods...

My Thoughts: 

The weather here is cool today, putting me in the mood for fall. I am not quite ready to let summer go, but I feel autumn right around the corner. It probably doesn't help that I have ready so many books that mention Salem lately either!

I loved this book, it might be my favorite of the whole series. It takes place in Salem, and main character Devin is living in her deceased aunt's house, known locally as the witch house. It is isolated in the woods, which would be perfect, except for all the recent murders happening. These murders seem to be connected to the Salem witch trials, and the story includes ghosts and legends and history of the area and of the trials themselves. I thought the book was very well researched, and I loved reading about the historical aspects, as well as the fiction story as well. I really liked this Krewe of Hunters! There was of course the requisite love story that accompanies this series, which wasn't too bad either.

Title: The Betrayed
Author: Heather Graham
Source: NetGalley

Goodreads Summary:

One night, New York FBI agent Aiden Mahoney receives a visitor in a dream?an old friend named Richard Highsmith. The very next day he's sent to Sleepy Hollow because Richard's gone missing there.

Maureen?Mo?Deauville now lives in the historic town and works with her dog, Rollo, to search for missing people. She's actually the one to find Richard?or more precisely his head, stuck on a statue of the legendary Headless Horseman.

Mo and Aiden, a new member of the Krewe of Hunters, the FBI's unit of paranormal investigators, explore both past and present events to figure out who betrayed Richard, who killed him and now wants to kill them, too. As they work together, they discover that they share an unusual trait?the ability to communicate with the dead. They also share an attraction that's as intense as it is unexpected?if they live long enough to enjoy it!

My thoughts:

On the converse, I didn't like this one as much! It should have been awesome, set in Sleepy Hollow, home of the Headless Horseman, one of my favorite legends of all time. This time, main character Mo and her wolfhound Rollo have a gift - together, they can find the missing. This story leans heavily on the local legends, with headless corpses popping up all over the place. A prominent politician is one of the victims, and he had gone missing in sort of a locked room mystery. His body is later found by Mo and Rollo, along with that of another victims. I felt that this mystery was a little lacking. I didn't care about the characters as much, and I felt that the setting was not played up enough either. There was certainly a lot of references to the Headless Horseman, but I didn't get a feel for this area, and I felt that there could have more mood setting, if that makes sense. Overall, this wasn't bad, I just didn't like it as much as The Hexed.