This is book 2 in the Allegra Fairweather Series. If you haven’t read book 1 do not let that stop you. There are a few references to book 1 but they are not essential to the enjoyment of the story. They do leave you intrigued about the first book though.
Allegra is a paranormal investigator with a guardian angel – a hot, sexy but totally off limits angel. She has a perfect mother and sister, neither of whom acknowledges the paranormal. That is until Allegra’s mother believes that her husband, a politician, has become possessed. Then it turns out there is a family curse on him and her sister Lily’s husband. The witch who cursed the family is also after Lily’s unborn child. This would seem to be a dark read except for the snarky wit that is sprinkled throughout the book. There is some sibling rivalry but I found it to be believable as Allegra and her sister don’t get along and yet can and do count on each other. There is also reference to Allegra’s father who disappeared years before. Although her mother believes him dead Allegra knows this is not the case. It is something I think will come up again in future books in the series. The characters are well defined. I especially appreciated the background on the witches who were involved with the curse and how they related to the family. Allegra has a best friend who is a witch and helps her on this case. I think we will be seeing more of her either in this series or perhaps a spin off series.
I found this to be a fast but entertaining read. I enjoyed it enough to pick up the first book and be interested in the next book in the series. I particularly want to see where the relationship with Allegra and Casper, her guardian angel, goes. If you have been reading heavy books and are looking for a break with some light, pleasant reading I would recommend South of Salem. It has action, snark, good character and plot development, realistic family dynamics and some sexual tension. There are no heavy sexual scenes so it is fine for those who prefer cleaner reads. It is an enjoyable paranormal book.

I received this book from Net Galley. No compensation was offered or received. A review while appreciated was not mandatory. ( )

When I first picked up South of Salem by Janni Nell from NetGalley, I didn't realize it was book 2 in a series, so I had decided not to read it. I hate coming into the middle of a story arc and trying to catch up on the backstory by gleaning hints from the second. It's a lot of work when I could just read the first, right?
Then I read a review that mentioned South of Salem is a great stand-alone. So I bit the bullet and picked it back up.
I am so glad I did! South of Salem is a great paranormal story and you do not need to read the first to understand the second. It had great paranormal elements that were intriguing and fun, and overall, South of Salem is witty and snarky. It's a very light read, yet Janni Nell does an excellent job investing you in her story. I also love the sexual tension between Allegra and Casper (can I take him home?), teasing the reader just enough to pick up the third book (should there be one), without being overly explicit. The relationship development is so well done that they're are completely believable, even down to Allegra's sister married to their stepbrother. I just loved it and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys paranormal fiction with a snarky twist. ( )

“South of Salem” by Janni Nell:

A delightful story involving strange happenings that are disturbing to all involved. But Allegra Fairweather, paranormal investigator, seems to thrive on issues of oddity. Except when her family is involved. After Allegra’s real father went missing many years earlier and was considered dead, her mother remarried Steven Richard Hampton, XXXII. Her sister Lily married Steven Junior. The Hamptons seem to be targets of the supernatural and Allegra must figure who and why and then try and stop them before all the Hamptons end up dead.

On more than one occasion, Allegra required the help of her guardian angel, Casper. While the name seems a trifle immature, the novel sizzles with action as Allegra races to stop a witch who is hell-bent on getting revenge on the Hampton family.
Well written and an enjoyable story. This is a great beach read for the summer. ( )

First off, I’d like to thank Carina Press and netGalley for this book. I was very excited when it came up as an option on netGalley because I enjoyed reading Allegra Fairweather: Paranormal Investigator last summer (my thoughts here).

In her debut, Janni Nell set up a world in which Allegra deals with all sorts of paranormal stuff, armed primarily with quirky wit, an itchy big toe, and her guardian angel. This summer, it’s time for Allegra’s second adventure where she deals with something even more fearsome: her family. This has a lot of built-in comedy since Allegra feels like she’s on the outside of her mother and sister’s relationship, not to mention her in-laws. (Creepily, Allegra’s mother and sister are married to a man and his son. Creepy but not illegal.)

Allegra has a fractious relationship with her relatives. She’s incredibly jealous of her older sister Lily and her mother is rather embarrassed by Allegra’s paranormal work. It was a lot of fun seeing Allegra really out of her element since the paranormal side of things is only one component of South of Salem. We get to learn a lot more about her family dynamics but what I was most interested in was learning more about Allegra’s missing father. A nice amount of information is revealed over the course about South of Salem and I can’t wait to see how this influences Allegra’s future work.

Of course, on top of her deep-seated family issues, Allegra’s also fighting against a ghost who’s coaxing her in-laws’ families to death. She does it with her usual amount of wit, stubbornness, and angelic assistance. As with Allegra Fairweather, there were a couple moments where I knew what Allegra needed to do before she came to the conclusion herself but I was generally quite happy with the pacing and progress of the novel. The paranormal problem that Allegra faces is neat and I enjoyed watching her struggle to find a solution.

According to the author’s blog, a third Allegra Fairweather story is on its way and I’m very excited to see what happens to her next. The books are urban fantasy-lite, if you know what I mean, but sometimes it’s just what you need. They’re definitely a nice break from the darker stories I tend to gravitate toward and I’m glad I was able to get a copy of South of Salem.

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After successfully concluding her case in Scotland Allegra returns to the US where she's drawn into assisting her mother with her stepfather, Steven. Steven is a politician and comes from an old wealthy family. Her mother believes he's been possessed, as hard as it is for her to say, and wants Allegra to fix things. Allegra definitely has her work cut out for as this case threatens the lives of her family.

SOUTH OF SALEM is a superb follow up to ALLEGRA FAIRWEATHER. SOS appealed to me on all levels. Allegra is a strong heroine that relies on her intelligence and friends to solve her cases. No special abilities unless you count her big toe tingling and Casper. Casper is her guardian angel. He can't assist in her cases but he does save her life often. There is excellent character development. The villain, Demelza, has an extensive background. More information is given about Allegra's past, her father and a tad bit about his disappearance. SOS has humor, some snark, action, sexual tension, character development and realistic family dynamics. The latter gave more depth to Allegra, her mother and sister, Lily. I loved their interactions and it added a lot to the story for me. The sexual tension between Allegra and Casper is palpable. Allegra and Casper both place his entrance into heaven above their sexual gratification. That prioritization indicates the depth of their feelings. That's refreshing and alluring. SOUTH OF SALEM is a solid read. I wondered what I was going to replace Sookie with when her series ends, now I know. Allegra Fairweather.

I received this via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion ( )