Decent paranormal romance, exceeded my expectations. I liked how things often didn't go according to plan, and the book did a good job of portraying a sense of desperation, that the protagonist and her team were outmatched and outgunned by the bad guys. I liked the supporting cast, they felt like actual characters with their own flaws and motivations. I didn't care for the romantic subplot; though at least it didn't follow the standard formula. ( )

Action filled, some weak spots around the whole "guess what! The world is magic!" moment. Nothing groundbreaking here, nothing unique, but a solidly fun read. ( )

This is a very fun urban fantasy! I don’t know why it hasn’t been on my radar sooner. Jayné is an engaging character and I love how she (and us readers) are tossed into the middle of things when her uncle Eric passes away. She’s surprised to learn that she was his sole heir and that gives her a chance to restart her life. Yet there’s a glitch – Randolph Coin! Let the badass magic and hand-to-hand combat start!

It was great that this story didn’t follow the standard urban fantasy Book 1 formula. Jayné and crew plan, practice, and go forth to battle evil… and things go wrong. We still have half the book to go! What will happen next? I loved it – I couldn’t guess how things were going to fall out. The team is breaking up, no longer acting like a team, and totally disheartened by their failure. Jayné will either rise, bringing them together, or take her inheritance and restart her life in some other city.

The side characters are all very interesting too. There aren’t many female characters, so I would like to see a better balance. The immediate team that worked with Eric are all guys (Ex, Aubrey, Midian, Chogyi Jake). Later on, a wife/husband team joins the group since Jayné did them a solid favor early in the story. For me, Midian and Ex were the most interesting side characters because they obviously have pasts and are conflicted over them.

In this tale, our heroes combat Riders, which are malevolent spirits that hijack human bodies. They come in different flavors and a few are explained in this book. I expect more will be explained later in the series. I like that this sometimes makes their job harder as they will try to save the human by expelling the Rider. This isn’t always possible, which causes some moral indigestion for some of our heroes. I love these complications.

There’s a side romance that was just so-so for me. It added some drama to the story, but I don’t feel the plot needed more drama. After all, we were saving the world! That’s drama enough. All together, 4.5/5 stars.

The Narration: Suzy Jackson was perfect for this story. She nailed Jayné’s voice. Jackson had distinct voices for all the characters. There were a few times I felt her male character voices needed a little more masculinity, like for Chogyi Jake’s soft voice or for Aubrey in quieter moments. Most of the time, her male voices were just fine. There were no technical issues with the recording. 4.5/5 stars. ( )

What do you do when the world you thought you knew turns out to be a load of proverbial BS? Jayné definitely knows how that feels. Starting with her Uncle Eric's mysterious death, it all spirals down from there. Family secrets anyone? I don't read a lot of Urban Fantasy normally, but I was willing to give Unclean Spirits a shot to step out of my box. Thank goodness I did! This book was everything I wanted it to be.

M.L.N. Hanover writes a character that is strong enough to face what comes, but still just flawed enough to be believable. Jayné isn't without her weak points. Love still affects her, as well as concern for her companions. She's just trying to get by the best she can. In fact, Jayné still isn't sure who her uncle was, or for that matter who she really is. I loved that she had the ability to go from normal to kick ass heroine in a matter of seconds when faced with danger. Unbelievable? Maybe a little, but this is fantasy! Jayné is my kind of woman!

There is just enough sizzle and motion to keep things interesting, as Jayné navigates her new upside down world. Her companions are just as well written and fascinating as she is, and that is a fact that I really fell in love with. Aubery, Chogyi Jake, Midian and Ex all have their own quirks and their own flaws. Each one of these characters is completely easy to become involved with. In fact, I read this book through nonstop because I absolutely had to find out what happened to them. Let's just say that this plot isn't just fast moving, it's like lightning. Strap yourself in.

For those of you who do read more of this genre, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at what Hanover has offered up in this series. Sure there is your standard fare of vampires, demons and the like, but also a nice twist. These baddies don't just exist on their own. Oh no, they ride. Imagine being trapped inside your own body but unable to do anything at all of your own free will. Imagine if you will, a being that is hundreds of years old, bloodthirsty, and vengeful living inside your head. Anyone could be hosting a rider. Your mom. Your sister. Even your grandma. Welcome to Jayné's world.

As a reader who doesn't often read Urban Fantasy, mostly because I haven't really been introduced to any of it until recently, I have to say that M.L.N. Hanover definitely blew me away! If this is what all UF contains, count me in. Epic battles, a kick ass heroine, smoking scenes and, of course, a rip roaring plot line that keeps you reading well into the night. My hat is off to the author. I'm looking forward to some more Jayné and soon! ( )

This was not at all what I expected. I went in thinking I was going to get a kick ass female and her posse. I expected kick ass fights with evil beings and magic. What I got... was a boring story consistin of hardly any magic and no ass kicking what so ever! I honestly had to force myself to finish this book...not a good sign. The main character was far from what I'd expected. She went from a poor girl to one with unsurmountable wealth and what does she do with it? NOTHING! Nothing fun or exciting. She jumps into bed with the first guy she sees and then cries and complains when that backfires. Actually everything she does seems to backfire. And there was hardly ANY real magic! NOthing fun! All in all a poor read. ( )