Karen CantwellReseñas

This was one of those either free or super cheap books I picked up on amazon. I should know better. I only like maybe 1 in 20+ of these yet I keep picking them up, hoping to find a hidden gem. This was not a hidden gem. It was competently written, but I get so tired of women being portrayed as ditzes who can't take care of themselves. And the "yous guys" Mafia language was so egregiously bad that the author should be ashamed of herself. Oh, and you have three gorgeous men hovering around you. Put this one in the fantasy section. Next.½

I thoroughly enjoyed this book about a housewife and mum who unwittingly gets herself involved in a mafioso situation. As a Brit, I particularly enjoyed her American analogies. Laugh out loud in places and I couldn't put it down towards the end. Good fun.

I didn't realize until I'd finished the book that this is the same author who wrote 'Take the Monkeys and Run'.

Sophie is desperate for work after quitting her last job when she quit her boyfriend. She lands the job as a receptionist for an optometrist quickly, and it doesn't take long to find that the job comes with its own ghost. That's ok, she has one of her own.

A fast read, light and very fun. I look forward to more in the series!

Been a while since I read this one, but just read another book by the same author & it reminded me how much FUN Take the Monkeys and Run was!

I received this as a Library Thing review copy: Light hearted, mystery set in a suburban backdrop. A mystery surrounds a house next door to Barbara and she is determined to get to the bottom of it. Long term residents of the street refuse to open up and a very cute policeman is starting to call her by her first name she has had run ins with him so often. Her kids think she is acting weird and her husband appears to have moved out of the family home. Oh and there are monkeys hence the title.½

Was home sick and wanted a light read...this fit the bill admirably. Fun characters, easy to follow plot, and just the right amount of mystery and heat.

This was such a good book! The characters were great, and I love Sophie and Cal. Marmaduke's such a hoot! I hope there will be more of this series!

Nice fun paranormal romance read. Interesting info on developmental opthalmogy interwoven in the story

Silly mystery book in series
Jokes are getting beyond stale. Couple smiles, no laughs in this book

3.5 stars
Another zany cozy featuring Barbara Marr.
A light, fun read.

I'm not sure if I can say enough good things about this series. It is the only series that I have given each book 5 stars. Absolutely hilarious! Zany characters and full of action.

Often in a series there is one that is my favorite however thus far I can say that I love them both. We are welcomed by familiar characters and introduced to a few new ones with the same amount of laughs and unexpected twists and developments in the mystery. Another awesome book!

This is such a great collection of short stories. The stories have the same qualities as the novels. They have me in stitches with laughter and leave me with the feeling of I just can't get enough of Barbara Marr. There are a couple bonus stories that did not feature Barbara Marr which I loved equally as well.

This is a great mystery with characters who surprise you and a plot that thickens as the story goes on. I enjoyed this element a lot however I also loved the humor. This is one of the funniest books I've ever read. There were countless moments that I laughed out loud and crept back a few pages to re-read and laugh again. I can't wait to read the next one in the series!

Great book Finished on 2015-02-24

I absolutely loved this book laugh out loud funny Karen Cantwell writes a fantastic story. Barbara Marr is a soccer Mom. Happily reunited with Howard her Husband who is an FBI agent. She thinks her life is finally settling down but when she is invited to a movie screening and the film director keels over and dies in front of her after eating the yams. It's bad enough he died but her friend Frankie an ex mafia man catered the event. So he is now the number 1 suspect. Barbara feels its up to her to help exonerate Frankie. By following the clues.

Implausible story, but likeable characters. I was annoyed with the author for not explaining the reasoning behind the "big secret", and I was ready to throw the book away after the scene with the cat, but luckily, I read just a bit further and discovered the author redeemed herself and the story.

I'll read the next one in the series, but I won't be rushing out to purchase it.

Enjoyable freebie on kindle. Just a light mindless mystery, but fun characters and a plot that wasn't too predictable. A nice diversion.½

In this sequel to TAKE THE MONKEYS AND RUN Barbara's got a whole new set of problems. In the last book she found out her husband was a secret FBI agent and now she is being pulled into a problem with the year book that revolves around a PTA meeting. Fun reading.

The title of this book caught my interest right away. I would not of readout though if I was not looking for a book with a weapon on it.

It did grab my interest right away though.

Barb, who's husband just left her, stumbles across some strange happens at the house next door.

Yes it has to do with monkeys.

She calls her ex boyfriend, also her husbands ex best friend.

Barb and her friends , Roz and Peggy become the current day Charlie's Angels as they work together to solve this mystery.

I love how Barbs mom keeps popping up.

Lots of humor, twists and officer Brad.

My complaint would e language , there isn't as much as it some books but I never think the use of the 'F' word improves anything. Books, conversations, etc

This is a different quick read. A man, a woman, 2 exes and two jealous ghost. Now what could go wrong?

Interesting premise, enjoyable read. Quirky with a few fun twists.

I like the pace of the story, I like the characters (good connection with them), I like the plot and most of all, I LOVED all information about VISION THERAPY the author shares with us.
Great story. Great book.

5 stars!!

Due to copy and paste, formatting has been lost.

I was expecting Keep Me Ghosted to be a fun romp of a read...I was disappointed by that. It was fun sometimes, but it was mostly bogged down by a weirdly paced plot. Some parts were really slow...the first 73%, I wasn't sure if anything was ever going to really happen. But after that point, it seemed like everything just dropped out of the sky-- the pacing went from really slow to extremely fast all at once.

Just do me a favor-- read the description. I was led to believe that Sophie was absolutely surrounded by ghosts, and that her and Dr. Callahan were going to have fab chemistry. Both were extreme exaggerations. Sophie only has one ghost around-- her friend Marmaduke. And while he was great, I was expecting more. I did like him as a character, though. He added a certain level of sarcasticness. I laughed at several of his one-liners. But on to the chemistry-- I really wasn't feeling it.

Sophie of herself didn't really inspire me. She wasn't a bad character, but she wasn't fantastic or anything. I think that the author tried too hard to make her characters quirky. Sophie has a pet flying squirrel and a one-eyed cat, and Cal is one of the only doctor's in his chosen field: vision therapy. I wasn't emotionally invested in them at all, I'm sad to say.

The whole story seemed rushed, to tell you the truth. Not well planned out or executed. Keep Me Ghosted just didn't turn out the way that I hoped it would.

From Lilac Wolf and Stuff

If you've been a follower of this blog, or my Facebook page, then you already know I love Karen Cantwell. She's a wonderful lady and a wonderful author. I look forward to her Barbara Marr mysteries more than any other series I can think of.

Want to know a big moment for me? I was asked to Beta read this one. Oh yeah, I was squealing like a little girl. But she ran out of time so I only got a review copy. Yeah, I'm not complaining.

It's great. Barbara finds herself in trouble, again. But this time she's with her husband. And he's not telling her no, or keeping her out of it. He has her help him. I think he's stir crazy, honestly. There are more surprising angles than ever before, and you will be shocked right to the very end. And best of all? It also stays pretty silly.

So you will laugh and laugh and gasp. ;) Right now it's only $1.00, easy investment for some relaxation during these holidays.