REVIEW: TEXAS GOTHIC

Thanks to Sarah at Feeling Fictional for kindly giving this one to me after a Random House event last week.

Texas Gothic
Author: Rosemary Clement-Moore
Series: No
UK Publisher: Corgi
UK release date: July 2011
Genre: Contemporary YA

Amy Goodnight comes from a long line of witches and psychics. The Goodnight family is renowned for its quirks and eccentricities. So much so that when Amy and Phin look after their aunt’s farm, they are instantly placed at the centre of a ghostly mystery troubling the neighbouring ranch.

Review: Texas Gothic is a spooky supernatural mystery set in cowboy country. Following rumours of a ghostly mad monk haunting the McCullough’s land, ranch-hands start being attacked at night and everyone instantly starts pointing fingers at the Goodnights. It is up to Amy to placate the locals and solve the mystery.

I love the Goodnight family - each member has their own gift, such as Aunt Hyacinth who makes magical herbal products, and Phin who invents pseudo-scientific paranormal equipment. Amy tries to distance herself from her witchy inner self, to maintain an air of normality and protect her family from others prejudice. But when an ominous ghost starts visiting Amy, the theme of accepting who you are becomes an issue that Amy will have to face.

As the main protagonist, Amy has a perfect blend of humour, charm, clumsiness, and a natural instinct for getting in trouble. To top it off, Amy’s narrative is witty and natural, making me instantly feel like I was inside her head watching events unfold.

I was undoubtedly swept up in Amy and Ben’s love-hate relationship. Although Ben McCullough is snarky and quarrelsome, there is something likeable about him, and as the story develops his rough nature becomes more understandable. As soon as he meets Amy there is an undeniable fire and passion between the pair. Perhaps this is helped by the fact that Amy is in her underwear! At first this passion manifests as hostility but when the underlying attraction between them surfaces it is smoking hot.

Whilst the mystery isn’t that hard to guess, the ups and downs of the plot are both humorous and gripping. Amy can't stop herself from nosing around and ending up in trouble, or big piles of guano!

I’m a big fan of stand-alone books, but there’s something about the quirky Goodnight family that would work so well as a series and I would really be interested in reading more about them.

Perfectly set in Texas ranch land, Texas Gothic is a witty, supernatural mystery with great characters and steaming hot sexual tension.

Rating: 4*

Click here for Rosemary Clement-Moore’s website.