Tall, Dark & Dead - Tate Hallaway

"The line between magic and sanity is very thin.  That's part of why I, Garnet Lacey, quit cold turkey.  Never touch the stuff.  No exceptions."

Trouble is magic is so addictive, especially when you've got inner goddesses like Lilith to contend with.  And it doesn't stop there for Garnet: if you are going to run an occult bookstore then you've got to expect customers like Sebastian Von Traum, with his piercing brown eyes, sexy accent, killer body and total lack of an aura: which means he's dead...

Trouble can be so hard to resist, and what with Vatican witch hunters, long-lost vampire exes and a boyfriend with an ex-wife who is literally stirring in her grave, Garnet Lacey has trouble enough for anyone.

The Garnet Lacey Series:
Tall, Dark & Dead
Dead Sexy
Romancing the Dead
Dead if I do

Visit Tate Hallaway's website for more information

Review:
This is a very promising start to a series of books about Garnet Lacey - a witch who is trying really hard to no longer use her magic.  She used to be a practising Wiccan until she turned up late one day to a coven meeting & discovered Vatican assassins had slaughtered all of the other coven members.  In her desperation to save her own life she called for assistance from the darkest Goddess she could think of - Lilith.  Now Garnet is on the run and Lilith has taken up residence inside her.  She is afraid to use her magic as this seems to bring Lilith to the surface.  She is also desperate to stay under the radar of the Vatican in case they come after her again.

Deciding that the best way to hide from the Vatican is to hide in plain sight she has changed her appearance and is now working as the manager of an occult bookstore.  She is intrigued when Sebastian comes into the store wanting to purchase rare herbs.  He is tall & handsome and she finds him very appealing, only one thing bothers her about him - he is obviously dead.  What she can't work out is what that makes him - he doens't seem like a zombie but he's out in the daylight so surely that rules out the possibility of him being a vampire?

It soon becomes clear that whatever Sebastian is he has attracted the attention of the Vatican - and that has brought Garnet back into their radar again.  Add in the appearance of Garnet's vampire ex-boyfriend who she hasn't seen in months & Lilith who seems more and more determined to have more control of Garnet's body and things are sure to get interesting.

I really enjoyed this book.  The characters are very well written & there is a good supporting cast of minor characters including Garnet's friends & co-workers.  The story line is fast paced with plenty of action and a lot of humor that had me laughing out loud in places.   I can't wait to read the next book & find out what happens to Garnet next.

Source: Library