Give Up the Ghost (Not Dead Yet #2)

Title: Give Up the Ghost (Not Dead Yet Book 2)
Author: Jenn Burke
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date: June 3, 2019
Genre(s): Paranormal Mystery, Romance
Page Count: 280 pages
Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

As I've mentioned before, ghosts, evil spirits and vampires are so totally not my thing, but I cannot get enough of the universe Jenn Burke creates in her Not Dead Yet series. The first book in this series was a 5 star Recommended Read for me, and "Give Up the Ghost" follows in its spectral footsteps.

Wes has a secret ... a secret he knows he should share with Hudson. But Wes is stubborn, and at times a real idiot; but then again, Wes knows he's being stupid:

Who the fuck was I? I didn't want to be that person, the one who kept secrets from the people he loved the most, the ones who hurt his friends with his idiocy. But I didn't know how to stop. And if I told the truth ....

Something strange is going on at Aurora House, a LGBTQIA shelter for homeless teens where Lexi and Wes have volunteered. Some of the kids are reporting ghosts, and when Wes communicates with the resident ghosts he realizes something is hinky:

There was something subtly off about Aurora House and its barn. Not on the level of a demon, but something that made the hair on the back of my neck dance the mamba at regular intervals. An atmosphere that murmured of fear and uncertainty [...] It was like everything was waiting for something to happen. No - for the other shoe to drop.

I include the quote above because I love Jenn Burke's writing style. She really draws you in and keep you hanging on every word. I don't want to give a lot of details about the plot - partly because even trying to describe the twists and turns of the plot is just about impossible, but also because the way it all develops is so engrossing and consuming. Wes' secret fuels and influences a lot of the action but there is the deepening of Wes' relationship with Hudson, and we learn more about Michael, Wes' first love. 5 stars and a Recommended Read. FYI - the next book in this series - "Graveyard Shift" - is coming in November of 2019. Can.Not.Wait.