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:

Graveyard Shift (Not Dead Yet #3)

Title: Graveyard Shift (Not Dead Yet Book 3)
Author: Jenn Burke
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date: November 4, 2019
Genre(s): Thriller, Detective, Paranormal
Page Count: 259
Rating: 5+ stars out of 5

Blurb:  Read book blurb here

Here we are, on the final book in Jenn Burke's amazing "Not Dead Yet" series and yet again I find myself stating that vampires, ghosts and things that go bump in the night are just not my thing .... but once again, I love this finale to an incredible series.

Wes is getting comfortable with that whole "being a god thing", and he and Hudson are settling into their life together, surrounded by the family of their own creation - Evan, Lexi, Iskander - along with Wes' growing group of believers. Life is good:

I was technically dead and had been for almost ninety years. I could become a ghost and slip into another realm of existence. On top of that, a magical artifact had turned me into a god more than a year ago. Add it all together, and I was pretty sure there was very little out there that could hurt me - but there was still a tiny bit of doubt that I could survive everything.

Well, holy foreshadowing, Batman ...

Not Dead Yet (Not Dead Yet Series #1)

Title: Not Dead Yet: (Not Dead Yet Series #1)
Author: Jenn Burke
Release Date: February 4, 2019
Genre(s): Paranormal Mystery / Romance
Page Count: 270
Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Read the book blurb here

"Not Dead Yet" is totally not in my wheelhouse, what with all the ghosts, evil spirits and creatures of the night, but I completely adore this book and only after pondering just how to review it do I realize how darn complex it is and what a wonderful job Burke does in creating this world and its characters.

Wes Cooper is a resurrected ghost who is immortal and exists partially in the Otherplane which allows him to transport almost anywhere, which is a skill he uses to steal - oops "recover" - items for hire. This used to drive Wes' former boyfriend cop Hudson Royas crazy, because he always figured Wes had been given his life back and his talent to use it for good in the world. And when Hudson and Wes meet again (30+ years after their breakup) because of a murder Wes witnessed from the Otherplane, there is still this intense attraction fueled by years of bottled up rage, lust, irritation and humor.