#REVIEW: Lifting the Veil by Kate Allenton

Title: Lifting the Veil

Series: Veil/Dixon Security Services #1

Author:  Kate Allenton

Published Date: June 30, 2014

Publisher: Coastal Escape Publishing LLC

Format: ebook

Pages: 170

ASIN: B00LE12VX8

Genre: paranormal fiction

Add to: Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis: Unemployed accountant Sophie Masterson never dreams that a trip to Salem on Halloween night will change her life forever. When a birthday gift of a psychic reading is thrust upon her by her best friend, Sophie has no choice but to play along. She wants the winning lottery numbers but, instead, receives something far more ominous—a warning of things to come. Being told her own clairvoyant abilities will soon surface should be enough to send any woman running to hide. Throw in the possibility that something sinister is headed her way and all she wants is an easy out. 
When asked to help her brother, the police chief, with some easy filing, she’s sure that her problems are over. She now has an income, a job, and a safe haven where she can relax. What she doesn’t expect is that one of those files will be the catalyst to set the wheels in motion for the predictions to come true. 
Detective Jack Love has a hard time following instructions. When his latest bust gets him benched, and shoved in the cold case filing room, the last thing he expects is to be tasked with babysitting the chief’s sister. When unqualified and in-need-of-medication Sophie gets the crazy idea to play detective on a case gone cold, there is little he can do to dissuade her from investigating. 
Attempting to keep her clairvoyant abilities a secret, Sophie Masterson thrusts herself into a cold case where the dead are multiplying, the clues are disappearing, and the hunky cop assigned to play babysitter is a nonbeliever. She doesn’t hold out much hope for solving the case, much less keeping her secret, especially when the dead seek her out to tell their tales. 
When Sophie plays a deadly game of cat and mouse with winner takes all, it’s no longer the dead that scare her, but Jack Love. Surviving with her heart intact now ranks at the top of her list.

My Review: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by Kate Allenton, and I wasn’t too disappointed by it. I was kind of avoiding reading this book because it sounded awfully cheesy to me. When I finally sat down with it, I was hooked. The author writes in such a way as to keep the reader engaged from the first paragraph to the last page. The writing is descriptive enough to be able to visualize it, and yet not too wordy as to become tedious and bog the reader down in details.

The main characters of Sophie and Jack could have been fleshed out a little more, especially Jack. You could see his attraction growing for Sophie, but besides what he says, you don’t see it very often. I think Sophie let go of her secret a little too quickly, and those who learned about it, accepted it a little too easily.

The sex scenes between Sophie and Jack were graphic, but the usual graphic, definitely no fade to black scenes. So if it bothers you, either skip over them, or just don’t read the book. But if you choose to not read the book, you’re missing out on a good story.

The storyline itself reminded me of Ghost Whisperer, the old television show with Jennifer Love Hewitt, especially the way Sophie handled the scene with the bad guy and his wife.

Overall, not a bad book, and I will be looking for more from this author.