REVIEW: If You've Got It, Haunt It

If You've Got It, Haunt It
Author: Rose Pressey

Cookie Chanel loves vintage clothing. Her shop, It's Vintage Y'all, is filled with fashions from the 1920's to the 1990's. She keeps the racks filled with new goodies by frequenting estate sales. Imagine her surprise when she goes to the sale of a recently murdered socialite only to come home with the woman's ghost, along with several awesome vintage clothing pieces. The ghost of Charlotte Meadows refuses to leave (or shut up, for that matter) until Cookie agrees to help find her killer. Nobody else can see Charlotte, which means the entire town of Sugar Creek, GA thinks Cookie is a bit off, as she walks around talking to herself.

With the help of her good friend Heather, a magical white cat named Wind Song, and the ghost, Cookie is on the case.

I enjoyed this book, mostly because of the antics of the ghost. Charlotte can't be seen by anyone other than Cookie but she still makes snide comments and even attempts to punch people. And she always appears in new outfits with coordinating makeup somehow, despite being very very dead.

The cat was a cool addition to the plot, but seemed almost like an after-thought added just for cozy fluff or supernatural ambiance. As the owner of two awesome white cats, I was happy to see the kitty on the cover. It was interesting  that Wind Song was a bit on the magical side, but it wasn't a key part of the story.

Clothing and the fashion choices of different characters are discussed a lot throughout the book because of the vintage clothing theme. At times the added details of what fabric something was made from or what sort of sleeves or collar is on a clothing item got a bit tedious. But it didn't harm my enjoyment of this book. The humor and fun antics of the main characters carried the story through any moments where I just didn't care what sort of purse coordinated with an outfit or what brand of vintage shoes Cookie found at an estate sale.

All in all, this was a funny, enjoyable cozy.

If You've Got It, Haunt It is the first book in the Haunted Vintage Mystery series. There are 3 books in the series so far. A fourth book, Haunted Is Always In Fashion, will be released November 29th. Rose Pressey also writes several other supernatural mystery series including the Halloween Laveau series. To find out more about the author and her books, check out her website: www.rosepressey.com