REVIEW: One Haunted, Twice Shy by H.P. Mallory

In One Haunted, Twice Shy(Peyton Clark #2) by H.P. Mallory, Peyton Clark may be a relative newcomer to New Orleans, but she feels like she’s been dealing with the spirits haunting her home forever. Since she and local paranormal experts Lovie and Christopher performed an exorcism to rid her house of a malevolent ghost, the Axeman, she’s had the spirit of Drake Montague inhabiting her body. The former French policeman appears to have some rather intense feelings for Peyton, which is a bit awkward considering their close proximity. And the fact that she is falling for her neighbor Ryan Kelly only adds to the already complicated situation.

“If our situations were only different…” I started.
But Drake immediately shook his head vigorously and offered me a smile of consolation. “Things are as they must be,” he said. “Fate has delivered us and now we must live according to our stars, ma minette.”

Unfortunately, Peyton hasn’t explained about Drake yet to Ryan. And now with a huge influx of paranormal activity in the city, she keeps putting off telling him. But time is running out. Peyton soon finds out that she is the only one who can stop the Axeman, a demon bent on murder and mayhem, from reigning terror over the city. She enlists the help of her friends again who, with the counsel of a local voodoo witch, devise a plan for Peyton to go back to 1919 and stop the Axeman. Will the protection of her human boyfriend, her charming co-inhabitor spirit, and voodoo experts be enough to bring her back safely from her travels?

“Are you sure Drake isn’t able to overhear or oversee any of this?”
I nodded. “Yes, I’m sure. Why?”
His eyes narrowed as his hand stroked the nape of my neck and he wetted his lower lip with his tongue. I could tell his breathing was coming faster. “Because I intend to make love to you, Peyton, an’ three’s definitely a crowd.”

Peyton Clark is back and we fall in right where we left off with book one, Ghouls Rush In. With this installment, we get some much needed answers about the Axeman as well as (maybe?) some closure to the love triangle between Peyton, Ryan, and Drake.

H.P. Mallory kept me completely engaged with this sequel. I thought Peyton was just as likable and feisty as ever, while Ryan and Drake were equally charming and sexy. The tone of the story seemed a little bit more serious and intense this time, although it still had some wonderfully funny moments. Maybe it was just me. But I liked that it was different enough to separate itself from the previous story. And I thought the plot was incredibly unique and involved, with so much of the history of New Orleans mixed in as well as adding the element of time travel. The paranormal spirits Peyton encounters as she searches for a way to get rid of the Axeman broke my heart with some of the tragic stories of their lives. It was quite poignant and sad, actually, but very important to the plot.

I have to say that Peyton, Ryan, and Drake’s love triangle probably seems pretty unorthodox to most people when reading the book synopsis. However, when you get involved in the story and get to know the characters, it makes sense. Okay…well, maybe it doesn’t *really* make sense. I mean, falling for a disembodied spirit is a bit farfetched. But I could understand Peyton’s attachment to suave Drake. I could feel her sorrow that they would never have a chance to see where their attraction could go. I could also see how she would easily fall for sweetie pie Ryan, with his wonderful Southern accent and charming disposition. Plus, he was a living, breathing person, not a spirit. So, bonus points for him. 😉

I think you’ll really enjoy Once Haunted, Twice Shy. It’s imaginative, complex, and manages to be both heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time. Not an easy feat to accomplish, but H.P. Mallory did a great job as always.

Book Info:

Published September 16th 2014 by Montlake Romance | (Peyton Clark #2)

Sassy, spirited Peyton Clark is back—and she’s not alone!

After agreeing to let the spirit of Drake Montague inhabit her body, Peyton soon discovers that the twentieth-century French policeman may be dead but his lothario longings sure aren’t. Now she has to find a way to explain to her sweet, sexy boyfriend, Ryan Kelly, that a spirit has taken up residence in her head, whispering French words of affection day and night.

While Peyton is torn between her love for a living man and her growing affection for one deceased, supernatural activity in New Orleans spikes—and something wicked this way comes. With the help of her friends (and a little voodoo), Peyton learns that the demonic spirit of the Axeman may still dwell in her home. To stop bloody history from repeating itself, Peyton will have to travel back a century to confront the Axeman at his roots, with the help of a certain handsome—and suddenly flesh and blood—police officer in the Big Easy.