I received this book in exchange for an honest review, which has not altered my opinion of this book in any way.

I am sad to say that it took me this long to get to this book, the first one was so well done and I read it so quickly, this book was no different. The intensity is so high and the stakes shoot skyward throughout this book and I can’t express how exciting this book is. Mythology has always been an interest to me and I love how this book pulls on different stories and how there are different traditions based on where you live.

Our main character, Kincaid Strange, is brutal and I mean that in several different ways. She is brutal in how she deals with specific aspects of her work because that is how she has learned that it is the best way for her to deal with the deceased. She is brutal in her determination to solve any case or problem that is presented to her through a job or through her day to day life as a voodoo practitioner. While I would love to have her on my team, she would be scary but if you have her loyalty it stays through life and death. At one point, she is accused of preferring the dead to the living and I really identified with that…whelp! Nate is a ghost that we meet in the first book, I won’t talk much about what happened in this book to avoid spoilers for the second book but all I can say is that while Nate was his normal annoying self I am so glad that we got a good look into his history and got some closure for him.

This book had me on the edge of my seat especially for the second half of it. Unfortunately the first bit was a bit repetitive from the first book but I did enjoy it. I highly recommend this book and series and now that I have my hands on the third book in the series, I plan on reading it very soon!!

As Promised

This book delivers exactly what it promises, and just the right mix of what you want, and that's not a bad thing. Our heroine is smart, snarky, and set upon from all sides. Troublesome "friends", a difficult ex, a decaying zombie roommate, professional problems, and a series of gruesome murders. Because that's the lot of the professional voodoo practitioner.

I like books like this in exact proportion to the degree to which I like the main character. Don't really care about plot, as such, and I have no interest in questioning the plausibility of the story, the characters' actions, the basis of the magic system, or any coincidences that move the action along.

Since I enjoyed Kincaid's company, enjoyed her glib narration, and didn't get hung up on any annoying affectations or turned off by overly quirky supporting characters, I had a fine time with this undemanding, but perfectly entertaining, tale.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

This novel is a good one that I’ve read this year! The characters are so dynamic yet relatable. I loved the flow of the story. It held my attention the whole time.

I got this book from Netgalley awhile back but figured I needed to read the first book The Voodoo Killings first... I did so and if we are honest it made me not quite eager to read this one...

Kincaid is an interesting character and her world is interesting even to me who doesn’t much like zombies. It’s different to read a series where there are zombies but not in the sense of a zombie apocalypse but the zombies are walking talking thinking functioning people that you know happen to be dead.

In the first book Kincaid is just trying to get by after getting fired from her job with the police due to the new captain not liking anything of a supernatural variety. She gets roped into helping a lost zombie and tries to figure out where he came from and who killed him. Her roommate is a ghost, her ex-boyfriend is a cop and the only other friend she seems to have is the “Zombie Queen”/bar owner of the Underground City where the zombies, ghosts and ghouls hang out. Her mentor Max ended up in some trouble that involved the zombie Cameron that she tried to help. Her irresponsible ghost roommate Max and zombie queen Lee and zombie Cameron were the most enjoyable characters in the first book. Kincaid not so much and her ex Aaron definitely not. But ghost sorcerer Gideon is interesting. Kincaid ends up helping Lee and helping Aaron in what turns out to be the same case. She nearly kills herself constantly is reckless and irresponsible.



I knew from reading the first book that there was a distinct possibility that I wouldn’t like this one. I was right. The story itself isn’t even the problem it’s Kincaid. I honestly don’t know how she was ever employed to work with the police or if maybe when she did work with them she was actually good at something. Who knows. She is reckless and immature and seems to have no regard for her own life or safety she never makes any good decisions at all. I still liked Lee and Gideon. Nate was so selfish and stupid it’s insane. Aaron is just awful. Kincaid constantly puts herself in danger and makes herself sick using the “other side” for no real reason. And she takes on guilt for things that have nothing to do with her and refuses to listen to any good advice. It could have been so much better if she ever stopped to think for I don’t know more than five seconds.

I made it 80% of the way through the book before I couldn’t just couldn’t keep going. I can honestly say I tried but Kincaid never learns from her mistakes and honestly when you go into something that’s obviously a trap and don’t realize it’s a trap until after... I just can’t. If fact it was so bad that I may have completely forgotten about this review until all of a year later.

I loved the characterization, and world-building of this story. But it had some slower parts that I felt the need to push myself through. Overall, enjoyable. Won't read it again or continue the series.

This series is both fascinating and boring. I like the whole zombie, raising the dead, ghosts aspect of this book. i find that at times drags on way to long. I find Kincaid's own musing annoying, long and boring. I like the paranormal murders that happen but Kincaid takes on way too much in each book and then does it all herself or tries to. I want to like these books more I just can't. Maybe if I liked Kincaid more I might but at last I don't.


*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley for an honest review.

A great follow-up to the first book. Christi Charish does not dissappoint in writing a good story. Nathan Cade's soul is in another body, and Kincade has to find a way to free him. A new case connects Nathan to the homicide. People from his past and the grung scene are coming up dead. I love reading stories of zombies, especially one that don't want to eat you on first sight. This was such a great read, and I recommend it to everyone. I give Lipstick Voodoo: The Kincaid Strange Series, Book Two (Kincaid Strange Series, The 2) 5/5 stars.

I did not finish reading this. I tried... it did not capture my attention. But it is the sequel possibly needed to read the first one??

It fits everything but just.. couldn't get into it.

Since I did not read the first novel in this series I was a bit lost and I could not get through the book.

A fun and fiesty read, this book was a page turner. Will be looking forward to more from this author.

I had the hardest time reading this book. It just wasn't able to keep my attention. I ended up putting it aside at the 35% mark. I'll try to read it again sometime in the near future but as of right now it will stay on my DNF shelf.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I had trouble reading this one. It was very difficult to get into the story, I think partially because I read <i>The Voodoo Killings</i> (part 1 of the series) almost a year and a half ago and the second part picks up right where the first one left off. I couldn’t remember the details of how it ended, and I kept getting distracted by trying to piece together what little I still knew.

A lot of characters carried over from the first book, obviously, and we are thrown right into the middle of the action.

When I say action, I mean Kincaid going from one character to the next to have long, drawn out conversations that confused me even more. Between the blocks of dialogue, the reader is bombarded by a lot of information that is repeatedly given. The details and descriptions become very repetitive and slow the flow of the narration and made me even a little frustrated.

Considering there was such a great time span between the publication of the first and the second book, I would have appreciated a prologue or a short summary of what had happened in the previous story to bring the reader back up to speed. Instead we are thrown into the cold water, expected to make sense of it all.
The plot took a long time to become established and felt flat. It really did not get me excited or motivated to continue reading.

On top of that, I found the writing rather technical, for lack of a better word. With all the information and details the reader receives, I never felt any bond forming between me and the characters. I felt indifferent as the protagonist was kept at arm’s length.

I was looking forward to reading the continuation of Kincaid’s story, but sadly it wasn’t for me.

Charish is one of my favorite authors, and this sequel to the Voodoo Killings didn't disappoint. She took the already fascinating (and fun) environment from the first book and really drew it out here, bringing in new mysterious characters and even stranger mysteries to get wrapped up in. Her characters are always interesting, even ones like Lee Ling who aren't main characters but still important and you always live for the moments when they drop in to the story. As with her other series (the Owl adventures), I can't wait for the next one.

This was a fantastic unique story that is a wonderful addition to this series. The author does a wonderful job pulling you into the book with the paranormal elements and mystery of the story. We follow the main character Kincaid Strange, who can raise the dead, temporally or permanently. I don't think I've read a book like this before, and it was nice change in scenery. If you are looking for something new, this would be a great addition to your library.

Dead roommates, ex boyfriends, and draining bank accounts are just some of the annoyances plaguing Kincaid Strange in LIPSTICK VOODOO. Kincaid’s friendship with Nate is put to the test as she tries to convince him to, literally, give up the ghost and investigate the shady characters in his rockstar past. Consequences are the name of the game as everyone’s history comes back to haunt them.

The second book in a novel has to step up and excel the first. With Kincaid’s deal with the devil, Nate’s decomposing body, and voodoo practitioner’s no longer being able to work with the police, LIPSTICK VOODOO has not only stepped up, but taken a flight of stairs. The central plot and villain don’t take form until halfway through the novel, but, surprisingly, the book doesn't suffer for it. Backstory, motivation, cause and effect, are carefully layered until the Big Bad appears. Speaking of reactions, I love that Kincaid and Aaron’s relationship is strained and difficult after the events of the first novel. Kincaid doesn’t know how to feel and doesn't know what she wants. She’s confused, but never willing to let that distract from earning her paycheck.

Although I'm used to seeing Seattle in Urban Fantasy novels, I loved VOODOO LIPSTICK's preoccupation with the grunge movement and the 90s. Linking the murders back to the Nate's music career made me want to don some flannel and doc martins. The author excels at introducing character backstories and creating a lived-in world. It’s easy to imagine Kincaid before and after the novel. The characters all come to life. Otherworld magic could get a little confusing to newcomers to the series, but the history of spells are always explained. There’s always a nice world building and plot element to every deep dive into Otherworld magic. LIPSTICK VOODOO is more than slapping lipstick on a pig. With the character development and intricate plotting, LIPSTICK VOODOO is a full-on makeover.

Short Summary: Kincaid Strange, voodoo practitioner, finds herself searching for a solution when her roommate ghost, grunge rocker Nathan Cade, comes home bound to a body risen from the dead. Things take even more of a turn for the worse when people from Nathan’s past are being killed in gruesome ways and the local authorities begin to suspect Strange of being involved.

Thoughts: It’s hard for Urban Fantasy to be anything but formulaic, however, Charish manages to incorporate enough unique details to make this feel like something refreshingly original. Between the vast array of paranormal beings and the wide cast of memorable characters, this is one series to be paying attention to.

Verdict: The world-building that Charish laid the groundwork for means that (hopefully) there are many more installments in the crazy life of Kincaid Strange to look forward to. I also desperately hope that Susannah Jones continues to narrate her adventures because she does an absolutely superb job.

I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This is a book with zombies, ghosts and a whole lot of Otherside. There is no graphic gore, no sex and a conclusion to the book that is satisfying. It was a good ending. Not "happy" but a good, satisfying ending.

I love Kristi Charish's writing. She first caught me with Kincaid Strange and then encouraged me with Adventures of Owl series. Now, I'm back into Kincaid's world. I am not hard to please as a reader. If I'm entertained and the writing took me on a ride, then I'm happy. I'm over the moon with this book. I forgot how much I missed Kincaid and Nathan.

What a mess they have found themselves. Nathan is bound in a body making him an accidental zombie. The body was supposed to go to a centuries old sorcerer's ghost so he could make himself a zombie. Crap. Tick off a sorcerer and Kincaid might as well right off her right to life.

That's just the beginning. Yes, that's right. Just the beginning. Kincaid is out of work because of the police captain's penchant for non-believing. He is making it his personal goal to wreck havoc on Kincaid's life because he believes she is fake. So, lets count it off. 1. Kincaid is in debt with a seriously deranged and evil sorcerer's ghost. 2. Said ghost is gonna want his debt paid whether it be by her life or whatever he deems. 3. She hasn't told said ghost that her best friend "accidentally" inhabits the body that was supposed to go to said ghost which may or may not cause him a gigantic psychopathic break which could result in everybody getting dead. 4. Kincaid has to pay the bills so she takes on a cold case on the possible promise of a job in the future. 5. The cold case is really quite hot. Oh crap. Kincaid has a LOT on her plate.

I loved this book. It kept me in suspense with no guessing how things would turn out. The situation Kincaid was in just kept getting messier and messier until all of a sudden it became clear. Charish's narration from Kincaid's point of view was great. I felt like I was sitting right there with Kincaid as she went though the ups and downs. The race was a close one. Too close to call but this book was a blockbuster for sure. 5 stars all day and all night. Good book - you won't be disappointed.

It was nice getting back into the world of Kincaid Strange with Lipstick Voodoo, and reading it has made me realize how much I’d missed this kind of urban fantasy. Thing is, I’m just not reading as much of the genre as I used to. I’ve gotten pickier these days, and my UF reads are mostly limited to series I’ve already started and to only books that I feel are breaking the mold. While I would hesitate to label the Kincaid Strange novels as “typical”, admittedly they do follow a certain type of formula, containing a lot of the tropes often associated with the genre. At the same time though, I’m guessing that’s where all the warm and fuzzy down-earth-vibes I’m getting are coming from.

Lipstick Voodoo is the sequel to The Voodoo Killings, and picks up soon after the events of the first book. As one of the only few licensed (and legit) paranormal practitioners on the entire west coast, Kincaid Strange has got her hands full with new jobs, and yet she’s still always nearly broke. At the moment, simply trying to keep her zombie roommate “alive” and in one piece is draining her bank account. Nathan Cade used to be a pretty big deal on the 90’s Seattle grunge scene before he died in a boating accident at the height of his fame, and until recently, he’s spent the last two decades or so continuing his musical career as a ghost. But now, due to a magical ritual gone wrong, he is trapped in an animated corpse that is slowly decomposing, and if Kincaid doesn’t find a solution to the problem soon, his spirit will die along with its vessel.

Meanwhile, Kincaid is also in trouble with Gideon, the ghost of a sorcerer who is currently furious with her for destroying a body he had intended to inhabit. Now Gideon figures she owes him a huge debt, and he’s not going to rest until it is exacted. As if her life wasn’t complicated enough, Kincaid is also trying to sort out her feelings for Aaron, her ex-boyfriend who is a detective on the police force. The reopening of a twenty-year-old paranormal case has led to Aaron calling her up for her expertise, and the fact that it involves a murdered rocker who was a contemporary of Nathan Cade’s has both the detective and our protagonist wondering if her undead roommate may have had something to do with the death.

Lipstick Voodoo was everything I wanted—fast and fun, with just the right amount of offbeat humor and charm. We mostly have our main character to thank for that. In some ways, Kincaid Strange reminds me a bit of a modernized Anita Blake (but savvier and less raunchy), most likely due to her supernatural ability to draw energy from the otherworld to fuel her necromantic magic. But while she may conform to the familiar archetype of the urban fantasy female protagonist (e.g., strong and independent, to the point of preferring to work alone; having few female friends and strained relationships with remaining family members; always getting in trouble with the powerful head honchos of the paranormal community because of her snarky, sometimes impetuous attitude; dealing with a tricky situation with an on-again-off-again beau, etc., etc., etc.), Kincaid also possesses a number of qualities that endeared me to her personality. For one thing, unlike a lot of bull-headed heroines who can’t see past their own self-importance, she knows what her weaknesses are and isn’t afraid to take an L if it means fighting another day. She’s also very loyal to the people she cares about. And slowly but surely, she’s coming around to the idea that it’s okay not to have to fight one’s battles alone.

On the world-building side of things, I’m once more impressed. As any fan of this genre knows, establishing the setting and a “sense of place” is always a huge component of an urban fantasy series, and I like how Kristi Charish is continuing to build upon her paranormal version of Seattle with an eye towards detail and atmosphere. Not only has she populated her world with all manner of creatures from ghouls to ghosts, she’s taken care to include examples of how the presence of the supernatural has also impacted everyday life. Incorporating the musical culture of the city into her story was also a stroke of genius; I’d liked this aspect when I read the first book and was thrilled to see it carried through to this sequel.

Lipstick Voodoo also ties up several plot threads from the previous novel while introducing new ones to look forward to. For a series that only has two books out right now, Kincaid Strange is already flowing like an extremely well-oiled machine with the promise of even more quirky and entertaining stories to come. I am looking forward to the next adventure starring our plucky heroine.

This is the second book in the Kincaid Strange series by this author. While I have not read the first book in the series, I had no trouble jumping in to this one. Charish has done a wonderful job with character development, so that it was incredibly easy to get to know these characters within the context of this second installment without feeling completely lost for a large portion of the book. The concept of this story felt fresh and new, which can be hard to find when you read a lot of paranormal and fantasy. I highly recommend it!

Kincaid Strange, the best voodoo practitioner in the Pacific Northwest, has not been having a good time lately. After solving a series of murders that left her physically and emotionally worn out, all she wants is to get back to doing normal séances and zombie raisings. But before you can say “feral zombie,” Kincaid is up to her ears in problems again. She’s in debt to a sorcerer’s ghost, her roommate and best friend, Nathan Cade – ghost of a grunge rock star – is trapped in a zombie’s body, and now her Seattle cop ex wants Kincaid to look into a murder involving people from Nate’s past. It’s more than your average practitioner could take… But Kincaid Strange is anything but average.

Return to Kristi Charish’s fantastical and fascinating world of zombies, ghosts, and ghouls in Lipstick Voodoo. I loved Kincaid’s first outing - The Voodoo Killings - and couldn’t wait to see what happened next for the kickass voodoo practitioner.

Kincaid continues to be a great protagonist. She’s strong but flawed, smart but doesn’t know everything, and when her back’s against the wall, she’ll continue to fight, especially if someone she cares about is in danger. This time around, her irresponsible but loveable roommate, Nate, has gotten her into hot water. Nate is trapped in a zombie body and the clock is ticking for her to figure out how to get him out before Nate burns out. Nate has a fun personality and it’s easy to see why Kincaid adores him, but that doesn’t mean she’s blind to his flaws. Nate’s impulsive nature has gotten him into deep trouble and he’s got secrets Kincaid will have to suss out when supernatural murders strike and it’s clear there’s a connection to him. I loved watching how Kincaid’s mind worked as she unraveled the rapidly multiplying mysteries.

Lipstick Voodoo also brings the return of other fascinating characters. From the powerful zombie Lee Ling to the surprisingly interesting Mork to Gideon Lawrence, a sometimes-terrifying sorcerer’s ghost, there are a wealth of complex secondary characters that round out this story extremely well. I loved delving deeper into Gideon’s character in particular; he’s powerful, dangerous, intriguing, and I very much want to learn more about him. He and Kincaid have an interesting relationship and his insights into Kincaid’s character add to the story.

Lipstick Voodoo is a twisting blend of paranormal mystery, action, and the emotional struggle of a woman caught between the living and the dead. There’s a lot going on in this book, but Ms. Charish deftly weaves all the threads together to create a wonderful, engaging story. If you haven’t read The Voodoo Killings I highly recommend doing so before diving into this book (unless you don’t mind huge spoilers). I finished Lipstick Voodoo a well-satisfied reader, but I cannot wait to see what Ms. Charish has in store for Kincaid next!