I have yet to read anything by Angie Fox that has not been amazingly well written. All of her books are funny, thoughtful, charming, adorable, full of adventure, and romance. This one was no different. I absolutely loved the idea of going to a haunted pirate island for a birthday party. This sounds exactly like something I would want to experience in the future, if I were ever to get brave enough lol.

Verity and Melody are two of my most favorite characters in a lot of the book series that I read. They mesh so well together, lucky that they're sisters and each other's best friends. I like how the two can play off of each other. They almost always seem to know what the other is thinking, or even feeling.

The only drawbacks of this book that I could see was to be stuck on any kind of island with Alec. He has not been one of my favorite characters. However, that being said, the guy has finally grown on me. I was able to see some hidden depths to him that allowed me to understand why Melody has fallen so fast and so hard for this guy. Because believe me, I couldn't see it before. He has always been rude, taciturn, hardheaded, callous, stubborn, and (to me at least) egotistical.

No matter how I have felt about him, however, he is a great partner for Ellis. The two seem to mesh well together and have a guy's understanding that helps with their policeman's intuition. Ellis is such a great match for Verity and now that I have seen the proverbial light about Alec, I am seriously rooting for a double wedding. (Well, triple if somehow Frankie could marry his gal in the afterlife.) Wouldn't Lucy be adorable as a flower girl? I know I would love to see that lol.

I love all of the artifacts and the history behind the island. And it really kept me guessing. And that twist towards the end! Angie, you're sneaky and I love it lol. This series is chock full of comfort food for the heart and soul.

I absolutely recommend this book and every other book in the series. You will wonder why you haven't read these books before! One of my absolute favorite cozy series to read.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, and to Angie Fox for the ability to read and review this book. All opinions are my own and are completely honest.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of DREAD AND BURIED (Book 12 of the Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries) by Angie Fox in exchange for an honest review. Verity Long is thrilled to be taking a vacation with her boyfriend and her sister, but she's not so happy about her sister's boyfriend coming along. Verity's sister has booked them on a treasure scavenger hunt on a notoriously piratical island. Their group will have to work together as one of the competing teams. However, when treasure seekers start dying and Verity is mobbed by ghastly pirates, the vacation takes a turn for the dangerous. Can Verity and her team work to survive their holiday?

I liked this book and enjoy the series. I recommend this book to fans of the series and the series to fans of paranormal murder mysteries featuring ghosts, ghosts, and more ghosts.

#DreadandBuried #NetGalley

Another fun page turner by Angie Fox! this time, Verity and Ellis join her sister and Alec for a double date for Melody's birthday weekend...on a treasure hunt! Pirate ghosts, treasure, murder...this story was a great adventure read with laugh out loud humor. Highly recommend!

I have read several of the prior books in this series and "Dread and Buried" was much like the stories that proceeded it. Verity Long is a southern ghost hunter with her own tied to her spirit through whom she can sometimes see and interact with the spirit world as a whole. Previous books had her solving all sorts of mysteries with the help of the ghost world. In this book, she has joined her boyfriend Ellis, her sister Melody, and Melody's boyfriend, Duranja - the latter of whom is also Verity's nemesis - for a treasure hunting weekend on what turns out to be a haunted island.

This book is a quick read and very much a cozy mystery. A female protagonist, her sidekick(s), a mystery, a hint of romance. Verity and Ellis are solid but not necessarily passionate. Melody and Duranja seem to still be in early days, yet he is planning to propose, a notion Verity detests. Once in the treasure hunt, a seeming mystery develops which Verity is determined to solve, while still having her eyes trained on the $10,000 prize for winning the treasure hunt.

This is not the most enthralling entry to this series. The mystery/murder plot is super slow to get going and a bit nonsensical. Verity spends an inordinate amount of time complaining about Duranja and his relationship with her sister. Ellis is kind of just a flat character as is Melody. In any other book genre, I would have expected Verity and Duranja to hook up. The mystery plot solution has an obvious conclusion.

I would recommend reading other books in the series as you might otherwise feel a little lost in this one. I rate it 2.5 stars, rounding up to three because I know this is not the most shining example of Angie Fox's work. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.

I thought the premise of this book was very entertaining - but I did not realize it was the 12th book in a series, which is on me. The writing was easy to follow, and it didn't take me long to read it, but I wasn't overly impressed. The only character out of the main 4 that I liked was Ellis; he was steadfast in his support of Verity, and seemed like a truly good guy. Verity seemed ridiculously whiny - especially about her sister and Duranja being a couple who were talking about getting engaged. At times, it felt like she fixated on it. Melody was wishy-washy with who she was choosing to support and it seemed like she couldn't make her own decisions. Duranja was equally annoying in his dislike of Verity. On top of that, it felt like out of nowhere Duranja and Verity decided to let bygones be bygones and were suddenly friends?

Additionally - spoiler alert - there is no killer (although, there could have been), and it took three quarters of the book to get to the point where the reader thinks someone was killed. I'm not sure if this book is labeled as a YA, but that's what it felt like. The romance was hinted at, but that's about it - and that's fine, and while I didn't see the exact ending coming, it wasn't overly surprising.

I wish I could give this book more stars - but I just can't. I also would not recommend this as a standalone; reading at least the one or two books prior would be helpful.

Thank you to Netgalley and Moose Island Books for giving me the chance to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Cute fun read! Just right for an afternoons entertainment. Delightful characters, cute story and a treasure hunt mystery!! Thanks#netgalley and #MooseIslandbooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

I didn’t realize this was 12th in a series. It wasn’t a problem as the author did a fabulous job of backstory & characterization. I really enjoyed this book & want to read the rest of the series starting in order.
I received an eARC from NetGalley for my unbiased opinion.
Thank you!

Verity is challenged on many levels in this delightful mystery. Not only is she on a team with Ellis and her sister but she has to deal with her nemesis, Alec Duranja. She has to play nice all weekend and work with them and Frankie to solve a mystery and find a pirate treasure.
This may be my favorite of the series to date although they are all terrific.

In book 12 of the Southern Ghost Hunter Mystery Series, Verity Long takes her ghost hunting abilities away from her hometown of Sugarland, Tennessee. Verity's sister Melody plans a birthday weekend double-date on Phantom Island, for a treasure hunt. Melody confides in Verity that if their team wins then Melody's boyfriend Alec Duranja (who Verity can't stand) is planning to take his portion of the winnings and buy Melody an engagement ring. When they discover that someone is using the game as a cover to dig up real pirate gold...and they’re willing to kill to keep it, the stakes become even higher. As the killer sets their sights on Verity, and Frankie's pirate ghost buddies he has befriended keep wanting to duel her, Verity has to learn to trust Duranja and work with him if she is going to make it out of this weekend alive.

I love this series. These books are so much fun. Although I do enjoy the ones in Sugarland the best, because I love reading about Verity's pet skunk, Lucy, and she wasn't really in this book except for a brief mention at the very beginning. I really enjoy how spunky and down-to-earth Verity is, and her relationship with her ghost buddy Frankie. This storyline read a lot like something from Amazing Race. There was a lot more action and adventure than there usually is in her books. I loved how Verity was able to resolve things for some of the ghosts that were stuck on the island. Her ghostly interactions are always entertaining. If you enjoy a cozy paranormal mystery, then you should check this out. Don't worry if you haven't read the previous books. They are all written as a stand-alone, so you won't be lost.

I read the blurb for this book on NetGalley and I am grinning from ear to ear. I. Can't. Wait! There is nothing I like better than a good Treasure Hunt Mystery! Take elements from "Survivor", "Amazing Race", and "Pirates of the Caribbean" and what do you have??? An absolutely wonderful tale, that's what! This story is non-stop action and adventure from beginning to end.

Verity Long is on a romantic weekend with her main squeeze, Ellis. Just one, okay one of many, problem - Sister Melody and her boyfriend Alec Duranja (Verity's arch nemesis) are along too. To say that Verity and Duranja don't get along would be the understatement of the century. But, Melody is in love and wants her love and her sister to get along. This weekend is a gift from Verity and Melody's parents and is touted as a visit to real, haunted pirate island. The island owner is trying to drum up business and is hosting a weekend long treasure hunt with the prize being an antique medallion worth $10,000. Verity could use the money and so could Duranja, but working as a team together may prove a little difficult.

Phantom Island was the home of the legendary pirate Rebel Bill Brown, and his lost treasure. But it soon becomes clear that one, or more, of the treasure hunters this weekend are not playing by the rules and have a different treasure in mind other than the $10,000 prize. Verity will need all the help she can get from Frankie and his ghostly pirate cohorts to stay ahead of the human predator and the ghostly ones too.

My thanks to the Publisher and the Author, for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.

Another wonderful hit in the series of Verity Long, and her gangster ghost sidekick. This one has them visiting an island with pirates and treasure. Fun read. Highly recommend.

Just when I thought that Angie Fox couldn't possibly write an even more entertaining Southern Ghost Hunter mystery than she already has, she puts out Dread and Buried and proves me wrong. The premise is imaginative and fun, the character development satisfying, and the storyline intriguing and exciting all the way through.
Fox is definitely one of the best paranormal mystery writers out there, and her humour shines through with every chapter. It was a treat to learn a bit more about Alec Duranja and see the interplay between him and Verity. It was also fun to see Frankie's interaction with the pirates.
This is definitely a must read for ghostly mystery fans!
I was excited to get an ARC of #DreadandBuried from #NetGalley !

That’s Me Treasure Matey!!!

Everyone loves a good pirate story, right? So, what’s better than pirates? Dead pirates that haunt the island, that is! This is not your everyday haunting, this story combines those haunting pirates with a mystery that will take more than our Ghost Hunting girl to solve.

Verity Long, our resident Ghost hunter, has been talked into a double-date weekend trip with her boyfriend, her sister and her sister’s boyfriend, and of course her ghost Frankie. Trouble is, Verity isn’t her sister’s boyfriend’s favorite person. Although this weekend double-date will take place on a remote island, Verity plans to avoid her sister’s boyfriend as much as possible. There’s a slight problem though…the remote island is haunted by pirates and the “date” is a treasure hunt to find THEIR treasure. The real test is, can Verity and the team all get along long enough to find the treasure and solve the mystery before the killer takes them all out?

This story had me guessing, giggling, and gasping the entire time. The characters have been well developed, each with a personality that one would find within their own group of friends, making this story relatable. The idea of a haunted island with a treasure hunt, I could totally get on board with that. Angie Fox has done a fabulous job of combining our imaginations and reality and putting it on paper to share with the world. Her series is super cute and will leave you wanting more of her little Southern Ghost hunter.

Angie Fox is always a must read for me. I just spent the afternoon reading this book on it's entirety. I think it's my favorite in the series thus far. It's a great premise and even better, the uniting of two adversaries for the common good. I look forward to reading this one again and again.

A pretty cute story with twists and turns and some things you definitely aren’t expecting! The main character is funny and charming and the side characters are mostly fun to explore as well. It seemed at some points to run on a little bit and be the same things being brought up, mostly the “tension” between the main and Alec. While this does say it can be a standalone I would more so recommend it being read after the others just to understand some things better.

All in all, a cute read for sure and I would recommend this series to someone I knew would enjoy/or already enjoys this genre or type of story!

Thank you to @netgalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Pub Date: April 18th, 2023

If you were a fan of the Goonies than this book is for you . Verity dearly loves her sister Melody and will do anything for her and yes that includes spending a weekend away on a double date with Officer Alec aka her nemesis ! Yes the man who makes Veritys life unbearable at times has the hots for her sweet sister but as it involves a treasure hunt surely they won’t have to spend too much time together ? Well as a team of four that does mean they are pushed together but when “accidents “ start happening and it’s clearly every man for himself Verity needs to keep her wits about her but the island is haunted and as the only one who can see the ghosts Verity finds danger just about everywhere she goes !
This series is delightfully entertaining although I have to point out that this time there’s barely any scenes with resident ghost Frankie who usually manages to make this reader chuckle. Also the cuteness factor of Veritys pet skunk is missing meaning that the entirety of this story revolves around the human antics and foul play with just a twist of ghostly going’s on. Don’t misunderstand me the haunting and just why the spirits remain is a huge part of how this wraps up , it just had a different feel. My favourite parts had to be how Verity reacts to the man she privately thinks of as Robocop as I do love a bit of snark. This certainly had me eagerly turning the pages and helped while away the afternoon so yes I certainly do recommend this story.
This voluntary take is of a copy that I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair (less

Dread and Buried is the 12th book in the Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries, a cozy mystery series. I’ve read three or four of the earlier books, so it didn't take long for me to jump right into this latest adventure.

Verity, ghost hunter extraordinaire, was the same character I remembered her to be. She was full of spirit (pun intended), animated, and fully unable to resist sinking into a good mystery, even when things got dicey. Her boyfriend Ellis, as always, was right by her side and ready to guard her against anything she couldn't handle.

"When I was tuned in to that world, it became as real as my own. Ghostly knives could slice me; bullets could kill me." - Verity

I really loved the setting on the mysterious Phantom Island, you know something spooky was going on based just on its description. The pirate game was the icing on the cake, giving us twists and turns along with some shady characters who would do almost anything to find the treasure first.

"Duranja halted in his pacing, 'It's a pirate game, Verity. It's supposed to be cutthroat.'" - Alec

Frankie was up to his old tricks once again, going off on his own to stir up as much trouble as possible. He always came back to help Verity when it counted, but who can blame the gangster ghost for wanting a fun weekend to himself with some new friends?

"'Of course, you'd be pro-pirate.' I observed. Frankie had dedicated his afterlife to breaking the law. He honestly enjoyed it." - Verity

Verity's sister Melody dating Alec Duranja, Verity's nemesis, was an easy way to cause drama. Verity constantly butted heads with Alec, and got old as the story went on and I was more interested in the mystery. Considering how supportive and accepting Melody has always been of her sister's ability, it was hard to believe she would date someone who was closed-minded to the point of calling Verity crazy.

"Now that my sister was romantically involved with my nemesis, she wanted us to get along - as if it wouldn't be easier for her to break up with him and date some other guy." - Verity

Fabricated tension aside, this book was entertaining and the mystery kept me guessing until the very end. I encourage anyone new to the series to start with the first book, Southern Spirits, to start at the beginning of Verity’s journey into the world of ghosts.

"There was something to be said for winging it. Especially in my line of work." - Verity


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

I really enjoyed this book. I think it’s the best one yet. It’s complicated and interesting. It’s got ghosts galore and pirates, caves and hidden rooms, romance and so much more. The characters are great as usual. I was definitely surprised by who the bad guys are. #DreadandBuried #NetGalley

Verity gets tricked into a weekend away on a private island with her sister and their boyfriends. While Verity isn’t fan of Alec, the weekend gets even worse when the foursome pairs up for a treasure hunt, forcing them to spend even more time together.

As the team works to uncover clues in the treasure hunt, they soon realize there’s real pirate’s treasure that’s being dug up…and there is no escaping the island or the person who is willing to kill for that treasure. Can Verity figure out who the killer is or will she be sunken like an old ship and left to rot in the waters surrounding the island?

While this is book 12 in this series, I haven’t read any others and that may have been a bit of a mistake. While I followed along just fine, I felt like I was missing some things that may have provided some background. I’ll definitely check out the previous books and go from there.