This is such a fun series. The characters are easy to like and relate to. I especially love Brutus. I can just see my cats thinking the unpleasant things he says. I hope there will be more books to come. ( )

Oh my god, this was bad.
It is littered with the lamest and laziest clichées, stereotypes, incredibly contrived plot conveniences (or rather inconveniences), and just lazy writing in general.

I am genuinely confused about all this because the author is still willing to subvert many of the clichées. For example: Genuine relationship with the love interest without a constant and useless back and forth. Without the stupid misunderstandings to drag things out etc. So the author still puts in the effort to keep the series spanning things consistent and believable but the book specific sub-plot construction is laughably bad. It's like the author still cares about the characters she created but not at all about the plot those characters are entangled in.

I am not sure how to explain this vast difference in quality. Either the first book was just a lucky coincidence or the author lost interest in the setting and threw the follow-up books out there because she had to or maybe (call me bitter if you want) this is a deliberate tactic. Draw in the readers in with a great first book and the spam low-effort sequels because people will forgive much more bullshit if they are already emotionally invested.

I am really disappointed after such a great first book.
I should've seen it in the second book already but I fell for the trap as well. Excusing contrived circumstances, plot convenience, blaming it on the infamous second book syndrome and generally making excuses for sloppy writing.

So I guess one could conclude that if you are just interested in the characters and how they develop it might be worth reading but if you actually care about the plot the only good book in the series is the first one. ( )

Spirit Witch
4 Stars

In the aftermath of the events in Scotland, Ivy Wilde, the laziest witch in Oxford, finds herself with a new and troubling ability - she can see and speak to the dead. Unfortunately for Ivy, these spirits are not above haunting her until she gives in to their demands even if it involves hunting for a serial killer targeting neophyte witches.

It has been a wild ride following along with Ivy and the sexy Raphael Winter as they investigate supernatural crimes, and I am sorry that the series has come to an end. Nevertheless, this final installment is fun, and the series ends on a satisfying note.

Ivy and Rafe are now settled comfortably in their relationship, so the focus is on the serial killer investigation, which has some excellent twists and turns.

Tanya Eby's narration is excellent, and she has truly captured Ivy's personality. Of course, this review would not be complete without mentioning Brutus, who absolutely steals the show once again.

All in all, a highly entertaining series and I will be reading more by Helen Harper soon. ( )

I love this series, I love stories where lazy characters save the day, overcome jerks, or just generally do well. Helen Harper is a very talented author and from her output obviously not lazy like Ivy. I've read her Highland Magic series and this Lazy girl series and the characters and plots have all been excellent, but it's the little touches that she puts in her books that make them worthwhile. For instance, her cat Brutus jumps in a box as any cat lover knows, cats love to do. Ivy closes the lid on the box and whispers to Brutus "Now we don't know whether you're alive or dead."
I hope this isn't the final book in the series, I'd really like to see where Ivy goes from here. ( )

This was an entertaining and satisfying end to the trilogy. I was impressed by how well all the remaining threads were tied off--for a bit, I wasn't sure the author could pull it off. (But she did!) ( )