Series Spotlight: Downside Ghosts by Stacia Kane
I have many series on my shelves which I haven’t even dipped into yet, as well as those I’ve devoured and loved, and I am certain I will keep adding more. Although I do enjoy the stand alone novel, I especially love a series. I enjoy getting to know the characters further than just one book allows and the characters become my friends – to escape into their world just for a little while is a real pleasure. Once a month I will be spotlighting a series, just so we can add more books to our ever growing TBR piles 
Downside Ghosts by Stacia Kane
(UK Covers, Published by Harper Voyager)
I absolutely love this series – from the first page of the first book Unholy Ghosts I was completely hooked. It’s one of the best urban fantasy series out there. This series is dark and edgy with two of the best heroine and hero in urban fantasy; Chess and Terrible…are Terrible *sigh*. This series is a must read in my opinion.
Unholy Ghosts (Book #1)
The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen, and the living are under attack. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased. Consequently, there are many false claims of hauntings from those hoping to profit. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully-tattooed witch, freewheeling Debunker, and ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for nailing human liars and banishing the wicked dead. But she’s keeping a dark secret from the Church: a little drug problem that’s landed her in hot and dangerous water.
Chess owes a lot of money to a murderous drug lord named Bump. And Bump wants immediate payback. All Chess has to do is dispatch a very nasty species of undead from an old airport. But the job involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and crossing swords with enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust for a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump’s ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it. Hell, yeah.
Unholy Magic (Book #2)
The second book in this edgy urban fantasy trilogy. Chess is a fiercely independent witch and talented Debunker – working for the Church of Real Truth to exorcise ghosts and expose human liars. But she has a dark little secret that is causing her a lot of problems! a drug addiction. Trying to catch a spectral serial killer with a fondness for his victims’ eyes is distracting Chess from her day job, and her growing attraction to Terrible is making things worse. Life is getting too complicated and Chess must break the rules to keep her head above water.
City of Ghosts (Book #3)
The third book in this gritty, sexy, urban fantasy trilogy. Rogue spirits and psychopomps are terrorising people, and now someone is planning to open the gates to the City of Ghosts and unleash the dead on humanity. Faced with her greatest challenge yet, Chess has to travel to the spirit city to finally lay all her ghosts to rest! (Goodreads)
Sacrificial Magic (Book #4)
Right now life is going surprisingly well for Chess Putnam. Her bank balance is healthy, she’s pretty sure she can call Terrible her “boyfriend”, and the last few months have been devoid of anyone trying to kill her. So when Chess is ordered by an infamous crime boss – who also happens to be her drug dealer — to use her powers as a witch to solve a grisly murder involving dark magic, she is unsurprised; she knew the recent calm wouldn’t last. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Chess’ ex lover Lex, son of a rival crime lord, is trying to re-ignite the sparks between them.
Plus there’s the little matter of Chess’ real job as a ghost hunter for the Church of Real Truth; investigating reports of a haunting at a school in the heart of Downside. Someone seems to be taking a crash course in summoning the dead — and if Chess doesn’t watch her back, she may soon be joining their ranks. As Chess is drawn into a shadowy world of twisted secrets and dark violence, it soon becomes clear that she’s not going to emerge from its depths without making the ultimate sacrifice.
STACIA KANE ONLINE
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
5 Comments
I've wanted to read this series since you reviewed in last year as it sounds fab. So downloaded it onto my kindle this morning in preparation for my holiday
Reply
I absolutely love this series. I read it last year and for quite a while afterwards everything else I read paled into insignificance in comparison. I am really glad you have highlighted it to everyone!
Reply
Love these series! Chess and Terrible are so unconventional even for UF.
Reply
When I finally get round to reading this series (Tanks to you!
) I think I'll enjoy them. I don't remember you being quite this excited about a series in the whole time you've been blogging!
Reply
Yeah, thanks to your recommendations, I've already read the first 2 books & I loved them & now I'm finally reading City of Ghosts & this one is definitely the best. I'll probably finish it today or tomorrow, depending on my free time
I love Chess & Terrible 
Amazing series & I highly recommend them, too!!!
Reply