A Book Obsession..: Early Review: All Fixed Up by Linda Grimes

Early Review: All Fixed Up by Linda Grimes

, by Kt Clapsadl

All Fixed Up by Linda Grimes

Ciel Halligan #4

The hilarious adventures of human chameleon Ciel Halligan continue in the fourth installment of this original urban fantasy series, All Fixed Up.

Ciel Halligan, aura adaptor extraordinaire, has a lot of experience filling in for her clients--as them. A rare genetic quirk gives her the ability to absorb human energy and project it back out in a flawless imitation. She's hard at work, posing as a well-known and celebrated astronaut, about to make a stunning announcement on behalf of the space program...when the photographer documenting the job sees right through her aura. Worse, it soon becomes apparent that he not only knows Ciel’s not who she's supposed to be, but means her harm.

When Ciel's elderly Aunt Helen—also an aura adaptor—is murdered in Central Park, and the same photographer shows up at the funeral, Ciel starts to feel even more exposed. Then more adaptors are killed in the same way, and she becomes terrified her friends and family are being systematically exterminated ... and it's starting to look like she's the ultimate target. She turns to Billy Doyle, her best-friend-turned-boyfriend, for help, but when an unexpected crisis causes him to take off without a word, she's left to rely on her not-so-former crush, CIA agent Mark Fielding.

Staying alive, keeping control of her romantic life, and unraveling the mystery of why adaptors are being pursued becomes a harder balancing act than ever in this new Ciel Halligan adventure from Linda Grimes.

I really enjoyed ALL FIXED UP just as I have the rest of the series. They are so much fun, full of hilarious hijinx, and it’s always interesting to see what mess Ciel gets herself into in each new book, and this one was no exception. Things kicked off to a hilarious start with Ciel winding up on a job impersonating an astronaut doing a flight demo propo. Only problem is that Ciel get extreme motion sickness, so hilarity ensues as she can’t show it. Of course that’s just the start of the mayhem and hijinks. She gets herself into more than a few pickles in this book, almost more than her normal I daresay, and it’s always fun to see how she gets herself out of her messes. Typically I just sit back and laugh, but I have to admit one particular event and choice left me more than a little shocked, and frankly I’m still reeling at her choices days after finishing the book. I’m going to be vague here to avoid spoilers, but at one point I literally wanted to reach through the page and scream at her to STOP! While I understand what she was going through/thinking at that moment, it was such a shocker and utterly the wrong choice in my opinion that it just stopped me in my tracks. The funny thing about that is that while her choice horrified me, I have a feeling others may have the opposite feeling depending on where they stand on certain things.

Shocking choices aside, as always I loved the cast of characters in ALL FIXED UP, they are so rich and full of depth. I truly love the utterly strong family bonds and the quirks that not only Ciel, but everyone else had. From the two ruling matriarchs, Mo and Ro, to Ciel’s brothers, Billy, and Mark, the list goes on and on, each and every single one stood out as a fully fleshed character. The various bonds and dimensions between all their relationships truly make this series shine. Add that into the fast paced and high stakes plot, and oh yeah all the extremely hilarious moments, and you have one heck of a winner.

Fans of the series will be more than pleased with this fantastic new installment in the Ciel Halligan series. A guaranteed solid block of hilarious entertainment, ALL FIXED UP is not to be missed!

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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