2nd time reading this book. Definitely a step down from book 1, but still enjoyable.

.5

Desires of the Dead has less body finding than The Body Finder, but is just as gripping. We are introduced to a few new faces. Mike and Megan who are siblings and attend Violet's school, and Sara Priest, an F.B.I agent and the mysterious Rafe.
Violet and Jay are still together, and I love how they interact with each other, and while they do have some lovey dovey moments, they also include their friends with a lot of things to make sure they don't feel left out.
I loved the mystery of Desires of the Dead, with someone stalking Violet and leaving notes of dead animals behind as a message, the initial suspect that Violet picked was one who I picked way sooner than she did, and just like her was partly wrong in my guess. When the truth was finally revealed I felt sorry for the people involved with it, but it also explains why they acted the way they did.

Violet has also decided to let others know what she can do, but not give all the details yet, sharing her gift must have been tough, trying so hard to keep it hidden from others and now all of a sudden being able to share it with someone. Rafe adds a new spin on things and I never guessed what he could do. I am happy that now Violet has someone who is like her, but also hesitant to jump in and like him straight away.

Desires of the Dead was just as much of a page turner as The Body Finder was and I am glad I have the next book waiting to be read.

About halfway through I got a feeling that turned out to be correct, but was still a great read. Looking forward to the third. Oh and especially liked the introduction of some new characters.

I liked the book but not as much as I liked the first one in the series. Though, I think, this one might be a good set up for the next book.

4.5 stars

Not sure where to start this review of Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting (apart from thanking Sam at Headline for taking pity on me and sending me a copy – you rock!), so I might as well start with a tiny overview of it.

Violet has the morbid ability to sense echoes of those who have been murdered and with that, a matching echo that clings to their killer. Alone a few people know about this, but all that could be threatened when she discovers a body of a child, bringing her into the attention of an FBI agent, Sara Priest.

As she tries to keep her secret safe, Violet finds herself the centre of a scary obsession. Is she being stalked? In times like this, she would normally turn to Jay, her best friend, expect they no longer best friends but they're dating, meaning that the rules have changed. And with Jay spending more time with his new friend, Mike, Violet begins to dig into Mike's family history. What she doesn't realise is that, in doing so, she might have started a chain of events that could put everyone in danger...

Now, I love the Body Finder! You guys know I do! I loved it so much, I made several people read it. So when I, somehow, got Desires of the Dead from Twitter, one person practically ordered me to read it so he could read it straight after me! (Gave it to him last night so he was pleased.)

So, my reactions to Desires of the Dead? I LOVED IT!

It felt like a worthy sequel. It was dark and creepy enough, yet it still felt romantic enough to hold your attention. There were several moments where I read the book and went “No! Don't go there!” and there were others I (and maybe several other bloggers) swooned over Violet and Jay's fragile relationship (that's what it says on the back cover of the UK edition). I think, at one point, I was reading the book and went “If Kimberly is doing what I think she's doing to these characters, I might never forgive her.” (I have forgiven you, Kimberly. Promise.)

But I think I love Kimberly's writing. I'm not sure why, with this book, I sped through it. Am not sure if it was because of her writing or what she puts her characters through, but I loved it. I loved spending time with Violet and Jay and am very happy that she has been asked to write two more books for this series.

I can't wait for more from Kimberly Derting. My other request is that she writes faster!

This is another great story by Kimberly Derting. I liked this book even better than the first book in the series "The Body Finder". The author's ability to tell the story with vivid detail was very compelling. It was definitely a page turner and I found this one to be even more enjoyable than the first and I loved that one! :)

Now moving on to book 3 and really looking forward to it!

I give this book a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Very good. First book in series had a better plot, but this one was okay. I hope the author writes more books for this series. I'm really interested to see how the story could evolve.

Violet has a secret that very few people know: she is able to sense the echoes of those who were murdered or had violent deaths. In the past, this helped her bring two serial killers to justice, but it also put her in danger. Her boyfriend and best friend, Jay, has now gotten extremely protective of her. She’s also jealous of how much time Jay is spending with his new friend Mike, and of the crush Mike’s younger sister has on Jay. To complicate things further, Violet’s come to the notice of the FBI and an investigator that seems to know what Violet can do. Violet needs to avoid getting involved with the authorities and work out her issues with Jay, all while trying to find out who is stalking her.

I enjoyed Desires of the Dead just as much as I liked the first in the series, The Body Finder. Both books are low-key murder mysteries that slowly unravel for the reader, but in a good, organic way. Violet’s abilities are really mysterious, and it’s fascinating to see what kinds of stimuli each death evokes in her.

There is a bit of drama between Violet and Jay in this one, but Jay is the perfect (fictional) boyfriend. He’s really caring toward her, and when they do fight, it’s only because he’s such a good guy that he wants to believe the best in everybody. I think readers will really fall for Jay in this book, and root for them as a couple.

New characters are introduced in this book, setting things up for another sequel in the future. A new guy named Rafe has some ability akin to Violet’s, but we’ll have to wait to find out what his deal is.

I found reading this book to be both relaxing and compelling, so I’ll definitely read whatever Ms. Derting comes out with next!

~3.5/5
I read this a while ago, around the time that it came out. But I thought I'd go ahead and review it now, what with the third book coming out next month, since I'll probably be reviewing it.
In this one, Violet is now officially with Jay, and she's still keeping her ability a secret while using it at the same time. Jay starts hanging out with the new boy at school, though, Mike, making her feel a bit on her own. Then she discovers something morbid in Mike's family's past that isn't very good.
This book felt a bit mediocre compared to the first one, as I gave it a lower rating than the first one. I'm still enjoying Violet, and Jay, and VioletandJay. I still liked the insight to the Bad Guy's head. I didn't feel much of a connection with the new characters, though. And I don't think that the mystery was as good as the first, and it just generally wasn't as exciting (that doesn't mean that it was hard to read or anything, though, because it wasn't). Which is disappointing, since I really did enjoy the first one.
I'm just hoping that the next one is better, and much more exciting.
[Taken from my blog.]