Sundays are a day of rest. So in honor of this one day of the week when I can legitimately loaf around in my Garfield jammies in front of the DVR, I bring you “Short and Sweet Sundays.” This is a fun way for me to write up a quick and dirty book blog without getting too wordy.

Summary (from the publisher) Halloween Laveau is descended from a long line of witches. Yes, her name is Halloween. The cosmic universe is definitely playing some kind of sick joke on her. She’s the ultimate witch cliché, complete with a black cat and spooky house. Thank heavens she’s missing the warts and flying broom.

When Halloween inherits her great-aunt’s manor, she decides to put the house to good use as a bed-and-breakfast. Her first guest is the sinfully good-looking Nicolas Marco, but he’s not here for the continental breakfast. Halloween discovers a ratty old book in the attic. It’s written in an unfamiliar language, and unknown to her, the tome is cursed.

Halloween soon learns there’s a link between the book and her newfound talent as a necromancer. But her new skills come with a catch: the reanimated dead aren’t as cupcake-sweet as they were when they were alive. When a rival witch comes after the book, Halloween doesn’t know who to trust–the sexy vampire who says he wants to save the day, or the warlock who says he can destroy the book once and for all.

Halloween had better learn fast. Because when the dead start rising, only a powerful witch can put them back under

What I liked: The premise is the book’s biggest selling point. The author was really on to something when she created a series about a witch named Halloween running a mystical B&B in a charming little town. Sprinkle in a love triangle with a couple of mysterious bad boys and I’m sold.

Favorite character: Sorry to be an asshole, but I have to be honest. All of the characters fell flat for me. I could see that the author was trying to paint Halloween as a lovable, quirky fledgling witch, but it just didn’t work out. I needed more of a backstory about her struggle as an outsider – something that could have resonated with my own plight as a nerdy social outcast back in high school.  I’m not saying that she’s unlikeable, she just needed more depth. Plus the witty banter between Halloween and her best friend seemed forced. I got the sense that she didn’t really have a good handle on her characters, resulting in wonky dynamics and stilted dialogue.

The cover: Speaking of shallow, I admit that I bought this book because of the cover. While I was shopping around on my Nook, I immediately honed in on the fearless, fashionable blonde standing before a creepy haunted manor amidst the backdrop of a starry midnight sky. I love a good Halloween story filled with spooky atmosphere and magic! Moral of the story: Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.

Overall assessment:  If you like fluffy, uncomplicated paranormal romances, perhaps you’ll enjoy this book. And hey, sometimes it’s nice to read a little fluff every now and then. When my brain needs a break, there’s nothing I’d rather do than veg out in front of one of those paint-by-the-numbers Hallmark movies. But if you’re looking for a witchcraft series with a little more depth and suspense, I recommend picking up a book by Juliet Blackwell or Debbie Viguie.