Out of Body
2 Stars

Synopsis:
Born into an ancient family of clairvoyants, Marley Millet is no stranger to the unsettling aspects of the psychic world but now she has encountered a dangerous foe. After witnessing the fate of two missing women, Marley teams up with former cop turned writer, Gray Fisher. Can these two unlikely allies uncover the truth before it is too late and an unspeakable evil takes hold in the world?

Review:
Psychic phenomena are one of my favorite premises but Out of Body fails dismally in this area. The book would probably have been better as a straight serial killer/romantic suspense story without the paranormal aspects.

The plot moves at a snail’s pace and the writing is overly descriptive with some confusing jumps both in content and logic. The nature of the supernatural creature allegedly responsible for the victims’ disappearances remains unclear as does the identity of the actual perpetrator. Moreover, the supposed twist at the end is neither surprising nor exciting.

The romance is lackluster and it is difficult to care about either of the characters. Marley and Gray are supposedly fated mates but their chemistry is non-existent and the explanation of their connection completely illogical. Marley is too independent and secretive. She doesn’t even trust the members of her own family and never asks for help even though she is in desperate need of it (definitely TSTL). Gray’s characterization is better. He has a traumatic past and it is interesting to see his developing abilities but the reason he is drawn to Marley remains unexplained.

Out of Body is disjointed and confusing, and the secondary characters are not interesting enough to compel me to continue with the series. ( )

The heroine is plagued constantly by disturbing and haunting images of kidnapped woman and she can't ignore them. She goes to the police to report the information she's received during one of her out of body experiences. There she meets the hero, a retired cop who left the force to pursue a career in crime writing. He's on the case regarding missing new Orleans singers and when he realizes that he and the stunning red head are after the same thing, he insists that they team up. Not only because he worries about her habit of looking for answers in places likely to get her hurt or worse, but also because he is instantly and hopeless attracted to her. But she's cold at first-distant. She's so independent and self reliant that she comes off as harsh sometimes. At first she does everything in her power to distance herself from the hero because of her overwhelming and powerful attraction to him. She knows it's her family's bond- making him her true mate but she also knows that she doesn't want to burden him with her families drama. But the hero is nothing if not tenacious. He sticks with it, both in their hodgepodge detective work as well as whatever it is that's growing between them bringing them closer and closer together. I liked certain aspects of this story but others I found lacking. Positives were I liked the hero. He was charming, easy going & he obviously would do anything for the heroine. I also enjoyed the heroine despite the fact that she was horribly stubborn and at times pretty ungrateful for the hero's assistants. But she grew on me as she began to warm up to the hero. The negative parts of this story was actually the story itself. I found it lacking in drama, suspense or anything remotely interesting. 3 singers from the quarter go missing. One turns up dead, and the heroine dreams of the others in pain. But it dragged it's feet getting around to anything remotely interesting. The characters just kept going back to one of the singers again and again to ask the same stupid questions that didn't help in the first place. There was zero spark and it made for such a boring 'suspense' romance. ( )

Unfortunately, didn't enjoy it so much. Read it more to see where it was going to go/to finish it, not because I liked it. :( I was hopeful it would get better but.... ( )

Despite a very confusing beginning, Out of Body quickly built
into a fascinating tale of the paranormal, with mystery and romance to
boot! Cameron’s psychic characters are quite complex, and she chooses
to explain everything about who they are and what their ‘powers’ are
in a couple of chapters in the beginning as opposed to introducing them
to us in a more organic manner. Those used to reading about the
paranormal should catch on quickly, but I worry about a less experienced
reader. I give Cameron credit, though, for not writing about the same
boring vampires and werewolves everybody else is these days. The Millet
family is more interesting because they’re different, even if it is a
lot to take in at first.
Marley Millet has the ability to travel outside her body (although,
oddly, never does Cameron use the words “astral projection” even
though that’s clearly what her character is doing). Marley can also
read minds and practice something called psychic martial arts, which
never does get explained all that well. Marley gets involved in the
disappearances of some jazz singers and teams up with journalist Grey
Fisher to investigate. Grey has some paranormal talent himself, although
it’s been suppressed. Grey and Marley engage in some Bonding (her
word, not mine, another oddity of the Millet family) and set off to
catch a kidnapper/killer. Yay! Although the reader knows *what* is
behind the disappearances from the beginning, you don’t really know
*who* and that creates the necessary suspense and mystery to keep you
entertained.
The only other issue I have with this book is the choice of
“Marley” as the heroine’s first name. Ever since that dog
movie, I have a hard time not picturing a golden colored puppy when I
read that word. ( )

"Out of Body," Stella Cameron's start to her "Court of Angels" trilogy, combines both paranormal romance and suspense to create a compelling story. Set in New Orleans, the story follows Marley Millet, a young woman born into a family of gifted (or cursed) psychics, and Grey Fisher, a former NOPD cop turned investigative reporter.

Local chanteuses have gone missing in recent weeks--women Grey had met to interview and whom Marley has seen in her visions. When one of these women turns up dead under mysterious and obviously violent circumstances, the rush is on to locate the others before it is too late. Grey's friends on the Force are not so understanding of Marley's insights into what is happening or Grey's association with the missing women. Marley is haunted by the vague clues that she needs help to understand while she and Grey are drawn to each other. All of this is set against a background of Marley's unusual family, their history, and paranormal lore that guides their gifts and lives. Oh. And there is the family "Ghost" as well as an adorably snobby Boston Terrier with a plastic bone.

The characters in "Out of Body" are interesting and grab the readers attention. Marley's family is eccentric, somewhat mysterious, and thoroughly entertaining, with promising hints for more in future novels. While the romantic side of this Paranormal Romance is a bit on the lean side, the suspenseful aspects make up for it. Overall, a very enjoyable read and excellent start to the "Court of Angels" trilogy. I can't wait for the next one! ( )