Early Book Review: Monster in My Closet by R.L. Naquin

Monster in My Closet by R.L. Naquinis an urban fantasy e-book set for release on July 30 2012. Zoey is a successful woman who had stopped believing in monsters when she was a child. That does not mean that the monsters have stopped believing in her. One morning Zoey wakes up to the smell of coffee in her kitchen, and hopes that it is her best friend and business partner Sara. however, she prepares for the worst. The last thing she expected to find was the closet monster from her childhood, Maurice, sipping coffee and baking muffins. Apparently her mother had been known as a helper, willing to aid people of all kinds. Zoey's empathic gift and good nature makes her a helper too, which seems to spiral out of control and attract the notice of an incubus. Now Zoey has a full house of supernatural creatures, is coming to grips with her abilities, a business and partner to keep afloat, and needs to face the danger the incubus poses to everyone Zoey has emotional connections to. Then there is the hunky paramedic that keeps popping up and the needy ex-husband that will not leave Zoey alone. Zoey has a lot on her plate, and she just hopes to keep everyone else safe even if it means sacrificing herself.

Monster in My Closet is the author's debut novel, but you cannot tell in the reading. Zoey is a character with flaws, but a warm heart. She enjoys helping others and handles the revelations about herself and the world around her with pluck. Her best friend Sara is her foil; being steady, practical, and in control of her emotions. The other characters, supernatural or not, were all well written and quirky. Maurice, Andrew, Riley, the brides that Zoey works with and even Brad and Sebastian have some depth to them. I really enjoyed the introduction to the 'hidden', or paranormal, world to Zoey and how she handles everything. My only moments of irk came in the fact that no one recognized why Sara was ill, when some of the characters were well versed in the paranormal. I called it as soon as she came into the office tired, late, and less than perfectly quaffed. Zoey I can understand missing the obvious, but Andrew and Maurice should have understood.

The cover of Monster in My Closet labels it as a Monster Haven book, which leads me to believe there will be more books featuring Zoey, Maurice, and the rest. I hope this is the case. While the book was not perfect, it was one that I looked forward to getting back to, and stalled in putting down for little things like cooking dinner. I recommend this book to readers that like paranormal romance and urban fantasy with humor and a different flavor than what you might have read before. It felt like the fun style of blending urban fantasy, romance, and quirky characters that I associate with authors like Lyndsay Sands, Kimberly Raye, Candace Havens, Dakota Cassidy, or Michele Bardsley. So if you enjoy the work of those authors, you should give Monster in My Closet and author R.L. Naquinis a try.