Romance and Murder - two great things that go together like peanut butter and chocolate. 
 Okay, so maybe these two things shouldn't really go together. But it sure makes for the kind of story that I would want to read. 
 Three point triple six stars. You do the mental math. I'm sort of freaked out to actually type the number. Yes, I am that chicken. 
 For those who aren't aware of what this series is about, it revolves around a girl named Violet who can sense dead bodies and the people who are responsible for those corpses by sensing echoes/imprints which connect the killer to their victim. Of course, this leaves Violet in constant danger, but she always has the support of her faithful best friend-turned love interest Jay. Creepy + romantically sweet = weird, but good mind trip. 
 I get why not everyone liked Desires of the Dead as much as The Body Finder. For me, both books were equally enjoyable as reads. The reason why this book was just a slight bit weaker, is because the suspense and creep factor of the first book did not even come close to the same level in book 2. In book 1, we got to spend part of the time being freaked out as we were in the mind of a serial killer. There were a couple of scenes which had me nervous in book 1. My stress level never tipped into the danger zone for this book. 
 However, this is not to say that Desires was a bad book. I might not have gotten as much of a thrill ride in the psycho killer department, but this was a fun little romp nonetheless. More of the focus was on the romance side of the spectrum, but there was at least a setup for other heavy-duty adventures in future books. We'll call this the "lovers bridge" book. In a way, the romance was better because it felt less angsty in the second installment. 
 A few random thoughts : 
 ~ Using the seven deadly sins as headers when the PoV switched to the "bad" person was creative. 
 ~ There's a new boy in town. While he is appealing, I'd rather not see this series go the love triangle route. Jay is one of the better male leads in YA fiction that I've read, so he deserves to keep his hero status. 
 ~ The transition of the FBI into the story felt clunky and inauthentic. When you're not sure if the FBI is even legit, there's a chance that the author probably should have done a little more research. 
 Best friends-turned-romantic : a refreshing departure from the tired setup of "new and cocky guy comes to town." Why can't we truly have more decent and likable guys in fiction? Is there a reason why everyone's got to be a d*ckhead? 
 How could you not love Jay? 
 Her voice was soft. "What did you think when I first told you about the animals I found?" 
 "Violet, I was seven years old. I thought it was badass. I think I was probably even jealous." 
 She made a face at him. "Didn't you think it was creepy? Or that I was weird?" 
 "Yeah," he agreed enthusiastically. "That's why I was so jealous. I wanted to be the one finding dead bodies. You were like an animal detective or something. You were only weird 'cause you were a girl." He grinned. "But I learned to overlook that since you always took me on such cool adventures." 
 Granted, he is still protective, and he still has his growly moments like any guy who has a thing for a girl, but he is able to continue to be the fun best friend. We need more characters like this - people who show that life is not always about being the most chest-thumping control-freak. 
 "Oh, and Violet," he whispered against her ear, his breath tickling her cheek, "I'm still your best friend. Don't ever forget it."