Review: Grave Vengeance by Lori Sjoberg

Grave Vengeance is the third book in Lori Sjoberg's Grave series about grim reapers.  I really like this series.  I'm a big fan of paranormal romances, and I like these books because they're so different. I'm sure there are other series about grim reapers, but none that I know of. I mostly read vampire/werewolf stuff - and I love that stuff - but also nice to read something different every once in a while.

And even better that the hero in this book was a former KGB agent and the heroine an American spy. The action takes place in current times, but as reapers, they've lived for a very long time and have a history together - from the time before they died.  They don't like each other, they were enemies in their former lives, but well, after spending some time together, forced to work together, things change.

I really like stories like this. Also, right around the time I read this book, I had just started watching Agent Carter, so I was feeling very immersed in the whole spy culture.  That's a good thing.

This is a fun story, lots of action and the characters have some great chemistry, as is always the case in Sjoberg's books.

Looking forward to the next book in this series.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Grave Destinations by Lori Sjoberg

Last year, Lori Sjoberg’s Grave Intentions was one of my favorite paranormal romances, so I was very glad to see that Grave Destinations, another book in that series was available. 

This book would read fine as a stand alone, it isn’t necessary to have read the first book – but you should anyway because it’s really good.  The characters from the first book are mentioned briefly but don’t play major roles in the story.  Ruby, the reaper in the book, was also mentioned a bit in the first book, but again, not anything essential to understanding this story.

Anyway, Ruby is a reaper.  In order to pay for her sins, she has to retrieve souls and send them on their way in cases of unnatural deaths.  She’s on a cruise ship – and she hates boats – but she has to be where her orders send her to be.  But then people start dying who were not part of her original orders.  She has to call in for backup and needs to figure out who is causing these deaths.

Also, while on the cruise she meets a guy, a very attractive guy, who happens to have a demon inside of him.  He’s on the cruise in hopes of meeting with a woman on an island who can remove the demon from inside of him.

What I really enjoy about these books is the chemistry between the characters.  In the beginning, the two are both perfectly okay with just having a casual fling, but as they get to know each other, things begin to change.  Plus, these characters are all kinds of sexy and steamy, long before they make it to the bedroom. 

hese characters actually develop a relationship, and readers are able to see them falling for each other.

Also, I loved Ruby.  Strong, independent minded female characters are essential for me to thoroughly enjoy a book, and Ruby is awesome.  She’s tough and confident, knows what she wants from a guy. 

I very much recommend this book to fans of paranormal romances: a good mystery, plenty of actions, sexy characters.  Fun, enjoyable read.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Stealing Time by Wendy Sparrow

Of all the holiday stories I've read in the past couple of weeks, this is one of my favorites.  I loved this story and these characters.  I read most of this in one sitting because I didn't want to put this down.

Despite it being a fairly short story - around a hundred pages I think - it contains quite a bit of emotional weight. 

Zeit is the son of Father Time.  Each year, he has to take one life to pay for the time needed by the Fates.  (It's explained better in the book.)  But last year, he spared the life of Hannah, the person he was supposed to take, and selected an older man near her having a heart attack.  The Fates weren't happy about being tricked and he's spent the past year following Hannah around, trying to save her from the Fates' attempts to claim the life that was robbed from them.

Hannah is living on borrowed time, but she doesn't know this.  She only knows that every once in a while she blacks out and appears in strange places - like a few feet away from where she was before or in one case, almost two miles away.  This is starting to frighten her and she's been going to doctors and having tests run and she's getting no answers.  But she has begun to notice that every time she has a blackout, she notices a handsome man in a black trench coach walking away.

Every Christmas, Hannah goes away to a cabin in the woods to spend the holidays alone - and with the other people staying at the cabin.  She doesn't have family of her own, and the people here know her.  And reading about this place made me wish I could find somewhere like that to spend the holidays.  Sounds wonderful.

This year, as she's checking in, she notices the man in the dark coat also checking in.  She confronts him about having seen him before, and he's vague in his answer.  As the only two single people there, they keep finding themselves together.  Zeit's initial plan was to spend some time with her, work her out of his system before her life ended with the beginning of the New Year.  He hoped that maybe if he got to know her, she wouldn't seem so special anymore.  But getting to know Hannah has the exact opposite effect.

If you've ever read any of my reviews, you might have noticed that with regard to romances, I'm a big fan of seeing how the characters fall for each other.  This story handles that quite well.  It was so easy to see the two going from being almost complete strangers to gradually learning more about each other and wanting to spend more and more time together.  I liked these two characters so very much.

Also, what might have hit home the most for me was Hannah realizing it's time to start taking part in life, time to stop watching everyone else live.  After she learns of Zeit's true identity, and becomes aware of how limited time can be, she starts to regret all the chances she didn't take.  She feels as if the rest of the world moved one, while she stood on the side.  Now she wants to start living, but it might be too late.

I don't want to give away what happens, I'll only say that I enjoyed this a lot.  An interesting and different twist on a holiday theme - I don't think I've ever read a book about Father Time or his sons before - great, relatable characters, appropriate snowy setting and a very nice romance. 

I very much recommend this book, especially during that week between Christmas and New Year's Eve, when you want to get away from the family for a bit.

Review: Grave Intentions by Lori Sjoberg

I wasn’t sure what to expect with a book about a grim reaper, but I enjoyed Grave Intentions quite a bit.

David has been a reaper for 60 years, trying to work off his sins to avoid eternal damnation. The book explains the process of how and why reapers are chosen – at least the way David understands it. Not entirely sure he knows the whole story. I felt some of the rules to be a bit extreme. Maybe I just don’t like the idea of a higher power being so hard and fast with his rules and unyielding with punishment. This is why I think there must be more to the process than what David has been told.

I liked the way being a reaper was viewed as simply David’s job. Other than the ability to heal quickly and a bit of mind persuasion – to help with difficult reaping situations – he doesn’t have any superhuman abilities. He’s just a guy with a tough job who likes to have a few drinks at the end of the day.

Like anyone who has a job he hates, he’s learned some coping methods, his current being to simply not care, remain numb. However, meeting his neighbor challenges these coping methods. He finds himself drawn to her, but he’s afraid to get involved. It’s been so long since he’s felt anything and he knows that if he allows himself to feel pleasure, he’ll have to be prepared for the pain as well.

Sarah’s a research scientist who loves her work, but hates her boss and could do without the crowds of protestors that greet her at her lab every morning. She’s also emotionally struggling to care for her elderly grandmother, who is always getting in trouble at the nursing home for her disruptive behavior. Sarah needs a break from all the stress.

David and Sarah both are at a point in their lives where they could use a friend. I enjoyed the gradual buildup of their relationship. They actually got to know each other and really like each before they ended up in bed together. I liked the way they took care of each other and seemed to absolutely adore each other. They were grateful for each other’s company and companionship. I like to believe that this is how a romance is supposed to work. Neither was in a position of power over the other. They’re two adults, getting by the best they can in their circumstances that are glad to have found each other.

But the book would probably be boring if there wasn’t a twist of some sort. I’m not going to give away what happens, but things get intense and I found myself on the verge of tears for a while there. I might have also been mentally screaming, “that’s not fair, they were so happy” because I felt that close to these characters and my heart was breaking along with theirs.

This is a well-written, enjoyable story with strong, likable characters and plenty of romance, and paranormal elements blended into reality so carefully, it almost seems believable. (Almost. Don’t worry, I don’t really think there are grim reapers disguised as humans walking among us.) I’m looking forward to reading more books by this author.

I received a review copy of this book via Netgalley.