Lori Sjoberg

The publisher’s blurb on this is pretty misleading

Carter Phillips has returned from multiple deployments, and he’s brought a few demons home with him. War has left him scarred, inside and out...

There are no demons in sight, barely an imp, and like many others in this genre, the looming danger to the heroine is resolved too easily and neatly by the end of the book. Nevertheless it is an enjoyable light read.

Sexual content: moderately graphic and not all-pervasive.… (más)

I loved the idea of this book and was really excited to get to read it. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I was able to but the story just didn't move me.

The Good: In a genre chock full of vampires and werewolves finding a book without either yet still smack dab in the middle of all things supernatural is so very hard to accomplish. This book fulfills the need for the woowoo which is pretty awesome. The interactions between the characters were great and watching David teach Adam how to be a reaper was interesting. I thought the chemistry between David and Sarah was good and their ultimate I Love Yous fell right into place. Also Lori's writing is easy to read. I got lost in her words which made for a more enjoyable reading pace for me.

The Bad: Unfortunately even with an interesting premise this book just didn't move me. At times I found myself bored with what was going on. There were also some holes left unanswered for me which sucked the fun outta the book a bit. Even though the training of Adam was interesting to watch it made it feel more like Adam's book rather than David's. Also David's boss, Raphael, was a douche with no real reason or background to support it. The whole point of Raphael's input in the book was lost on me too other than to create the possibilities of having two villains. I couldn't figure out the hierarchy of reaping and if Raphael was a boss who did he report to? The Fates were mentioned also which confused me even more as to where this book fell in terms of religion or mythology. It never really committed to either one as the commandments were heavily influenced when it came to those being chosen for reaping yet Fate was an actual pissy being throwing temper tantrums when she didn't get her way (we never actually met her by the way).

In a Nutshell: An average book with a cool idea supporting it. I'm going to read the next one in hopes they get better with more published books under the author's belt.… (más)

Really 3.75 Stars

Reviewed at http://scorchingbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/a-nix-pnr-review-grave-intent...

I was so excited by the premise of this book that it was on the wish list long before I requested it from NetGalley. In some ways it completely delivered (I loved the world-building and the side characters....I’m guessing Dmitry’s book will be fab!) but on the other hand I knew what the twist was going to be from the end of the first chapter and I had also guessed the resolution. The predictability made it a little bit of a slow-burner but ultimately I will be getting the next in this series and would guess you needed to read this one first.

There is too much work one for reaper in this reality so there is a group of them that are paying for their crimes by harvesting souls. They are governed by one big boss man (who I want to see fall in love...what is WRONG with me?) and are given the list of souls on a weekly basis. I thought the job itself sounded horrific and didn’t know how reapers could remain sane. Knowing that they were going to crime scenes or horrific accidents, some involving children, to watch someone die so they could harvest the soul quickly must have been a pretty horrible reality. I’d be pretty happy if all these characters found their HEA because their realities sucked ass.

I liked the premise of David more than the reality. A man so jaded by all he seen, he should have more interesting than he was. I loved him when paired with either Adam or Sarah, but alone he just didn’t interest me. Sarah was a more interesting character for me and I enjoyed her fierce personality. Was there chemistry between them? Hell yes. I loved them together; whether it was between the sheets or just being together at the end of a spectacularly bad day, I thought they complemented each other perfectly. David needed someone to return him to reality and Sarah was just the lady.

Overall, this was an intriguing start to a series that I will give another shot to. I loved the premise, but this one failed to hit the mark completely. I have high hopes for book two as its Ruby’s book....… (más)