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GRAVE INTENTIONS
Lori Sjoberg
eKensington January, 3, 2013
E-Book
Author loan of e-galley via Net Galley.
No remuneration exchanged and all opinions herein are my own unless otherwise noted.
About the Author:
Growing up the youngest of three girls, Lori never had control of the remote. (Not that she’s bitter about that. Really. Okay, maybe a little, but it’s not like she’s scarred for life or anything.) That meant a steady diet of science fiction and fantasy. Star Trek, Star Wars, Twilight Zone, Outer Limits – you name it, she watched it. It fed her imagination, and that came in handy when the hormones kicked in and she needed a creative excuse for staying out past curfew.
After graduating from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Science, Lori worked for nearly a decade in retail management. When that got boring, she switched to financial planning, and then insurance. The writing bug bit a few years later. After completing her first manuscript, she joined the Romance Writers of America and Central Florida Romance Writers. Now she exercises the analytical half of her brain at work, and the creative half writing paranormal romance. When she’s not doing either one of those, she’s usually spending time with her husband and children of the four-legged variety.
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLoriSjoberg
www.lorisjoberg.com
@Lori_Sjoberg
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6574214.Lori_Sjoberg
Enter to win one of two e-copies of Grave Intentions Tour Wide:
eKensington January, 3, 2013
E-Book
Author loan of e-galley via Net Galley.
No remuneration exchanged and all opinions herein are my own unless otherwise noted.
He’s handsome, reliable, and punctual—the perfect gentleman when you want him to be. But this dream man is Death’s best agent—and now he’s got more than his soul to lose…
One act of mercy before dying was all it took to turn soldier David Anderson into a reaper—an immortal who guides souls-of-untimely-death into the afterlife. But the closer he gets to atoning for his mortal sin and finally escaping merciless Fate, the more he feels his own humanity slipping away for good. Until he encounters Sarah Griffith. This skeptical scientist can’t be influenced by his powers—even though she has an unsuspected talent for sensing the dead. And her honesty and irreverent sense of humor reignite his reason for living—and a passion he can’t afford to feel. Now Fate has summoned David to make a devastating last harvest. And he’ll break every hellishly-strict netherworld rule to save Sarah...and gamble on a choice even an immortal can’t win. www.lorisjoberg.com
Yesterday, Lori Sjoberg was visiting via Bewitching Book Tours with a guest post; today I am reviewing her debut novel GRAVE INTENTIONS.
This is a high-caliber debut novel and series starter. A sweetly written tale of love and sacrifice, the last 15% of the book had me in tears. There's good character development with interesting story lines. The central plot is obvious after the first few chapters but the way its gotten to is the reason to read GRAVE INTENTIONS.
Many books rush relationship development; most romances have the man as the pursuer. Sjoberg however takes her time; the relationship makes sense. The intimate scenes are well-done and they are more romantic than erotic (compared to much of my reading anyway).
Attention is paid to the emotional toll of being a reaper of souls; the nasty business of watching people die in gruesome ways and absorbing their fear and confusion is mind boggling to imagine. The problems it sets up for the collectors are myriad and all kinds of miserable. Add in what would be the ultimate sacrifice and you get a very emotional read.
It's not a downer though. There's comic relief in the other reapers and in David's cynical sardonic wit. Add in a big dog collected from a scene and you get some light moments.
The problem I found was a somewhat weak premise involving the commandments, mortal sin, punishment and judgment. Disobey some and you are likely to end up damned or reaping. Reaping is the punishment for having committed a mortal sin but having a redeemable soul. You reap until someone thinks you are worthy enough to take the escalator to the higher floor. Sjoberg addresses it but I didn't buy it.
There's also a troubling mix of spiritual themes: reapers, ghosts, mortality, souls, psychically gifted individuals and the commandments. A storyline with Sarah's boss is given more attention that I though necessary to achieve its purposes of creating an opportunity for David to be the white knight and giving Sarah fewer reasons to care about her job, especially when a second and third reason are given.
So, being critical is my job, but these points weren't enough to challenge my enjoyment of the book. I found the perspective of a male reaper interesting. Having the woman be the more assertive part of a relationship was also refreshing. I can recommend this as a good read, and I look forward to the next book in the series.
This is a high-caliber debut novel and series starter. A sweetly written tale of love and sacrifice, the last 15% of the book had me in tears. There's good character development with interesting story lines. The central plot is obvious after the first few chapters but the way its gotten to is the reason to read GRAVE INTENTIONS.
Many books rush relationship development; most romances have the man as the pursuer. Sjoberg however takes her time; the relationship makes sense. The intimate scenes are well-done and they are more romantic than erotic (compared to much of my reading anyway).
Attention is paid to the emotional toll of being a reaper of souls; the nasty business of watching people die in gruesome ways and absorbing their fear and confusion is mind boggling to imagine. The problems it sets up for the collectors are myriad and all kinds of miserable. Add in what would be the ultimate sacrifice and you get a very emotional read.
It's not a downer though. There's comic relief in the other reapers and in David's cynical sardonic wit. Add in a big dog collected from a scene and you get some light moments.
The problem I found was a somewhat weak premise involving the commandments, mortal sin, punishment and judgment. Disobey some and you are likely to end up damned or reaping. Reaping is the punishment for having committed a mortal sin but having a redeemable soul. You reap until someone thinks you are worthy enough to take the escalator to the higher floor. Sjoberg addresses it but I didn't buy it.
There's also a troubling mix of spiritual themes: reapers, ghosts, mortality, souls, psychically gifted individuals and the commandments. A storyline with Sarah's boss is given more attention that I though necessary to achieve its purposes of creating an opportunity for David to be the white knight and giving Sarah fewer reasons to care about her job, especially when a second and third reason are given.
So, being critical is my job, but these points weren't enough to challenge my enjoyment of the book. I found the perspective of a male reaper interesting. Having the woman be the more assertive part of a relationship was also refreshing. I can recommend this as a good read, and I look forward to the next book in the series.
About the Author:
After graduating from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Science, Lori worked for nearly a decade in retail management. When that got boring, she switched to financial planning, and then insurance. The writing bug bit a few years later. After completing her first manuscript, she joined the Romance Writers of America and Central Florida Romance Writers. Now she exercises the analytical half of her brain at work, and the creative half writing paranormal romance. When she’s not doing either one of those, she’s usually spending time with her husband and children of the four-legged variety.
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLoriSjoberg
www.lorisjoberg.com
@Lori_Sjoberg
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6574214.Lori_Sjoberg
TOUR IS ADMINISTERED and FULFILLED by Bewitching Book Tours. Please contact them for more information.
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