Beyond the Grave

Jess Vandermire, Vampire Hunter #2

by Lina Gardiner

“The characters are vibrant . . . and an unexpected cliffhanger will leave readers eager for book three.” —RT Book Reviews “Fast-paced and filled with intrigue . . . ” —Paranormal Romance Reviews Tough vampire cop, Jess Vandermire, fights against her unholy brethren in New York City to protect the two men she loves more than life itself. But Jess is waging a personal war, too—to save the tiny shred of soul she has left. If she loses, so does the city . . . Women all over NY are dying by exsanguination and every one of them bears a striking resemblance to Captain Jess Vandermire, who cannot account for her whereabouts at the time of the murders.John Brittain is black ops and a vampire hunter serving under Jess, but their relationship is much more than professional. He withholds an incriminating piece of evidence found near a body until he can clear his lover of the crime.Then there's Drago, who caters to a rich clientele at his exclusive club. He has a deadly secret—and a wealthy patron willing to pay $10 million just to have Jess . . . Lina Gardiner, award-winning author of the Jess Vandermire, Vampire Hunter Series, has writing in her blood. Her books have been well received by such reviewers as Kirkus Reviews and USA Today’s HEA blog, including a 4.5-star rating from RT Book Reviews and a nomination for a Romantic Times Reader’s Choice Award. On the home front, Lina lives in New Brunswick, Canada, a hot spot for legendary ghosts, tall tales and odd happenings, which probably add to her love of a good mystery. The spooky stories her grandfather told his grandchildren in the "parlor" when their grandmother wasn't paying attention didn’t hurt either…

Genres: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Vampires, Ebooks, Mystery

186 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 15, 2008

About the author

Lina Gardiner was born and raised in New Brunswick. She has a deep appreciation of the beauty and the special attributes of her province. As a test to see if she could make it as a writer, she wrote an article on the Fundy Trail Parkway and got the cover story in the magazine We're Home New Brunswick.

That was her sign to dive into her lifelong dream of writing. After that, she wrote a short story for an anthology entitled New Brunswick Short Stories by Dorothy Dearborn. It took six years of serious writing to finally sell her first novel. Her editor liked the characters so much she offered Lina a series before the novel even hit the shelves. Lina continues to write every day and appreciates every chance she gets to make her writing stronger and better.

Reviews

[Jeanny · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disclaimer: The eARC for Beyond the Grave (Jess Vandermire, #2) by Lina Gardiner was kindly provided to me via Netgalley.

[BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme · Rating 3 out of 5]

This second book in the series picks up right after the first one. This book cannot be read as a standalone. This series must be read in order to appreciate the nuances and the chronological events. Jess is feeling the dark side calling to her. Star War jokes aside, Jess is fighting what seems to be a losing battle. She is missing time and memories. Whilst this is going on, women resembling her are being killed. Evidence is slowing pointing towards Jess as the perpetrator. John is not going to let that happen. He is determined to find out the truth.

The action packed pace in this book is just my speed. I enjoy rushing around as dead bodies pile up and John tries to figure out what is going on. The romance angle is nicely done in a supporting manner which keeps this story cohesive. Sometimes the romance overwhelms a book. Ms. Gardiner uses the relationship tension wisely to move the plot further along. For those looking for hot sex, this is not that kind of book. Whilst there is a bit of sex, it is not the focus and honestly, I skimmed over those parts. The sex scenes take a back seat in this book and are almost unneeded. I would not mind more fade to black because I am more interested in the suspense. I also want to learn more about this vampire world as Jess is learning she does not know all there is to know about vampires.

It seems the past comes back to haunt both John and Jess. This book ties off several open threads from the previous book and at the same time, brings more questions up. I like this because it keeps me plugged in and wanting to read more. This is a page turner for me and I finished this one right after I read the first book. I did end up wanting to read the third book right after this one. For those who understand book hangovers, this series gave me a severe case of it.

Getting back to the plot, I really liked this exclusive club run by Drago. The insidious intent behind it is erotically thrilling. It is dark, depraved and something I cannot condone yet plays into my naughty fantasies. If I were less ethical, I would sign up to work for this club and find the women Drago peddles. Is it wrong to target intelligent women and consider them to be hot commodities? I like how Ms. Gardiner's mind works. This is a well written follow up book. Recommended to urban fantasy readers who enjoy dark themes.

*provided by NetGalley

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

More vampires! But I liked this book. I think the adding in of mysteries and police work helped make this series a little different for me. This book has a lot of action in it and I enjoyed this the book. I was not enjoying the ending but that is just because I'm picking about leaving me wanting more. You don't do that to me! lol But I will read book 3 and be ok. * I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

this series stays interesting ...

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book two of the Jess V. series. Still a good read picking up a week or two after Grave Illusions ends. More romance after some push/pull, vampire/human drama. Readers learn a bit more about Jess's background and her life before she became a vampire with half a soul. One hell of a cliff hanger.

There's some grammar and typo errors in this book as well that may irk some readers.

[Helen Wawrejko · Rating 4 out of 5]

4stars

Jess and Britt hunt for a vampire on a killing spree, one that kills women who look like her. Trafficking for the vampires leads to a big revelation. Different, good series.

[Barbara Cryer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe this one would have gotten a higher rating if I read the first one to get vested in the characters. They just weren't connecting with me.

[Eva D Ayers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story the characters are very real

[Jeannie Zelos · Rating 4 out of 5]

 
 
Beyond the Grave, Book 2 of the Jess Vandermire: Vampire Hunter Series,  Lina Gardiner

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:  Romance, Sci-fi and Fantasy

I’m always on the look out for a good vampire series and saw this one a while back. At the time though I had a long TBR list so this went on my wish list for later....( at one time I had so many on my BR list I divided it into two – that damn one click! Now I’m stricter, well, a little...)
So not having read book one, only the sample, I dived in to this. Its not that hard to follow though I was puzzled at some of the crits I seen referencing this as “soft porn”. Err – what? Jessica is still a virgin here! If you want an example of soft porn in books look at the later Laurell Hamilton Anita Blake series. I loved the earlier ones, but they devolved into a sex fest where it seemed like if it moved and was male Anita “needed” it – so that excused everything then ;-) Anyway, moving on...Jessica makes a good lead, strongly moral, wants to retain her humanity despite being a vampire now – and these vampires aren’t the usual romance type, but (most) kill needlessly and have absolutely no regard for humans and human life. Jess though has always had the support of her little brother. He’s a priest, though now elderly he’s still very strong and his prayers and herbals have held Jess to her humanity so far. There’s another Vampire too, James, who works for the police who is also helped by Regent's prayers. He makes occasional appearances here but is an important part of the team. Then there’s another cop on the team, Britt, a human who’s in love with Jess but its still new, Jess is scared of hurting him and yet can’t seem to keep away. They seem to be the mainstay of the series.
Alongside that there’s the issue of what’s specific to this book, where humans are being killed by Vampires and it looks like Jess may be to blame...Britt knows her very well though, he and Regent agree it can’t be her despite the way it looks but can they find the real killer in time? Then there’s Drago, curious and secretive rich owner of a local club – he’s been offered a huge sum to get hold of Jess for a client.
 There’s a lot going on here, lots of minor issues that gradually expand to give a clearer picture. I found it a bit slow going to start, maybe if I’d read book one? I don’t know – I don’t think it would have made a difference but it sped up in the second half into almost a frenzy of action at times, and I had to keep reminding myself only hours had passed in the book, it seemed like days so much had happened. There’s a few surprises in store for everyone, Jess included, and it made for a fun read but whether it’ll join the keepers I’m undecided. It may be one of those I like more after getting further into the series, but so far I kind of find it hard to get really engrossed in the story and characters, and just feel a little detached from them. Its a good read nevertheless, just not (yet) a five star one for me. I’ve got book three on my kindle so it’ll be interesting to see how I feel about Jess, Britt and Co after that.
Stars: Four, a fun and entertaining read.

ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers

If you enjoyed my review I'd love it if you would please click “Like” and if you didn't I'd love to know why, so I can make future reviews more helpful.

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were many aspects of "Beyond the Grave" that I found exciting and disappointing. First, many sequels are better than the first books because all of the foundation work has previously been laid. Although this book is only 188 pages, it seemed dragged out at times in order to lengthen the book. The good news is I still enjoyed the characters in this book as well as the plot.

This time Jess and Britt are attempting to take their relationship to the next level but once again, they are interrupted when Jess has a nightmare. Vampires do not dream let alone have nightmares. Additionally, Jess has occasions where she blacks out.

Dead women are being found at the same location in the city and they have been killed by a vampire. What makes matters worse it Jess' weapon was lying next to one of the victims as well as her VNA has been discovered as well. This leads to the suspicion that she maybe the murderer. Is she or is she being set up by someone else? That is what her friends hope to discover.

I enjoy this sequel but I after reading two books by Lina Gardiner, I realize that at times her writing is a little cheesy and she does not know how to smoothly end a book. I don't mind a cliffhanger as long as it is done with a little finesse. However, that is definitely not Gardiner's forte. If you understand this prior to reading her books, you will be able to overlook this flaw and find enjoyment in them.

[T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received Beyond the Grave as an ARC (advance reader's copy) book from NetGalley. The gifting did not determine the review/rating, which reflects my honest opinion. Gosh, I really had hopes this story would be better than the first book. Unfortunately, it only emphasized the author's failure to set definitive world-building structure. There are so many plot holes and unexplained reasons why circumstances happened -- it made the read awkward.

The main female character, rather than growing into the role, felt diminished, she should have questioned things more. Britt seems like the star of the series, so naming It for Jess seems odd... although the ending is even more bizarre. I wasn't looking forward to the next two books, which I'd already downloaded from NetGalley, but I see an upswing in the ratings, so I'm going to attempt book 3. The author needs a better beta team to help plug plot holes though, some of them are very obvious.

**SPOILERS**

Plot discrepancies include, Jess "doesn't go anywhere without her knife" yet as she's dressing one morning, she doesn't realize it's gone? After 50 yrs, I'd feel as naked without my knife as if I'd forgotten my underwear. Also, the team watched the video of Jess collapsing in the alley, but no one watched it longer to find out what happened after she was unconscious? Nor was any mention of a reason they couldn't (ie. the video was disabled). There were more issues, but these are the biggies.

[Kathi Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is fast paced, many twists and turns, some anticipated and some totally unexpected. It is lovely that the author also uses the story to deepen and continue the growth of the primary characters as well as the relationship between Jess and Britt.

In book 2, more of the principal characters are revealed. As a vampire Jess struggles constantly not to allow herself to be taken over totally by her vampire nature. She has been a cop for 50 years. She fights her vampire nature constantly. Britt's belief in her good/higher nature and his love for her lifts her up. At one point she tell him..."I tired to use my curse for the betterment of people. This had become the essence of who I am..." Unlike so many of todays authors, Ms. Gardiner allows the relationship between Jess and Britt to grow and deepen, each realizing they love the other. There are occassional sexy overtones between these two and some sizzling sexual scenes that fit the story. They do not just jump into bed, as in so many other romantic suspense stories and then hopefully fall in love.

The book ends on an unexpected, although not entirely unanticipated, cliff hanger ending. Overall I rated the book at 4.40 and assigned it a sexy rating of 4.40 as well.

[Mary Mattson · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are bodies of women who have been drained of blood that resemble Jess turning up in the park. Evidence says that Jess is the killer. But Britt knows it isn’t Jess who is killing these women. He’s going to find out who. Jess has been acting strange lately, losing time. Jess, is thinking being around Britt is making her human again, and that is why she is having these spells. There is someone who is very interested in Jess, and that is Drago Vaslov. Someone is paying Vaslov to procure Jess for them, and he is using an ancient paste he found in a Mayan ruin, that controls a persons will. He’s using it on Jess.
The attraction between Jess and Britt grows in this book and finally they do something about it! The ending is unexpected, and I don’t want to spoil it. So you have to read this book. Unfortunately this book also ends in a cliff hanger, so you have to read the next book in the series. But this is an excellent vampire series, so I really don’t mind!
I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley for an honest review.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Low-rent covers aside, this is a pretty good UF/Vamp series. The books lean a bit more towards UF than PNR, but there is a strong romantic element-without a lot of lavish sex. The first book has a couple of issues like: cheesy villain dialogue, mediocre writing, typos, & plot inconsistencies, which seemed to cheapen a relatively good book. The writing is greatly improves & the editing is much tighter as the series progresses, but a few typos & mistakes still remain like: repeated scenes, character name mistakes, and plot inconsistencies.

Still, I enjoyed the 2nd book much more than the 1st and can see a really good UF series taking hold. The mystery and surprising reveal is also turned up a few notches from the last book, and thank goodness the cheesy villain dialogue didn't make another appearance. An addicting read, that leaves the reader wanting more. Warning: the ending leaves you with a bit of a cliffhanger, so make sure you have book #3 lined up, prior to delving in.

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond the Grave is book 2 in the series of her vampire hunters. I did not read book one and had no problems jumping right in and taking off without a hitch. I loved it right away. A good strong female lead character, good plot with lots of twists and surprises, action, a little romance to spice things up, a gorgeous guy for a partner, lots of vampires, and a mystery! What's not to like about that when it is done right? Characters are well developed and complex, lots of intrigue, and excitement. Someone is killing women and they all look like Jess; our lead female who is a vampire who hunts vampires. The dead women all look similar to Jess too. Jess's team is worried. Clues are also left that Jess is the killer. The mystery leads them to some deadly adventures that I won't spoil but it is something you will want to read. This book is well written and fast paced. Fantasy lovers will want this for their library! I reviewed this book for NetGalley.

[DHHReview · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was my introduction to the author, Lina Gardiner, and to the Jess Vandermire series.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed it so much that I immediately went in search of the next in the series to read.

Although this is the second in the series and I chose not to read the first, I was never lost in the storyline. The author provided the needed background information as the story progressed so that if you wanted you could read this as a standalone.

Now that I have read the other books that follow this one I must admit that it is my least favorite, but probably the most important in regards to Jess and Britt's love saga. I enjoy Jess more in the follow on books, because I feel as though she is condescending to Britt in 'Beyond the Grave'.

I recommend this to lovers of the Paranormal genre with a strong heroine.

[Nagarajan.ra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm.. Another one from the stables of Lina Gardiner.

The first one was interesting but weak plot which also reflects in this version.
Characters pop up and story hangs in the middle...
A touche finesse is required for the series...

But a good time pass though....
No flashy scenes but strong romance...

The tension between the lead characters is clearly visible.. in the words of the auther..
Kudos for tat..

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome read

I absolutely love this book. Book is was awesome as well. I love Jess and Brit together. It's a nice love story, even though one is vampire. The whole series is great. I got the brand new book, but wanted to reread series....AGAIN.!!!!! only my 5th time through series.

[Deb Dionne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond the Grave

Absolutely love this series of books! I love the suspenseful paranormal storyline and even tho my ARC failed...I bought this book and the next to read this authors fabulous stories! Definitely a 5 plus series that I highly recommend!!

[BookCrazy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the romance!!! The second part of the story develops the relationship between Jess and John. I really like who the author portrays their chemistry; they are crazy hot! However, their relationship is not an easy one, one human and one vampire TROUBLE.

[Heather Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

As good as the first one

[Kel (Faerie-bookworm) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

This was was just as exciting as the first book. Somewhat of a cliffhanger ending though, be sure to have tissues!