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Everly Gray Adventures #1
A Touch of Ice
Everly Gray’s fingers are a magnet for trouble.
When she touches photographer Mitchell Hunt and sees the image of a dead body, she dives into the murder fingertips first. Life takes a turn for the dangerous when she discovers the body is related to a small-time crime family that accidentally stepped on the toes of notorious criminal, Delano West. Caught in a web of intrigue where nothing is as it seems, El discovers an aptitude for breaking and entering, the pain of an up close and personal meeting with a bullet, and the terror of facing a cold blooded killer. What she doesn’t learn—to keep her fingers to herself.
What they're saying...
A TOUCH OF ICE is a suspense-filled romance that will keep you up late turning the pages. Everly and Violet make perfect partners in their sleuthing, complementing one another perfectly. The romance between Mitch and Everly is sweet and blossoms into something spicy and wonderful. The mystery twists and turns, keeping this reader thoroughly entertained, trying to figure out the clues. Romantic suspense readers won't want to miss this one!
~Romance Junkies
"A fun adventure with characters who sizzle."
~ Adrienne Girodano, author of the Private Protector series
When she touches photographer Mitchell Hunt and sees the image of a dead body, she dives into the murder fingertips first. Life takes a turn for the dangerous when she discovers the body is related to a small-time crime family that accidentally stepped on the toes of notorious criminal, Delano West. Caught in a web of intrigue where nothing is as it seems, El discovers an aptitude for breaking and entering, the pain of an up close and personal meeting with a bullet, and the terror of facing a cold blooded killer. What she doesn’t learn—to keep her fingers to herself.
What they're saying...
A TOUCH OF ICE is a suspense-filled romance that will keep you up late turning the pages. Everly and Violet make perfect partners in their sleuthing, complementing one another perfectly. The romance between Mitch and Everly is sweet and blossoms into something spicy and wonderful. The mystery twists and turns, keeping this reader thoroughly entertained, trying to figure out the clues. Romantic suspense readers won't want to miss this one!
~Romance Junkies
"A fun adventure with characters who sizzle."
~ Adrienne Girodano, author of the Private Protector series
284 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 10, 2011
208 people are currently reading
1586 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
September 27, 2011
Know what this novel needs? MORE READERS! It is a sparkling gem of a book with a great premise, awesome characterization, and stellar writing. Main character Everly Gray has a gift, although she doesn't always see it that way. When Everly touches people with her fingertips, she sees images of their lives. Her psychic fingers, which she refers to as her "hinky touch thing", come in handy in her profession as a personal coach, but as far as social situations, she's become a bit of a recluse. She goes out of her way to avoid touching people (because she REALLY doesn't want to know), but can't resist letting her fingers do the walking when she meets hunky photographer, Mitch. What she doesn't expect to "see" when she touches him is murder. Can Everly use her hinky touch thing to solve a murder, land the hunk, and keep her sanity? With help from best friend and PI extraordinaire, Violet, just maybe she can.
A Touch of Ice has it all: drama, humor, mystery, breathtaking pace, a wonderfully original voice, and includes one of the best-written "best friend" relationships I've ever read. I could hang out with the very thoughtful Everly and Violet forever and a day. And, for that, I am bestowing A Touch of Ice with each and every available star. READ IT.
A Touch of Ice has it all: drama, humor, mystery, breathtaking pace, a wonderfully original voice, and includes one of the best-written "best friend" relationships I've ever read. I could hang out with the very thoughtful Everly and Violet forever and a day. And, for that, I am bestowing A Touch of Ice with each and every available star. READ IT.
June 14, 2012
The editing, or lack thereof, really irritated me throughout the entire book. Besides funky margins, there were typos (i.e. commas in random places), grammatical errors, and a few other things (maybe even a sudden switch of character names) that really bothered me. So for ratings - editing: 1, story 3.
The premise of the book is very interesting, although the author mainly skips over Everly's life prior to what takes place during this time frame. It didn't really make sense to me why El (don't get me started on why her nickname is El and not Ev) would completely change how she lived her life for the past 30+ years. I suppose you got make the excuse that she hadn't met the right person/situation or perhaps that the universe hadn't set her up properly until this, but I'm not really biting.
I did like the chemistry between the various characters, though I think that Everly is given way too much credit with all her sneaking around and eavesdropping...especially when you take in to account how clumsy she can be otherwise. Anyway, overall the story felt way too drawn out. I felt that the action completely died once in the beginning, a lot in the middle, and some towards the end.
The sparks between Everly and two very masculine characters was good, and the ending of this novel makes it seem like there's more to come...I just don't know if I'm in to it enough to keep reading. Decent book, just needs an editor!
The premise of the book is very interesting, although the author mainly skips over Everly's life prior to what takes place during this time frame. It didn't really make sense to me why El (don't get me started on why her nickname is El and not Ev) would completely change how she lived her life for the past 30+ years. I suppose you got make the excuse that she hadn't met the right person/situation or perhaps that the universe hadn't set her up properly until this, but I'm not really biting.
I did like the chemistry between the various characters, though I think that Everly is given way too much credit with all her sneaking around and eavesdropping...especially when you take in to account how clumsy she can be otherwise. Anyway, overall the story felt way too drawn out. I felt that the action completely died once in the beginning, a lot in the middle, and some towards the end.
The sparks between Everly and two very masculine characters was good, and the ending of this novel makes it seem like there's more to come...I just don't know if I'm in to it enough to keep reading. Decent book, just needs an editor!
August 7, 2015
Confusing read
It seemed the author just wrote words instead of weaving a mystery. I found myself constantly going back and re -reading chapters because I got lost or something didn't make sense. Characters and plots that came from nowhere and were left up to the reader to figure out. Don't know if I'll try another book from this author again.
It seemed the author just wrote words instead of weaving a mystery. I found myself constantly going back and re -reading chapters because I got lost or something didn't make sense. Characters and plots that came from nowhere and were left up to the reader to figure out. Don't know if I'll try another book from this author again.
September 6, 2018
I have mixed feelings about this story however, I can't deny that I really enjoyed it and had a hard time putting it down. I liked the characters, their relationships and the plot. I really liked Everly's psychic touch and how all the secrets came to light. What I didn't enjoy was the actual writing. There was almost no flow to the words, no eloquence. The style didn't lead but was almost staccato. I eventually got used to it and enjoyed the story.
October 5, 2016
I got this book from Amazon free. I really tried to finish it but I gave up about 3/4 of the way from the end of the book. The writing just isn't consistent and the narrative is just too clumsy. The plot could be good but the building of the story is confusing and is missing flow.
kindle-i-own-to-read
October 21, 2012Amazon Freebie 10/21/2012
May 5, 2017
Picked up a set of these novels during a sale, along with several other of what turned out to be Detective / Supernatural / Romance genre. Given that I was looking forward to some very light reading, this looked like it would be fun. Honestly, it was rather a plod of a read.
The characters are pretty thin and the story is alright, but I just felt depth was missing all the time. The star of the series is some kind of professional coach, using her ability to read people via touch in her hands, seems to only see one client ever. I literally rolled my eyes when this minor character (who I found so ridiculously unsympathetic already) became a major part of the plot later, neatly tying the few people together in a neat package at the end.
Oh yeah, and really grateful the author didn't devote herself to extensive sex scenes. Her writing about the woman getting manhandled by a physician, and it giving her the tingles, was pretty creepy. Seriously, the dishy doc the character has a sexual response at one point physically picks her up to adjust her on an exam table, then again to lift her off it. Supposedly just fine because he was just protecting Everly from accidentally touching anything icky at the office with her ESP fingers. Whatever, creepy.
I have at least 2 more of this series. I might read them, but at this point I'm not interested enough in the adventures of Everly Gray to continue.
The characters are pretty thin and the story is alright, but I just felt depth was missing all the time. The star of the series is some kind of professional coach, using her ability to read people via touch in her hands, seems to only see one client ever. I literally rolled my eyes when this minor character (who I found so ridiculously unsympathetic already) became a major part of the plot later, neatly tying the few people together in a neat package at the end.
Oh yeah, and really grateful the author didn't devote herself to extensive sex scenes. Her writing about the woman getting manhandled by a physician, and it giving her the tingles, was pretty creepy. Seriously, the dishy doc the character has a sexual response at one point physically picks her up to adjust her on an exam table, then again to lift her off it. Supposedly just fine because he was just protecting Everly from accidentally touching anything icky at the office with her ESP fingers. Whatever, creepy.
I have at least 2 more of this series. I might read them, but at this point I'm not interested enough in the adventures of Everly Gray to continue.
February 27, 2018
Everly, is a Life Coach who has the unusual gift that has ruined too many dates to count. From a simple touch, El's fingertips can conjure up images of past, present, and future events - something not so helpful in the relationship department. Violet, a neighbor and PI, is aware and respectful of El's magic touch, and purposely avoids direct contact in order to keep her own secrets safe. When El touches photographer Mitchell, romantic sparks fly, but her vision of a dead body sparks a curiosity that can't be contained. After learning the body is connected to a case Violet is working on, El's unusual talent is used to help take down a very dangerous killer.
Fast-paced paranormal mystery with romantic elements.
Fast-paced paranormal mystery with romantic elements.
April 18, 2019
The book leaves a very strange impression. The idea is great, but as for the book itself, basically, random things abruptly happen to a number of poorly developed characters. It's like the author wrote down a list of plot complications and simply put them together in vaguely chronological order with very little concern for their development, depth or plausibility.
February 26, 2018
Great read
This book was well written with excellent descriptions that allowed this reader to join the action. It was infused with underlying mystery. Friendship and acceptance was at the forefront of this story
This book was well written with excellent descriptions that allowed this reader to join the action. It was infused with underlying mystery. Friendship and acceptance was at the forefront of this story
August 14, 2021
Wasn't sure at first if I would like this - definitely out of my normal reading genre. BUT, I was quickly pulled into the story.
"Having ESP in her fingertips gives new meaning to 'get the picture', and for Everly Gray it's a one-way ticket to trouble."
"Having ESP in her fingertips gives new meaning to 'get the picture', and for Everly Gray it's a one-way ticket to trouble."
September 15, 2024
Everly Gray is having visions of murder. She has a paranormal talent in her fingertips and the people around her all seem to be special operatives. This is a light read, but perhaps I will give the second book in the series a try.
April 17, 2023
Really good mystery and left you keep guessing. I was a bit puzzled at the end. I guess to entice to read another.
September 30, 2023
It was okayish but good….
Hard to keep it up with the characters in the story…Hopefully the next book will be better one for sure..
Looking forward to read more book series soon…
Hard to keep it up with the characters in the story…Hopefully the next book will be better one for sure..
Looking forward to read more book series soon…
November 28, 2012
This has been quite a week for me to be reading books set in my home state of North Carolina. This marks the second book I'm reviewing this week, alone.
A Touch of Ice was brought to my attention by the blog "Pixel of Ink" when it was available for free. I read it, and am giving it two stars because two stars qualify as "it was ok", an it was ... okay.
This book follows the tale of a sort of psychic person named Everly Gray, who also goes by the nickname, El. She lives and works in what I am led to believe is Apex, North Carolina. She lives next to her best friend, Violet James.
El has this ability to pick up some psychic images when she touches people and things with her fingertips, however she's lately been awakened by nightmares that she believes is the Universe telling her that she needs to solve a murder mystery. Terrified by that, she convinces Violet to go with her to the beach (Note for the reader: The beach - the Atlantic Ocean to be exact - is 3 hours away from Apex, NC, when driving on I-40 with no significant traffic.) where she runs in to a photographer named Mitch who will later become her love interest.
Now, here is where the story lost me. She meets Mitch at this beach that is located nowhere near her house, and somehow he, too, has driven the full 3 hours to arrive, because he also happens to live an hour away from Apex, NC, which puts him either in Chapel Hill, NC, Durham, NC, or Ahoskie, NC. I'm guessing it is one of the first two. In which case it was actually more like 4 hours to go to the beach on a lark.
I guess I started being skeptical there, and never really got over it as the book progressed. There were a few other odd choices such as going to Western Wake for an emergency room when the likely choice would be ... well ... any hospital other than that (Rex, WakeMed, UNC Hospitals if you wanted to go down 64 for 15 minutes). Also, there seem to be an abnormally large number of narrow, 3+ story houses (row houses?) for the reality of North Carolina. It appears that everyone in the book lives in one of these atypical houses. But I was happy to see that Gypsy's Shiny Diner got a shout out and a well deserved one at that.
Without giving too much of the plot away, let's just say that very few of the people in the book are who they claim to be and/or have the names they initially hold. Of note is the fact that Violet is also known as Annie and the author switches between the two names, sometimes in the same sentence, in advance of when El learns this information. This seems like a bit of sloppy editing.
As for the rest of the plot, it is standard cozy mystery stuff. If you like cozies, you'll enjoy this one as well. Unless you are from the Triangle in which case the cognitive disconnect on the little details will pull you out of full immersion.
A Touch of Ice was brought to my attention by the blog "Pixel of Ink" when it was available for free. I read it, and am giving it two stars because two stars qualify as "it was ok", an it was ... okay.
This book follows the tale of a sort of psychic person named Everly Gray, who also goes by the nickname, El. She lives and works in what I am led to believe is Apex, North Carolina. She lives next to her best friend, Violet James.
El has this ability to pick up some psychic images when she touches people and things with her fingertips, however she's lately been awakened by nightmares that she believes is the Universe telling her that she needs to solve a murder mystery. Terrified by that, she convinces Violet to go with her to the beach (Note for the reader: The beach - the Atlantic Ocean to be exact - is 3 hours away from Apex, NC, when driving on I-40 with no significant traffic.) where she runs in to a photographer named Mitch who will later become her love interest.
Now, here is where the story lost me. She meets Mitch at this beach that is located nowhere near her house, and somehow he, too, has driven the full 3 hours to arrive, because he also happens to live an hour away from Apex, NC, which puts him either in Chapel Hill, NC, Durham, NC, or Ahoskie, NC. I'm guessing it is one of the first two. In which case it was actually more like 4 hours to go to the beach on a lark.
I guess I started being skeptical there, and never really got over it as the book progressed. There were a few other odd choices such as going to Western Wake for an emergency room when the likely choice would be ... well ... any hospital other than that (Rex, WakeMed, UNC Hospitals if you wanted to go down 64 for 15 minutes). Also, there seem to be an abnormally large number of narrow, 3+ story houses (row houses?) for the reality of North Carolina. It appears that everyone in the book lives in one of these atypical houses. But I was happy to see that Gypsy's Shiny Diner got a shout out and a well deserved one at that.
Without giving too much of the plot away, let's just say that very few of the people in the book are who they claim to be and/or have the names they initially hold. Of note is the fact that Violet is also known as Annie and the author switches between the two names, sometimes in the same sentence, in advance of when El learns this information. This seems like a bit of sloppy editing.
As for the rest of the plot, it is standard cozy mystery stuff. If you like cozies, you'll enjoy this one as well. Unless you are from the Triangle in which case the cognitive disconnect on the little details will pull you out of full immersion.
February 5, 2016
While reviewing the note about the author on Amazon, I knew that what I would be reading would be an unusual take on a murder mystery. The author, L. J. Charles, is a past yoga instructor, who, when deciding to write full time was driven to the paranormal genre because she wanted to include her life experiences with energy into her stories. This might raise question marks to the average reader, but as the daughter of a woman who left her career as an Interior Designer, moved to North Carolina to become a hypnotherapist who practices Reiki and meditates with her Chakra bowls, I felt like whether the book was good or not, this was a perspective I could understand. I purchased the book and read the first line and my interest was piqued.
Everly Gray is introduced to us as a Personal Coach who uses her gift as a touch sensitive to help people discover their emotions. Those of you who are familiar with the Eileen Wilkes series The World of the Lupi (see my previous post This Chick Read: Mind Magic) are familiar with Lily Yu, who is also a touch sensitive, though in her case she can tell if magic was used in a crime, just by touch. Everly's energy is of a more practical, real world nature. She receives emotions and images when she touches things with her fingers. Can you imagine how awkward life could be if you shake someone's hand and can see something they've done or feel? Because of this difficulty, Everly has kept herself pretty secluded, only a couple friends and relationships few and far between.
Everly's character develops from life coach to "seeing" a dead body and solving crimes pretty quickly, and the reader is launched into a plot that was well developed and fun to read. I believe this is one of L.J. Charles first novels, if not the first and you can tell that she gained confidence in her writing as the story unfolded. Some of the conversations seemed awkward at first, and if she had used more descriptive language to describe the things that Everly was "seeing" it may have had greater impact. By the end of the book I wasn't thinking about those things, I was thoroughly enmeshed in the story that was unfolding. Especially of Mitch and Pierce, their descriptions were very nice indeed! There are seven books in this series and I have a feeling there could be a love triangle thrown into a storyline at some point. There was a lot of sizzle between Everly and the two men in this one!
If you like Paranormal Romance Mysteries that have a psychic twist, then check out this series! It's fun to discover a new writer who has written a ton of novels because you don't have to wait for the next one to come out.
Everly Gray is introduced to us as a Personal Coach who uses her gift as a touch sensitive to help people discover their emotions. Those of you who are familiar with the Eileen Wilkes series The World of the Lupi (see my previous post This Chick Read: Mind Magic) are familiar with Lily Yu, who is also a touch sensitive, though in her case she can tell if magic was used in a crime, just by touch. Everly's energy is of a more practical, real world nature. She receives emotions and images when she touches things with her fingers. Can you imagine how awkward life could be if you shake someone's hand and can see something they've done or feel? Because of this difficulty, Everly has kept herself pretty secluded, only a couple friends and relationships few and far between.
Everly's character develops from life coach to "seeing" a dead body and solving crimes pretty quickly, and the reader is launched into a plot that was well developed and fun to read. I believe this is one of L.J. Charles first novels, if not the first and you can tell that she gained confidence in her writing as the story unfolded. Some of the conversations seemed awkward at first, and if she had used more descriptive language to describe the things that Everly was "seeing" it may have had greater impact. By the end of the book I wasn't thinking about those things, I was thoroughly enmeshed in the story that was unfolding. Especially of Mitch and Pierce, their descriptions were very nice indeed! There are seven books in this series and I have a feeling there could be a love triangle thrown into a storyline at some point. There was a lot of sizzle between Everly and the two men in this one!
If you like Paranormal Romance Mysteries that have a psychic twist, then check out this series! It's fun to discover a new writer who has written a ton of novels because you don't have to wait for the next one to come out.
January 15, 2012
Everly Gray has ESP fingers. Everything she touches, material items and people, gives her a glimpse of something in the past, the present or the future. She doesn't date much because her dates usually end in disaster when they touch her and she 'sees' something disturbing that turns her off.
Her best friend, Violet, is a private investigator. Violet knows about Everly's gift but not many others do. When Everly has a bad vision about herself as an old woman in a rocking chair, they go to the beach to walk it off, but someone is taking photographs. Everly decides to introduce herself to the man, and Violet asks questions about why he's photographing them. His name is Mitchell Hunt and he's just staying busy, trying to forget the memory of seeing his best friend murdered the night before.
They talk, and he asks Everly out on a date. She explains about her ESP fingers but he doesn't seem worried, although he does hire Violet to investigate the murder. He knows he is a person of interest, and he wants the real killer found. However, after their date, Everly gets a phone call about Mitch being missing.
Everly and Violet search Mitch's house and Everly gets visions of Mitch being brutalized by three men. He's alive, but she doesn't know where they took him. Fortunately, Mitch is dropped off at a hospital hours later, but Everly still can't shake the visions of the men. She convinces Violet to investigate the matter further.
Everly convinces Violet to help her break into Tony's house - the murdered friend of Mitch. Everly's gift is changing; she can see the visions without even touching anything. Her mind tears magazines and makes a collage on its own, and she can't shake the thought that diamonds are involved, even though Violet can't use that information in any shape or form.
Everly and Mitch begin a sweet romance, and between the three of them they try to uncover the real killer. But when danger comes for Everly, will her ESP fingers get her out of it, or will she die with regrets like she saw in her vision?
A TOUCH OF ICE is a suspense-filled romance that will keep you up late turning the pages. Everly and Violet make perfect partners in their sleuthing, complementing one another perfectly. The romance between Mitch and Everly is sweet and blossoms into something spicy and wonderful. The mystery twists and turns, keeping this reader thoroughly entertained, trying to figure out the clues. Romantic suspense readers won't want to miss this one!
Her best friend, Violet, is a private investigator. Violet knows about Everly's gift but not many others do. When Everly has a bad vision about herself as an old woman in a rocking chair, they go to the beach to walk it off, but someone is taking photographs. Everly decides to introduce herself to the man, and Violet asks questions about why he's photographing them. His name is Mitchell Hunt and he's just staying busy, trying to forget the memory of seeing his best friend murdered the night before.
They talk, and he asks Everly out on a date. She explains about her ESP fingers but he doesn't seem worried, although he does hire Violet to investigate the murder. He knows he is a person of interest, and he wants the real killer found. However, after their date, Everly gets a phone call about Mitch being missing.
Everly and Violet search Mitch's house and Everly gets visions of Mitch being brutalized by three men. He's alive, but she doesn't know where they took him. Fortunately, Mitch is dropped off at a hospital hours later, but Everly still can't shake the visions of the men. She convinces Violet to investigate the matter further.
Everly convinces Violet to help her break into Tony's house - the murdered friend of Mitch. Everly's gift is changing; she can see the visions without even touching anything. Her mind tears magazines and makes a collage on its own, and she can't shake the thought that diamonds are involved, even though Violet can't use that information in any shape or form.
Everly and Mitch begin a sweet romance, and between the three of them they try to uncover the real killer. But when danger comes for Everly, will her ESP fingers get her out of it, or will she die with regrets like she saw in her vision?
A TOUCH OF ICE is a suspense-filled romance that will keep you up late turning the pages. Everly and Violet make perfect partners in their sleuthing, complementing one another perfectly. The romance between Mitch and Everly is sweet and blossoms into something spicy and wonderful. The mystery twists and turns, keeping this reader thoroughly entertained, trying to figure out the clues. Romantic suspense readers won't want to miss this one!
June 25, 2013
Everly Grey, the main character, is a 20-something life coach who is able to “see” things when she touches objects or people with her fingertips. Her partner in crime, Violet, is a suburban private eye – or is she? Violet knows about Everly’s gift and loves her all the same.
Everly has a disturbing dream of an old, regret-filled woman sitting in a rocking chair, tormented by choices not made and paths not taken. She figures out it’s her in the rocking chair and she makes a conscious decision to change her life so that won’t been her end.
One day, Everly and Violet are out for a run on the beach and Everly runs into – literally – a handsome man named Mitch. She gets a flash of a dead body and, as part of her commitment to stepping outside her comfort zone, decides to do what she can to find out whodunit. Violet goes along for the ride.
At first I thought this book was an odd mishmash of romantic suspense/thriller/action dressed up in mystery clothing, but the more I read, the more the book – and Everly – grew on me. I had to suspend some disbelief over the paranormal elements, but the author weaves them into the story in a believable, conversational way.
The plot involves premonitions, talking walls, street brawls, psychic events, romance, trusting your instincts, foolhardy excursions, growing friendships and, ultimately, justice.
I enjoyed seeing Everly grown as a person, stepping from self-imposed isolation to a full and rich life peopled with good friends and a hot romance. The information about what a life coach does was interesting as well, and helped move the plot along. Plus, I like that she follows her own advice, doing the same exercises as she gives to her clients.
I’m pleased to see there are several more books in this series. I’ll be checking them all out.
Everly has a disturbing dream of an old, regret-filled woman sitting in a rocking chair, tormented by choices not made and paths not taken. She figures out it’s her in the rocking chair and she makes a conscious decision to change her life so that won’t been her end.
One day, Everly and Violet are out for a run on the beach and Everly runs into – literally – a handsome man named Mitch. She gets a flash of a dead body and, as part of her commitment to stepping outside her comfort zone, decides to do what she can to find out whodunit. Violet goes along for the ride.
At first I thought this book was an odd mishmash of romantic suspense/thriller/action dressed up in mystery clothing, but the more I read, the more the book – and Everly – grew on me. I had to suspend some disbelief over the paranormal elements, but the author weaves them into the story in a believable, conversational way.
The plot involves premonitions, talking walls, street brawls, psychic events, romance, trusting your instincts, foolhardy excursions, growing friendships and, ultimately, justice.
I enjoyed seeing Everly grown as a person, stepping from self-imposed isolation to a full and rich life peopled with good friends and a hot romance. The information about what a life coach does was interesting as well, and helped move the plot along. Plus, I like that she follows her own advice, doing the same exercises as she gives to her clients.
I’m pleased to see there are several more books in this series. I’ll be checking them all out.
December 28, 2014
Delightfully intriguing books about friendship, intrigue, romance and a little touch of ….something special. Everly Gray has been almost hiding in her home for the last 10 years. She has a little problem; she has a psychometric talent. Imagine never being able to visit a hospital for fear of accidentally touching something that has been part of a tragedy. Imagine never being able to touch someone you care about without being afraid of invading their privacy. Every person and thing she touches sends her images of recent happenings or strong emotion. Everly faces these concerns every day and has become a reclusive life coach to try to use her talent to help people. That is until one day in the middle of a coaching session she gets two images unrelated to her client, one a depressing image of her future self and the other a vision of a murder victim.
Dealing with the images sends Everly into a world of suspicion and danger. As she meets a man with the same image in his mind, Everly world turns upside down. Using her “normal” senses she soon discovers several important pieces of information: the man she is attracted to has secrets that he cannot share, the sexy doctor who cares for her in the emergency rooms is more than he seem, and the most disturbing of all, her best friend is not who she claims to be. On top of these discoveries, Everly discovers that her friend and neighbor has an undefined connection to the detective investigating the murder.
The sexual tension is hot but the sex is not graphic.
Dealing with the images sends Everly into a world of suspicion and danger. As she meets a man with the same image in his mind, Everly world turns upside down. Using her “normal” senses she soon discovers several important pieces of information: the man she is attracted to has secrets that he cannot share, the sexy doctor who cares for her in the emergency rooms is more than he seem, and the most disturbing of all, her best friend is not who she claims to be. On top of these discoveries, Everly discovers that her friend and neighbor has an undefined connection to the detective investigating the murder.
The sexual tension is hot but the sex is not graphic.
May 5, 2012
Everly Gray as the ability to see visions with her finger tips. Problem with this story is it is so convoluted through the first half of the book, the reader would give up before it straightens out. The author is trying to tell a story and give too much info all at once that gets confusing, Everly becomes part Stephanie Plum and part Eve Dallas until the last five chapters of the story.
Everly's friend and neighbor Violet has secrets, a PI who retired from being a sniper. The town's cop is her brother and the doctor with the Irish brogue is also leading two lives. Mitch Hunt, Everly's romantic interest, a photographer who works for the government friend is killed. Mitch's friend, Tony belongs to a New York mob family, when Tony turns up dead, Mitch and Everly wants to learn why. With Everly's visions, Violet's skills and a crazed man using Everly to get to Violet the chase is on to learn the truth and eliminate the crazed man. If you can put up with the confusion, its worth the read.
Everly's friend and neighbor Violet has secrets, a PI who retired from being a sniper. The town's cop is her brother and the doctor with the Irish brogue is also leading two lives. Mitch Hunt, Everly's romantic interest, a photographer who works for the government friend is killed. Mitch's friend, Tony belongs to a New York mob family, when Tony turns up dead, Mitch and Everly wants to learn why. With Everly's visions, Violet's skills and a crazed man using Everly to get to Violet the chase is on to learn the truth and eliminate the crazed man. If you can put up with the confusion, its worth the read.
May 24, 2015
I knew that L. J. Charles was from the South the first time I saw the word "Damn" used like it was an entire sentence. You see, down here we have the gift of emphasis bred into our very bones from our Mamas and our GrandMamas. They used that word a lot when they stared at us through the glass door standing there with a policeman. Damn. Another hint was the total irreverance of the humor. Thank you for getting that humor into writing. We are all in a better place for it.
Her novel, A Touch of Ice, is a book about a very unusual topic. Her character can see images of the past, present and future with her touch. As you can imagine, it does not exactly do wonders for her in a police station or a public toilet. In this novel, she uses it for good to try to help find the murderer of the guy currently finding himself dangling from those famous magic fingers of hers. It got a little confusing with her best buddy had three separate names, all actually a fact, but if you could keep up with that, you have the whole South thing down and you can figure the rest out for yourself.
Her novel, A Touch of Ice, is a book about a very unusual topic. Her character can see images of the past, present and future with her touch. As you can imagine, it does not exactly do wonders for her in a police station or a public toilet. In this novel, she uses it for good to try to help find the murderer of the guy currently finding himself dangling from those famous magic fingers of hers. It got a little confusing with her best buddy had three separate names, all actually a fact, but if you could keep up with that, you have the whole South thing down and you can figure the rest out for yourself.
June 24, 2013
I have ready the sample of this book so many times, I actually thought I read to book. I purchased the box set for my nook on sale because I needed a long read for a road trip.
After I realized I had not read them, I was HOOKED!!! I love all of the characters in this read. El is the main character and cannot control her curiosity. She has a magic "touch" that allows her to see the actions of others when she touches them with her fingertips. In this book she helps find a killer and almost becomes a victim because she can't control her impulses to touch. Her supporting characters are awesome and there is enough suspense to keep you wanting to finish just to see what happens at the end
You really need to read these if you like refreshing reads about romance, mystery, crime and supernatural (to an extent).
Enjoy!
After I realized I had not read them, I was HOOKED!!! I love all of the characters in this read. El is the main character and cannot control her curiosity. She has a magic "touch" that allows her to see the actions of others when she touches them with her fingertips. In this book she helps find a killer and almost becomes a victim because she can't control her impulses to touch. Her supporting characters are awesome and there is enough suspense to keep you wanting to finish just to see what happens at the end
You really need to read these if you like refreshing reads about romance, mystery, crime and supernatural (to an extent).
Enjoy!
July 19, 2013
Nurse... please record the time of death at 21%. The patient did not survive this train wreck even though I did CPR for a good while. ~Dr. Reader
This story has me conflicted. I like the idea of the heroine getting images from touching things, but the way the author tells the story makes it irritatingly unbelievable. The four characters introduced in the first 1/5th of the book say and do things that don't make any realistic sense. If these were real people in my life, I'm pretty sure I'd be staring at them with a "Whaaaa?" look all the time. Or rolling my eyes behind their backs. I would really like to read the story (especially since I bought the next two books, too) but the author's inability to direct her characters with a smooth and realistic human nature have made that too distracting to continue.
This story has me conflicted. I like the idea of the heroine getting images from touching things, but the way the author tells the story makes it irritatingly unbelievable. The four characters introduced in the first 1/5th of the book say and do things that don't make any realistic sense. If these were real people in my life, I'm pretty sure I'd be staring at them with a "Whaaaa?" look all the time. Or rolling my eyes behind their backs. I would really like to read the story (especially since I bought the next two books, too) but the author's inability to direct her characters with a smooth and realistic human nature have made that too distracting to continue.
May 22, 2015
I really wish I could give this book 0 stars. The writing was all over the place and extremely difficult to follow. No flow whatsoever. Nor character development. The author would veer off on random plot lines, like she was just throwing random thoughts out, but they never materialized into anything. The narrator/antagonist was just annoying. Damsel in distress with zero confidence in herself, looking to others for support, and just awkward. She honestly just sounded like an idiot most of the time. The fact that it took over a month for me to read a 280-page book tells me a lot. I just never wanted to pick it back up. I'm thinking the only reason I finished the book is because I must be a glutton for punishment. The thing is, there was POTENTIAL for the story to develop, but it never did. Sad. And beyond a waste of time.
December 30, 2016
Another gem I found on Kobo while looking for some new reads to take on vacation. This did not disappoint and I am already in the middle of book 2.
It took me awhile to get used to the authors style of writing. Once I found the grove, I was able to get right into and I am falling in love with Everly. She is a fun character who is just a magnet for trouble. The cast of characters for this book are wonderful and I am waiting to see what happens to them in the rest of the series. I hope that Mitch & Everly can make it through the long haul, but I also have a soft spot for the bad guys :)
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this and would easily recommend it to anyone looking for a good read. Lots of action, love, funny characters/moments, and just a great story once you can get used to the authors style of writing.
Loved it
It took me awhile to get used to the authors style of writing. Once I found the grove, I was able to get right into and I am falling in love with Everly. She is a fun character who is just a magnet for trouble. The cast of characters for this book are wonderful and I am waiting to see what happens to them in the rest of the series. I hope that Mitch & Everly can make it through the long haul, but I also have a soft spot for the bad guys :)
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this and would easily recommend it to anyone looking for a good read. Lots of action, love, funny characters/moments, and just a great story once you can get used to the authors style of writing.
Loved it
June 21, 2014
Interesting book. Nice premise with her "magic fingers." My only criticism is the opposite of what I would normally say. I often sigh in frustration at books that are written from what is called "deep point of view." In other words, you get every thought, every quivering, every anxiety that ever enters the characters mind. IMO, most of those books go overboard in helping you understand the inner workings of the main character. This book tries to do that but I don't know, it was missing something. It almost felt like Dashiell Hammett trying to do deep point of view. It was perfunctory and rather factual, short on the emotions? There just wasn't enough background I guess to support it? Something was off, hard to put my finger on it, but still worth the read.
October 3, 2016
I am giving this one star for the concept and one for the story.
The writing itself was horrible, to put it nicely. I think what bugged me most was that the writing was so disjointed. This was especially troubling in the beginning of the book when, as a reader, I was trying to connect with the characters. In fact, I was so distracted and put off by the writing that instead of making a meaningful connection and becoming engrossed in the story, I found myself wondering whether I should keep reading.
All of that being stated, the writing did improve in the middle of the book -- but it fell off again towards the end.
Overall this is not a book I would recommend for readers who aren't very patient, or very forgiving.
The writing itself was horrible, to put it nicely. I think what bugged me most was that the writing was so disjointed. This was especially troubling in the beginning of the book when, as a reader, I was trying to connect with the characters. In fact, I was so distracted and put off by the writing that instead of making a meaningful connection and becoming engrossed in the story, I found myself wondering whether I should keep reading.
All of that being stated, the writing did improve in the middle of the book -- but it fell off again towards the end.
Overall this is not a book I would recommend for readers who aren't very patient, or very forgiving.
February 29, 2016
I really liked all the characters they are interesting and have enough of a unexplored back story to make me want to read more, but weren't so mysterious as to make me feel disconnected. The story itself was interesting and the touch thing El has is different enough that I didn't feel like I was reading the same plot I have read a million times before.
I kind of hate the whole maybe love triangle thing. I don't know why but it reminded me of the Stephanie Plum/Joe/Ranger thing which I found exhausting about 16 books in, so it might just be general leeriness. Definitely will be reading the next book, but I hope that it doesn't become a constant annoying secondary theme.
I kind of hate the whole maybe love triangle thing. I don't know why but it reminded me of the Stephanie Plum/Joe/Ranger thing which I found exhausting about 16 books in, so it might just be general leeriness. Definitely will be reading the next book, but I hope that it doesn't become a constant annoying secondary theme.
June 2, 2015
I got the eBook version for free on Amazon, so I decided to give it a try.
This book felt like it kept going and going and going. And then it was suddenly over. It kept my interest, for the most part. The story was interesting enough, but there were a few sections that just dragged on and pulled me out of the story for a bit.
Another thing that pulled me out of the story was the editing mistakes. I'm not sure if the book was even edited at all. There were many typos and grammatical errors that really bothered me.
The premise of the book is pretty rad, though. I just wish it had been edited properly. I don't think I'll be purchasing the second book in this series.
This book felt like it kept going and going and going. And then it was suddenly over. It kept my interest, for the most part. The story was interesting enough, but there were a few sections that just dragged on and pulled me out of the story for a bit.
Another thing that pulled me out of the story was the editing mistakes. I'm not sure if the book was even edited at all. There were many typos and grammatical errors that really bothered me.
The premise of the book is pretty rad, though. I just wish it had been edited properly. I don't think I'll be purchasing the second book in this series.
March 19, 2012
LOVE LOVE LOVED it!! A true gem, I picked this book up as a .99 cent special and I am THRILLED I did. Everly is an awesome lovable character. Her friend Violet, an "innocent" PI is a great supporting character. See, Everly has this "hinky" touch thing, every time she touches things with her finger tips she "sees" into people's lives, mostly the past. She is a counselor (daytime profession) but other than that she stays at home where those hinky fingers can't get into trouble. Until one day....
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