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J.J. Graves Mystery #4
Çıplak ve Karanlık
Bir yangın tüm sırları yok edebilir, ama kanıtlar daima küllerin altındadır...
Jaye ve Jack'in düğünlerine üç gün kala kasabada büyük bir yangın çıkar. Şehrin üç önemli ailesinin hayatını sonsuza dek değiştiren ve karanlık sırlarla dolu bu olayı aydınlatmak da Jaye ve Jack'e düşer. Düğün arifesinde yanmış beş ceset ve çözülmeyi bekleyen bir gizemin ortasında kalan ikili, her şeyi yoluna sokarak sağ salim dünya evine girmeyi başarabilecek midir?
"Jaye yine bazı önemli kararlar almak, babasının geçmişiyle başa çıkmak ve evlenmek zorunda. Heyecanlı, aşkla örülü, soluk soluğa bir macera."
-Booklist-
"Sonunu asla tahmin edemeyeceğiniz, sürprizlerle dolu, muhteşem bir roman."
-Book Addict-
"Liliana Hart yine baştan çıkartıcı, sırlarla dolu, nefes kesen, dopdolu bir hikâyeye imza atıyor."
-Goodreads-
Jaye ve Jack'in düğünlerine üç gün kala kasabada büyük bir yangın çıkar. Şehrin üç önemli ailesinin hayatını sonsuza dek değiştiren ve karanlık sırlarla dolu bu olayı aydınlatmak da Jaye ve Jack'e düşer. Düğün arifesinde yanmış beş ceset ve çözülmeyi bekleyen bir gizemin ortasında kalan ikili, her şeyi yoluna sokarak sağ salim dünya evine girmeyi başarabilecek midir?
"Jaye yine bazı önemli kararlar almak, babasının geçmişiyle başa çıkmak ve evlenmek zorunda. Heyecanlı, aşkla örülü, soluk soluğa bir macera."
-Booklist-
"Sonunu asla tahmin edemeyeceğiniz, sürprizlerle dolu, muhteşem bir roman."
-Book Addict-
"Liliana Hart yine baştan çıkartıcı, sırlarla dolu, nefes kesen, dopdolu bir hikâyeye imza atıyor."
-Goodreads-
208 pages, Paperback
First published December 2, 2014
605 people are currently reading
1429 people want to read
About the author
Liliana Hart
207 books3,307 followersLiliana Hart spent five years teaching music in the public education system. She molded America’s youth, busted kids for smoking pot in the restrooms, and broke up illicit affairs behind the stage on a regular basis. (Liliana’s Addison Holmes Mystery Series, about a small town teacher who gets into a whole lot of trouble, is somewhat autobiographical, but she won’t confess to which parts).
Liliana began reading romance novels with all her new found free time, and when she ran out of things to read, she decided to write her own novels. The result was a 150,000 word thriller—a dazzling adventure—where the heroine was a thirty-year-old virgin assassin (Yes, you read that right). She couldn’t imagine why people weren’t knocking down her door to read it, but she persevered and began writing a second book. She finally got the hang of things, and eventually learned that losing one’s virginity wasn’t all that romantic after all. All of her books involve some kind of suspense (she just can't help herself), laughter, and a lot of steamy sex.
Since the failure of her first attempt, Liliana’s books have won awards such as: The Daphne Du Maurier, The Suzannah, The Linda Howard Award of Excellence, The Maggie, and many others. Her affiliations include Romance Writers of America and Mystery Writers of America.
Liliana loves to cook, and is addicted to reading, Internet Boggle, kickboxing, and Bones. She lives in a big, rambling house in Texas with a couple of cats to keep her company. She loves to get emails from readers.
Enjoy the Adventures!
Liliana began reading romance novels with all her new found free time, and when she ran out of things to read, she decided to write her own novels. The result was a 150,000 word thriller—a dazzling adventure—where the heroine was a thirty-year-old virgin assassin (Yes, you read that right). She couldn’t imagine why people weren’t knocking down her door to read it, but she persevered and began writing a second book. She finally got the hang of things, and eventually learned that losing one’s virginity wasn’t all that romantic after all. All of her books involve some kind of suspense (she just can't help herself), laughter, and a lot of steamy sex.
Since the failure of her first attempt, Liliana’s books have won awards such as: The Daphne Du Maurier, The Suzannah, The Linda Howard Award of Excellence, The Maggie, and many others. Her affiliations include Romance Writers of America and Mystery Writers of America.
Liliana loves to cook, and is addicted to reading, Internet Boggle, kickboxing, and Bones. She lives in a big, rambling house in Texas with a couple of cats to keep her company. She loves to get emails from readers.
Enjoy the Adventures!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 234 reviews
January 6, 2015
I used to be a mystery & thriller kind of girl. Suspense, detective stories, police procedurals, crime, forensics, legal thrillers, medical thrillers, political thrillers… They were all I used to read. Then one day I realized they were all the same. Easily read and easily forgotten. I'd had enough and gave up on the genre for years.
I downloaded the first instalment in this series from Amazon because it was free and the blurb wasn't too bad.The book was surprisingly enjoyable even though it involved some romance (which I hadn't realized before I started reading the book). The next two instalments were just as entertaining and I was looking forward to reading book 4.
Unfortunately it didn't leave up to my expectations. This was desperately pink & fluffy compared to the first books in the series. Not that they were particularly gruesome but there was a dark element to them that balanced the romance aspect of the story nicely. J.J. used to be a complex character with an interesting background. Now, what with her relationship with Jack and the pending wedding, it's mostly bunnies & rainbows. There is that thing about Jack's PTSD which I guess was supposed to add a little drama to the story but it was badly handled and felt forced.
There is a murder investigation but it is of very little interest. The worst thing is, I read this about ten days ago but can't remember a thing about the plot. I have no clue what it was about. I went back and read the blurb but it didn't help:/ That's just how light the mystery part of the book is. Or maybe it's just me developing early Alzheimer's.
Gone is the sub-plot about J.J.'s parents and their scam. Her dad appears briefly and the encrypted USB flash drive (from book 3) is mentioned once or twice but that's it. This sub plot was what made this series interesting and without it the book has little appeal.
Worse, Down and Dirty reads more like chick-lit than mystery. Half of the book (if not more) is about J.J. & Jack's wedding. There are some entertaining scenes and funny dialogues but I didn't pick up this book to read about wedding planning. I actually feel sorry for the readers who were looking forward to the wedding itself because there was very little about it (about half a page I think). The freaking wedding is the main focus of the book but then poof! Nothing. Good thing I wasn't reading this for the romance aspect of the story!
Let's look at it on the bright side: this is one series I'll no longer have to worry about. Bye bye J.J. Graves, it was fun while it lasted!
I downloaded the first instalment in this series from Amazon because it was free and the blurb wasn't too bad.The book was surprisingly enjoyable even though it involved some romance (which I hadn't realized before I started reading the book). The next two instalments were just as entertaining and I was looking forward to reading book 4.
Unfortunately it didn't leave up to my expectations. This was desperately pink & fluffy compared to the first books in the series. Not that they were particularly gruesome but there was a dark element to them that balanced the romance aspect of the story nicely. J.J. used to be a complex character with an interesting background. Now, what with her relationship with Jack and the pending wedding, it's mostly bunnies & rainbows. There is that thing about Jack's PTSD which I guess was supposed to add a little drama to the story but it was badly handled and felt forced.
There is a murder investigation but it is of very little interest. The worst thing is, I read this about ten days ago but can't remember a thing about the plot. I have no clue what it was about. I went back and read the blurb but it didn't help:/ That's just how light the mystery part of the book is. Or maybe it's just me developing early Alzheimer's.
Gone is the sub-plot about J.J.'s parents and their scam. Her dad appears briefly and the encrypted USB flash drive (from book 3) is mentioned once or twice but that's it. This sub plot was what made this series interesting and without it the book has little appeal.
Worse, Down and Dirty reads more like chick-lit than mystery. Half of the book (if not more) is about J.J. & Jack's wedding. There are some entertaining scenes and funny dialogues but I didn't pick up this book to read about wedding planning. I actually feel sorry for the readers who were looking forward to the wedding itself because there was very little about it (about half a page I think). The freaking wedding is the main focus of the book but then poof! Nothing. Good thing I wasn't reading this for the romance aspect of the story!
Let's look at it on the bright side: this is one series I'll no longer have to worry about. Bye bye J.J. Graves, it was fun while it lasted!
July 27, 2017
It’s just a few days before Jaye and Jack are to tie the knot and of course there would be a murder to make things more difficult and a house fire with five corpses makes things very difficult for them. Can they find the culprit before they are to say their vows and will Jaye’s father make another appearance to make things even more difficult.
It’s no secret that I love this series. But I must say this book was a bit of a disappointment.
Let’s start with the good stuff:
✏Jaye is such a fun heroine, I just love her dry wit and sarcasm and how tough she is and as always she was awesome in this book.
✏We get an ex from Jaye’s past which made me very happy since we met the witch ex of Jake in the last book. Of course Jaye’s ex would be such a nice guy and I loved that he didn’t cause any drama for them. It also helped seeing things from Jaye’s POV and her reaction which gave me some perspective on the way Jack handled seeing his ex before.
✏The sweet and romantic moments between Jaye and Jack. They are really cute together sometimes, even if it’s a bit cheesy at times ;-)
✏There there’s the humor and banter between the cops and I also enjoyed Carver, Jack’s FBI friend who is hilarious.
Now on to the things I didn’t enjoy:
✏Jack’s sudden PSTD making an appearance. That just came out of nowhere, the way he suddenly treated Jaye like crap, shutting her out and I thought the entire thing was badly handled.
✏There really wasn’t any new clues given about her father and what he’s involved in, which annoyed me because after four books I would have wanted to know a lot more. There are way too many secrets on not enough attention given to this.
✏I guessed who the killer was early on in the book, which is new for me in this series because so far all my guesses had been wrong. On the one hand I’m very happy I figured it out, but on the other hand I’ve come to expect being wrong and I felt a little let down.
So while this instalment wasn’t great like the ones before it also wasn’t bad either. I really love this series so I hope there will be more books and that we will finally get to find out all the truths regarding Jaye’s father.
June 25, 2020
3.5 'rounded up because of the epilogue' stars
Own in The J.J. Graves Mysteries Box Set 2: A J.J. Graves Mystery
The case in this book was not as intriguing as the previous books. What saved it for me is the epilogue . Side characters are good and intriguing - we should be seeing more of them in future books.
Own in The J.J. Graves Mysteries Box Set 2: A J.J. Graves Mystery
The case in this book was not as intriguing as the previous books. What saved it for me is the epilogue . Side characters are good and intriguing - we should be seeing more of them in future books.
December 14, 2014
First, I LOVE a this author and the series. HOWEVER, though this seemed to be another great addition to the series in the beginning, its tidy, all too quick ending had was completely disappointing. It truly felt like she had a deadline to meet and said...okay, let's wrap it up. I'm hoping we aren't going to see this continue.
November 8, 2018
Ya ben bu kadının kitaplarına nereden bulaştım bilmiyorum. Bu son iki kitabı da rafa koymuşum okudum diye ama okumamışım. Nereden anladın derseniz kendiliğinden ayraçlı kitapların ayracını okumadan yırtmıyorum. Bir baktım ayraçlar duruyor. Anaaa dedim okumamışım. Bu kitabı okudum hemen.
Jack ve Jaye klasik bir çift. Jaye kasaba adli tabibi. Jack kasaba şerifi. Beraber suçları çözüyorlar. En yakın arkadaşlar ama bu kitapta aşkları ortaya çıkmış evlilik hazırlıkları yapıyorlar. Bu kadının kitaplarında hep abartılı cinsellik var neden böyle bilmiyorum.
Sonuç itibariyle hemen okudum. Yazarın ters köşesi çok barizdi. Kitabın sonunda come on dedim kendi kendime 😣
Genel olarak ortalamanın altında, kolay okunan, pek de bir şey katmayan bir kitaptı.
Jack ve Jaye klasik bir çift. Jaye kasaba adli tabibi. Jack kasaba şerifi. Beraber suçları çözüyorlar. En yakın arkadaşlar ama bu kitapta aşkları ortaya çıkmış evlilik hazırlıkları yapıyorlar. Bu kadının kitaplarında hep abartılı cinsellik var neden böyle bilmiyorum.
Sonuç itibariyle hemen okudum. Yazarın ters köşesi çok barizdi. Kitabın sonunda come on dedim kendi kendime 😣
Genel olarak ortalamanın altında, kolay okunan, pek de bir şey katmayan bir kitaptı.
May 16, 2017
Bu serinin olayların sonuyla ilgili sorunu var resmen 😑😑 4 kitaptır bu kadar olhdu bittiye getirilmez... katilde cok kolaydi hic surpriz yoktu ve açıkta kalan çok olaylar da var.. Neyse bi tane novella var inşallah çevirilir kısa sürede..
January 9, 2018
3.5/5.0
Although I, once again, thoroughly enjoyed this installment in the J.J. Graves series, there were just a few things that kept it from maintaining the love I’ve had for the three previous books. First, however, the good part. I LOVE that this series focuses on a couple who are happily in love and working together to make sure their relationship lasts forever. What an awesome - and rarely used - plot device. So often authors feel the need for tons of angst and heart-break, problems and drama. J.J. and Jack’s relationship has settled into a very loving and growing thing. This isn’t a downside but a HUGE positive, mainly because Ms. Hart does such an exceptional job of portraying it as real.
Now, the downside: I didn’t get the whole PTSD thing at all. It came out of nowhere, wasn’t explained well and popped in and out of the storyline so fast that it left me wondering what the heck - did I miss something? Nope, it just wasn’t there.
The villain in this one was also confusing. I guessed who it was pretty soon (unlike all the previous books). But the whole reveal was weird and quickly wrapped up. No real depth, just a quick resolution and explanation. Hmmm, just didn’t make a lot of sense because we weren’t able to explore any depth.
And one last small thing - the whole thing with J.J.s dad needs more development. It continues to be left dangling without any significant progress - teaser after teaser. Either push it forward or wrap it up, already!
Still, I can’t seem to put this series down and am off to the next!
Although I, once again, thoroughly enjoyed this installment in the J.J. Graves series, there were just a few things that kept it from maintaining the love I’ve had for the three previous books. First, however, the good part. I LOVE that this series focuses on a couple who are happily in love and working together to make sure their relationship lasts forever. What an awesome - and rarely used - plot device. So often authors feel the need for tons of angst and heart-break, problems and drama. J.J. and Jack’s relationship has settled into a very loving and growing thing. This isn’t a downside but a HUGE positive, mainly because Ms. Hart does such an exceptional job of portraying it as real.
Now, the downside: I didn’t get the whole PTSD thing at all. It came out of nowhere, wasn’t explained well and popped in and out of the storyline so fast that it left me wondering what the heck - did I miss something? Nope, it just wasn’t there.
The villain in this one was also confusing. I guessed who it was pretty soon (unlike all the previous books). But the whole reveal was weird and quickly wrapped up. No real depth, just a quick resolution and explanation. Hmmm, just didn’t make a lot of sense because we weren’t able to explore any depth.
And one last small thing - the whole thing with J.J.s dad needs more development. It continues to be left dangling without any significant progress - teaser after teaser. Either push it forward or wrap it up, already!
Still, I can’t seem to put this series down and am off to the next!
January 7, 2015
Ok...let me start by saying that I love this series. I love these characters. WTF? This is not five stars and doesn't make my favorite list for a couple of reasons. Jaye and Jack were off in this. They started out great, and the discussion of someone from Jaye's past was good stuff. However, Jack's PTSD came out of nowhere, and there really wasn't time to for Jaye to absorb it and them to handle it. Maybe that was the point? Also, the case...really, really quick wrap for a complex case with a lot of bodies. I actually had to go back and re-read the 'catching of the bad guy' because I almost missed it! Geez;) Things I liked: The series is going to continue:) We have lots of loose ends to wrap with Jaye's dad and lots of potential for this crime fighting couple. It's rare for a writer to be able to maintain the hotness of the lead couple after they commit. I think that Hart's been able to do that with Jaye and Jack since they've gotten together. I hope she can do as well after the "I do's" as she's done in the last 3 books. Their relationship is fascinating!
Side-note and nothing to do with the actual book. This blurb is off. It totally doesn't match the book.
Side-note and nothing to do with the actual book. This blurb is off. It totally doesn't match the book.
March 13, 2016
I just picked this book up by chance, as I don't normally like to delve into a series part of the way through, and this was book 4 in the JJ Graves series. It began well, it was well written, the characters were well thought out, but for something purporting to be a mystery it seemed to fall well short. There was a major house fire, resulting in five deaths, and halfway through I had worked out who the culprit was, though not the reasons behind it all.
Several issues sprouted up, and then disappeared just as quickly. It all felt a bit rushed and haphazard, and the conclusion was almost glossed over. Had I read the preceding books in the series, then this might have made more sense. The only problem being, is there a chance that they are of a similar standard, and would they leave me with more questions than answers?
Second time reading this and it did make more sense this time around. The ending still felt slightly hurried though, almost as if the writer had a deadline to meet. So once again it is beneficial to read the series in the correct order.
Several issues sprouted up, and then disappeared just as quickly. It all felt a bit rushed and haphazard, and the conclusion was almost glossed over. Had I read the preceding books in the series, then this might have made more sense. The only problem being, is there a chance that they are of a similar standard, and would they leave me with more questions than answers?
Second time reading this and it did make more sense this time around. The ending still felt slightly hurried though, almost as if the writer had a deadline to meet. So once again it is beneficial to read the series in the correct order.
July 31, 2015
Bu serinin 5.Kitabi gelecek..Babası ile ilgili konu açık kaldı..
September 26, 2015
My Review:
Overall.... 4.0
Performance... 4.5
Story.... 3.5
I've enjoyed all of this series on audiobook because Laura Faye Smith does an incredible job with J.J. and Jack. I love both these characters and what they each bring to the table in their romantic relationship and their working relationship.
But this book had a few issues...
Note: the cover and story description on this book is TOTALLY wrong. Yes, J.J. and Jack are on the cusp of their wedding, but nothing about the corpse on the cover or the body in the rose garden in the description is right. It's like Liliana Hart wrote an entirely different book, scrapped it, and then rushed to come up with this version. Really odd.
While I thought the suspense was well-done overall (I knew where it was leading for who did it, but couldn't figure out how all the details fit together), it needed more at the end. I had to stop listening to the audio with 15 minutes left and was sure the audiobook wasn't going to be complete (I've had that happen once before) because there was no way to wrap everything up in that amount of time. It was wrapped up, but it wasn't done to the level that I've come to expect from Liliana Hart's novels.
There was a black moment in the novel that seemed to be just thrown in there because that's the way you're supposed to write a book...that's the formula. But it was completely out of the blue, didn't even make sense, and then was resolved with hardly any effort. WTF?
Despite all of these issues, I did still enjoy listening to this audiobook. Like I said before, Laura Faye Smith does brilliant narration. There were sweet moments between J.J. and several of the characters and watching her struggle to balance her job and her prep for the wedding was entertaining as always.
But I understand this is supposed to be the final main book in the series. What about J.J.'s father? What was on those flash drives? There's some discussion of that between her and Ben, but it's not complete. Matilda got fried in the crash....were the flash drives fried too? That tiny epilogue for the wedding...I needed MORE. :( I'm just sad that it feels like Liliana Hart rushed this one to publish when it wasn't quite ready yet....especially if it's the final book.
Overall.... 4.0
Performance... 4.5
Story.... 3.5
I've enjoyed all of this series on audiobook because Laura Faye Smith does an incredible job with J.J. and Jack. I love both these characters and what they each bring to the table in their romantic relationship and their working relationship.
But this book had a few issues...
Note: the cover and story description on this book is TOTALLY wrong. Yes, J.J. and Jack are on the cusp of their wedding, but nothing about the corpse on the cover or the body in the rose garden in the description is right. It's like Liliana Hart wrote an entirely different book, scrapped it, and then rushed to come up with this version. Really odd.
While I thought the suspense was well-done overall (I knew where it was leading for who did it, but couldn't figure out how all the details fit together), it needed more at the end. I had to stop listening to the audio with 15 minutes left and was sure the audiobook wasn't going to be complete (I've had that happen once before) because there was no way to wrap everything up in that amount of time. It was wrapped up, but it wasn't done to the level that I've come to expect from Liliana Hart's novels.
There was a black moment in the novel that seemed to be just thrown in there because that's the way you're supposed to write a book...that's the formula. But it was completely out of the blue, didn't even make sense, and then was resolved with hardly any effort. WTF?
Despite all of these issues, I did still enjoy listening to this audiobook. Like I said before, Laura Faye Smith does brilliant narration. There were sweet moments between J.J. and several of the characters and watching her struggle to balance her job and her prep for the wedding was entertaining as always.
But I understand this is supposed to be the final main book in the series. What about J.J.'s father? What was on those flash drives? There's some discussion of that between her and Ben, but it's not complete. Matilda got fried in the crash....were the flash drives fried too? That tiny epilogue for the wedding...I needed MORE. :( I'm just sad that it feels like Liliana Hart rushed this one to publish when it wasn't quite ready yet....especially if it's the final book.
February 17, 2015
A house has burned down and with it an entire family is gone. Is it murder or an accident? That is what J.J Graves and Jack have to find out with only a couple of days before their wedding. A wedding J.J. isn't so excited about. Being married to Jack is all she wants but the wedding has her panicked so she leaves the "fluff" and arrangements to her friend and her future mother in law, true J.J. style.
J.J. Graves back story flavors every part of these books and you watch as she struggles to overcome everything thrown at her with the help of her best friend and now lover Jack. Jack is the one that has always had J.J.'s back and has loved her unconditionally, but Jack faces his own demons.
These characters are just great and so are all the supporting characters! At points I found myself laughing out loud, yes people say that but it truly happens, just watch!
Thank you Liliana for another great story!
J.J. Graves back story flavors every part of these books and you watch as she struggles to overcome everything thrown at her with the help of her best friend and now lover Jack. Jack is the one that has always had J.J.'s back and has loved her unconditionally, but Jack faces his own demons.
These characters are just great and so are all the supporting characters! At points I found myself laughing out loud, yes people say that but it truly happens, just watch!
Thank you Liliana for another great story!
December 5, 2014
It is so nice that J.J. and Jack are getting married, but once again dead bodies interfere with their romance. It is like these two can never catch a break.
This plot started out well, but all the sudden the book ended. I was not ready for the ending, as I was just starting to form my opinion on who did it. I really felt the ending was rushed and anti-climactic.
If there was an award for the Best Book Supporting Role, he would have to go to
Agent Carver. He is the best, with his one liners, strange relationship with his computer, and I just love how he talks about his wife! Rating 3.25.
This plot started out well, but all the sudden the book ended. I was not ready for the ending, as I was just starting to form my opinion on who did it. I really felt the ending was rushed and anti-climactic.
If there was an award for the Best Book Supporting Role, he would have to go to
Agent Carver. He is the best, with his one liners, strange relationship with his computer, and I just love how he talks about his wife! Rating 3.25.
December 9, 2014
I know this says it's a 400 page book but it read more like 200 pages. It was so quick, but it was also really really lacking. It was too rushed, and while enjoyable, just wasn't enough, ESPECIALLY the end, with both the big reveal of whodunnit and the wedding. A tad disappointing.
November 20, 2019
3.50 / 4 Stars
Not my favorite of the books so far. Still like the companionship and banter between J.J. and Jack. I still adore Ben's character! I'll be pissed if anything ever happens to him.
This story revolves around a fire that kills 5 people, 3 being teenagers. The house is burned down, but it's left more clues than the arsonist realizes. Lots of twists and turns before you find out why this all happened.
Although we know Jack has issues with what he's done in the past and who he's become. I didn't see the PTSD issue coming. Ben has told J.J. to be patient with Jack because there's more to him then what she knows. She remembers the young man, and since starting up their current relationship, a lot has happened to him in-between. If he truly has PTSD it felt like it was glossed over.
Ending happened quickly, felt rushed. However, I enjoyed the story over all....so bumped it to 4 Stars.
Not my favorite of the books so far. Still like the companionship and banter between J.J. and Jack. I still adore Ben's character! I'll be pissed if anything ever happens to him.
This story revolves around a fire that kills 5 people, 3 being teenagers. The house is burned down, but it's left more clues than the arsonist realizes. Lots of twists and turns before you find out why this all happened.
Although we know Jack has issues with what he's done in the past and who he's become. I didn't see the PTSD issue coming. Ben has told J.J. to be patient with Jack because there's more to him then what she knows. She remembers the young man, and since starting up their current relationship, a lot has happened to him in-between. If he truly has PTSD it felt like it was glossed over.
Ending happened quickly, felt rushed. However, I enjoyed the story over all....so bumped it to 4 Stars.
March 1, 2023
I agree with the others that this wasn’t the most intriguing in the series, but the epilogue made up for it
November 3, 2023
A fun read in the series.
September 28, 2021
Characters and dialogue still good but I did not understand the reason for the murders and that part was not explained to my satisfaction
March 23, 2019
Seemed a bit rush
I loved the continuation of Jack’s and JJ’s love story. The murder mystery and subsequent solve of it seemed a bit rushed.
I loved the continuation of Jack’s and JJ’s love story. The murder mystery and subsequent solve of it seemed a bit rushed.
December 31, 2014
Good story told too quickly.
An interesting story and Hart is always good, but this felt rushed. The denouement was ungainly and overly simplistic. There were issues raised, closed over, and left laying. I had looked forward to Jack and JJ's wedding and we got none of it.
Hart is better than this, but seems to have joined many other authors of late in publishing a book to satisfy fan demand more than tell a story. The writing is still good and the characters are true to themselves, but the story just isn't up to her usual stuff.
If you don't have a full story to tell, wait until you do. Putting out a book just to keep people reading or to satisfy folks who don't want to wait, is never a good idea.
Hart does a good job here, as usual, but overall, it just wasn't her usual quality.Readable, enjoyable, but underdone.
An interesting story and Hart is always good, but this felt rushed. The denouement was ungainly and overly simplistic. There were issues raised, closed over, and left laying. I had looked forward to Jack and JJ's wedding and we got none of it.
Hart is better than this, but seems to have joined many other authors of late in publishing a book to satisfy fan demand more than tell a story. The writing is still good and the characters are true to themselves, but the story just isn't up to her usual stuff.
If you don't have a full story to tell, wait until you do. Putting out a book just to keep people reading or to satisfy folks who don't want to wait, is never a good idea.
Hart does a good job here, as usual, but overall, it just wasn't her usual quality.Readable, enjoyable, but underdone.
December 15, 2014
Love JJ and Jack
Although I love the characters in this book, this one seemed a bit more shallow to me than the others. The PTSD sort of came out of nowhere and then got tucked away as quickly as it appeared. Of course I am thrilled that there's a wedding but after everything it seemed a bit of a letdown. Maybe I've just forgotten that these stories are just a little less intense and a bit more fun than some of my reads lately. In any event the dialogue is perfection as usual and I simply love Jack more than I can say. I sort of hope the next one is a wrapper on this series and that it delves deeply into the father and into their relationship a bit more. Details, I need details!
Although I love the characters in this book, this one seemed a bit more shallow to me than the others. The PTSD sort of came out of nowhere and then got tucked away as quickly as it appeared. Of course I am thrilled that there's a wedding but after everything it seemed a bit of a letdown. Maybe I've just forgotten that these stories are just a little less intense and a bit more fun than some of my reads lately. In any event the dialogue is perfection as usual and I simply love Jack more than I can say. I sort of hope the next one is a wrapper on this series and that it delves deeply into the father and into their relationship a bit more. Details, I need details!
December 15, 2014
Down and Dirty was a like for me, but it wasn't a love. I do love the author, but not sure what is up with her book 4's of late especially with my favorite series of hers? Both this book 4 and her book 4 of the Addison Holmes series felt rushed and short. I don't EVER think an author should rush or cut a book short because it can send the wrong message to us readers.
The book needed more substance especially at the end. I can say for sure though that JJ Graves had the most unromantic wedding of the century. I can also say that JJ Graves is the only bride that didn't care how she looked going down the isle, shameless. But I do still love JJ Graves.
The book needed more substance especially at the end. I can say for sure though that JJ Graves had the most unromantic wedding of the century. I can also say that JJ Graves is the only bride that didn't care how she looked going down the isle, shameless. But I do still love JJ Graves.
December 16, 2014
I love Liliana and this series but I was a bit disappointed to be honest. It felt a bit rushed and there wasn't as much development of the plot as there has been previously. The book was short compared to the others and we learned next to nothing about what is going on with her father, the flash drives etc.
I also wanted more detail on the wedding. I wanted to be there and experience some of the day, and while it was a nice passage that she wrote about it, I didn't feel like I was there.
I hope the next book answers questions and feels less rushed.
All of that being said, I still love the characters and writing style. I was just expecting a bit more.
I also wanted more detail on the wedding. I wanted to be there and experience some of the day, and while it was a nice passage that she wrote about it, I didn't feel like I was there.
I hope the next book answers questions and feels less rushed.
All of that being said, I still love the characters and writing style. I was just expecting a bit more.
December 23, 2014
3.5 stars
I feel the same way as everyone else; the ending was cut way too short. It felt like someone told the author "Hurry up, we have to go" and she quickly finished the book at the 75% mark. I felt cheated. I love JJ and Jack and the storyline was interesting. I just really wish that the author put a bit more work in to the ending and dragged it out. Because it was an exciting ending, if it wasn't so rushed. That epilogue was just annoying. Also, that fight between Jack and JJ was really blown out of proportion and Jack's issues came out of nowhere. Again, a little bit more work and it would have been brilliant. Not sure if there will be a book 5.
I feel the same way as everyone else; the ending was cut way too short. It felt like someone told the author "Hurry up, we have to go" and she quickly finished the book at the 75% mark. I felt cheated. I love JJ and Jack and the storyline was interesting. I just really wish that the author put a bit more work in to the ending and dragged it out. Because it was an exciting ending, if it wasn't so rushed. That epilogue was just annoying. Also, that fight between Jack and JJ was really blown out of proportion and Jack's issues came out of nowhere. Again, a little bit more work and it would have been brilliant. Not sure if there will be a book 5.
December 4, 2014
3.5 stars.
Let me start by saying that I really enjoy Liliana Hart and this series, as well as the Addison Holmes series. This book just fell a little flat for me. I enjoyed it and finished it in a little over a day but it was somewhat anti-climatic. There was never a sense of urgency or danger. I liked getting more background on Jack and JJ though. Her father was just a blip. Hopefully that will be explored more next book. What is on those flash drives?
Let me start by saying that I really enjoy Liliana Hart and this series, as well as the Addison Holmes series. This book just fell a little flat for me. I enjoyed it and finished it in a little over a day but it was somewhat anti-climatic. There was never a sense of urgency or danger. I liked getting more background on Jack and JJ though. Her father was just a blip. Hopefully that will be explored more next book. What is on those flash drives?
March 9, 2015
Not my favorite of the series. I still enjoyed it, but I didn't find myself unable to put it down. If there are more I will for sure read them, but this one just wasn't the usual JJ and Jack for me.
October 1, 2015
Short but JJ sweet.
JJ is back to her witty, sarcastic self with her fiancé Jack right along with her as they get ready for their wedding. Please Ms. Hart write more of this series!
JJ is back to her witty, sarcastic self with her fiancé Jack right along with her as they get ready for their wedding. Please Ms. Hart write more of this series!
October 23, 2016
3.5 Good but not a great addition to the series. J and Jack didn't mesh like they did in the previous books. It is still more than worth the read or listen as I did. The audio books are fab, and they bring such a depth to J as a character, snark and all.
December 5, 2014
I enjoy this author and the storyline was interesting. Then-BAM! The story ended. A very short and anticlimactic ending.
January 11, 2016
See my reviews of the book 5 here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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