Dirty Rotten Scoundrel (J.J. Graves Mystery #3) by Liliana Hart

Publication: November 5, 2013.

Publisher: Liliana Hart/7th Press.

Source: Purchased my own copy.

Can ghosts really talk? J.J. Graves is about to find out when her past comes back to haunt her. But before she and Jack can resolve her past, they need to deal with his. Six years ago Jack was left for dead during a SWAT raid he commanded. He never speaks of what happened that day, but he doesn't have a choice after someone starts murdering his men. According to the FBI, Jack is either next on the list, or he's the one behind it all.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrel picks up right where the last book, A Dirty Shame ended. J.J.’s father miraculously rose from the “dead” and wants something from J.J.. Life for J.J. had started getting back to normal for her. She just began a relationship with the town Sheriff, Jack and agreed to move in with him. That should have been enough. Now dealing with her father, investigating the death of a newly discovered body and finding out that Jack’s life could very well be in danger is more than enough to stress J.J. out. Life in Bloody Mary is anything but simple.

This was a good continuation to the series. I really enjoyed the mystery and trying to determine what was really going on and why. It wasn’t easy and I appreciated that. If you like your mysteries with a side of romance, then this would be up your alley. The romance scenes were fine, but it did feel like they were going at it like rabbits lol. It was a little overkill to me. But don’t get me wrong, I love J.J. and Jack together. They make a great couple. Even if Jack is a little hot-headed and I wonder if he can really be there for J.J. as she deals with her father, without him going into “Sheriff-mode”.

If you enjoyed the previous two books, then you would definitely want to pick this one up. And if you haven’t checked out the J.J. Graves Mystery Series, I think it’s worth taking a look at. The characters are interesting and Liliana Hart seems to know her way around a good mystery.

RATING: 3½ out of 5

BUY THE BOOK:

Amazon | B&N  

Google  |  Kobo |  iTunes

Join the Addiction:

My Blog: | Twitter | BlogLovin’ | Facebook

A Dirty Shame (J.J. Graves Mystery, #2) by Liliana Hart

This is book 2 of the J.J. Graves series. J.J. Graves is back in Bloody Mary, but she's a long way from feeling at home. Between her bodily scars from being the target of a murderer and the emotional scars left by her parents, she doesn't know who she can trust. But death doesn't stop for anyone. The first murder is grisly. The second even more so. And though things are shaky between them, she and her best friend, Jack, have no choice but to join forces and find the killer. Because the life of someone they love dearly hangs in the balance.

J.J. has had a tough go of things. Life has been anything but easy and calm for her. Her parents were murdered (though most people in town believe they were cowards and committed suicide), and no one in her family has lived past the age of 35. After her near death experience in which she was close to being killed by an obsessed stalkers lunatic, she decided to leave town for a while.

The first day upon returning home, she discovers a dead body. Now that is some kind of welcoming home. One I am sure she could have done without. It doesn’t take long before this grisly murder becomes more complicated than expected and it leads her and Jack, down an interesting and very dangerous path.

A Dirty Shame had some good surprises that I wasn’t expecting. The story started with an interesting murder that almost instantly had me wanting to know more. It had a nice flow to it and I never felt bored or underwhelmed while reading/listening to it. The more the story progressed, the more I thought I knew what was going to happen, but turned out that I was wrong. I love when stories are like that. Not predictable and easy to get into with likeable and relatable characters. I think that I liked this second book better than the first and I look forward to the newest J.J. Graves Mystery, Dirty Rotten Scoundrel releasing on November 5, 2013.

RATING: 4 out of 5.

BUY:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Google

Join the Addiction:

My Blog: | Twitter | BlogLovin’ | Facebook

Book Review: Dirty Little Secrets (J.J. Graves Mystery #1) by Liliana Hart

Synopsis: J.J. Graves has seen a lot of dead bodies in her line of work... She's not only in the mortuary business, but she's also the coroner for King George County, Virginia. When a grisly murder is discovered in the small town of Bloody Mary, it's up to J.J. and her best friend, Detective Jack Lawson, to bring the victim justice. The murders are piling up... The residents of Blood Mary are dropping like flies, and when a popular mystery writer shows up on J.J.'s doorstep with plans of writing his new book about the Bloody Mary Serial Killer, J.J. has to decide if he might be going above and beyond the call of duty to create the spine tinglers he's so well known for. It only clouds the issue and puts her reputation on the line when the attraction between them spirals out of control. And passions are rising... J.J and Jack are in a race against time. They discover each victim had a shocking secret, and the very foundation of J.J.'s life is in danger of crumbling when it turns out she’s harboring secrets of her own—secrets that make her the perfect victim in a deadly game.

I am almost always in the mood for a good mystery/thriller. I just happened to come across this one day…the cover and title caught my attention.

J.J. was an interesting main character. She is tough yet wounded, but she was easy for me to like and want to get to know.

J.J., her relationship with Jack, her best friend and the town Sherriff, her parents, and the townspeople’s nosiness added to the story. The first murder happened right off the bat, but the second did not take place till around the middle of the story. I almost forgot I was reading about serial murders.

I ended up buying the audio book of this as well, so I would occasionally switch back and forth between reading and listening to the book.  The narrator did a nice job of capturing the personality of all the different characters. Though a couple of times, I wasn’t sure which character was speaking because the voices sounded similar to one another.

 The story was entertaining and I really enjoyed reading about the different characters and trying to figure out the who and why behind the murders.  I was surprised by the culprit, but I thought the logic behind the murders was a little out there. Maybe it is just me or maybe that was the whole point, so the reader wouldn't guess the ending.  

If you are in the mood for a good murder mystery in a small-town filled with quirky characters, then check out Dirty Little Secrets.

Rating: 3 ½ out of 5.

BUY:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo| IndieBound | Sony

Join the Addiction:

My Blog: | Twitter | BlogLovin’ | Facebook