-Amy Lane, RITA finalist for the Bells of Times Square and Rainbow Award Winner for Beneath the Stain
"Such fun! A snarky sort-of-ghost, his sexy ex-boyfriend who's gone through some significant changes, some loyal sidekicks, and a dastardly scheme. There's a rapidly moving plot with plenty of suspense and hefty sprinklings of magic and romance. I'm a little bit in love with Wes and Hudson, and I'm looking forward to more."
-Bestselling author Kim Fielding
Series: Not Dead Yet #1
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date: February 4, 2019 (ebook only)
Length: 91,000 words
Subgenre: Paranormal mystery romance
Warnings: Depression, talk of suicide, murders, paranormal violence
Links:
Harlequin | Amazon US | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books
Synopsis:
Dying isn’t what it used to be.
Wes Cooper was dead. Then he wasn’t—though he’s not exactly alive, either. As an immortal not-ghost, he can transition between this world and the otherplane, which makes him the perfect thief for hire. For seventy years he’s made a “living” returning items to their rightful owners, seeing his fair share of the bizarre in the process. But he’s never witnessed murder. Until now.
His latest mission brings him more than he bargained for: a very-dead actor who is definitely going to stay that way. It’s just Wes’s luck that his ex-boyfriend, Detective Hudson Rojas, is assigned to the case. Hudson broke Wes’s heart years ago—and could again, given he’s rocking a hot silver-fox look that shouldn’t be legal.
As they work together to track down the murderer before anyone else gets hurt, it becomes clear Wes and Hudson have unfinished business. And when a secret Hudson’s been keeping threatens more than just their happiness, it might mean the end of their not-life together—permanently.
Teaser:
“Fuck, yeah.” His entire body shuddered, and I smiled in triumph. I felt as though I’d cracked an uncrackable safe. Undoing Hudson might become my new favorite pastime.
Slowly we undressed. His shirt disappeared, followed by mine. There was no striptease, no titillation—it wasn’t needed tonight. I wanted him and he wanted me, but I think we both knew sex wasn’t happening before we fell asleep. I fucking loved sex with Hudson—when we’d been dating, we did it every way I knew how to do it. Fast and hard, slow and dirty, slow and loving, explosive, gentle…all of them were amazing rushes, because it was Hudson.
But I wanted to savor the steps here. Hudson had been out of my life—permanently, I thought. A regret I had never truly gotten over. I never dreamed we would reconnect. Now that we had—now that we had kinda-sorta discussed that we might maybe be a thing—I wanted to linger on every phase of our relationship.
And maybe this time, if we took it slow and talked—imagine that—maybe we could make this work.
Excerpt:
It seemed like I’d barely closed my eyes before something woke me. Thuds on my door. I thought for a second it might be Lexi again, but she never knocked on my door like that, all authoritative and belligerent. I flung the blankets away from my face long enough to yell, “You’ve got the wrong apartment!” before diving back into my fluff pile.
The bursts of heavy knocks slid into something more rhythmic, an indication that whoever was at my door had settled in for the long haul. I kicked the blankets off with severe prejudice. Who the fuck made that kind of noise at—I squinted at the clock—midnight? I scrambled out of bed and marched to the front door, bouncing off a doorjamb on my way. And banging my knee on the end table. And almost tripping over the edge of the throw rug.
I did not function well without sufficient sleep. I also did not think clearly, or else I might have checked the peephole in the door before flinging it open with a harried, “What?”
Hudson stood there in dark jeans and a black leather bomber jacket open over a plain gray T-shirt, revealing his badge on a chain. His gun sat on his hip, an unusual choice for him, and his hair was…not mussed, but definitely not as styled as when he wore a suit. Five o’clock shadow peppered his jaw, silver glinting among the darker shades.
“You’re not wearing a suit,” I observed. Call me Captain Obvious.
“Night off,” he said distractedly, his gaze traveling from my head down…down…down. The tip of his tongue emerged to wet his lips. “You’re not wearing clothes.”
I jerked my gaze away from him to look at myself and—yep, naked. “Christ,” I muttered, and darted back toward the bedroom.
4.25 Stars
I loved Wes, he was funny, quirky and very down-to-earth. His story was so intriguing and I can't wait to discover more about him as the series advances. I liked Hudson, but I don't think we really got to know him all that much, which, considering the book is told on Wes's POV is understandable. His hot and cold routine regarding Wes was a bit offputting, though. He had his reasons, perhaps not great ones, and it made me want to punch him several times, but I ended warming up to him. The chemistry between Wes and Hudson was undeniable, especially after Hudson stopped behaving like a robot, and it was nice to see them reconnect after being apart for so long.
The case they were working on was intriguing. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the big reveal and I frankly had no clue who was behind it all until the end. And now I'm all anxious because I want to find out how what happened to Wes will impact the next book (books) in the series. Was that vague enough? LOL
Overall, this was a captivating story, perhaps the romance needed a bit more work, but the intricate plot, the writing, Wes, Hudson and Evan and the rest of the cast really made this an enjoyable read. This was my first book by Jenn Burke, but it will certainly won't be the last!
Highly recommendable!
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
About the author:
Jenn Burke has loved out-of-this-world romance since she first read about heroes and heroines kicking butt and falling in love as a preteen. Now that she’s an author, she couldn’t be happier to bring adventure, romance, and sexy times to her readers.
She’s been called a pocket-sized and puntastic Canadian on social media, and she’ll happily own that label. Jenn lives just outside of Ottawa, Ontario, with her husband and two kids, plus two dogs named after video game characters…because her geekiness knows no bounds.
Connect With Jenn:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeralibu
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/jeralibu/
Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/295814398039168/ (Jenn Burke’s Epic Adventurers)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeralibu/
Newsletter sign-up: http://bit.ly/jennburkenewsletter
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9869819.Jenn_Burke
Tumblr: http://jeralibu.tumblr.com/
Giveaway:
2 prize packs:
One signed paperback copy of Not Dead Yet (exclusive; you can’t buy it in print!) with some Canadian swag – will ship internationally
$10 Amazon gift card
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