3.5 stars

Rage and hurt called the Mori, who rose up from the floor. Dark limbs, blinking eyes, grotesque features. Monsters, fueled by her pain. Dead things pulled from the Spirit World. Things she didn't understand and could barely control, but they coalesced into a writhing mass of gloom and shifting shadow, crawling up the marble walls and columns. Sniffing out opportunity as they tugged images from her mind. Command us, they whispered inside her head. Dark avengers, read and willing to do her bidding. To avenge her through abhorrent deeds. Through fright. Injury. And death.

Reading this for the Ghost square for Halloween Bingo, put in a mindset for a more spooky feel, which was probably a bit unfair. The supernatural/paranormal aspect of the Mori spirits that haunted our heroine took too much of a backseat. They come out to play, blast some windows out and try to murder people with chandeliers but they still stayed too much to the background. We don't get the full explanation for them until towards the later half of the book and for having such a huge impact on our heroine's life, they weren't really addressed with any solid conclusion.

The separate storyline of ancient Egyptian curses, puzzles, and hunting enemies was incredible fun and entertaining but again, I wanted it to be more flushed out; I didn't feel like we really got to know the villain and all his dark deviousness. I wanted this book to be 500pgs, lol.

The romance was fun, too. The couple's first sex scene felt deep and was hot. However, with everything happening with the supernatural storyline, the couple's relationship took a bit of hit. Both our characters had rich background stories and secondary characters that were full in their own right and only added to the depth of our main couple. The author put in the details for a rich story but it lacked the page count for deep life.

There were some spooky moments and sexy times, I'll definitely be reading about the hero's younger sister and their servant/bodyguard in the next book.

"Well, together we might get somewhere, because if you can brew us up some tea and make toast, I'll fry us up some eggs." He glanced down at the purring ball of fur nosing his way into their conversation. "Eggs for three, I suppose. Or maybe we should feed him the deviled ham and see if it'll turn him in to Number Five."
"Big talk. At the rate you two are going you'll be kicking me out of the covers and cuddling up with him instead."
"Not on your life." He grazed a barely there finger down her hip as she passed, sending a tiny shiver racing below the silk of her robe. "I like your claws better." ( )

Grim Shadows
4 Stars

Lowe Magnusson is an unrepentant bad boy - a con artist, a thief and a notorious liar. That is until he meets the one woman who makes him want to be a better man. Hadley Bacall is a spirited and intelligent scholar, yet she yearns for the closeness of friendship and family that has long been denied her. When Lowe and Hadley come together in search of an ancient archeological artifact, sparks fly and windows shatter - literally...

Excellent historical research results in an immersive setting and a gripping storyline focused on Egyptian lore. Lowe and Hadley’s romance has great potential and the slow burn of their chemistry leads to some very steamy scenes. Nevertheless, it never quite manages to attain the heights of Winter and Aida’s love affair in Bitter Spirits.

Lowe’s characterization as a con artist with questionable morals makes it difficult to completely accept his heroic status and his growing feelings for Hadley. In turn, Hadley’s naiveté and loneliness make her seem gullible. Consequently, their relationship is not as believable as it should have been.

The true highlight of the book is the paranormal mystery surrounding the search for the djed amulet. The Da Vinci Code style treasure hunt is engrossing and it is fun following the clues with Hadley and Lowe. While the villain and his motivation are very interesting, the threat he poses never fully materializes and the climax and resolution are exciting, but not 100% satisfying.

In sum, Grim Shadows is an exceedingly well-researched and well-written paranormal romance with a gripping story and characters that ultimately grow on you. Looking forward to the third installment, which is Bo and Astrid’s story. ( )

For such a likeable and charming man, the hero certainly has a lot of people trying to kill him. It's his own fault in most cases and he can hardly be surprised but it's certainly an inconvenience. Barely making it out of Egypt with a priceless artifact, he's attacked at the train station. Before the men set upon him though he meets the heroine. Dour and dressed in plain black, he thinks she's no beauty and honest her presence at that moment is a inconvenience. But he can't very well leave her to die so he brings her with him. In the process, he notices two things. First, she's got a hidden fire burning inside manifesting in the provocative and sexy undergarments she's hidden under her funeral clothing. And secondly, she has THEE greatest ass he's even seen. The heroine is cursed with the power to summon up ghost/demons when she's angry or upset. So she learns to be emotionless and void any human contact. Therefore she's developed a fear of being touched. But around the hero, she's awkward and he brings out in her the horrible habit of verbal diarrhea. He's going to sell the artifact to her father and so she must be around him even though the idea both thrills and scares her. But the hero is in the game of forgeries. Determined to set his own path apart from his rich bootlegging brother, he's sold fake artifacts to the wrong people and now, he must forge another fake to buy his way out of the hole he's in. But when he realizes that the magic in the artifact is the key to saving her fathers life, he knows he can't go through with it. He's also quickly falling hard for the heroine who's so much more than what he first pegged her for. He begins to see her as the most stunning woman he's ever seen and is dying to see her again, no matter the reason. Together they go on a hunt for the 4 crossbars to make the artifact complete and along the way discover the truth between them. I loved this freaking book so much I can't express it in words. The heroine tries very hard to be treated with respect among her piers but the demons she's controls don't always allow her to have the most freeing life. She tries to keep them repressed but there are times when her jealousy and bitter feelings draw them out and afterwards she's ashamed. She's horribly lonely and the attentions the hero shows toward her both scare her to death but at the same time make her long for something more. The hero is charming and easy going but he's far from perfect. He doesn't much pay attention to the consequences of his actions. He thinks that any problem he causes can be fixed but sometimes this is not the case. He's obviously a good person and cares deeply for the people in his life but it's his actions that cause their suffering. He's also a compulsive liar and tells fantastic tales to suppress the true. But with the heroine, he feels the need for her to truly see him. They make a pact that when he holds her hand in the hand where he's missing a finger, she can be positive what he's saying is the truth. I thought this was very sweet. The action was great, I loved the characters because they were so flawed and you honesty can't beat the time period. This author is a perfect 10! ( )

Another winner by Jenn bennett.
Review to come closer to release day. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A con man and his mark team up to find the pieces of an ancient amulet. As his feelings for her grow stronger, this con man’s life starts becoming increasingly complicated. Will he carry through with his plan, or will he let love win out?

Opening Sentence: Lowe Magnusson scanned the desolate Union Pacific depot lobby.

The Review:

I had mixed feelings before starting this book. On one hand, I love Jenn Bennett’s Arcadia Bell series. On the other, the first book in this series fell slightly short of my expectations. Thankfully, this second book in the series fell more in line with what I love about the Arcadia Bell series, combining great characters with an interesting, fast paced plot and a very satisfying love story.

Lowe Magnusson has made a living as a con man, uncovering priceless artifacts and then making forgeries of them. He has recently found an infamous amulet at the perfect time, as he is desperately in need of money. His search for a buyer brings him in contact with Hadley, the daughter of a museum curator interested in buying the amulet. When Lowe meets with Hadley’s father, he is told that he’ll be paid extra if the additional pieces of the amulet can be found. These pieces used to be in Hadley’s father’s possession, but Hadley’s mother hid them when they became the cause of a rift between Hadley’s father and his business partner. Now, Hadley and Lowe must team up to find the additional pieces. Someone else is interested in obtaining the complete amulet though, and they have no qualms about killing in order to obtain them. Will Lowe and Hadley be able to find the rest of the amulet first?

Lowe and Hadley are perfect together. Their attraction is evident the very first time they meet, and the sexual tension builds up very nicely. There’s no quick hook up here, which is something I loved about this book. I love getting to watch a relationship develop throughout a book, and it’s done beautifully here. The reader gets a chance to truly connect to both Lowe and Hadley before their relationship is consummated.

On the subject of connecting to the characters, it was very easy for me to connect to both Lowe and Hadley. Their personalities come through so clearly; they seem like real people. There were many times I found myself chuckling as I read because the way Hadley thinks to herself just seemed so true to life, and very similar to how I tend to think to myself. While I may not have found similarities between myself and Lowe, I still found it extremely easy to connect to him as a character. He’s extremely charming (as con men tend to be), and it comes through very clearly throughout the book. They’re both just such great characters. It truly was a joy to spend time with them.

One of my problems with the first book in this series was that it took a long time for it to capture my interest. This is definitely not the case here. The story starts off with a bang, and it honestly never lets up. With a six-week-old baby at home, it takes a very special book to make me want to stay up and read when I could be sleeping, and yet, this book achieved that. There’s really no bigger praise I can give. My reaction to this book has me extremely excited to read the next installment. It should be a fun ride!

Notable Scene:

The barest of flushes colored her cheeks, but she didn’t look up from her task. “Are you here to make my life miserable?”

“I’m here to empty your father’s bank account. Making you miserable is a bonus.”

“I do believe that’s the first honest thing you’ve ever told me.”

“Don’t let it go to your head.”

“The only thing in my head right now is that cock,” she said, nodding toward the wall.

Lowe paused. “Pardon?”

“I’m in a hurry.”

Another pause. Lowe looked where she’d gestured. “You mean…the clock?”

“That’s what I said.” But it wasn’t, and her gaze flicked to his crotch – so fast he almost wasn’t sure he saw it until a furious strawberry blush spilled over her cheeks and neck.

“Th-that’s what I meant,” she stuttered, then whispered to herself, “Oh, God.”

Well, well, well. When was the last time he’d heard that from a woman’s mouth? Had he ever? Hadley Bacall, overflowing with desire for…clock.

FTC Advisory: Berkley/Penguin provided me with a copy of Grim Shadows. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )