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Grave
Intentions
First Book of the Grave Series
Lori Sjoberg
Genre: paranormal romance
Publisher: Kensington Publishing
ISBN: 9781601830067
ASIN: B009T9SCDA
Number of pages: Approx. 289
Word Count: 96,100
Book Description:
He's handsome, reliable, and punctual-the
perfect gentleman when you want him to be. But this dream man is Death's best
agent-and now he's got more than his soul to lose . . .
One
act of mercy before dying was all it took to turn soldier David Anderson into a
reaper-an immortal who guides souls-of-untimely-death into the afterlife. But
the closer he gets to atoning for his mortal sin and finally escaping merciless
Fate, the more he feels his own humanity slipping away for good.
Until
he encounters Sarah Griffith. This skeptical scientist can't be influenced by
his powers-even though she has an unsuspected talent for sensing the dead. And
her honesty and irreverent sense of humor reignite his reason for living-and a
passion he can't afford to feel. Now Fate has summoned David to make a
devastating last harvest. And he'll break every hellishly-strict netherworld
rule to save Sarah...and gamble on a choice even an immortal can't win.
Excerpt: Grave Intentions – Lori Sjoberg
The accident had blocked traffic in all directions, creating a rush-hour
nightmare that would take hours to unravel. David wove a path between the
idling vehicles, leaving Adam no choice but to follow in his wake. The stench
of gasoline grew stronger as they got closer, until they reached the
intersection and the scene came into view.
It was a wonder she was still alive. The young woman’s broken body lay
pinned inside the wreckage, the steering wheel crushing her chest like a vise.
Her ribs were shattered, puncturing her lungs, making each desperate gasp
increasingly painful.
Her
passenger got the better end of the bargain. He died on impact; his mangled
remains barely recognizable among the tangled heap of metal. Already, his soul
was separating from his body, confused and chaotic in its search for some
semblance of order.
David rounded what was left of the front end and sank down beside the
passenger side door. “Take the driver,” he ordered Adam before turning his
attention back to the passenger.
“How?” Adam kneeled down by the driver’s side window, taking in the sight
of a life soon to expire.
“Just do it like I told you!” David barked, too occupied to hold his
trainee’s hand. Already, a crowd was forming, human vultures eager to witness
carnage, so long as it wasn’t their own. Sirens wailed in the distance as
emergency vehicles rushed to the scene. They needed to finish the job and get
the hell out of Dodge before the cavalry arrived or anyone got suspicious.
David opened himself up and the soul swept into his body, drawn in by the
unspoken promise of warmth and answers. He could feel its essence now, could
feel the swirling tempest of love, hate, unfulfilled hopes and dreams, and
regrets. When the soul realized its body was gone, there was a sharp spike of
bitterness, disappointment, and undiluted despair, and David thought, right
there with you, pal.
“David?” Adam called out from the opposite side of the car. “A little
help over here?”
It took him a few seconds to respond while he waited for the soul to
settle down and make itself at home.
“Yeah?” David finally said once he regained his composure.
“Could you come over here, please?”
Moving around the back of the wreck, he crouched down beside Adam. His
eyes tracked briefly to the dying driver, her breaths coming closer, her life
force bleeding out. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth, but
she didn’t seem to notice or care. “What is it?”
“She’s
not dead, yet,” Adam whispered. “I think I can save her.”
David
studied the driver for a fleeting moment, assessing her condition. Already, he
could smell the sharp tang of Death, waiting to swoop down to claim its prize.
“No, you can’t,” he said with a shake of his head. “She’s not going to make
it.”
“How do you know that for sure?” Adam asked, his tone ripe with
accusation. He tugged on the handle, but the door wouldn’t budge. “She’s still
alive. If I can figure out a way to get her out of the car, maybe I can—”
“No, you can’t,” David interrupted, his patience exhausted. He grabbed
Adam by the shirt collar and dragged him away from the window. “I know you mean
well, kid, but let’s get something straight. You are an agent of Death, not the
angel of mercy.” He gave his apprentice a good shake. “Stop acting like a Boy
Scout and do your damn job. If you need to comfort her until she takes her last
breath, that’s your choice, not mine. Do whatever the Hell you have to. But do
not forget why you’re here.” He nodded toward the woman. “She will die,
no matter what you try to do. Get over it.”
He let Adam go and shifted closer to the window. “Take it easy, ma’am,”
he said calmly, digging deep for a slice of compassion but coming up with
crumbs instead. “Adam’s going to take real good care of you.”
The woman’s gaze drifted up, distant and unfocused. Her mouth cracked
open but no noise came out. Then a strangled moan escaped her lips and her eyes
went blank.
David grabbed Adam’s arm and dragged him over to the door. “Time to pop
your cherry, boy.”
5 stars
The last thing David Anderson needs is an unhealthy attraction to his neighbor Sarah Griffith, after all what could a reaper have in common with a mortal? Quite a bit actually and the more David gets to know the more he wishes for a different path, but his life is sealed and souls need collecting. An interesting thing happens when Fate sees David at a crossroads and his decision could change everything he believes will happen.
I thought this was highly creative and loved the kind of dark humor that David possessed. The side characters are dynamic and just add to the already fantastic story. Loved this story, highly recommend.
The last thing David Anderson needs is an unhealthy attraction to his neighbor Sarah Griffith, after all what could a reaper have in common with a mortal? Quite a bit actually and the more David gets to know the more he wishes for a different path, but his life is sealed and souls need collecting. An interesting thing happens when Fate sees David at a crossroads and his decision could change everything he believes will happen.
I thought this was highly creative and loved the kind of dark humor that David possessed. The side characters are dynamic and just add to the already fantastic story. Loved this story, highly recommend.
About the Author:
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Growing up the youngest of three
girls, Lori never had control of the remote. (Not that she’s bitter about that.
Really. Okay, maybe a little, but it’s not like she’s scarred for life or
anything.) That meant a steady diet of science fiction and fantasy. Star Trek,
Star Wars, Twilight Zone, Outer Limits – you name it, she watched it. It fed
her imagination, and that came in handy when the hormones kicked in and she
needed a creative excuse for staying out past curfew.
After graduating from the
University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Science, Lori worked for
nearly a decade in retail management. When that got boring, she switched to
financial planning, and then insurance. The writing bug bit a few years later.
After completing her first manuscript, she joined the Romance Writers of
America and Central Florida Romance Writers. Now she exercises the analytical
half of her brain at work, and the creative half writing paranormal romance.
When she’s not doing either one of those, she’s usually spending time with her
husband and children of the four-legged variety.
@Lori_Sjoberg
Two
e-copies of Grave Intentions Amazon or BN tour wide
Love the excerpt! Another book to add to my wishlist! Thanks!
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