M.M. Crumley

Loved it!! I feel like the last book (the 2nd in the series) was really about setting up this one, especially as the 2nd book kind of ended on a cliffhanger. Thankfully, I had this one ready to go and started right in on it.

In this book, the 3rd in the House of Graves series, author M.M. Crumley really starts to allow the reader to see more of the characters thoughts/feelings, giving us a better understanding of their motivations and loyalties. It's also clear in this book how very damaged Tessa is from all the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father and "The Patron" from the age of 13 on. Glimpses of the torture and brainwashing she endured are glimpsed through her nightmares that seem to be happening more frequently as she fights against the conditioning and magical compulsions that have been layered into her mind. It speaks to how incredibly deep it goes and how difficult her fight to find her true self is going to be, if it's even possible.

The humour of Tessa's grandmother Gisele, romance author extraordinaire, injects humour and lightheartedness into the darkness surrounding Tessa, and I have enjoyed seeing how the bonds between Gisele, Tessa and Ollie are growing stronger (as well as Curtis and Julian).

Books 4 and 5 are not yet out in paperback, so I will have to wait on finding out what happens next, but I'm definitely hooked on this series, and plan to give the author's other works a try, maybe starting with the Doc Holliday series since it overlaps into this one. Highly recommended for urban fantasy lovers who enjoy supernatural mystery and a bit of laughter and romance mixed in.… (meer)

I loved it! It had a delicious, mysterious feel to it... and you know more will slowly be revealed as you go. As Tessa begins to realize that her mind has not been her own, and that her father was not who she thought he was, she starts to slowly reconnect with her aunt and grandmother, determined to do whatever it takes to take her family name to something positive and get rid of the poison that was her father. But she quickly learns that the poison runs far deeper than she knows, and that getting rid of evil isn't as easy as she thinks.

I loved the relationships growing between Tessa, her Aunt Ollie and her grandmother Gisele, a popular writer of steamy romances with legions of fans. The humour of her grandmother and her revelations, such as her "love nest", was a great juxtaposition to the dark family revelations and fast moving violence that has you on the edge of your seat. In the mix Crumley also addresses racism and other issues in a way that gets some lessons across to the protagonist without being preachy or heavy-handed. I've already bought books 2 and 3 and started the 2nd book immediately upon finishing this first one (and recommended it to my husband). Something different and highly recommended.… (meer)