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. ( )