First of all, big thanks to Team Blackwood member Quenby for recommending this series to me. Just like you guys, I find a lot of books through word of mouth, so I love to hear what you’re reading!
Blurb for book 1 – Grave Homecoming
Maddie Graves is returning home, and it’s under unfortunate circumstances. Following her mother Olivia’s death, someone has to take care of Maddie’s cantankerous grandmother Maude, and the family tree is almost limbless now.
It’s not easy for Maddie to return to small-town life in Blackstone Bay, mostly because the boy she left behind is still there – and she’s drawn to him the second she sees him again.
Nick Winters has always been in love with Maddie. At a certain point, he decided there was nothing he could do but let her go. When she returns to town after a ten-year absence, his world is upended.
Maddie’s reintegration isn’t smooth, and when she discovers a dead body, all eyes are on her. Since Nick is a local police detective, he finds their lives intersecting with alarming frequency. He knows she’s hiding something, and he’s determined to find out what it is.
Maddie and Nick are drawn together, but they have a few obstacles in their way – including a lifelong secret she’s kept buried: She can see and talk to ghosts. When Maddie’s life is in danger, though, Nick can’t turn away.
This duo is on a collision course with the truth, and death is stalking them every step of the way. Will they get a chance to embrace destiny, or were they doomed before they ever got a chance to begin?
What I thought
Although I love to read filthy, gritty books, sometimes I’m in the mood for sweet so I thought I’d give this series a try.
Maddie and Nick were childhood best friends until Maddie ran away to college, scared that Nick would freak out if he discovered her psychic abilities. The moment they set eyes on each other again, old feelings are rekindled, complicated by Nick’s new girlfriend.
When Maddie finds a dead body together with the ghost of its former occupant, she teams up with Nick to solve the crime, only she’s got an advantage—the murder victim and Maddie’s dead mother step in to lend a hand.
The story is nicely written, although there were times I did want to shout at both the hero and the heroine who were obviously crazy about each other to just get on with it! The mystery ticks along nicely, with a nice twist at the end when the perpetrator is finally revealed. I also like Maddie’s sidekick, Christy, and Grandma Maude’s antics are another strength of the book.
The paranormal elements aren’t too strong in this story—it’s definitely more of a romantic suspense, and it’s very clean—no graphic scenes of sex or violence, and no swearing either.
I also went on to read the second book in the series, Grave Insight, which carried on in a similar vein—another fun murder case to solve, only this time Maddie knew the victim beforehand, and it all got complicated by Nick’s girlfriend.
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