Just His Luck

Great book

Love this author!

Just His Luck is the third novel in B.J. Daniels’ Sterling’s Montana series, which I’ve been following since its inception, and so far this novel, which is billed as romantic suspense, is my favorite, and it gets 4.5 stars from this reader, because I’ve deducted 1/2 star in what would otherwise be a 5-star review for the lack of romance in this novel.

The novel opens as one of the central characters in this novel, Ariel Matheson, is tied to the steering wheel of her car as it is rapidly sinking into the pond during the night of her high school graduation party, and, of course, we aren’t told who is behind her death. Her disappearance from town, and her death by drowning in her graduation gift, a baby blue SUV, remains a mystery for the next 10 years, most people assuming she simply left town, at least until her car is discovered at the bottom of the pond, and hauled out of there, with little more than Ariel’s skeleton inside. But this isn’t the last you’ll see or hear of her, since her spirit is one of the narrators of this novel.

Ariel’s high school was small, private and special, and her graduating class numbered only 13 students, all of whom are shocked when they discovered that Ariel never left town at all–she was murdered, and her list of enemies was pretty much everyone in her graduating class. She was the spoiled, manipulative, wealthy, bullying and blackmailing leader of the pack among her classmates, but which one of them killed her?

One of the characters most surprised by this discovery is Ariel’s former “best friend,” the new sheriff in town, Lizzie Connors, the discovery of Ariel’s SUV, happening on the day she’s sworn into office, and, taking a page from one of Agatha’s Christie’s most famous novels, And Then There Were None, there is no shortage of suspects, all of her former classmates had reason to hate her, because Ariel, while popular, had made most of their lives miserable, telling lies, turning one person against the other, manipulating, bullying, blackmailing and even fat-shaming others.

Ariel’s boyfriend at the time, Shade Sterling, betrayed Ariel at that graduation party–Ariel saw him kiss Lizzie, and Ariel stormed out of the partyn, never dreaming that her life was about to end. Her classmates were all planning to spend graduation weekend at Sterling’s Guest Ranch, high in the mountains, where a weekend of fun events had been planned. Many wondered if they should continue on with that plan in light of Ariel’s death, but they finally agree, and it doesn’t take long for Lizzie and Shade to act on their 10 year attraction to one another, one that has apparently survived the 10 years since that one kiss. But if you’re expecting a whole lot of romance in this novel, you won’t find it here, because once everyone has gathered at that mountain top retreat, old wounds are exposed, old rivalries are revealed, the snow starts falling, and then the dead bodies start piling up, all in one taut and suspenseful guessing game of a mystery novel that certainly had me guessing until the very end.

I’ve known how good a writer B.J. Daniels is for years, but although mysteries have propelled some of the action in her novels, this one was a standout for this reader, and although Lizzie and Slade eventually get their HEA ending, there are a number of other obstacles in the way of their romance, and yes, I’d have appreciated a little more time spent on that, but even when you think the killer has been found, and you’ve solved the mystery, trust me, you haven’t. This was one heck of a mystery novel, and I highly recommend it, not just to romance readers, but to mystery buffs as well. Although part of a series, this novel works perfectly as a standalone.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

Like the rest of this series, Just His Luck is more mystery than romance. We have a missing girl turned murder victim, and her body is found just in time for the high school reunion. A reunion that is full of possible suspects. Of course, our romantic couple, not that I felt a lot of romance with this one, is included in that suspect list. That’s one of the places I ran into problems with this one. Yes, Lizzy is sheriff, but investigating this murder is a huge conflict of interest on its own even though the finger isn’t pointed at her. She knew the murder victim too, plus, there’s the fact that she’s fooling around with Shade, who has plenty of reasons to be considered a suspect. We also have a bit of the supernatural with sections from the dead girl’s point of view. Not a past point of view, nope, we get the present, as in a ghost, which was a bit unexpected, and didn’t really fit. To sum it up, the mystery was okay, the romance – well, it wasn’t really much of a romance, and hearing from the ghost just felt unnecessary. Too many things didn’t work for me in this one, which is shame because the mystery certainly had potential.

Since having read the ones before this I had to get into this one also. This author has some of the best storylines with this one being no exception.
Class reunions can be good or not so good but in this one Shade wants it to be one to remember. Going to go for it, Lizzy is the one not forgotten. A second chance romance is one that I greatly enjoy but this one will have a kick to it in the form of a murder mystery.
Of course there is a road block when it comes to these things that deal with romance but this one involves Shade getting the lime light thanks to whom was found. I like that she is the sheriff too puts a different perspective on this.
The way this unfolds the author will have you held hostage from the beginning following every bit so not to miss a clue if you are like me and play detective too trying to guess who done it. We also are given not so predictable at times to throw us for a loop. Rooting for these two you do hoping they finally get their chance.
The timing was superb with everything as it should be when reading this so that when you come to the end of this one you think once again these could be a mini tv series lol.

I just love BJ’s books……she is definitely a weaver of several tales in each book she writes…She reminds you of characters in previous books and weaves new tales for future books….. This book is no exception. first page of this book grabs you right then and there and lures you in and even brings in what would appear are thoughts from a dead woman and her perspective. Just when you think you have it all figured out, something else goes wrong and even the new Sheriff has trouble with this one. would you want to go to this ten year class reunion?

A terrific conclusion to the series, this book like the previous ones, has wonderful characters, and a riveting plot. Ariel Matheson, school bully, disappeared ten years ago, after she left their high school graduation party. Everyone assumed she had taken off in a fit of rage, especially since her father was going to jail, but on Lizzie Conners first day as sheriff, her body is found in her car at the bottom of a pond at the edge of the Sterling Ranch. With their 10th year graduation reunion coming up, was the body found by coincidence or design? Lizzie and Shade Sterling had kissed the night of the party, but both felt guilty after Ariel disappeared, even though Ariel and Shade had broken up months before. Ever since, their timing was never right, but now Shade wants to at least date Lizzie. However, he is one of her suspects, as are the entire members of their class. Everyone has secrets, including Lizzie, which she didn’t even know about. And another complication show up in town. This is a page-turning, hard to put down mystery/romance with lots of twists and turns. In some ways it reminded me of And Then There Were None by writer Agatha Christie.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Fantastic conclusion to the series, and one that sucked me in from the very first pages. Shade is the youngest of the three Sterling brothers and was not much of a presence in the first two books. He works the ranch side. The first sight of him in this book is as he is riding the ranch property and thinking about how much he loves it. His attention is caught by the flashing lights of police cars near the edge of his property. His curiosity brings him to the site just as a familiar vehicle is dragged from the pond.

Lizzy is the newly elected sheriff, and the discovery of this murder happens on her first day on the job. Complicating matters is that Lizzy knew the victim quite well and had been among the last people to see Ariel alive, along with the other members of their graduating class. Ariel disappeared the night of their graduation, and no one had seen or heard from her since then. Now it will be up to Lizzy to investigate all the possibilities, including those pointing at Ariel’s ex-boyfriend, Shade Sterling.

Shade and Lizzy have a complicated history. They knew each other in high school, where each had crushed on the other. Lizzy tried to keep her feelings buried because Shade belonged to her friend Ariel. Shade had had feelings for Lizzy for months before graduation and broke up with Ariel, though Ariel refused to admit it. Though Lizzy and Shade shared one hot kiss on graduation night, Ariel’s disappearance made Shade reluctant to pursue anything with Lizzy. They soon went their separate ways, and fate kept them from doing anything in the intervening years. Ten years later, Shade is ready to take a chance, until Ariel’s body is discovered and their worlds are thrown into turmoil. Now they have to tamp down any feelings they have for each other until the investigation into Ariel’s murder is complete.

I liked how the relationship between Shade and Lizzy developed. Lizzy’s instincts tell her that Shade is innocent, but she has to remain impartial. This is difficult for both of them as the investigation overlaps the planning for their 10-year class reunion. As it becomes horrifyingly clear that one of their classmates is a killer, Shade becomes very protective of Lizzy, while Lizzy quickly comes to depend on Shade’s level head. Just as Shade pictures a future with Lizzy, he receives some startling news that may throw a crimp in his plans. Will Lizzy be willing to accept his changed circumstances, or will it end things before they start? I really liked how this part was handled, with heart and maturity. It also gave them a chance to get to know each other more deeply. The ending was romantic in an amusing way and perfect for the two of them.

The suspense of the story had me glued to the pages from start to finish. The more that came out about Ariel, the more suspects in her murder were added to the investigation. It was a frightening look into the long-ranging effects that a bully can have on someone’s life. This was emphasized by the inclusion of Ariel’s thoughts as she followed along with the investigation. It added an extra layer to the complexity of everything that Lizzy had to consider in her investigation. The intensity increased as the classmates gathered for their reunion at Sterling’s Guest Ranch. There were so many twists and turns that I was kept guessing throughout, with the final twist being completely unexpected.