Shifting Into High Fear Ghost/god Wes Cooper and his not-life partner, vampire Hudson Rojas, have settled into cohabitation in an upscale part of Toronto. So what if their hoity-toity new neighbors haven’t exactly rolled out the welcome mat for the paranormal pair? Their PI business is booming, and when a suspect they’ve been tailing winds up in the morgue, it’s alongside a rash of other … other shifters in apparent drug-related fatalities.
Now Wes and Hudson must connect the dots between the shifter deaths and an uptick in brutal vampire attacks across the city. Throw in a surprise visit from Hudson’s niece–who may or may not be on the run from European paranormal police (who may or may not exist)–and guardianship of a teen shifter who might be the key to solving the whole mystery (if only she could recover her memory), and Wes and Hudson have never been busier…or happier.
But when a nightmare from Hudson’s past comes back to haunt him, their weird, little found family is pushed to the brink. Mucking this up would mean Hudson and Wes missing their second chance at happily-forever-afterlife…
This book is approximately 74,000 words
One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!
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Yay, Wes, Hudson and gang/family are back. Settling down to mated bless, with a booming P I business but as always the newest case is sending them down a dangerous path.
I love this series and I have been looking forward to this book for sometime, I wasn’t disappointed. This book is full of action and there are moments where I needed a tissue or two, so get ready for the feels, but Wes always made me smile. This is another excellent addition to the series and though it is the last one, I want more or a spin-off as there is room for that in this wonderful world that the author Jenn Burke has built.
This can’t be the final part of this series, I would love to read more, many, many more stories about the guys, or at least a spin-off series… And I am hoping two of the characters will get a second, third or fourth chance (I lost count). Fingers crossed.
What I Think: Madame Jenn is back again and she doesn’t disappoint! Wes and Hudson are waxing on stronger than ever as they fight to protect and keep their ever-increasing found family, even shouting a ghost back into their body. My love for these two has increased with each tale and this one makes my heart overflow.
It’s wonderful to see what their relationship has matured into as they flow and mold into what the other needs while caring for their found family. The new addition to the family brings their own hell with them while a new love might be destroyed before it even begins. It takes rare talent for a story to keep getting better but this Authoress pulls all the tricks in this sequel and it works! Wes is adjusting to his godhood quite well even as he and Hudson settle into their matehood. But sometimes we do certain things to protect the ones we love, whether they like it or not. This tale drew me closer to the couple especially as I get to watch Wes remade. It feels like now, he’s truly mine. We also get to see even more of Huds’ vulnerability when it comes to family but especially Wes. And just so you know that this Authoress was cackling as she put my darling Hudson through his paces, she brought his worst nightmare to life. I know she really enjoyed writing this but after a while, I was too caught up in my worry over this ragtag family to be mad at her relish.
When things go bad, they got really bad. I found myself distracted and useless to the world as I needed to finish certain parts fast. Only to end up fighting tears in my school library as one of my people passed away, so completely that even Wes couldn’t bring him back together and I watched Hudson walk away. If after putting me through this, she doesn’t give me one of her delicious lovemaking scenes, there shall be a revolt. But, of course, I can’t revolt because I got something way better than that! And I am sitting here wondering if there’ll be another tale in this series because, Ma’am, I so want more! Then, I’m in book hangover as I wonder what I’m supposed to do with my life now? Which, of course, means that as soon as my current read load eases up, I’m doing a marathon!
Verdict? The most emotional of all the tales, you’ll need that box of tissues close by as Mme. Jenn takes you to the brink of hell and back again!
I have looked forward to this book. Having met most of these characters previously, learned their backstories, and become comfortable in this world, I could sit back and enjoy the action and suspense of this latest offering in the series.
These are some good, strong characters. Their interactions are engaging, relevant, and move the story along while drawing the reader in with their actions and reactions to everything around them.
Wes finally realizes what his higher purpose is and in doing so, begins to utilize all his power. With Hudson by his side to keep him grounded, he feels comfortable with the newness of what he must do. They have grown into their relationship, and their love and belief in each other is lovely to see and gives me confidence in their HEA.
I laughed with them, and I cried for them as they maneuvered through the latest situation in which they found themselves. I wasn’t expecting the pain the author threw at these characters. It was hard for them to take. A feeling of disbelief colored my reading for a while after. And that made it an even better book for me.
This storyline shows a different aspect of the paranormal and their inherent distrust and prejudices towards other supernatural beings. The tension in the scenes is palpable, and the action kept me on the edge of my seat.
I am enjoying this series so much. With the richness of the character development and the numerous new characters introduced, this could go on for a while and not get stale. I hope there is more to come.
Finally, I think the best part of this book is the feeling of love and acceptance with this cobbled-together family. We should all be so blessed.
I will read more from this author.
Noooooo. What have you done??? WTFFF???? I can’t think!! It hurts too much! If you haven’t read the previous books, don’t even think about reading this one.
Another masterpiece by Jenn Burke(I’ll never forgive you) and this is one of my favourite series. This book takes you through a tornado of emotions. We finally get cohabitation, all of them together. Wes and Hudson are as adorable as always. We meet some new characters too. I don’t want to spoil, so I’m going to leave it at that.
I loved the last chapter. It might not make me forget what happened at 80%(it’s a paranormal book, I just never expected it) but it was a perfect ending. And Evan deserves an HEA!(maybe a spinoff?)
Highly recommended series!
*ARC provided by the author via A Novel Take PR in exchange for an honest and unbiased review
I have been waiting for this book for so long and it didn’t disappoint! OMG, this was food for my soul kind of book! Ms Burke has such a knack for creating real imperfect yet relatable and likable characters, for spinning a story that is perfectly balanced with suspense, personal relationships and a bit of mystery. I couldn’t put it down.
Wes and Hudson are together and living their lives to the fullest – new home, booming business and their small but tight knit family. But a seemingly unrelated case of money theft, a string of shifter murders and an appearance of unexpected relatives throws everything out of balance. It’s all hands on deck this time. Danger comes from different angles, friend turns to foe, and enemy offers a helping hand. Both sides are not without loss, and for a moment they all bow under the weight of grief. But it’s finally time to accept how strong they are and fight the enemy that just won’t go away.
I love Wes. He is sassy and vulnerable at the same time. It takes him a long time, but when he comes into his own, it’s a thing of beauty and power. Now it’s his turn to hold everyone up, and he is absolutely awesome while doing it. This book was everything I wanted it to be. I freaking loved it from the first page to the last. The story was well-paced, the characters were interconnected to each other, there was humor and a bit of sarcasm as well as love and sweet devotion. I hope there will be more books in the series because I haven’t had my fill of Wes and Hudson yet. Copy received for my honest and unbiased review
Paranormal M/M romance with very few explicit scenes but some PNR gore
I have so enjoyed this series of gay paranormal entities along with their many friends and associates. There are lots of characters in these books but it doesn’t take long to see how they all relate to our main guys: Wes and Hudson. Ms. Burke has been kind enough to provide in her narrative information from the two previous books when necessary. Helps with clarification.
Wes became a god in the last book making him now a ghost/god and visible to others when he doesn’t need to be stealthy. These qualities help in his business with Hud as independent investigators. There are odd things happening in Toronto and all seem to be connected. When Wes and Hudson investigate, lots of bad things start happening before it gets good again. I will say that this was undoubtedly one of the saddest (toward the end) stories I’ve read recently. Not to worry however. The ending is at least an HFN if not an HEA and can be read as a standalone. If you enjoy this book and haven’t read the others, I would suggest doing that. You will see how everything came to be…
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book through A Novel Take PR and it comes highly recommended if you like suspenseful mysteries with male partners who love each other. I give it 4.5 Stars.
Graveyard Shift is the third book in the Not Dead Yet series by Jenn Burke. It is a paranormal mystery story with m/m romance elements and definitely needs to be read with other books in the series since it is the same characters and flows from book to book with world building and character growth. Within these pages you will find an amazing story with great character and lots of paranormal action, violence, mystery, loss, grief, drama, humor and love.
Wes is a ghost/god who attempts to solve magical mysteries with his vampire partner, Hudson. They are partners in their PI business and in life… or um, not life I guess (see, humor). They have some bumps in the road, like not so welcoming neighbors and a group of suspicious deaths popping up recently. But together they can tackle anything, right?!? We get to see how well they can deal with surprises, mysteries and rude hoity toity neighborhoods.. even when the past comes knocking.
I absolutely love this series, and this book is no exception. It’s well written and keeps your interest with an entertaining and suspenseful plot and marvelous characters that you love to read more about.
I received an advanced reader’s copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review and recommendation.
4.5 stars-
I knew the conclusion to the Not Dead Yet series would be amazing and Graveyard Shift was certainly that. This is one of those series that hits on so many of my favorite things- a fun relationship between main characters, intriguing storylines, palpable emotion, fantastic secondary characters, and banter that makes me smile often. Graveyard Shift also held plenty of surprises- most made for an exciting story, others led to some heartbreak, but I cannot deny that this book held my full attention and solidified the series as one of my top faves.
Graveyard Shift definitely had that capping off feeling from the outset, rounding out storylines and characters. I loved seeing Wes’s full transformation in this book. Though he’s always been fun and sassy with a quiet strength, it was even better when he realized his potential and embraced it. Likewise, I enjoyed seeing Wes and Hudson’s relationship further solidified throughout Graveyard Shift. Their connection felt deeper as the story progressed, and it was reassuring to see their bond hold true despite the hardships their little family of friends and loved ones faced. And man were the action and unexpected turns on point in this one, leaving my heart lurching a number of times and wondering how this could be the end of such a great series. If you’re in need of the next binge-worthy series, I highly recommend picking up Not Dead Yet. Meanwhile, I’ll hope to see these characters pop up in a different series in the future so I don’t have to say goodbye just yet.
*eARC received via Netgally. Reviewed for Alpha Book Club*
I am really enjoying this series so far and couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of book 3. This book continues the adventures of ghost/ god Wes Cooper and his partner Hudson. There is again plenty of suspense, paranormal stuff that’s going on and a bunch of twists and reveals. It kept my attention from start to finish and I really enjoyed this latest installment.
I like how in this series the book starts with a simple case, that then turns out not to be as simple as that. Then there are multiple other threads that pop up as well and by the end of the book they often all tie together in someway. This book goes that way as well, there are quite some things going on and while I expect these would tie together it takes a while before things fall on their place. I wanted to know what was going on with the shifters dying and the new vampires that seemed to pop-up everywhere. It was fun to try and piece things together and follow along as the characters revealed more clues.
There’s some death and sadness going on as usual and there are some tough things the characters have to go through, but also enough happy moments. There is a twist that seemed a little too convenient, but I did like how everything got resolved in the end. There are some twists I liked, like seeing Wes grow into his god powers. I also liked most of the new side characters we meet in this book and the new things we learn paranormal wise.
This book centers around Wes and Hudson and the tight group of friends surrounding them. I love reading about them and how they stick together and are there for one another. I like reading about these characters and seeing them all develop in each book and in most books they add another character to the group, which is fun to see. I like seeing how they all interact with one another and are there for each other.
Romance wise I was really happy how this book played out. In previous books they had some big bumps romance wise to overcome and in this book we really see Wes and Hudson as partners. They stick together and forgive each other when things don’t go according to plan. They really are there for each other in all ways. And I enjoyed seeing them be so close. The make for a great couple and this book really shows their depth of love for each other.
This book again expands on the world building too. We slowly learn what it means for Wes to be a god and how he deals with this. And there’s more about his powers too. There is also more about shifters that we learn in this book as there are some shifter side characters that are important for the plot. As well as some additional information about vampires and other paranormal creatures. I like how with every book the world expands and feels even more real. I like learning more about this world and the supernatural creatures in it.
To summarize: This is another great read in this series. I liked the suspense plot line with the issues that seem unconnected at first, but them slowly turn into one big issue. It was interesting to find out who’s behind it, although I wasn’t fully happy with the who plot twist. There are some great developments in this book, some happy and hopeful moments, but also some sad parts. I liked seeing Wes grow into his role as a god. And I also liked how Wes and Hudson really are a team in this book, there are no major obstacles when it comes to their romance and I liked seeing them together and it it’s clear how much they love each other. There are some new interesting side characters in this book and the world building gets expanded a bit as well. I really enjoy this series and reading about this tight knit group of characters and I am looking forward to the next book.
I loved this whole series. It’s packed with action and story beyond the romance, but Wes and Hudson are still a very dreamy couple and the romance is wonderful. I also very much appreciate all the Canadian rep! I will miss these characters. Dare I hope for a spin-off book or three?