[ARC Review] Falling For the Gravekeeper (Conrad's Story) by Gena Showalter and Jill Monroe

Publisher's synopsis: Jane Ladling told her side of the story. Now Special Agent Conrad Ryan tells his.

Welcome to Aurelian Hills, a small town rich in history and community, and six feet deep in murder.

When a local playboy doctor is found dead in an unearthed grave, Conrad is on the case. But this loner by choice is ill prepared for the cemetery’s quirky owner. A beautiful brunette with a curious nature, a fascination with cats, hats and a talent for distracting him. Doesn’t help when she, well, tries to help, and constantly inserts herself into the investigation.

With suspects stacking up, wild theories flying and a would-be amateur sleuth giving him a run for his money, Conrad must do what he does best. Buckle down, piece together the evidence and save the day. What he won’t do? Fall for the enchanting gravekeeper. Not him. No way.  

My thoughts: Just when I thought I couldn't love the Jane Ladling books any more, Gena Showalter and Jill Monroe had to go and give us Conrad's point of view. 

A retelling of Romancing the Gravestone, Falling For the Gravekeeper gives readers a different perspective of what happened when Jane finds a body where it doesn't belong. With his skills as a special agent, Conrad brought an air of authority and gravitas to the case that Jane definitely couldn't. 

(I love Jane, but let's be honest - a trained detective, she is not. And that's part of why I love her.)

Conrad's story is everything I had hoped it would be. I loved seeing the investigation through his eyes and learning bits of information that we didn't originally get in Jane's POV. But what I loved most of all about Conrad's side of things is how quickly this pensive, stoic character fell for Jane after meeting her. As it turns out, Conrad was internally shipping himself with Jane since day one and I loved that for them. 

The Jane Ladling series is all around fun to read, and getting the story from Conrad's perspective doesn't change that. We do get details about Conrad's personal life that Jane doesn't get until further along in her relationship with him, so even though this is a retelling of the first book it really should be read in publishing order. 

With Conrad's dry humor and Showalter and Monroe's fantastic writing style, fans of Jane Ladling will not want to miss this new perspective. The mystery itself might not be a surprise, but there's a whole lot more to the story left to tell. 

*A huge thank you to both Gena Showalter and Jill Monroe for sharing an early copy of Falling For the Gravekeeper*

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Release date: 3/27/23

Format: eARC

eARC provided via: Author Talk Media