[ARC Review] Grave Wars by Gena Showalter and Jill Monroe

Publisher's synopsis: Jane Ladling presents the perfect fail-proof “Don’t Fall Deeper In Love With Your Boyfriend” Checklist!

• Remember the family curse—check (ish)
• Keep your mind focused on his bid for sheriff—check
• Never find his competition dead in their home—check mate?

For too long, Jane has lived in fear of a generational curse. Fall in love, lose the guy; marry him and watch him die. Finally, this quirky ray of sunshine is determined to experience all life offers. With the help of the world’s most amazing guardcat, she preserves Garden of Memories, a landlocked cemetery and heaven on earth. At her side is the best ragtag team of friends in history. Plus, she’s dating the tastiest snack in Aurelian Hills, Georgia. Protective grump and future sheriff Conrad Ryan. There’s just one problem: someone murdered Conrad’s only opponent.

Of course, like any expert amateur sleuth, Jane dives heart first into an investigation. Except, the hotter the leads, the colder the case. From feuding neighbors to secret blackmailers and a missing crime boss, reality proves stranger than fiction. As new buddies and old enemies emerge, Jane will stop at nothing to uncover the truth. And maybe, just maybe, she’ll win her own campaign along the way: being crowned Miss Happily Ever After.  

My thoughts: It's safe to say that the Jane Ladling books will forever be a top cozy mystery series for me. There's just something about the plots and the characters that give these stories a little extra magic, and Grave Wars was no exception. I devoured Jane's latest adventure in one sitting - partially because I needed to know who the culprit was, but mostly (let's be honest) because I needed to know if Jane was finally going to forget about the curse and give in to her feelings for Conrad. Fans who have been waiting for Jane and Conrad to finally get together will be simultaneously praising and cursing the authors after this book. Saying that Grave Wars had an ending I never saw coming is an understatement. 

Readers have been on quite the journey with these characters, and one of my favorite aspects of this story was how Gena and Jill were able to keep the plot fresh while also continuing to develop these characters. Jane and Conrad are truly at their peak in this book, and all of their friends (including a new ally) all shine as supporting characters. It was great to see Jane truly working with those closest to her to solve the mystery; in the past, Jane's quirkiness kept her on the outskirts. Now, Jane is right at Conrad's side, and these two made a formidable, if not humorous, team. 

Even when things are going rough for Jane and her friends, Grave Wars never failed to make me feel warm and fuzzy. Between the fantastic cast of characters and Gena and Jill's cozy writing style, this book was easily a five-star read for me. 

Rating: 5/5

Find Grave Wars on:

Amazon     Apple     Nook     Kobo     Google Play     BookBub     Goodreads

[A huge thank you to the authors for sharing a review copy of Grave Wars. All opinions are my own.]

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Release date: 9/25/23

Format: eARC

eARC provided via: Author Talk Media