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Grave Illusions (Jess Vandermire #1)

by Lina Gardiner (Goodreads Author)

3.39 of 5 stars 3.39 · rating details · 372 ratings · 47 reviews

New York City is in the grasp of a deadly, unseen enemy. At least unseen by normal society. Lieutenant Jess Vandermire, New York City police officer, is uniquely specialized to recognize and fight this threat. It's her job to forge a black ops team, an assortment of men and women who wouldn't be considered for the job under normal circumstances. But these aren't normal cir...more

Paperback, 204 pages

Published February 1st 2007 by Imajinn Books

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Jun 17, 2011 Jenn rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: vampires, 2011, fiction

I know, I know. I only gave this two stars, and yet I'm writing a review.

I read it from digital cover to digital cover. And I enjoyed it. It isn't great literature, nor is it intellectually challenging in any way... and I love fluffy mind-candy stories as much as the next reader. But seriously, where was the editor? Granted, the typos and whatnot did not detract from the overall story, but again I ask, where was the editor? And why did they not catch so many of the typos and errors?

I liked the...more

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Apr 14, 2011 Marsha rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Adults ( Paranormal Mystery Lovers)

Before reading this book, I briefly looked over the reviews. Some people gave the book 1 or 2 stars and I became hesitant to read it. However, the book was free on Amazon.com and I liked the book description. Boy, I am glad that I decided to read it. While the story was not stellar, it was pretty good. It has everything I love in a book: interesting characters, fast pacing, deviations on the vampire theme and mystery.

Jess Vandermere is a vampire turned over 80 years ago. Her younger brother is a...more

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Mar 22, 2011 Chris rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: vampires, mystery, fantasy-urban, dnf, kindle-freebie

This book starts with a promising idea - a vampire who is a vampire with speical ablities because her brother, a priest, saved her soul when she was turned, hunts down other vampires in the City of New York. I have to Gardiner full credit for keeping vampires as overall evil, yet explaining how her lead vampire Jess and second vampire James, are different. It worked.

Sadly that was the best thing about the book. I should admit that I didn't finish this one.

The problems are many. First there is no...more

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Mar 15, 2011 Tracy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

The life of ex-cop John Brittain is circling the drain since getting tossed off the force two years ago for the suspicious death of his partner. Since then he's been driving a cab and drinking too much, lost his wife and is living in near squalor in a questionable part of town. Even worse is his lack of concern for how far he's fallen. Then one night he slips out of the bar and is approached by a gorgeous leather-clad woman who presses him up against the wall and turns him on, propositions him,...more The life of ex-cop John Brittain is circling the drain since getting tossed off the force two years ago for the suspicious death of his partner. Since then he's been driving a cab and drinking too much, lost his wife and is living in near squalor in a questionable part of town. Even worse is his lack of concern for how far he's fallen. Then one night he slips out of the bar and is approached by a gorgeous leather-clad woman who presses him up against the wall and turns him on, propositions him, then disappears when he turns her down. If that wasn't a far enough step outside the norm of his miserable life of late, his former captain calls and asks him to come see him. Britt doesn't have the first clue what that's all about, nor does he have an inkling of just how much his life is about to change.

She'd been watching him for weeks, following him and aware of the others who were also on his tail. Coming face to face with him in that alley off the bar just proved to Jess that she wanted Britt on her team. Well, she wanted him for more than that but that's all she would allow herself. And after fifty years as a vampire, Jess had gotten very good at schooling her most unwanted - and unholy - desires.

The vampires in the city were joining together and acting in ways that Jess had never seen before. It was up to her to assemble and train more hunters and put a stop to the growing number of casualties. And given the interest the vampires have shown in Britt, she may have found the key to the whole mess. Convincing the man to join her cause without explaining what she or that cause is, though, may not be so easy. With the lives of her team, her baby brother, and the humans of the city on the line, the ease of the task has nothing to do with Jess' grim determination to get it done.

Though I liked the idea of the concept for the plot of this series debut, several issues prevented me from being able to enjoy it. The narrative plodded a bit, and seemed dry and stilted. I never really got a clear picture of the world of the series beyond the basics and I wish there had been more attention to detail offered in the creation of the mythos of vampires within it. There seemed to be some conflicting information and a lot of vague references, some religion-based, without many absolutes or thorough explanation.

The characters also suffered from a lack of definition. I had a hard time connecting to them because of that, and that caused the romantic subplot to fall short for me. Britt was the most three dimensional and clearly defined of the bunch, I thought, with his past and many of his motivations and aspirations covered in detail...but as the series is named after Jess I found that odd. The main character in this book doesn't seem to be the one in which the series is centered around. I don't think it would have felt quite so disparate had Jess been given more page time and her past been more thoroughly described. A few more scenes slanted from her perspective would have helped, too.

Unfortunately, those weren't the only issues I had with this book. For a story that is supposed to contain an investigation with a crack detective and a vampire, way too many pieces of the investigation were ill defined, fit together poorly, were based on wild assumptions with no supporting evidence, or were handed to the characters from nameless third party sources. Other parts made no sense and/or conflicted with logic and previously established information. The police procedural aspects of the plot failed for me on that level.

Actually, too many things failed for me in this book. There were just too many plot holes, contradictions, illogical progressions, and character issues, and the end was riddled with supposed twists that I just felt were random and bizarre. I wanted so much to like Grave Illusions, but ended up struggling to finish it. I'm sorry to say I doubt I'll be continuing this series.

~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.(less)

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Mar 14, 2011 Linda Bsss rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ex-Cop, John Brittan Sat In A Bar Drinking Whiskey, With His Last Swallow He Knew He Had To Go Back To His Tiny Fourth Floor Apartment, He Just Could Not Get Over Killing His Partner And Two Years Later He Still Sent Money To Randy's Widow And His Child. John Felt So Guilty That He Never Cared That His Ex-Wife Took Everything When She Divorced Him. The Nightmare Was Still Fresh In His Mind And He Would Have Gladly Gone To Prison But He Left His Career When No Autopsy Was Done. Now He Drove A Cab...more

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Jan 23, 2013 Brenda Franklin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-favorites

I really loved the concept of your leading lady, Jess, being saved by her brother through baptism. It was a completely different take on the world of vampires than anything I’ve read recently--something I found so refreshing. Though her outfit is a bit ridiculous for fighting, and I mean more so the six inch heels with the built in spike, who doesn’t like having a woman in leather kicking butt? I would have gone with cotton because it breaths, but we all have our different tastes.

You’re leading...more I really loved the concept of your leading lady, Jess, being saved by her brother through baptism. It was a completely different take on the world of vampires than anything I’ve read recently--something I found so refreshing. Though her outfit is a bit ridiculous for fighting, and I mean more so the six inch heels with the built in spike, who doesn’t like having a woman in leather kicking butt? I would have gone with cotton because it breaths, but we all have our different tastes.

You’re leading man, John Britain, is like any other man who was kicked off the force for having ‘accidently’ killed his partner, never going to prison because the body went missing, sends money to his dead ex-partners grieving widow anonymously, divorced from his cheating wife, drinks too much, and lives in a crummy apartment working as a night taxi driver. I think that just about covers it all! But he’s a hell of a man that begins to straighten up his life when Jess offers him a job after almost seducing him at the beginning. The down side is that for the first twenty percent of the book you are going back and forth between Jess trying to recruit John as a vampire hunter and John unable to make up his mind about it because he not only wants to know more information but doesn’t feel he deserves a second chance to work with the police.

As an added plus to the book, there were plenty of moments with sexual tension--though I was rooting for more in that department. Not to mention enough fights and surprises to keep you coming back for more. I know I did!

It was a fast read and easy to follow until you got to the last fifteen percent. Things began to not add up in conversation and some actions I wanted to ask the characters themselves, “what about that made sense” or “where’s the other guy”. Though a few started to not add up, and the battles seemed lacking at the very end, I found it to still be a good and enjoyable read.

I give this book a four out of five and I would recommend this to several people.

By Brenda Franklin author of the Pulse Trilogy(less)

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May 24, 2011 Kristy ConQueso rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: vampires-werewolves-fairies-oh-m, kindle-freebies, the-awful-it-burns, whiskey-tango-foxtrot, romantical, paranormal-whatsits

I had a lot of hope for this book. The concept was intriguing. A vampire whose soul was saved by her priest brother who now fights vampire crime? Okay. I can get on board with this. I don't think we've seen this particular spin yet.

But for all the promise it held, it just fell..flat. Jess wanted to be kickass, she achieved it at times, but for the majority of the story, I was bored out of my mind. Her "romance" with ex-cop turned fellow vampire hunter, John Brittain, was a strain. There was no c...more

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Apr 22, 2011 Yodamom rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: free, kindle

3.5 stars, hard to rate this book went from exciting to dragging several times for me. I was tired of hearing the two main characters thought on how they can't have the one they want, ok enough already, beating a dead horse... I am still not sure why they wanted each other so desperately, didn't catch that. The rest of the story had good action scenes and interesting characters for the most part. I would have liked to have more of the extras and less of the lusty ex cop and the vampire. The sad...more

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Mar 13, 2011 Vivian rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2011, freebie, first-in-series

This book had a lot of potential. Interesting premise and character background. I was really liking it until the plot holes and contradictions started up. Now minor details, I'm not even likely to notice. But when you say a body turned up missing before an autopsy could be performed, then a chapter later go to check out his body at the cemetery?! I kept reading thinking that could somehow be explained, never was. And the book kinda went downhill from there for me. Too much with the main characte...more

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Mar 31, 2011 Claire rated it 1 of 5 stars

I have had some amazing experiences with the free urban fantasy books on Amazon (the book that opened the door to the Fever series for one, which was also a genius marketing move because I bought the next four faster than you could blink) and then some not-so-good ones. The latest, Grave Illusions by Lina Gardiner, was one of those.

Can’t quite put my finger on why I didn’t connect with it. It was just…. unfinished. It felt like it needed a good editor to come along and un-kink the cliches. So I...more

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Dec 17, 2008 Bitten_by_Books rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: readerwoman

Relationships are hard under “normal” circumstances. Add to the mix a top-secret black ops NYC police team, two dedicated and stubborn cops, and a dark and nasty strain of local vampires, and you have all the ingredients for a first-class paranormal mystery...

For the entire review please go to the Best Paranormal & Urban Fantasy Review site on the web, Bitten By Books for the review of Grave Illusions in it's entirety. You won't be sorry.

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Jun 01, 2011 Steph rated it 3 of 5 stars

(Storyline 4-Stars) (Writing 3 1/2-Stars)

Low-rent covers aside, this is a pretty good UF/Vamp series. The books lean a bit more towards UF than PNR, but there is a strong romantic element-without the sex. The first book has a couple of issues like: cheesy villain dialogue, mediocre writing, typos, & plot inconsistencies, which seemed to cheapen a relatively good book. The writing is greatly improves & the editing is much tighter as the series progresses, but a few typos & mistakes s...more

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Jun 05, 2011 Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks, free-ebooks, read-in-2011, urban-fantasy

I'm going to start by saying that I ultimately enjoyed this book. However- yes, there's a 'however'. However, the first 25% of the book was very repetitious. Jess wants Britt to join her uber-secret team, Britt wants to know why she's trying to keep it secret, Jess won't tell him, Britt declines to join. Until the next night when they meet up randomly and Jess asks Britt again to join her uber-secret team... lather, rinse, repeat. Throw in some repressed sexual desire- by both of the main charac...more

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Apr 05, 2011 Brianne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: free-on-kindle, urban-fantasy

This book was an enjoyable if mediocre read. I did get this book free on Amazon and didn't have terribly high hopes but the whole vampires hunting vampires things intrigued me. The characters were moderately interesting, though some of them (Sampson) were really just there to give the main characters information to move the plot along. There were also parts of it that just made me pause and think 'Really? That's where you decided to go with the plot?' Overall, it was fun to read on a lazy aftern...more

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Jun 09, 2011 Elizabeth rated it 1 of 5 stars

I was pretty much immediately turned off by the idea of a vampire turned "good" through prayer and holy water. I tried to give it a go, but I just didn't care for it. I like books where vampires are gnarly and badass, and that's just what they are. None of this "good overcoming evil" stuff for me.

I do give the author credit for trying a new take on the vamp book, but it just didn't work for me.

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Jun 06, 2011 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved this story. I guess because it was a vampire story and it was dark and gritty, and yes there was romance, but I loved the way that Jess tried to deny herself for fear of hurting Brittan.

I liked the way the story wove around and through the graveyard leading to a climax against a superpower of vampires.

First in a series of stories about Jess and her band of Vampire Hunters.

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Mar 14, 2011 Lola4 rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this read, it was fun, it was fast, it was full of action, and the plot developed more like a crime mystery than your typical generic paranormal romance. It did have that VERY big plot inconsistency that really bothered me, but overall I found few boring dragging spots, and I am willing to forgive one mistake since I found the rest of the story engrossing and entertaining.

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Mar 29, 2011 Brandy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-freebie, 2011

I like the story concept of a vampire leading a secret ops group that included an ex-cop, and I loved the vampire's connection to her priest brother. I just felt like something was missing the entire time I was reading. I wanted more information about the vampires in this world, how they operate and why, and I felt like more needed to be said about her brother's involvement, how and why that worked for her.

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Apr 22, 2011 Tiffany rated it 1 of 5 stars

Ugh. Some of these free books I get for my kindle just are not worth the time I spend reading them. This is one. One line I can't get out of my head because of it's sheer ridiculousness ... something something "enhanced her enhancibles". Are you kidding me? I really wish you were...

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May 23, 2011 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Kindle read. It was okay, but not good enough to want to read the rest of the series. Not sure if it was just the kindle version or not, but there were obvious problems with the editing, like quotes being left out around speech. That alone can ruin a reading experience.

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Oct 25, 2011 Dorlana rated it 3 of 5 stars

The story started out strong but stayed in that first scene (dilemma)for a bit too long. However, I love the unique and strong characters: Jess was dynamite! The vampire story line was fresh and unique yet kept enough of the old-school vampire legend for this old-school vamp fan. For me, it was a little wordy in spots, and one scene near the end was a little much for this sensitive reader (I know, it was a vampire novel, but still). Overall, it was an entertaining read.

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Sep 30, 2011 Liz rated it 2 of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this book, but truthfully, it was a chore to finish it. The characters weren't interesting, the plot was scrambled and went back on itself a few times (which was really confusing) and so on.

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Mar 18, 2011 Chris rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: free-on-my-kindle

Wish I wouldn't have wasted my time on this, even though it was free on kindle. I wasn't drawn in by the romance or the plot and found none of the characters interesting.

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Apr 07, 2011 Missy rated it 3 of 5 stars

This came recommended to me by a friend. I liked the twist on the usual vampire tale that it offered. A nice, easy beach read - now if summer would only come!

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Apr 02, 2011 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was quite good. A cop thriller with vampire division in the police department. I enjoyed it so much I finished it in 2 days. Can't wait to read something else by this author.

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Aug 27, 2012 Hilary rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf-f

The characters had no real depth, and despite some new concepts there wasn't enough to get me past the wannabe-Catwoman-with-spikes imagery.

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Apr 18, 2011 Starla B rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was fun. I thought it belonged to a different series, but I'm glad I read it. I will probably read the rest in the series.

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Mar 31, 2011 Tony rated it 4 of 5 stars

Good opening book to a series, a few cliches used, but well written and makes me want to explore the next book

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Mar 15, 2011 Natalie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Another brainless read. fun for vamp fans trying to fill void until true blood is back on.

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Apr 07, 2011 Connie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-books

Loved it!!! From start to finish. Fast pace. Strong characters and enjoyable story!

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About Lina Gardiner

Lina Gardiner was born and raised in New Brunswick. She has a deep appreciation of the beauty and the special attributes of her province. As a test to see if she could make it as a writer, she wrote an article on the Fundy Trail Parkway and got the cover story in the magazine We're Home New Brunswick.

That was her sign to dive into her lifelong dream of writing. After that, she wrote a short story...more

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Grave Illusions (Jess Vandermire #1)

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