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Jon's Mysteries #5
Jon and Mack's Terrifying Tree Troubles
It’s like a bad game of Telephone.
Grant locates a murdered teen in McMinnville. He calls Jon.
Jon locates the girl’s ghost. He calls Mack.
Mack talks to the ghost who leads them to more ghosts. Who lead them to even more ghosts.
And why are all the murder victims buried under trees?
The boys are ready for this game to end, please. (Donovan especially.)
Tags:
Jon’s World crossover, hail hail the gang’s all here, oh look we meet Grant, trees are not to be trusted, according to Donovan, ya’ll pray for Donovan, there’s so many ghosts, the ghosts have some WORDS to share, car sex, bondage sex, Mack has plans, so of course they get ruined, BAMF female cops, Jon and Mack are ready for this case to be over, please and thank you, serial killer(s)? running amok, people get tombed, literally, Eli’s mad she missed the fun, Mack would like to say: Don’t use Jon as a battery, seriously don’t do it
Grant locates a murdered teen in McMinnville. He calls Jon.
Jon locates the girl’s ghost. He calls Mack.
Mack talks to the ghost who leads them to more ghosts. Who lead them to even more ghosts.
And why are all the murder victims buried under trees?
The boys are ready for this game to end, please. (Donovan especially.)
Tags:
Jon’s World crossover, hail hail the gang’s all here, oh look we meet Grant, trees are not to be trusted, according to Donovan, ya’ll pray for Donovan, there’s so many ghosts, the ghosts have some WORDS to share, car sex, bondage sex, Mack has plans, so of course they get ruined, BAMF female cops, Jon and Mack are ready for this case to be over, please and thank you, serial killer(s)? running amok, people get tombed, literally, Eli’s mad she missed the fun, Mack would like to say: Don’t use Jon as a battery, seriously don’t do it
Audiobook
First published January 13, 2023
373 people are currently reading
388 people want to read
About the author
A.J. Sherwood
80 books1,955 followersAJ Sherwood believes in happily ever afters, magic, dragons, good men, and dark chocolate. She often dreams at night of delectable men doing sexy things with each other. In between writing multiple books (often at the same time) she pets her cats, plays with her dogs, and attempts insane things like aerial yoga.
She currently resides in Tennessee with aforementioned cats, dogs, and her editor/best friend/sister/partner in crime.
She currently resides in Tennessee with aforementioned cats, dogs, and her editor/best friend/sister/partner in crime.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 224 reviews
January 14, 2023
The good
+ Donovan and Brandon protecting their partners
+
+ Mack's 'proposal', and Brandon's response
+ Jon putting the bad guys in their place by ruthlessly reading their auras
+ The ghosts
The neutral
o I felt like Jon spilled way more secrets he read from auras than he normally did. I thought he usually tried to keep everything to himself to grant innocent bystanders their privacy
o There were about a million members in their found family, and I just didn't remember everyone anymore. And that's just their friends and family. When we add the number of professionals and colleagues to the list, there were just way too many characters in this book. What was Jim even doing at the crime scenes? He had no purpose there, did he?
o
o The reader needs to suspend disbelief to accept this many murders happened without anyone ever noticing anything
The bad
- Donovan was genuinely terrified of ghosts. And everyone just kind of laughed at him and called him cute. The poor guy was hyperventilating and almost had a full-on panic attack, and people still thought it was a good idea to ignore his severe phobia and drag him along to ghost-filled places Jon did not necessarily have to be. Poor Donovan
- In the prologue, Grant was talking to the aunt of a murder victim: a sixteen-year-old girl. This aunt just found out her niece was dead not even ten minutes ago, and Grant thought: "Damn shame I was gay, otherwise I'd have found a way to get her number." What the hell, Grant?! How can you even have a thought like this about a grieving loved one of a murdered child, minutes after she found out?
- "With his Chinese-Vietnamese heritage, he'd turned out K-pop star cute." Sho's Chinese-Vietnamese heritage makes him look like a cute Korean guy? That's some real "all Asians look the same" shit right there, wtf
I finished this book, but definitely didn't enjoy it as much as Jon and Mack's previous books. Grant's mishap in the prologue and that racist description of Sho really pulled me out of the story. I did really enjoy Jon putting people in their place with his readings, and the ghosts getting their own revenge. But I really felt horrible for Donovan, and this was definitely not as good as the other books in the series.
+ Donovan and Brandon protecting their partners
+
+ Mack's 'proposal', and Brandon's response
+ Jon putting the bad guys in their place by ruthlessly reading their auras
+ The ghosts
The neutral
o I felt like Jon spilled way more secrets he read from auras than he normally did. I thought he usually tried to keep everything to himself to grant innocent bystanders their privacy
o There were about a million members in their found family, and I just didn't remember everyone anymore. And that's just their friends and family. When we add the number of professionals and colleagues to the list, there were just way too many characters in this book. What was Jim even doing at the crime scenes? He had no purpose there, did he?
o
o The reader needs to suspend disbelief to accept this many murders happened without anyone ever noticing anything
The bad
- Donovan was genuinely terrified of ghosts. And everyone just kind of laughed at him and called him cute. The poor guy was hyperventilating and almost had a full-on panic attack, and people still thought it was a good idea to ignore his severe phobia and drag him along to ghost-filled places Jon did not necessarily have to be. Poor Donovan
- In the prologue, Grant was talking to the aunt of a murder victim: a sixteen-year-old girl. This aunt just found out her niece was dead not even ten minutes ago, and Grant thought: "Damn shame I was gay, otherwise I'd have found a way to get her number." What the hell, Grant?! How can you even have a thought like this about a grieving loved one of a murdered child, minutes after she found out?
- "With his Chinese-Vietnamese heritage, he'd turned out K-pop star cute." Sho's Chinese-Vietnamese heritage makes him look like a cute Korean guy? That's some real "all Asians look the same" shit right there, wtf
I finished this book, but definitely didn't enjoy it as much as Jon and Mack's previous books. Grant's mishap in the prologue and that racist description of Sho really pulled me out of the story. I did really enjoy Jon putting people in their place with his readings, and the ghosts getting their own revenge. But I really felt horrible for Donovan, and this was definitely not as good as the other books in the series.
January 14, 2023
3.5 stars
February 5, 2024
Audiobook Review
Ok read my Goodreads review below to get more details on what I thought about this one. I hate typing on my phone so it will have all the details.
In here we have Jon, Donovan, Mack, and the forgotten to the end, Brandon.
Donovan and Brandon are literally the same character. It's very noticable in here.
Anyways, they get called in to help find the body of a teen. Then they find out that there's a heck of a lot of ghosts and a serial killer family.
Things get resolved as they always do, and Cho moves in with Garrett.
That's all we get about those two.
The narrator is still making everyone but Mack sound the same but at this point, it's fine.
_______________________
Ok so...
I am not sure how to review this one.
Was it funny at times? Yup
Was it not up to the same level as the previous books? Yup
Did this have a racist slur that was not needed in it? Also yes.
This had a lot of murders in it, but also quite a few teens died, fyi just in case kids dying is something you don't want to read about.
Spoilers ahead
So in this one we have Jon, Don, Mack, and a did not get a pov until the end, Brandon.
Let me pause here and let everyone know that you should not read Alan's ybbb book before this one. I read it thinking it would go in between the Vegas one and this, but I was wrong. Grant one of the main mcs in that story but in here he was still without an anchor.
Anyways, Grant calls Jon in for a case about a missing teen. When Jon and Don get there, Jon notices a ghost so calls in Mack and Brandon. Well one ghost turns into dozens and the mystery of the killings begins.
The story was so problematic. Did you know that psychics were treated as second class citizens until the civil rights era fought to give them better rights? I was confused, was this in addition to people of color fighting for their lives or was this just about psychics? Also Sherwood added a racial slur out of the blue, and no one said a word.
And no, just because it was an old guy does not make it ok. If you need to put in the n word into a mm romance story in 2023, then something is wrong with your tale.
Now lets get into the fact that this had 4 main MCs, yet until 84%, there was only 3 povs. I mean come on.
I get why both Don and Brandon didn't get individual povs, cause they are literally the same persona.
Like the last story, everyone bends over backwards for Jon yet no one thinks that this is odd. Jon finds a couple of young psychics, I hope they get stories.
Also, what is with the inner conversations to the reader? I do not need the people having sex to talk to me, the voyeur of the sex scene, to talk to me. Also, there were two sexual scenes in here, one for each couple, but I literally taken out of the story trying to figure out what position Jon was in. It was later clarified as reverse cowgirl.
The last thing I want to say is that I am sad we didn't get Sho and Garrett's hea in more detail. I would have loved to have seen that.
Ok read my Goodreads review below to get more details on what I thought about this one. I hate typing on my phone so it will have all the details.
In here we have Jon, Donovan, Mack, and the forgotten to the end, Brandon.
Donovan and Brandon are literally the same character. It's very noticable in here.
Anyways, they get called in to help find the body of a teen. Then they find out that there's a heck of a lot of ghosts and a serial killer family.
Things get resolved as they always do, and Cho moves in with Garrett.
That's all we get about those two.
The narrator is still making everyone but Mack sound the same but at this point, it's fine.
_______________________
Ok so...
I am not sure how to review this one.
Was it funny at times? Yup
Was it not up to the same level as the previous books? Yup
Did this have a racist slur that was not needed in it? Also yes.
This had a lot of murders in it, but also quite a few teens died, fyi just in case kids dying is something you don't want to read about.
Spoilers ahead
So in this one we have Jon, Don, Mack, and a did not get a pov until the end, Brandon.
Let me pause here and let everyone know that you should not read Alan's ybbb book before this one. I read it thinking it would go in between the Vegas one and this, but I was wrong. Grant one of the main mcs in that story but in here he was still without an anchor.
Anyways, Grant calls Jon in for a case about a missing teen. When Jon and Don get there, Jon notices a ghost so calls in Mack and Brandon. Well one ghost turns into dozens and the mystery of the killings begins.
The story was so problematic. Did you know that psychics were treated as second class citizens until the civil rights era fought to give them better rights? I was confused, was this in addition to people of color fighting for their lives or was this just about psychics? Also Sherwood added a racial slur out of the blue, and no one said a word.
And no, just because it was an old guy does not make it ok. If you need to put in the n word into a mm romance story in 2023, then something is wrong with your tale.
Now lets get into the fact that this had 4 main MCs, yet until 84%, there was only 3 povs. I mean come on.
I get why both Don and Brandon didn't get individual povs, cause they are literally the same persona.
Like the last story, everyone bends over backwards for Jon yet no one thinks that this is odd. Jon finds a couple of young psychics, I hope they get stories.
Also, what is with the inner conversations to the reader? I do not need the people having sex to talk to me, the voyeur of the sex scene, to talk to me. Also, there were two sexual scenes in here, one for each couple, but I literally taken out of the story trying to figure out what position Jon was in. It was later clarified as reverse cowgirl.
The last thing I want to say is that I am sad we didn't get Sho and Garrett's hea in more detail. I would have loved to have seen that.
January 20, 2023
Really good. A cozy mystery with a paranormal element. Jon's books bring lots of interesting things, though my favorites are Mack's. A crossover is a treat.
Pet peeve, Mack's food allergies were kind of forgotten here. That hurts.
Pet peeve, Mack's food allergies were kind of forgotten here. That hurts.
August 10, 2023
4.5 ⭐️
August 24, 2024
Jon y Donovan se encuentran ayudando a Mack y Brandon a arreglar su casa para que puedan mudarse juntos, cuando Grant los llama y les pide que atiendan un caso de una adolescente asesinada. Así que ambos junto con el grupo de PSY van a un pequeño pueblo cerca de Nashville donde encuentran que no solo la joven fue asesinada, sino que han habido un grupo de personas "psíquicas" asesinas en ese pueblo en los últimos 200 años. Por eso llaman a Mack y este a un grupo de investigadores del FBI porque al parecer están lidiando con una familia de asesinos. Podrán encontrar a los asesinos y averiguar el porque todavía están cometiendo estos crímenes?
Primero, no sabía que había otra serie en paralelo a la de Jon, con Mack y Brandon, por lo que me tomo de sorpresa que este libro fuera un crossover. Sin embargo, la trama se baso mucho mas en el caso que en las relaciones de las dos parejas, pero por ser un crossover vimos muchos de los secundarios de ambas series, de los que hemos oído en el transcurso de esta.
En fin, este caso resulto mucho mas entretenido, me atrapo mucho mas rápido, y me entretuvo muchísimo mas que todos los otros libros de la serie de Jon y Donovan, sobre todo por el tema de los fantasmas y el miedo de Donovan a ellos. Es seguro que pondré la otra serie (Mack y Brandon) en mi lista de libros por leer.
Primero, no sabía que había otra serie en paralelo a la de Jon, con Mack y Brandon, por lo que me tomo de sorpresa que este libro fuera un crossover. Sin embargo, la trama se baso mucho mas en el caso que en las relaciones de las dos parejas, pero por ser un crossover vimos muchos de los secundarios de ambas series, de los que hemos oído en el transcurso de esta.
En fin, este caso resulto mucho mas entretenido, me atrapo mucho mas rápido, y me entretuvo muchísimo mas que todos los otros libros de la serie de Jon y Donovan, sobre todo por el tema de los fantasmas y el miedo de Donovan a ellos. Es seguro que pondré la otra serie (Mack y Brandon) en mi lista de libros por leer.
January 24, 2023
Plot inefficiencies aside (another reviewer was right when they said it was extremely stuffed full of plot lines that didn't pay off), this was my last shot at giving this series a chance. And woo boy did it fail. The last book was pretty awful with its bizarre stereotypes about Scotland, but I thought, well, maybe we can just give this author the benefit of the doubt that she really doesn't know anything about the country and really thinks everyone in Scotland is an idiot? Anyway, that aside, two major issues here that will stop me from reading AJ Sherwood again (which is a shame, because I loved the White Knight Series).
1. It's been noted a few times, but what was with the "k-pop idol cute" description of a "Chinese-Vietnamese" character? You can't just monolith Asia, come on. It's pretty gross. But not as gross as 2:
2. The N-WORD??? What on earth?? Like, there is absolutely no reason to throw that in as a white author writing from a white first person POV. The throw away word (soft a, still meant as a pejorative slur, so don't know why she thought that would save her) was clearly meant to demonstrate that the evil villain is even more evil because he's racist? But, like, we've already been told this man is the most evil person anyone has ever encountered, and he has already committed a bunch of hate crimes. You DON'T need to throw in a racial slur to just hit that point harder. I don't know if AJ just has a really bad editor, or if she, herself, thinks nothing of throwing slurs in, but this was so jarring and offensive, I almost couldn't believe it. AJ, if you're going to keep writing, please think about race a little more? These are two major examples of a micro and macro aggression, and they've ruined all future books for me. I don't read books by people who can't be bothered to think through the language their using and if there are better choices out there when casually using one of the most offensive words in the English language.
1. It's been noted a few times, but what was with the "k-pop idol cute" description of a "Chinese-Vietnamese" character? You can't just monolith Asia, come on. It's pretty gross. But not as gross as 2:
2. The N-WORD??? What on earth?? Like, there is absolutely no reason to throw that in as a white author writing from a white first person POV. The throw away word (soft a, still meant as a pejorative slur, so don't know why she thought that would save her) was clearly meant to demonstrate that the evil villain is even more evil because he's racist? But, like, we've already been told this man is the most evil person anyone has ever encountered, and he has already committed a bunch of hate crimes. You DON'T need to throw in a racial slur to just hit that point harder. I don't know if AJ just has a really bad editor, or if she, herself, thinks nothing of throwing slurs in, but this was so jarring and offensive, I almost couldn't believe it. AJ, if you're going to keep writing, please think about race a little more? These are two major examples of a micro and macro aggression, and they've ruined all future books for me. I don't read books by people who can't be bothered to think through the language their using and if there are better choices out there when casually using one of the most offensive words in the English language.
August 13, 2025
RECENSIONE A CURA DI LADY MARMELADE
Dopo quattro libri abbiamo scoperto il punto debole di Don!
La sua missione è tenere al sicuro Jon e sembrava non avere paura di niente e di nessuno, ma invece una cosa di cui ha paura oltre che perdere il suo Jon c’è: i fantasmi e questo volume ne è pieno!
Diciamo che la letteratura di genere, supportata poi dai film dell’orrore, hanno fatto cattiva pubblicità ai fantasmi, dipingendoli molto spesso come spiriti maligni che restano tra di noi solo per far male ai vivi.
Sono pochi i fantasmi buoni che ci ricordiamo e probabilmente Donovan è rimasto traumatizzato dalla loro figura: la sua è una paura ancestrale, come la mia dei ragni, che rimane per lui un grosso scoglio da superare, ma salvare il suo Jon non esita ad affrontarla.
Personalmente da ragazzina amavo molto i film dell’orrore e i fantasmi mi hanno sempre affascinata, soprattutto quelli “buoni” che restano accanto ai loro cari dopo la morte perché hanno faccende in sospeso o semplicemente perché non sono ancora pronti a passare oltre.
A volte ci sembra di sentire la presenza dei nostri cari che hanno lasciato la vita, io me li immagino come angeli custodi che vegliano su di noi.
Continua sul nostro blog!
Dopo quattro libri abbiamo scoperto il punto debole di Don!
La sua missione è tenere al sicuro Jon e sembrava non avere paura di niente e di nessuno, ma invece una cosa di cui ha paura oltre che perdere il suo Jon c’è: i fantasmi e questo volume ne è pieno!
Diciamo che la letteratura di genere, supportata poi dai film dell’orrore, hanno fatto cattiva pubblicità ai fantasmi, dipingendoli molto spesso come spiriti maligni che restano tra di noi solo per far male ai vivi.
Sono pochi i fantasmi buoni che ci ricordiamo e probabilmente Donovan è rimasto traumatizzato dalla loro figura: la sua è una paura ancestrale, come la mia dei ragni, che rimane per lui un grosso scoglio da superare, ma salvare il suo Jon non esita ad affrontarla.
Personalmente da ragazzina amavo molto i film dell’orrore e i fantasmi mi hanno sempre affascinata, soprattutto quelli “buoni” che restano accanto ai loro cari dopo la morte perché hanno faccende in sospeso o semplicemente perché non sono ancora pronti a passare oltre.
A volte ci sembra di sentire la presenza dei nostri cari che hanno lasciato la vita, io me li immagino come angeli custodi che vegliano su di noi.
Continua sul nostro blog!
January 14, 2023
I loved this crossover story, as it included all my favourite characters in one. I felt sorry for Donovan because he really can't handle ghosts or anything spooky. There were Ghosts everywhere so it's not like he could escape them.
This is my favourite book in both series and it gets super spooky. It's amazing how many ghosts there are, I felt for Mack, the man had a lot of ghosts on his hands.
The Mystery kept me gripped and he also scared the life out of me. They had a tough case on their hands, which made the gang all get together. It was great seeing so many familiar faces. The side characters are always a delight to read about. The whole case got me stumped and it was horrible. All those poor people, you feel for what they went through.
The thing that happened near the end had me so worried. Jon was right when he said it was like one of those old tacky horror movies! Mack also learnt to not use Jon as a battery.
I loved the mystery part of this one as it was well thought out, spooky, scary and downright terrifying! It hD me gripped from start to finish!
This is my favourite book in both series and it gets super spooky. It's amazing how many ghosts there are, I felt for Mack, the man had a lot of ghosts on his hands.
The Mystery kept me gripped and he also scared the life out of me. They had a tough case on their hands, which made the gang all get together. It was great seeing so many familiar faces. The side characters are always a delight to read about. The whole case got me stumped and it was horrible. All those poor people, you feel for what they went through.
The thing that happened near the end had me so worried. Jon was right when he said it was like one of those old tacky horror movies! Mack also learnt to not use Jon as a battery.
I loved the mystery part of this one as it was well thought out, spooky, scary and downright terrifying! It hD me gripped from start to finish!
January 28, 2023
It was crazy how quickly this one spun out of control, from a missing girl to a dead girl, to so many dead, their ghosts around helping everyone solve their murders. Once the group clued in on just who was getting killed, Jon did some quick thinking and they were able to get a couple potential victims to safety. Things got really wonky at the end when Jon and Mack were taken. I loved how Jon was able to use his ability to kill anything electronic in his favor to slow down the bad guys. Then there was the questioning of the bad guys, all of them were so proud of what they had done, it was awful! I'm glad that they were able to get all the bad guys taken care of and now life is as back to normal as it gets for this wacky group!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2025
I really liked the actual mystery. I wish the two couples had more time as couples though. There was one sex scene per couple and they honestly felt out of place. It felt like to me it was thrown in there just so we didn’t forget they were together. I still like romance between established couples. Nevertheless, I did enjoy the story.
March 26, 2023
I love all of these characters...
December 15, 2024
3.75⭐️
Audio: 3.75⭐️
I thought Mack's Rousing Ghoulish Highland Adventure was wild, but this one said 'hold my beer' so expect and accept insanity in many forms. As sparse as the blurb is, it tells you everything you need to know. Ghosts are literally coming out of the woodwork, and Jon and Mack are kept hopping so the story is quickly paced.
I like Sherwood's comedy and am a fan of both series so this is still a lot of fun with characters I love, and secondary characters that work well with the MCs. There is just something off(?) about Jon imo. He doesn't sound much like himself at times. He's doing more of that 'aren't I terrible, hehehe'-4th wall breaking thing that seems to be an aspect of many of Sherwood's recent MCs, and I didn't love it. It’s more noticeable as Mack does it too. I like Jon and Mack’s more down to earth personalities so having him sound more like her newest characters is slightly off-putting.
There are also times when it seems like there’s no character bible/it wasn’t consulted bc there are things Jon says or Mack does that are established in previous books that are ignored, like Mack’s serious food limitations or Jon’s wonderment that Mack can amplify ghosts enough so they can be recorded since Mack did just that soon after they met. And of course there’s some “common sense isn’t common” moments that I’m still learning to go with for the shenanigans to shenanigan.
Additionally, Sho gets described as K-pop star cute but has no Korean heritage from Sherwood's own description so yikes. Almost every character with Asian heritage is described with the K-pop descriptor these days bc so many ppl now know what that is so I get what she's going for, but it's giving 'you all look alike' vibes. It's also still hard to read Donovan in situations with so many ghosts since he has a real phobia but at least the characters are being more sympathetic and not outwardly teasing him like in Jon's Spooky Corpse Conundrum, and he’s (mostly) no longer the butt of a running gag.
To me Lloyd Thomas’s narration fits the series well; I appreciate that he doesn’t use The Southern Accent™. I’m also glad he went back to giving Jon a slight southern lift to his voice as it was flattened in the later installments. As someone from TN, it was nice to hear and frustrating when it was gone. Where he struggles a bit is that some of his character voices blend in to each other; I’m also not sure why Sho’s voice changed so much. I think Thomas’s earlier rendition fit the description of Sho’s demeanor and build unlike whatever’s happening here. However, I still enjoyed the audio and as these series are a comfort read for me, I love returning to their world and all the heartwarming affection, familial support and love the character share.
Audio: 3.75⭐️
I thought Mack's Rousing Ghoulish Highland Adventure was wild, but this one said 'hold my beer' so expect and accept insanity in many forms. As sparse as the blurb is, it tells you everything you need to know. Ghosts are literally coming out of the woodwork, and Jon and Mack are kept hopping so the story is quickly paced.
I like Sherwood's comedy and am a fan of both series so this is still a lot of fun with characters I love, and secondary characters that work well with the MCs. There is just something off(?) about Jon imo. He doesn't sound much like himself at times. He's doing more of that 'aren't I terrible, hehehe'-4th wall breaking thing that seems to be an aspect of many of Sherwood's recent MCs, and I didn't love it. It’s more noticeable as Mack does it too. I like Jon and Mack’s more down to earth personalities so having him sound more like her newest characters is slightly off-putting.
There are also times when it seems like there’s no character bible/it wasn’t consulted bc there are things Jon says or Mack does that are established in previous books that are ignored, like Mack’s serious food limitations or Jon’s wonderment that Mack can amplify ghosts enough so they can be recorded since Mack did just that soon after they met. And of course there’s some “common sense isn’t common” moments that I’m still learning to go with for the shenanigans to shenanigan.
Additionally, Sho gets described as K-pop star cute but has no Korean heritage from Sherwood's own description so yikes. Almost every character with Asian heritage is described with the K-pop descriptor these days bc so many ppl now know what that is so I get what she's going for, but it's giving 'you all look alike' vibes. It's also still hard to read Donovan in situations with so many ghosts since he has a real phobia but at least the characters are being more sympathetic and not outwardly teasing him like in Jon's Spooky Corpse Conundrum, and he’s (mostly) no longer the butt of a running gag.
To me Lloyd Thomas’s narration fits the series well; I appreciate that he doesn’t use The Southern Accent™. I’m also glad he went back to giving Jon a slight southern lift to his voice as it was flattened in the later installments. As someone from TN, it was nice to hear and frustrating when it was gone. Where he struggles a bit is that some of his character voices blend in to each other; I’m also not sure why Sho’s voice changed so much. I think Thomas’s earlier rendition fit the description of Sho’s demeanor and build unlike whatever’s happening here. However, I still enjoyed the audio and as these series are a comfort read for me, I love returning to their world and all the heartwarming affection, familial support and love the character share.
November 1, 2023
I love Jonathan and Donovan and was completely anticipating this book. I enjoyed this one but wasn't blown away by it. There were some cute moments but overall I wanted more of them. The previous books had a Think about them that make them stand out as a great entry to the series, this one felt like it didn't have that, not for Jon or Donovan. If this had been a Mack book with Jon supporting it would feel better.
A few issues I had: The characters all sound the same... every..single. one. At this point I expect it with this author but I still want variety.
At this point Tyson doesn't really exist. He is always referenced but never in the book in any significant way.
Also I won't be ashamed to admit with Mack and Brandon there it means Garrett gets less time and I'm not really a fan of that. Idk why, but they don't really do it for me, probably because they are a lesser rehash of Jon and Dovovan and I find Mack and Brandon less interesting.
I don't expect perfectation for police procedure in this series but there was a major conflict of interest issue that I couldn't really overlook in this.
With this book, like past ones, I wanted more of the personal time with the small side moment. Example: seeing Jon telling the FBI about the kids. This book needed more breathing room with those moments, not a race from one case plot point to the next.
The sex scenes are still pretty rushed. The car one was fine because of setting but the bedroom one...based on how it was written it felt like it only lasted 10 minutes but there was some comment about an hour going by thrown in at the end...and most sex scenes by Sherwood I've read read like they last half the time they are supposed to because they are rushed through. Sometimes that works (car scene) but most of the time it doesn't.
A few issues I had: The characters all sound the same... every..single. one. At this point I expect it with this author but I still want variety.
At this point Tyson doesn't really exist. He is always referenced but never in the book in any significant way.
Also I won't be ashamed to admit with Mack and Brandon there it means Garrett gets less time and I'm not really a fan of that. Idk why, but they don't really do it for me, probably because they are a lesser rehash of Jon and Dovovan and I find Mack and Brandon less interesting.
I don't expect perfectation for police procedure in this series but there was a major conflict of interest issue that I couldn't really overlook in this.
With this book, like past ones, I wanted more of the personal time with the small side moment. Example: seeing Jon telling the FBI about the kids. This book needed more breathing room with those moments, not a race from one case plot point to the next.
The sex scenes are still pretty rushed. The car one was fine because of setting but the bedroom one...based on how it was written it felt like it only lasted 10 minutes but there was some comment about an hour going by thrown in at the end...and most sex scenes by Sherwood I've read read like they last half the time they are supposed to because they are rushed through. Sometimes that works (car scene) but most of the time it doesn't.
August 25, 2025
Amazing ghost mystery
I love that John was able to team up with Mack. Poor Donovan had to deal with too many ghosts for his liking. Interesting case that they had to deal with. This series keeps getting better and better.
I love that John was able to team up with Mack. Poor Donovan had to deal with too many ghosts for his liking. Interesting case that they had to deal with. This series keeps getting better and better.
January 13, 2023
Wer mich kennt, weiß, dass ich ein riesiger Fan von A. J. Sherwood bin. Meiner Meinung nach schreibt niemand so gut Gay Romance mit Fantasy-Settings. Nicht nur, dass die Charaktere lebensecht und sympathisch dargestellt werden, auch folge ich als Leserin der Entwicklung super gerne, da bei der Autorin zum Glück mal nicht künstliche Konflikte, Missverständnisse oder ähnliche Kleinigkeiten dem Liebesglück der Paare im Wege stehen. Stattdessen machen die Figuren eine langsame charakterliche Entwicklung innerhalb der Geschichte und von Band zu Band durch und die Beziehung zwischen den Paaren wächst natürlich.
Und ja, das kann ich auch auf den Fantasyaspekt ihrer Geschichten sagen. Egal ob es sich um zeitgenössische Fantasy oder High Fantasy handelt, als Fantasy-Fan liebe ich es, in ihre Welten einzutauchen, da sie sich nicht nur magisch, sondern auch natürlich und realistisch anfühlen. A.J. Sherwood fühlt sich spürbar im Fantasy-Genre wohl und versteht etwas von Weltenbau, logisch wirkender Magie und spannenden paranormalen Fähigkeiten.
Das zeigt sich nicht nur bei Jon, einem der beiden Protagonisten der "Jon's Mysteries Case"-Reihe, der als Reader gelernt hat, die Aura von Menschen zu lesen, sondern auch bei Mack, einem Medium und eine der beiden Hauptfiguren aus "Mack's Marvelous Manifestations". Ich glaube sofort, dass die beiden Geister bzw. Auren sehen können, und bin jedes Mal aufs Neue gespannt, weitere Facetten ihrer Fähigkeiten zu entdecken und mit ihnen und Don und Brandon Havili, ihren beiden Partnern, zwei Brüdern, weitere paranormale Kriminalfälle bzw. Geistererscheinunen zu lösen.
Dies ist erst der zweite Fall bzw. Band, in dem die vier gemeinsam an einem Fall arbeiten, und mir hat dieses Crossover wieder wahnsinnig viel Spaß gemacht. Zumal es wieder massenhaft Geister gibt und wir alle wissen, dass Don und Geister überhaupt keine gute Kombi sind. Der Arme tat mir richtig leid.
Ich will nicht zu viel über den Inhalt sagen, außer dass die Geschichte mir wieder wahnsinnig gut gefallen hat und ich das Buch unbedingt sofort nach Erscheinen um Mitternacht anfangen musste und erst schlafen gehen konnte, als ich es durch hatte. Absolut fesselnd! Ich kann den nächsten Jon- bzw. den nächsten Mack-Roman kaum erwarten.
Und ja, das kann ich auch auf den Fantasyaspekt ihrer Geschichten sagen. Egal ob es sich um zeitgenössische Fantasy oder High Fantasy handelt, als Fantasy-Fan liebe ich es, in ihre Welten einzutauchen, da sie sich nicht nur magisch, sondern auch natürlich und realistisch anfühlen. A.J. Sherwood fühlt sich spürbar im Fantasy-Genre wohl und versteht etwas von Weltenbau, logisch wirkender Magie und spannenden paranormalen Fähigkeiten.
Das zeigt sich nicht nur bei Jon, einem der beiden Protagonisten der "Jon's Mysteries Case"-Reihe, der als Reader gelernt hat, die Aura von Menschen zu lesen, sondern auch bei Mack, einem Medium und eine der beiden Hauptfiguren aus "Mack's Marvelous Manifestations". Ich glaube sofort, dass die beiden Geister bzw. Auren sehen können, und bin jedes Mal aufs Neue gespannt, weitere Facetten ihrer Fähigkeiten zu entdecken und mit ihnen und Don und Brandon Havili, ihren beiden Partnern, zwei Brüdern, weitere paranormale Kriminalfälle bzw. Geistererscheinunen zu lösen.
Dies ist erst der zweite Fall bzw. Band, in dem die vier gemeinsam an einem Fall arbeiten, und mir hat dieses Crossover wieder wahnsinnig viel Spaß gemacht. Zumal es wieder massenhaft Geister gibt und wir alle wissen, dass Don und Geister überhaupt keine gute Kombi sind. Der Arme tat mir richtig leid.
Ich will nicht zu viel über den Inhalt sagen, außer dass die Geschichte mir wieder wahnsinnig gut gefallen hat und ich das Buch unbedingt sofort nach Erscheinen um Mitternacht anfangen musste und erst schlafen gehen konnte, als ich es durch hatte. Absolut fesselnd! Ich kann den nächsten Jon- bzw. den nächsten Mack-Roman kaum erwarten.
April 2, 2023
Ok, yep, this was exactly what I wanted. Give me as many crossover books between Jon and Mack and the brothers as you want. I love all these guys! Poor Donovan though. So many ghosts and nothing he can do about it. Of course he and Brandon are going to do everything they can to protect their guys.
I enjoyed seeing Jon and Mack work together on a case. They got to hand off duties as while Jon can tell a ghost is there he can't really speak to it or anything, and there was a lot of information they needed to get from these ghosts. Enter Mack. He's got the goods to get them the information they need and still help all these ghosts pass on after the horrible tragedy. Stupid people who just can't accept the different. It's so depressing. So many lives cut short because of unfounded hatred.
I love the entire cast of characters and I was all in with them as they figured out this case. I can't wait to see where things go next and while I know the author is winding down these series' I could read them forever. I definitely need to see a little bit with
I enjoyed seeing Jon and Mack work together on a case. They got to hand off duties as while Jon can tell a ghost is there he can't really speak to it or anything, and there was a lot of information they needed to get from these ghosts. Enter Mack. He's got the goods to get them the information they need and still help all these ghosts pass on after the horrible tragedy. Stupid people who just can't accept the different. It's so depressing. So many lives cut short because of unfounded hatred.
I love the entire cast of characters and I was all in with them as they figured out this case. I can't wait to see where things go next and while I know the author is winding down these series' I could read them forever. I definitely need to see a little bit with
June 24, 2024
Es ist schon eine Weile her, dass ich die Bücher über die Fälle von Jon und seinem Anker Donovan gelesen habe. Umso mehr habe ich mich gefreut, dass es einen weiteren Band mit den beiden gibt.
Der Schreibstil von AJ Sherwood ist wie immer fesselnd und unterhaltsam. Einmal angefangen zu lesen, habe ich nicht mehr aufgehört und das Buch in einem Rutsch durchgelesen.
Ein verschwundenes Mädchen in einer Kleinstadt ruft Jon auf den Plan, er soll sie finden. Das tut er auch, doch der Geist des toten Mädchens hat einiges zu erzählen und dafür brauchen die beiden Mack. Was sich nach einem einfachen Fall anhörte, entpuppt sich zur Suche nach einem Serientäter, der schon sehr lange mordet.
Ich fand die Story spannend und unterhaltsam. Ich mochte den Humor und das Geplänkel zwischen den Protagonisten. Es hat mich sehr gefreut, dass nicht nur Jon und Donovan mit von der Partie waren, sondern auch Mack und sein Anker Brandon, der gleichzeitig Donovans Bruder ist. Ich fand es wieder herrlich, wie Jon die Aura eines Menschen sieht und was er alles herauslesen kann. Geister spielen diesmal auch eine große Rolle.
Zwischendurch hätte ich mir noch ein paar mehr Seiten gewünscht, da ab einem bestimmten Punkt doch sehr rasant erzählt wurde.
Fazit:
"Die Wurzeln des Problems" ist ein weiterer von Jons übernatürlichen Fällen, der mich mit Humor, Spannung und Romantik wunderbar unterhalten hat.
Der Schreibstil von AJ Sherwood ist wie immer fesselnd und unterhaltsam. Einmal angefangen zu lesen, habe ich nicht mehr aufgehört und das Buch in einem Rutsch durchgelesen.
Ein verschwundenes Mädchen in einer Kleinstadt ruft Jon auf den Plan, er soll sie finden. Das tut er auch, doch der Geist des toten Mädchens hat einiges zu erzählen und dafür brauchen die beiden Mack. Was sich nach einem einfachen Fall anhörte, entpuppt sich zur Suche nach einem Serientäter, der schon sehr lange mordet.
Ich fand die Story spannend und unterhaltsam. Ich mochte den Humor und das Geplänkel zwischen den Protagonisten. Es hat mich sehr gefreut, dass nicht nur Jon und Donovan mit von der Partie waren, sondern auch Mack und sein Anker Brandon, der gleichzeitig Donovans Bruder ist. Ich fand es wieder herrlich, wie Jon die Aura eines Menschen sieht und was er alles herauslesen kann. Geister spielen diesmal auch eine große Rolle.
Zwischendurch hätte ich mir noch ein paar mehr Seiten gewünscht, da ab einem bestimmten Punkt doch sehr rasant erzählt wurde.
Fazit:
"Die Wurzeln des Problems" ist ein weiterer von Jons übernatürlichen Fällen, der mich mit Humor, Spannung und Romantik wunderbar unterhalten hat.
August 8, 2025
Riletti tutti i precedenti volumi 🤩
Anche il 5° volume della storia tra Jon e Donovan è stata magnifica e spettrale, insieme al sensitivo Mack e Brendon ( l'àncora di Mack, suo fidanzato e fratello di Donovan ).
La relazione tra Jon e Donovan è consolidata e i due uomini sono fidanzati.
Con tanta paura di Donovan per il paranormale, ci troviamo, grazie a un'altro sensitivo Grant, con il cadavere di una adolescente, dove Jon percepisce il suo fantasma e chiama Mack.
Purtroppo è un escalation di tantissimi fantasmi, dove i corpi ( tutti sensitivi )sono stati uccisi e sotterrati tra le radici di alberi.
Tutta la squadra si dà da fare per risolvere i casi e dare una degna sepoltura ai cadaveri e il trapasso delle anime.
💖💖💖💖💖
Anche il 5° volume della storia tra Jon e Donovan è stata magnifica e spettrale, insieme al sensitivo Mack e Brendon ( l'àncora di Mack, suo fidanzato e fratello di Donovan ).
La relazione tra Jon e Donovan è consolidata e i due uomini sono fidanzati.
Con tanta paura di Donovan per il paranormale, ci troviamo, grazie a un'altro sensitivo Grant, con il cadavere di una adolescente, dove Jon percepisce il suo fantasma e chiama Mack.
Purtroppo è un escalation di tantissimi fantasmi, dove i corpi ( tutti sensitivi )sono stati uccisi e sotterrati tra le radici di alberi.
Tutta la squadra si dà da fare per risolvere i casi e dare una degna sepoltura ai cadaveri e il trapasso delle anime.
💖💖💖💖💖
January 19, 2023
Duh....of course it was amazing. It was all I wanted and needed in a book around Jon and Mack and their men and friends. Just to be clear - it maybe could be read as standalone but the reader would struggle to keep up with all the different characters. And seriously, just start both Jon and Mack's books from the beginning, it's just to much fun.
The book has all what we want from established couples. It was a bit overwhelming in regard of the amount of people we actually "should know" - I had to pause a few times, dusting my brain, finding the connection to a character. The story itself was kind of straight forward, they had all they needed to find the culprit, it was just a matter of keeping up with all that was happening and working throuhg everything to get it sorted.
I'm hopeing that the two teenagers will make apperances in future books.
All in all a great crossover for fans.
The book has all what we want from established couples. It was a bit overwhelming in regard of the amount of people we actually "should know" - I had to pause a few times, dusting my brain, finding the connection to a character. The story itself was kind of straight forward, they had all they needed to find the culprit, it was just a matter of keeping up with all that was happening and working throuhg everything to get it sorted.
I'm hopeing that the two teenagers will make apperances in future books.
All in all a great crossover for fans.
January 16, 2023
So, .... I love Jon and Don but have my troubles with Mack and Brandon. These two just don't click for me
All in all, this is a good 5th book and hopefully there will be a Grant book.
Would also love a story for Sho and Garret
And of course another Jon and Don
All in all, this is a good 5th book and hopefully there will be a Grant book.
Would also love a story for Sho and Garret
And of course another Jon and Don
April 12, 2023
Great Crossover Story
I have enjoyed all of Jon & Donovan's stories and I enjoyed this crossover story. I haven't read Brandon & Mack's stories yet. Now I have to read their's to catch up.
I have enjoyed all of Jon & Donovan's stories and I enjoyed this crossover story. I haven't read Brandon & Mack's stories yet. Now I have to read their's to catch up.
August 14, 2023
highly entertaining!
Pure Jon and Mack romp. These bad guys though… yikes! The whole concept of the mystery was sooo creepy
I really liked seeing all POVs of the two couples. We also got to spend a small amount of time with their wider group.
Pure Jon and Mack romp. These bad guys though… yikes! The whole concept of the mystery was sooo creepy
I really liked seeing all POVs of the two couples. We also got to spend a small amount of time with their wider group.
August 10, 2025
Una nuova indagine con i protagonisti che abbiamo imparato a conoscere nelle precedenti storie.
Il caso questa volta tratta della scomparsa di una donna, il cui fantasma aiuterà gli inquirenti a risolvere l’indagine. Scopriremo una catena di altre sparizioni e fantasmi appartenenti al passato, uniti tutti da un elemento in comune e dal tipo di delitto.
La lettura scorre piacevolmente come i precedenti libri, diventando anche ironico e divertente.
Lettura consigliata.
Valutazione: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spicy: no erotico
Emozioni: 💘💘💘💘
Recensione di Zappi Patrizia
Strana family book blog
Il caso questa volta tratta della scomparsa di una donna, il cui fantasma aiuterà gli inquirenti a risolvere l’indagine. Scopriremo una catena di altre sparizioni e fantasmi appartenenti al passato, uniti tutti da un elemento in comune e dal tipo di delitto.
La lettura scorre piacevolmente come i precedenti libri, diventando anche ironico e divertente.
Lettura consigliata.
Valutazione: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spicy: no erotico
Emozioni: 💘💘💘💘
Recensione di Zappi Patrizia
Strana family book blog
March 8, 2024
Glad this isn't the end. I'm looking forward to more.
September 17, 2025
My favorite of the series!
July 18, 2025
bello, dolce,come il resto della serie
January 16, 2023
loved getting to see all the characters in this universe again. The crossover was fun between the brothers and their psychics. good mystery and kept me involved in the story until the end. Love the humor as usual. These are some of my favorite characters of the author.
April 24, 2023
Plot: actually pretty fun.
Romance: iffy, too many people too keep track of in this one whose romance arcs were too similar.
Racism levels: what the actual fuck.
------
Listen, I'm gonna be honest. I'm probably gonna shelve some more books by this author out of sheer morbid curiosity so I can accurately criticize them in other spaces. I DO NOT recommend reading them. This is not a case of "author stumbles a few times when portraying people unlike themselves, learns from it, apologizes and does better," this is a case of "white author gets worse at portraying non white characters as their popularity grows," and, frankly, I'm revolted.
I'm not even sure a sensitivity reader could help here, and even if they could, they should charge triple their usual rates.
Romance: iffy, too many people too keep track of in this one whose romance arcs were too similar.
Racism levels: what the actual fuck.
------
Listen, I'm gonna be honest. I'm probably gonna shelve some more books by this author out of sheer morbid curiosity so I can accurately criticize them in other spaces. I DO NOT recommend reading them. This is not a case of "author stumbles a few times when portraying people unlike themselves, learns from it, apologizes and does better," this is a case of "white author gets worse at portraying non white characters as their popularity grows," and, frankly, I'm revolted.
I'm not even sure a sensitivity reader could help here, and even if they could, they should charge triple their usual rates.
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