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Jess Vandermire, Vampire Hunter #4
Grave Expectations
Tough vampire cop, Jess Vandermire, fights against her undead brethren in New York City to protect the two men she loves more than life itself. But Jess is waging a personal war, too—to save the tiny shred of soul she has left. If she loses, so does the city…
For decades, Jess Vandermire, has been fighting the city’s biggest threat—deadly hunters in the night. But with John ‘Britt’ Brittain, by her side, there’s nothing she can’t handle. That is, until now. Suddenly…
The vampires Jess and Britt are hunting aren’t acting like normal bloodsuckers. They’re braver, smarter…and harder to kill.
The Vatican has ordered Jess’s brother, Father Regent Vandermire, to save the soul of a massive, bloodthirsty creature. But his prayers aren’t working. And if the monster gets much bigger, the whole city will need them.
Her beloved Britt is once again in her life. But until he understands his newfound powers, he won’t touch her. Because there’s a good chance his love might kill her…
Jess quickly realizes she and Britt aren’t powerful enough to handle the upcoming challenge alone. There’s only one man who can help—evangelist Malcolm Fisk. Too bad they can’t trust him…
For decades, Jess Vandermire, has been fighting the city’s biggest threat—deadly hunters in the night. But with John ‘Britt’ Brittain, by her side, there’s nothing she can’t handle. That is, until now. Suddenly…
The vampires Jess and Britt are hunting aren’t acting like normal bloodsuckers. They’re braver, smarter…and harder to kill.
The Vatican has ordered Jess’s brother, Father Regent Vandermire, to save the soul of a massive, bloodthirsty creature. But his prayers aren’t working. And if the monster gets much bigger, the whole city will need them.
Her beloved Britt is once again in her life. But until he understands his newfound powers, he won’t touch her. Because there’s a good chance his love might kill her…
Jess quickly realizes she and Britt aren’t powerful enough to handle the upcoming challenge alone. There’s only one man who can help—evangelist Malcolm Fisk. Too bad they can’t trust him…
259 pages, Paperback
First published August 31, 2015
4 people are currently reading
272 people want to read
About the author
Lina Gardiner
15 books79 followersLina 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 for an anthology entitled New Brunswick Short Stories by Dorothy Dearborn. It took six years of serious writing to finally sell her first novel. Her editor liked the characters so much she offered Lina a series before the novel even hit the shelves. Lina continues to write every day and appreciates every chance she gets to make her writing stronger and better.
That was her sign to dive into her lifelong dream of writing. After that, she wrote a short story for an anthology entitled New Brunswick Short Stories by Dorothy Dearborn. It took six years of serious writing to finally sell her first novel. Her editor liked the characters so much she offered Lina a series before the novel even hit the shelves. Lina continues to write every day and appreciates every chance she gets to make her writing stronger and better.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 2, 2016
What just happened here? Did all the characters including me experience amnesia? The last book left off with Britt exhibiting an awesome yet deadly power. In addition, three vampires are saved and turned back into humans. Figuring the story would start where the last one left off, the expectation is for Jess finding her missing brother, Regent. Nope. Instead, Jess is depressed and moping in bed because Britt is not coming home and spending the nights with her. Britt is wandering the city and avoiding Jess. Britt is experiencing guilt as well as frustration. He feels guilty for returning back from the dead and not recognizing Jess. He is also frustrated because he is missing a lot of his memories of how he came back to life.
Here is my issue with the book. Zeke plays a big part of the last book. In addition, there is quite a bit revealed about Zeke and how he played a part in the vampire world. I am definitely expecting to have Zeke feature back in this story. What I am not expecting is for Jess to behave in ways as if she never spoke to Zeke. It is as if both Jess and Britt have forgotten this mysterious saviour. The first three books were tightly written stories with events building upon each other to bring a bigger picture into clarity. This book is a hodgepodge of plots and subplots shoved together. The smooth cohesive writing I am used to from Ms. Gardiner is missing in this book. Zeke does appear again and it is crammed in an awkward way. It feels contrived in order to tie loose ends and conclude the story.
The story is still told in a wonderful manner. The actions and descriptions of locations are all well done. The main characters including the secondary supporting ones are nicely done. I love Jane the mousy vampire. She helps to show a different and softer side to Jess. Malcolm Fisk is an amusing charlatan. He is portrayed as a "big bad" but in actuality, he comes across as a small petty conman. He is not evil. He is just greedy. There really is not a bad villain in this tale, unlike the previous three books. Instead, there are annoying secret church warriors and a psychotic vampire. The antagonists in this story are not well developed and not a challenge for either Jess or Britt. Perhaps this is what makes the book's plot appear fragmented. Still, I enjoyed the fast pace and the conclusion to this series. Recommended for paranormal romance lovers who want their happily ever after.
*provided by NetGalley
Here is my issue with the book. Zeke plays a big part of the last book. In addition, there is quite a bit revealed about Zeke and how he played a part in the vampire world. I am definitely expecting to have Zeke feature back in this story. What I am not expecting is for Jess to behave in ways as if she never spoke to Zeke. It is as if both Jess and Britt have forgotten this mysterious saviour. The first three books were tightly written stories with events building upon each other to bring a bigger picture into clarity. This book is a hodgepodge of plots and subplots shoved together. The smooth cohesive writing I am used to from Ms. Gardiner is missing in this book. Zeke does appear again and it is crammed in an awkward way. It feels contrived in order to tie loose ends and conclude the story.
The story is still told in a wonderful manner. The actions and descriptions of locations are all well done. The main characters including the secondary supporting ones are nicely done. I love Jane the mousy vampire. She helps to show a different and softer side to Jess. Malcolm Fisk is an amusing charlatan. He is portrayed as a "big bad" but in actuality, he comes across as a small petty conman. He is not evil. He is just greedy. There really is not a bad villain in this tale, unlike the previous three books. Instead, there are annoying secret church warriors and a psychotic vampire. The antagonists in this story are not well developed and not a challenge for either Jess or Britt. Perhaps this is what makes the book's plot appear fragmented. Still, I enjoyed the fast pace and the conclusion to this series. Recommended for paranormal romance lovers who want their happily ever after.
*provided by NetGalley
February 8, 2016
I received a copy from NetGalley for an honest review.
Yay, my questions got answered! I can't wait to see what happens next!
Yay, my questions got answered! I can't wait to see what happens next!
August 12, 2015
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.
Jess is a Cop, the leader of a Black Ops group. She is also a Vampire. She and her team search out and destroy Vampires who want to kill humans.
Britt is her Lt. and love of her life and he is human. Something has happened to Britt though and the power it gave him helped to destroy seven vampires. Until he understands what this is, he is afraid of touching Jess, afraid he will kill her.
Regent is Jess' brother and he is Priest. Every day, either he or Britt pray over her, for her and she feels it is successful in her being able to keep some of her humanity. The Vatican has heard that Regent has the ability to cure, which he doesn't, and they have brought someone special for him to cure. If this Vampire makes it to the Blood Moon, he will have all his powers and cause havoc and death.
Word comes out on a man by the name of Fisk and Vampires are running to him. He claims he can "cure" them with his power. They must stop him as they come to realize something about this power he has. It will only cause more harm in the end.
All must team together to try and save this Vampire that the Vatican has brought. Who will live? Or die?
I have to say, I thought his book was OK but nothing special. I hate saying that because of all the hard work an author does. I really liked Jess, she really does care about everyone. She is such an unselfish person. I like Britt and Regent too. Both of the loved Jess so much and were so supportive.
The "bad" characters were bad. One was out to exploit his power for money which would backfire on him. Another, a Vatican representative was really trying to save all mankind in the end but he was kind of a maniac.
This was part of a series and a standalone novel, thank you for that!
This power that Britt has gained was written about in the last book. As I said, it is a standalone but I probably would relate to the characters and his situation a bit better if I had read some of the other books previous to this one.
Jess is a Cop, the leader of a Black Ops group. She is also a Vampire. She and her team search out and destroy Vampires who want to kill humans.
Britt is her Lt. and love of her life and he is human. Something has happened to Britt though and the power it gave him helped to destroy seven vampires. Until he understands what this is, he is afraid of touching Jess, afraid he will kill her.
Regent is Jess' brother and he is Priest. Every day, either he or Britt pray over her, for her and she feels it is successful in her being able to keep some of her humanity. The Vatican has heard that Regent has the ability to cure, which he doesn't, and they have brought someone special for him to cure. If this Vampire makes it to the Blood Moon, he will have all his powers and cause havoc and death.
Word comes out on a man by the name of Fisk and Vampires are running to him. He claims he can "cure" them with his power. They must stop him as they come to realize something about this power he has. It will only cause more harm in the end.
All must team together to try and save this Vampire that the Vatican has brought. Who will live? Or die?
I have to say, I thought his book was OK but nothing special. I hate saying that because of all the hard work an author does. I really liked Jess, she really does care about everyone. She is such an unselfish person. I like Britt and Regent too. Both of the loved Jess so much and were so supportive.
The "bad" characters were bad. One was out to exploit his power for money which would backfire on him. Another, a Vatican representative was really trying to save all mankind in the end but he was kind of a maniac.
This was part of a series and a standalone novel, thank you for that!
This power that Britt has gained was written about in the last book. As I said, it is a standalone but I probably would relate to the characters and his situation a bit better if I had read some of the other books previous to this one.
September 1, 2015
First reviewed at Keeper Bookshelf
I’ve enjoyed each of the Jess Vandermire, Vampire Hunter novels and Grave Expectations is no exception.
Britt’s new powers to destroy vampires has him extremely on edge. He needs to understand how this power came to be. Why he can only vaguely remember a monk chanting over him. And why it seems he’s not the only one in the city with a major new found power. But most of all is his fear that he will harm Jess in the midsts of a sexual moment with only his mind. Because of that fear he’s keeping away from Jess – and neither one of them is happy about that especially Jess.
Father Regent has returned after being summoned to the Vatican a changed man. No, really a physically changed man. He seems to have dropped thirty years since that visit. And he also has no real good memory of how that was accomplished. At first Jess and Britt are suspicious of the man who says he’s Regent but are eventually convinced. Now their concerns are even higher when Regent bars them from his church for the foreseeable future. Seems he’s getting visitors and they only want him in residence.
There’s a new con man in town. Malcolm Fisk claims to be an evangelist but what he is doing is far from spreading the Good Word. He is convincing vampires that he can allow them to walk in the day – for a price of course. Smoke and mirrors. He has the same powers as Britt and is determined to bring Jess’s lover over to his way of thinking.
The Guest who is staying in Jess’ vault at the rectory is by far the most dangerous thing Jess has ever encountered. And when Regent’s story and Britt’s story slowly meld together the results are unexpected and explosive.
I would highly recommend this latest edition of the Jess Vandermire, Vampire Hunter series to anyone who enjoys good, detailed paranormal series and almost non-stop action.
*I received an e-ARC of Grave Expectations from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That does not change what I think of this novel.*
I’ve enjoyed each of the Jess Vandermire, Vampire Hunter novels and Grave Expectations is no exception.
Britt’s new powers to destroy vampires has him extremely on edge. He needs to understand how this power came to be. Why he can only vaguely remember a monk chanting over him. And why it seems he’s not the only one in the city with a major new found power. But most of all is his fear that he will harm Jess in the midsts of a sexual moment with only his mind. Because of that fear he’s keeping away from Jess – and neither one of them is happy about that especially Jess.
Father Regent has returned after being summoned to the Vatican a changed man. No, really a physically changed man. He seems to have dropped thirty years since that visit. And he also has no real good memory of how that was accomplished. At first Jess and Britt are suspicious of the man who says he’s Regent but are eventually convinced. Now their concerns are even higher when Regent bars them from his church for the foreseeable future. Seems he’s getting visitors and they only want him in residence.
There’s a new con man in town. Malcolm Fisk claims to be an evangelist but what he is doing is far from spreading the Good Word. He is convincing vampires that he can allow them to walk in the day – for a price of course. Smoke and mirrors. He has the same powers as Britt and is determined to bring Jess’s lover over to his way of thinking.
The Guest who is staying in Jess’ vault at the rectory is by far the most dangerous thing Jess has ever encountered. And when Regent’s story and Britt’s story slowly meld together the results are unexpected and explosive.
I would highly recommend this latest edition of the Jess Vandermire, Vampire Hunter series to anyone who enjoys good, detailed paranormal series and almost non-stop action.
*I received an e-ARC of Grave Expectations from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That does not change what I think of this novel.*
August 10, 2015
Grave Expectations blends vampire action and romance with flair. It is a fun escapist read, perfect for a lazy summer afternoon.
Jess Vandermire is NYPD’s premier vampire cop, but she worries as her beloved Britt is fighting to regain his memory and understand his new powers.
After his resurrection, Jess’s lover Britt remains human but possesses a unique power to affect vampires. When he finds one of the monks responsible for his return to life, he discovers that he is not the only one. There is another man with similar powers in the city, the evangelist Malcolm Fisk, and he is walking a dangerous path. Fisk is offering vampires the opportunity to regain some of their human abilities, but is he selling snake oil? Britt needs to understand his powers and make certain that he will not harm Jess in loving her.
Meanwhile Jess’s brother has returned from his trip to the Vatican. Looking decades younger, he has been ordered by the Vatican to help save a massive and bloodthirsty vampire who is only growing in power.
Grave Expectations is a fun, fast read that isn’t too heavy on plot. The only aspect I found tiresome was Jess’s repeated whining that Britt must not love her if he doesn’t want to have sex. It made her sound more like a hormone ridden teen than a sophisticated vampire cop. Regardless, I enjoyed the book.
4/5
I received a copy of Grave Expectations from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
—Crittermom
Grave Expectations is a fun escapist read
http://muttcafe.com/2015/08/grave-exp...
Jess Vandermire is NYPD’s premier vampire cop, but she worries as her beloved Britt is fighting to regain his memory and understand his new powers.
After his resurrection, Jess’s lover Britt remains human but possesses a unique power to affect vampires. When he finds one of the monks responsible for his return to life, he discovers that he is not the only one. There is another man with similar powers in the city, the evangelist Malcolm Fisk, and he is walking a dangerous path. Fisk is offering vampires the opportunity to regain some of their human abilities, but is he selling snake oil? Britt needs to understand his powers and make certain that he will not harm Jess in loving her.
Meanwhile Jess’s brother has returned from his trip to the Vatican. Looking decades younger, he has been ordered by the Vatican to help save a massive and bloodthirsty vampire who is only growing in power.
Grave Expectations is a fun, fast read that isn’t too heavy on plot. The only aspect I found tiresome was Jess’s repeated whining that Britt must not love her if he doesn’t want to have sex. It made her sound more like a hormone ridden teen than a sophisticated vampire cop. Regardless, I enjoyed the book.
4/5
I received a copy of Grave Expectations from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
—Crittermom
Grave Expectations is a fun escapist read
http://muttcafe.com/2015/08/grave-exp...
December 1, 2015
This is the last book in the series. Also the best book in the series! I couldn’t put it down!
Regent has disappeared. Britt is back, but what is he?? He won’t touch Jess, he doesn’t want to hurt her and he knows he could very well accidently kill her. This frustrates the hell out of Jess. So she teases him to get him to react to her. He does, but then pulls away. This puts doubts in Jess’s mind about Britt’s feeling for her.
So while trying to figure out what he is, Britt pulls away from Jess. He goes hunting to find out answers at the monastery where he recuperated from his death, in the last book. He finds out that there is another like him, so he finds this man who is pretending to be an evangelist, and claims he can cure all vampires. He says he can make them human. He gets in trouble when some very, very old vampires want to walk in the sun. He exhausts himself and his powers trying to cure them and tries to recruit Britt to help him. Britt will do it, but with certain conditions.
In the meantime Regent returns. But it’s a much younger Regent. This man is in his early 40’s. Not 73 like he should be. With him comes Vatican guards and a Vatican official with a vampire that is growing out of control. The Vatican wants Regent to heal him like he did his sister.
This just has so much suspense and it’s just so thrilling! I couldn’t wait to find out what was going on. But then so sad when I got to the end and it was over.
I was gifted a copy of this book by NetGalley for an honest review.
December 31, 2015
Grave Expectations is the 4th book in the vampire hunter series but it is not necessary for you to read the others to be able to know what is going on. The author catches you up so you can dive right in. Once you read this you will want to read the rest of the books, I am sure of it! The story continues with the strong female lead character, Jess, who is a vampire who hunts vampires. Her brother is back from Rome, he is a priest and in his 70's, but returns looking in his 40's! He also has company that seems to be bad news. They have brought with them a very large and uncontrollable vampire. Meanwhile Brit, Jess's boyfriend, is trying to figure out why he has these new powers and why. All the while vamps are after them, a new bad guy wants them, someone is trying to help them, and things are crazy! I can't say too much do to spoilers but it is action packed, full of surprises, new twists, and unpredictable. The characters have remained complex and true to themselves throughout the series, the plot is great and full of surprises. Enjoyed this book as much as the others. This series has been one fun ride! I reviewed this book for NetGalley.
April 14, 2017
I received Grave Expectations as an ARC (advance reader's copy) book from NetGalley. The gifting did not determine the review/rating, which reflects my honest opinion.
I started Grave Expectations directly after A Grave New Day. I can't believe the author completely disregarded the facts, world-building, and timeline between the last chapter of three, and the first chapter of book four. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy on the part of the author for not seamlessly picking up where she left off, worse- changing the facts as if she didn't remember her own plot. The editor should have caught the differences, unless there was a new one used. I dislike the author glossing over things she doesn't want to explain; she makes stuff happen to the characters, then gives no reason (I don't know, I was asleep. I don't know, "they" wouldn't tell me).
Lesson learned, never download a whole series from NetGalley until you read the first book, no matter how great the plots. I felt obliged to finish them, but certainly felt my time wasted.
I started Grave Expectations directly after A Grave New Day. I can't believe the author completely disregarded the facts, world-building, and timeline between the last chapter of three, and the first chapter of book four. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy on the part of the author for not seamlessly picking up where she left off, worse- changing the facts as if she didn't remember her own plot. The editor should have caught the differences, unless there was a new one used. I dislike the author glossing over things she doesn't want to explain; she makes stuff happen to the characters, then gives no reason (I don't know, I was asleep. I don't know, "they" wouldn't tell me).
Lesson learned, never download a whole series from NetGalley until you read the first book, no matter how great the plots. I felt obliged to finish them, but certainly felt my time wasted.
August 9, 2015
Through most of the reading of this book, I was going to give it 3 stars. The 3 stars were because of the almost high school interaction between Jess and Britt in regards to their intimate relationship. For legit reasons Britt was restraining, but Jess kept acting like the proverbial teen boyfriend who tries to emotionally blackmail the girl into having sex. One scene like that would have been ok but several... overdone. The other part that was frustrating as reader were the 2 main stories going on. I would just get really into the Britt aspect of the story and there would be an abrupt about face and resumption of the Regent story. Then as I would finally just get back into that story, story U turn time again. Despite these drawbacks, the ending made it worthwhile. Thankfully Ms Gardiner converged the two competing stories. The climatic ending made this story the 4 stars I gave it. It was unique, emotional, and surprising.
July 29, 2015
Like I have say it before, I always been attracted to Paranormal Genre, especially Vampires. Jess Vandermire Series is just “fantastic”! The plot and the characters fabulous.
Grave Expectations (Jess Vandermire, Vampire Hunter #4) by Lina Gardiner is a well written story, which is going to keep you turning the pages in auto pilot. I really enjoyed this final installment but the editing needs some work, not major though.
The chemistry of the main characters is great. However, this book was so much better than the previous third installment. It was a good read and I am looking forward to see what’s next in store from the amazing Lina Gardiner!
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher thru NetGalley for an honest review.
Grave Expectations (Jess Vandermire, Vampire Hunter #4) by Lina Gardiner is a well written story, which is going to keep you turning the pages in auto pilot. I really enjoyed this final installment but the editing needs some work, not major though.
The chemistry of the main characters is great. However, this book was so much better than the previous third installment. It was a good read and I am looking forward to see what’s next in store from the amazing Lina Gardiner!
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher thru NetGalley for an honest review.
January 25, 2016
for full review go to: https://onebooktwo.wordpress.com/?s=G...
Spoilers ahead - betware!
Brit is still alive and Regent is young again. A voracious vampire needs to be saved or it will be the end as we all know it. Most of the loose ends are tied up and it ended with no cliffhanger. It was a good quick read.
Spoilers ahead - betware!
Brit is still alive and Regent is young again. A voracious vampire needs to be saved or it will be the end as we all know it. Most of the loose ends are tied up and it ended with no cliffhanger. It was a good quick read.
September 11, 2015
I was anxious to dig into this newest installment of the Jess Vandemire vampire hunter series, after the big cliffhanger at the end of the last one. I won't drop any spoilers, but I was not disappointed. Loved the climax. Can't wait to see what Lina Gardiner has in store for Jess, Britt and company in coming novels.
November 15, 2015
Well written with very interesting characters. Though the genre is not my typical read, I still was drawn in and found that I was enthralled throughout the entire story. This is the first book I've read by this author and now look forward to reading more from her.
This book was provided by the author/publisher through Netgalley, this review is 100% of my own
This book was provided by the author/publisher through Netgalley, this review is 100% of my own
October 1, 2015
Gardiner keeps the suspense going in this series. If you think you know what's going to happen next, think again.
January 27, 2016
2.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews