Review: A GraveTells Review: Excellent, engaging paranormal romance debut from a stellar new author!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 3, 2013
This wasn't supposed to be a review book, just a quick "breather" read between other blog work.  A.J. Larrieu, however, apparently had other plans for my past 12 hours when she penned her debut paranormal romance novella Anchored.  Angels?  Been there.  Vamps?  Both good and bad, done that!  But the way Ms. Larrieu imagined her fictional universe breathes life and energy into a story even further supported by stellar characters with multi-faceted personalities.  Little nuances kept me glued to my e-reader for solid chunks of time, as the plot smoothly transitioned from setting-the-scene to action to heart-racing conclusion.  There is nothing boring about this novella and I was definitely not ready for it to end!  These characters and this story could easily have filled the pages of a full-length novel and kept my rapt attention.  Hell, I borrowed the book from the Kindle Prime library and wish I'd bought it outright!  Totally worth the purchase.I don't want to give too much away due to the short length of the book and the fun I had discovering the characters' backgrounds, so I'll just say that the main male protagonist, Jason, made me laugh, shiver, and really wish I had male friends like him, regardless of his former profession!  This is not an alpha male, bowl-you-over hero who pushes his way around anything he doesn't get by consent.  Jason is an easy-going man with spirit, good humor, some darn handy skills, and a straight-forward attractiveness that is hard to resist.  Susannah, our angel heroine is just about everything I like in a strong female lead and nothing that I don't.  Willful but not irresponsible, powerful but not abusive or stupid, respectful but not obeisant, and compassionate but not overly emotional  If there were really a guardian angel watching over my city, Susannah is exactly the kind of warrior I'd want on the job.  Together, they share an effortless bond that feels natural and right.Kudos to A.J. Larrieu on setting such a high bar for her work on her first published novella.  This is a story that should appeal to anyone with an soft spot for angels-doing-good and charming romantic suspense.  The love scenes are all about classy heat and simmering connections, and radiate a lovely glow without straying into erotica territory.  The action is well-grounded and just descriptive enough to keep you interested without being confusing.  I can't wait to see what comes next in this series!  Anchored is a GraveTells "must read"!