Meet Jack & Jill in End of Day by Jewel E Ann!
Be sure to grab your copy of this
uniquely dark and funny read
at the following retailers:
uniquely dark and funny read
at the following retailers:
Blurb
Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in the sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life.
Four caskets. Two bodies.
Jessica and Jude Day witness their funeral and that of their parents a few yards away from mourning family and friends. Stripped of the only life they’ve ever known, the Days say goodbye to San Francisco forever.
Four months later, two thirty-year-old misfits with elite self-defense skills and penchants for alcohol, sex, and trouble arrive like an earthquake to Peaceful Woods, a retirement community in Omaha, Nebraska, that thrives on rules and gossip. Welcome home, Jackson and Jillian Knight.
Jackson celebrates his new beginning by embracing his job and wiping his cavalier past clean with a temporary oath of celibacy. But Jillian’s past is branded into her soul—the deaths, the insanity, Dr. Luke Jones, and the need to make her lovers bleed. Her chance for redemption comes in the form of a next door neighbor, one Senior Master Sergeant Monaghan. He’s sexy, dangerously alluring, and riddled with emotional issues from years of service. He’s also … So. Damn. Grumpy.
Their mission is simple: Let go, start over, don't kill anyone, and pray that nobody wakes the dead.
Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in the sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life.
Four caskets. Two bodies.
Jessica and Jude Day witness their funeral and that of their parents a few yards away from mourning family and friends. Stripped of the only life they’ve ever known, the Days say goodbye to San Francisco forever.
Four months later, two thirty-year-old misfits with elite self-defense skills and penchants for alcohol, sex, and trouble arrive like an earthquake to Peaceful Woods, a retirement community in Omaha, Nebraska, that thrives on rules and gossip. Welcome home, Jackson and Jillian Knight.
Jackson celebrates his new beginning by embracing his job and wiping his cavalier past clean with a temporary oath of celibacy. But Jillian’s past is branded into her soul—the deaths, the insanity, Dr. Luke Jones, and the need to make her lovers bleed. Her chance for redemption comes in the form of a next door neighbor, one Senior Master Sergeant Monaghan. He’s sexy, dangerously alluring, and riddled with emotional issues from years of service. He’s also … So. Damn. Grumpy.
Their mission is simple: Let go, start over, don't kill anyone, and pray that nobody wakes the dead.
Excerpt
“Have you
ever killed anyone?”
Jessica’s
smile slipped. “If I told you then I’d have to kill you.”
“So
you’re a secret agent?”
She
flipped onto her stomach, resting her chin on her crossed arms. “If I said yes
then it would no longer be a secret. Come on, Jones, you’re losing your focus.
Don’t let me feel smarter than you or our time together will be over and I
rather like hanging out here.”
“Luke,”
he corrected.
“Lucas.”
“Luke.”
“Lukey.”
“LUKE!”
“Lulu.”
“I
mean it!” Luke showed another rare moment of teetering emotion.
Jessica
chuckled. “What are the chances of us having sex? I’ve never done it
missionary, but you could possibly counsel me through it.”
He
refocused on his crossword puzzle, filling in a word in pen. “Less than zero
percent.”
“So,
not in my favor, eh?
“Why
not missionary?”
Jessica
smiled in delight that Luke continued with the topic of conversation. “I’m sure
you already know, but if you want me to say I need control, then sure, I need
control. But the truth is I’d control any sex position you want to put me in.”
Jessica winked as Luke gave her a fleeting glance. “I just don’t want you
thinking you have control, even if I know it’s not the case. Pisses me off to
see the smirk on a guy’s face when he thinks he has control.”
“Tell
me why you need control.” Luke continued with his crossword.
“In
bed?”
“Yes.”
“Someone
has to have it.”
“Why?”
“Because
someone initiates it.”
“So
if I initiate sex with you will I have control?”
“There’s
only one way to find out.” Jessica wiggled her eyebrows at an ill-humored Luke.
What I thought about End of Day
Jessica and Jude become reborn as Jackson and Jillian in some sort of witness protection plan, finding it's not all that easy to leave their past behind. Jill especially struggles with reconciling her new identity with her old, which includes a very disturbing past and some serious behaviors. Many of the details of their situation are revealed very slowly and deliberately in End of Day. I did like how there wasn't some big dump of information, but a gradual unfolding of the events of the past in parallel with the current situations in their new home in Omaha.
This book is primarily told from Jill's point of view. When she left San Francisco, she also left behind the love of her life, Lukas Jones. It's so very clear how deeply she feels about Luke, my heart broke for her. But when they arrive in their new home, it's their military neighbor and his son that catches Jill's eye. As she begins a relationship with Master Sargent AJ, it dredges up her old life with Luke and some of the other things that have happened to her. Jill is one disturbed woman with good reason, and sometimes the push and pull between AJ and Jill (and Jackson too) gets intense. I liked this, although at times I thought it dragged a bit.
This story has some interesting things to say about those in witness protection and building a new life after the old one. In this case there can be serious repercussions if their old life is discovered, and when things get close, there's a definite problem.
Jewel E Ann has some nice word play in this, between the naming of the characters and the blistering dialogue between all of the characters involved in this story. I think I loved that the most -- the crisp and often sarcastic dialogue from Jill is just amazing and brought the humor needed to keep this from becoming too dark of a tale.
I'm on the fence whether this is one of my favorite books this year -- it could be. It is definitely unique in voice and content -- I haven't read any characters like these and I really loved that about this book. This is my second read from Jewel E Ann and I will be following this series to see what happens in subsequent books.
So, good start to the series. If you are looking for something dark and yet humorous with some blistering dialogue, this could be a satisfying read for you.
ARC provided for review.
Giveaway!
About the Author
Jewel is
a free-spirited romance junkie with a quirky sense of humor.
With 10
years of flossing lectures under her belt, she took early retirement from her
dental hygiene career to stay home with her three awesome boys and manage the
family business.
After her best friend of nearly 30 years suggested a few books from the Contemporary Romance genre, Jewel was hooked. Devouring two and three books a week but still craving more, she decided to practice sustainable reading, AKA writing.
When she’s not donning her cape and saving the planet one tree at a time, she enjoys yoga with friends, good food with family, rock climbing with her kids, watching How I Met Your Mother reruns, and of course…heart-wrenching, tear-jerking, panty-scorching novels.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Goodreads | Pinterest
After her best friend of nearly 30 years suggested a few books from the Contemporary Romance genre, Jewel was hooked. Devouring two and three books a week but still craving more, she decided to practice sustainable reading, AKA writing.
When she’s not donning her cape and saving the planet one tree at a time, she enjoys yoga with friends, good food with family, rock climbing with her kids, watching How I Met Your Mother reruns, and of course…heart-wrenching, tear-jerking, panty-scorching novels.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Goodreads | Pinterest
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