Grave Intentions

Title: Grave Intentions
Series: #1 Grave Series
Author: Lori Sjoberg
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release: January 3, 2013

Synopsis from GoodReads:
He’s handsome, reliable, and punctual—the perfect gentleman when you want him to be. But this dream man is Death’s best agent—and now he’s got more than his soul to lose…

One act of mercy before dying was all it took to turn soldier David Anderson into a reaper—an immortal who guides souls-of-untimely-death into the afterlife. But the closer he gets to atoning for his mortal sin and finally escaping merciless Fate, the more he feels his own humanity slipping away for good. Until he encounters Sarah Griffith. This skeptical scientist can’t be influenced by his powers—even though she has an unsuspected talent for sensing the dead. And her honesty and irreverent sense of humor reignite his reason for living—and a passion he can’t afford to feel. Now Fate has summoned David to make a devastating last harvest. And he’ll break every hellishly-strict netherworld rule to save Sarah...and gamble on a choice even an immortal can’t win.

**************
I like reaper stories and I enjoyed this one. Grave Intentions provided a fresh spin on how reapers move among us and I'm always tickled to find a new spin on a supernatural being. :) I thought Ms. Sjoberg did a great job on creating something unique in that respect.

Sarah is a scientist and although she grew up around events that couldn't be explained - like being raised by a grandma who could talk to spirits - she shies away from anything that can't be scientifically or logically proven. But as her friend said, 

"You know, one of these days you're going to come face to face with something you can't explain through the scientific method."

Sarah had no idea how prophetic that statement would turn out to be.

David is a reaper. It's taken him some time but he's figured out the formula for best enduring his current incarnation. That is too keep all emotions locked down tight. That's a tall order when your job is assisting souls who've experienced untimely deaths to the afterlife .

Fate has a strange sense of humor, it would seem, when she weaves these two souls together. Can Sarah let go of her need for scientific proof? Can David tear down the wall behind which his emotions are concealed?

I found the cast of supporting characters entertaining. Samuel, David's boss was a joy in his snobbery. David's fellow reapers Ruby, Adam, and Dmitri also offered their own charms and I look forward to getting to know them even better in future books in this series.

As I said, I really enjoyed this book. At times, I did feel it was a bit predictable. However, Ms. Sjoberg was still able to wring emotion from me. At one point, I knew what was coming and still I cried! And the ending...even though I thought I knew how things would end, Ms. Sjoberg didn't take the exact path I envisioned (guess my psychic skills are lacking! :) Overall, this was a pleasant read and I will check out the next in the series.