Graveyard Shift

Not Dead Yet, Book 3

By: Jenn Burke

Narrated by: Greg Boudreaux

Shifting into high fear

Ghost/god Wes Cooper and his not-life partner, vampire Hudson Rojas, have settled into cohabitation in an upscale part of Toronto. So what if their hoity-toity new neighbors haven't exactly rolled out the welcome mat for the paranormal pair? Their PI business is booming, and when a suspect they've been tailing winds up in the morgue, it's alongside a rash of other shifters in apparent drug-related fatalities.

Now, Wes and Hudson must connect the dots between the shifter deaths and an uptick in brutal vampire attacks across the city. Throw in a surprise visit from Hudson's niece - who may or may not be on the run from European paranormal police (who may or may not exist) - and guardianship of a teen shifter who might be the key to solving the whole mystery (if only she could recover her memory), and Wes and Hudson have never been busier...or happier.

But when a nightmare from Hudson's past comes back to haunt him, their weird, little found family is pushed to the brink. Mucking this up would mean Hudson and Wes missing their second chance at happily forever-afterlife....

Contains mature themes.

©2019 Jennifer R. L. Burke (P)2019 Tantor

Home Run!

Just finished all three books in 3 days. Just couldn’t stop listening or reading on my kindle. Boudreaux brought each and every character to life and Jenn wove an amazing tale.

Boudreaux’s performance of a great book is fantastic

I really enjoyed this third book in the Not Dead Yet series. While books one and two introduced the universe and the characters and gave us backstory things really come to fruition in this book and it was so satisfying.

Wes and Hudson are together and living in a new much larger home as the book begins. Evan is working with them and Iksander in the PI firm and their main problem is the super annoying neighbor who believes he is the arbiter of everyone in the neighborhood’s behavior. He is super annoying and I was really cheering for him to be somehow related to the story/suspense so he got his comeuppance!

Of course, that (things going well) can’t remain the situation and suddenly there are dead shifters and newly created vampires creating havoc in the city. Poor Kat, Hudson’s former boss from when he was a cop, is yet again thrust into paranormal doings that she REALLY doesn’t want to know anything about. We also meet some new characters who will hopefully become part of the regular crew for this series which will continue as a spin off series focusing on Wes.

The story here is so well crafted and has so many intriguing aspects to it. There is always the ever-present humor from the interaction between the MCs and the various secondary characters but there is also a lot of emotional drama and angst in this book and it really tugs on the heartstrings. Additionally, Wes’ value system is challenged when he has to confront his new reality and finally figure out who and what he is supposed to be. I was moved to tears a few times, laughed at several situations and really wanted to throat punch a few people. So, it’s a well-rounded read!!

I did go back and skim books one and two before diving into this one so that my memory was fully refreshed. This book is not a standalone and you really need to read the first two books in order to understand a lot of what happens here and characters’ motivations. You can understand this story without having read the first two but not fully appreciate it or the characters’ journeys.

Boudreaux’s performance is fantastic and he cements himself as one of my most favorite narrators. He’s also one of the very few male performers I’ve listened to that can do a believable job with female voices. I hope he is going to continue on with the spin off series.

Ending was meh

I really enjoyed book 1 and 2. Greg Boudreaux did a great job. This book wasn't my favorite one, but I still sort of liked it.

I generally avoid fantasy/paranormal romance with too many paranormal entities: shifters, vampires, ghosts, witches, and demons all in one book. It can sometimes come off as too much with little room for character development or insight. I felt Burke did a good job creating the universe and she could have done so much more with different spinoffs from all the characters she provided. All of the elements added to the story rather than distract. However, this book was different.

I think it's because the ending was so weird. I felt like the author was trying to do too many things at once in the end: 1. break the reader's heart, 2. make Wes discover his god-power, 3. provide super cheesy conclusions, and 4. wrap it all up in a sloppy bow.

I'm a little disappointed. I was kind of hoping for a spin off featuring Evan and his attempt at resurrecting his boyfriend or something with Sam and her becoming an adult or even Prea maybe dating Lexie. Something extra. I guess I got so wrapped up in this universe that I wanted it to continue, not necessarily with Wes, but something.

Like I said, Burke did a good job. I just wish it didn't end so awkwardly.

All hail the god of second chances!

I laughed, I cried, I immediately wish-listed book 1 in the spin-off series Ashes and Dust, although I’m not sure the magic will continue at this level of phenomenal without narrator Boudreaux.

Book 3 continues to expand the band, aka Wes and Hudson’s odd-ball collection of family, giving more characters to love- and to lose. It’s not GoT level, but this series is not for you if the entire Scooby gang needs to escape unscathed. I, for one, respect that this author is willing to sacrifice characters for the good of the story. Also, it helps balance out Wes, who is now a god with Larry Stu potential. I hope we’ll see more of the surviving characters in later books, or in the spin-off series.

Great Book

I love this series and this last book did not disappoint.. Wes and Hudson are great and their little family is as well. Not all us happily ever after but will re read I am sure

Bittersweet

Once again a Phenomenal performance by Greg Boudreaux. Wonderful, beautiful conclusion to this series! I can't wait to start the spin-off centered around Evan. Thank you again Jenn Burke for the remarkable story and Ace representation!! Chef's Kiss! Bravo!

Aptly titled...

The third book is loaded with so much, it's almost hard to keep up. Well, not really...but a lot is going on in this book. The introduction of new characters and the acceptance of Wes to his new standing keeps this book going from start to finish. I laughed and cried because somethings you just cannot predict. This is the best thus far and I want to know where Wes, Rojas, and the other cast of characters go from here. Seriously enjoyed this read/listen!

Great overall, but a few hiccups

I'm not going to ruin the story, but the amount of times that Wes gets hit in the head in this book is actually ridiculous, especially when he could just as easily phase out and not suffer any physical damage. That really seems to be an oversight in book 3. Wes, in book 1 was all about phasing out, but somehow in book 3, he seems to have forgotten that handy little tidbit and it does have several serious repercussions. Other than that, book 3 was pretty good. As usual, the narration was fantastic and the characters are great as always. I'd recommend the series overall. I'm particularly happy with the characterization of Wes as being asexual. As someone who's Ace as well. the overall depiction is pretty spot on and I appreciate that.

Great Three Book Series!!

Fun, excellent writing & narration, completing the delicious romance between our two main men. Well concluded after the adventures with the gang.

Back to searching for more of Greg Boudreaux's books I've yet to enjoy!

third time listening all 3 ooks

I wish there was a 4th and 5th book in series with Greg Boudreau narrating. have many friends who purchased them, we all want more.