From USA Today bestselling author L.J. Shen comes a passion- and angst-charged story about a woman caught between a secure relationship and a once-in-a-lifetime spark with her muse.
They say first loves are oftentimes the end of one’s innocence.
Those words couldn’t ring truer for Everlynne Lawson, whose first brush with romance came with a heartbreak…and the thing that seems to follow her everywhere she goes. Death.
After a great tragedy, Everlynne loses all she cares about—her dreams, her family, and her soulmate, Joe.
Guilt-ridden, Everlynne decides to isolate herself in Salem, Massachusetts. A shell of the woman she once was, she takes her days one at a time, careful not to allow herself the joy she believes others in her life were robbed of. But when the mysterious, handsome Dominic storms into her life, it becomes more difficult to stay in solitude. Dominic is different: adventurous, joyous, with lust for life and a passion to make her his.
Everlynne is on the cusp of reinventing herself once again when the old wounds of her past are resurrected, rawer than ever. There is nothing worse than being in love with two men.
Especially when one of them hates you.
Title : Beautiful Graves
Author : LJ Shen
Format : Physical
Page Count : 373
Genre : Contemporary Romance
Publisher : Montlake
Release Date : October 4, 2022
Reviewer : Micky
Rating : ★ ★ ★.5
Micky’s 3.5 star review
Headlines:
Dramatic triangular shaped romance
Death and grief
Easy reading
I just fancied an easy read and a trip down memory lane with this author. I got the easy reading but I definitely got a suitcase full of drama with it. I’m not always a fan of LJ Shen’s work, I don’t like bully romances and this wasn’t that. It was a tale of three people, friendships, death and grief. It was pretty rich and somewhat immature.
The protagonist was a stuck in a hole of grief and self-blame. She’d ostracised herself from her family and friends. I didn’t really buy into her relationship with Dom, I found Dom to be a bit fake and while I didn’t see what happened, coming…I knew there was something. Joe was the lingering thought in my mind.
There were a few elements that felt disconnected in the story, the grave designing, the family issues and mother issues but I was glad when I got to the parts that connected the dots.
If you like the dramatic easy romance read type of plot, this one is for you. For me, I enjoyed the ease of it more than the plot but it was fun for the weekend.
A Take from Two Cities 