Jenn Bennett – Grim Shadows

The second book in the Roaring Twenties series, published June 3, 2014.
Genre: historical paranormal romance
Cover: good



It's the Roaring Twenties in foggy San Francisco. Prohibition is on, inhibitions are low, and dark magic is rolling into town…
Archaeologist Lowe Magnusson is packing something everyone wants. The djed amulet, a priceless Egyptian artifact, will fetch Lowe a hefty paycheck from one of San Francisco's wealthiest. But when the handsome Swede runs into his patron's uptight daughter, what he once considered easy money becomes maddeningly complicated…
Cursed with deadly spirits as her constant companions, curator Hadley Bacall must keep calm to hold her dangerous specters at bay and prevent them from lashing out at anything—or anyone. Trouble is, Lowe is driving her crazy, but her father needs the artifact he's transporting. While Hadley can feel the amulet's power, she can't fathom the destruction—or the desire—it's about to stir up.


Lowe Magnusson is returning from a dig in Egypt minus one finger, and with a price less artifact. He already has a buyer lined up, which is a good thing, as he is deeply in debt to a dangerous man who has discovered that he was sold a forgery ...
But before he can deliver the artifact to his buyer (or another forgery) he runs into trouble when some thugs are after him to steal the artifact. To make matters worse, the daughter of his buyer is waiting for him, and gets right in the middle of the action. To save her life and his own, Lowe sure has to think on his feet.

Hadley’s father is ill, and losing his eyesight, and Hadley is determined to take over his position as head of the archeology department in the museum they both work for. She has worked hard the past years, and she has earned it. So when she finds out that her father has offered Lowe Magnusson the position, if he in turn will find some other artifact her mother has hidden 20 years ago, she is very upset. But she will make a deal with Lowe, to help him find the things her mother has hidden, so he will get paid by her father, and in turn he will have to turn down the job.

Mutual attraction sizzles between them, but Hadley has her own secrets to guard, and she does not really trust Lowe, with good reason. She is astonished with the ease and of how much he lies, does he even know the truth himself? But treasure hunting together adds to the adrenaline, especially as they are running into danger time and again. And slowly they open up to the other, sharing some of their past, and Hadley sees that Lowe does care about some people.

They both had some major childhood trauma to deal with, and learning about this and how they dealt with it, made me like both Hadley and Lowe more.

Another creepy man is after Hadley though, he can see the dark spirits that appear when she looses her temper, and he wants to use her. But he is closely connected to her parents past, of which Hadley discovers more and more disturbing details.


An action filled second book in the series, with some great characters and a good adventure. It was creepy at times, but very original, and I liked that. Though I have to admit, I had some trouble getting into the story, as I did not really like Lowe at first. He is a liar, a con artist, and a womanizer. He is obsessed with Hadley’s backside (like his brother with his wife’s freckles!) and her great taste in lingerie. That last part was fun to read about, a guilty pleasure for Hadley, who dresses very demurely, covered as much as possible, but underneath it all ...
I enjoyed how Lowe challenged Hadley to do things completely out of character, and stop being the good girl all the time.

Still, the ending, though it was good, I still thought Lowe screwed up there, and Hadley gave in without a protest. He could have talked with her before he did some things, but of course, that is the modern woman in me talking, and this takes places in the Roaring Twenties.

I enjoyed the short appearance of the first heroine, Aida, and would have like to see some more of her.

All in all, a really good second book in a series, with characters that grew on me, and an exciting adventure to follow, mixed in with archaeology, mythology and suspense.

8 stars.

© 2014 Reviews by Aurian