Review: A Winter's Grave by Cree Walker

Title: A Winter's Grabe
Author: Cree Walker
Source: Publisher Request
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novel
Release Date: April 28, 2013
Reviewer: Jasmyn

What would you do if you woke up in the snow with absolutely no memory of who you are or how you got there?  What would you say to your savior whenn she tells you that not only are you now dead but you've been chosen to become a Grim Reaper.  Ceres is working to piece the slivers of her former life together from fractured memories, all while learning how to stay off her demon Mistress' radar.  Ceres may have been qualified to become a Reaper, but that doesn't mean she's very good at it.  From her catastrophes in becoming a Reaper to her inablility to maintain a day job, Ceres and her tiny Hellhound aren't doing much to impress anyone in the house, especially Gavin, the head Reaper of their Wake.  Gavin and Ceres may have gotten off on the wrong foot but there is something about her he can't ignore.  The problem is he's not the only one interested in her.  What Ceres soon finds out is that their Demon Mistress has laid claim to Gavin and she's told Ceres it's hands off.  Does Ceres accept the fact that their Mistress is trying to force Gavin into her own patiently waiting arms or does Ceres risk her afterlife in order to save his?

Ceres is an amazing character!  From the very beginning I could really relate to how she was feeling and reacting to the situations around her.  One of the most well written heroines I've read.  And the fact that she's a bit of a bookworm gave her a place in  my reading heart very easily.  She's a little socially awkward, in a very endearing way and really wants to know what happened to her to make her a Reaper.  But she may be better off not knowing - her history is a huge mystery throughout the book that is revealed in little snippets from the oddest and least expected places.  It was wonderful.

The reason this book didn't get 5 stars, is there was a bit of a nasty love triangle thing going for awhile.  While the "other guy" knew he really wasn't going to go anywhere serious with Ceres, he stayed in the picture as a possible romance a little too long for my taste.  I like knowing what hero to root for.  The ending was a bit rushed as well.  So much happened in about 10 pages I felt like the author ran out of time or space and had to just cram it all in as fast as she could.  Up until that point it was a very well paced book.  Oh, and we can't forget about Ceres' hellhound - he's a bit of a show stealer himself in an amazing cute but deadly sort of way.