Saturday 31 October 2015

Review ~ Jack & Jill Series by Jewel E Ann ~ End of Day and Middle of Knight


Book Descriptions:

End of Day (Jack and Jill #1)

Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in the sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life.

Four caskets. Two bodies.

Jessica and Jude Day witness their funeral and that of their parents a few yards away from mourning family and friends. Stripped of the only life they’ve ever known, the Days say goodbye to San Francisco forever.

Six months later, two thirty-year-old misfits with elite self-defense skills and penchants for alcohol, sex, and trouble arrive like an earthquake to Peaceful Woods, a retirement community in Omaha, Nebraska, that thrives on rules and gossip. Welcome home, Jackson and Jillian Knight.

Jackson celebrates his new beginning by embracing his job and wiping his cavalier past clean with a temporary oath of celibacy. But Jillian’s past is branded into her soul—the deaths, the insanity, Dr. Luke Jones, and the need to make her lovers bleed. Her chance for redemption comes in the form of a next door neighbor, one Senior Master Sergeant Monaghan. He’s sexy, dangerously alluring, and riddled with emotional issues from years of service. He’s also … So. Damn. Grumpy.

Their mission is simple: Let go, start over, don't kill anyone, and pray that nobody wakes the dead.


Middle of Knight (Jack and Jill #2)

The living seek forgiveness. The dead seek revenge.

A first love.
A last breath.
A haunting past.

Armed with a sinful past and an equally sinful body, Jackson Knight absolves his vow of celibacy to pursue Sergeant Monaghan’s unsuspecting—older—housekeeper.

Ryn Middleton, on the cusp of turning forty with a snarky daughter, a killer dog, and an abusive ex-husband, finds Jackson’s advances humorous and unbelievable. After intense negotiations including Vera Wang, Ed Sheeran, and sex four times a day, Ryn accepts Jackson’s marriage proposal on their first date.

What could possibly go wrong?

While struggling to lay claim to the woman of the dreams he never had, Jackson is forced to deal with a grief-stricken Jillian trying to hold on to her past without letting go of her future—the doctor who took her heart and the Sergeant who gave her a new one.

Beyond the hope for light, lies the middle of darkness, the illusion of truth, and a haunting past.

Buy Links:

End of Day


Middle of Knight



Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 4.5 stars


“Because everybody needs somebody.”


These books will have you crying with laughter one minute and crying with sadness the next.
These twins are hysterical, yet tragic.
This is a suspense type read, yet it is a romance, oh and could even be a comedy.
These are books of contradictions.


“So, a kiss is an RSVP to your vagina that says: I. Will. Be. There.”


It is really hard to say anything about these books without giving too much away so this is going to be one of those vague reviews, but I will say that these books are as equally thrilling as they are emotional and equally serious as they are funny. As you know I love my emotional reads and these two books definitely quenched that thirst, but in equal measures my thirst for fantastic dialogue was also met.

Jackson and Jillian Knight are twins that have had to relocate because of their past and have left their real identities of Jude and Jessica Day way behind in their wake. The powers that be have set them up in an ageing district called Peaceful Woods. Mostly surrounded by people twice their age you just knew that life for these residents was about to change when these two rolled into town, peaceful would probably be a distant memory. With a past that needs to be read to be believed these two have a chance at a new life, whether they want it or not. Sometimes though the past has a habit of coming back to bite you on the bum and really, when you think about it, you can never really forget.


“I apologize for being too sexy for this neighbourhood.”


With a past that haunts and has left emotional as well as physical scars Jillian struggles to adapt to their new life. Missing her soul mate and her anchor Dr Luke she really has to dig deep to find the motivation to do anything. With a past that is eked out throughout the books you are slowly treated to glimpses of her past and this gives you a better understanding of the reasons the way Jillian is the way she is.


“I went from trusting to fearing to an unavoidable distrust. Now I trust very few people and the person I fear the most is myself.”


Jillian was an amazing character; she was incredibly strong, not only mentally but physically and could put the biggest of men on their asses. She was badass, she was sassy, she was witty, but she was also vulnerable in her own way. She was plagued by night terrors that made relationships an impossibility and to be torn away from the only man that understood her and loved her was extremely hard on her.


“They made me love him…then they made me leave him.”


Jackson, like Jillian was also badass, these two would fight each other for shits and giggles and stress relief. But the bond that these two had was impenetrable. The only people they trusted were each other, they loved each other intensely but the need to protect was even fiercer. They were inseparable. But on the other hand their banter, humour and intense teasing of each other will have you laughing out loud and really brings a lighter element to what is otherwise an intense, serious read.


“Love is reckless because true emotions are immune to logic. The most beautiful love stories are often the most tragic.”


Jackson was a computer geek as Jude, but he was no geek in the looks department and was a total manwhore.  Jackson is intent on taking this opportunity to reinvent himself and the first thing he wants to stop is his manwhoring ways. Jackson wants to find “the one.” With a penchant for the older ladies, he is certainly in the right community but will he be tempted or stick to his guns?

The way this book was written was genius, we have the present as Jackson and Jillian and then flashbacks to the past as Jude and Jessica and it is through these that we get to understand the predicament that they find themselves in today. You really get to understand the sacrifices that they have had to make, especially Jillian, who left her biggest one at her gravesite. The pain was portrayed fantastically and Jillian really embedded herself into my heart and head.


“I’ve had too many opportunities to contemplate death. I think it’s different for everyone, but for me… when my time comes, I won’t ask any questions. I’ll simply say thank you.”


Jillian captures the attention of the cantankerous sergeant major next door and it seems that she may be able to find someone to make her forget, but it soon becomes obvious that they have a lot more in common than they first realised. I loved AJ, for all his belligerent ways he had a heart of gold and as much as he was unwilling to admit, he had feelings for our Jillian.


“Beneath your hardened exterior and need for self-preservation, I saw a painful vulnerability – one that you would never show. Some days when I look at you if feels like I am seeing my reflection.”


I also have to mention Dr Luke; while we are only treated to this man in the past flashbacks this man helped bring Jillian back to life. While his argyle sock wearing, OCD ways will also have you in stitches, this man had a heart of gold and loved Jessica/Jillian with everything he had. Jessica and Luke were chalk and cheese but their bond was incredible. I felt their love for each other radiate off the page and I could totally understand Jillian’s pain at having to leave him behind. I was distraught myself.


“She hated Luke for making her love him. She hated Jackson for making her live. She hated AJ for making her care.”


I loved the writing style and the author’s voice really captured Jackson and Jillian’s story. With an air of mystery, thriller and suspense these books could also be a romantic comedy and it is this mix that makes these books perfectly balanced and a totally captivating read. While I felt in the beginning this story was a little slow, once the momentum builds these books really come into their own and will hold you hostage until the very end.


“God gave you a gift of 84,600 seconds today. Have you used one of them to say thank you? ~ William Arthur Ward”


Throughout these books I found myself on the edge of my seat frantically trying to read between the lines for any morsel of information that could help me piece together this almighty puzzle. This is a book that demands your undivided attention as you tiptoe your way through some intricate plot lines but will ease that pain of concentration with that ever present wit and banter. I cannot wait for book three, like seriously cannot wait.

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