Reviews

Journey is another Celtic Amerian Cruise ship ... this one specializes in Civil War era. Charlie is an actor who has worked with Alexi and Clara ... and her father works on "The Journey" as a storyteller.

10 years before Charlie and Ethan helped catch a serial killer. While they had mutual attraction, Ethan (who was already in college) did the right thing and discouraged 16 year old Charlie.

Now, Charlie finds a dead body ... and uses her connection with Alexi & Clara to get Ethan assigned to the case. Charlie helps Ethan, whether he wants it or not ... and eventually they act on feelings they still have for each other. Eventually Alexi & Clara decide to come down and become "Southern Belles" on "The Journey" to help with the investigation ... along with Jude & Thor.

I love, love, love the Civil War ghosts that play into this story. The actual murders (and the motive) was a bit more mundane, but I really loved all of the characters involved. Charlie's dad kind of drove me nuts with all the info he kept withholding though.

cj_mo_2222's review against another edition

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4.0

Charlene "Charlie" Moreau was tied to a headstone and left in an old Louisiana cemetery as part of a high school club hazing. However, being left helpless in the cemetery, it's not the dead Charlie fears, but the living since there have been several recent murders of young women in the area. Older, popular Ethan Delaney comes to her rescue, with guidance from the spirit of a Confederate Calvary officer. Ten years later, Charlie is an actress and during the filming of a movie, finds a dead body in the same cemetery. Charlie is understandably upset, and things get worse when her dad becomes one of the prime suspects. Charlie once again turns to Ethan for help and the two find romance in spite of the danger all around them.

I enjoy Heather Graham's Krewe of Hunters romantic suspense series. The Krewe is a special group of FBI agents who use their paranormal abilities to help them solve cases. Each book features a different agent, so it's not necessary to have read any of the others to enjoy any given book in the series. Some characters, such as the agent in charge and the assistant director, have appeared in all of the Krewe books I've read, so those who follow the series will like the consistency. This book is also part of a series within the overall Krewe series that deals with various ships. In this book, Charlie’s dad is a guide on the “Journey”, a historic paddle wheeler that's sponsoring a civil war reenactment. Charlie's friends Clara Avery and Alexi Cromwell and fellow actresses make an appearance and were featured in prior books in this ship-themed trilogy.

Graham handles the paranormal parts of this book and others in the series in a way that seems believable. A historical event in which soldiers on both sides of the Civil War come together provides a backdrop for the book and plays a part in the current events. Charlie and Ethan are a cute couple and even though they are investigating a murder, they find time to reconnect. Their romance doesn’t seem forced or rushed since the two did have a history in high school. The love scenes are both romantic and passionate and fans of Graham won't be disappointed by Charlie and Ethan's love story.

The mystery is a bit lacking, however, and the transitions from scenes on the boat, the civil war reenactments, and other current events are a little choppy. There are some great scenes between Charlie and Ethan and Charlie and her friends, but some parts of the story drag out too long, only to be resolved by an ending that was a bit rushed. Because of this, "Darkest Journey" isn't my favorite by Graham, but I liked the characters of Charlie and Ethan as well as the history that plays such an important part of the story.

This review was originally written for Smitten by Books. (3.5 stars) The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

bhpurpletealdragon's review against another edition

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2.0

Really sick of this author always setting her books in the south and talking about the civil war as if that is her fave subject or she thinks it is original.

Had to skim the last part of the book and didn't read the sex scenes just to learn who did it and it was a boring end the spirits did rise as they did in the movie but it was so blah and so unneccessary. Anti climatic because you knew it was coming and they really didn't actually do anything.

The book was over 300 pages and it really only needed to be 180 or 190.

I normally like the Krewe books but not this one. They are formulaic which I like but they really do need to be shorter. I couldn't remember who was who and I didn't really have any investment in the story or the dead soldiers or anything since the civil war is not my thing and that stupid ghost at the graveyard could have told the woman who was doing the bad stuff but didn't. Its just a mess when you have characters who can talk to ghosts and you as an author try not to use them to solve the crime very easily.

oliviasbookishworld's review against another edition

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2.0

Good book, but it definitely follows her writing formula to a T.

caffeine_free's review against another edition

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He loved to chime in on their historical discussions, especially his mother—who, confusing things even more was Israeli—had been born in New York City. He considered himself a Confederate/Yankee/African American, and liked to say that gave him a unique perspective.

Between this quote from page 36 of the paperback copy and the amount of “both sides were fighting for what they believe in”’ type of Confederate sympathy, I just couldn’t. I had to stop. I picked this book back up more than twice and still couldn’t read the second chapter.

lpcoolgirl's review against another edition

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5.0

Another great book, so awesome to read! And Ethan knew Aiden, from The Betrayed! And I'm only 1 full length novel from being caught up! Yeah!

marinaluna's review against another edition

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informative slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I hate to give a Krewe of Hunters book such a bad rating, but this one was rhe worst book in the series (and I have read the first 20, plus the latest 2 so far, 31 and 32). The murder is just a subplot the emphasis is HEAVY on the history and romance, the Krewe barely play a role. Ugh. Not a great book. This whole trilogy missed the mark somehow. All Krewe characters are amazing, but the non Krewe ones are just not good in this book specifically. The heroine is the most asinine character ever, and here be spoilers now <spoilers>Charlie calls her former crush, now Krewe, to help on a murder because a ghost told her where the corpse is and then proceeds to completely ignore him and plot behind his back. She accuses him of thinking her father is guilty when he proves over and over that ain't the case. Her stupidity knows no boundaries. And so many subplots are without a proper ending. What about the relationship between Ethan and the ghost? When did Charlie decide to go into the theater with Clara and Alexis? And her father...omg can we say obstruction of justice please? And her insane defence of his stupidity. ugh. Not a subplot but an error...Thor and Clara had 2 dogs in the previous books, now suddenly they only have 1 and get a 2nd one at the shelter.
What about the cleaning lady? It felt like there was a chapter missing at the end. So many inconsistencies.</spoilers> After the high quality of the first 18 books and knowing the most recent ones are as good, this one was a complete disappointment. I am giving 3 instead of 2 stars due to Ethan. I do not give away the identity of the murderrr in the spoiler section, but talk about some content.

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