Twenty-Nine and a Half Reasons by Denise Grover Swank

I adored Denise Grover Swank’s debut novel Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes and being introduced to Rose Gardner. Fabulous book, fabulous author. I was really looking forward to the sequel, Twenty-Nine and a Half Reasons, and there was no disappointment here! It was great to pick up right back into Rose’s life – her new and improved life at that! After the murder of her mom in the first book, Rose now has more independence – and a hot boyfriend in the state detective Joe. Two things are still the same – her crappy job at the DMV, and her history for getting involved in murders. Now being summoned for jury duty has put Rose front in center of the latest mystery case – one where she has a vision of who the murderer is. And it’s definitely not the man on the stand being accused of the crime. Rose knows she can’t come forward with her vision as evidence, so she takes it upon herself to clear the accuser’s name, find the real murderer, and somehow keep her relationship with Joe intact, find a way to make her happy with her relationship choices, and not get fired from her job. Figuring out her priorities is a must – and Rose knows just who tops that list.
Again – great fun catching up with Rose, and seeing how she had grown so much from the first book. She was a shy, timid girl completely under her mother’s spell, and now she was more of a woman, making decisions and living a grown-up life with Joe. I enjoyed the difficult love quandary she got involved in as well – deciding how to continue her relationship with Joe, the interactions with the assistant DA Mason Deveraux, and the blind date her sister puts her up to. I was also thrilled to see there will be a third installment, and I cannot wait for that to get here! The Rose Gardner series and Denise Grover Swank are both musts for you to check out!
[Rating: 4.5]