Genre: Romantic Suspense

Disclaimer: Reading is all about exploring new worlds, but this Book Review does not shy away from spoiling specific scenes as this is more of a look inside the good and bad of a book.

The Analysis:

I’m subscribed to the Harlequin newsletter and this was one of their feature books. It jumped the TBR line because of the book cover. So, let’s book review it.

Here’s the Blurb:

But can he protect her from one?

Special Agent Nicholas James knows serial killers up close and personal. After all, he was practically raised by one and later became a Behavioral Analysis Unit specialist to put them behind bars. But Dr. Aubrey Flood’s sister’s murder is his highest-stakes case yet. His professional history with the beautiful medical examiner is legendary. So is their attraction. But the clock is ticking…and Nicholas has every intention of making sure Aubrey doesn't become another victim.

Harlequin's book cover design department is the best. They really capture the essence of the main characters and from first glance, you want to know what these people are about to go through. Another top-notch design.

Now The Story:

Book Info:
Pages: 179
Author: Nichole Severn
Available: Google Play

The Prologue didn't make an impression on me. However, the case was interesting from the beginning despite the fact that it did take me a minute to get into it. See, the story opens up with the heroine's sister's murder being investigated by a famous detective. One the heroine requested as a medical examiner for that same department.

Yet, this wasn't a case he would have turned down even if he could because a man was already accused of carving an X into the forehead or cheek of their victim and leaving behind clues for the police to find the body. That man was behind bars and the heroine sister fits the profile of those same victims. Either theirs a copycat killer running free or they arrested the wrong person. Except, he knows he didn't make a mistake because that killer was his neighbor and mentor.

The heroine has given everything to her job as a medical examiner. She does it to bring relief to families. Her job is more than a morbid captivation with death. She more than proved that. Except, in this case, her job took the most important thing from her, her sister. The heroine could very well be the reason she is dead and it's a heavy burden to bear.

My interest peaked when the action started. Most of the beginning of the novel is the investigation or the mystery portion. However, you don't really get to see what happened to the poor women just a hint of it. The action begins when the killer puts his actions into play and kidnaps the heroine after leading her and the cops to a second victim that's just an ambush.

Now, a review mentions being upset at this portion because a whole team of BCU agents shouldn't be so easily bested. See, I let this slide. A serial killer of his caliber that has planned everything to the last detail would have no problem setting up a team of whoever agents for a hard fall. In fact, it could be a sobering moment for the team who might feel like they can't be defeated.

Except, this series of action scenes does lead me to my own no-no. The killer is slowly picking the team off one by one until only the hero is left. The killer almost drowns the hero in the harbor, but he's saved by the heroine. But all the heroine manages to do is leave herself open to be kidnapped. Slowly recovering, the hero comes across the second victim and the evidence that the heroine managed to capture. A storm is also coming and the waters are rising, but if he doesn't get to the heroine, all might be lost. The killer is taunting him in that hahaha you can't catch me kind of way. The stakes are sufficiently set up. He can't move a body and save the heroine. However, I didn't understand why he didn't grab the bag of evidence which I was picturing in my head as nothing more than an old school doctor's bag or even a small toolbox. At least that's usually what it is on cop shows. I didn't know why he just didn't take the evidence with him at least. (Not that it would have helped once you learn the killer's job.)

The heroine is bleeding from an artery and she is doing everything she can just to survive. In one of the most heroic scenes of the book, she makes it out of the little warehouse thingy before collapsing on the ground and almost losing consciousness. The hero eventually finds her, but she is so confused that she thinks he's the killer until she passes out completely.

She wakes up in the hospital and finds a caretaker in the top cop. This leads to a very romantic scene of her pouring out her heart to him and him delivering in a small, but heartfelt way. Unfortunately, the romance overall in the book leaves a lot to be desired. The characters are frequently caught saying, I don't know when it happened, but I love him/her because a,b,c. I find myself saying, heck, I don't know when it happened either. The thoughts and feelings they have for each other prior to her first kidnapping are just not enough. So, one point was sacrificed because of this.

The first false lead also led to a somewhat dissatisfying moment. The heroine is kidnapped twice. If you're going to do this, then you need to give the cops at least one win. The detective should have been the one to realize that their first suspect was not the real killer. Instead, it was the heroine because she knows the voices don't match and this leads to a hurtful fight between the pair that ends with the heroine storming off. Reverse the roles and it would have been much more satisfying. But no points off because the purpose of the scene was to lead us to the real killer. And I knew who it was as soon as the man stepped onto the elevator lol. I was all-in on finding out how this all ends.

So, how did this book lose another point? I don't know whether to blame feminism or what. But this woman turned into superwoman/wonder woman in the last third of the book. The killer had managed to split, yet, another, vital artery. She's tied to a chair and doing patchwork surgery on herself just so she can get up from said chair and hit the killer over the head freeing the hero who was barely holding up in a fight. It's just not believable. It wouldn't be believable if a man was doing it.

End of book thought: The hero did not do one thing to bring this investigation to a close and he was the detective. Job roles should have been reversed.

Story At A Glance:

Recommendation:  3 out of 5

Read Series Continuation:  Yes; written by different authors

 The Ratings:

Book Cover Appeal:

🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓

Story & Narration:

🍓🍓🍓

Romance:

🍓🍓

Character/(s) Personality:

🍓🍓🍓