Good book. Interesting, compelling. Lots of dramatic suspense and lots of steamy romance. I never did guess who the killer was, though. That's a good thing. This kept me guessing. I enjoyed the couple. A bit disappointed in Matt at the end, but he redeemed himself. They were a cute couple. ( )

Small little Texas town harbors one sick twisted killer. Whenever we got his POV a certain scene from the movie Mommy Dearest kept running through my head. Read it, you’ll understand 

While the killer is taking victims, a stranger rolls into town. Catherine McCoy is running from her past. When she realizes she is running low on cash she decides to look for a job to save up some cash before moving on. On her first day into town she is pulled over by the Sheriff and this result in them forming a friendship. Catherine’s past haunts her and prevents her from any form of intimacy with the sexy Sheriff but she see’s that his search for the killer is causing him a lot of stress and she wants to help him however she can. Not long after getting to town she starts getting gifts which makes the Sheriff think she is in the crosshairs of the killer.

Sheriff Matt Ballard is attracted to the green eyed beauty but can tell she is very skittish when it comes to men. He knows somewhere she has been abused but doesn’t push her for her story. The intimacy part of their relationship was slow to come as it should have been given her history. Matt’s got a sad history too and he lives his life now with only honesty. He’s not big on liars and with the secrets Catherine is hiding you can see it’s not going to be pretty when it all comes out.

I do have to say the weakest part of the book was the police procedure and tracking of the killer. Over all though it was a good mystery with quite the perverted killer and a very likable hero and heroine which made it all the more enjoyable.. ( )

This review can also be found on my blog.

Catherine McCoy is a woman with many secrets. She’s running from her past, always on the move and never in one place for long. Never long enough for people to get close to her that they might get nosy enough to dig into her past. After the verbal and physical abuse she suffered in her marriage, she’s weary of men and intimacy, until Sheriff Matt Ballard shows an interest in her. He makes her feel things she doesn’t want to feel, but she can’t resist his charm, his honorable nature, or the way he shows his emotions for the victims of the town’s serial killer. I thought Catherine made great strides from a skittish and introverted to confident and brave over the course of two months. A lot of her progress was a credit to the way Matt treated her.

Matt was a wonderful hero. He was strong, brave, he had a sense of humor and an unshakable sense of honor. Like Catherine, he too had his demons, but he didn’t let them stop him from trying to connect with her. She was well aware that he had her entire history at his fingertips, but he never once betrayed her trust, no matter how tempted he may have been. There was a revelation about his past that caught me off guard. While realistic and plausible, it broke my heart a little to read the words and grasp the implications. If there was any one flaw that could trip him up, it would be his zero tolerance policy for liars. That was a fickle thing considering the woman he had come to care about was full of secrets.

This story was an absolute hit for me. I’m not kidding when I say that I started reading this at 11pm, and I didn’t stop until 5am. I just couldn’t put it down. The author managed to plant a romance in the middle of a very chilling and disturbing thriller. She did a wonderful job of transporting me right in the middle of the small town; I could see every building and every road she described. Even the townsfolk were easy to distinguish and remember. That could have been a really difficult task to pull off – to expect a reader to remember so many different characters (or in this case, suspects). It is a testament to her story telling that each one was memorable or had something that stood out about them. Be it a sweet old lady who became protective of Catherine, or the married couple that liked to get drunk at the local watering hole and cause a scene, or the sassy, older secretary in Matt’s office. The list goes on, but I’m sure you understand what I’m getting at. Where Ms Alexander really shined was in creating her antagonist. I felt nauseated reading his POV, and seeing the words turn into pictures inside my head. Ladies, he’s really creepy!

If there was one thing I didn’t like, it would be the many times Matt “distracted” Catherine from telling him about her past, and Catherine let him get away with it. As soon as that happened, I saw the cliché looming on the horizon. However, it served to drive the story towards it’s inevitable climax of which I spent every moment biting my nails. The conclusion of ending was so romantic and perfect for them.

Great suspense, a creepy as hell villain, great supporting characters and a steamy romance are all packed in between the pages of this terrific book. I for one can’t wait for the next Jerrie Alexander book. Grab your copy now. I highly recommend it!

Favorite quotes:

“You growl like a mama bear, but look like a playboy model. Quite a contrast…threw me for a second.”

~Matt to Catherine

***

Humor danced in her eyes, she was up to something.

“I could hear them griping from my desk. Figured the mayors chewed most of your ass clean off.” She did her usual eyebrow wiggle. “Want me to check for you?”

“Your heart couldn’t stand it.”

~Sue and Matt

***

“I have one question before I can answer.”

His face grew serious, and his eyes never left her face. “By all means, ask away.”

“What would John Wayne do?”

“Nothing, he’s dead. His eyebrows dipped into a scowl. “I’m being serious.”

“So am I.” She glared back at him.

~ Matt and Catherine. I thought this was so cute, but it won’t make sense unless you have read the book. The John Wayne reference is special to them, and to the author as well, according to her bio.

***

Disclaimer: I received a review copy from the author for the purpose of a blog barrage. A review in exchange was not promised.
( )

If you like a book that grabs you by the gut on the first page, then this book is for you. I was hooked immediately. The villain here will make you look over your shoulder for weeks after you finish reading! this guy could be anybody....Literally!!! The way the love story is worked in is really well done and you wind up rooting for both the hero and the heroine in the end.
This is a debut novel that makes you look forward to books two, three, for and more from this author. Well done, Ms. Alexander. I anxiously await your next book! ( )