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readwithme83's review
3.0
I was super excited about this book. I listened to Denise Wheatley on the Categorically Romance Podcast and thought this would be my first journey into intrigue. I have found that I don't love intrigue. I'm too much of a scaredy-cat and now I know it's not a great genre for me. This book was not the best. Although I loved the style of writing and dialogue, I needed more. I wanted David and Lena to get together. I know this is not the focus of the book but I needed that element. I loved the way things were so rolling out but the actual crime was not the best. Finding out who did it and the reason why seemed lackluster considering the nature of the crime. Either way, I would give Denise Wheatley another try but not this series.
bluepage1960's review
5.0
Great Thriller!!!
This book was a page turner from beginning to end. I had my suspicions of who the killer might be, but I was totally wrong. Ms. Wheatley did a wonderful job with this thriller. Pick this book up so you can be on the edge of your seat like I was.
This book was a page turner from beginning to end. I had my suspicions of who the killer might be, but I was totally wrong. Ms. Wheatley did a wonderful job with this thriller. Pick this book up so you can be on the edge of your seat like I was.
scoutmomskf's review
4.0
Good mix of suspense and romance, as Lena Love investigates a serial killer and reunites with her first love. I will begin by saying that, for an intelligent woman, Lena takes some very stupid risks.
The story opens as Lena, a forensic crime scene investigator with the LAPD, decides to revisit the serial killer's latest murder scene BY HERSELF. She's deep in her investigative zone when she's attacked by the serial killer, who succeeds in carving half a heart into her chest before she manages to escape. She returns to her small hometown to recuperate.
Lena wanted to be a CSI ever since she was a kid. When it came time to go to college, she picked the one that would give her the best education for what she wanted and then took a job in LA. This ended her relationship with her boyfriend, David, who was committed to staying in Clemmington and joining the police force there. Lena also looked forward to getting out from under the overprotective umbrella of her police chief father and police officer brothers and living life on her own terms.
David was hurt and angry at the ease Lena left him behind. When Lena returns to town, he vows to keep his distance from her and guard his heart from falling for her again. But keeping his distance doesn't last long when a bored Lena asks to help with his vandalism investigation. Something about the vandalism gives David pause, and the next one causes him to believe that the serial killer may have followed Lena home. When murder victims with the killer's MO start turning up, it is obvious that Lena is in danger.
I became extremely frustrated with Lena, who kept sneaking off alone to investigate on her own instead of listening to everyone who tried to protect her. She didn't seem to care about the fear she caused everyone who loved her as long as she got to do what she wanted. David did his best to keep her safe while allowing her to help, but his frustration with her heedlessness was evident. Thank goodness she eventually accepts that she is in danger, but she still finds ways to put herself at risk.
The story's suspense kept me hooked as David, Lena, and the others put everything they had into stopping the killer. I could feel their frustration at the difficulty of finding evidence and the dead ends they ran into from what they did find. Their frustration and determination intensified as the killer's actions escalated. I was glued to the pages as their trap went horribly wrong, and Lena landed in the killer's hands. The final confrontation was a nail-biter, and I liked seeing Lena fight back as best she could. I rooted for David to arrive before it was too late. I must admit that the killer was not who I expected it to be.
I enjoyed watching the rekindling of the relationship between David and Lena. David is wary of getting involved again, as he knows Lena plans to return to her job in LA. Lena doesn't want to hurt him again and tries to keep things strictly to friendship. But the more time they spend together, the harder it is to deny the attraction that flares between them. Lena is surprised to discover that being back home isn't the hardship she thought it would be, despite her family's attempts to get her to stay. I liked how everything that happened caused her to reevaluate her life and choices. I enjoyed the conversation between Lena and David at the end and the surprise she had for him.
The story opens as Lena, a forensic crime scene investigator with the LAPD, decides to revisit the serial killer's latest murder scene BY HERSELF. She's deep in her investigative zone when she's attacked by the serial killer, who succeeds in carving half a heart into her chest before she manages to escape. She returns to her small hometown to recuperate.
Lena wanted to be a CSI ever since she was a kid. When it came time to go to college, she picked the one that would give her the best education for what she wanted and then took a job in LA. This ended her relationship with her boyfriend, David, who was committed to staying in Clemmington and joining the police force there. Lena also looked forward to getting out from under the overprotective umbrella of her police chief father and police officer brothers and living life on her own terms.
David was hurt and angry at the ease Lena left him behind. When Lena returns to town, he vows to keep his distance from her and guard his heart from falling for her again. But keeping his distance doesn't last long when a bored Lena asks to help with his vandalism investigation. Something about the vandalism gives David pause, and the next one causes him to believe that the serial killer may have followed Lena home. When murder victims with the killer's MO start turning up, it is obvious that Lena is in danger.
I became extremely frustrated with Lena, who kept sneaking off alone to investigate on her own instead of listening to everyone who tried to protect her. She didn't seem to care about the fear she caused everyone who loved her as long as she got to do what she wanted. David did his best to keep her safe while allowing her to help, but his frustration with her heedlessness was evident. Thank goodness she eventually accepts that she is in danger, but she still finds ways to put herself at risk.
The story's suspense kept me hooked as David, Lena, and the others put everything they had into stopping the killer. I could feel their frustration at the difficulty of finding evidence and the dead ends they ran into from what they did find. Their frustration and determination intensified as the killer's actions escalated. I was glued to the pages as their trap went horribly wrong, and Lena landed in the killer's hands. The final confrontation was a nail-biter, and I liked seeing Lena fight back as best she could. I rooted for David to arrive before it was too late. I must admit that the killer was not who I expected it to be.
I enjoyed watching the rekindling of the relationship between David and Lena. David is wary of getting involved again, as he knows Lena plans to return to her job in LA. Lena doesn't want to hurt him again and tries to keep things strictly to friendship. But the more time they spend together, the harder it is to deny the attraction that flares between them. Lena is surprised to discover that being back home isn't the hardship she thought it would be, despite her family's attempts to get her to stay. I liked how everything that happened caused her to reevaluate her life and choices. I enjoyed the conversation between Lena and David at the end and the surprise she had for him.
kaylin830's review
1.0
I want to give this book a 0 but I do recognize that there is some thing of a good plot here but I don’t think it was well executed so that’s why it gets a 1. Buckle in because we have a RIDE today, folks.
I picked this up at my bookstore because I thought it was going to be a quick little, feel-good read, but I was mistaken. I think my biggest problem is that the entire writing style is dialogue. It is telling me what is happening through the characters talking instead of you know, showing me. It just felt like it dragged on and on and on and for more fun, it dragged on just a little bit more. The worst part of this already terrible writing style is that it is extremely wordy! How does that even happen?? It’s as if this author did a great deal of research into forensic processes and wants their readers to KNOW that she put in the work. Cool. We get it. Good on you. I do not want a reality check with these process and what they are called and how they work. This is not a textbook. This is all fictitious, so instead of having Lena tell me what this thing is or does…SHOW ME!! PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SHOW ME! “The whirring and buzzing of the *insert thingamig name here* drilled a hole into David’s head, but he could tell that the sound and the almost strobe like lights coming from the machine put Lena into a relaxed state.” THAT WASNT HARD!!
The part where they found out the killer ran the prank website and Lena and David decided that the best plan of action was to order a prank with Lena as the subject??? Fucking stupid. They said that and I immediately slapped my forehead. That was absolutely ridiculous. How could they be an amazing forensic scientist and a lead f-ing detective and not put together that the killer would KNOW it was a set-up? I saw it once they said it. So stupid. I was so disappointed. I also had a problem with the authors inability to write romance. Whenever there was a smidge of romance it was written awfully. Specifically there was a line about their bodies touching and “tingles going from his (David’s) thigh straight to his groin.” But then there was no sex scene after that??? HELLO?! That makes it incredibly creepy and uncomfy. It is just as easy to not have their thighs touching be sexual and instead a sweet moment. One where David feels like they were kids again.
I hated this book and I’m immediately throwing it away because no one deserves to be put through that torture. This just put me in a bad mood making me feel like I wasted my time, money, and energy.
I picked this up at my bookstore because I thought it was going to be a quick little, feel-good read, but I was mistaken. I think my biggest problem is that the entire writing style is dialogue. It is telling me what is happening through the characters talking instead of you know, showing me. It just felt like it dragged on and on and on and for more fun, it dragged on just a little bit more. The worst part of this already terrible writing style is that it is extremely wordy! How does that even happen?? It’s as if this author did a great deal of research into forensic processes and wants their readers to KNOW that she put in the work. Cool. We get it. Good on you. I do not want a reality check with these process and what they are called and how they work. This is not a textbook. This is all fictitious, so instead of having Lena tell me what this thing is or does…SHOW ME!! PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SHOW ME! “The whirring and buzzing of the *insert thingamig name here* drilled a hole into David’s head, but he could tell that the sound and the almost strobe like lights coming from the machine put Lena into a relaxed state.” THAT WASNT HARD!!
I hated this book and I’m immediately throwing it away because no one deserves to be put through that torture. This just put me in a bad mood making me feel like I wasted my time, money, and energy.
melodicfate's review
4.0
When investigating a serial killer, do you go off to the crime scene alone? Lena, the frensic and crime scene investigator heroine, apparently thought so, and when she did, the killer attacked her, getting halfway through carving his signature heart into her chest before she escaped. After that, she went back home to recuperate with her family, where she met up with her high school sweetheart David, who she left for a career in LA. I really liked David for his strength and honesty, as well as his ability to overlook the past. The mystery and familial scenes were very well-done, and if Lena hadn't been so dumb as to go off alone on multiple occasions after this, then I likely would've enjoyed this even more. Still, when it was all set and done, I didn't guess the murderer, David was a great hero, and Lena ended up showing a little more sense near the end. In the last Intrigue I read, I thought the romance wasn't prominent enough and came out of nowhere. In this, it was still light and I understand that's a hallmark of Intrigues, but I believed more fully in the romance. The action was gripping, and when things got going, I didn't want to put the book down. I think if you're looking to try out a Harlequin Intrigue and know to expect that Lena's a bit too reckless and senseless at times, you'll enjoy this.