But someone doesn't want Meredith helping women like Mallory, and Meredith finds herself in the crosshairs of a very determined killer. Adam would risk anything for her, but they'll soon find out she isn't the only target...
Comment:This is the 20th story in the romantic suspense world by Karen Rose. Some of these 20 books have some closer connection between them but all fall the same usual line and there's always some little link between everything like this book has put in evidence. I liked it.
In this story fans can finally have the focus on Meredith and Adam, two characters who we have known had a relationship of sorts from a few books ago. This time they finally manage to get together but only after going over several situations, some from their own decision and others related to the main plot.
However, apart from their personal lives both Meredith and Adam belong to a circle of professionals who try their best to solve crimes and protect those in need, whether by being pat of the police force or by working in fields that are somehow related to crimes scenarios. This time, a killer seems to try his best to kill Meredith but will the team of the good guys discover the truth behind it?
I'm surprised by how I appreciated this book, especially when comparing to some of her more recent ones (like #17 and #18) mostly because this book doesn't deal with such harsh subjects as the others, namely the child exploitation and sexual abuse.
This book also presented secondary characters that we've come to care about and that certainly makes it more pleasant to turn the pages.
Adam is the hero of this book and I liked him here a lot more than in the books where he had appeared previously. In this story he shares a lot about himself and it's quite understandable why he seemed to be a moody character in the past. I don't think he is my favorite hero written by this author (Steven from book #2 and Clay from book #15 still hold the prize) but I was very happy about the way he talked to Meredith about his past and troubles. The reason why it took him so long to share why with Meredith felt a bit unlikely because of how long it was but at the same time I've been never been in his shoes and I can't say how believable it can be.
Meredith is one of several strong heroines. She isn't such a complicated or tortured heroine as some in the past but she deals with pain and issues by being a therapist. I liked her personality but I confess I preferred when the situations would involve more people than herself. As for the romance between her and Adam, because we've come to see it through several books a scene here and there, this wasn't too developed, more like validated at last.
I should mention this is an aspect of the authors' books... she spends so long in the plots and "wastes" so many pages with the villain's POV in my opinion that the romance side of things is rather lost. I still remember this duality between plot and romance being the main reason why I liked her first books and why I kept reading. Nowadays she still manages to create engaging characters and suspense plots but the balance isn't there anymore. But since I read this like episodes in the lives of favorite people, I still like them overall.
As for the plot, as usual is very detailed, filled with stuff I wouldn't ever imagine and a villain that defies reality by being such an actor. How this author can create villains that can hide their true self so well always makes me wonder and it's really sad to think there are sociopaths like them out there in real life, even if not as obviously. However, I also think we get to see too much of the villain's motivations. I'd be happy to just have one dimensional bad guys who could be a notion in the story instead of so much detail about their deeds and evilness.
All in all, this was another interesting installment, I liked the previous book, #19 a lot better but this author hasn't disappointed me so far even when the books are more difficult to go through. I have hopes for anything she keeps on publishing.
Grade: 8/10
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