Dark Memento (Verona Bay #1) by Katie Reus-Review Tour
DARK MEMENTO
Verona Bay #1
by Katie Reus
Genre: adult, contemporary, romantic, suspense
Release Date: September 10, 2019
Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Apple
ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 10, 2019
Welcome to Verona Bay, a small coastal town where the secrets just won’t stay buried—and people aren’t always who they seem.
She was the one that got away…
Eight years ago Serenity Washington watched as her twin sister was murdered. She was lucky to escape the same grisly fate. With her sister’s killer in jail, she relocated and tried to move on with her life. She married a man in the Air Force and started a family, but when her husband dies unexpectedly she moves back to the last place she remembers being happy—Verona Bay, FL.
Now that she’s come home, it’s all starting again…
Within months of Serenity’s homecoming, she receives a ‘gift’—a bracelet from her sister that was never recovered after her death—and a taunting note. Terrified for herself and her young daughter, she turns to the local sheriff for help. But there’s only so much they can do without proof that the gifts aren’t more than sick pranks. There’s been no DNA, no fingerprints left behind—nothing to indicate who’s leaving them. As the horrifying gifts arrive with increasing frequency, Serenity has no doubt that she’s the ultimate target. But with her sister’s murderer—a confessed serial killer—still behind bars, she has no idea who’s stalking her.
She turns to the one man she’s been trying to keep her distance from…
Former Marine Lucas Jordan has been hung up on single mom Serenity since she moved back to Verona Bay, but she’s made it clear she’s not looking for a relationship. When she’s targeted, however, all bets are off. He won’t sit by while she’s terrorized, and with her and her daughter’s lives in danger he’s prepared to stand his ground and protect them both. Together they face the impossible task of trying to figure out who to trust before they all wind up six feet under.
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REVIEW: DARK MEMENTO is the first instalment in Katie Reus’ contemporary adult VERONA BAY romantic suspense series focusing on the town of Verona Bay, Florida. This is pet groomer /widow/ single mother Serenity Washington, and former Marine/construction worker Lucas Jordan’s story line.
Told from three third person perspectives (Serenity, Lucas, murderer) DARK MEMENTO focuses on Serenity Washington. Eight years earlier, Serenity and her twin sister Savannah had been abducted and tortured but Savannah did not survive. Having escaped the monster, Serenity would struggle with the loss of her twin, moving forward in life. Fast forward to present day wherein someone is stalking Serenity Washington, a potential copy cat killer, who is targeting the people in Serenity’s life. Lucas Jordan has lusted after Serenity Washington since his return to Verona Bay two years earlier. A chance meeting with Serenity would discover a mysterious ‘gift’ left behind on Serenity’s car, a gift that linked back to the abduction and murder of Serenity’s sister eight years earlier. What ensues are the ongoing threats to Serenity, and the people of Verona Bay; the building relationship and romance between Serenity and Lucas; and the fall-out as Serenity’s stalker begins to kill in an effort to get closer to our story line heroine.
The relationship between Serenity and Lucas is one of immediate attraction but Lucas suspects Serenity doesn’t have time for a relationship in the wake of her husband’s death, and raising a child on her own. With the threats against Serenity closer than anyone could have imagined, Lucas offers himself up as bodyguard and protector for Serenity and her daughter. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
We are introduced to Verona Bay sheriff and Lucas’ brother Lincoln, their brother Easton, as well as their mother Louise Jordan; FBI Special Agent Amy Lin; Serenity’s daughter Harper, as well as several friends and townsfolk including Paisley, Carol, Chloe and Bianca.
The world building introduces the people and town of Verona Bay. The camaraderie, the friendships, the jealousy and the love.
DARK MEMENTO is a story of suspense, revenge and betrayal; family, friendship and love. The premise is intriguing and engaging; the romance is seductive and captivating; the characters are colorful and charismatic. DARK MEMENTO is a wonderful and exciting start to Katie Reus’ VERONA BAY romantic suspense series.
Copy supplied for review
Reviewed by Sandy
Escape. Find help.
Lightning cracked, illuminating the forest. She let out a scream as he stepped up from behind a tree, his eyes wild and manic, his face elongated like a werewolf.
A scream caught in her throat as she turned and ran. Her feet slipped in the mud, propelling her forward.
Pain ripped through her skull as he grabbed the back of her hair.
“No!” She tried to scream but the word got stuck in her throat. Every time she tried to shout for help it came out as a whisper.
She fought against the mud and grass with her feet but kept slipping as he continued dragging her backward.
She wouldn’t go back there. She couldn’t go back there.
No.
Everything in front of her morphed and suddenly they were in that wretched cabin again.
He tossed her onto the floor, her palms slamming against the wood. Pain splintered through her, her heart racing out of control.
“Not done with you yet,” he growled, the sound inhuman.
Savannah sat on the table now, blood pouring from all of her wounds, her skin a grayish color.
“You should have run faster.” Her sister’s words were disembodied.
Serenity shook her head. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. She’d escaped. She wasn’t still stuck here.
“Be careful,” her sister whispered. “There is danger on the horizon.”
“What?” She stared at her sister in horror. She couldn’t seem to get up, couldn’t seem to make her limbs obey her. To move. To run.
“Run!” her sister screamed.
Her eyes opened with a start.
A nightmare. Just another nightmare. Though this one was different than before.
He’d never brought her back to the cabin.
Despite being soaked in sweat, a chill snaked through her, making her tremble. It was just a nightmare, she reminded herself. Nothing more.
She couldn’t be back in that cabin, stuck in hell.
Katie Reus is the New York Times, USA Today, and IndieReader bestselling author of the Red Stone Security series, the Moon Shifter series and the Deadly Ops series. She fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she pilfered from her mom’s stash. Years later she loves reading romance almost as much as she loves writing it.
However, she didn’t always know she wanted to be a writer. After changing majors many times, she finally graduated summa cum laude with a degree in psychology. Not long after that she discovered a new love. Writing. She now spends her days writing dark paranormal romance and sexy romantic suspense. Her book Avenger’s Heat recently won the Georgia RWA Maggie Award for Excellence in the fantasy/paranormal category.
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