Say You’re Sorry by Karen Rose – Review, Excerpt & Giveaway
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Description:
Special Agent Gideon Reynolds has tried hard to put his past behind him. He escaped the violence of his cult upbringing when he was just thirteen, and since then routine and discipline have been his way of making sense of the world. But when a petite blonde woman crashes into his life, he begins to realize that a little bit of chaos might not be so bad.
Daisy Dawson has had more than her fair share of pain too—but she’s done being a victim. Daisy’s determined to explore every new experience she can—including getting to know the dark and serious FBI investigator she meets when she fights off a masked attacker one night.
It soon becomes clear that Daisy’s attack was just the beginning. Now the bloodied bodies of young women are showing up all over California, and, as Gideon tries to find the killer, it’s clear that Daisy is in more danger than they ever realised…
Review:
Say You’re Sorry by Karen Rose is the 1st book in her new Sacramento series. Upon discovering Karen Rose a couple of years ago, I have enjoyed reading her books, and now with Say You’re Sorry being the first in a new series, I was excited to be able to start from scratch. Say You’re Sorry is another one of her exciting, action-packed and intense romance suspense thrillers, which once again kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.
We meet Daisy Dawson at the start, as she and her friend Trish are coming back from an AA meeting. Daisy is attacked from behind, and because of her training as a teenager by her father, she was able to escape. We remember Daisy from a previous series, as she was a sister of the heroine. Trish calls Rafe, her neighbor and friend to help, as he is a detective. When Rafe looks at a necklace that Daisy ripped off of the attacker, he recognizes it.
Special Agent Gideon Reynolds, our hero, gets a call from his friend Rafe. The necklace recovered brings back horrible memories of his childhood, when he suffered the violence of a cult, as well as his escape. Gideon managed to build a life, especially being part of Rafe’s family; but he has not been able to let go of the past, as his mother and sister were left behind. For seventeen years, Gideon has unsuccessfully tried to find where the cult is, even getting the FBI and other organizations to help his research to no avail. Until he meets Daisy, and sees the necklace which was a duplicate of the cult design.
In a short period, they will discover that a serial killer is killing women, and Gideon will be assigned to the case to protect Daisy. We also get the POV of the evil villain, who is a crazed scary monster. What makes this book so captivating is how it revolves around a vile serial killer, a background of a dangerous cult, and a sweet romance.
What follows is an intriguing, intense, suspenseful and at times mind-boggling story that had us holding our breaths throughout. There were a number of twists revolving around a killer continually torturing his victims or seeing the horrors of Gideon’s past and knowing how badly the members were treated; we were totally captivated by this story.
Gideon was a great hero, determined to protect Daisy, whom he was beginning to fall hard for, as well as search for information to find that cult and save others. Daisy was a fantastic heroine, who learned to take care of herself from a PTSD father who always trained his children to be able to fight or able to shoot guns. She also was strong enough stop drinking and join AA, which she has been sober for many years. Daisy too fell hard for Gideon and they made a great team. I also loved the amazing group of family and friends, who were always there for both Daisy and Gideon.
Say You’re Sorry is an intense thriller from start to finish, with non- stop action all the way. As I have said before, Karen Rose never fails to give a fantastic well written thriller that is intense, always on the edge, with fantastic characters, evil villains and a wonderful couple you care for. If you love suspense, with a touch of romance and a thriller all the way, then look no further then Karen Rose.
Reviewed by Barb
Copy provided by Publisher
Good. She was waking up. Took her long enough.
He took a drag on his cigarette and blew the smoke into her face. A coughing fit ensued and by the time she’d calmed down, her dark eyes were open and staring up at him.
She was scared. This pleased him. He smiled down at her. They were always scared and this always pleased him.
He sat back in his chair, watching as she struggled against her bonds. They always did that, too. But they never got free. He tied a very strong knot. It was one of his best talents.
He waited until she’d given up, until her gaze fixed on his face and recognition set in. “You,” she whispered. “From the diner.”
“Me,” he replied agreeably. From the tired old diner on the outskirts of Portland. Getting her home had been a pain in the ass. She took up much more space than he’d expected. She was curvier than most of the guests he brought home. It would be a nice change.
She yanked on her bonds again, a token effort only. Her lips trembled. “Where are my clothes?”
“Burned.”
“Why?”
He stood up, pulled lazily at his tie, aware that she was following his every move. “Because you won’t be needing them anymore.”
She shook her head, appropriately agitated. “Why are you doing this?”
He unbuttoned his shirt as her eyes flicked all around the room, looking for help. Looking for escape. There would be none. He grabbed her hand from where he’d tied it to the headboard and ran his thumb over her left ring finger, following the indentation that was all that remained of her wedding vows.
“Does he know you’re gone?” he asked softly.
Her gaze flew to her ring finger and she tried to pull her hand away, but, of course, she couldn’t. Slowly she nodded.
“Did he let you go?”
Another nod, but her eyes flickered away. He squeezed her hand hard enough to make her gasp. “Do not lie to me, Miriam.”
He was surprised when her eyes flared with a sudden fury. “That is not my name,” she ground out. “My name is Eileen.”
“The locket says Miriam.” He held up the heart-shaped silver charm, letting it dangle between them, watching it gleam as it caught the low light from the bedside lamp. He set it to swing, like a hypnotist’s watch. “Did you steal it?”
She swallowed hard, momentarily mesmerized by the swinging locket. Then her jaw hardened. “No.”
“Then, if it’s yours, you are Miriam.”
She closed her eyes. “No, I am not.”
It was really immaterial at this point, but her little show of temper had intrigued him. “Then who is Miriam?”
A tear ran down her cheek. “Who I used to be.”
“Ah. So your husband is looking for Miriam. Not Eileen.”
She clamped her lips shut, giving him his answer.
Good. He hadn’t been terribly worried that anyone would be tracking her down. The woman had a solitary, hunted air to her, like she always looked over her shoulder. Like she was hiding. That worked for him.
He ran his thumb over the locket, feeling the etched lines of the engraved Miriam on the back, then the symbol on the front. “An olive tree, two kneeling children, all protected by these beautiful outstretched angel wings.” She’d winced at the word “protected.” If it had been a talisman, it was a piss-poor one. It certainly hadn’t protected her. “What does it mean?”
Again her jaw tightened and she looked away. He gripped her chin and yanked her back. “Don’t ignore me,” he warned.
She clenched her eyes shut, so he covered her mouth and pinched her nose closed. “Look at me,” he growled, all fascination with her gone. He was angry again, which was how it was supposed to be. Her eyes flew open, terrified as she began to struggle to get free. He removed his hand and allowed her to breathe, smiling at her frantic gasps for air.
He gripped her chin again, much harder this time. “Say you’re sorry, Miriam.” He gave her a hard shake. “Say you’re sorry.”
Stubbornly she clamped her lips together.
His lips curved. Excellent. He’d make her say it before he was through and he’d enjoy every moment of the effort. Because they always said it, sooner or later.
Usually as they begged him to let them die.
Posted by arrangement with Berkley, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © Karen Rose, 2019.
Karen Rose’s publisher is graciously offering a hard copy of SAY YOU’RE SORRY to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe
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