Into the Dark by Karen Rose – Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

Into the Dark by Karen Rose – Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

 

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / BAM / Book Depository / Google Play / Apple

 

Description:
When Michael Rowland saves his younger brother Joshua from the clutches of his stepfather, he runs for his life with his brother in his arms. From his hiding place he sees the man who has made their lives a misery taken away in the trunk of a stranger’s car, never to be seen again.

Doctor Dani Novak has been keeping soccer coach Diesel Kennedy at arm’s length to protect him from her dark secrets. When they are brought together by the two young brothers who desperately need their help, it seems they might finally be able to leave their damaged pasts behind them.

But as the only witness to the man who kidnapped and murdered his stepfather, Michael is in danger. As Diesel and Dani do all that they can to protect him, their own investigation into the murder uncovers a much darker web of secrets than they could have imagined.

As more bodies start to appear it’s clear that this killer wants vengeance. And will wipe out anything that gets in his way…

 

 

Review:

Into the Dark by Karen Rose is the 5th book in her Cincinnati romance suspense series.  The last book I had read in this series, I had noted that it was one of the best thrillers of the year.  I have read a few of Rose’s other series, and they were equally as awesome.  I was thrilled to find out that Into the Dark returns to the Cincinnati series, which has some wonderful secondary characters. Once again, Rose gives us a sensational book, which not only keeps us on the edge of our seats with intense and exciting action, but was also an emotional and heartwarming story. 

The book starts off with a bang, as teenager Michael Rowland is being chased by first his step father, trying to run away with his 5-year-old brother, Joshua.  Michael is protecting Joshua from his evil father, and just when he thinks he is safe, he sees his father murdered by another man. 

Michael, who is deaf, will run into his coach Diesel Kennedy (our hero), who will notice that Michael is bleeding and brings him to Doctor Dani Novak, who will treat Michael.  Dani, our heroine, is also deaf in one ear; works with abused children, and is able communicate with the deaf using sign language.  She is also an emergency foster care provider. The police find the father’s body, and early on suspect Michael may have killed his father, since his mother claims he did.  But evidence will prove that Michael is innocent, but his life is in danger, as the murderer will find out that Michael can identify him.

Both Dani and Diesel will take on the responsibility of taking care and protecting both Michael and Joshua at her place.  The best part of this is all the wonderful secondary characters we have come to know in the previous books (Marcus, Stone, Scarlett, Meredith, Deacon and Adam, just to name a few), who are cops, FBI, doctors, therapists; who all come to their aid and work together to protect the boys, as well as try to find the murder; especially since so many bodies are showing up. 

There are two main parts of this story; a mystery revolving around a murderer, who is a vigilante, killing anyone who was trafficking or abusing children, even if he killed innocent people along the way; and the romance between Diesel and Dani.  Make no mistake this is a very heartbreaking and emotional story, with topics such as child sexual abuse, HIV, human trafficking, etc. We couldn’t help but feel sorry for both Michael, and Joshua, and I loved how Diesel and Dani were with them.  We know that Diesel has always love Dani, but she has held him off due to her lack of confidence (losing a boyfriend to suicide) and mostly due to her HIV status.  It was great to watch as she slowly brought down her wall to open her heart to Diesel, and both boys.

This is just the beginning of an intense & complex murder mystery that will result in more murders. What follows is an amazing story that held me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.  Even though we knew who the murderer was, it was an action-packed thriller, with Diesel, Dani and the rest of this great team in danger so many times. We held our breaths, as their lives would hang by a thread.  In between these many tense moments, I loved how Diesel and Dani opened their hearts to Michael and Joshua, and the close bond between them and their strong, smart and loyal team of close-knit friends and family.

I am in awe of Karen Rose, as her books are so well written with fantastic characters, evil villains, a great couple, and a totally intense mystery that keeps you in suspense to the very end.  If you love suspense, with a touch of romance and a thriller all the way, you should be reading anything by Karen Rose. I know I will.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

Cincinnati, Ohio Saturday, March 16, 4:00 p.m.
Michael winced at the ball of fear lodged in his gut. It actually hurt. What was the doctor going to do? What was she going to ask?
He’d seen the understanding in her eyes when he’d asked if the lady cop could be the witness instead of one of the two men. Dr. Dani knew.
Dammit.
He’d followed her into the same exam room he’d been in before. Sitting on the paper- covered table, he watched as the lady cop took po¬sition in the corner, her expression kind.
Shit. She knew, too. His face flushed hotter than fire. Now they’d all know. They’d tell the two men outside. They’d tell Coach Diesel. Everyone will know.
His stomach churned in misery as the nurse came in. She looked businesslike, at least. The interpreter came in last and met his eyes.
“I’m here for you,” she signed without voicing for the others. “I’m bound to confidentiality. You get that, right? I’ll never share what you say with anyone outside this room.”
He nodded. “I get it.” It didn’t really help. She’d still know. And he wasn’t worried about her telling anyone anyway. It was the others who’d tell. Especially the cop. She had to report abuse. So did the doctor and nurse. They were required to by law. Just like teachers. Which was why he’d never told any of his teachers.
He fought the tears stinging his eyes. He would not cry, dammit. This was humiliating enough without him crying.
The interpreter closed the door and suddenly the room was very crowded. More crowded than it had been before, even though Coach Diesel had also been here, taking up more space than two of the women put together.
At least the social worker had stayed outside to talk to the two detec¬tives, but this room was too crowded. Too many people. Michael’s chest began to hurt, his breath coming faster and faster, and he clamped a hand over his mouth, afraid he’d be sick. Fan- fucking- tastic.
Dr. Dani had been preparing to check his shoulder, but from the corner of his eye he saw her pause, her gloved hand slowly rising to touch his face, like she was afraid he’d bolt.
His gaze shot up to meet hers. Gentleness. That was what he saw and felt. All that he saw and felt. She was stroking his face gently, her oddly colored eyes so patient.
No blame. No mockery. No questions. Just . . . gentleness.
“Breathe with me,” she signed with her free hand, then placed it on her chest. He watched as she breathed in and out, realizing that he was matching her pace without even trying. The nausea slowly went away, leaving him . . . tired.
“So tired,” he signed and she smiled sadly.
“I know. You can rest later. I’m not going to leave you.”
He swallowed hard. “They’ll put me in jail. You can’t stay with me then.”
Her jaw tightened, not in anger, but in determination. “I’ll fight for you, but try not to worry just yet. I want to check your shoulder, okay?”
He thought about his bruises, the deep scratches from the night he’d fallen in the woods, Joshua in his arms. The bruises had faded, but some of the scratches were still there. They’ll think I fought him. They’ll think I did it. That I killed him.
His anxiety rose once again and his head spun.
Dr. Dani’s hand cupped his face again, squeezing lightly so that he looked at her. “Breathe, honey. Breathe with me.”
He tried. He really did. But he was so damn tired. He felt the sob surging from his gut, clogging his throat. He tried to fight it, but he couldn’t. It broke free and he dropped his head, unable to keep his cries silent.
He hated to cry out loud. Hated the sounds he made. His mother used to tell him that he sounded like an animal when he cried. So he’d learned to cry with no sound at all.
But not today. He could feel the sobs coming out of his throat and the tears coming out of his eyes and he couldn’t stop them.
Dr. Dani’s arms came around him and held him tight, rocking him gently, stroking his hair.
Like he wished his mother had done, every time he’d cried. But she never had. Not once.
Tentatively he reached around the doctor’s back and gripped hand¬fuls of her white coat. She nodded against his cheek and he held on until he exhausted himself with weeping and was able to choke back the stupid sobs. They’d seen. All the women in the room had seen him cry.
Heard him, too.
God.
New humiliation washed over him. But he was too tired to panic anymore. Someone tucked some tissues into his hand and he pulled back from the doctor’s warm hug to mop his face and blow his nose, his eyes now fixed downward. He couldn’t face her. Couldn’t face any of them.
He drew a deep breath through his nose, hoping he wasn’t snorting too rudely. Then froze. He drew another deep sniff, realizing he could smell chocolate.
He looked up then, but all he saw was Dr. Dani, dabbing at her own eyes.
She cried, too. For me. It was . . . a lot more than he’d expected.
His hands were moving before he realized it. “You smell like chocolate.”
She smiled, blinking away more tears. “My shampoo,” she answered, then drew a breath of her own. “I’m not going to tell you that everything will be okay, because I don’t know what’s going to happen. Except that I won’t abandon you.”
“Or Joshua?”
She nodded firmly. “Or Joshua.”
He chanced a look around, saw that the other women were waiting patiently. His interpreter’s eyes were wet, as were the nurse’s. And the cop’s. That surprised him. No one looked angry. No one looked dis¬gusted.
They just looked sad.
He turned back to the doctor. He trusted her word, that she wouldn’t abandon his brother. Still, Joshua was not her responsibility. He’s mine. He’d do what he needed to do to get him back. Starting with this exam. Nervously he ran his fingers through his hair, wincing when he brushed over the stitches he’d all but forgotten with the arrival of the detectives. “Okay, I’m ready. You can check my shoulder.”
He just prayed she wouldn’t need to see anything more. That she knew that he’d been hurt by a man was humiliating enough. Her seeing it? All the women seeing it?
That was too much.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 paper copy of INTO THE DARK to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty commenting after logging onto the site, please refresh the page (at the top of your computer).

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. LIKE Karen Rose  on Facebook

4. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

5. LIKE us on Twitter for an additional entry.

6. Please FOLLOW us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

7. Please follow The Reading Cafe on Tumblr

8. Giveaway open to USA only

9.. Giveaway runs from November 26th to 30th, 2019

Share

Edge of Darkness by Karen Rose – Review, Interview & Giveaway

Edge of Darkness by Karen Rose – Review, Interview & Giveaway

 

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / BAM / Book Depository

 

Description:
Homicide detective Adam Kimble is no stranger to battling demons. But Meredith Fallon is a different kind of weakness: one that could actually be good for him, if only he would let himself depend on her. Meredith has loved Adam for a year, and seeing how hard he’s worked to deal with his PTSD makes her feelings only stronger, but she respects his needs. Her work keeps her busy anyway: she counsels sexually abused women like Mallory Martin to help them reintegrate into the world.

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…

 

Review:

Edge of Darkness by Karen Rose is the 4th book in her Cincinnati series.  I have read a few books by Rose, but not in this series.  The last book I had read I noted that it was one of the best thrillers of the year, and now in 2018 I can say the same. Wow, what awesome thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.  Karen Rose has now become a must read for me.  I have not read the previous books in the Cincinnati series, but there were so many marvelous characters that make me want to find time to read the previous 3 books.

We meet our heroine, Meredith Fallon, in the beginning as she is a child psychologist, who helps out at a special home for abused children.  Meredith has many friends that  either work at the children’s home or her police that she is very close to; as they are very protective of her, especially since she is still emotionally upset over not seeing or hearing from her ex-boyfriend, Adam. 

Adam Kimble is a top notch detective, who loves Meredith, but has intentionally stayed away from her for almost a year.  Meredith’s friends are also Adam’s, but most of them have been unhappy that he has ignored Meredith, as well as avoiding some them…but no one knows why.  Adam suffers from PTSD from watching a horrible murder, where he could not save the young girl.  Having a verbally abusive father caused Adam to secretly drink early in his younger days, and after the murder, he got worse to help him get through each day.  Unbeknownst to his friends and coworkers, is that he has been sober for almost a year, and though still emotionally damaged, he plans to try to win her back once he meets his one year goal.

Before that happens, Meredith brings one of the sexually abused young girls to a restaurant to help her become more confident in releasing her fears.  They are accosted by a young man, who threatens them, and when they fall to the floor, the young man blows up. This is just the beginning of an intense & complex murder mystery that will result in more murders, pulling in all the detectives, including Adam to find out why someone is targeting Meredith. Adam forces himself to maintain control of his emotions, as he is assigned to be main detective to investigate this case, which also brings him back into Meredith’s life. 

What follows is an amazing story that held me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.  There were so many twists and turns throughout the book, almost to the very end.  As Adam, and his team try to protect Meredith, and others who are slowly getting killed off, the intensity of the story never lessens, especially when we get closer to discovering some secrets and surprises that will escalate the investigation that puts both Adam, Meredith, a couple of the abused girls, and their detective friends, in constant danger.  Rose has created an evil villain, who is as ruthless as they come, killing anyone who gets in the way, regardless of who they are.  This is a major twist that we never saw coming until we got closer to the end. 

In between the many tense moments, we got to see Adam and Meredith learn more about each other, their past lives; their situations; their dangerous jobs; and their love for each other. What I absolutely loved about this book, was the amazing group of friends, who are mostly cops or therapists that are closely bonded to each other, with some of them having been through tough and violent cases, similar to this one.  They are all strong and smart individuals and loyal friends, who are a close knit family.  Rose has done this so well, and when you like the characters that you become invested in, it makes the story that much better.    As I said before, I now have to go back into the three earlier books to learn about them all.   

I am in awe of Karen Rose, as her books are so well written with fantastic characters, evil villains, a great couple, and a totally intense mystery that keeps you in suspense to the very end.  If you love suspense, with a touch of romance and a thriller all the way, you should be reading anything by Karen Rose. I know I will.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

Hi Karen. Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions today.We are always looking forward to reading about the author behind the book.

TRC: Would you please tell us something about yourself? 

Karen:  I was born and raised in the Baltimore-Washington area.  I met my husband when we were seniors in high school, over 35 years ago.  We’ve been married more than 30 years and have two adult daughters.  I’m a chemical engineer by education.  I worked for 15 years for a large consumer products company in Cincinnati and I have two patents in bulk fiber laxatives.  (Don’t ask.  Okay, ask if you want to, but don’t be grossed out by what I answer.) I’m a knitter and a reader and a Buffy fan 🙂

TRC:  LOL   I love Buffy, too.

TRC:  When and how did you first become interested in writing? 

Karen:  I began writing when I was an engineer traveling internationally, unable to pack enough books to last the length of my trips.  There were no ebooks back in the day and I couldn’t understand anything on the TV, so I began writing my own stories to keep myself company in all those hotel rooms away from home.  It was a hobby for nearly ten years before I sold my first book, DON’T TELL.  That was in 2001.

TRC:  Within your Romantic Suspense series, you have the Cincinnati series.  Can you give us a brief description of this series? 

Karen:  The Cincinnati series is built around the FBI/Cincinnati PD joint task force, their friends, families, as well as the families they build.  First up is the sometimes bigger-than-life Special Agent Deacon Novak, who’s transferred from Baltimore at the beginning of book one, CLOSER THAN YOU THINK.  Deacon and his heroine, psychologist Faith Corcoran, are drawn into the deadly web of a killer who has been operating out of the house Faith has just inherited for many years. 

Books two and three deal with human trafficking, labor and sex trafficking.  ALONE IN THE DARK and EVERY DARK CORNER feature Deacon’s two task force partners, Detective Scarlett Bishop (book two) and Agent Kate Coppola (book three).

Introduced in book one, Deacon’s cousin Detective Adam Kimble is having a rough time, his personality changing drastically.  No one in his circle knows why, except psychologist Meredith Fallon, in whom Adam has confided—at least part of his story.

TRC:  With Edge of Darkness released yesterday, can you please give us a brief description of this book?

Karen:  EDGE OF DARKNESS is Adam Kimble’s return to his family and to Meredith.  In the months since their first interaction he’s pulled away, avoiding her.  He’s plagued by demons, but knows that he can’t solely rely on her for his sanity or his sobriety.  Adam is an alcoholic, trying to get his life together before he feels he is good enough to invite Meredith to be part of it.  Meredith has been confused and hurt by his avoidance, but he is the first person she calls when a young man is shot and killed right in front of her—after he’d held a gun on her.  The race to catch the killer leads Adam to the dark places he’d hoped he’d escaped forever.

TRC:  You write exciting Romance Suspense Thrillers, which can be intense.  Have you ever found yourself affected by a scene?

Karen:  Many times! Often I’ll put off writing a scene because I feel awful about a character being murdered.  Sometimes I’ll group all my “villain scenes” into one day so that I can get all the intensity out at once.  I can become edgy and irritable while writing the villain scenes, so I like to do these in ways that keep me from snapping at my family :).

TRC:  Can you please tell us what you are working on now, and what you have upcoming in 2018?

Karen:  I’ve just started a new series – set in Sacramento, California!  More on this later, but I will tease a little by revealing that readers will meet mostly new characters with a few very old favorites.  Later in 2018, we’ll release DEATH IS NOT ENOUGH, Baltimore #6.  This is Gwyn and Thorne’s story – they were introduced in YOU BELONG TO ME, Baltimore #1. 
TRC:  What is your writing process?  Do you like to outline your story before you start? Do you have a specific place you like to write?  Is there a special time of day that works best for you?

Karen:  I usually binge write.  Once I get into the groove, I’ll write 18 hours a day until it’s done.  I have a place on the beach where I go to write.  It’s quiet and gorgeous and I love it there.  I’m more productive between 11pm and 6am, which is difficult because I try to sleep during the day when nobody else is sleeping.  Phones ring, dogs bark, trash trucks rumble, waking me up every time.  I wish I were a 9-5 writer!  When you are not writing, what other interests or hobbies do you have?

I read a lot! Not usually suspense, though.  I read a lot of contemporary romance.  I also travel, knit for other people because we don’t get much call for woolens in Florida, and play with my dogs.  Would you like to add anything else? Just a huge thank you for inviting me!

Thank you, Karen for answering our questions. We wish you the best of luck with Edge of Darkness.

 

 

 

Karen Rose’s publisher is graciously offering a paper copy of EDGE OF DARKNESS to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty commenting after logging onto the site, please refresh the page (at the top of your computer).

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. LIKE Karen Rose  on Facebook

4. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

5. LIKE us on Twitter for an additional entry.

6. Please FOLLOW us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

7. Please follow The Reading Cafe on Tumblr

8. Giveaway open to USA only

9.. Giveaway runs from February 7 to 12,  2018

 

 

 

Share