⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? Oh, yes. This story grabbed me from start to end, it was hard to put it down to catch up with the real world every so often.

Three years ago, Rikki Albemarle watched her best friend die at the hands of a supernatural evil. Certain she was slated to be the next victim, Rikki fled her small Smoky Mountain hometown, vowing to never come back. Plagued by nightmares and knowing she’s the only one who believes Mina’s death was no accident, Rikki returns with hopes of finding answers and holding the killer accountable. Rikki is convinced the key to unlocking the secret of Mina’s death lies with Owen Amir, the alluring young army vet who once claimed her heart. But the deeper Rikki digs into Owen’s past, the more she’s torn between the urgings of her heart and her memories of him on the night Mina died. After falling further into the rabbit hole, Rikki lands at the feet of an ancient and powerful evil determined to finish what it started years before. To survive, she’ll have to make a decision: believe Owen is the monster she always feared he might be or trust him enough to stay and fight for a second chance at love.

MY THOUGHTS

The beginning was slow to build, but never tedious. The plot was constructed carefully and executed brilliantly, making everything completely believable. The characters were flawed and real, and well-developed. What caught my attention first is the fact that I loved the author’s style of writing. I enjoyed reading every word. The words flowed well together, she used a lot of well-placed imagery, and she expertly led us from scene to scene, showing, rather than telling.

I loved Owen Amir, an ex-soldier with an intriguing and mysterious family history. And I suppose he just wanted to fit in and find love like everybody else. He was trying very hard to build a relationship with Rikki, without having to reveal his darker side. Rikki, however, was no slouch, and she quickly realized there is more to Owen than meets the eye. She struggled to trust her attraction to Owen, and the connection that had grown so rapidly. After a horrific incident, Rikki fled town, hoping to get away from everything. But she found out the hard way that you cannot outrun your demons, and lucky for us, she found her courage to return and find the answers to her questions.

The ending was very sweet, and I was sad to see them go.

I would definitely recommend this book to paranormal/fantasy fans. But if you are a romance reader who is willing to take on a bit more than what every day life throws at us, then I’m sure you will get the same enjoyment out of this book. See what other readers are saying on Goodreads.

I received an advanced copy of the book from Netgalley to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Were you hooked by that book? Let me know in the comments below.

(I wrote this review originally on March 1, 2020 and reposted it.)

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Published: February 12, 2019
Sensuality Rating: Warm