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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
What is it with Karen Rose and MMCs with goatees? I need to Google "hot man with a goatee" so I'm not just picturing a weird random man at a gas station with a dirty baseball cap and ill-fitting jeans.
This book drew me in much quicker than Say You're Sorry and I enjoyed the misjudging aspect that is so much apart of the first 25% or so. Faith was a really admirable heroine and I like how Rose crafts the attraction and tension between her romantic leads. It was also interesting how she incorporated both Waardenburg's syndrome and an autoimmune disorder into her characters while emphasizing these characters' resilience, beauty, and strength.
The villain of this particular book was difficult to nail down. In part, this was because so much of the plot was a red herring and because the killer's motivations were never really clear. So much of the driving force behind her uncle's desire to kill was kept a secret until too late or previous statements and beliefs were completely contradicted/twisted to fit the new narrative. Everything ended up coming out in about 100 pages or less so the story wraps up really quickly when the rest of the plot was so drawn out and detailed. Also, he killed like 20 people in this book (which only covers like three days). At a certain point (maybe when he was shooting people left and right to steal their vehicle) it became very unrealistic, especially as we are supposed to believe he has been successfully and secretly operating as a serial killer for over two decades. We're supposed to believe that in the space of a single month this experienced killer fails to murder a single woman six times? And then proceeds to allow one of his captives to escape? I mean hooray for Justice but not very believable.
I liked Deacon and Faith together. Poor Faith had really been put through the wringer her entire life (her mother was murdered, her father was an alcoholic, her husband cheated on her and left her for a younger woman when she got pregnant, she was attacked by a sexual predator she wanted to put behind bars, the cops failed to protect her from a stalker, her boss was murdered in front of her, she was almost killed six times, like 20 people died because her uncle was trying to kill her, her family home and legacy were used to house a serial killer, etc., etc., etc.). Will she ever be okay??? In Karen Rose's world she will be because Deacon Novack will be there in his Matrix-esque leather coat and wraparound sunglasses to protect her.
This book drew me in much quicker than Say You're Sorry and I enjoyed the misjudging aspect that is so much apart of the first 25% or so. Faith was a really admirable heroine and I like how Rose crafts the attraction and tension between her romantic leads. It was also interesting how she incorporated both Waardenburg's syndrome and an autoimmune disorder into her characters while emphasizing these characters' resilience, beauty, and strength.
The villain of this particular book was difficult to nail down. In part, this was because so much of the plot was a red herring and because the killer's motivations were never really clear. So much of the driving force behind her uncle's desire to kill was kept a secret until too late or previous statements and beliefs were completely contradicted/twisted to fit the new narrative. Everything ended up coming out in about 100 pages or less so the story wraps up really quickly when the rest of the plot was so drawn out and detailed. Also, he killed like 20 people in this book (which only covers like three days). At a certain point (maybe when he was shooting people left and right to steal their vehicle) it became very unrealistic, especially as we are supposed to believe he has been successfully and secretly operating as a serial killer for over two decades. We're supposed to believe that in the space of a single month this experienced killer fails to murder a single woman six times? And then proceeds to allow one of his captives to escape? I mean hooray for Justice but not very believable.
I liked Deacon and Faith together. Poor Faith had really been put through the wringer her entire life (her mother was murdered, her father was an alcoholic, her husband cheated on her and left her for a younger woman when she got pregnant, she was attacked by a sexual predator she wanted to put behind bars, the cops failed to protect her from a stalker, her boss was murdered in front of her, she was almost killed six times, like 20 people died because her uncle was trying to kill her, her family home and legacy were used to house a serial killer, etc., etc., etc.). Will she ever be okay??? In Karen Rose's world she will be because Deacon Novack will be there in his Matrix-esque leather coat and wraparound sunglasses to protect her.
I thought this book meandered all over the place. I only held out until the end to see "who did it".
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
This story was a whopping 28 hours long...and I couldn't stop listening.
Psychologist Faith Cochran has changed her identity to escape a stalker who happens to be a serial rapist. He's her former patient and now it appears he's out to kill her. When she returns to her hometown in Cincinnati, total chaos erupts, all unforeseen. FBI Special Agent Deacon Novak has moved back home to Cincinnati from Baltimore to care for his troubled teenage brother. He's assigned to a joint task force with the agency and the Cincinnati Police Department and lands the case involving Faith.
What a crazy ride! The tension starts immediately as you're drawn into the drama of two abducted women and whether or not they get rescued. By now, you know the author guarantees nothing so you can't take for granted who'll survive and who won't. Yes, the body count is still awful but the mystery is just as big of an element as the suspense. You might recall Deacon from an earlier story. He's the guy with the white hair and strange colored eyes and his history is just as fascinating as Faith's troubled past. I really liked them both and their relationship ramps up quickly and hotly.
The narrator, Hillary Huber, shows some serious skills as her performance is just spot on. I liked her character depictions, especially Faith's voice. It's a big commitment to listen to a book of this size but I never gave it a second thought. It was worth every single minute.
Psychologist Faith Cochran has changed her identity to escape a stalker who happens to be a serial rapist. He's her former patient and now it appears he's out to kill her. When she returns to her hometown in Cincinnati, total chaos erupts, all unforeseen. FBI Special Agent Deacon Novak has moved back home to Cincinnati from Baltimore to care for his troubled teenage brother. He's assigned to a joint task force with the agency and the Cincinnati Police Department and lands the case involving Faith.
What a crazy ride! The tension starts immediately as you're drawn into the drama of two abducted women and whether or not they get rescued. By now, you know the author guarantees nothing so you can't take for granted who'll survive and who won't. Yes, the body count is still awful but the mystery is just as big of an element as the suspense. You might recall Deacon from an earlier story. He's the guy with the white hair and strange colored eyes and his history is just as fascinating as Faith's troubled past. I really liked them both and their relationship ramps up quickly and hotly.
The narrator, Hillary Huber, shows some serious skills as her performance is just spot on. I liked her character depictions, especially Faith's voice. It's a big commitment to listen to a book of this size but I never gave it a second thought. It was worth every single minute.
** Original review posted on www.snazzybooks.com **
Closer Than You Think is the first book in a brand new series by well-established crime/thriller writer Karen Rose.
I won't re-hash the synopsis here again! I have read a few Karen Rose novels before and always enjoyed them and the way she creates vivid, interesting characters. Faith and Special Agent Deacon Novak definitely hit it off together and you can tell from the point that they first meet that they are going to get together, despite her pretending to be annoyed with him. Novak is pretty likeable as a character, though I imagine his extreme protectiveness of Faith would really get on my nerves if I were her- but then, she does seem to have a crazed killer after her so I guess it’s justified!
I do feel like Faith is kind of put on a pedestal in this novel and made out to be the perfect, selfless woman who wants to help everyone and who Novak thinks is just amazing. Sometimes I wished she’d just say ‘you know what, I’m terrified and don’t really care about anyone else, just keep me safe!” because then she’d seem a bit more like a real person.
One thing to note for those that are easily confused in novels (which I admit can sometimes be me) is that there are a lot of supporting characters in this novel; I feel like some of them could easily have been cut out and the story would still have been as good, as sometimes I had to pause and work out who a particular character was and where they’d been mentioned before.
The storyline is nicely fast paced, gritty, gripping from the very first few pages when the danger is quickly introduced. Karen Rose doesn’t seem to hang about when she starts a novel, she gets straight into the story and I think with this type of story that’s just what you want! The narrative included plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing whilst still remaining within the realms of possibility. Things got crazy, but not so much that you didn’t believe it could ever happen! At 544 pages on Kindle (and over 700 in paperback apparently!) this is a long book, but it didn’t feel like I was getting bored or distracted as I read it; it kept me hooked throughout and I enjoyed reading almost every part of it...
Now, I’m no prude. Sex scenes in books don’t bother me at all; they’re usually a bit of fun and add to the story. They can be written well and in a way that doesn’t make me cringe or feel like I’ve accidentally picked up a badly written erotic novel. However, Deacon and Faith’s relationship is very romanticised and overemotional, in my opinion. This applies to their dialogue with each other and, well, just the way they are together considering the novel only spans 9 days and they don’t meet until a day into the story!
It gets pretty damn cheesy in the parts where they’re ‘flirting’ and especially during the sex scenes - they really made me cringe to be honest! I do understand that this novel also seems to be a romance but if the romance/ sex parts need to be included then I feel it could have been done in a better way with less dramatics. Here are a few examples:
• “He exploded into action, yanking her panties down her legs, pushing his boxers out of the way, rolling her to her back. He straddled her again, but this time the view was much better... “But not now,” he said gruffly. “I need to be inside you now.”
• “Because, although she hadn’t twitched her ass once, Deacon would have to be a dead man not to notice that it was round and... very nice.”
• “Rounded breasts swelling above black lace. Creamy white skin. Soft, he thought. Her skin would be so soft. And he needed to look away. Now.”
• “Emotion barrelled through him with the force of an avalanche”
And on and on! The sexual tension is present from the moment Faith and Deacon meet but the sex scenes don’t take up too much of the novel really, there’s still plenty of detective work which is, in my opinion, the more exciting parts! Although I found reading these parts a bit cringey, if you just want the thriller element then to be honest you could just skim over these scenes without missing really important plot information. To me it’s not a deal breaker, it’s just something I could have done without but if you enjoy a bit of theatrical romance then this will probably tick that box for you nicely.
I really enjoyed the way various seemingly unrelated narratives all linked together at the end- I always love it when novels do this. I felt satisfied at the end of this book that all the important elements were explained properly and the loose ends were all tied up.
I would definitely recommend this novel to others as I really enjoyed reading it, and will give any future books in the series a go as well.
(Many thanks to Headline for providing an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review)
Closer Than You Think is the first book in a brand new series by well-established crime/thriller writer Karen Rose.
I won't re-hash the synopsis here again! I have read a few Karen Rose novels before and always enjoyed them and the way she creates vivid, interesting characters. Faith and Special Agent Deacon Novak definitely hit it off together and you can tell from the point that they first meet that they are going to get together, despite her pretending to be annoyed with him. Novak is pretty likeable as a character, though I imagine his extreme protectiveness of Faith would really get on my nerves if I were her- but then, she does seem to have a crazed killer after her so I guess it’s justified!
I do feel like Faith is kind of put on a pedestal in this novel and made out to be the perfect, selfless woman who wants to help everyone and who Novak thinks is just amazing. Sometimes I wished she’d just say ‘you know what, I’m terrified and don’t really care about anyone else, just keep me safe!” because then she’d seem a bit more like a real person.
One thing to note for those that are easily confused in novels (which I admit can sometimes be me) is that there are a lot of supporting characters in this novel; I feel like some of them could easily have been cut out and the story would still have been as good, as sometimes I had to pause and work out who a particular character was and where they’d been mentioned before.
The storyline is nicely fast paced, gritty, gripping from the very first few pages when the danger is quickly introduced. Karen Rose doesn’t seem to hang about when she starts a novel, she gets straight into the story and I think with this type of story that’s just what you want! The narrative included plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing whilst still remaining within the realms of possibility. Things got crazy, but not so much that you didn’t believe it could ever happen! At 544 pages on Kindle (and over 700 in paperback apparently!) this is a long book, but it didn’t feel like I was getting bored or distracted as I read it; it kept me hooked throughout and I enjoyed reading almost every part of it...
Now, I’m no prude. Sex scenes in books don’t bother me at all; they’re usually a bit of fun and add to the story. They can be written well and in a way that doesn’t make me cringe or feel like I’ve accidentally picked up a badly written erotic novel. However, Deacon and Faith’s relationship is very romanticised and overemotional, in my opinion. This applies to their dialogue with each other and, well, just the way they are together considering the novel only spans 9 days and they don’t meet until a day into the story!
It gets pretty damn cheesy in the parts where they’re ‘flirting’ and especially during the sex scenes - they really made me cringe to be honest! I do understand that this novel also seems to be a romance but if the romance/ sex parts need to be included then I feel it could have been done in a better way with less dramatics. Here are a few examples:
• “He exploded into action, yanking her panties down her legs, pushing his boxers out of the way, rolling her to her back. He straddled her again, but this time the view was much better... “But not now,” he said gruffly. “I need to be inside you now.”
• “Because, although she hadn’t twitched her ass once, Deacon would have to be a dead man not to notice that it was round and... very nice.”
• “Rounded breasts swelling above black lace. Creamy white skin. Soft, he thought. Her skin would be so soft. And he needed to look away. Now.”
• “Emotion barrelled through him with the force of an avalanche”
And on and on! The sexual tension is present from the moment Faith and Deacon meet but the sex scenes don’t take up too much of the novel really, there’s still plenty of detective work which is, in my opinion, the more exciting parts! Although I found reading these parts a bit cringey, if you just want the thriller element then to be honest you could just skim over these scenes without missing really important plot information. To me it’s not a deal breaker, it’s just something I could have done without but if you enjoy a bit of theatrical romance then this will probably tick that box for you nicely.
I really enjoyed the way various seemingly unrelated narratives all linked together at the end- I always love it when novels do this. I felt satisfied at the end of this book that all the important elements were explained properly and the loose ends were all tied up.
I would definitely recommend this novel to others as I really enjoyed reading it, and will give any future books in the series a go as well.
(Many thanks to Headline for providing an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review)
I am so glad that I stumbled upon this author and that she has SO MANY BOOKS!! I listened to the audiobook of this title and it was really long, but really good. At 28.5 hours, it took a bit of time to go through with only listening roughly 2 hours per work day on my commute to and from work. One word of caution, the narrator gets really soft spoken for certain characters and/or moments and at times I missed what was even said because she would get so quiet with a word here or there.
This is book 1 in the Cincinnati series and I promise you, you will fall in love with Dr. Faith Corcoran and Agent Deacon Novak.
Faith is trying to escape a stalker who has been making attempts on her life for years. Finally, out of places to run to, she goes home... where it all started.
There are so many twists and turns and dead bodies in this book, honestly started losing count of how many bodies were discovered.
Of course, there is a lot of romance!
This is book 1 in the Cincinnati series and I promise you, you will fall in love with Dr. Faith Corcoran and Agent Deacon Novak.
Faith is trying to escape a stalker who has been making attempts on her life for years. Finally, out of places to run to, she goes home... where it all started.
There are so many twists and turns and dead bodies in this book, honestly started losing count of how many bodies were discovered.
Of course, there is a lot of romance!
Good, solid Romantic Suspense. Most of the Romantic Suspense I read pairs off two people in law enforcement and doesn't usually cross the detective/victim-witness line, which can make for some very blurred lines indeed, but it works in this case without it seeming like the detective is taking advantage of the victim/witness. The suspense is right up there with a good SVU story arc and the Romance isn't saccharine. Next time I'm looking for a good Romantic Suspense novel, I'm glad to know I have another author I can turn to.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Psychologist Faith Cochran has changed her identity to escape a stalker who happens to be a serial rapist. He's her former patient and now it appears he's out to kill her. When she returns to her hometown in Cincinnati, total chaos erupts, all unforeseen. FBI Special Agent Deacon Novak has moved back home to Cincinnati from Baltimore to care for his troubled teenage brother. He's assigned to a joint task force with the agency and the Cincinnati Police Department and lands the case involving Faith.
Deacon is an FBI agent with family issues of his own in the form of a 15 year old brother who is nothing but trouble right now. Deacon had to move back to Cincinnati and leave a job and friends he loved in order to try and straighten Ben out. He loves Ben, but he's a handful right now. Deacon meets Faith on a road leading to the property where Faith has come across a victim of our Baddie's, nude and bleeding from cuts all over her body. Deacon is used to using his unusual appearance to shock and unsettle people. Faith looks at Deacon's eyes and calls them "beautiful". Deacon looks at Faith and, even battered and bruised from the accident she has to avoid hitting the girl, thinks she is beautiful too.
The story is presented using different perspectives from Novak, Faith, the serial killer and a current victim. These were clearly defined and done in such a way that it pulls the reader in and makes the suspense feel more amped up.
The mystery was complex and intense. First, the young naked woman, who leads us to the discovery of bodies and a serial killer. Then, Faith is linked to those bodies and has someone attempting to kill her. Secondary characters from other FBI agents to Deacon's family brought additional threats and made the suspense more intense.
Deacon is an FBI agent with family issues of his own in the form of a 15 year old brother who is nothing but trouble right now. Deacon had to move back to Cincinnati and leave a job and friends he loved in order to try and straighten Ben out. He loves Ben, but he's a handful right now. Deacon meets Faith on a road leading to the property where Faith has come across a victim of our Baddie's, nude and bleeding from cuts all over her body. Deacon is used to using his unusual appearance to shock and unsettle people. Faith looks at Deacon's eyes and calls them "beautiful". Deacon looks at Faith and, even battered and bruised from the accident she has to avoid hitting the girl, thinks she is beautiful too.
The story is presented using different perspectives from Novak, Faith, the serial killer and a current victim. These were clearly defined and done in such a way that it pulls the reader in and makes the suspense feel more amped up.
The mystery was complex and intense. First, the young naked woman, who leads us to the discovery of bodies and a serial killer. Then, Faith is linked to those bodies and has someone attempting to kill her. Secondary characters from other FBI agents to Deacon's family brought additional threats and made the suspense more intense.
L'intégralité de ma chronique: http://lune-et-plume.fr/sur-tes-traces-de-karen-rose/
Quel plaisir de retrouver le talent de Karen Rose avec le seizième tome de sa série Romantic Suspense, le premier de sa série dans la série Cincinnati (je vous rappelle que c’est une série partagée en plusieurs séries se déroulant dans différentes villes, chaque livre peut se lire de manière indépendante mais tous sont liés par leurs personnages)(je me répète à chaque fois mais le travail de Karen Rose là-dessus est absolument génial !). En plus le tome sur le mystérieux et particulier agent Deacon Novak dont j’attendais l’histoire depuis ma première rencontre avec lui et je peux vous assurer que 'Sur tes traces' a été à la hauteur de toutes mes attentes. [...]
Quel plaisir de retrouver le talent de Karen Rose avec le seizième tome de sa série Romantic Suspense, le premier de sa série dans la série Cincinnati (je vous rappelle que c’est une série partagée en plusieurs séries se déroulant dans différentes villes, chaque livre peut se lire de manière indépendante mais tous sont liés par leurs personnages)(je me répète à chaque fois mais le travail de Karen Rose là-dessus est absolument génial !). En plus le tome sur le mystérieux et particulier agent Deacon Novak dont j’attendais l’histoire depuis ma première rencontre avec lui et je peux vous assurer que 'Sur tes traces' a été à la hauteur de toutes mes attentes. [...]