Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
The story begins when we meet Psychologist Faith Corcoran. Faith is on the run from a serial stalker. One who has made numerous attempts on her life. Faith inherits her grandmother's old homestead, and the timing couldn't be better. She changes her name, sells her car and leaves her old life behind. She Relocates to Cincinnati taking a position outside of her profession in hopes to begin anew. But TROUBLE is following her, and she is in more danger than she knows. When she almost hits a naked woman in route to her grandmother's house, it is just the beginning of her nightmare.
FBI Special Agent Deacon Novak is called in when the girl is identified as one of two missing college students. As Faith sits in the ambulance having her wounds checked from the car accident she thinks she is hallucinating when Novak comes into view. Clad in a leather jacket and wraparound glasses this white haired hulking man moves towards her like something out of a movie. When he pulls off his glasses, she is mesmerized by his strange eyes. Their first interaction was intense and I liked the undercurrent and awkwardness. Novak knows she is hiding something and Faith is leery of law enforcement, but the two soon find themselves working together because someone desperately wants Faith dead.
Faith proved to be a competent, complex heroine and I admired her guts and level-headedness. She faced some serious scrutiny and handled things with surprising fearlessness. I admired Agent Novak and appreciated his uniqueness. Novak and his siblings share a rare genetic disorder and Rose brought attention to this disease. The romance that develops between them was intense, and despite how quickly it progressed physically and emotionally the author made it feel realistic.
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, amps up the suspense and allows them to feel like an engaged participant. The novels length of six hundred and eighty-eight pages allowed Rose to develop the storyline entirely. I found no lulls or unnecessary meandering as events unfolded. Each thread was sound and pulled me further into the story creating an authentic feel to the case and characters.
The thriller/mystery aspect was complex and intense. Firs,t we have the young naked woman, who leads us to the discovery of bodies and a serial killer. Then we have Faith who's linked to those bodies and has someone attempting to kill her. Rose presented a well-developed mystery with a complex cast of suspects. Secondary characters from other FBI agents to Deacon's family brought additional threads and ramped up the suspense.
Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer
FBI Special Agent Deacon Novak is called in when the girl is identified as one of two missing college students. As Faith sits in the ambulance having her wounds checked from the car accident she thinks she is hallucinating when Novak comes into view. Clad in a leather jacket and wraparound glasses this white haired hulking man moves towards her like something out of a movie. When he pulls off his glasses, she is mesmerized by his strange eyes. Their first interaction was intense and I liked the undercurrent and awkwardness. Novak knows she is hiding something and Faith is leery of law enforcement, but the two soon find themselves working together because someone desperately wants Faith dead.
Faith proved to be a competent, complex heroine and I admired her guts and level-headedness. She faced some serious scrutiny and handled things with surprising fearlessness. I admired Agent Novak and appreciated his uniqueness. Novak and his siblings share a rare genetic disorder and Rose brought attention to this disease. The romance that develops between them was intense, and despite how quickly it progressed physically and emotionally the author made it feel realistic.
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, amps up the suspense and allows them to feel like an engaged participant. The novels length of six hundred and eighty-eight pages allowed Rose to develop the storyline entirely. I found no lulls or unnecessary meandering as events unfolded. Each thread was sound and pulled me further into the story creating an authentic feel to the case and characters.
The thriller/mystery aspect was complex and intense. Firs,t we have the young naked woman, who leads us to the discovery of bodies and a serial killer. Then we have Faith who's linked to those bodies and has someone attempting to kill her. Rose presented a well-developed mystery with a complex cast of suspects. Secondary characters from other FBI agents to Deacon's family brought additional threads and ramped up the suspense.
Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer
4.5 stars - I think this was my favorite book of the series - perhaps the second best. It was a bit of a twisty story and I loved the characters. As usual it was dark and suspenseful - you never know who will bite it next and once I start listening I have a very hard time stopping.
Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.
‘[…] If I burn out, I’ll do something else. But I won’t do this job by stripping the victims of their humanity. It was stolen by their killer. I won’t do the same to them, or to myself.’
Karen Rose does romantic suspense so damn well. Even when you get the bad guy’s POV, you’ll still be left questioning things until the very end when everything gets wrapped up in the most satisfying way. This author’s ability to craft an interesting story with tons of factors and connecting timelines is amazing. This book, as a lot of hers tend to do, only spans a few days. However, it’s written in a way where it feels like the story spans way longer. I really enjoy how it doesn’t really skip any of the steps. You get the entire case from start to finish, and we get to see it from all of the POVs that matter.
It’s definitely a book that’s heavier on the plot and suspense than the romance, but sometimes that’s exactly what I want. There’s still romance and spice, but it feels more like the cherry on top of an amazing crime-solving novel, and it just adds that little extra something something. I really struggle with reading something without any romance at all, but I don’t always want it to be the main focus either. Deacon and Faith have amazing chemistry that adds this other element and makes it a great book and not just an entertaining crime.
I still love Say You’re Sorry by Karen Rose the most, but this one is pretty great too.
⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & tags ⚠️
Romantic suspense
Serial killer
Police procedural
FBI agent MMC
Whodunnit
Multiple POV
Fast burn
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Graphic violence
Serial killing
Kidnapping
Captivity
Child captivity and abuse
Torture
Drugging
Gun violence
Mentions of pedophilia
Child sexual abuse (past, off page, not detailed)
Mentions of parent suicide
Death of side characters
Past and present murder attempts on MCs
Graphic murder scenes
Brief mention of alcoholic parent (past)
Child abuse: physical and verbal (on page)
Brief mentions of cheating ex husband
Car accident
Mentions of side character being raped (no details, off page)
Stalking
Severely injured MC
Mentions of homophobia
*This book deals heavily with the theme of sexual abuse of children. Never on page and not detailed.
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, multi POV
Genre: Romantic suspense, MF
Main characters’ age: 32 and 33
Pages: 594
‘I keep expecting robotic arms to pop out of your coat pockets like Inspector Gadget. What else do you have hidden?’
His imagination had already conjured an entire collection of images that would make it very embarrassing were he to need to stand up any time soon.
Ms Pohl, Principal. Deacon stared at the nameplate on the door, summoning his courage. He’d faced killers without breaking a sweat. Surely he could handle one very old woman.
You can find most of my reviews on Instagram as well: https://www.instagram.com/booksafety?igsh=MWZ3azhkdDc2Y2ludg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
‘[…] If I burn out, I’ll do something else. But I won’t do this job by stripping the victims of their humanity. It was stolen by their killer. I won’t do the same to them, or to myself.’
Karen Rose does romantic suspense so damn well. Even when you get the bad guy’s POV, you’ll still be left questioning things until the very end when everything gets wrapped up in the most satisfying way. This author’s ability to craft an interesting story with tons of factors and connecting timelines is amazing. This book, as a lot of hers tend to do, only spans a few days. However, it’s written in a way where it feels like the story spans way longer. I really enjoy how it doesn’t really skip any of the steps. You get the entire case from start to finish, and we get to see it from all of the POVs that matter.
It’s definitely a book that’s heavier on the plot and suspense than the romance, but sometimes that’s exactly what I want. There’s still romance and spice, but it feels more like the cherry on top of an amazing crime-solving novel, and it just adds that little extra something something. I really struggle with reading something without any romance at all, but I don’t always want it to be the main focus either. Deacon and Faith have amazing chemistry that adds this other element and makes it a great book and not just an entertaining crime.
I still love Say You’re Sorry by Karen Rose the most, but this one is pretty great too.
⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & tags ⚠️
Romantic suspense
Serial killer
Police procedural
FBI agent MMC
Whodunnit
Multiple POV
Fast burn
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Graphic violence
Serial killing
Kidnapping
Captivity
Child captivity and abuse
Torture
Drugging
Gun violence
Mentions of pedophilia
Child sexual abuse (past, off page, not detailed)
Mentions of parent suicide
Death of side characters
Past and present murder attempts on MCs
Graphic murder scenes
Brief mention of alcoholic parent (past)
Child abuse: physical and verbal (on page)
Brief mentions of cheating ex husband
Car accident
Mentions of side character being raped (no details, off page)
Stalking
Severely injured MC
Mentions of homophobia
*This book deals heavily with the theme of sexual abuse of children. Never on page and not detailed.
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, multi POV
Genre: Romantic suspense, MF
Main characters’ age: 32 and 33
Pages: 594
‘I keep expecting robotic arms to pop out of your coat pockets like Inspector Gadget. What else do you have hidden?’
His imagination had already conjured an entire collection of images that would make it very embarrassing were he to need to stand up any time soon.
Ms Pohl, Principal. Deacon stared at the nameplate on the door, summoning his courage. He’d faced killers without breaking a sweat. Surely he could handle one very old woman.
You can find most of my reviews on Instagram as well: https://www.instagram.com/booksafety?igsh=MWZ3azhkdDc2Y2ludg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
no one does romantic suspense like Rose. it, almost 5am but I couldn't put it down.
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Full disclosure: romantic thrillers are 100% not my usual fare, & I was reading this as research for a work related project. It was so much better than I had expected. The language lapses into genre tropes on occasion, but the overall plot is complex and compelling, the characters are interesting, & the sexy bits do what it says on the tin 😜 It was a pretty perfect summer genre fiction read.
Die Therapeutin Faith Frye arbeitet mit Sexualstraftätern. Und einer hat es auf sie abgesehen. Mehrmals schon versuchte Peter Combs Faith zu töten. Kurzentschlossen ändert die Therapeutin ihren Namen, ihren Wohnort und bricht alle alten Kontakte ab. An ihrem neuen Wohnort, dem Haus ihrer Großmutter, will sie ein neues Leben beginnen. Und ahnt nicht, dass der Stalker ihr weiter auf den Fersen ist...
"Dornenmädchen" ist der neuste Thriller von Karen Rose und konnte mich wieder begeistern. Die Autorin erschafft in Cincinnati eine Mischung aus Familiensaga, Stalking und grausamen Verbrechen, die mich in Schach gehalten hat.
Die Geschichte wird von einem auktorialen Erzähler berichtet. Dabei folgt man kapitelweise Faith in ihr neues Leben, dem FBI-Agenten Deacon Novak bei seinen Ermittlungen und auch der Täter wird nicht außer Acht gelassen. Genau dieser Mix hat es mir von Beginn an angetan.
Faith und später Deacon sind mir dabei direkt ans Herz gewachsen. Die Therapeutin hat keinen leichten Job, denn sie arbeitet mit Sexualstraftätern, die vor allem Kinder missbraucht haben und dies auch wieder tun werden. Dessen ist sich auch Faith bewusst. Sie ist auch nicht der Meinung, dass man diese Täter therapieren kann, ihr Hauptaugenmerk liegt bei den Opfern. Das fand ich eine großartige Eigenschaft, denn sie zeigt, wie selbstkritisch und realistisch Karen Rose ihre Figuren angelegt hat. Auch Deacon ist, trotz seines heldenhaften Aussehens, keineswegs der unbesiegbare Agent. Und genau deswegen hat er sich in mein Herz geschlichen.
Nach den ersten 200 Seiten dachte ich, ich kenne sowohl Täter als auch Opfer und es ginge nur rein um das Fangen. Doch ein paar Kapitel später war gar nichts mehr klar. Karen Rose hat mich komplett verwirrt, in ihr Labyrinth geführt und mich dann mit wenigen Infos stehen lassen. Ich war geflasht und sauer auf mich. Wie konnte ich nicht erkennen, was die Autorin vor hatte? Hier zeigte sich für mich wieder die große Klasse von Karen Rose. Hut ab!
Die Story selbst hat mich von Beginn an gefangen genommen. Spannend und detailreich erzählt die Autorin über das Schicksal von Faith, über eine Menge Tote und hat mich mit so manchen Szenen zum Weinen gebracht. Die sich anbahnende Romanze hat Karen Rose mit Fingerspitzengefühl und dem richtigen Augenmaß in das Gesamtwerk einfließen lassen. Die romantischen Szenen passten in den Kontext und wirkten dadurch natürlich und gefühlvoll. Bei der Lektüre sollte man jedoch sehr aufmerksam sein, denn im Verlauf kommen so viele Personen hinzu, dass ich mir ab und an ein Register gewünscht habe. Nichtsdestotrotz war ich voll dabei und konnte das Buch abends nur schwer weglegen.
Das Ende war logisch herbeigeführt, wenn auch manche Details offene Fragen hinterlassen haben. Insgesamt war ich aber mit dem Finale sehr zufrieden und freue mich drauf, Deacon und Faith bald wieder begleiten zu können.
Der Stil von Karen Rose ist sehr gut und flüssig zu lesen. Ihre Erzählweise besticht durch eine tolle Mischung aus blutigen Details, Fingerspitzengefühl und dem Blick fürs Wesentliche. Toll!
Fazit: eine Geschichte, in der so viel mehr als nur Mord steckt. Eine klare Empfehlung!
"Dornenmädchen" ist der neuste Thriller von Karen Rose und konnte mich wieder begeistern. Die Autorin erschafft in Cincinnati eine Mischung aus Familiensaga, Stalking und grausamen Verbrechen, die mich in Schach gehalten hat.
Die Geschichte wird von einem auktorialen Erzähler berichtet. Dabei folgt man kapitelweise Faith in ihr neues Leben, dem FBI-Agenten Deacon Novak bei seinen Ermittlungen und auch der Täter wird nicht außer Acht gelassen. Genau dieser Mix hat es mir von Beginn an angetan.
Faith und später Deacon sind mir dabei direkt ans Herz gewachsen. Die Therapeutin hat keinen leichten Job, denn sie arbeitet mit Sexualstraftätern, die vor allem Kinder missbraucht haben und dies auch wieder tun werden. Dessen ist sich auch Faith bewusst. Sie ist auch nicht der Meinung, dass man diese Täter therapieren kann, ihr Hauptaugenmerk liegt bei den Opfern. Das fand ich eine großartige Eigenschaft, denn sie zeigt, wie selbstkritisch und realistisch Karen Rose ihre Figuren angelegt hat. Auch Deacon ist, trotz seines heldenhaften Aussehens, keineswegs der unbesiegbare Agent. Und genau deswegen hat er sich in mein Herz geschlichen.
Nach den ersten 200 Seiten dachte ich, ich kenne sowohl Täter als auch Opfer und es ginge nur rein um das Fangen. Doch ein paar Kapitel später war gar nichts mehr klar. Karen Rose hat mich komplett verwirrt, in ihr Labyrinth geführt und mich dann mit wenigen Infos stehen lassen. Ich war geflasht und sauer auf mich. Wie konnte ich nicht erkennen, was die Autorin vor hatte? Hier zeigte sich für mich wieder die große Klasse von Karen Rose. Hut ab!
Die Story selbst hat mich von Beginn an gefangen genommen. Spannend und detailreich erzählt die Autorin über das Schicksal von Faith, über eine Menge Tote und hat mich mit so manchen Szenen zum Weinen gebracht. Die sich anbahnende Romanze hat Karen Rose mit Fingerspitzengefühl und dem richtigen Augenmaß in das Gesamtwerk einfließen lassen. Die romantischen Szenen passten in den Kontext und wirkten dadurch natürlich und gefühlvoll. Bei der Lektüre sollte man jedoch sehr aufmerksam sein, denn im Verlauf kommen so viele Personen hinzu, dass ich mir ab und an ein Register gewünscht habe. Nichtsdestotrotz war ich voll dabei und konnte das Buch abends nur schwer weglegen.
Das Ende war logisch herbeigeführt, wenn auch manche Details offene Fragen hinterlassen haben. Insgesamt war ich aber mit dem Finale sehr zufrieden und freue mich drauf, Deacon und Faith bald wieder begleiten zu können.
Der Stil von Karen Rose ist sehr gut und flüssig zu lesen. Ihre Erzählweise besticht durch eine tolle Mischung aus blutigen Details, Fingerspitzengefühl und dem Blick fürs Wesentliche. Toll!
Fazit: eine Geschichte, in der so viel mehr als nur Mord steckt. Eine klare Empfehlung!
This thriller had me on the edge of my seat until the very end! It was so hard to put it down each night.
It also had me annoyed at everything that distracted me from listening to it, like sleep, chores, family, and showering!
It also had me annoyed at everything that distracted me from listening to it, like sleep, chores, family, and showering!
Engaging characters, clever plot that's easy to follow but not predictable. Faith was right not to want to go back to that house!