Reviews

The Girl in the Mist by Kristen Ashley

earthboundcutie's review

4.0

What a fun mystery from KA! I liked this slight change of pace from her usual romance-focused novels. There was obviously romance in this one, but it was much more murder-mystery and family-bonding than straight romance.

KA writes children so well and this one was no exception (although the 'child' is 16). I really liked the Bohannan family and I'm hopeful that the series will focus on the twins and their romance/mysteries.

There was a solid ending too! So often these types of books have subpar endings, but I really liked this one. It reminded me of At Peace actually.

A fun read!

chickenafraido's review

4.0

The first KA book I've actually really enjoyed in years, almost feels like old KA.

stacybelle's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

romancebookloverinseattle's review against another edition

5.0

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one as it involved a “surprise announcement” and there was an implication this would be slightly different from previous books the author has written. There is some clear trademark Kristen Ashley to be found within The Girl in the Mist- incredibly detailed descriptions of clothes, hair and rooms, her unique and distinctive style of writing her heroines voices, and the references to some of her favored Heroes from books before. However, The Girl in the Mist also has some clear differences from her past books. This is most definitely a romance, but it feels like the emphasis in this one is more on the mystery and suspense than on the romance, despite the fact that it has a very strong romantic element with some steamy scenes.

I loved that in this story, I really couldn’t guess the ending or whodunit! I’m rarely able to be surprised or kept guessing these days, so I loved that the suspense in this one had layers and complexity and was written in a way so it was completely enjoyable all the way through. In the beginning it had a bit of a cozy romance feel to it, but as you moved through the story it got heavier. Despite the romance and steam, and the upbeat feeling you got as two different families come together and get along with no angst, Kristen Ashley didn’t seem to shy way at all from the darker or heavier topics in the thriller aspects of this romantic suspense and my experience with this in terms of the mystery aspect was similar to some of the earlier Linda Gardner books that I had read. I definitely can’t wait to see what is next in this series!

romancejunkie1025's review against another edition

5.0

wow what a crazy read. lots of suspense, plot twists and intensity and i loved the laughs while these two fell in love and blended their families.

Looking forward to the next book in the series

anasatticbookblog's review

4.0

The Girl in the Mist by Kristen Ashley
Romantic Suspense. Stands Alone.
affiliate links

The Girl in the Mist is first in an all-new surprise series from Kristen Ashley. It’s being marketed as her first ever thriller-suspense novel. I re-listened to For You (The Burg Series) last month, and honestly, this was no more of a suspenseful thriller than For You. Don’t get me wrong, I still really enjoyed it, but I expected it to be so different from other Kristen Ashley books, and it wasn’t really at all.

Delphine is a 53-year-old actress/author who moves to Misted Pines to get off the grid, away from a crazy fan. She moved right next to hottie and former Green Beret and ex-FBI profiler, Cade Bohannan, his young daughter and two grown sons.

“The FBI took me on, I took on Joe Callahan and Hawk Delgado, and this house was suggested to me. Not because it was remote and out of the way. Because it was close to Bohannan.”

Though this is an all-new series with all new characters, it was fun to see some favorite characters mentioned (more than quoted above). Because this is a brand new town, there was a lot of information dumping. In Kristen’s recent books I’ve been having trouble keeping all the characters straight, but at my age, after multiple books in a series and then multiple crossover series, this is to be expected. But so many new characters were introduced during this novel, and sometimes they went by different names (nicknames, last names) that I had even more of a hard time. There were multiple couples that had a storyline that was outrageous, and I didn’t feel like they were all necessary, plus a new-to-KA reader would also have to keep the crossovers straight as well as all of these new players.



Besides Delphine’s two daughters and their partners, Bohannan’s 3 kids, both of their exes, the Sheriff, the town council members, the shopkeepers, and the townspeople, there is a ton of drama going on with the parents of the kids who have gone missing. There is a club of women and their husbands and lovers that were almost impossible to keep straight; Lana & Bobby, Annie & Jay, Wendy & Dwayne plus all the people they cheat with or used to be married to. Very little of this was integral to the story, and this whole wives club was just…weird. And why was this craziness shared with Delphine at a first meet? I just don’t get it. The story would have worked just fine and been way easier to follow without this weird club.

“I got sordid and tawdry all around me, but these days, all I gotta do is think of you and know a cycle can be broken and light can shine out of dark.”

All that being said, I loved seeing Delphine and Cade get together. Both in their fifties, I love when Kristen writes older characters and blended families (though it seemed very similar to the River Rain Series, especially with Evangeline and Delphine both being famous actresses). Though it was slow burn because of so much going on, once they finally had sex, it was scorching at any age!

“That was us, and it might not be that intense every single time. But it was going to be great. Coupled with the rest? Suffice it to say, I’d waited fifty-three years. But in Cade Hunter Bohannan, I’d hit the motherlode.”

I also loved the mystery, and it kept me guessing throughout the story. This isn't just any mystery, it's a mastermind serial killer playing games and challenging the best in the field. And he is always one step ahead.

While writing this review, I did a skim re-read. While I still had a little trouble keeping everyone straight, and I knew the ending, I still got sucked right back into it. I will also listen to this before the next one in the Misted Pines Series comes out to remind me of all the players again.

Likes:

• •Hot couple in their 50s.


• •Blended families.


• •I love when Kristen Ashley writes kids/teens, and she did a great job here.


• •The mystery had me guessing throughout.


• •Kept me turning pages (well, tapping) well into the night.


• •The atmospheric descriptions of the town really set the mood.


• •All the little cameos from other series, even though this is all-new.


• •I love the way Kristen smartly adds important social issues into her books without knocking you over the head with them.


• •Gorgeous cover!

Dislikes:

• •SO MANY characters to keep straight!


• •Marketed as a suspense thriller, Kristen’s first. I didn’t see any difference between this and The Burg Series as far as suspense or thriller goes. I thought maybe there would be a ghost or something.


• •The wives club was just over-the-top cray. And the kids seeing videos? Just…no.


• •Ended at 89%.

The Down & Dirty:

I really enjoyed The Girl in the Mist by Kristen Ashley. It had all of the things I love to read about: older couples, blended families, and action and suspense. It was very typical KA and similar to The Burg Series. If you love Kristen Ashley, that’s a good thing! There were a LOT of characters to keep straight though, and I got confused a number of times with who is who, and who they were with, and I just didn’t feel like they added to the story enough to justify the confusion. That being said, this was a great start to 2022, the first actual book I've been able to focus on in a long while, and definitely a book I will re-read before the next in the series.  I recommend it to any Kristen Ashley fan or romantic suspense fan.

Rating: 4 Stars, 4 heat

Purchase The Girl in the Mist: A Misted Pine Novel by Kristen Ashley

See My Complete Guide to Kristen Ashley

 



Visit anasattic.com for daily audiobook and book releases sales, freebies, reviews and recommendations.

jeannethinks's review against another edition

3.0

Okay, so this book has been ripped apart by many reviewers, and I went into it with mixed feelings. I've been a fan of Kristen Ashley, and I like suspense, so I figured why not. I want to say that although the story wasn't perfect, they rarely are. Could we have cut a few chapters out and made this book more towards 300 pages vs. +500 definitely. But overall, you had a cat and mouse game. First, famous actor novelist coming to a remote town in Washington. Her primary reason is to lay low for a stalker turned kidnapper, which honestly that threat did fall a little short. But maybe that part just felt like a loose end that was quickly wrapped up. The former FBI profiler is drawn in to offer protection, but the sleepy town is in the grip of its own crisis. Then both main characters with not so great relationship histories and the interesting blending of families. You get a little development in many characters. So we've got some groundwork for future storyline in Misty Pines.

06loralee07's review

2.0

I love most Kristen Ashley’s books and there are only two that I DNF’d. I enjoyed all the rest. However this book felt so similar to After the Climb (with some hints of Soaring) but with just added suspense. I didn’t love any of the characters. The romance between the main characters just felt forced and really no chemistry. The spice between the characters was really bland for me as well. The other characters had more going on than they did. The suspense plot was good but I wished the rest of it was better. I appreciate having more mature characters but they were just not interesting and I could care less if they were together or not. I will still keep reading her books but I just hope for better next time.

geekyandrea's review

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

laurenm2111's review

4.0

Very enjoyable read from Kristen as usual...I really enjoyed that this was a bit more of a serious read than many of her others and it was therefore a bit more suspenseful. Really liked the setting - I'd love to move to a small town in the mountains with forest and a misty lake.