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anintrovertreads's review
5.0
After reading Say You’re Sorry, I become obsessed with Karen Rose and as soon as I was approved for this title, I started reading it and it did not disappoint!!!
Karen Rose is absolutely brilliant at putting together mystery/thriller and romance! Which in my opinion is hard to execute!
This was book #5 in the Cincinnati series, and I wish I had read the previous four books since there are some spoilers in this one, but I loved it so much I would probably still read book 1-4 after reading this one.
This also pulled at your hear string! I immediately fell in love with Dr. Dani Novak and Diesel Kennedy !! I truly felt like I was a friend of theirs and was in the same story. That’s how Karen Rose’s writing is amazing!
It’s a very high paced page-turning novel! It kept changing POVs, including the “killer’s” POV.
thebookdisciple's review against another edition
4.0
Into the Dark by Karen Rose was exactly what I expect from her Cincinnati series and I loved it. First, I must say that her inclusion of deaf characters was amazing. As someone who is mostly deaf in one ear, I love to read about characters who have similar struggles and still maintain active, happy lives. The BAHA that Dani wears was an option offered to me by my ENT a year ago!
Now, I have to say that Into The Dark is pretty much one long trigger. There is child molestation discussed throughout the book as several characters have dealt with it and the plot of the story is focused around it. So it's difficult to say I loved this book because the content is so heartbreaking. However, Rose writes such wonderful characters and terrifying plots that I was hooked from page one. Dani and Diesel have such awful backstories. These two have had more trauma than any person should have to bear. Diesel's devotion to Dani for over a year before she gives him a chance was so endearing. You can't help but adore Diesel! Add in how wonderful he is with Joshua and Michael and you are a goner (and so is Dani)!
If you are able to read stories about horrible human tragedies like child abuse and human trafficking, I encourage you to read Karen Rose's Cincinnati series! She handles the delicate topics by showing the reader the effects in the immediate aftermath and the long term. The focus is on the people who survive these abhorrent crimes and how they rebuild their lives. In that sense, you get a hopeful look into the possibilities for those who are survivors and that is what I loved about the stories. Into the Dark shows you all sides of the puzzle: the cop looking for a missing sister, the children rescued from an abusive home, and a vigilante who wants to kill the people involved in trafficking.
Into the Dark will take you on a journey that is at times painful, at times endearing, yet always hopeful despite the challenges of each person. Rose's books will always be "must buys" for me because of her writing style and her gripping characters.
- POV: 3rd
- Tears: yes
- Trope: serial killer, dysfunctional family, police
- Triggers:
Spoiler
Lots of child abuse is mentioned-physical, verbal, and sexual - Series/Standalone: stand alone within an interconnected series (lots of character overlap but it won't affect your ability to understand and enjoy Into the Dark
- Cliffhanger:
Spoiler
no - HEA:
Spoiler
Yes with with a super sweet epilogue
Other gritty romantic suspense series/books like Cold Justice by Toni Anderson, Don't Breathe a Word by Christie Craig, Pretend You're Safe by Alexandra Ivy...then you will probably like Into the Dark!
Into the Dark
See full review on The Book Disciple
couchnest's review against another edition
5.0
This is the conclusion to the Cincinnati series as far as I can tell and it wraps up nicely. I really love how by the end of Karen's books you feel like you know the characters and get all the feels for them.
clak5686's review
5.0
I love romantic suspense and this Karen Rose is one of the best in the genre. I live in Cincinnati so that was an extra bonus for this series. Diesel Kennedy and Dr. Dani Novak have appeared in prior books in the series and have been dancing around each other. This book brings them together. We learn much more about their heartbreaking backstories. As with her other books, this one does not shy away from difficult topics. All are treated with empathy and compassion. Michael Rowland witnesses a murder while trying to save his little brother. He and his brother end up being fostered by Dani because Michael is deaf. Diesel is a soccer coach for the younger brother and is the one who figures out they are being abused. This is a dark story but if is hopeful. We see those who were abused as children be successful, loving and giving adults. We see a family either by birth or by choice who support each other no matter what. I could not put this book down. It is fast-paced and you have to keep reading to find out what happens next.
ninareads's review
5.0
Wie man es von Karen Rose bereits gewöhnt ist, ist auch Into the Dark eine Geschichte mit rasanter Action und sympathischen Charakteren, die man sofort ins Herz schließen muss.
Diesel Kennedy und Dani Novak, zwei der Hauptfiguren, kennt man bereits aus anderen Teilen der Reihe, in denen sie Nebenfiguren waren. Nachdem man vorher bereits ein wenig über ihre Leben und Hintergründe erfahren hat, werden nun die meisten Geheimnisse gelüftet, während die beiden einander näherkommen und ihre Beziehung sich im Laufe des Buches entfaltet.
Besonders spannend fand ich es, mehr über ASL (American Sign Language) zu lernen, was ebenfalls in vorherigen Büchern eine Rolle gespielt hat, jedoch nie so wichtig war wie Into the Dark.
Michael und Joshua Rowland spielen ebenfalls eine große Rolle in Into the Dark. Michael beobachtet am Anfang der Handlung einen Mann dabei, wie er seinen Stiefvater ermordet, und muss daraufhin um sein Leben und das seines kleinen Bruders fürchten, da er der einzige ist, der den Mörder identifizieren kann. Dani und Diesel nehmen die Herausforderung an, sich um die beiden verängstigten Jungen zu kümmern und den Mörder zu finden.
Diesel Kennedy und Dani Novak, zwei der Hauptfiguren, kennt man bereits aus anderen Teilen der Reihe, in denen sie Nebenfiguren waren. Nachdem man vorher bereits ein wenig über ihre Leben und Hintergründe erfahren hat, werden nun die meisten Geheimnisse gelüftet, während die beiden einander näherkommen und ihre Beziehung sich im Laufe des Buches entfaltet.
Besonders spannend fand ich es, mehr über ASL (American Sign Language) zu lernen, was ebenfalls in vorherigen Büchern eine Rolle gespielt hat, jedoch nie so wichtig war wie Into the Dark.
Michael und Joshua Rowland spielen ebenfalls eine große Rolle in Into the Dark. Michael beobachtet am Anfang der Handlung einen Mann dabei, wie er seinen Stiefvater ermordet, und muss daraufhin um sein Leben und das seines kleinen Bruders fürchten, da er der einzige ist, der den Mörder identifizieren kann. Dani und Diesel nehmen die Herausforderung an, sich um die beiden verängstigten Jungen zu kümmern und den Mörder zu finden.
xoxo_jess's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
beccajbooks's review against another edition
5.0
We've been waiting a while for Dani and Diesel's story, and we finally have it, in Into the Dark - the 23rd in Karen Rose's romantic suspense series.
I'll start by saying that all of KR's books are fantastic and it would be very unlikely for me to give them anything other than 5 stars.
Dani is a doctor. She's part of the family KR has built in her universe, that includes Police, FBI, Therapists, Reporters, Volunteers - basically all good people with open hearts and selfless personalities. Diesel is a hacker that works for a newspaper, again part of this massive family we have come to know and love.
Diesel has loved Dani from the moment he set eyes on her 18 months ago, in her free clinic helping disadvantaged and under privileged people who need her help. But she has always pushed him away and told him that they can't be together.
Dani has her reasons for rejecting Diesel, which we find out more about in this book. We learn more about her positive HIV status, her upbringing, her deafness and her previous heartbreaking romance with Adrian.
Of course the Dani/Diesel romance is only half of the story, and we have murder galore in this instalment.
Michael witnesses his step father's murder and must therefore go into protective custody in order to save himself and his younger brother Joshua. Michael is deaf and Joshua is only 5 years old, so to say they are vulnerable is an understatement. The killer is trying to tie up loose ends, so Michael won't be safe until he is caught.
There are other strands that run alongside these two main stories - such as Grant Masterson and his missing siblings. It all ties up nicely in the end though.
I read this one really quickly, and these are big books! :) KR doesn't scrimp on word count, but I believe she makes every one count and doesn't 'waffle'. We have got the steamy sex scenes that we are promised, the gory murders that we have come looking for and we also have the warm family dynamics that we have come to know and love about her universe.
The old favourites, such as Marcus, Stone, Scarlett, Deacon and Adam are all back and quite visible in this story. Every one is needed to help with this case and everyone has their part to play.
I would recommend this to any KR fans, but also anyone who wants a fast paced thriller to get lost in.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.
www.thebeautifulbookbreak.com
I'll start by saying that all of KR's books are fantastic and it would be very unlikely for me to give them anything other than 5 stars.
Dani is a doctor. She's part of the family KR has built in her universe, that includes Police, FBI, Therapists, Reporters, Volunteers - basically all good people with open hearts and selfless personalities. Diesel is a hacker that works for a newspaper, again part of this massive family we have come to know and love.
Diesel has loved Dani from the moment he set eyes on her 18 months ago, in her free clinic helping disadvantaged and under privileged people who need her help. But she has always pushed him away and told him that they can't be together.
Dani has her reasons for rejecting Diesel, which we find out more about in this book. We learn more about her positive HIV status, her upbringing, her deafness and her previous heartbreaking romance with Adrian.
Of course the Dani/Diesel romance is only half of the story, and we have murder galore in this instalment.
Michael witnesses his step father's murder and must therefore go into protective custody in order to save himself and his younger brother Joshua. Michael is deaf and Joshua is only 5 years old, so to say they are vulnerable is an understatement. The killer is trying to tie up loose ends, so Michael won't be safe until he is caught.
There are other strands that run alongside these two main stories - such as Grant Masterson and his missing siblings. It all ties up nicely in the end though.
I read this one really quickly, and these are big books! :) KR doesn't scrimp on word count, but I believe she makes every one count and doesn't 'waffle'. We have got the steamy sex scenes that we are promised, the gory murders that we have come looking for and we also have the warm family dynamics that we have come to know and love about her universe.
The old favourites, such as Marcus, Stone, Scarlett, Deacon and Adam are all back and quite visible in this story. Every one is needed to help with this case and everyone has their part to play.
I would recommend this to any KR fans, but also anyone who wants a fast paced thriller to get lost in.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.
www.thebeautifulbookbreak.com