April 24, 2021

It’s frickin’ hot.

Let’s get that straight first.

Like, straight up, oh my God, belly dip, kindle-on-fire hot.

Like, don’t try to sneak a few pages here and there when other people are around hot.

Like, make sure your significant other is nearby and you can have some quick alone time hot.

Did I mention that it’s on fire?

With each Beauregard brother’s story, I think I fall a little bit harder for the family. Each one has been my favorite at any given time.

This book it’s Hank’s turn. I’ll be honest that I didn’t think much of him in Emma and Samuel’s story, but not because of what he did.

Kind of because he was just “there” and came across more as a catalyst for their story rather than having his own identity.

I think maybe that was a reason I had a hard time getting a grasp on him. I mean, he was great, and just as swoon-worthy as his brothers. But was just a hard personality to discern.

Until Stevie.

Who, on the other hand, was an open book to me. I got her right away. I liked that she was older and had more experience.

I definitely liked them together. And that’s what it’s all about anyway, right? The chemistry between the characters?

I think I made that part clear at the top.

But, ICYMI, it’s off-the-charts hot.

My only complaint, and it’s a petty, teeny one, is I would have liked to have seen the music of Hank and Stevie come full circle. I mean, the music-writing scene was amazing.

And Stevie does live in Nashville, which has multiple amateur open mic nights.

Just sayin’.

I am very glad to have two more stories with this family. It looks like Rhett is next, with Milly wrapping it up.

Unless we can get a story for June? I mean, 40 is the new 30, so maybe June could have a second chance at love once her kids are all paired off? I would pay double or more for that book.

This psych thriller had some good and bad points.

The good: some truly tense moments, great interspersed third-party perspectives, and a few unforeseen twists.

The bad: there were long passages where not a lot happened other than characters fretting about what was going on.

I suppose in hindsight, that’s not really a bad thing, but some of them seemed to be more inward based (ie a character worrying about something) and that did nothing to propel the plot.

I knew right from the start that something wasn’t right about the whole event that kicks off the book. I think that was the point.

The author did throw in enough red herrings that I found myself suspecting pretty much every character at one point or another. I like when an author can keep me guessing.

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3mLqiWC
Apple: https://apple.co/2XWVsim
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2LOIm4i
Google: https://bit.ly/2LQmiWY

I thought that there was some unevenness with the way the story was told. For example, there were times that we got to see a text message that a character received and other times we were just told that one had been received.

I think it might have been more effective if every text message had been relayed in the same manner.

As far as the main characters, I felt most sympathetic towards Jill. She didn’t do a lot to help herself, but it seemed as if a lot of her actions were based in the grief of having lost her husband and being at loose ends.

I did think that a few of the things she did seemed out of character, even for what we knew of her, but given the ending, I understand why the author chose for them to happen.

I actually didn’t like Claire. I thought she was pretty self-centered. I mean, I know she was worried about her kid, but she really didn’t come across as if she would have been nice even before the events of the book.

And I certainly didn’t get the attraction of Ollie. Of the main characters, I think he was the least clear to me. This wasn’t great because apparently, he was quite the man (given how the book all wraps up).

I just didn’t see anything that showed me he was as amazing as he was made out to be.

All of that being said, the book did keep me guessing and the author smartly wrapped up all of the plot threads and red herrings in a believable manner. And there is a decent twist at the end. So, I would recommend this book.

Facebook: shaliniboland
Instagram: shaboland
Twitter: @ShaliniBoland

Author Bio:
Shalini lives in Dorset, England with her husband, two children and Jess their cheeky terrier cross. Before kids, she was signed to Universal Music Publishing as a singer songwriter, but now she spends her days writing suspense thrillers (in between school runs and hanging out endless baskets of laundry).