ich weiß es doch auch nicht.

Ich hatte eine schwere Phase mit Madame Rose in meiner Jugend. Krimi und Sex. Offensichtlich unterhielt das mein jungendliches Ich. Das könnte man jetzt sicherlich auch großzügig psychoanalysieren...naja.

"Todesstoss" ist ein Überbleibsel auf meinem SUB von damals. Was soll ich sagen... Der Thriller ist im Ganzen gesehen sehr überladen und hanebüchen: zwei Psychopathen, die zufällig zur gleichen Zeit wüten und die die selben Opfer forcieren. Das war mir ja schon zu viel Plot. Und wie immer bei Frau Rose gibt es die große Liebe zwischen Kommissar und Opfer. Die Liebe des Lebens, nach 3 Sekunden Bekanntschaft (Grüße gehen raus an Nicholas Sparks). Kommissar und Opfer sind natürlich beide schwer traumatisierte Persönlichkeiten (hier: Kommissar trockener Alkoholiker, weil er Frau und Kind verloren hat und Opfer war natürlich schon mal Opfer durch einen anderen Psychopathen), lassen sich aber inmitten der Ermittlung auf einander ein und heilen sich. Auch wenn das Opfer fast erneut stirbt. Und wie stark Karen Rose auch versucht ihre Frauen darzustellen, sind diese am Ende des Tages auch nur schwach und geben sich dankbar einem starken Klischeemann hin. Traurig und sehr frustrierend. Ich will jetzt hier nicht politisch überkorrekt sein, aber das fiel mir schon sehr stark auf. 

Die Handlung, sowohl die kriminelle als auch die ramontische, konnte ich sehr genau vorhersagen. Vielleicht liegt das daran, dass ich schon einige Bücher von Madame Rose gelesen habe oder der Plot so locker gestrickt ist oder weil Karen Rose und ich eben Namensbasen (weibliche Namensvetter eben) sind. Ich werde den Gedanken nicht weiter verfolgen. Es ist wie es ist.

Title : Say You're Sorry
Series : Sacramento #1
Author:Karen Rose
pages: 624
genre: romance suspese
Netgalley Arc

Book synopsis
Introducing the first book in the new pulse-pounding Sacramento series from New York Times bestselling author Karen Rose.

FBI Special Agent Gideon Reynolds did not have a conventional upbringing. Raised in a cult in Northern California, his mother smuggled him out when he was thirteen, and he never saw her again. It is not a bit of history he is keen on sharing, but being guarded has not gotten him any closer to what he really wants: a family.

Daisy Dawson lived a sheltered childhood. Her father, a former military man, believed that the woman he loved and her daughter were being hunted, so he took extreme measures to keep his family safe. But despite his best efforts, Daisy is done being scared. New to Sacramento, she is ready to jump headfirst into life--until she is attacked one night.

Gideon is caught unawares by Daisy, who is unlike any victim he has ever met. But the attacker is far from finished, and tracking him will threaten to pull Gideon back to the world he fought so hard to leave...

My thoughts
rating 5 stars
would I read more by this author ? yes
more of this series ? a big yes
This is the first time I've ever read anything by Karen Rose and I can't believe I've never ever read anything from her until now, and after this book I will be looking into more of her books, it was everything I was hopping it would be , no take that back it was more then I hopped it to be, once I started to read I couldn't and didn't want to stop reading it , its even thing I look for in a suspense romance which is a story that is driven equally and simultaneously by the threat of danger and the promise of a romance but that romance doesn't take anything away from the story and that its not to fast or to slow. And that I can get lost in it just as much as I can the story , and the characters Daisy and Gideon i loved them , love how they seem to bring the best out of each other , how they made me laugh, in fact I loved all the characters except for the killer but even while i disliked him ,i felt sorry for him . Love how you get the back story of Gideon and Daisy and even that doesn't take anything away from the story it helps bring the characters more to life , with that said I want to thank Netgalley for letting me read and review Say You're Sorry in change for my honest opinion and I can't wait to read more of this series .

Thomas Thorne is finally ready to confess his feelings for his business partner and best friend of twelve years, Gwyn Weaver (he has no choice, really), but ends up drugged and naked in his bed with a murdered woman by his side.

None of his friends believe he did it, but someone obviously has a grudge against him. A grudge so big, they're willing to dig around his past, dredging up painful memories, and putting everybody he loves, putting Gwyn in danger.


This book obviously marks the end of the Baltimore-based books (we're moving to California next with Taylor's adoptive sister, Daisy) and it was lovely seeing all the old friends and faces again. The only two missing were Grayson and Daphne, but they were there in spirit as the others fought against time and death itself in order to figure out who and why was making Thorne suffer and how to stop them.

I've been curious about Thorne since he first appeared on scene and I'm glad he didn't suffer a character transplant in his book as some of the previous seemingly larger-than-life heroes. He was compassionate and loyal, willing and able to do anything to protect those he loved and cared about, and I was glad the tough exterior he was known for was just a cover for the marshmallow-y inside.
It's a real pity about the heroine, though. I didn't like Gwyn. There've been plenty of KR heroines who's gone through what she's been through, but somehow she felt she was different, somehow special and unique, making her way too whiny for my taste. She was also incredibly selfish. Someone wanted to hurt Thorne, but she always seemed to make everything about herself and her feelings.
As the story progressed, and she finally pulled her head out of her ass about Thorne and their relationship, I actually started to like her, only to grit my teeth at her inability just to tell everything up front. I didn't get the secret keeping and I hated she told Thorne the truth about her past only when she feared it would come out anyway.

The suspense also left much to be desired, which is surprising for a KR book. It felt like it was all over the place, the twists and turns making it rather convoluted and disjointed. The main villain was rather disappointing, since he couldn't keep his hands firmly on the reins, but trusted all those other people to do his dirty work. People make mistakes. The more people, the more mistakes. It made him appear weak and quite a caricature, unintentionally similar to the Bond villains of old with much talk and not enough action.
It made the positive ending a given, instead of making the reader tremble alongside the characters.

This book definitely wasn't what I've come to expect from Karen Rose, but hopefully it's just a fluke.

Edge of Darkness: The Cincinnati Series,...

1. Great characters: Meredith is a child psychologist but also suffers from depression. She has self harmed and attempted suicide in the past. She still struggles at times and it made her a very believable character. Adam is a recovering alcoholic who struggles daily. Again, this made him relatable and flawed.
2. Fun supporting characters: their circle of friends is filled with fun people. Kate, the FBI agent who knits, Clarke, Meredith's video game creating grandfather, Diesel, the hacker. They add a lot of depth to the story. I can't wait to read more about them.
3. Location: As a citizen of Cincinnati, I loved hearing about places in my town! It was great when she would mention Fountain Square, Columbia Parkway, etc.
4. Suspense/Mystery: The plot revolves around a truly horrific act-human trafficking. The story is well written though and Rose doesn't exploit the topic for shock value or anything. You really feel like you are solving the crime with them. The entire book takes place over a weekend and you get glimpses into Meredith, Adam, a young hooker named Linnea, and the bad guy.
5. Heartbreaking: Linnea's story had me in tears. This was a problem because I was listening while I drove. Driving and crying are not a good mix. But, man, its impossible to not care about this girl!

• POV: 3rd
• Tears: yes
• Trope: second chance romance, police/FBI
• Triggers: forced prostitution, child molestation, and human trafficking are all part of the story. None of the acts are detailed. Most of the story occurs after these situations took place and focus more on the after effects
• Series/Standalone: stand alone
• Cliffhanger: none
• HEA: yes with epilogue a few weeks into the future

Edge Of Darkness