Nowadays, it's hard to find a book that will trump my favorite TV shows but this book did it. I kept thinking about it and would get this happy feeling when I sat down to read it. The subject is about an abused child and a murder mystery so for this book to make me happy to pick it up is a big deal. Fantastic book, I'm looking forward to reading the author's other books. 5 stars.

PS:  I think this should become a series.  

My Kindle First Selection for January.

For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. So much so that I read until my "on-its-last-legs" Kindle's battery died, and I was forced to stop. But there were a couple of things that kept it from earning a full four stars. I will get to them in just a bit. But first, the things I did like:

The mystery: I felt it was really well done, and I changed my mind as to who I thought the actual killer was throughout, and I'm usually pretty good at figuring out who the guilty party is.

The pacing: Just the right amount of brisk and slow, and at the appropriate times.

The flashbacks: Whether it was from the point of view of our main characters, Aubrey and Levi, or our murder victim, Missy, I found the flashbacks really added to the story, and the characterization, and in the case of Missy, showed that perception isn't always the same as reality.

Aubrey and Levi: I liked the fact that there was no insta-love/lust. They became partners, then friends, then lovers. Their relationship is conflicting for me, because it was also part of the reason I knocked a half star off this review.

While I really liked the fact that Aubrey and Levi didn't fall into insta-love, I was also unhappy that it took so long for them to finally get together. And I'm not talking about sex here. I'm talking about the realization that they were falling for each other. It was well over half-way--more like nearly three quarters of the way through--that we got any forward momentum on that. While I don't need the couple to jump into bed within pages of meeting, I do like the romance to be a little more in the forefront if I'm reading a Romantic Suspense novel.

I think part of the reason that it took so long was because both Aubrey and Levi had prior entanglements they needed to work through first. Aubrey, a soon-to-be-maybe ex-husband, that she was considering reconciling with, and Levi, an on-again-off-again 'long term' girlfriend. Both of those characters--Owen and Bethany--were really not needed in the story, in my opinion, and I wish their involvement in Aubrey's and Levi's lives had been wrapped up a lot sooner. Neither was very fleshed out, and both felt that they were included only to add another stumbling block to Aubrey and Levi's relationship.

Other than that, this would have been a solid four star read, and I'd definitely read another suspense novel from this author.

Kindle First choice for February, and no one is more surprised than me that I didn't snap up the Joe Hart book. It was a tough, tough choice, but in the end, this one interested me just a bit more.

I am most impressed that this is a debut novel.  It is superbly written.  I was immediately immersed in the story and had a hard time putting it down.  When it comes down to it, I am a romantic and I love to lose myself in a quality love story.  I particularly like that it is not all sugar and spice and all things nice.  It is raw and emotional and complicated.  It just felt believable.

Spinella did a fantastic job on character development.  Although I never really connected with Mia, she truly fascinated me.  She was an interesting and complex character.  Flynn worked his way under my skin fairly early in the book.  I would not say I found him lovable but I was oddly attached to him.  Together, they are dynamic.

I highly recommend reading this book.  You don’t have to be a fan of romance to enjoy it.  It is really a finely crafted, beautiful story.  What an absolutely remarkable debut.  I will be reading more by Laura Spinella for certain.