Book source ~ ARC. My review is voluntary and honest.

Rikki Albermarle ran away from her tiny home town in the NC Smokey Mountains to Chapel Hill. She convinced herself she was doing what she always said she was going to do: go to UNC to be an oncology nurse. While she did do that, what she was really doing was running away from the man who killed her best friend. A monster. The man she had fallen in love with, Owen Amir. But after three years she had to go back and get some answers for her own sanity. Nightmares plagued her and it was beginning to affect her work, so back to Evansville she goes. With bridges to mend and a gut-wrenching confrontation with a killer in her plans, she’s not sure she’ll survive again.

This story alternates between past and present and sometimes that makes it hard to keep things straight. Also, Owen and Rikki are kinda hard to like. For me anyway. I’m sure many will like them just fine. Owen wants Rikki to trust him, but he won’t share his secret and Rikki is just too angsty. To be honest, I don’t particularly care for either one of them, so I’m not invested in their outcome even though that outcome is damn interesting. I did enjoy the big reveal and the final showdown, but I’m glad it’s over. Does that make any sense? LOL I this is one of those love or hate books and while I didn’t hate it I also didn’t love it. However, don’t let my ambivalence stop you from giving it a go. It just might be up your dark alley, so to speak.

Three years ago, Rikki Albemarle watched her best friend die at the hands of a supernatural evil. Certain she was slated to be the next victim, Rikki fled her small Smoky Mountain hometown, vowing to never come back. Plagued by nightmares and knowing she's the only one who believes Mina's death was no accident, Rikki returns with hopes of finding answers and holding the killer accountable.

Rikki is convinced the key to unlocking the secret of Mina's death lies with Owen Amir, the alluring young army vet who once claimed her heart. But the deeper Rikki digs into Owen's past, the more she's torn between the urgings of her heart and her memories of him on the night Mina died.

After falling further into the rabbit hole, Rikki lands at the feet of an ancient and powerful evil determined to finish what it started years before. To survive, she'll have to make a decision: believe Owen is the monster she always feared he might be or trust him enough to stay and fight for a second chance at love.

@elizabethb19871, @KarissaLaurel, #Paranormal, #Romance, 5 out of 5 (exceptional)

"A girl doesn't fall in love with the devil and come away unscarred... "

Well I'm officially a goner, Karissa Laurel has done it again. I'm over the moon for Owen and Rikki. TEAM OWKI 4 LIFE.

Owen definitely brought the heat, but he was actually very sweet too. I appreciated how endlessly patient he was with Rikki. He was a take charge kinda guy but he always let Rikki set the pace and call the shots. It was refreshing. I feel like so often you see that Alpha male type be overbearing and constantly pushing against the emotional walls that the women construct. Not Owen. He was clear about his feelings and desires but totally content to prop a smouldering elbow against the wall with a smirk and let Rikki decide when she was going to let him in. Owen had his secrets though and they were searing.

Rikki was pretty awesome too. I respected her drive. She had goals and determination and when she set her sights to something she was going to make it happen. I think Rikki and Owen together is one hell of a force!

I absolutely LOVED the preternatural element in this novel. It's something I truly haven't read much about before and it had me totally captivated. That ending was equally awesome and torturous. Laurel turned up the heat to scorching and I need more. SO. MUCH. MORE. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

An intelligent romance with a paranormal twist and wonderful well developed characters. A romance, with characters that I couldn't help but love. Owen, he's ex military, looking to settle down in a small town after a long tour. He meets a local girl Rikki, a hard working goal orientated woman, with dreams beyond the town. They click, a romance begins but that is only a small part of the story. Nothing was predictable, the plot, the characters, the outcome. 

What a ride ! The story was a slow build, the author laying crumbs along a twisted and unexpected road. Oh the feels, I had them all. I speculated through the whole book and I didn't figure out what the mystery was till it was handed to me. Seriously, I read a lot, it's hard to find fresh and new twists, this one surprised me.  I was sad to see it end, I wanted more of these characters, their story their love. I have read this author's work before and am a fan, she topped her previous work with this one. This is her best work so far. Bravo Ms. Laurel. 

This would make a fabulous movie !

Why did it have to end ? WHY ? I want more.