Don't Tell was a very touching, emotional book. It was one of the better romantic suspense books that I have read lately. It was the first Karen Rose book I have experienced, but I can tell that this will be another series that will be a must read for me.

This is a great story, even though there's a whiff of the love-at-first-sight syndrome between Max and Caroline but the events that occur as their relationship develops more than compensate for their beginnings. Their trials and challenges are extremely realistic for two people that don't know each other very well. The police investigation is gritty and well researched. Much of the story is based in North Carolina and the author did her homework in representing the geography of the state. I raced through this. It was as good as I remember it being the first time round. Karen writes in an easy, relaxed way. It's not difficult to read, the plot was excellently mapped out, and I found myself wanting to read a bit more each time I went to put it down of an evening. Unfortunately this story doesn't hold the candle to Don't Tell. Though the suspense part was wonderful, thrilling, chilling, intriguing, and keeping the reader on the edge of the seat, the characterization and all those little sideline stories bothered me. There are several parallel narratives in this book Don't Tell: the first is about Caroline Stewart, a woman who ran away from her abusive husband and is living with her son under an assumed identity. The second is the one of Rob Winters, her husband, who recently figured out she ran away and starts looking for her. The third, is about Special Agent Steven Thatcher, who got assigned the case of her disappearance and is on Winter's trail once he discovers he was abusing his wife. For a good chunk of the book, I was like... A former high school teacher of chemistry and physics, Karen lives in Florida with her husband of more than thirty years and her dog, Loki. [2] Bibliography [ edit ]I was also hoping for more time spent on the mystery and not Steven's "woe is me" angst or people telling him he needs to get married again for the sake of his boys -- which again, product of its time. The mystery involving the serial killer has a limited number of suspects but it still was a challenging case with a few red herrings thrown in the mix. The crimes were pretty gruesome and heartbreaking as the victims were only 16 years old. I was able to figure out the killer about halfway through but continued to challenge my choice almost to the end. This is a very suspenseful story with just the right balance of romance. Steven and Jenna are sympathetic characters who seem well suited for each other. His children and Aunt Helen also provide some much needed comic relief to the story. Readers knows the identity of the villain from the outset so there was no mystery. His agenda was clear. However, the paths the author traversed were edgy, gritty and thrilling. She had me reading/listening intently as I was eager to learn how things would fare out for Caroline. I feared for Caroline and all who encountered the sadist. The romance is compelling mostly due to the amazing chemistry between Steven and Jenna. This makes their relationship believable despite the relatively short time span. Given his history, Steven is an extremely vulnerable hero, which may explain his trust issues and reservations where it comes to accepting Jenna wholeheartedly. Nevertheless, his jealousy can be annoying at times. Jenna is my favorite type of heroine, caring and sympathetic but also holds her own against hesitant policemen and diabolical serial killers.

The characters and their actions are realistic and believable, portrayed with a staggering accuracy. Though this is a work of fiction, Ms. Rose portrayed her characters as real people, with real feelings, with real flaws, making real (and sometimes stupid) mistakes, giving the reader ample opportunity to empathize with them, all the while creating interesting and chilling food for thought. Because what happened in this story happens out there every single day. And people, as the people who knew Mary Grace Winters, tend to turn a blind eye to it, grasping at any plausible explanation that might ease their minds. The romance between Caroline and Max is hot, but it’s also very complicated. Understandably, after being a living, human Raggedy-Ann doll for her ex-husband to punch and push around, Caroline is not exactly trusting of the male sex. Neither is her son, Tom (whom you’ll just want to wrap in a blanket and protect forever because he’s so precious.) Max does a pretty good job breaking down the barriers, but there are several misunderstandings that make this for a very dramatic and sometimes even occasionally problematic romance.

Customer reviews

Rob Winters is one of the most vicious, malevolent villains of any book I’ve read. He might not be a creature of evil out of a Stephen King novel, a lesser, a rogue vampire, or a demon from a PNR book, but he is nevertheless a sadistic monster that made my skin crawl and gave me chills. Never before have I wanted so badly for a character to meet with a punishing, torturing, and pitiless end like I did in this. What makes this all the more real and terrifying is that although it’s a fictional story, horrifying abuse and violence like what Mary/Caroline and Tom suffered happens every minute, of every day. Actually, a well known FBI statistic is that “in the U.S., every nine seconds a woman is physically abused by her husband/intimate partner, resulting in 3-4 million women being battered each year.” It does push one of my buttons in a way as I am so tired of abusive husband and father stories. The fact that they're out there is undeniable. But please be aware that all husbands and fathers are not abusers and seeing "men" (and most of us who are men hate that the word is used for these creatures) when they see other men abusing family members (or others) most (I hope) men are repulsed. Whether modern women want it or not most of us would stand between you and whatever threatens (yes I know, you don't need a man to protect you, it's not PC and all the other. We're still willing). Her debut suspense novel, Don't Tell, was released in July, 2003. Since then, she has published more than fifteen novels and two novellas. Her twenty-fifth novel, Say No More, was released in August 2020. Don’t Tell by Karen Rose, which is set in the city of Chicago, is book one in her Romantic Suspense series. This is my first foray into Rose’s world and it will not be my last. I cannot believe I waited so long to read her work. In the end, Josh gets caught before he can kill Jenna and his last victim, but doesn't get to go to jail since his mother, who had shot his father and brother before heading to court, kills him in the courtroom before killing herself. Not even one sane member in that family!

The excitement in this book came from parallel chases: Winter chasing Caroline and Thatcher chasing Winters. I liked that Caroline was living a normal life for most of the book: she has a great son, a great friend, and recently met a guy that for the first time, made her want to give love a chance. I also liked that Caroline wasn't the only one with issues: Max has a terrible limp after an accident that destroyed his career in professional sports. Both are wounded, both physically and emotionally, and find solace in each other. Yes, Rose conveys the fear, anguish, and terror a woman must endure in an abusive relationship. She also clearly shows the strength and determination that is needed to get out of such a horrible situation. On those counts, bravo. Third, the heroine and her idiosyncrasies. She kept accusing everybody of not getting over her deceased fiancé, but still she kept his ring, and his car...And then accusing the hero of not trusting her (which was true), yet her behavior suggested she didn't trust him either. Gabe Hebert saw the toll that working for the NOPD took on his dad and decided instead to make a name for himself as one of the best young chefs in the French Quarter. But when his father’s death is ruled a suicide after a deliberately botched investigation by his former captain, Gabe knows his dad stumbled onto a truth that someone wants silenced. The tension was felt throughout the book. I love nothing more, than when an author can make me feel the same level of fear and panic, that the characters are subjected to. Karen Rose does just that'Have You Seen Her? is book two of Romantic Suspense series by Karen Rose. When a young girl's body founded in a clearing and another girl's body couple days later, Special Agent Steven Thatcher started to think that there is a serial killer on the lose. However, Special Agent Steven Thatcher had other worries when his eldest son teacher Dr Jenna Marshall called him with about Brad deteriorating school work. From their first meeting, they felt the chemistry between them. The readers of Have You Seen Her? will follow the twists and turned in the murder investigation and the romance between Special Agent Steven Thatcher and Dr Jenna Marshall. Karen's books are set in different US states. The books are connected, and characters from previous novels usually make appearances, even if they are not from those places. [1] If you know me, you know I love Karen Rose novels. She is one of my go to authors for thrills and gore, but also a great story line. HYSH? is no exception. Here's what it is about...

Mary Grace Winters finally found a way to escape her abusive husband and reinvented herself as Caroline Stewart and moved to Chicago with her seven-year old son, now named Tom. For the next seven years, she managed to pull herself up by her bootstraps, with the help of a shelter and a kind employer, and create a happy and productive life. Caroline got her GED and went to work for the head of the history department at a small college. Following the death of the chair, a new history professor, Max Hunter, was hired and at his first appearance, both he and Caroline established an immediate connection, one that transcended employer/employee relations. Steven can't see a light at the end of the dark, hopeless tunnel that is his home situation, until he meets Jenna. Jenna is Brad's teacher and brings his failing grades to the attention of is father, because it is so out of character for him. Sparks fly, and before we know it Jenna and Steven are doing all kinds of ice cream related naughtiness.Special Agent Steven Thatcher is in charge of finding the sadistic serial killer who is luring teen cheerleaders out of their beds at night, abducting them, sexually assaulting them, shaving their heads then finally killing them and displaying their bodies in a wooded clearing. Caroline and Max’s relationship, while root-worthy, is not without its flaws. And for all that they’ve been through, it’s completely understandable. How they dealt with the conflicts and resolved them, however, is questionable. There’s a really good scene towards the end of the book that highlights the exact problem I have that involves Caroline, Max, and Dana (Caroline’s best friend and the truth-telling queen we all need in our lives.) The topic was chilling and more than realistic. The struggle of an abused woman, the courage it takes to pull herself out of the abyss of torment and rise literally out of her own ashes was beautifully done. The author, though sparing the reader a few gory details, didn't sugarcoat the subject, presenting it straightforward, unblinking and unflinching in all its starkness and bleakness. Offering heart-racing thrills, both in the bedroom and the forensics lab, this second romantic intrigue from Rose ( Don't Tell