Say You’re Sorry by Karen Rose was my first book by this author. And even though I don’t often read romantic suspense novels, I can see the attraction.
Say You’re Sorry by Karen Rose
Special Agent Gideon Reynolds has tried hard to put his past behind him. He escaped the violence of his cult upbringing when he was just thirteen, and since then routine and discipline have been his way of making sense of the world. But when a petite blonde woman crashes into his life, he begins to realize that a little bit of chaos might not be so bad.
Daisy Dawson has had more than her fair share of pain too—but she’s done being a victim. Daisy’s determined to explore every new experience she can—including getting to know the dark and serious FBI investigator she meets when she fights off a masked attacker one night.
It soon becomes clear that Daisy’s attack was just the beginning. Now the bloodied bodies of young women are showing up all over California, and, as Gideon tries to find the killer, it’s clear that Daisy is in more danger than they ever realised…
Say You’re Sorry – Karen Rose
My thoughts
Say You’re Sorry by Karen Rose was my first book by this author. And even though I don’t often read romantic suspense novels, I can see the attraction.
It surprised me a little at first, that the author gave the antagonist so much time to express himself. At the beginning I thought his chapters were a waste of time (I believe that maybe even half of the book was about him). But the amount of time the author dedicated to the antagonist really allowed me to step into his shoes. And because of it, his chapters became more compelling.
I can see how the author found a formula that worked for her.
The suspense but also the romance was very well written. It’s obvious that the author is a seasoned writer. Although I was surprised by the amount of romance in this romantic suspense thriller. Because somehow I expected it to be a light romance, minimal even, but that wasn’t the case at all. Gideon and Daisy’s relationship was fully developed and they spent almost all their time together.
Even though the story’s timeframe covered only a little more than a week, the author filled those 544 pages with a thrilling plot. And although the antagonist owned a good part of those pages, as I mentioned before, the further I got into the book the more invested I became in the story, including his part.
The only drawback was that not everything in this story made sense to me. And the last standoff felt drawn out and unnecessarily long. I was close to shouting – SHOOT HIM!!! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???? In that moment the book felt the most formulaic to me. If I had read a physical book instead of listening to the audiobook, I would have skipped paragraphs and pages.
But all in all the book was entertaining, and I enjoyed the romance part very much. It was just a really LONG book.
Not surprising I’m looking forward to finding out what the Sacramento series is all about, because it didn’t feel like the overall arc was done. And now I’m wondering if there is more coming about Gideon and his past.
About the narration: I’ve listened to better ones in the past. The male narrator’s female impressions didn’t impress me at all, and his overall performance wasn’t the best either.
3.5/5 Stars
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Say You’re Sorry – Karen Rose
Oh I want to try this author. It has been some time since j read her books.
It was my first book by her and I can see reading more of her books. I wonder if all her books are standalone novels.
I read and reviewed this back in April. I wanted to love it and tried to love it, but it just felt weighted down to me, if that makes sense!
It does. Since it was my first book by her, I didn’t really know what to expect, and for me the audiobook made the difference. I might not have finished it otherwise.