Repressed

Deadly Secrets, Book 1

De: Elisabeth Naughton

Narrado por: Amy Landon

RITA Award Winner, Romantic Suspense, 2017

Hidden Falls is exactly as Samantha Parker left it - small, insular, and prone to gossip. Eighteen years have passed since she witnessed her brother's murder, but she's still the talk of the town. Until a handsome child psychologist with haunting memories of his own arrives.

Dr. Ethan McClane isn't exactly a newcomer. If it weren't for his latest case, he'd never set foot back in Hidden Falls. Thankfully, no one seems to recognize him as the troubled teen from years past. Not even Sam, the delightfully sharp and sexy high school chemistry teacher he can't stop thinking about.

When Sam and Ethan work together to help one of her students, sparks ignite. But Sam's hazy memories of a long-ago night concern Ethan, and unlocking the repressed images reveals a dark connection between them. As the horrors of the past finally come to light, their relationship isn't the only thing in danger. A killer will strike again to keep an ugly secret hidden. This time no one will be safe.

©2016 Elisabeth Naughton (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Loved it

This was my first book by this author. I've already pre-ordered the next in this series as well as another series. Looking forward to more.

amazing

This book was amazing. I've been telling everyone about it. The way the author wrote the characters really felt like people I know in real life. She did a great job of helping you get lost into this fantastic world. Definitely going to read more of her books.

Light entertainment

Straightforward romantic suspense novel. More emphasis on the romance than the suspense. Characters a bit too clichéd and the plot too predictable. The narrator made the characters sound too alike. Some male characters sounded way too feminine.

Meandering into a dead end

This could have been a good crime story. Or a good romance story. Or a good revenge story. Instead it was a dash of this, a pinch of that, and a big old feast of nothingness.

Still on the fence about this one.

I am still unsure how I feel about this book. It was an interesting read, but there were too many things thrown at the reader. There are many things you are expected to over look, mainly a connection the hero has with the town. Folks think he looks familiar, but never connect him to the teen he was, even kids he hung out with in his time in the town. I was not buying that at all.

There are several twists and turns in the book, most felt contrived. There wasn't anything that I didn't figure out early in the story. Don't get me wrong, I finished the book and was entertained, just not held in suspense.

The romance is more lust, cause I am not a believer in love at first sight. They definitely had chemistry, plenty or open door bedroom action here! Lots of adult language and detailed sexual activity. I am totally fine with that, but it didn't enhance the story, which is my problem with it. They fell into bed too fast and then it seemed to become a habit.

The narrative is mixed between the two leads and a couple of supporting character thoughts as well. It is meant to enhance the story, but for me, it gave away too much. I really wasn't shocked at any point and found that I had more than enough clues, way to early on, to know what the deal was by the time things unraveled.

The narration by Amy Landon was good on the ladies voices, but not so great with the men. They just sounded to feminine the whole time. She does have a good pace and puts energy into the words, just needs work on the guy voices. Not everyone has a lower range to work with, but she really could try to make them a little more butch.

Overall, this book was a disappointment in many ways, but it was an entertaining read that kept me busy for a few hours. It felt like it might be leading into a series, I will have to look into that because the brothers had potential!

This was part of my reading for almost free commitment. I found it on Amazon, with my Kindle Unlimited subscription, I was able to borrow the audio for no additional charge. I do not know if this is a permanent arrangement or temporary. It was in effect at the time I wrote this review.