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paulabrandon's review
3.0
Jon Hatton is an agent assisting the local law authorities in Texas with a serial rapist case. Their forensic artist is insensitive with victims, so when Jon learns from his sources that another one is available nearby, he hunts her down. But this forensic artist is Sherry Mitchell, who is now suffering PTSD as a result of helping too many victims through their harrowing ordeals. Or something. She's reluctant to get involved, but Jon is very supportive, giving her the strength to get through it. Once she's involved, of course, the rapist delivers her a personal threat to stay out of his business!
I enjoyed reading this, but it fell somewhat short for me. Firstly, Sherry is just a bit too fragile for my liking. While I appreciate the book was doing a respectful job of portraying someone suffering this condition, it annoyed me that other characters who had suffered much worse atrocities than Sherry (actual rape, for instance) were much stronger in tackling their issues head on. It sounds insensitive, but Sherry occasionally came across as a bit of a precious petal!
Then we Sherry being a bit of a martyr about her PTSD and thinking Jon wouldn't want to "saddle" himself with a woman with such an affliction. Instead of talking with him about it like a rational adult, she creates distance between them. It was irritating. It kind of made me feel as if she would actually be a bit of high maintenance, always needing to be reassured by Jon that he still found her attractive and sexy.
I did like that both characters were compassionate people, and Crouch did a good job showing this, and not just telling us. All that "I'm here for you 100%" and "baby steps" talk got a little tiresome and repetitive, however.
Things were going along swimmingly until two of Jon's Omega Sector pals, Liam Goetz and Brandon Han, showed up. It was pure sequel/franchise bait. They weren't needed! This is a real pet peeve of mine in category romance. In particular, Liam's behaviour is borderline sexual harassment, but everybody just shakes it off, because they can apparently just instantly tell he's a good guy. Whatever. I wanted to smack him! His dialogue exchange with Sherry at the supermarket about Jon's feelings for her was just downright CRINGEWORTHY.
Faults aside, it was an entertaining read. The chapters were a decent length, so I was always telling myself "just one more chapter", which resulted me reading it all in one go. Generally, that's a good sign!
I enjoyed reading this, but it fell somewhat short for me. Firstly, Sherry is just a bit too fragile for my liking. While I appreciate the book was doing a respectful job of portraying someone suffering this condition, it annoyed me that other characters who had suffered much worse atrocities than Sherry (actual rape, for instance) were much stronger in tackling their issues head on. It sounds insensitive, but Sherry occasionally came across as a bit of a precious petal!
Then we Sherry being a bit of a martyr about her PTSD and thinking Jon wouldn't want to "saddle" himself with a woman with such an affliction. Instead of talking with him about it like a rational adult, she creates distance between them. It was irritating. It kind of made me feel as if she would actually be a bit of high maintenance, always needing to be reassured by Jon that he still found her attractive and sexy.
I did like that both characters were compassionate people, and Crouch did a good job showing this, and not just telling us. All that "I'm here for you 100%" and "baby steps" talk got a little tiresome and repetitive, however.
Things were going along swimmingly until two of Jon's Omega Sector pals, Liam Goetz and Brandon Han, showed up. It was pure sequel/franchise bait. They weren't needed! This is a real pet peeve of mine in category romance. In particular, Liam's behaviour is borderline sexual harassment, but everybody just shakes it off, because they can apparently just instantly tell he's a good guy. Whatever. I wanted to smack him! His dialogue exchange with Sherry at the supermarket about Jon's feelings for her was just downright CRINGEWORTHY.
Faults aside, it was an entertaining read. The chapters were a decent length, so I was always telling myself "just one more chapter", which resulted me reading it all in one go. Generally, that's a good sign!
rowdyroo762's review against another edition
5.0
It was a very interesting angle to show what working in the field of law enforcement can do to someone mentally if they don't have someone to ground them or distract them when they are away from working. How fragile the mind can be and how it protects itself to help us survive another day. This was a great read and a tumultuous journey for Sherry and Jon. It was an adrenaline rush at the end but a very sweet final end of the book. How mighty they may be, but how quickly they fall.
scoutmomskf's review
5.0
Fantastic book with a very intense storyline. Sherry is a forensic artist visiting a friend on vacation. The stresses of her job have gotten to the point where she is having trouble drawing. She is also always cold. Jon is a federal agent assigned to the Corpus Christi police department to help them find a serial rapist. He's used to resistance from local cops when it comes to the feds, but it's worse than usual.
Jon and Sherry meet at the hospital where a new victim has been taken. Jon is there for his job, while Sherry is there waiting for her friend Caroline, an EMT. Both of them witness the poor behavior of one of the police detectives toward the victim, and are horrified by it. Sherry can see what should be done, but her PTSD has her shivering in her shoes. Jon is determined to find someone else to help question the victims, and his resources at Omega send him to Sherry.
That meeting doesn't go well at first, as Jon is unaware of her problem and thinks she's being uncaring and selfish. Once he understands the problem, he offers to help her if she'll help him. Sherry really does want to help but is afraid that she won't be of any use. Once she makes the decision to work with him, she is all in. Jon's awareness of her problem enables him to show her how to deal with the stress so that it doesn't overwhelm her.
I loved seeing their relationship develop. There was an intense attraction from the beginning. I loved the way that he was so sensitive to her problem and determined to help her. It was sweet to see how he tried to keep their date free of any influence of their work. He's also very protective of her, especially after the message from the rapist. It was really fun to see his reaction when his two Omega friends/coworkers came to help and were making eyes at Sherry. His friend Liam also saw the truth of Jon's feelings before he did. Sherry was just as attracted to Jon. She had some trouble believing that he could really be interested in her with all her problems. I loved seeing how just being close to him drove away the coldness she felt, and how she began to understand what having him in her life meant to her. I loved seeing them get to know each other when they weren't working and how it helped them when they were. The ending was great. Jon's surprise for her was wonderful and it was fun to see him tell her all about his determination to convince her of his feelings and vision of their future, and Sherry's reaction to it.
The suspense of this story was fantastic. It kept me completely hooked and up well past my bedtime reading it. The frustration of Jon and the police department over the lack of leads was easily felt. Jon's disgust with the attitudes of the cops was understandable, especially when he witnessed the questioning of the one victim. The detailed descriptions of what Sherry did when she was working with the victims added another layer to the depth of the story. Her success at drawing obscure details from the victims made her a target. Things got really scary when Caroline became one of the victims and the cops finally got a lead. The final confrontation was intense with a twist that I didn't see coming.
Jon and Sherry meet at the hospital where a new victim has been taken. Jon is there for his job, while Sherry is there waiting for her friend Caroline, an EMT. Both of them witness the poor behavior of one of the police detectives toward the victim, and are horrified by it. Sherry can see what should be done, but her PTSD has her shivering in her shoes. Jon is determined to find someone else to help question the victims, and his resources at Omega send him to Sherry.
That meeting doesn't go well at first, as Jon is unaware of her problem and thinks she's being uncaring and selfish. Once he understands the problem, he offers to help her if she'll help him. Sherry really does want to help but is afraid that she won't be of any use. Once she makes the decision to work with him, she is all in. Jon's awareness of her problem enables him to show her how to deal with the stress so that it doesn't overwhelm her.
I loved seeing their relationship develop. There was an intense attraction from the beginning. I loved the way that he was so sensitive to her problem and determined to help her. It was sweet to see how he tried to keep their date free of any influence of their work. He's also very protective of her, especially after the message from the rapist. It was really fun to see his reaction when his two Omega friends/coworkers came to help and were making eyes at Sherry. His friend Liam also saw the truth of Jon's feelings before he did. Sherry was just as attracted to Jon. She had some trouble believing that he could really be interested in her with all her problems. I loved seeing how just being close to him drove away the coldness she felt, and how she began to understand what having him in her life meant to her. I loved seeing them get to know each other when they weren't working and how it helped them when they were. The ending was great. Jon's surprise for her was wonderful and it was fun to see him tell her all about his determination to convince her of his feelings and vision of their future, and Sherry's reaction to it.
The suspense of this story was fantastic. It kept me completely hooked and up well past my bedtime reading it. The frustration of Jon and the police department over the lack of leads was easily felt. Jon's disgust with the attitudes of the cops was understandable, especially when he witnessed the questioning of the one victim. The detailed descriptions of what Sherry did when she was working with the victims added another layer to the depth of the story. Her success at drawing obscure details from the victims made her a target. Things got really scary when Caroline became one of the victims and the cops finally got a lead. The final confrontation was intense with a twist that I didn't see coming.
vickylou's review
2.0
Honestly, I sort of need to check my head for wondering why I keep reading these. Elements are absolutely perfect for my reading needs... other elements are completely off the mark.
What I don't like... the men all seem to be complete arses. The women, who should for all intents and purposes be strong, tend to be simps. Total and utter simps. I also don't like the total non-closure of the 'jeopardy'... it's all 'that's that' and it's over. Frustrating!!
What I don't like... the men all seem to be complete arses. The women, who should for all intents and purposes be strong, tend to be simps. Total and utter simps. I also don't like the total non-closure of the 'jeopardy'... it's all 'that's that' and it's over. Frustrating!!
thebookdisciple's review
4.0
Enjoyable as always! I liked the mystery and both Jon and Sherry were great characters!
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