Review: Fear Nothing by Lisa Gardner

Fear Nothing (Detective D.D. Warren #7) by Lisa Gardner
Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
Publisher: Dutton Books/Brilliance Audio
Length: 12 Hours 46 Minutes
Publication date: January 7th 2014
My rating: 5 stars 

My name is Dr. Adeline Glen. Due to a genetic condition, I can’t feel pain. I never have. I never will.

The last thing Boston Detective D.D. Warren remembers is walking the crime scene after dark. Then, a creaking floorboard, a low voice crooning in her ear… She is later told she managed to discharge her weapon three times. All she knows is that she is seriously injured, unable to move her left arm, unable to return to work.

My sister is Shana Day, a notorious murderer who first killed at fourteen. Incarcerated for thirty years, she has now murdered more people while in prison than she did as a free woman.

Six weeks later, a second woman is discovered murdered in her own bed, her room containing the same calling cards from the first: a bottle of champagne and a single red rose. The only person who may have seen the killer: Detective D.D. Warren, who still can’t lift her child, load her gun, or recall a single detail from the night that may have cost her everything.

Our father was Harry Day, an infamous serial killer who buried young women beneath the floor of our home. He has been dead for forty years. Except the Rose Killer knows things about my father he shouldn’t. My sister claims she can help catch him. I think just because I can’t feel pain, doesn’t mean my family can’t hurt me.

D.D. may not be back on the job, but she is back on the hunt. Because the Rose Killer isn’t just targeting lone women; he is targeting D.D. And D.D. knows there is only one way to take him down:

Fear nothing.

My Thoughts:

I’ve been a fan of Lisa Gardner’s mysteries for years, and Fear Nothing has to be one of her best.  If you’re a fan of a well-plotted, mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat, I highly recommend this story! 

Detective D.D. Warren is out on disability after suffering falling down a flight of stairs at the scene of a horrendous murder.  She has no recollection of what happened, only that she fired her gun and woke up with one hell of a shoulder injury.  Pain is now her constant companion, making her existence a nightmare.  This is how she meets Dr. Adeline Glen, a pain specialist highly recommended. D.D. and Adeline soon find that they have more in common that just a doctor patient relationship when the murders continue and they discover a bizarre and suspicious connection to Adeline’s family.

Two things about Dr. Adeline Glen are significant.  First, she can’t physically feel pain, which makes her chosen profession ironic and second, she is the daughter of one of the most infamous serial killer’s in history, Harry Day, who died over forty years ago.  As if that wasn’t enough of a stigma, her older sister Shana Day, a convicted murderer as well. You’d think this wouldn’t have much of an impact on Adeline’s life given that her father committed suicide when she was just a baby and she was adopted by a well respected doctor, but nature versus nurture weighs heavily in Adeline’s mind.  As you read the story it becomes evident why…

One thing I love about Lisa Gardner is the fact that she delves heavily into her character’s state of mind. This story is told in first person for Adeline’s POV, and third person for D.D.’s chapters, which worked perfectly.  Because of the first person narrative with Adeline, I felt an intimate connection with her and the interworking of her mind was fascinating!  Her relationship with her incarcerated sister, and their family history factor heavily into the story.  With the murders resembling the methods used by both Shana and their father, suspicions are swirling everywhere and as a reader I suspected everyone!    

With D.D. dealing with intense pain and complete memory loss, she is understandably frustrated, but she continues to work on the case unofficially with her team, her husband Alex, and with Adeline.  In the previous books, D.D. reluctantly settled down with Alex, a blood spatter specialist, and had a child.  It was lovely to see them as a couple still going strong even dealing with extremely difficult circumstances, and I thought Ms. Gardner did an excellent job portraying their struggles realistically.

This mystery was a good one! Layer upon layer was slowly stripped away until we discover the secrets of the past as well as the identity of the killer.  I was riveted to the pages, and bouncing up and down in parts from the suspense!  Fear Nothing is part of a series, but it’s not necessary to read the previous books to enjoy this story.

The brilliant narration of Kirsten Potter really enhanced my enjoyment of this excellent mystery.  She has a low sultry voice which I found very appealing. I’ve listened to another book narrated by Ms. Potter (Never Seduce a Scot) and she is amazing with accents!

 

Connect with Lisa Gardner:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

 

Review: Four Seconds to Lose by K.A. Tucker

Four Seconds to Lose (Ten Tiny Breaths #3) by K.A. Tucker
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication date: November 4th 2013
My rating: 3.5 stars

When a gorgeous young dancer walks through his door, a strip club owner must decide whether to follow his rules or his heart in the third novel by the author of One Tiny Lie and Ten Tiny Breaths.

Owning a strip club isn’t the fantasy most guys expect it to be. With long hours, a staff with enough issues to keep a psych ward in business, and the police regularly on his case, twenty-nine-year-old Cain is starting to second guess his unspoken mission to save the women he employs. And then blond, brown-eyed Charlie Rourke walks through his door, and things get really complicated. Cain abides by a strict “no sleeping with the staff” rule. But being around Charlie challenges Cain’s self-control…and it’s been a long time since any woman has done that.

Twenty-two-year-old Charlie Rourke needs a lot of money, really fast, in order to vanish before it’s too late. Taking her clothes off for men makes her stomach curl but Charlie tells herself that at least she’s putting her acting and dancing skills to good use. And though her fellow dancers seem eager to nab their sexy, sophisticated, and genuinely caring boss, she’s not interested. After all, Charlie Rourke doesn’t really exist—and the girl pretending to be her can't get distracted by romance.

Unfortunately, Charlie soon discovers that developing feelings for Cain is inevitable, and that those feelings may not be unrequited—but losing him when he finds out what she’s involved with will be more painful than any other sentence awaiting her.

My Thoughts:
I enjoyed the first books of this series, so I was looking forward to getting Cain, the controlled strip club owner’s story. Four Seconds to Lose was definitely darker than the first two, but just as addictive.

Cain is a noble type strip club owner. Sounds contradictory, right?  I know but as I got to know him through this series and this story that’s exactly how I’d describe him. Motivated by the murder of his sister, Cain strives to make up for the past by running a club where girls could have a safe, protected environment to dance and make a lot of money.  Where he can, he helps the girls shift into other forms of employment. Cain also has a strict, self-imposed hands off policy with his employees. Well, that’s until Charlie walks through his door.

Charlie has her own issues. Big, BIG, issues that made my stomach turn just thinking about them. After losing her mother when she was just six years old, she’s been in the care of her stepfather, Sam, who on the surface seems like a good guy. And yet, over the years, little details add up to showing that Sam is anything but good.  Sam arranges for Charlie to make “deliveries” to some extremely scary people! When one of those deliveries turns very ugly, Charlie knows she must get permanently away from Sam and his shady operations, and to disappear right, she needs a lot of money quickly. This brings Charlie to Penny’s, Cain’s club, and even though a relationship is the last thing Charlie needs or wants, she slowly falls for Cain.

 
The trouble Charlie is surrounded by is deep and scary. In fact I was on the edge of my seat for the majority of this read because of it. I loathed Charlie’s stepfather, and it was clear he had no actual love for her. Charlie did take some small assistance from Cain but I seriously wished she would’ve confided in him or even her friend Ginger way sooner than she did, and get some help. Cain was so honest with her and laid out his past which was not squeaky clean either so I’m not sure why she held back. I’m not one who likes to be stressed out while I’m reading so this affected my rating. The story and writing were solid and captivating, but my enjoyment was hindered because of Charlie holding back.

I will say the romance was full of chemistry with lots of built up sexual tension. I do love a good slow burn, so that was satisfying. I’m happy with how everything turned out, and some of the last twists at the end surprised me. If you’re looking for a New Adult read that’s more than just a sexed up YA book, K.A. Tucker is a great choice.

Connect with K.A. Tucker:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Review: Anything to Have You by Paige Harbison

Anything to Have You by Paige Harbison
Publisher: MIRA Ink
Publication date: 7th February 2014
My rating: 4 stars 

Nothing should come between best friends, not even boys. ESPECIALLY not boys. Natalie and Brooke have had each other's backs forever. Natalie is the quiet one, college bound and happy to stay home and watch old movies. Brooke is the life of every party, the girl everyone wants to be. Then it happens - one crazy night that Natalie can't remember and Brooke's boyfriend, Aiden, can't forget. Suddenly there's a question mark in Natalie and Brooke's friendship that tests everything they thought they knew about each other and has both girls discovering what true friendship really means.

Anything to Have You was a really surprising read. Despite some obvious flaws, I whipped through this book in one day. I normally don’t do cheating books, but books which involve two best friends and one of their boyfriends I find highly addicting. (I blame my obsession with programmes such as Sunset Beach and The OC for this).

Natalie is the stay at home type of girl, she prefers spending quiet time reading or knitting whereas her friend Brooke is always at parties and getting crazy drunk. Brooke decided that this year would be different, it was their senior year at school and Natalie had to be a little spontaneous. So Natalie agrees to go to Alexa’s party and it does end up being a memorable party for a long time to come. Natalie wakes up in bed next to Brooke’s boyfriend Aiden; she remembers kissing Eric that night so knows that she couldn’t have slept with Aiden. Also she’d woken up beside him half decent, but she can’t shake the niggling feeling that she slept with somebody else.

This is where Natalie messed up if I was in her shoes I would be committed in trying to find out who I slept with. But she asks one person who denies it and then automatically assumes it’s the other guy without confirming it and then ends up telling her best friend. This was a stupid thing to do and of course there were several tell tales signs of what was to come (highlight to view spoiler) (she was pregnant), but I was largely able to overlook this because of the gorgeous relationship which emerged between Natalie and Aiden. Yes Aiden was her best friend Brooke’s boyfriend, but Brooke seriously didn’t give a toss about their relationship, she would openly flirt with other guys in front of Aiden and even though Aiden confronted her several times about this she said she would stop, but would start right back up. Also we learn a vital titbit when we’re given insights into Brooke and Natalie’s past and this had me utterly convinced that Aiden and Natalie should be together. Seriously which friend does this?

And Brooke’s behaviour didn’t get any better as the story progressed. We were given chapters from her in the middle of the book (as I wasn’t a huge fan of hers in the first place, I really did want to skip over these and get back to what was happening with Aiden and Natalie). Aiden and Natalie didn’t go cheating behind Brooke’s back, but it was clear that they had some sort of connection which definitely went further than the relationship Brooke and Aiden had going on. The time they spent together was sweet and it was nice to see both of them who had been going through their fair share of crap with Brooke have a good time. Also Brooke wasn’t the sweet and innocent party she was making herself out to be either. Natalie and Aiden definitely made this story for me.

Harbison’s writing had a very addictive feel to it, despite there being glaringly obvious things characters should have picked up on and a sort of rushed wrapped up neat ending. I had a really fun time reading this book, it’s a book where I didn’t need to over think things, but just sit back relax and completely lose myself in this story.

Audiobook Giveaway

 

Hello readers!  I've been a little scarce lately because I'm currently on vacation.  I'll catch up with everyone when I get back. But in the meantime I thought I'd share my love of audiobooks with a giveaway.  

If you're a regular reader here at The Readers Den you'll know of my love of audiobooks.  They help make the hour long commute I have to drive each way to work not only bearable, but enjoyable.  Sometimes, when a book is so good I HAVE to continue listening when I get home. Today I'm featuring my five all-time favorites along with a few more that are really good.   

Number Five:

Kirsten Potter is amazing. Her Scottish accent is spot on without being overdone, and her male and female voices are believable. The story is an epic romance with a gorgeous Scottish Laird and a strong, beautiful lass. Win!

Number Four:

Pride and Prejudice with werewolves, and vampires. A hilarious, clever, supernatural story enhanced by Emily Gray's wonderful performance. 

Number Three:

As if the story wasn't amazing, the narration is perfection! Rarely do you have both a male and female narrator to alternately perform the voices, but we have Phil Gigante and Natalie Ross who were brilliant! Oh, man does Mr. Gigante ever bring Ryodan to life! *melts*

Number Two:

This series has seduced and bewitched me.  Romance, chocolate and Paris.  What's not to love? Teri Clark Linden was lovely as the narrator.  Her French was flawless and her performance made this story even more brilliant!

Number One: 

My all-time favorite audio book!! Aside from the fact that this is one of my all-time favorite series', we have Phil Gigante and Natalie Ross performing the male and female voices. Ms. Ross' rendition of Mac and Mr. Gigante's rendition of Barrons is utter perfection! The first three books are performed by a different narrator and I don't recommend them, but when they took over it was sheer magic! 

The books below are also very, very good, and a total recommend (click on titles for Goodreads link):

     

  

Now for the good part. I'm giving away one audio book from the books mentioned here to one lucky reader.  Entrants must be 18 years or older.  The giveaway is INTERNATIONAL.  Simply fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win. Good luck!