Mystery. Suspense. Light romance. Corruption. Twists. Tangled web of lies.

5 Stars for the plot elements. Keep Her Safe had all of these and so much more. I was completely and utterly hooked and stayed up to the wee hours of the night devouring the pages, trying to figure out what in the world was going on. I was guessing and second guessing and triple guessing and still... I had an inkling of the who done it, but my suspicions didn't play out the way I thought they were going to. Well at least not to that extent. Which left me shocked when I closed the book. That doesn't happen often. Way to go, Ms. Tucker!

5 Stars for the perfect balance of crime and extortion mixed with the slow growing romance. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the minimal sex scenes. When reading a suspense novel, even if it is also co-labeled romance, I want the book to focus on the plot full of scandal and wickedness. I want the intrigue that comes with trying to figure out the mystery aspect. And I want the apprehension to keep me on the edge of my seat and not be overshadowed by bedroom antics. This book pulled all of my expectations off flawlessly.

4.5 Stars for the characters. I've read other books by this author and as before, Tucker's characters were well developed and rich with personality. Both Noah and Grace were well fleshed out, as were the criminals. It says something when even the bad guys have you enthralled.

6 HUGE Stars for my favorite character. I loved, loved, loved Noah and my heart hurt for him. So much betrayal and deception surrounding him. Everything he thought he knew about his life blown to pieces within a matter of weeks. I seriously just wanted to continuously hug him. And it didn't matter what was thrown at him, while he was trying to sort through the hot mess of his mother's life and his was crumbling, he was a strong shoulder for Grace. He had some of the hardest decisions to make throughout this book, ones that affected his morals and inner peace, and yet he always tried to do the right thing, even it didn't seem like it. I know how I felt reading his journey, I can't even imagine how Ms. Tucker felt writing it.

4.5 Stars for the overall story enjoyment. K. A. Tucker can write her butt off, there is no doubt about that. I can't believe I waited so long to start this. I read the reviews before hand and they kind of deterred me, so I ended up putting it off. And I am kicking myself for it now because this book was everything.

Keep Her Safe comes as a high rec from me!

What a crazy ride! I had my feelings and gut instincts about this one, but even when my instincts were correct, the subject matter was presented in such a way that I was questioning everything I knew.

This multi layered story played out as if I was part of the action. The twists and turns pushed me to read just one more chapter and soon I found I was at the end. When Noah and Gracie reunited it wasn’t for a friendly chat. Learning that these two lived lives at polar opposite sides of the spectrum soon became what pulled them together. Murder, suspense, uncertainty, and love, all funnel together creating a must read for 2018. The characters and emotions all play a key role in this story, feeding off each to create the perfect balance and yet again another KA Tucker favorite.

I absolutely love K.A. Tucker and all her stories and this one is just as great. I was sucked in from the last sentence of the first chapter. After reading that I let an audible gasp release and then I was HOOKED.

Noah & Gracie were once child hood friends because Gracie's dad and Noah's mom were best friends and work partners. Then all of a sudden they weren't and Gracie was gone so was the friendship.

Noah has been taking care of his mom for awhile even though she's the chief of police but then one moment she's gone and left Noah with quite the mystery.

Noah follows the puzzle pieces back to Gracie and then the two of them help put it all together. As Gracie and Noah are trying to figure things out the story goes back in time with Jackie and Abraham, where we get to find out what happened to their friendship. And how there are always consequences to decisions good or bad.

At the same time Noah and Gracie are in danger and are trying to stay clear of the landmines while figuring it all out.

This suspense was brilliantly done and I was enveloped into the story from beginning to end.

Loved it and Can't wait to read more from this author

This is a great combination between police procedural, psychological thriller, suspense, romance, and crime thriller. It starts a little slow, but slowly builds to surprising twists and turns that have you flipping pages as fast as you can. No detail is too small to be included, which may make this a little bit of a longer read for some, but is definitely a pro instead of a con.

Keep Her Safe starts off with a bang (literally) and continues at full speed until the very last page. I was completely and totally riveted by Noah and Gracie, their parents, the coverups, the deceit, even Conan the one-eyed dog.

I adored Noah and Gracie. Noah has grown up seeing his world through rose colored glasses, while Gracie knows all too well how cruel the world really is. Both of them enter this story as one person and end it as something else.

The corruption is evident, it’s the players who aren’t. Noah keeps his secrets close to his chest. He’s protective of his mother and unsure of whom he can really trust. But deep down, he’s a good person conflicted with the knowledge that maybe his mom isn’t as innocent as he’s always thought her to be. While Gracie trusts no one except herself. She’s had a really hard life, growing up believing that her father was a corrupt cop. She’s one tough cookie for sure.

Together Noah and Gracie make a great team. They both teach each other invaluable lessons about being human. As they grow closer they realize that beneath all the lies and secrets together they can uncover the truth. And boy is the truth ugly. I couldn’t put the book down until I knew what really happened and everytime I thought I had a good grasp, I’d quickly find out I was wrong. At one point I didn’t trust any of except Gracie. Her character stayed true, never wavering on her convictions. Headstrong and super stubborn, she was so much fun to read.

I don’t want to give too much away, however this story is a must read for anyone who loves suspense, intrigue, whodunnit, scandal ridden books. I really didn’t want it to end.

* I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader’s Copy of this book *

Noah Marshall never dreamt that his world would fall apart the night that he got home from work to find his mom drunk at the kitchen table. That wasn't all that unusual these days, however, the gunshot that pulled him from his shower shattered his world. Apparently, his mother, the chief of police could no longer live with her demons. In the days following his mother's death Noah realizes that his mother's demons had something to do with her partner's death fourteen years ago. Noah has fond memories of Abe Wilkes and when he finds a duffel bag his mother had stashed with nearly $100k he finally was able to understand her drunken ramblings that last night. He takes the duffel bag full of money and heads to Arizona looking for Abe's daughter, Gracie. When he finds her they start to realize that there was more to Abe's death fourteen years ago and they work to clear his name. Will they be able to uncover the truth and who will be destroyed when the truth is finally uncovered?

When you read an ARC you run the risk of not reading the fully edited copy. I hope that was the case with Keep Her Safe because the author has Gracie feeding a stray dog grapes. Grapes are deadly for dogs and I hope somebody points that out before publication. Other than that minor irritation Keep Her Safe was a fast-paced mystery. Noah was about as strait-laced as a character gets and Gracie's life since her father's death was far from easy. They were good together and I really liked their chemistry. Their investigation leads them to discover that Gracie's aunt may have been a victim of human trafficking and Abe was looking for her when he was killed. I had my suspicions who was the bad guy in the book and I was right. I did get a little surprised at one of the things the bad guy revealed when caught. It made me sad. -- CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS

Bottom Line - Keep Her Safe is a fast-paced thriller with just enough romance sprinkled in that you will be unable to put the book down!

Details:
Keep Her Safe by K.A. Tucker
On Facebook
Pages:448
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: 1/23/2018
Buy it Here!

This has been the only book of Tucker’s that I’ve been unable to finish. I couldn’t connect with the story nor the characters. I found this disappointing because she’s a favorite author of mine. And typically, her books ALWAYS keep me glued to my Kindle. It could’ve been timing on my end. Eventually I plan to go back and try again.

This book was riveting. Suspenseful, nail biting and full of love. KA Tucker is a master at whatever genre she writes.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I couldn't connect to the storyline and the characters.

4.5 Stars!!

Many of you know that KA Tucker is one of my absolute favorite Authors ever! I was so excited about Keep Her Safe from the moment I heard that it would be published. After reading He Will be My Ruin and totally falling for Tucker writing in the Romantic suspense genre I was even more excited for another book in that genre.

Keep Her Safe was very different from He Will be My Ruin for me, that's not a bad thing though. It was just different. Where HWBMR was fast paced and twisty KHS was more of a slow burn that kept me guessing. I really liked this different approach and found myself just as immersed in the story.

KHS switched back and forth between the past and present. The cool thing was, the present involved our MC's and the past involved their parents. Basically, how their parents actions of the past effected their lives in the present. It was very interesting and intriguing and I really enjoyed it.

This book was told in dual POV and I truly loved both of the MC's. Noah was all southern charm, intelligence and honor. Grace was all sass and her fighting spirit made me truly adore her. Both of these characters were going through their own tragedies, they were heartbreaking and difficult to read about at times. They really added to the story and made me love these characters even more.

The romance wasn't a large part of this story, but it was there and I found myself very wrapped up in it. The relationship between Noah and Grace was soft, slow and sweet and perfectly fit into the other parts of this book.

There isn't much that I can say about the mystery elements without spoiling the book. I will say that the pace of the story steadily grows and you learn things that make your mouth drop to the floor in shock as you go. I really enjoyed the pace, setting, time periods and little twists that were added throughout.

It is often that I read mystery or suspense and really fall for the characters involved. Tucker is a master at combining the elements of a mystery with great character development.

Tucker is and always be an auto-buy Author for me. She writes amazing stories, with amazing characters and I will always come back for more! Whether it be contemporary or romantic suspense...I can't wait to see what she does next!

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: Equal parts thriller and romance with a healthy dose of secrets and deception.

Recently, I have discovered that my favorite type of romance novels are the ones that have incorporated suspense into their stories. There is something about the thrills and chills coupled with the emotional components of a romance that are pulling me in. KEEP HER SAFE is one of those books.

In what can only be described as typical K.A. Tucker, KEEP HER SAFE melds together the instant attraction of two main characters with the secrets that could very well tear them apart. Noah and Gracie have a wonderful banter and push-pull going on throughout the book. It is this that add some of the more lighter and steamy moments within the book. However, the part that grabbed me the most was the underlining corruption case and the framing of Gracie's father.

Tucker unraveled the story by giving us bits and pieces from the beginning all the way to the end. Even though we knew who might be the players, there was always one element to leave us hanging. This tension and constant wondering what will happen next is where the strength of the book really lie.

I am never disappointed with one of K.A. Tucker's books and this one is no different.

3.5 stars

Grace is a tough as nails character; life has dealt her a pretty crappy set of cards to play. She does so with a gritty personality, she takes no prisoners and protects her family fiercely. When the world shunned her and her mom, her mom fell apart. Grace learned how to become a provider and care taker, learning how to survive in some of the toughest conditions for a young adult. Her world turned upside down when Noah entered the picture with a bag full of dirty cash and gun that belonged to her father, widely known as a dirty cop killed trying to buy drugs.

Noah has always known his life would be tangled up with law enforcement, his mom being a police chief and his uncle the district attorney. What he never saw coming was tragic end to his moms life. She tasked him with delivering something she held near and dear, something that turned Noah’s world upside down. The people he thought would be the ones to provide support and protection in his worst times are the ones he finds betrayed him the most. So much happens in such a short time in Noah’s life, but he pushes to find the truth and bring justice to those who deserve it.

Keep Her Safe is a suspense novel that really draws a reader in, be prepared to sit for hours and read. The plot line has so many twists and turns throughout it; it’s easy to get lost. The characters are young adults learning their way around the nastiness of corruption and murder, along with learning who they are as people and the ways of the world. Noah and Gracie have a little spark of romance between them, however they don’t really act upon it as I would have expected. The end of the novel shocked me, I never really expected it to turn out the way it did. If you are looking for a good psychological thriller, Keep Her Safe is one I would recommend.

Fours stars: A terrific mystery with just a touch of romance to spice it up.

Noah is discouraged when he comes home to find his mother hitting the whiskey bottle again. Tonight, Jackie Marshall is especially drunk, and she seems to be spouting nonsense about the wrongs committed against her former partner, Abe Wilkes, who was found dead in a hotel room. Supposedly Abe was a corrupt cop dealing drugs who ended up dead in a shoot out with a drug dealer. Noah heads to bed, dismissing his mother’s murmurings. Noah is shocked to his core by the events that transpire. Reeling with grief, Noah sets out to find Abe’s daughter. Together, Noah and Gracie endeavor to find out the truth. Was Abe a dirty cop or was there more to the story?
What I Liked:
*Keep Her Safe is another outstanding book by K.A. Tucker. I liked that this one was more focused on the mystery and suspense aspect instead of romance. For all you romance lovers, no worries, there is a touch of romance, but it is more a subtle side story. If you want a thrilling book with a suspenseful mystery, this is one to add to the pile.
*I was drawn to the characters. Noah and Gracie are the main focus of the story. Noah is an all around, stand up good guy. He has the manners of southern gentlemen, and he is kind and considerate. I liked how he preserved to find the truth even when he knew it might come at a high cost to him. *Gracie is the opposite of Noah. She is a strong willed, spitfire girl, who has been dealt a bad hand. She is trying to take care of her drug addicted mother while working two jobs. She trusts no one. I loved seeing Noah and Gracie work together. For me, one of the biggest surprises was Dena, Gracie’s mother. At first, she is a messed up drug addict, but then she comes around. By the end, she was on a much better path. I didn’t have much hope for her in the beginning, so I was pleasantly surprised by her progress. Finally, I can’t forget Cyclops the adorable recuse mutt.
*This book is told mostly through the eyes of Gracie and Noah, I love dual narratives because I like getting inside both character’s heads and seeing how they feel about each other. I also appreciated that there were smaller snippets of Abe’s and Jackie’s view points.
*The mystery is terrific. There was a lot of suspense, plenty of suspects and motives, and a few twists and turns. Even though I pegged the culprit early on, I was still wrong on many aspects. This one has conspiracy and cover ups and corruption in high places. If you want a solid mystery, read this one.
*As I mentioned, the romance is a secondary plot. I appreciated that it didn’t overtake the plot and that it took it’s time to grow and develop. It felt genuine.
*The ending is fast, furious and it throws out a lot of information in the final chapters. All the loose ends are tied off, no undone questions even if it does end a little abruptly.
*I listened to the audiobook version, and I appreciated that the book utilizes different narrators to cover all four of the view points. I thought all the narrators did a wonderful job.
And The Not So Much:
*I thought the book ended too abruptly. Yes, all the story lines come to a close, but it I wanted more of the aftermath. I wish that there had been an Epilogue down the road a few months. I wanted to details on the fallout after the corruption and cover up was exposed.
*To me it was painfully obvious what was going to happen in the final confrontation. I couldn’t believe that the character walked out after what was said. What happened after that was no surprise. He should never have left the room.

Keep Her Safe is another thrilling read from K.A. Tucker. This one is a bit of a departure from the novels of her past. It focuses more on the mystery instead of the broken romances that she has written in the past. There is a touch of romance, but it isn’t the main focus of the story. This one features suspense and an interesting mystery that involves corruption and coverup. If you are looking for a good mystery, add this one to the pile.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and IW as not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

Noah is a nice guy; he’s honest, polite and cares about his mother. But something changes everything and now he has to face some things he would have never thought could be true. Grace is just waiting to get out of that awful life she has, ever since her father was accused of being dirty her life changed, but what if her mother is not wrong about his father being innocent?
I had only read one book by K.A. Tucker, but since I really liked it I thought it’d be a good idea to give this one a chance. The synopsis sounded great and I read good things about it too.
From the very beginning you know this is a love story, and perhaps I was expecting it to be really sweet. But I was wrong. The suspense in the story is more than the romance, and they are equally important but it really is a book with a mystery. You just want to know what the truth about Abe Wilkes is, so you read and read and read….until you’re 70% into the story.
It was a great read. It has the perfect combination of a perfect story: plot twists, nice characters, romance and mystery. I liked Noah; I liked Grace (although she was quite impulsive). I enjoyed the romantic part of the story and it was sweet, but the thing I liked the most was that it was not too sweet and not too much.
I truly liked it and I highly recommend it. I’d definitely love to read more books by K.A tucker!

Unfortunately, I didn't love this one by K.A.Tucker. I couldn't get into the storyline. Maybe it's because I don't usually like stories about FBI/police officers, but I was hoping the romance would make up for the fact that this is a type of book I typically don't like. Sadly it did not.

Ever since I read my first KA Tucker novel (which happened to be the psychological suspense He Will Be My Ruin), I have been obsessed with her writing style. Her addictive prose, realistic characters and storylines always have me on the edge of my seat and completely entertained. So, I was thrilled when Keep Her Safe, her newest publication came out last week!

The perfect blend of romantic suspense and fast paced thriller, Keep Her Safe follows Noah Marshall, son of a police chief whose life is rocked when his mother passes away leaving him with the skeletons in her closet and a job to do. Meanwhile, Gracie is busy trying to survive and care for her drug-addicted mother and the ghost of her father. As their paths cross, they realize they are trying to solve a common puzzle and soon, they set out to uncover the truth about the Austin Police Department.

Now, don’t be deterred by the romantic suspense aspect of this novel. It is not overbearing or cringe worthy cheesy, instead, Tucker is able to combine gritty, police procedural components with a few “feel good” elements of a romance to create more of JD Robb or Karen Rose type vibe. And, if I am being completely truthful, I was more drawn into the budding romance of our protagonists than that of the actual case. Tucker did a brilliant job at developing such complex and damaged characters; I was desperate for them to succeed.

As the novel develops, Tucker delivers a plethora of twists and turns and I found myself glued to my seat. There were several moments that were unexpected for me, including the resolution. The final twist at the end came completely out of left field!

Described as Making a Murderer meets Scandal, Keep Her Safe packs just the right amount of punch! I feel like crime fiction fans and fans of the new adult genre (think Colleen Hoover) will really enjoy this novel, I know I did!

K.A. Tucker is my go to author for a romance suspense/thriller novel. I hang on every word she writes. She weaves the words in a way that no other can. Keep Her Safe is a book about a college graduate, Noah Marshal, son of the Austin Chief of Police. He works for the Office of the District Attorney. Growing up, Noah was very close to Gracie Richards' father. That was until he was murdered.

Gracie Richards was young when her father was murdered. After the death of her father, her mother went in a downward spiral, addicted to booze then she turned to drugs. Knowing deep down her father was innocent, Gracie never believed the accusations that her father was a corrupt cop.

After a tragic event that shook Noah's world, he begins to see things in a different life. When asked by his mother to deliver something to Gracie, he complies. It's then he sees the horrible conditions that Gracie has been living in .

When the circumstances lead him to Gracie, the two of them begin to search for answers. It was as they began to peel the layers of an onion, each layer revealing something new.

Sometimes we aren't prepared for the answers that might be revealed. Especially, when those people you least expect may be involved.

This book was AMAZING ! I could not read it quick enough. With each turn of the page, K.A. Tucker took me on a fabulous ride that I never wanted to get off.

Keep Her Safe is a romantic suspense story that comes together through four points of view - Noah and Gracie in the present, and their parents in the past. Events are sprung into motion on the night that Noah's mother commits suicide. As Austin's chief of police, she was praised for her work ethic but under a lot of pressure, too. The night she dies, she was in one of her drunken stupors and mumbling cryptic messages to Noah. He couldn't comprehend any of it and attributed it to the drinking. But after her death, he's left with so many questions and a bizarre dying request by her to find Gracie, the daughter of her former fallen colleague. Gracie and her mom moved away years before after her father died and was accused of corruption. Noah's mom wanted him to find her and make amends which is an impossible task without any kind of context to go on. When he shows up to where she lives, Gracie is suspicious and cold. Things haven't been easy for her and her mother so a stranger appearing at her door isn't exactly going to be given a warm welcome. Once Noah shares with her what little he knows it becomes apparent to both of them that his mom knew something about her father's death and before you know it, they're partnering together to uncover this big mystery.


There is so much happening in the book and I was impressed by a couple of red herrings that were thrown in. The back-and-forth flip between the past and present sets up all the players, gradually chaining together the sequence of events while giving you just enough details to keep you on edge. As things get more grave and the adrenaline starts rushing, the sexual tension heightens as Noah and Gracie become closer. It's nice that they have their bubble to retreat considering everyone around them is hard to trust. It definitely heightens the suspense and I love how Tucker ties in everything at the end. Keep Her Safe reminded me of how much I enjoy mysteries which sadly, I haven't been able to read enough of recently. It was the perfect balance of can't-sit-still suspense and romance.


~ Bel