This was such a long read. Yet somehow still not long enough. I wanted more. This is my first Karen Rose read and I enjoyed it a lot. It was dark twisted and rich with characters and developments. The story went at a good pace and was never boring. I do what I do every time I read a new author I enjoy. I looked into her other work and was surprised to find an entire world of books. I love when authors create their own world for their books and keep that throughout. I will definitely be reading more from her

Our main characters Daisy and Gideon face tough odds as they try to track and catch a dangerous killer. I enjoyed reading this book but I also thought that it could have been a little shorter. I felt it dragged on for far too long. I would have enjoyed this book a lot more if it had been a little shorter. There was something missing from this book but I couldn't put my finger on what it was. I would still recommend this book. I was despite the slow pace and the confusing ending, it was still an enjoyable read. I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.
I received this book for free from Berkley Publishing Group for this review. I am not required to write a positive review in return, only an honest review. This is my honest opinion

I read these out of order, I actually read Mercy's story first, Say No More. I suggest reading these in order. Say You're Sorry sets up the whole cult plot line for book two, while following this book's serial killer.

Let me just say, I ADORE the hell out of the characters in this series. They alone earned 5 stars. It was the rest of it that killed it for me. There were times I almost put it down but trudged on because Karen's books interconnect. While they can be read as a standalone, you'll see her characters throughout her other books. As I said in my other review for this series, I don't want to walk away and miss something.

My biggest issue-the pacing/length. Say You're Sorry could have been cut in half. There was so much repetitiveness, filler, and unneeded details. 600 pages is a long book and this one felt every page of it.

On the flip side, I loved Gideon and Daisy's relationship, even though it was insta, which is usually a no go for me. Due to the length and the intense nature of their proximity, I didn't feel the insta until the author would remind us how many days they'd known each other. The way Rose wrote them, it felt as if they'd always been together. My favorite kind of love. If you can make me forget one of my biggest trope hates than you deserve a star just for that.

I also LOVED being inside the serial killer's mind! So glad his POV was added. It helped to keep my interest and the book moving. Adding another star to my rating.

If you are invested in Karen's series, then I would say this one is worth the read. If you just found her than I would suggest starting elsewhere.

I just couldn't finish this book. It was way too unrealistic with the FBI guy and the girl falling for each other right off the bat, and him violating all kinds of rules. I just couldn't get past that.

2.5 stars

Dug from my dusty pile of ARCs, I finally picked up Say You're Sorry by Karen Rose. Fun fact: this is my oldest ARC! I borrowed the 24 hr long audiobook from the library to finally push myself to read it. This is my first Karen Rose book and I can understand why her fans have told me to start with her older books first. But I really wanted to put a dent in my pile of unread ARCs, so I had to start with Say You're Sorry. When Daisy Dawson gets attacked by a serial killer, she fights him off and manages to snatch his necklace in the process. The necklace is related to a cult investigation that Special Agent Gideon Reynolds has been working on and that's how Gideon and Daisy meet for the first time.

There are 3 main characters here: the hero, the heroine, and the serial killer. Three different POVs, but there is no indication of whose POV we are reading when the author transitions from one scene to another. There are also two storylines here: 1) a serial killer who has targeted Daisy as his next victim and 2) the mystery cult that Gideon and his sister escaped from when they were kids. I won't lie, the serial killer storyline got old about halfway through the book. I was more interested in the cult storyline, but it doesn't even get resolved in this book. The cult arc begins in this book and it looks like it will be concluded in the next book.

Honestly, this is not the worst book I've ever read. But it's way too damn long. 100-150 pages could easily be cut down from this book: so many unnecessary scenes, dialogues, and so much REPETITION! It takes about 1 hr and a half for ONE interrogation scene to unfold. That's just ridiculous. Not to mention the huge amount of information that the author dumps on the reader during this single scene. I'm sorry, but that is not the way to hook your reader.

Both the hero and heroine are well characterized and I liked the build up of the romance and the emotional intimacy, even if their instant connection was a bit forced. It felt authentic and believable to a certain extent even though the book only takes place within the space of a week or so. I liked that Gideon is a beta hero and a linguist!! I wish that the author had actually shown us his language skills. That being said, I couldn't deal with the Mary Sue heroine. I don't know about you, but in my opinion, only Julie Garwood and Catherine Anderson can get away with writing these kinds of heroines. Every single guy was basically into Daisy and every single person has to talk about how sexy her voice is. And did you know that Daisy is better at doing the FBI's job than the actual FBI?? I got over it so fast lol. Also, she couldn't stop telling everyone how pretty Gideon is. Ok, girl.

Another thing that bugged me is the lack of realism in certain scenes. Overall, it feels like the author has done excellent research for this book because she nailed most of the scenes with police and forensic work. She even did a good job characterizing the serial killer. However, there were certain scenes that baffled me. For instance: Gideon is protecting Daisy because he thinks the serial killer is after her. Yet...he thinks it's totally okay for her to give an interview about the incident to the press, thereby divulging her identity. And this interview takes place in front of her house! Don't worry, the heroine makes sure that her address is not publicized and that her house number isn't in the camera shot. But she still thinks it's okay to give an interview in front of the house where she clearly lives. No one even acknowledges that this interview might make it easy for the serial killer to track her down. I just...can't even. Daisy is also super ready to give away her phone's password to the cops and no, I don't care if two of those cops are her family friend and the hero. She didn't even know the hero at that point lol.

In all of this, I felt really bad for Eileen who survived two shitty abusive husbands only to get killed by a fucking serial killer. If there is a character who deserves a wholesome life and a HEA, it is Eileen. I really liked the dynamic of the Sokolov family, but I'm honestly not a fan of Mercy. The least she could do is <i>try</i> to maintain some semblance of a relationship with her brother. I can already tell that everyone is going to pander to her in the next book. Therefore, as much as I like Rafe, I am most likely not going to read their book.

Audiobook:
The narrator does a great job narrating the serial killer's POV, but he is a little too dramatic when it comes to the love scenes lol. It made me laugh a lot. But honestly, hats off to this narrator for recording 24 hours of this book LOL.

A great start to Rose's new Sacramento set series. I've enjoyed her romantic suspense novels for years, and this one has a fantastic hero and heroine, as well as a creepy villian.

I recieved an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and will recommend it often to lovers of mysteries, thrillers, and suspense novels!

This one didn't really do it for me . Slow burn if that's your thing. I don't have much to say about because it was mostly unmemorable and I didn't finish it, because it wasn't my thing.

Serial killers and intrigue keep you on your toes. Daisy Dawson is a likeable character you cheer for! I quick page turner. I enjoyed this book and I think you will too!

Say You're Sorry...wow! This is a gripping thriller full of suspense and had me from the first chapter. I will admit It was hard to read the killer's excerpts in the book, but only because it was well written and I felt like I was inside his mind! The characters are well defined and I couldn't put this one down. I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC.

This was a thrilling ride! I haven't read anything else from this author, but if I'm looking for another mystery/suspense novel, I'll be looking towards a story just like this one. I gave it a solid 4 out of 5 stars!

Say You’re Sorry by Karen Rose is a 2019 Berkley publication.

Quintessential Karen Rose- Taut, edgy, steamy, and suspenseful!!

Special Agent Gideon Reynolds ran away from a religious cult in his early teens, but still bears the physical and psychological scars. He manages his life with discipline and control. But, when Daisy Dawson manages to escape from a vicious masked attacker, she pulls a locket from his neck, one that Gideon instantly recognizes.

It looks exactly like the one his sister used to wear. How does Daisy’s attacker tie in with Gideon’s past?

When Gideon is assigned to be Daisy’s bodyguard, the couple work in tandem to stop a serial killer before Daisy becomes his next victim.

This book grabbed my attention from the very first chapter and kept me on the edge of my seat to the bitter end. The pacing never slows, as truly shocking and creepy events unfold. Crawling inside the mind of a demented killer is always super tense, so you’ll want to fasten your seat belts for this ride.

Daisy and Gideon develop a very strong bond as they each struggle with emotional scars from their past. They are a great couple and made a pretty good crime solving team, as well.

In my opinion, Karen Rose is the queen of romantic suspense. She writes RS the way it should be, with an even balance between the romance and suspense. The plot is dark and believable, and one always gets their money’s worth with one of KR's books. While her stories are usually pretty intense, and features disturbing content, and some violence, it is not too overly graphic.

Her work is mature and always reliable and this book was no exception! This is another outstanding effort by Karen Rose!

Loved the cover, but the story was too slow paced for me. It was my first time reading this author. Maybe it was just my mood that day?

Breathtaking action kicks off the new Sacramento spin-off series from Karen Rose! A thwarted kidnapping had me entrenched immediately as it played out before my eyes, and before I knew it I was inside the mind of a killer as he plotted his revenge. The characters were intriguing and kept me riveted to find out what was going to happen next. Can't wait for more in the series!

Daisy Dawson can sense that someone is following her and when she turns to confront him, he attempts to abduct her. Little does she know that the man she's struggling with all of her might against is a local serial killer satisfied that she'll be his next victim since she got in his way. She manages to get away but not before snatching a piece of evidence from around his neck ... a locket with a distinct design on it.

FBI Special Agent Gideon Reynolds receives a call that there has been a development on the symbol he has flagged to be notified about if it's ever seen. He arrives on the scene to examine the locket and finds that it is definitely connected to the case he's been trying to solve for 17 years.

Gideon and Daisy team up to find out more information as bodies begin to pile up around them, and when it becomes clear that the killer has his sights set on coming back for Daisy, Gideon will do anything to save the woman who's coming to mean so much to him!

My first book by Karen Rose and while Romantic isn't my go-to genre, I actually quite liked this one. There was enough suspense to keep me reading

This author is one of the must reads in suspense and I was not disappointed by this one. Loved every page and it kept me going into the night.

I had a difficult time getting into this book. This is definitely a dark thriller but I wasn't able to engage in the story no matter how many times I tried to pick it back up. There's nothing wrong with the writing. I may need to try picking it up again at a later date.

Very enjoyable book. Reminds me of Lisa Gardner books. Suspenseful throughout with some unique parts that make the book different from all the other serial killer style books out there. A Good quick read that is worth the time.

A good mystery romance with a lot of coverage of all the characters. The middle of the story slowed for me and I found myself skimming the pages. Would love to see another novel resolving Gideon’s story but not one that’s over 300 pages.

Another thrilling adventure by Karen Rose. The suspense is heart pounding. Writen in multiple POV's, Say Your Sorry will keep you on the edge of your seat. Gideon and Daisy have hot chemistry. Their chemistry will suck you into their story and have you rooting for them until the end.
This book can be read as a standalone, but you'll get more of Daisy's background reading previous books in this series.
I can't wait to see what psychopath Karen writes next.