If you like romantic suspense that is heavy on the thrills and suspense and light on the romance, Say You’re Sorry might be the novel for you.

Daisy Dawson is a sweet, creative recovering alcoholic who is trying to get her life back together. She has returned to Sacramento and some family friends, the Sokolovs, are helping her to get on her feet. She is working, attending AA meetings and making friends.

Until she is attacked and her life is turned upside down. Her friend, Rafe Sokolov, is a police detective and introduces her to FBI agent Gideon Reynolds who becomes interested in her case because it links to his own past. Daisy is now a target and her life becomes more harrowing and dangerous with each passing day. Gideon is instantly drawn to her and becomes her protector.

This novel suffered a bit from too many plot elements. Recovering alcoholic with a service animal and a father with PTSD who hides his family at a ranch to protect them. FBI agent who escaped from an abusive cult and desperately wants to find the group who ruined his life and killed his mother. Loving Russian family who wants to help everyone. Every current topic from pet adoption to service animals to LGBTQ characters to cheating spouses made for a tale with diluted focus.

But, the most difficult aspect of the book was the serial killer plot. There were so many murders. Getting to see inside the killer’s head, getting to know his victims and as the story advanced watching him indiscriminately kill so many people was just disturbing and upsetting. I almost didn’t finish. The action and pace, not just the killing, picked up towards the ending and the second half of the novel was a bit better.

Admittedly, I thought this was romantic suspense and so was unprepared for a thriller. For fans of that genre, I think this would be a solid read. I would have enjoyed this one more if it had more focus on the relationship and less focus on the killer. 2.5 stars.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Karen Rose has produced an engrossing thriller with Say You're Sorry. Well worth the read! Looking forward to more in the series.

I've heard great things about Karen Rose and liked the sound of this one. I wasn't disappointed. This is the first book in the Sacramento series.

The characters were well-developed and intriguing. I enjoyed the chemistry between Gideon and Daisy and was rooting for them to take it to the next level. He is an FBI investigator and is assigned to her case. They both have a history that haunts them, and as we learn the pieces of their past, we learn what makes each of them tick. I will be reading the next in the series.

The villain was also very compelling and we find out his background later in the story. Let's just say he had "issues".

The story moves at a quick pace as we follow Daisy's case, her romance with the hottie Gideon, and the oh-so creepy killer.

If you like to mix it up, this one is a good pick.

I’ve been a huge fan of Karen Rose since her first book came out. So much so that when I was given the chance to read her upcoming book through Netgalley, I jumped at the chance even though 99% of my “reading” is done with audiobooks these days. I jumped right into this one and it did not disappoint!

Rose creates compelling and memorable characters, both heroes and villains, and this is no exception. Both Gideon and Daisy have had issues, major issues, in their pasts and discovering these piece by piece helps to make the story compelling. The villain of the piece is likewise multi-faceted and new things are uncovered about him throughout the story. We also touch base with some familiar names from Philadelphia and Baltimore, and get a look at an old friend from Chicago. I love the way that Rose’s characters interweave and interact. That said, this is the first book in a new series and can completely be read as a stand alone. You don’t need to be familiar with her other works or characters as all of the key players are really introduced to us here for the first time.

I look forward to picking up the audio for this when it comes out. If it’s like her other works, it’s worth revisiting no matter what format you choose. I highly recommend this title. And if this is your first foray into her work, do yourself a favor and check out her other titles.

I*t's amazing that most of this book takes place over just a week's time. The action is non-stop and keeps you reading. I liked the way Gideon and Daisy clicked right away. They both have pasts they are trying to leave behind, and that helps them bond. While a serial killer is after Daisy Gideon finds there is a link to his own dark past and vows to protect Daisy at all costs. It was interesting to watch their relationship develop through the twists and turns the case takes. Be aware there is evil aplenty and some people die that you wish didn't. Overall it's a great thriller.

Say You're Sorry by Karen Rose. I liked the premise of the book, the serial killer and cult theme. That the police department was able to work with the FBI was a plus. Most of the characters were very likeable and reliable and a couple definitely crush worthy. Can see that this is a basis of a series, many characters were introduced many with interesting backstories.

I felt the villain switched back and forth from vile to timid and calculating to clueless which didn't seem to ring quite true.

Daisy's relationship with Brutus was off putting. That poor dog was petted bald nearly every other chapter........I though therapy dogs provided more interaction with their people, not just there to pulled out of their bag and being stroked to baldness. At least "Mutt" had a personality and could see him doing his heroic save.

A bit too much of the swearing especially from the women. I honestly don't know of anyone who uses the F word that much in everyday life.

A good read but a bit rough going in parts.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

When I signed up for the arc, I thought it was just a thriller- it wasn't until I came here to enter it that I saw it was romantic suspense, which really isn't my thing. I decided to soldier on anyway, because I was intrigued by the plot description.

Yeah. Romantic suspense isn't my thing. I just find all the descriptions of how hot the leads are/make each other to be so eye-rolly that I am automatically tired of any scene they are in together. And since they are the leads and they are hot for each other, that's a lot of scenes.

Also, the serial killer lost all credibility for me when he realized that his latest victim had been a single mother of a terminally ill child and he felt bad. Come on. (note- if I wasn't so annoyed by embedded gifs in reviews so much, there would be one of Gob right here).

Thanks to NetGalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for a review.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy, unfortunately I just couldn't get into the book and wasn't able to finish it. I have read other books by the author and enjoyed them though.

I love Karen Rose's serial killers. They are vile and twisted and captivating to read. This first book in her Sacramento series reminds me of her earlier books which were the best. Along with the serial killer she also introduces a secondary plot of a religious cult which looks like it will continue through this series.

Fans of the previous series will recognize Daisy Dawson from the Maryland series. She was the step sister of Taylor and her father Fredrick now works as a PI for Clay Maynard. I liked that even though this book starts off a new series it still has strong ties to the previous. Daisy was a very complex yet strong woman who even with vulnerabilities like anxiety and staying sober could more than take care of herself and was a heck of a shot with a gun.

The hero was new. FBI Agent Gideon Reynolds brings with him to the story not only his sister but also his surrogate family,the Sokolov's, who I feel are going to be the backbone of this series.

This was a great start to what looks to be a fantastic series set in and around Sacramento. I cannot wait to see whose story is next and to get more info about the cult.

Just the right combination of romance and suspense to make Say You're Sorry a great beach read. The main characters, Daisy and Gideon, have undeniable chemistry, and the story has plenty of plot turns to keep readers engaged. I see the potential for a sequel in the future :)

Say You’re Sorry is my first Karen Rose book and it definitely won’t be my last. I am dubbing her the “Queen of Romantic Suspense” from now on. This book has it all. Hot FBI guy, damsel in distress (who can kick butt), and a creepy serial killer. Had me hooked from page one. Edge of my seat suspense, start to finish.

*ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

I did enjoy this book and I hope this series continues. The story line grabbed me from the start and I want to know more about the characters. The only thing that I did not like about this story was how every page or 2, the author kept putting the city and date in the story. The story did not flow because you had to keep figuring out when, where, and who. It really distracted from the smooth flow of the story

3.5 stars - suspense and thrillers of any kind have to be really well written for me, so this just wasn't my cup of tea unfortunately. But the story idea was interesting.