~Reviewed by Monique~~

When Cynthia Deming wakes up at eight in the morning in a strange room, disoriented and confused, she knows something is definitely not right, and she immediately thinks of Charlie Foulkes, her best friend. She eventually makes it home, and who but Charlie would be waiting for her! Upon hearing her story, Charlie vows to do everything he can to protect Cynthia, but then he’s the one who’s in even bigger trouble.

As a lifelong reader of thrillers and romantic suspense novels, I couldhardly resist the intriguing premise. However as early as the firstchapter, it became obvious that I would need to read Deadly Past as aromance set against a suspense backdrop. Cynthia is technologicallyinept and came across as a ditzy fashionista, unlike the FBI profilershe’s supposed to be. When Charlie and Cynthia should have beenconcerned about what had happened to her, getting her to a hospitalto get her checked, and then relate everything to her superiors, theychose to argue over a kiss they had shared a few months before. So Ideliberately opted to read the romance without thinking too muchabout the suspense angle.

Charlie behaved more like a law officer than a forensic pathologist, but to be honest, they both acted like amateur sleuths, and Cynthia’s actions made it impossible for me to picture her as a federal agent. On the bright side, the author paints great visuals; the pace is steady and brisk; the writing is solid, and the editing top-notch. Deadly Past will require a healthy dose of suspension of disbelief from die-hard suspense novel readers, but if you’re in the mood for a friends-to-lovers romance with a couple of other tropes thrown in,this is an amusing read for a lazy day.

Ivoluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. Allthoughts and opinions are my own.

The book blurb was very intriguing. The story has all the elements that appeal to me as a reader of romantic suspense: murder, mystery, intrigue and friends to lovers and yet I did not enjoy this story as much as I anticipated.
If I view this story as a romance with a lot of twists and turns and some action then I would rate it much higher than as a romantic thriller which I originally expected.
Cynthia wakes up dis-oriented in a safe house but her actions definitely do not lead readers to believe that she is a seasoned experienced FBI profiler used to dealing with the unexpected. Keeping everything on the QT having destroyed any evidence that might prove her innocence to a crime she promptly solicits the help of long time friend Charlie who is the ME of the Boston PD. Soon the two of them are embroiled knee deep in the case Cynthia's FBI team is working on while they work together to uncover evidence of what happened to the lost hours of Cynthia's night. All in all a bit unbelievable!

Cynthia and Charlie dare they take the step they both want to take? friends that have more feelings for each other than just friendship but will something like possible murder stand In their way? This book was fast paced and entertaining to read.I loved the chemistry and relationship between Charlie and Cynthia.

Deadly Past by Kris Rafferty
Secret Agents #3

Suspend belief and focus on the romance, maybe, and you might enjoy this book. I have to admit I almost put this book down in the first chapter because I could not understand why a trained FBI agent would do what Cynthia did when she found herself in a safe house with a headache and some loss of memory about the evening before. My thought was that she would immediately call her boss and get a team out to the safe house not...well...not what she did do.

Next she heads home and there awaits Charlie. Now, she has a backstory with Charlie that includes a kiss that went wrong, the death of her brother who was Charlie’s best friend, a friendship for years that her team and his don’t know about...etc. This story seemed to jump from one unbelievable decision to the next and I kept scratching my head wondering what this luckless couple would do next. Neither of them seemed to be “smart” and that left me thinking that perhaps instead of a romantic suspense with FBI it might have been easier to understand if it had been a cozy mystery...maybe?

Anyway…I did finish it and was still scratching my head…

DID I ENJOY THIS BOOK? Not so much
WOULD I READ ANOTHER BOOK BY THIS AUTHOR? I think so – I have liked some of her other books better than this one.
DID I LIKE CHARLIE AND CYNTHIA? I didn’t relate to either of them so perhaps not
COULD I SEE THE TWO IN THEIR HEA? Yes...they had history and the backstory. I just didn’t see her as an FBI profiler and him as a forensic pathologist...not as I have seen other characters do their jobs in similar genre books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington-Lyrical-Zebra for the ARC – This is my honest review.

2-3 Stars

Cynthia and Charlie are more closely tied than their colleagues think. They lost his best friend and her brother through a tragedy and now the little flutters between them are growing, and neither seem to know how to deal with it. But when Cynthia waked up in the local safe house with a foggy recollection of watching a collection of witnesses gunned down, she knows that someone is out to get her. The only person she can turn to is Charlie.

Charlie has wanted Cynthia for a while but he never wanted them to quite this kind of a start to their relationship. The mob may be after Cynthia and they are going after her professionally and physically! Charlie's idea of a plan is to get married cos then he can't be made to incriminate her. Cynthia wanted help not a human sacrifice! She thinks Charlie only wants to marry her to save her but Charlie has a method to his madness!

But the plot doesn't stop there. Just as they kind of extricate Cynthia the evidence begins to point to Charlie! Just who hates the pair of them so much to go to all this trouble??

Mob killers, witness protection and the madness that jealousy can bring! They all percolate together in this gem! I love this series and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Deming and Charlie! What a fantastic story this was and there aren't enough great things to say about this book. Kris knocked this one right out of the park! Stellar writing and the suspense and tension between them was sizzling!
When FBI profiler Deming wakes up bloody and in a safe house with her gun having been fired and no recollection of what happened, she heads home only to find her friend and co-worker Charlie there angry and waiting. Charlie is the Medical examiner for Boston PD and now working along with the FBI. Deming and Charlie are long time friends but neither have moved to the next level and this book really brings out the tension between the two, both physical and emotional. When a mass murder of witnesses occurs at the same time Deming has her blackout, things don't look good for her, they avoid her boss until they get their stories together. Charlies answer to their dilemma is for the two of them to marry so neither can testify. A quickie marriage and with the heat off Deming now the evidence is pointing to Charlie. The two set out to figure out who is trying to frame Charlie and while also navigating this new relationship they are in. The twists and turns are insane, add to that the ongoing investigation and the two of them together it's just one hell of a read. The end is off the charts and wow you didn't see that coming! Stellar read! I'd read it again!
Fantastic story Kris! More than a five star read.

*arc from NetGalley and Publisher for an honest review*

3 Stars
Deadly Past starts off with a bang but soon slows down to a snails pace as Cynthia is being pushed around by Charlie her best friend she kissed. the story again picks up its pace only to slow down once again giving readers a unfocused roller coaster ride that can't seem to figure out where it is going,

Readers will questions the female lead who is suppose to be all about the rules but starts to break them before the story gets off the ground. With that in mind the story lacks focus and isn't true to the characters the author paints. Trust me you will be reminded many times how Cynthia is a rules follower and how out of character this is for her throughout the story to the point readers will want to yell we get it she follows the rules but this one times she decides to break every single one of them.

With that in mind the story isn't able to keep readers focus as the two characters negative the world they have been thrown into.

The story has the romance readers who love romantic suspense stories. The story falls flat many times having readers struggle though what feels like repeated story line.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of Kris Rafferty's Deadly Past

FBI profiler Cynthia Deming is knocked unconscious and wakes up in a FBI safe house with her gun in her hand and six bullets used. She has no memory of what happened so she goes home and Charlie is waiting for her. Charlie is her best friend and a forensic pathologist. When they both get called to a crime scene, the murder of six snitches, some of Cynthia’s memory returns. As they try to figure out who has set them up, their true feelings are revealed. The closer they get, the closer the real killer is to putting the final nail in their coffin and sending one of them to prison.
Suspense, sex, best friends to lovers. At first the story moved a little to fast for me because I couldn’t keep up with what was happening and it left me a little confused. But the more I read the harder it was to put down.
* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for Netgalley *

This book starts with a bang and hooked me from page 1. Cynthia wakes up with a head injury, limited memories, and lots of questions, and I loved how the reader learns what happened along with the main characters. I just adored Cynthia and Charlie! They have been friends for a long time with tragedy in their past. They both have feelings for the other but are afraid to share them. I am such a sucker for this trope and loved watching their relationship unfold. They really are willing to do anything for each other, and it was heartwarming to see. The plot kept me guessing and I couldn't put the book down! This book absolutely stands alone, but it seems to be part of a series and now I definitely want to read the rest! 5 stars!

*I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I thought that Deadly Past, was okay. I didn't love it but I did like it enough to read the whole thing and not skim, so that's something. I had a hard time with Charlie and Cynthia as a couple. The saving grace for me was the case they were trying to solve while proving their innocence.

Wow, just, wow - I loved this book. It's fast paced romantic suspense with a tightly woven plot that kept me guessing until the very end. I couldn't put this novel down and stayed up late into the night reading.

Cynthia is an FBI agent and Charlie is a forensic pathologist that have a complicated past together, including the love each has for the other but refuses to acknowledge. When they are implicated in a horrific crime, their efforts to extricate themselves and protect each other leads to more complications with the potential for extreme penalties.

I've enjoyed each book in the series and each book is better than the last. While this is a stand alone novel, the series is so good that you really owe it to yourself to read them all. The author is on my must read authors' list.