Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for a chance to read Blindsided for a honest review. This started out as a good thriller ; but slows downs in the middle. Cadence accused Dirk of killing her friend years ago and no one believed her. Now she thinks he is stalking her and she takes off and ends up in a snowstorm. After being rescued by Mick, she has to learn to trust a stranger in order to save her life. Overall, this was a good summer read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This book was just an average mystery novel for me with the pretty damsel in distress who meets a big, handsome man to fall in love with while solving a mystery from her past. At least the characters were likable, but the story was nothing new at all.

3 1/2 stars

Blindsided starts out with the main character stranded in her car in blizzard conditions. The storm going on outside is definitely symbolic of what is brewing in Candace's personal life as well. She is hiding from someone that she fears may try to kill her and has left town to "hideout" for a few days. It is her attempt to figure out a game plan going forward. She ends up meeting Mick, a man who she falls for pretty quickly and trusts enough to tell what is going on in her life. Together, they return to Indianapolis to take on the serial killer who is stalking Candace.

As the story progresses, the killer does make attempts on the lives of several people around Candace. The book is definitely full of some dramatic moments. I believe the storyline possesses more of a romantic vibe than I originally anticipated. As a romance reader, this isn't a hardship for me. However, I can see that it could be an issue for other readers who are mainly looking for a thriller or mystery. In reference to the mystery portion of the story, I really didn't feel that there was much of one. You basically knew who the killer was throughout most of the book. I was hoping for some twists that would surprise me as we went along but there really weren't any.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing this ARC for review.

This was a good one it was fast paced and twisty book that kept me guessing till the end
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

The aura of suspense increasingly bumped up my anxiety, notch by excruciatingly-taut notch. The palpable tension held me in thrall. The twists made me audibly gasp in shock. And, the fast pace of the wildly-captivating plot kept me swiping the pages feverishly.

#Blindsided #NetGalley

3 for neutral, will update if able to finish at a later time, but just could not get into this one and enjoy it! I tried, and while I thought it might be an excellent book, it just got to be dragging so bad I couldn’t get into it. I am a very moody reader, so it could easily be me, which is why I gave the 3 for neutral.
Will let Chapter Chatter Pub know about it’s upcoming release!

Cadence is a successful doctor and surgeon. But her past still bothers her. She lost her best friend in high school and she was never seen again. Then the past comes back to haunt her even more in a dangerous way. She is caught in a snow storm and ends up meeting a handsome stranger who she falls in love with. Tragic how someone can disappear from your life and never be heard from again. And so sad. On the one hand, Cadence's life is looking up. On the other, she fears for her life.

I received an ARC of Blindsided by Kate Watterson from NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books. This in no way influenced my review. This is an honest review. This novel will be released July 9, 2019.

Summery
Cadence feels she is in danger from a man she knew all though school. In her 30's now she feels the need to flee her home to be safe, but she has no idea where she is driving to. Of course it has to be the worst snow storm and her car breaks down. She gets help from a passerby, Mick. She is reluctant to accept his help but feels she has no choice due to the conditions outside. Here she is stranded with this handsome man for days. In his cabin they have nothing to do but talk due to the snow store. During the time together they become very close. She tells him how she feels a man from high school Dirk, is after her because she knows he killed her friend. Yet she can't prove it.

Cadence and Mick travel back to Indiana where she lives. In attempt to try and track down Dirk. The hunt for a killer is on but who will be next? Will they prevail in the end? Will this be too much for Mick to take on?


Review
There is something to be said for reading a book with no prior knowledge of the Author or of the book. You can read it and have an unbiases opinion for it. This is my first book by Kate Watterson.

With that being said I did really enjoy the beginning. When Cadence was snowed in with the hunk Mick in his cabin. You wanted to see them get closer and fall in love. That's what books are made for. But once they left the cabin to face off with Dirk, the mass murder it fell apart for me. There were times when I couldn't follow along, I had no clue who was talking and had to go back and reread it to figure it out.

Mick was the knight in shinning armor and Cadence was a very independent woman who at times didn't want the knight. They are a cute couple and you do start to get attached to them. Once the book starts to pick up and Dirk is after Cadence so his secrets stay hidden you get reinvested in all charters. He is hell bent on stopping Cadence, the FBI and Mick from getting in his way.

If your looking for a thriller you will find it here. It has many good qualities, I just felt that the whole story could have been a little stronger.

Thank You #NettGalley and #KateWatterson #Blindsided

A decade after Cadence Lawrence accused the perpetrator in the brutal murder of her high school friend, she’s finally put the nightmare to rest. But the ghosts of her past won’t rest, and an unexpected encounter with the killer reawakens demons she thought were long dead. Gripped by paranoia, Cadence fears she’s being stalked, and suspects that the murderer has invaded the sanctity of her home. Could her chance encounter have rekindled the savage rage that claimed the life of her friend and now threatens Cadence herself?



Thank you to net galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book it was a great experience first time reading anything from this author

A poor woman having gone thro the brutal murder of her friend is once against thrown into evils path. Can she make the right decision? A twisting story of evil, survival and love.

I’m not sure what to think about this book. The plot had a lot of promise and I liked the characters, even though they were a little flat and one-dimensional. However, the story dragged on longer than necessary and I struggled to finish reading it. It felt like the book couldn’t decide if it wanted to be a romance or a suspense and fell short on both counts. The romance felt forced and contrived. From the moment they met, you knew they were going to end up together so there was no tension. As far as the suspense, after the first few chapters, there aren’t any surprises and it just plods along until the end. I really thought I would like this based on the blurb and was all set to give a rave review, but in the end, it was just okay.

Firstly, thank you #NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

Normally I try not to give one-star reviews and try to find some redeeming factors to bump it up to a two. Unfortunately, there were just too many things that don't sit well with me.

What drew me initially was the fantastic blurb and the cover; the story itself started off strong but falls off pretty quickly.

All the characters in the book come off as dry, unrealistic and two-dimensional. I can understand how the romance aspect can be appealing to a certain reader; but given the plot dynamics - it all felt forced. It doesn't help that this carries on throughout the book at what seems inappropriate at times.

The mystery/thriller elements didn't cut it for me, outside of the first chapter there wasn't any sense of excitement for me throughout the book. The 'action' sequences felt really dull and the after all that - the big reveal at the end felt really deflated.
In retrospect, the part I most enjoyed was the police procedural elements.

That is to say, I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would've.
I'm probably not the intended reader for this.

If you're looking for a thriller/suspense/mystery novel that has some romance elements, look elsewhere.
If you're looking for a romance novel that has these elements, then this may be for you.

Although I normally enjoy and appreciate police procedurals, this one just plodded along without much suspense and little surprise. The blurb says ‘she finds herself drawn back into a vortex of evil...’, I wish she had.

This was the first Kate Watterson book I have read and the idea of a serial killer stalker really intrigued me. I wish I could say this was an amazing book, but I didn't think think it was an amazing book. It was okay, I read it, but I never really felt connected to any of the characters - I didn't really even like any of them. I felt the story took a long time to go anywhere and didn't feel like there was much happening until maybe the last quarter of the book - and even then I wasn't on the edge of my seat. I also thought the "love story" was thrown in there and I wasn't a fan of the love-at-almost-first-sight idea. I will say that I would read another Kate Watterson book. Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Blindsided by Kate Watterson is a suspense thriller, a cat and mouse game and a race against time. Dr. Cadence Lawrence knows she’s being followed. She knows someone has been in her house when she’s gone and has gone through her belongings. She even knows who it is, but he has managed to stay one step ahead and avoid apprehension. FBI Agent Thea Benedict is on the trail of a serial killer, tracking him all over the country and knows he may be heading to settle a score. When Cadence makes the sudden decision to flee Indianapolis and head north, she is trapped on a snowy road, Michael “Mick” McCutcheon offers her a place to stay until she can get her car out of the snow. At first, she is reluctant to allow Mick to get close, but she finds him to be caring and generally concerned that she opens up with her story. Mick finds himself enthralled with the beautiful doctor and can’t help himself as he helps her battle against this evil. As Cadence, Thea, and Mick follow this man’s trail, he realizes his time is short and steps up his efforts. Will they be able to stop him before he hurts someone else?
Blindsided was an interesting twist from a usual suspense thriller. From the beginning, you are told who is stalking Cadence, you are told why but he remains a suspenseful evil lurking in the dark. I enjoyed each character. Cadence was a strong, independent woman who knew to fight back but at the same time she realizes she is afraid, vulnerable and fights anyway. Mick is a dashing knight in shining armor who is confident but can be shaken. One of my favorite scenes is when Mick is worried and nervous about meeting Cadence’s parents as their investigation takes them to her hometown. And Thea, the confident FBI agent, who is like a cat on the hunt. She is determined to catch her prey. I thoroughly enjoyed Blindsided as a fast paced, attention grabbing thriller which keeps you reading until the last page. I highly recommend Blindsided.

Blindsided
will be available July 9, 2019
in hardcover and eBook

I liked this fast paced novel about a young surgeon who accused a boy of killing her best friend while in high school. With no witnesses and no body, the police did not pursue the alleged killer. When Cadence sees him years later by chance, she takes off to Wisconsin to try to escape his revenge. There she meets a man who changes her life, and together they try to solve the mystery behind her friend’s death.

I really enjoyed this book. It has a good story and the main character is a strong woman who doesn't give up and believes this man killed her friend. After a chance meeting it brings things back and takes her on a journey.

I very much appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book. The blurb and the cover had me excited, as it seemed like exactly the type of story for me.

Unfortunately, the actual novel is far too heavy on the romance and instalove for my taste, and too light on what is a fairly straightforward crime story with no real mystery or suspense.

It’s not a bad book by any means, but i was not the right reader for it. This would be better reviewed by someone who enjoys romance-heavy storylines.

This was an enjoyable read. I am in Texas and am dying to actually see some REAL snow, so I loved the setting of this story. The author did an excellent job of describing the scenery and making me feel as if I was actually there. The issues I had were it was a little slow at first, but definitely picks up and in a romantic/suspense novel, I prefer more suspense than romance. I would read more from this author.

A gripping page turner with intriguing characters and a twisted plot. While the answers aren't surprising, the story is engaging. I hope to see more of these characters, especially Mick's friend Rob.