Public Trust

5/5

Synopsis: After moving out and being on her own as a struggling artist almost ten years ago Lola’s life is pretty under control until something drastic changes it. Lieutenant Jacob Simmone is not quite sure why in the beginning that this case is so much different than all the others but he soon comes to realize why that might be. As he looks for the killer in his most recent case he is also forced to spend more time with Lola.

Thought: I really enjoyed this book. I think that the storyline kept it interesting when I was curious on how it could end up taking up the whole book. With the changing case situations I kept turning the page after each different occurrence. I look forward to reading the next book and other books by this author. I enjoyed the twist of romance with mystery and is definitely one I would recommend to others.

It was a little difficult for me to finish this one but I did. The pace was a tad slow. I had a problem staying focused and entertained.

It took me a lot to finish this book, I truly wanted to liked it cause mystery and romance are an amazing combination, but the rhythm was really slow, I felt like nothing was really happening -especially in the middle of the book- though the romance was cute and the idea is interesting, I couldn't connect with this story

The storyline follows our heroine, Lola, who wakes up in the middle of the night, to something strange happening in her studio apartment. She quickly realises, that there’s a man standing behind her, watching her. When he makes a move for her, she screams for her life, making the intruder bolt out of her room. And that is problably what saves her life.
Jacob is an insomniac workaholic, who also happens to be a cop. On one late night, he cruises near Lola’s house when the call for backup comes in, and as a detective, takes matters into his own hands.
As the LAPD dives into the mystery, and more information begins to surface, Jacob and his team realise: they’re up against a serial killer, and the next potential target might be Lola.
Complicating matters with the fact that Jacob finds himself infatuated with the target, tensions are running high and time is scarce … The investigation becomes a life or death situtation, with no possible suspect in sight.
I never expected to stumble upon something this kind of good on NetGalley’s READ NOW freebie section. This is the second book – the first being Chloe Liese’s Only When It’s Us – that was there and completely swept me off of my feet. I think I read it in maybe three sittings, one of them being up until half past two in the morning.
If you know me, you know that as a teen I was OBSESSED with Agatha Christie. And since then, I quite enjoy reading a crime fiction without all the gore and explicit detailing. They make me think, question right and wrong and I find myself fascinated with the jigsaw puzzle pieces – oh, and when they all click together, it’s glorious.
I must emphasize, this book is more romantic suspense than crime fiction, and I was a-okay with this fact, because, ladies – and gentlemen -, Jacob Simmone was a manly cutiepie. I said it, and I’m not taking it back. In a high tension situation his expertise was needed, which complicated matters with the fact, that he found himself quite attracted to a potential victim. He was the alpha male type of hero with a soft spot for his family and fierce loyalty.
Lola was a strong, talented leading lady, whose art I would actually like to see in person. Her empathy towards the victims and their relatives, even in the middle of the angsty mayhem and uncertainty was really special to witness.
I didn’t mind the usage of different POV’s, because the author used them to wisely, hinting at clues, showing different perspectives.
I didn’t mind much the insta attraction /coupling up of the main characters, as it made the storyline more exciting. The close proximity (I stay in your house to protect you from the evil) factor was well thought out, and we were in the dark about the possible suspect for almost the entirety of the story - hence me saying the book is suspenseful.

I didn't fully know what to expect when I started the book. But I am so glad that I did. I loved the story between Lola and Jake. While I think that part of it was very fast paced, I loved the plot line. I am excited to read the next story in the series.

After a break-in at her apartment, Lola Michaels finds herself in the presence of two policeman. From the moment Jacob Simmone walked into her apartment, Lola felt an instant attraction to him. Once Jacob learns the full extant of the break-in, he worries for Lola's safety. When he gets called to a crime scene evolving into 3 murders and a serial killer, he soon realizes the break-in may have been more than they both thought. Jacob puts himself on protection detail at Lola's apartment. They both learn pretty quickly of the attraction they share for one another, but that attraction could get them in trouble with Jacob's work, so they try to keep it between them for the time being. The more time the two spend around each other, the more they realize they can't live without one another. Jacob does everything he can to speed up the process to close the case, so him and Lola can be together.

4.5 stars!

This was the perfect book for me being a lover of both rom-coms and thrillers. It definitely was a rom-com but I loved the serial killer, who dunnit, suspense that was always in the background. It was a book filled with sexual chemistry, romance, and mystery that I couldn’t put down. I loved reading about the blossoming relationship of Lola and Jacob and finding out who was behind the murders. A great read!

A huge thank you to the author and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Lola Michaels wakes from her sleep while a man has his hands tightly around her neck. Thoughts of what will happen run through her head. As she screams, he runs. After she calls 911 a detective arrives. LAPD Lt Jacob Simone must decipher the clues and understand why this man left without taking anything. The author does an amazing job of keeping the readers attention with her writing ability and the ability to build the suspense. It is a very fast paced read that I finished in one setting. This books ending will blow you away.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
I read about half of the book and it just felt a little flat for me. Little action and it seemed to be moving along very slowly.

I received this from Netgalley for an honest opinion.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I can’t believe how amazing she writes. The love story between Lola and Jacob is beyond swoon worthy. Forced proximity with cop and artist vibes. It was just instant attraction from the beginning. There’s a mystery involved (serial killer) and I thought it was one person but then when we found out who really did it I was def thrown off guard. Great read and can’t wait to read more from her!

This story is excellently written with you not being able to guess whodunnit until towards the end, and it was hard to make the connection as to how the killer chose the victims, but when you did find out, it made total sense. Why then did I not give 5 stars? The story also had unrealistic elements including how quickly 2 of the characters "fell in love" and also I didn't like the descriptive sex scenes as I felt they didn't fit the type of story and would be more appropriate in a mills and boon story, rather than a crime drama. I wouldn't recommend unless these things were changed but I don't regret reading it.

Three women are brutally murdered. A fourth saw the murderer in her apartment, but he got away.

Lola Michaels was in the wrong place at the wrong time as the serial murderer thought she was involved with the women who were helping abused women. Jacob is the police officer first at the scene at Lola's apartment and it was deemed that he would be the one providing police protection for her. However the two became friends and fell in love. At a press briefing about the serial murders, the murderer was there with his wife, and when Lola leaves the area, she is followed but he murderer. His wife finds Lola and her attempted murder and kills her husband.

A great mystery with a little bit of romance intertwined.

Manchmal trifft man als Leser:in auf Bücher, die sich richtig gut anhören und auch so aussehen. Man denkt nicht groß darüber nach und greift zu. Und manchmal ist das auch genau die richtige Entscheidung, da einen das Buch umhaut. Aber manchmal merkt man beim Lesen praktisch sofort, dass die Geschichte so gar nicht das ist, was einem gefällt. Wie man das bewerten soll, ist für mich immer ein Rätseln, aber ich will es trotzdem versuchen.

Der Schreibstil hat mich leider vom ersten Satz an nicht angesprochen. Im Gegenteil, mir wurde sofort klar, dass ich beim Lesen niemals in einen guten Lesefluss kommen würde. Man wird ohne Vorbereitung in eine intensive Szene reingeworfen, manche Leser:innen mag das faszinieren, ich habe mich damit überfordert gefühlt.

Und da sich leider auch die Dialoge für meinen Ohren nicht wirklich flüssig und authentisch angehört haben, wurde mir nach wenigen Kapiteln klar, dass das Buch nichts für mich ist. Daher habe ich es leider abgebrochen.

Ich denke aber trotzdem, dass das Buch für den / die richtige Leser:in sehr gut und spannend sein könnte. Schaut in die Synopsis und unbedingt eine Leseprobe rein. Wenn beides für euch passt, lohnt sich der Kauf des Buches vielleicht.

Public Trust is a solid book and a great opening for the series. However, it didn't hit the mark for me.

Public Trust follows Lola Michaels after she wakes up in her apartment to find a strange man in her room. That's where LAPD Lieutenant Jacob Simmone enters the picture.
When three women are found dead with a resemblance to Lola, they understand that Lola was almost killed by a serial killer, probably. Jacob then becomes Lola's 'protector' during the night, and they fall in love while trying to figure out who the serial killer is, and what's his motive.

Both Lola and Jacob were likable and had great chemistry. But it was a little bit too insta-love for me. I didn't believe what they had was love, and not fondness mixed with lust. Also, I found them not really interesting, especially since the side characters were more compelling.
Additionally, at the beginning of the book, it had this suspenseful and mysterious vibes. Unfortunately, as the story progressed they were lost. Moreover, the point of view of the killer didn't add to the plot. It only revealed WHY he killed the victims, and I think it would've been better had we found out when Lola and Jacob had.

Overall I think that the writing was good, the plot was logical, the idea was great, and I'm waiting to see what happens to my favorite characters in the following books. However, the execution didn't work for me.

Let me say: I’m a novice mystery reader. I know that sounds silly, but sometimes mysteries are too much for me and I end up lost halfway through. I’m always looking for non-intimidating mysteries.

This book was perfect for that, and I flew through it in just over a day. The story moves quickly (but not too quickly!) and the romance was perfect.

I loved Lola and Jacob so much. Their characters were fleshed it and interesting. I’d love to read more in the future about Jacob’s siblings, and about Lola’s relationship with her parents.

I also loved the side characters in the book -particularly Lola’s BFF Sarah.

Overall: non cheesy characters (you know you’ve read a cheesy cop story before, don’t lie!), non- confusing and compelling mystery, and a fun read!

I loved that I didn't figure it out before the end. Lola and Jacob were cute apart and together with their own individual issues. I appreciated the complicity of the case and murders. I was legitimately scared at the end. Which screams success
I would love to read the other characters stories. I see a series in the future.

This romantic thriller has a great hook from the beginning, and keeps the pace of a page turner to the end.
Lola wakes to the knowledge there’s an intruder in her apartment, silently panicking as she listens to him breathing. Suddenly, his hands are around her neck and her scream scares him away. Enter Jake, the lieutenant assigned to solve a related case of an apparent serial killer and keep Lola safe.
Reading this book made me wonder why I don’t read romantic suspense books more often, because I really enjoyed it. The author, Tess Shepherd, wove together well the aspects of a romance and thriller, with a satisfying conclusion.
The romance between Lola and Jake was fun and sweet, and I liked the forced-proximity aspect to it as they worked together to solve the case. The mystery truly was suspenseful and gave a perfect amount of tension between the pair (tw for discussion of domestic abuse).
This is the first book of The City of Dreams series, and as such there are a few threads with side characters left to explore. I’m looking forward to the next book!
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this copy of Public Trust in exchange for an honest review.

The cover got me, and I did not even read the blurb. This book is SO good. After finishing, I did some homework, and this is the author’s sophomore effort. Now I am impressed and will be reading anything she writes! Her imagery is impressive, and the story just flowed, had me hooked. The intrigue kept me guessing. The relationship between our characters was well-paced and a slow build.

Jacob is quickly rising his way through the LAPD, and Lola is an artist. Jacob is by the book, and Lola is carefree. Lola is a potential victim to a serial killer, and it is Jacob’s job to keep her alive and find the killer. The secondary characters are believable, and I loved the comic book references, plus some pop culture slipped in. She even made the dual point of view work beautifully.

This book is the first book in The City of Dreams series, and I am excited to see what is next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Author for the advanced copy; this is my voluntary review.

Another great book by Tess! I loved this book and these characters. I went in expecting a fun romance, but was pleasantly surprised that we got a mystery as well! It was a great mixture of romance, steam and suspense, and it even had me guessing until the very end. It is always a successful mystery book when I am wrong on who I think the killer is!

I love that Tess writes in third person and shows us both of the characters alternating chapters. We even get a look into the killer's POV! This was well written and kept you on edge wanting to read more!

Also isn't this cover so beautiful?! The artist who creates these covers is so talented! The covers of Tess's books are so unique and stunning!! I am so glad this is being made into a series, and I cannot wait to read the next book! I highly recommend this book and the author's previous book The Fire Drill! Thank you so much Tess for my early copy!

Public Trust is the first book in The City of Dreams series. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book and I loved it.

I’ve read the author’s debut book, The Fire Drill and I loved it. I was expecting this to be similar to that but was surprised (in a good way) to find a mixture of suspense, mystery and romance.

The author’s writing style is great. She writes in third person and we got to read from multiple povs, even the killer’s. I would prefer if the povs were divided into different chapters though.

Lola and Jacob has great chemistry between them. I can’t wait to read more of them in the next books and know what happens.