Hallelujah and amen!
This first book in the Sunrise Lake series has all the hallmarks of romantic suspense that kept this heretofore jaded reviewer riveted for literal hours.
Right down to the catch phrase!

"Mommy. Daddy's doing the bad thing again."

And as if leading lady, Stella Harrison doesn't have enough to deal with when psychic premonitions in the form of terrifying dreams begin to plague her. There is also the fact that said dreams and the murderer within them harken back to her past. A past she shared with her serial killer father.

A past that she has come to the Sierra Nevada mountains and Sunrise Lake to escape.
But now...
For better or worse.
There is a killer prowling her idyllic sanctuary.
And like it or not.
Everyone and no one could be either victim or culprit.
And she and her nightmares are the key to finding out which before it is too late.

Uhemmmmm!
On another note!!
Can we talk about Sam for a moment please?
Give me more strong, silent, patient, understanding, mob ties, and works for the government.
What!!!!!

Everyone in this book has a past.
Hell. Even the dogs and cats have pasts.
And I for one, will be front and center for all of it, baby!
The pasts of all of Stella's friends do get trotted out for perusal as a set up for each getting their own book. In what promises to be one he'll of a series.
All of the ladies are strictly badass, by the way.
Their love for each other and protectiveness of Stella is so endearing. And often provides that bit of brightness and normality. In a story that could so easily lose its heart amid the constant murder and mahem.

All that murder and mayhem and secrets and lies.
And you manage to slide a HEA in there!
Okkkay! Ms. Feehan. We see you girllllll!
Kept that romance on the sweet side this time too!

I for one, can't wait to see what and who book 2, Red On the River has in store.
And luckily, I don't have to.
Thanks Berkley!
Once again!!!
A big thank you to Christine Feehan for this 5 star fabulous romantic suspense gem.

Reviewer's Notes
Though this book may be read as a standalone. It is part 1 of the Sunrise Lake series.
Thanks again to Netgalley and Berkley for proving the review copy upon which my honest critique is based.

I felt this book was very different from previous books by this author. I could not hold onto my interest for very long.

Thrilling Suspense

#1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan reaches new heights of passion and suspense in this thrilling novel that takes readers deep into the California backcountry, where a woman is tormented by visions of a killer. 

It starts in her dreams. Hideous flashes from a nightmare only she can stop. Images of a murderer stalking the ones she cares about most…

Stella Harrison thought she got away from the traumas of her past. Running the Sunrise Lake resort high in the Sierra Nevada mountains has brought her peace, even though she doesn’t truly share her quiet life with anyone. Not even Sam, the hired handyman that notices everything and always seems to know exactly what she needs. 

Stella doesn’t know anything about Sam’s past, but somehow over the last two years his slow, steady presence has slipped past her defenses. Still, she knows she can’t tell him about her recent premonitions. So far there’s been no murder. No body. No way to prove what’s about to happen without destroying the life she’s built for herself. 

But a killer is out there. And Stella knows that this time she’ll do whatever it takes to stop him.

Christine Feehan is an author that I’ve heard her name and have wanted to read for a long time, so I was excited for the opportunity to read this stand alone novel.  I love suspense, romance and combining the two is always a pleasure read for me. In this, I found both of those elements were well written, the suspense reels you in and the relationship is subtly powerful in the dynamic between the couple. 

For the suspense elements, I found the plot quite believable dealing with a murderer that is difficult to track or even determine that he is killing. I personally found the paranormal elements well written, Stella’s precognitive dreams leading her into a desire to find the murderer and stop him. The dreams work well, especially both the limits and structure. It adds an intriguing element to the mystery, a different way for the protagonist to hunt the killer. I also love that Stella struggles with the dreams, the trauma and brutality of them. While I did determine the killer soon in the novel, Christine Feehan does work hard to disguise the killer and red herrings will likely prevent others from easily figuring out the mystery. 

The main characters, Stella and Sam, are intriguing. I like that neither is perfect, they are flawed, have gone through struggles and come together in a powerful chemistry that does flow   off the page. The relationship and dialogue between them is authentic and believable. The emotions between them pull me into the story and make me want to reach the end to find out if they both survive. 

One of the key elements I love is Christine Feehan’s dialogue. Her dialogue flows off the page, it is natural, real and feels like real people trying to solve a real problem. These characters display fear, worry, and react the same way I believe most of us would behave in similar situations. On a side note, she also has the character’s pets, dogs and cat, who are integral to the story. Not only are they a key element to the plot but also help the characters feel like real people. There are very few authors who think to include pets into a story so I especially appreciated this aspect. 

One of the elements that didn’t work for me was those same secondary characters. All of them were described as the best at what they did and that did not feel believable which did bring me out of the story on multiple occasions. In addition, the author uses the main character’s thoughts to provide those descriptions and information. While I’ve seen this done before, in this novel, there was just too much information provided at one time. Ultimately, it ended up being a lot of infodump, far more tell than show, especially at the beginning of the novel. One of the reasons that doesn’t work is that we get a lot of information about the secondary characters and their backstories, which makes it feel like the author is setting up a series but also adds a lot of threads that aren’t critical or needed to the main storyline. While some of it is interesting, it just wasn’t necessary. 

In the final equation, I did enjoy the novel despite the extra amounts of information. The conclusion is satisfactory and brings together all the elements of the novel. The characters in the novel are engaging and warm. The paranormal aspects bring extra intrigue to the suspense elements and actually help tie the plot together. The romance is beautiful, real with the sex scenes being just enough spice for most readers. If you are a fan of Christine Feehan and familiar with her writing, you will likely love these characters and “Murder at Sunrise Lake.”

Rating: 3.5 dreams out of 5.

Feehan is the master of supernatural and this book takes a whole new spin. Loved her murder mystery style with realistic romance but don't worry...her supernatural elements still play an important role to give the reader a sexy story and good mystery to solve.

As usual, a good read.
I was not disappointed and look forward to more from Christine.

MURDER AT SUNRISE LAKE is a fabulously dark blend of romance, mystery, and a hint of the supernatural. The twists and turns are expertly developed as the reader is revealed the truth. So brilliantly done!

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

3.5 Hearts Christine Feehan is one of the queens of suspense and paranormal so putting them together is right up Feehan’s alley.

Stella has premonition nightmares. And when she heads to the Sierra Nevada’s her nightmares return. And she sees a serial killer near the lake. And Stella knows she has to find this person before she dreams and witnesses another murder.

I will be honest, this was not my favorite book by Feehan but I enjoyed the step out from her many series’ that she has going on right now. And I enjoyed the story very much but Feehan is a master of writing and this one didn’t have the same “umph” that most of her books do.

Now that being said, keep in mind I am comparing her to herself and not to the general author in the genre. And that says a lot.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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

1.5 stars

Murder at Sunrise Lake is the most painfully boring, repetitive, and predictable book I have read so far this year. It's a romantic suspense with a paranormal element. The heroine has psychic dreams of serial killings before they happen and her visions lead her to believe that a serial killer will soon disrupt her idyllic small town.

What I liked:

- The romance:
There's no steam, but I liked Stella and Sam's relationship. They've known each other for 2 years. Their friendship and mutual attraction are already established. My only complaints: 1) lack of steam and 2) lack of flashbacks showing us how they met and how their friendship started and grew. I wish there had been more build up between Stella and Sam.

- The setting:
The story is set in the Eastern Sierras, so the setting is incredibly atmospheric and beautiful. I truly enjoyed the landscape descriptions. It was very immersive and added a layer of eeriness to the mystery plot line.

What I didn't like:

The plot is interesting enough, but it is so dreadfully slow-paced. This book could have been significantly shortened. There is a massive information dump about every single one of Stella's friends, which takes up at least 20% of the book. Stella has long and repetitive inner monologues about how sexy and protective Sam is: "He was Sam" or "Sam is this and that" or "Wow Sam is so hot." All of this is repeated a MILLION FUCKING TIMES.

Stella's group of friends reminded me of a group of high school girls or college freshmen girls. They did not read as grown ass adults. Stella has about a million friends even though she's described as a reserved woman who has a lot of secrets. Oh, and by the way, all of her friends are super hot women who attract all the men in town. You will never forget just how hot and perfect these women are because the author will remind you of their hotness in every single chapter. This also applies to all of the men in this book. The author will remind you on every other page that the men have ~oooooooh muscless babyyyy~ and that they are veeeeeerrrryyyyyy sexaayyyy. She will repeat this over and over again until all your brain can think about is "wow these people are SO HOT." 70% of this book is all about how Stella's girlfriends are hot supermodels who make the sexy muscular men pant like dogs.

Instead of wasting so many pages on this repetitive bullshit, the author could have spent more time writing an interesting and fast-paced mystery to keep the reader's attention. The killer's identity was so obvious from the very beginning. The author didn't even try to conceal his identity lol. I also wish that the romance was spicy. Regrettably, I yawned my way through this book.

P.S. One of the two ~ethnic~ female characters escaped an unwanted arranged marriage because obviously that's the only way you can add diversity in your story.

Christine Feehan is a terrific writer. One of my favourites.
She writers amazing romance and now a murder mystery.
I loved it.
I can’t wait to read another.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for my honest review.

In Christine Feehan’s first stand-alone novel in nearly 20 years, Stella Harrison has found a busy but peaceful life as owner of the Sunrise Lake Resort. She has a set of good friends she has made in the small resort town in the Sierra Nevada mountains, but none of them know about her troubled past as the daughter of a serial killer who was put away because of her special psychic powers.

Now, years later, Stella is having prescient nightmares again about another killer. She knows a fisherman is going to be targeted near the lake, but not exactly where.

Sam Rossi, her handyman, notices she’s upset. He is a man of few words and fewer emotions, but he is observant and capable, and there is a simmering attraction between them. Stella confides in him.

He turns out to be ex-military and basically has a special set of skills, and he promises to keep her safe.

As the two try to learn more about the killer, they find themselves in more and more danger. Stella is not sure whom she can trust — suspicions have even been raised about Sam. But she knows she must count on his help, and their growing love.

This book is different from Ms Feehan's regular books, but so unique and interesting! The storyline was so well written and intense with thoughtful deep characters. I enjoyed it.

I had high hopes for Murder at Sunrise Lake, but unfortunately I lost motivation to even finish it. Parts felt long-winded and unnecessary which caused the story to drag. I don't need to hear the back story of all the main character's friends when they don't really have any impact on the story. I like that Feehan tried something new, and I LOVE a good mystery, but this is not it.

This standalone murder mystery with a little bit of both romance and paranormal was a wonderful addition to the full Christine Feehan catalogue. I have loved all of CF's individual titles, but it's been a while since she's published something outside of her many series. What I found fascinating about this read was that there were enough interesting characters that I could easily see how it each of them could have their own personal stories, thus evolving this standalone into its own series. The heroine had a bit of a unique ability that created a compelling story line. I would definitely recommend this for a quick, fun and engaging read.

Why is everything by Christine Feehan so good? I am useless for anything when a new book by her comes me way. I tore through Murder at Sunrise Lake and was surprised by how much I liked this suspense novel.

This seems a bit of a departure for Feehan, but it's wonderful! She creates another new world with characters we want to be friends with (esp the women!) and a hero who is capable of both protectiveness and care. I loved this book and hope to see this become a series.

Stella Harrison life has anything but ideal. She came to the Sunrise Lake area to start over from her past. Managing and then Buying her resort and making friends she’s settled in quite well. That is until Stella’s past comes back to haunt her in her dreams that she’s kept secret even from her best friends. Sam Rossi has his own past secrets to contend with. His attraction to his boss just may bring them to the forefront along with her own. When Stella confides in Sam about her past he vows to help and protect her when there is Murder at Sunrise Lake.

Murder at Sunrise Lake is a departure for world famous author Christine Feehan. She takes the reader into a new world of murder, danger and being able to rely on your friends to have your friends when things become messy all the while not giving the big secret the main character has kept from them. A main reluctant female character whose unique ability has haunted her all her life and the notoriety that it brought that she hated and the hurt when no one would believe her. Her secret keeps her a distance from even her closest friends. Christine Feehan’s main male character has secrets of his own from his military and personal past. When the woman he loves is put in danger he’ll do anything to protect even if it costs him one of the few friends he has. Between her ability and his former experience with some help from her female friends they have to uncover a serial killer in their midst and it just maybe some one very close to them all. Feehan’s Murder at Sunrise Lake characters are well written and the story for her regular fans takes you in a different direction than her other books, but once you get into the book and try to solve the murder mystery along with the main characters you’ll get caught up in the story. You’ll learn that the secondary characters also have secrets that need to be resolved as well. A main male character who’ll do whatever it takes to save the woman in his life. A main female character who will do same whether it’s physical or dealing with the love of her life’s family ties. It may take a harden Christine Feehan fan a little time to get used to the shoot off into a new genre for Ms. Feehan but it’s worth taking a read. Murder at Sunrise Lake by Christine Feehan will keep you wondering who the killer is and can they catch a serial killer before the next victim’s accident or so it looks. Join the characters in Murder at Sunrise Lake as they try to figure out who is the serial killer in their midst.

I had the privilege of interviewing Christine about her thriller debut in June and I was pleasantly surprised at how adept she was at the genre.

As a veteran author, I expected a lot. She exceeded my expectations with a focus on mystery and plot over romance. I loved every bit of this friendship focused edge of your seat read.

Stella has a peaceful life in the Sierra Mountains with her resort and group of friends but she starts having dreams of murders just like she did as a child. A stand-alone book. ARC from NetGalley..

**4.5 Stars**

Listen y’all, Christine Feehan has blown me AWAY. Okay, yes, I am a certified superfan, but MURDER AT SUNRISE LAKE is everything I didn’t know I needed in a thriller… from the queen of paranormal romance!

I love that Ms. Feehan took a chance and wrote a standalone thriller. I couldn’t put it down! This book is equal parts mystery, thriller, romance, and friend-filled contemporary fiction with a touch of the paranormal. If you’re a CF fan like me, you’ll recognize her signature style and humor laced throughout!.

Our heroine, Stella, is a woman with many secrets. She owns a popular resort in the Sierra Nevada mountains, has a great group of friends… and gets predictive nightmares when serial killers are near.

When the nightmares start, Stella knows there is a killer in her beloved mountains and she is determined to stop them. Sam, her beyond sexy handyman knows something is going on with her and steps up to help.

I, personally, love to read thrillers/romantic suspense novels in the summer. The days are longer so I don’t have to read scary moments in the dark. Now if you’re a scaredy-cat like me, this book is more suspenseful than totally creepy. If I can handle it, you can handle it!

If you’re wondering about the romance, it’s definitely at the forefront! Sam and Stella have fantastic chemistry and communication. I never thought I would read a Feehan fade-to-black romance, and to be honest, I missed some of the steam! A scene or two would have really enhanced this book and cemented Sam and Stella’s relationship in my mind.

Overall, if you’ve never read a Christine Feehan book, this is a great place to start! It’s a standalone, but it seems like Ms. Feehan has laid the groundwork for a series (I hope!!) I’m not ready to leave this world!

**I received a free copy of this audiobook in order to provide an honest review**

Murder at Sunrise Lake is the most recent release from Christine Feehan, and this is a novel I think I was having mixed feelings on whether I wanted to read it or not. I wasn't sure if this would be typical Christine Feehan style or if she going into another genre of writing like I have seen from other authors. But I also trust this author and so I was able to go into this book with an open mind. And while I did enjoy this one, it was vastly different from anything I have read from her previously. This is a story that does contain a romance, but its not a full-frontal seat like what I expected to find from her, as the mystery thriller plotline is what became the driving force of the story.

Murder at Sunrise Lake begins with our heroine, Stella Harrison, who is having psychic dreams to a serial killer. Stella has had these "gifts" since she was little, but she has in her own way found her way to peace in a lake mountain town up in the Sierra's. For two years, she has been drawn to her handyman, Sam, but they have remained friends, until a full trust is formed and now Sam is pursuing her in his gentle but firm way. There is a sense of mystery surrounding Sam and his abilities, she knows he has a past, but he has been her biggest support and when he is almost killed from the killer she is having psychic visions of, she is more determined than ever to find this man before he hurts anyone else. But as she gets closer and closer, the attacks get closer to home, threatening all those she loves, and the reveal of the killer will be someone she least suspects and only working in unity with each other will she and Sam take down this threat to everything and everyone they hold most dear.

I found Murder at Sunrise Lake to be such an interesting story. I will say that the first half of the story I was much more drawn to, the romance between Sam and Stella seemed to be much more focused than in the later half. So I have a feeling that is why the first half of the story kept me more in tune than the later half. Sam was such a different hero. He does have a past in the military, and has familial connections to the mafia, but he is also a stong and steady male who will do anything to stand for and protect his woman. He definitely is an alpha male but with plenty of soft and tender spots which I found endearing. The heroine Stella, is a character that my heart just broke for. I absolutely adored her in many ways, but I also wanted so much more for her. She has suffered so much over the years and wanted her to find her HEA with Sam. You see what a fighter that she is for her friends and how tormented she becomes over the victims of the serial killer. I am very curious if this will just be a standalone or if this is a new series that Christine Feehan will be cultivating. It should prove interesting to see how it all plays out in the end. I still have some mixed feelings about this book in some ways. I did find the plot so richly packed in unique elements, and I did enjoy seeing one of my favorite authors delve into a different genre, but the writing did feel a bit different. It has the Feehan style in some ways, in another way, it had a unique touch that I don't think I have ever seen from her.

Overall I found Murder at Sunrise Lake to be a thrilling penned novel, it has its own beauty in its moments, a intense but secure romance, lighter on the heat but found a stronger play on the plot, a story that will leave you on edge in its development of mystery and edgy suspense. Its a story that is steady and sure in its intricate play of plot points and one which will stun you in the least suspecting of ways.