This felt like an old school romantic suspense, reminiscent of the Nora Roberts or Linda Howard that I’ve read. It’s not what I would normally pick up so the appeal for me was really that Stacey Abrams was the author.

Narration: Every book January LaVoy reads is amazing.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my Copy to review.

Psychologist/professor Erin and journalist Gabe partner to track a serial killer which may be linked to Erin’s past.

This review is hot off the press! Just finished last night, pic ready and… I don’t remember what it was about 🙈

I was really looking forward to enjoying this after liking While Justice Sleeps last year, but between the graphic abuse and the constant “can I take you out?” scenes in the first half I was just left… unsettled. I was also bored and kept pausing the audio, down to the last 5 minutes. Not even January Voy’s (one of my favorite narrator’s) could pull me into it.

I didn’t like the “romantic” element because it was just soooooo draining. I wanted to scream, “Gabe she don’t want you. Move on!!!“ The characters lacked chemistry and seemed to be thrown together for the sake of throwing them together.

I can appreciate the New Orleans setting and the unsuspecting killer. I was totally off base with my prediction. So, bonus point for that! I strongly believe I would’ve enjoyed the story more if 85% of the story wasn’t devoted to Erin and Gabe’s lackluster, forced unromantic romance.

Thanks to @librofm for my advance listener copy!!

I did not finish this novel. The narrator was mediocre and the story did not capture my interest. I love Stacey Abrams as a politician but not so much as an author.

This book was a bit heavier than previous works. I found a disconnect between the writing and the story that caused me not to feel as attached or engaged with the characters.

Unfortunately this book was a DNF for me. It’s nothing towards the book itself but the first 15% did not interest me or grip me at all. I hope to maybe try again in the future but for now this story was just not for me.

Never Tell by Stacey Abrams
Narrated by January LaVoy & Stacey Abrams
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Romance, Mystery
Published: January 25, 2022

Never Tell by Stacey Abrams is one of my Must Read Books of 2022! This book had me on the edge of my seat and I could not get enough of it! I was captivated from the start and truly enjoyed this audiobook!

The narration by January LaVoy was incredible! I loved listening to her tell this story!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I adore Stacey Abrams and loved her last book, a Supreme Court thriller, While Justice Sleeps, that had a smart central character and a complex, intriguing plot. So I was excited to read this book, Never Tell, when I saw it was by Abrams. Unfortunately, this book had too much violence mixed with sex for me to enjoy (or, I admit, finish) it. I will give it four stars for the writing, which is excellent (of course), but I cannot recommend this one.

Selena Montgomery (aka "the" Stacey Abrams), I believe, is responsible for introducing me to romantic suspense thrillers. There was nothing lacking from NEVER TELL, and in fact, it delivered more than expected. We are thrust into the middle of a terrible mystery emerging in New Orleans as we follow a forensic psychology professor with a murky history and a nosy journalist fighting to protect his father's reputation. I couldn't stop listening to the audiobook (and, as an aside, January Lavoy's voice is INCREDIBLE) because the narrative was so well-developed and engaging.

There is just the right amount of romance and mystery in this book, and every character, even minor or fleeting ones, seems fully realized. That was one of the finest narrative surprises I've ever read, and I had no idea it was coming. After finishing this book, I went looking for more of her romantic suspense novels and I'm prepared to become a lifelong fan of her work. I think this book would be great for anyone who likes romance or scary thrillers or both!

I spotlighted Never Tell by Stacey Abrams as book of the day and included it in my weekly and monthly roundups of new releases on my Black Fiction Addiction platforms.

Well done Selena Montgomery (Stacey Abrams). Romantic Suspense is a new genre for me so I was skeptical at first but Never Tell didn't disappoint! Following a forensic psychology professor with a secret past and a journalist trying to preserve his father’s legacy, I was immediately hooked on this deadly who dunnit! This plot was strong and left you wondering what was going on and what was going to happen next. There is an OMG plot twist that I didn't see coming. I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish/

I really enjoyed the audiobook; the narrator January Lavoy was fantastic. I highly recommend this book.

Hmmmmm I struggled so much with this book. The pacing was so difficult and I just couldn’t connect with the narrator. I had such a hard time with this book.

This is my first time reading this author. This story follows a forensic psychology professor and a pushy, nosy reporter and the murder mystery they set out to solve. This novel is a balance of mystery and romance. I was definitely impressed by this author’s work and will be checking out her other works.
Thanks to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the audio eARC.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* interesting read, pretty creepy for sure, a tad too sexual for me but that was easy to skip so still 4 stars bc it is a romance lol

I'll be honest and say I didn't have high expectations for this book based on some reviews I read but I'm happy I didn't let that stop me from reading this book. I really enjoyed the suspense and romantic storyline that Stacey brought to this book. I've never read anything like this and it was great. I especially enjoyed the later half of the book. I couldn't stop listening because I just needed to know what was going to happen.

I will be recommending this book to my book club members.

This was a wonderfully intellectually based story. However, I wish they had expanded on that and not so much the adolescent romantic angst. l enjoy a steamy romatic element, but this overwhelmed the mystery a bit. All in all, a very enjoyable read.

Set in New Orleans and deliberately paced, this book by Stacey Abrams is for those who like steamy romance infused with criminal psychology. January LaVoy is one of my favorite audiobook narrators, and she does a good job with this romantic suspense novel that originally published in 2004. I have to say that the romance creeped me out in this book. Even the good guys seemed to me to have icky attitudes. Trigger warning for graphic, domestic violence.

[Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advanced audio copy in exchange for my opinion.]

I enjoyed this romantic suspense by Stacey Abrams. Being a psychology major with an interest in true crime and abnormal psychology, I particularly enjoyed the psychological aspects of the crime. While categorized as a romance, I found it was a bit more weighted in the suspense aspect of the story, and that worked out well for me. This is the first book I've read by Stacey Abrams - I was admittedly drawn to check out the book due to her high profile reputation politically, and was pleasantly surprised at her talent as an author as well.

Eeeeep. Way too violent for me. I've enjoyed Stacey Abrams' thrillers before but this book very much hinges on the heroine's previous abuse and I had a very hard time with that part. I liked the university professor setting, but this was just too violent for me to enjoy. Would recommend to thriller fans, but not really to romantic suspense fans

I was not a huge fan of the narrator. The book was pretty suspenseful. I did not really care for the title because I feel like it is the title of many mysteries and thrillers.

This was one of those books where there are parts that I really liked and other parts that I just could not stand which is why I am landing with a three star rating. The thrillers parts of this book including the serial killer were great and very much kept me entertained. However, the trope combined with the disturbing history of the main character just did not work for me. This is not a book I would recommend.