Admittedly this is my first Laura Griffin book... and my first of the Texas Murder Files series and I was not disappointed. Who would have thought that murder, suspense and romance would go together so well. I read this as a standalone (in a single day I might add) and had no issues with understanding the plot or character relationships.

Right from the very beginning a woman is found dead in her vehicle and although it appears it could be a suicide, a closer eye would reveal it is a staged homicide and investigators are more behind than they thought. Emmet is put on as lead of the case (although it should have been Nicole).
There is no denying the sparks that fly between Nicole and Emmet from the very beginning. Fun banter, friendly competition, and pure palpable chemistry and sexual tension.
The police procedurals in combination of the chemistry of the characters delivers the perfect mix of romance, spice and suspense.
I LOVE a good book with good characters and a good plot.

I received the audiobook for this and truly enjoyed Teri Clark Linden. She was able to deliver the voices uniquely to each character. Her narration delivered proper emotion and kept be entertained and hooked on the story the entire time.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Laura Griffin for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is book 5 of the Texas Murder Files. I’ve enjoyed the entire series. It is an excellent mix of spicy romance and mystery. This book focuses on Nicole and Emmet (I know!!) while they investigate a series of murders and accidents that are happening around the small town of Lost Beach.

Teri Clark Linden is a fantastic narrator for the series.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for a gifted audio ARC.

I think this will be an absolute hit with romantic suspense fans! I came across this marketed as a mystery/thriller, so it ended up not being quite my taste. This is more of a romance than a mystery/thriller, but that’s an issue of mis-marketing rather than book quality.

Premise - a bada** (but also oddly girl next door and icked out by her job??) detective, Nicole, and an alpha male abs-and-defender detective (who puts his wittle crush ahead of a case??), Emmet, have the hots for each other, but they’re emotionally unavailable and bad at communication. Over the course of a murder investigation (a suspected serial killer) in small-town Texas, they come to terms with their feelings for each other, have bodice-ripper sex (complete with purple, or at least deep lavender, descriptions), and learn their jobs aren’t their priorities.

It’s a competent story and I think fans of Nora Roberts and Janet Evanovich will really eat this up, it just wasn’t for me.

Thanks, NetGalley and Berkley, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.