This was an enjoyable read. I liked how the author sort of had you thinking it might one guy as the killer but ended up being the more obvious choice. Although the twist of the old friend being involved I didn't see that coming. The characters where okay. I really didn't get too invested into them. I have read other books with a similar story line of being involved in a cult and those just stuck out better to me than this one.

Good romantic suspense which introduces an interesting character in Eden, an FBI Special Agent whose mother runs a cult. She's working with Sheriff Zach Owens in Clear Springs to find out and stop whoever is murdering young women. it's not that twisty (which was ok by me) but the plot line was nicely different. A good read.

This was a great book. Normally I like romantic thrillers but this was a thriller with a small side of romance (if that makes any sense). It took me some time to get into it a bit, but I think that was just the tone of the book being dark. It does get darker as the book progresses. It was about 35% into the book that I got to the point that I couldn't stop reading and didn't really put it down except for sleep and work. I can't wait to read the next book! I highly recommend.

The Devil's Daughter by Katee Robert is VERY different from her other books - the focus is more on the mystery and the romance is very much to the background, but I thought she did a solid job with it. It was mysterious and so interesting. I also liked the characters quite a bit. I am looking forward to more from her.

I am a fan of Robert's romances and wanted to give this a shot for that reason. I typically don't read romantic suspense of mysteries at all, but I thought the cult aspect would be interesting enough to keep me reading. Unfortunately, I didn't love it. I wish the romance had been a bit more realized, because I was never connected to the characters emotionally. The mythology of the cult was interesting to me, though.

The Devil's Daughter is the first romantic suspense book in the Hidden Sins series written by author Katee Robert. Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for the advance copy.

FBI Agent Eden Collins left her her hometown of Clear Springs, Montana 10 years ago. Nothing, but nothing, would induce her to return ...except someone sent her a picture of a dead girl. The girl has been beaten, strangled, and more importantly, she has tattoos. These are identical to the tattoos that Eden carries.

Eden's mother is a cult leader. All her followers carry the same tattoos...except Eden has one that no other has. Even though she knows she's being manipulated into returning to the cult, she can't just ignore a young girl being murdered by a member of her cult.

Sheriff Zach Owens has his suspicions about this FBI Agent who just happens to be on "vacation" and has ties to his town. But then another girl goes missing and another body is found ... same marks, same tattoos.

They are going to have to work together to stop this killer ...and Eden is going to have to push herself to deal with her mother ...and her followers .... again. And the longer she stays, the more danger she's in .... and it's far closer than she knows.

This is a new author to me, and I was pleased to find a well-written Romantic Suspense. The premise is a good one, with some twists and turns and an ending that really surprised me. The characters are thoughtfully defined. Eden has a lot of issues to deal with, but she seems to fight her way through them. Zach is highly attracted to Eden and very protective.

The author has several books out there, so if you're a fan of Romantic Suspense, you might want to check her out.

Many thanks to the author / Montlake Romance / Netgalley for the digital copy of this book. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

When the bodies of young women appear with tattoos worn by a cult an FBI agent must return home to the aforementioned cult that's run by her mother. She develops a romantic interest in the sheriff and he's reluctant about her returning there. This was a well written Romantic Suspense novel that delivers a surprise ending. I'm not a fan of cult themed plotlines but this was well done.

QuickShot Review
It was an ok read. This was an ARC that took me a loooooong time to get through and that was due to the pacing. It’s a fairly standard romantic suspense, but so much time is spent in the individual character’s headspace that it was easy to get distracted and put down. The pace picks up only at the end, as if the author realized she was running out of time. Once that ball starts rolling though, the last few chapters wrapped it up with some excitement. Had that tension really been felt throughout the story, I would have liked it more. As it is, if you really love a slower paced romantic suspense (and you have Kindle Unlimited), you may enjoy it more than I did.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit/30848565.......

Wow, that was one twisting, turning, unexpected read. I knew this book was different then what I was used to by Ms. Robert, but I wasn't fully prepared for how much different it was going to be. Don't get me wrong, it was NOT a bad read. Actually, it was just the opposite. This book drug me into the taboo world of cults and held me hostage until I turned the last page.

Eden left town as soon as she could in order to escape the world her mother created. She wanted no part of the cult and could not picture herself having a future there. However, when she learns of a recent murder that sheds some light on her past, she is determined to get justice, even if that means returning to the life she left behind.

Zach had the honor of being sheriff to a mostly peaceful town. The only real blight in the town was the cult everyone knew about; that is until a young girl was murdered. He is determined to find out who killed her; however, the last thing he wants to do is put anyone else in danger. Especially the unexpected beauty who shows up to help.

This was truly a read that had it all: romance, murder, lies, suspense, etc. With each page that I read, I kept getting dragged into the unknown world of cults and how things are never really what they seem. The characters were well written and I wanted them to not only survive, but to also get their HEA. The author did a wonderful job of creating a story that made you want to keep turning the pages. I HAD to know what was going to happen next and that lead to a couple of hours of lost sleep.

If you are in the market for a suspenseful read where you also get a HEA, you will not be disappointed with this one. Make sure to pick up your copy today and explore the suspenseful work of cults while trying to figure out who the killer is!

Wow! This book is crazy good! It was intense, suspenseful, mysterious and even the romance was fantastic with great chemistry and sexual tension. I loved this book and I can't wait to read more!!

I don't know if many of you are familiar with The Devil's Daughter. I hadn't come across any reviews before I decided to read it myself. As soon as I read the blurb, I knew it would be an ideal choice for me. The plot was beyond intriguing and focused on one of my favorite themes ever: CULTS. I thought Elysia was fascinating and Martha, the leader, too. I'm always attracted to stories about manipulation and cult following, as well as ritualistic killings (such a romantic, I know) and this one had it all. And the prodigal daughter returns home...

I really liked Zach's character, he was the classic tortured sheriff (yes, I have a weakness for stories about sheriffs and small towns) and he was very protective of Clear Springs' citizens. I thought his character was easy to identify with. The mystery was compelling enough, although there aren't too many suspects, so you can probably guess the culprit in the end. Still, I thought it was a captivating story and I was able to read it in just one day.

So what didn't work for me? The romance. As simple as that. It's not that I hate romance, in fact, I read a romantic suspense series not so long ago and I absolutely loved everything about it (The Gates of Evangeline), but here, I just couldn't connect with their relationship at all. And I believe the book would've worked better without it.

When a character that it's supposed to be a fierce FBI agent and around 30 years old starts thinking stuff like: "He's so attractive I can barely make eye contact", I lose my patience. And the romance was so sudden and unnecessary that I wish it hadn't happened. And it's a pity since everything else was right up my alley.

Anyway, The Devil's Daughter is still a worthy book if you love cults and romantic suspense. I'd love it if the author decided to focus completely on the creepy side.

I enjoyed this story, it felt a little slow sometimes but the cult was an interesting setting. I just feel it kinda ended abruptly we don't see how the H/h work things out and I would have liked to see the mother pay for some of what she did. Maybe there is a second book?

Montlake Romance and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Devil's Daughter. This is my honest opinion of the book.

When a girl is found dead in a field with a strange tattoo on her back, Sheriff Zach Owens of Clear Springs is not sure what to make of the marking. The sheriff's immediate suspicion is that Elysia, the local cult run by Martha Collins, is involved in the murder. Martha's estranged daughter Eden, an FBI agent with the Behavioral Analysis Unit, comes to offer her services, despite serious reservations. As the disappearances and deaths start to add up, can it be that Eden's past is the key?

Overall, The Devil's Daughter features a fast paced, thrilling plot and well developed characters. Eden's past, a source of many nightmares and visible scars, is eluded to but never fully explained. Not that I feel that the book needs to be more graphic, but a little more background might have gone far to explain Eden's motivations. An avid reader of suspense thrillers, I had puzzled out the conclusion before reading it, but most readers will find the ending surprising. The instant romantic connection between two of the characters was completely unnecessary, considering the ever changing situation unfolding before them. Despite these small issues, The Devil's Daughter was a good read and I would definitely read more by this author in the future.

As someone who loves Criminal Minds and watching Leah Remini's show Aftermath, this book was PERFECT for me!

FBI Agent Eden is coming back to Clear Springs to help solve a murder in her hometown. Her mother runs the local cult, Elysia, and has for years. Eden sees a picture of a body of a victim and sees some similarities between the victim and cult practices so she comes home to consult and get inside information from her mother.

Sheriff Zach Owens remembers Eden from when she lived in Clear Springs. And her just showing up seems suspicious to him. So he's not entirely trusting of her. But he's also fiercely attracted to her and doesn't want to put her in danger, especially with a killer on the loose.

I can't wait to read more of this series! It totally is something that anyone who likes suspense, romance, thrillers would appreciate.

I really liked this book! It was a captivating, quick read. Finally something a little different in the suspense arena. I give this book a 3.7 and would definitely recommend it!

Growing up in a small town isn’t easy, especially when you’re the daughter of a local cult leader. Ten years ago, Eden Collins left Clear Springs, Montana, and never once looked back. But when the bodies of murdered young women surface, their corpses violated and marked with tattoos worn by her mother’s followers, Eden, now an FBI agent, can’t turn a blind eye. To catch the killer, she’s going to have to return to the fold.

Sheriff Zach Owens isn’t comfortable putting Eden in danger, even if she is an elite agent. And he certainly wasn’t expecting to be so attracted to her. As calm and cool as she appears, he knows this can’t be a happy homecoming. Zach wants to protect her—from her mother, the cult, and the evil that lurks behind its locked gates. But Eden is his only key to the tight-lipped group, and she may just be closer to the killer than either one of them suspects…



* * * * *



It seems to be a theme with girls escaping their small towns and coming back as women when tragedy hits. THE DEVIL'S DAUGHTER adds to that theme with Eden being the daughter of the local cult leader. Some of the things that Eden reveals that were done to her was enough to make me shudder.



Ms, Robert has done a great job of ratcheting up the tension right off the bat and then backing off a bit to give the reader some breathing room and time to get to know the characters. And I did enjoy getting to know the guarded Eden and mothering Zach. We even get a chance to meet Eden's partner Vic who I am sure has his own story. I would love to get to know Eden's boss Britton better also though right now he is just a voice on a phone.


I really enjoyed reading THE DEVIL'S DAUGHTER and feel that my readers will also. I would steer younger readers away however because some of the cult's practices are fodder for nightmares.



*** I received this book at no charge from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed within are my own.

This deviated from Katee's usual books we've come to know and love, in the best way possible. I was completely intrigued and enamored with the direction of where Katee took this book and enamored by the exploration depth of cults, and our MC being the estranged daughter of one cult leader. Yeah, I know, coming from a Christian such as myself, sounds weird that I'd say something like that. The premise and dark tone to match was compelling, and Katee nailed it. I'm hoping she writes more like this.