The Devil’s Daughter is the definition of the perfect book for a book hangover! OMG reading The Devil’s Daughter fed my inner Criminal Minds. I’m a huge fan of the show Criminal Minds and while reading Katee Roberts’ new series I was in suspense as to who could the Un-Sub be. Zach is the Sheriff in the small town of Clear Spring and crimes like murder are so uncommon that when young women begin to surface with their corpse violated and marked with tattoos that match that of a suspected cult, he can’t resist the help of an FBI agent who just so happens to be the daughter of the cult leader. Clear Springs is the very last place Eden wants to be but when a crime is committed in connection to her mother and the cult she fled from, she will stop at nothing to find the killer even if that killer maybe her very own mother. The Devil’s Daughter was so wonderfully written because of the intensity between Zach and Eden while they work together in the hopes of solving who is harming these girls and why. They also must try not to be killed in the process. I can easily say that this is 5 stars read because it is full of suspense, questions, chemistry, and heart wrenching moments. Killers, love, steamy scenes, and a cult! What more could I possible want?

The Devil's Daughter is a big step away from the usual Katee Robert fare - and I like it!

This book is a lot darker, grittier than her other books i have read. It is full of suspense, drama, murder and mystery. There were so many twists and turns, that every time I thought I knew what was going to happen next.

BAM. I was wrong.

I did throw out a hail mary guess of who the bad guy was about 75% of the way into the book, and whilst I was right in the who (goodness knows how I got it right!) the when and why was a real surprise.

This book focuses more on the suspense than the romance - but I am ok with that. There was always that undercurrent of attraction between Zach and Eden but I was glad that it was kind of in the background most of the time.

I enjoyed the characters, the story line kept me intrigued,and I really did like the darker feel to this book.

Now I am impatiently waiting to see what Ms Robert brings us next.

Katee Robert is probably best known for her sexy contemporary romances, several of which have been positively reviewed at AAR. With The Devil’s Daughter, she’s moved into romantic suspense territory, and has done so with a reasonable degree of success, penning a well-paced and gripping tale that kept me eagerly turning the pages.

Sheriff Zach Owens, a former Marine, saw enough killing, bloodshed and violence during his various tours of Iraq to have made him want to leave it behind him and settle down in the relatively quiet Montana backwater of Clear Springs. The worst he usually has to deal with involve the odd DUI, theft and minor crimes, and sometimes keeping a lid on the suspicion harboured by some of the locals towards Elysia, the large compound outside of town which is home to a religious cult. Most of the time, the town and the cult manage to co-exist peacefully, but when a local girl goes missing and her ultra-conservative, church-going parents insist that someone from the cult is responsible for her disappearance, Zach has to walk a tight-rope between doing everything he can to find the girl and keeping the simmering resentment of her parents and their supporters from igniting the tensions between Clear Springs and Elysia and provoking a serious incident.

Zach’s fears are confirmed when he receives news that the naked body of a teenager has been found just outside town and he fully expects this to be the missing girl – but it isn’t. It’s another local girl, one who was believed to have left town to attend college, hence the fact she’d not been missed. And to make things worse, the girl is linked to Martha Collins, the head of the commune at Elysia, by virtue of the fact that Martha wrote her letters of reference for college. Zach knows that any direct approach to Martha or her inner circle will be shut down and met with their usual brand of stonewalling, but with a murder directly linked to the group, and suspicions mounting that they have something to do with the other girl’s disappearance, Zach is going to have to tread carefully if he’s to stand any chance of getting answers, finding the missing teenager or solving the murder.

Eden Collins escaped from the commune and her mother’s influence when she was eighteen. Now an agent working for the Behavioural Analysis Unit at the FBI, she’d never thought to return to Clear Springs, wanting to remain as far from there as possible, but when she’s anonymously sent a picture of the murdered girl, which clearly show tattoos identical to the ones Eden has, she knows she has to go back. Zach is initially suspicious of her presence and her motives. As Martha Collins’ daughter, Eden is not the most popular new face in town, and even Eden can understand why Zach feels the way he does. But she insists he needs all the help he can get in order to find the missing girl before she becomes the killer’s next victim.

The small-town setting of this story is used to great effect in creating an atmosphere of oppression and insularity which helps to build a sense of menace in the mind of the reader. Another thing the author does very well is to show just how deeply affected Eden was and continues to be by her upbringing and life as the daughter of a clever, manipulative and ruthless woman. Eden has been out of Elysia for a decade; she’s an intelligent, independent, capable woman who is obviously good at her job, and yet coming back to Clear Springs almost threatens wipe out those ten years. She knows how controlling and devious Martha is, and knows she has to keep her wits about her if she’s not going to get sucked back in; and Ms. Roberts communicates Eden’s complicated feelings about Martha and Elysia with insight and skill.

The suspense plot is well-executed and especially unsettling on the few occasions the story is told from the PoV of the murdered girls. I had my suspicions as to the identity of the villain, but it wasn’t too obvious, and overall I was satisfied with the way that storyline played out.

I can’t say the same of the romantic aspect of the book, however, which comes as a surprise given Ms. Robert is known as a romance writer. Zach and Eden are a good fit; intelligent, competent people who are dedicated to their jobs and who are both carrying around a bit of emotional baggage. But the romance isn’t really given enough time to develop, and as a result, it feels as though it has just been tacked on. Their first kiss, for example, comes out of the blue when their relationship really only consists of suspicion and work-related disagreements. In this context, sniping at each other doesn’t work as verbal foreplay, and there isn’t much chemistry between them. The book ends with an HFN rather than an HEA for Zach and Eden, with both of them agreeing to pursue a relationship while continuing with their jobs and lives in different places

The Devil’s Daughter is billed as being the first book in the Hidden Sins series, and I’m certainly not averse to reading more, but I’m hoping that Ms. Robert will be able to achieve more of a balance between the romance and the mystery in the next book.

I would like to thank Katee Robert, Montlake and Netgalley for giving me this book for my honest review.
Review by Stephanie
5 Stars
I am a big fan of Katee Robert’s books so I was like “this does not look like Katee’s usual book but I love her so I am going to give it a try” SO GLAD I DID! This book was a huge leap from her norm but she did amazing! And don’t get me wrong the book did give a little romantic aspect to this amazing thriller.
Eden grew up in a cult her mother formed, but when she turned 18 she ran and never looked back. Now she is 28 years old and an FBI agent and has a rock hard wall built around her to keep from getting hurt again. Then there is Zach, the local sheriff of the small town Eden ran away from. But she will need to return because a teenager girl was murdered and the cult might be involved….the cult she so desperately ran away from 10 years ago.

This book was AMAZING! I was unable to put it down and the who done it surprised me! I cannot wait to read more of this series! It hands down has it all…..a little scary (we are dealing with a cult here) , a lot of mystery and suspense and a splash of romance. I want the next book!!

It surprises me to be sending this particular note, but I won't be able to review this title because I can't get through it. Historically, I have loved Katee Robert's books, but this one just isn't for me. Though I won't be reviewing the book, I will be spotlighting it on my blog, RoloPoloBookBlog on Monday, January 23, 2017 as a part of the Barclay Publicity tour.

The Devil's Daughter by Katee Robert was a good read. The opening chapter had this reader's eyes popping out of my head. Scary, chilling reading to say the least. I've read many of author Katee Roberts books previously, and The Devil's Daughter was a change of pace, tone and genre in general for this reader. A story that brings a multitude of reactions as the story progressed. Heart-pounding, alarming moments in a story that did not quit in a who-done-it novel.
Review copy received from Montlake Romance via Netgalley

I was a mystery reader before I was a romance reader, and I love that one of my favorite authors just took me on a rollercoaster of a story that kept me guessing. I thought I knew who had done the very bad things in this book, but I might've been wrong. There's a little bit of sexy times and romance, but it's the thrill of a good mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat. A great start to a new series, and I'll be waiting (im)patiently for the next one!

The devil's daughter by Katee Roberts is a romance and general fiction (adult) read.
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…
This was a absolutely fantastic read with brilliant characters. Eden and Zach were my favourite characters. It definitely wasn't who I thought it was. Full of twists and plots. It had me thinking. Highly recommended. 5*. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book from netgalley.

Zach Owens is the police chief in the small town of Clear Springs, Montana. When a local teenage girl is found murdered and another goes missing, suspicion falls on the local cult. Then Eden Collins shows up claiming someone sent her a crime scene picture of the murdered girl. Eden is no random stranger, though. She is an FBI agent who specializes in cults, and she’s also the daughter of the local cult leader. Eden escaped her mother’s clutches years ago, and being back in town is frightening and painful for her, but she feels compelled to help catch the murderer and stop it from happening again. Zach isn’t sure he can trust Eden, but because of her inside knowledge of the cult he needs her help. The closer she gets to the truth, though, the more it seems like Eden herself may be tied up in the case in ways she never expected.

This was an exciting book that kept me hooked till the end. I admit I’m sort of darkly fascinated by cults, so for me the plot of this book was creepy and engaging. The cult leader, Martha Collins, was a great complicated character. She’s a twisted, Machiavellian genius, and Robert kept me guessing about Martha’s motivations right up to the end. Even better, Eden was kept guessing, too. She would think she knew the truth, but then she’d talk to her mom and suddenly have a small seed of doubt. Her mom was a master of gaslighting, so Eden was constantly questioning her judgments and reminding herself that her mom was a manipulator. It made for a tense story, and it highlighted the challenges Eden faced coming back to Clear Springs.

Eden was definitely my favorite part of the book. She didn’t just have a bad childhood; she had a horrific childhood. As one would expect, she has a whole lotta emotional problems as a result, like a compulsion towards perfection and a severe fear of intimacy. But the fact that she was able to rise above her childhood and lead a fairly successful adult life was awesome. What I liked best was her confidence in herself. Given her mother’s tactics and manipulations, it would have been perfectly understandable if Eden was plagued with self doubt. While she can’t escape some of that, overall she trusts herself, which is what allows her to mostly avoid the emotional traps Martha sets for her. She’s not TSTL, and she works hard to put aside her personal issues in order to look at the case objectively. For instance, when she starts to suspect that the case somehow relates to her personally, she doesn’t just brush it off. She acknowledges that maybe she’s too close to look at things clearly and calls in outside help, even though it means admitting to her boss that she’s in over her head. I loved her intelligence and professionalism!

The romance was...fine. I liked Zach well enough, and I did like that right off the bat he doesn’t see Eden as a quick lay. He isn’t dreaming of marriage or anything, but he wants to get to know her and explore whether there might be something more there than simple lust. Because the murder plot was fast paced and tense, though, there wasn’t as much time as I would have liked for Eden and Zach to get to know each other. The ending is definitely a HFN, which I thought made sense. I wasn’t entirely convinced that Eden and Zach could make it work, however, at least not without some major compromises that I’m not sure either would be prepared to make. That left me feeling a little bittersweet about the ending.

This was a fairly dark, gritty book, but it was fast paced, complex, and exciting, and it worked for me.

Grade: 4 out of 5

The best suspense novel I have read in a long time. Will keep you guessing to the very end. Expect the unexpected. Crazy cult. Kinapped girls. A sheriff and FBI agent get cozy. I'll be honest the ending blew me away!
Eden left Clear Springs when she was 18. Her mother is the leader of a cult and is crazy with power. A girl is found dead and Eden receives a picture of her. She is being drawn back to her hometown because the girl had tattoos just like she had. Her mother had them put on her when she was young. She takes some vacation and heads there.
Zach is the sheriff and former Marine. He knows the cult is involved in the murder but proving it will be hard. Now another girl is missing and it's no coincidence that they resemble Eden. Zach and Eden are racing against the clock to find the missing girl before she's killed. They have a whole group of suspects but no evidence against them. Can they find the girl before another is taken?

I've been eager to read something from Katee Robert for a while now and The Devil's Daughter was definitely the right choice! Mystery and romantic suspense blends into a read that will keep readers up all night. The first novel in the Hidden Sins series is a showstopper.

Eden Collins is returning home to help, unofficially, in a case that is sure to lead back to her mother's cult. As an FBI agent she's willing to put her experience and skills to use. Sheriff Zach Owens is at first suspicious of Eden, thinking maybe coming back to Clear Springs, Colorado is part of an elaborate ruse to deflect his attention away from Elysia. Eden escaped the cult as soon as she turned 18 and is less than enthusiastic to relive the horrors of her childhood. But, young girls are showing up dead and it may be the killer's way of drawing Eden back to Elysia.

The Devil's Daughter is one thriller that you do not want to miss. Between Zach and Eden I don't know who made the story the most appealing. They both had dominant personalities that made the other think differently and both had pasts that forged the strength readers will see. Not only is the mystery complicated enough to keep you guessing, but the depth of darkness will drag chills down your spine. Just when I thought I knew who the killer was, the story takes me by surprise. That's always a plus in any book!

I'm so happy that this is only the beginning of a series. I can't imagine what comes next, but I look forward to reading more from Katee Robert!

*ARC provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Some suspense but I felt like this was a plot I have read before. A bit too graphic for me in parts with the two main characters sex life.

Unlike Katee Robert’s other books that I’ve had the pleasure of reading, ‘The Devil’s Daughter’ is mystery-driven, set in the suffocating confines of a small-town that sits in the shade of a cult whose influence is larger than perceived. It’s a book that’s very different from what I’ve come to associate with Robert and not knowing what to expect, I find myself firmly caught between giving a 3- and 4-star review. There’s a guess-the perpetrator, whodunnit question throughout and the cult, built around the myth of Persephone and Demeter (combined weirdly with some Christian undertones), its proceedings and its shady people, act as the smokescreen concealing the truth from being discovered.

Not that the writing isn’t good (it is), or that the suspense isn’t sufficient (it is), but that the romance takes such a back seat to the story that it could have actually been superfluous because it felt like an addition only for the sake of bringing 2 leads together, even when their chemistry didn’t seem there at all. The romance could have not existed and the book would have worked; consequently, Eden’s and Zach’s pairing seemed forced, as both seemed rather snippy to each other—but not something I’d really mistake for sexual tension when it felt more like the case wearing on them—so the mild case of attraction that first bloomed into a kiss early on took me by surprise and disbelief, because both hadn’t moved past the ‘unwilling co-worker’ stage yet. The potential romantic interest, in short, barely came across and the later sex scene felt more like an obligatory prerequisite rather than a natural progression.

The ending almost mirrors the grim subject matter: an abrupt, a happy-for-now kind of resolution, like a scene in a crime movie when it end as with the police cruiser driving away while the good guys are left staring at the villain’s dead body on the ground. I think I had a problem with how rushed and incomplete it all felt—even when the big reveal came which wasn’t too hard to guess—even when it ended. If this is the start to a series, then I’m eager to see how it goes and how the arc set up here is going to end. But if it isn’t, then ‘The Devil’s Daughter’ might just be a tad bit disappointing.

This is a really good book, one that I really enjoyed because it kept me interested the whole way through. It's got a great mystery that will causes goosebumps to cover your skin, and very intriguing (and sometimes scary) characters. What I also found interesting about this story is the past that essentially consumes the main characters - this was not only unexpected, but a fantastic plot point-. I have to hand it to the author, she certainly turned something truly disturbing into a thrilling read that kept me guessing until the very end. So kudos to her as I have heard this book is much different than her other books. I now cannot wait to see where the author goes with this series and I will definitely be picking up the next one once it is released!

This was a huge departure for Katee Robert, but it was very well done! This story focused 95% on the mystery/thriller aspects, and maybe 5% on romance.

Eden escaped the cult she grew up in, and her mother who created it, as soon as she turned 18. That was 10 years ago. She's become an elite FBI agent with the Behavioral Analysis Unit, and she's built a brick wall around her emotions to protect herself.

Zach is the sheriff in the small town where the cult resides. He grew up there and left for a while when he joined the Marines, but he always planned to return. Usually the cult doesn't cause him any issues, and mostly keep to themselves. But, a local teenage girl has been found murdered, and now he has to figure out if someone from the cult is involved.

Eden returns to the town where she grew up, to try to help. Someone sent her a leaked photo of the dead girl, and there are some things in the photo that tell her the cult is involved. She takes some personal time from work and shows up in town to help Zach. Of course, he's very suspicious of her at first, but then he realizes he really will need her assistance.

The mystery aspects of the story were great! It constantly kept me guessing, and I had no idea who the killer was for sure until it was revealed. It was very thrilling, and quite upsetting at times. You were really put in the dead girl's shoes, and it was quite disturbing, and drew you even further into the mystery. Also, the psychological aspects of what Eden and Zach were both dealing with from their pasts really wrapped you up and got you invested in them as well.

I truly wish there had been a *little* more focus on the romance. I know it's not exactly the ideal circumstances to start a relationship, but I really would have loved to have seen more of them in that context. I also would have liked to see more of them after it was all over. I know she's planning a second book, but I have no idea if the same characters will appear. I really hope we see more of Eden and Zach in the future!

Overall this book was fun, scary, suspenseful, and spooky, with a little sexiness thrown in. I'm very much looking forward to what's next!

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Really enjoyed reading this crime and mystery book. Going into the world of cults and historical myths, very good plot, easy to read and know the characters well, the plot twisted and turned so you wanted to read it all. I even read an extra hour at bed! Love the character of Eden and the story of how she has come on, would love to read a saga with the story from Marthas point of view and life.