Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Monster in the Closet by Karen Rose Series: Romantic Suspense #19
Published by Berkley on August 29, 2017
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 512
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads
Amazon, Libro.fm
Baltimore PI Clay Maynard routinely locates missing children for clients, but his own daughter—stolen by his ex-wife—has eluded him for years. Until she turns up right under his nose…
Since she was a child, Taylor Dawson believed the lie her mother told her: that her father was a monster. But now she has a chance to get to know the real Clay while doing real work as an equine therapist, which includes helping two girls whose mother was brutally murdered. She might even find something deeper with her boss’s handsome son, Ford Elkhart, whose eyes are so haunted. But just as Taylor feels her life opening up to new family, work, and friends, a danger lurks in the darkness—one that will show Taylor the face of true evil… (
I have enjoyed the Romantic Suspense series for a long time. These are long, consistently well-written suspenseful books. The emotions, the mystery, the action, and the wonderful characters will keep me reading. I highly recommend this series, and to read in order, with 19 books now. It is well suited to a binge read with the characters all being connected. The emotional hangover might be of epic proportions.
I had a bit of trouble with the previous book, Every Dark Corner, only because I had a delay in the series reading, before reading it. This time, I remembered the characters and situations very well. As is often the case, the mysteries and suspense involve children. I was bawling by the time I was only 10% read. The emotional roller-coaster kept me riding all along. I care about these people. The writing of the feelings and compassion are authentic. The characters are brought to life and feel very real. They take some real risks but their actions are brave, calculated and not stupid. I love smart and caring characters which are in ready supply, as well as a whole range of other types.
The romance was slow burn with plenty of sexual tension. It took somewhat a back seat to the murder mystery and various family issues. The action was as fast and furious as the emotions. Monster in the Closet was amazing and heart-pounding! I really want to see more of these people and what happens in the future for them.
About Karen Rose
Internationally bestselling, RITA-award winning, author Karen Rose was born and raised in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. She met her husband, Martin, on a blind date when they were seventeen and after they both graduated from the University of Maryland, (Karen with a degree in Chemical Engineering) they moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. Karen worked as an engineer for a large consumer goods company, earning two patents, but as Karen says, “scenes were roiling in my head and I couldn’t concentrate on my job so I started writing them down. I started out writing for fun, and soon found I was hooked.”
Her debut suspense novel, DON’T TELL, was released in July, 2003. Her novels, I’M WATCHING YOU and SILENT SCREAM, received the Romance Writers of America’s RITA award for Best Romantic Suspense for 2005 and 2011. Five of her other books have been RITA finalists. To date, her books have been translated into twenty-four languages.
A former high school teacher of chemistry and physics, Karen lives in Florida with her husband of more than twenty years, her two daughters, two dogs, and a cat.
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
Friend or follow me at Goodreads.
- 🎧 Red River Road by Anna Downes @whatannawrote @MaddyWithington @MinotaurBooks @MacmillanAudio #LoveAudiobooks - October 3, 2024
- A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer by Maxie Dara @MaxieDara @jaimebee @BerkleyPub @PRHAudio @sophiarose1816 #LoveAudiobooks - October 2, 2024
- 🎧 Candle & Crow by Kevin Hearne @KevinHearne @luckylukeekul @DelReyBooks @PRHAudio#LoveAudiobooks - October 1, 2024
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- Anne: 2017 New Release Challenge
This is up next for me! I’ve finally caught up (in the middle of Every Dark Corner and have mixed feelings about that:) One of my favorite series.
This is also one of my top series for the romantic suspense genre. I had some odd things about Every Dark Corner but chalked it up to not remembering that set of characters well enough. This one was amazing for me.