Don't Tell by Karen Rose

Title: Don’t Tell

Author: Karen Rose
Series: Romantic Suspense Series (book #1)
Next in series: Have You Seen Her?

My rating: 4 Stars

Synopsis: The victim of horrendous abuse at the hands of her police officer husband, Gracie Winters saved her own life and that of her young son by staging their deaths. Nine years later, Gracie has reinvented herself as Caroline Stewart and is on the verge of falling in love and trusting a man again. But Caroline’s past is about to catch up with her and the threat could cost not only her newfound relationship but her very life.

Review: The suspense is excellent and makes this a worthwhile read. However, the romance is a little bland and the primary characters can be aggravating at times.

Rose does an incredible job imparting the feelings of terror, anguish and shame associated with domestic abuse. While the scenes are brutally realistic and difficult to read about, they grab the reader by the throat and make it easy to empathize with the heroine and her amazing courage and determination. They also emphasize the danger posed by the villain, who is enough to make your skin crawl.

In general, Max and Caroline are likeable characters with good chemistry but they also tended to rub me the wrong way. Max is too quick to anger and wallow in self-pity, and Caroline tends to jump to conclusions. Moreover, their arguments become tedious after a while and contribute nothing to their relationship. The secondary characters are far more engaging, especially Max’s brother, Caroline best friend and the agent investigating the case. All of these characters have books of their own in the series and I look forward to reading their stories.

Rose’s writing is fast-paced and compelling, and the action sequence at the end is exciting. The plot of is reminiscent of the film Sleeping with the Enemy with Julia Roberts. So if you are a fan of the movie you will definitely enjoy this book.