She was the one that got away…
Eight years ago Serenity Washington watched as her twin sister was murdered. She was lucky to escape the same grisly fate. With her sister’s killer in jail, she relocated and tried to move on with her life. She married a man in the Air Force and started a family, but when her husband dies unexpectedly she moves back to the last place she remembers being happy—Verona Bay, FL.
Now that she’s come home, it’s all starting again…
Within months of Serenity’s homecoming, she receives a ‘gift’—a bracelet from her sister that was never recovered after her death—and a taunting note. Terrified for herself and her young daughter, she turns to the local sheriff for help. But there’s only so much they can do without proof that the gifts aren’t more than sick pranks. There’s been no DNA, no fingerprints left behind—nothing to indicate who’s leaving them. As the horrifying gifts arrive with increasing frequency, Serenity has no doubt that she’s the ultimate target. But with her sister’s murderer—a confessed serial killer—still behind bars, she has no idea who’s stalking her.
She turns to the one man she’s been trying to keep her distance from…
Former Marine Lucas Jordan has been hung up on single mom Serenity since she moved back to Verona Bay, but she’s made it clear she’s not looking for a relationship. When she’s targeted, however, all bets are off. He won’t sit by while she’s terrorized, and with her and her daughter’s lives in danger he’s prepared to stand his ground and protect them both. Together they face the impossible task of trying to figure out who to trust before they all wind up six feet under.
Verona Bay Series:
Dark Memento
Future titles and release dates TBC
Visit Katie Reus' website for more information.
Review:
Eight years ago Serenity and her twin sister Savannah were captured by a serial killer. Serenity escaped, but not before she was forced to watch her sister die. Although she's tried to move on with her life Serenity has always felt like a piece of her is missing so after her husband dies she's returned to her hometown with her young daughter Harper. Just when she was starting to feel settled again someone starts leaving her gifts, starting with a bracelet that used to belong to her sister, one that was never recovered even after her killer was brought to justice. The murderer is still in jail but as the threats against Serenity increase in both frequency and severity it quickly becomes clear that she is a target once more.
Lucas has been friends with Serenity since she returned home and always had hope that eventually they could become something more so when he realises she's in danger he will stop at nothing to keep her safe. The only question is how many people will get hurt before the police can figure out who Serenity's stalker is.
I really enjoy Katie Reus' stories, they have just enough suspense and action to keep me turning the pages but also a strong focus on the romance. In this case it's a friends to lovers trope which I always enjoy, Lucas has always known what he wants but Serenity has very good reasons for keeping him at arm's length. She's learned the hard way that anyone she gets close to ends up dying and she's scared to let anyone but her daughter get close enough to hurt her in that way again. She's also wary of introducing a new father figure into Harper's life and potentially have her heart broken too if the relationship ends badly and she worries about damaging her friendship with Lucas when he's one of the few people she can rely on.
As things quickly escalate with the stalker Lucas and his family are amongst the first to stand up and look out for her. Like in any small town there is a fair share of gossip but in general people seemed to be pretty supportive and I liked that Serenity had a good group of friends outside of Lucas. I'm not always a fan of kids in books but Harper was pretty cute and I enjoyed seeing her relationship with Lucas as well as with her mum. The identity of the stalker kept me guessing right until the big reveal as there were several possibilities all the way through. Dark Memento was a great start to the series and I'm really hoping the other books will give Lucas' brothers Lincoln and Easton their chance at a HEA.
Source: Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
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