I’m going to start with the classification of this story. With this author, it is easy to see why people will assume this is a romantic suspense, but I wouldn’t classify this book as a romance. And, to be fair, neither does the author. On her website, it’s referred to as a thrilling suspense, and that seems right to me. Don’t worry, there is plenty of interactions with Huck and Laurel. But their romance is by no means the central story here.

That being said. Laurel and Huck have a wonderful connection. Because Laurel is socially awkward and not able to pick up on social cues, she doesn’t get that Huck is quite enamored with her. Subtleties don’t hit the mark with Laurel. While Huck knows this about her, it can still be confusing and frustrating for him. Yet these two always come back around to each other and really do understand each other in ways nobody else does. So while this can’t, in my mind, be considered a romance, it still scratched some of my itch for some warm fuzzies.

The meat of this story is the possible (new) serial killer on the loose in the Pacific Northwest. Lauren and Huck team up again to solve this case. The mystery itself is well written. There were a lot of suspects that kept me guessing. But the thing about this series that keeps me invested is Abigail. Lauren’s half-sister is creepy. I love how the author writes all of the characters, but with Abigail, it is next level. I never know where she’s going and what she’s up to. So while the criminal cases in both books so far were wrapped up by the end of the books, there’s still so much not known about Abigail. Obviously, she is not a good person, but how involved has she been in the murders so far? And how far will she go to get what she wants? For that matter, what does she want?

It’s my opinion that you shouldn’t read this story without reading You Can Run first. I don’t feel the full extent of Laurel’s personality or Huck’s reasons for his need to be alone will be appreciated without reading that first book. This is a series that will continue to build tension (and romance) as it goes along.

**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely*

You can find more of my reviews at All In Good Time.

Zanetti does action and suspense so well. Creepy good plot, and always something driving the story. The main character, Laurel, is smart and resourceful. Watching her navigate various difficult relationships gave her depth. The heat between her and Huck - 5 stars. It's a bit of a slow burn, even though they know each other they are fighting the attraction. But the chemistry with Huck is so good, you really root for these two to figure it out. The story was well-paced. It is the second in a series, but it didn't feel like I was missing information jumping right in with Book #2.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.