*I received a free copy of Keep Her Safe from Atria Books via Netgalley. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review, which is honest and unbiased *
Warning: This book includes mature content such as: sexual content, and/or drug and/or alcohol use, and/or violence.
Keep Her Safe by K. A. Tucker Published by Atria Books on 23 January 2018
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Mystery, Romance, Suspense
Pages: 448
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley
Noah Marshall has known a privileged and comfortable life thanks to his mother, the highly decorated chief of the Austin Police Department. But all that changes the night she reveals a skeleton that's been rattling in her closet for years, and succumbs to the guilt of destroying an innocent family's life. Reeling with grief, Noah is forced to carry the burden of this shocking secret.
Gracie Richards wasn't born in a trailer park, but after fourteen years of learning how to survive in The Hollow, it's all she knows anymore. At least here people don't care that her dad was a corrupt Austin cop, murdered in a drug deal gone wrong. Here, she and her mother are just another family struggling to survive...until a man who clearly doesn't belong shows up on her doorstep.
Despite their differences, Noah and Gracie are searching for answers to the same questions, and together, they set out to uncover the truth about the Austin Police Department's dark and messy past. But the scandal that emerges is bigger than they bargained for, and goes far higher up than they ever imagined.
Complex, gritty, sexy, and thrilling, Keep Her Safe solidifies K.A. Tucker's reputation as one of today's most talented new voices in romantic suspense.
Watch out, everybody! Romantic suspense has a new queen, Tucker totally nailed it with Keep Her Safe. There are ugly secrets, dirty cops, a beautiful love story, and some incredibly difficult decisions to make.
Story:
Keep Her Safe is an excellent romantic suspense, and I have to say Tucker nailed this new writing adventure! I found the mystery part extremely well done, and the layers upon layers of deceit made me wonder about what had truly happened. It also took me a very long time to finally figure out who was the main culprit that made the evil ball start rolling.
The pace was fast enough to make me feel like the story moved along nicely, and the way the different characters’ lives interceded was so well done. From the start, there was an eerie feeling to Noah’s conversation with his mother, and I felt so bad for him. Then, little by little, he started unraveling the past. Which made everything he thought he knew a bit different.
I won’t say anymore, so as to make sure I won’t spoil anyone. But you should definitely get Keep Her Safe. As soon as it releases. It was one of my top favorite reads last year!
Characters:
Noah is the male main character, and he’s great hero material. He goes after the truth, and finds both things he likes and things he wishes he never knew. He also is great at taking care of other people.
Gracie wants the truth more than she could have imagined. But not at all cost.
Writing style :
Gracie and Noah both get their chapters, in first person point of view. And there are chapters from Noah’s mother’s perspective as well, set in the past, and while those chapters do shed some light on things, they still keep the suspense going until the end.
Feels :
The suspense almost killed me! But there were other feels, too. I felt the characters’ courage. Their despair. Their hope. I was totally immersed in Keep Her Safe from start to finish.
Maybe I can get through to her. “You’ve grown into a good, honest man,” she mutters, not answering me. “You’re going to be fine.”
About Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms
Linda is an English as foreign language teacher and has a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. She's an avid reader, blogger, compulsive one-clicker and a genre omnivore. Ever since she learnt how to read she has been seen with a book or two in her hands everywhere she goes.
Twitter: ailynk
oh wow… haven’t read the premise before. This sounds really awesome, blurring lines of black and white
Yeah, blurring the lines, and just keeping the suspense going from start to finish 🙂
I love that both characters get their own perspectives, and the suspense is kept up throughout the whole book! I definitely think I need to read this one.
-Lauren
I agree, dual point of view really makes a story shine when it’s well done. I hope you’ll enjoy this one as much as I did, Lauren!
I STILL haven’t read a single K.A. Tucker book in my… 4 years blogging, and I know, I’m very ashamed. I didn’t know she’s turning to suspense now, and I’m VERY intrigued. Awesome review, Lexxie!
That’s OK, Aimee, we can’t read ALL the authors all the time. Tucker is one of my favorites, though, and I really hope you’ll pick up one of her books soon 😉
I keep saying I will read a book by this author soon but then I just don’t. I do like the sound of this one, sounds like something I’d enjoy. I love supsense in a book!
It’s so well done, Stephanie! I really enjoyed everything about this story. If you pick it up, I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.
I love suspense so I might have to try this one. Great review!
Thanks, Anne.
I have had my eye on this one so I am really happy to see how much you enjoyed it. I will have to try to get my hands on a copy from my library because it sounds like a great one.
It was so good, Carole! I really loved it 🙂 I hope your library will get it on release day!
Oh yay. I didnt read her last couple standalones but I read her thriller series and loved it. I have this one so im glad that you loved it.
I hope you’ll love it as much as I did, Nereyda!
Twitter: Mlsimmons
This is another author that I’ve really wanted to try. Now you have me wanting to move this book to the top of my TBR list. Great review.
You should so move it to the top of your TBR list, Melanie 🙂 I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.
Twitter: Mollykatie112
Just got this from Net Galley yesterday. Glad to see you loved it?
I can’t wait to see what you’ll think of it, Lorna.
I love KA Tucker and can’t wait to read this one soon.
I love her, too. All her books have made an impact on me in one way or another.
K.A. Tucker can do no wrong when it comes to forming a mystery… she knows just how to do and how to never do it the same so she keeps us guessing. I really want to read another one of her works and it sounds like this one might be the one for me.
I agree, Olivia. And her suspense novels just keep getting better – I don’t even know how that’s possible.