A Deadly Love by Jannine Gallant
Publisher: Wild Rose Press Inc
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (302 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by FernIn the heart of the redwoods, a madman waits…
Recovering from a broken engagement and determined to start over, Brooke Wakefield flees to her grandmother’s home deep in the redwood forest. Discovering her teenage crush lives next door is a less than auspicious beginning. The last thing she needs is another man to break her heart, but every time Dillon glances her way, her heat level soars.
Dillon Tremayne isn’t looking for a relationship. With a young son, an eccentric grandfather, and a logging company running him ragged, he can’t afford any romantic entanglements. But Brooke’s humor and strength are hard to resist.
When a woman from his past is brutally murdered and another disappears, Dillon is heartsick—and terrified the killer will target Brooke next. Can Brooke and Dillon find love in the heart of the forest? Or will a madman’s twisted dream destroy their chance at happiness?
Startled by a ghost-like woman in a long white nightgown running onto the road in front of her car, Brooke Wakefield crashes her car. Dillon Tremayne finds her semi-conscious and bloodied, her car a mangled wreck. A killer is holding women hostage, torturing them with a hunt-and-chase type game that fulfills the sickness within him. When Brooke captures his attention what started out as a chance to help her Grandmother out and get herself back together in the sleepy little town turns into a twisted game from her darkest nightmare.
An old-school style psychological thriller, this small-town book is full of interesting, well-written characters. The author has done an excellent job setting up the atmoshphere of an isolated, fog-filled, woodsy little town, the perfect setting for a crazed stalker/killer. But it’s the characters that really shine through. Full of quirks and life, I found myself second guessing everyone trying to work out the mystery and stay one step ahead of the killer. I’m pleased to say I only had mingled success, with quite a few interesting twists.
Not to be read on a cold, stormy night, this was scary enough to have me double checking the doors, but not gory enough to be horrible or over the top, it has a good balance. Dillon and Brooke certainly have chemistry, each is recovering from their own problems – Dillon from the tragic death of his late wife, Brooke from a broken engagement. The romantic pace between them is a realistic, gradual progression and the culmination of their desires is tastefully written.
An excellent find, I really enjoyed this book and would happily read more from this author.
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