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Capricorn Cravings

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The only thing missing from Riley Shaughnessy's life is a man. She has a thriving veterinary practice, a home she loves, and has managed to put her dark past behind her.
Everything is turned upside down when hunky Powell Stewart arrives and overhears her saying she needs to get laid. Could he be the serial killer who killed her young assistant Jamie? She can't help being attracted to him despite the warnings in her daily horoscope.

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 29, 2014

19 people are currently reading
524 people want to read

About the author

Trish Jackson

29 books125 followers
Animal lover and chocolate addict, I write contemporary small town Romantic Suspense, Romantic Mysteries and Romantic Comedy.
In-your-face, spicy, zany, sassy, suspenseful, terrifying, chilling and definitely in bad taste.

One of my publishers, Soul Mate Publishing, went out of business and 5 of my novels disappeared off the internet. On January 15th, 2025, I just re-published CAPRICORN CRAVINGS. Reviews and ratings are thankfully to be seen here on Goodreads. Check it out.

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5 stars
23 (41%)
4 stars
20 (35%)
3 stars
8 (14%)
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5 (8%)
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
Profile Image for Trish Jackson.
Author 29 books125 followers
February 16, 2015
This is my first novel in my Zodiac Series, in which each heroine will belong to a different star sign -- and we all know the characteristics attributed to our star signs really do have some credence, right?

Riley Shaughnessy is a Capricorn -- prudent, ambitious, practical and reserved. She has carved out the perfect life for herself in a small, remote town in the Colorado mountains where nobody knows about her shocking past.

Everything is going well until her assistant goes missing and a handsome stranger comes into her life in a very unexpected manner.

The prologue, in the form of a short story, is available FREE on my website at www.trishjackson.com Look for Riley's Story.
Profile Image for Beth.
3,102 reviews301 followers
November 25, 2025
A dark and grisly murder of Riley Shaughnessy's assistant catapults her happy life into a world of confusion and mistrust. A serial killer has come to Riley's hometown, rocked by the loss of her friend and veterinarian assistant, Riley questions her choices and attraction to the stranger, Powell Stewart.

Following her horoscope has always kept Riley centered, even with the dire warnings she can't seem to help herself from the magnetic pull of Powell. Will it lead to her doom?

The murderer is utterly evil.

We are given a strong story, following Riley's journey to discover the treachery and evil that now has its sights on Riley. Jackson brings us a dark romance that still has the flair of quirky characters we've come to enjoy from her writing style. Perfectly balances the horrific dark side of a serial killer with entertaining characters that captivate your investment in the story.

I received this copy of Capricorn Cravings from Trish Jackson in exchange for an honest review. This book was published on February 3, 2014.
Profile Image for Charline Ratcliff.
Author 3 books214 followers
April 25, 2014
I recently agreed to a book “read-and-review swap” with author Trish Jackson, which is how I came to be in receipt of Capricorn Cravings. When Trish initially contacted me with her request I went and researched the title. Seeing that the book's “about” blurb seemed interesting, I had her send it over. I'm glad that I did because Capricorn Cravings turned out to be a fun, adventurous, fast-paced read. And, while Capricorn Cravings does fall into the Romance category, it is not overly so, which also broadens the novel's reading audience. Truthfully, I think anyone who enjoys the genres of: romance, adventure or murder and intrigue will find this book to be an entertaining read. With that said though, let me provide some insight into the plot…

It's a quiet night, the sun has long ago set, and Riley Shaughnessy, the book's main character, is meditating in her normally peaceful “away from it all” spot located within the forest not far from her home. Unfortunately, her much needed reprieve from the heaviness that her life's career calling sometimes brings, is shattered by the sound of gunfire. Her mind shifts into overdrive while listening to the sounds of running feet, followed by the sound of someone being shot and then crashing heavily to the ground; mere feet from her.

This time of year is not hunting season, nor is it the appropriate time of day even if it were. After an initial attempt to stand during the fracas, Riley stayed down, as ordered by the man who is now lying comatose on the ground in front of her. Finally, the only sound breaking the night’s silence is that of her own, labored, breathing. Hoping she’s safe; she crawls across the ground, quickly reaching the injured man.

Being a veterinarian, she examines him as best as she can in the darkness; seeking to determine how badly he's hurt. Riley also has a bad habit of talking aloud to herself, and after making a rather inappropriate comment she realizes the stranger has regained consciousness. Mortified by her words, she somehow manages to keep her head, telling him to be still as she's going to go get help. When she and her friend Jim return, they discover that the mysterious stranger has vanished.

At her office the next day, her assistant Jamie is a no show; however, it doesn't occur to Riley to worry about her until Jamie's mother calls the following day. Jamie has seemingly vanished without a trace, leaving her young daughter, the love of her life, behind. After several days, Jamie is finally declared missing by the local authorities, and a search party is organized. Foul play is suspected and due to her association with Jamie, Riley becomes a “person of interest...”

I don't want to provide any more information about this novel, but I will say it was well worth the read. Jackson writes with believability and style. Her scenes, characters and character interactions flow well, and she delivers a seamless romantic thriller (of sorts) that will certainly hold the reader's attention. Definitely a four star read and I look forward to reading more from Jackson in the future.
Profile Image for Rhoda Baxter.
Author 23 books103 followers
July 27, 2014
I read this book because I enjoyed Trish Jackson's Redneck PI book (Kickassitude). There was a cracking mystery which kept me turning the pages. There were quite a lot of characters - which got confusing at times - but that could just be me. Riley (the heroine) was very sweet and caring. Almost too caring for her own good at times. One last thing, this story gets quite gory in places and is not for the squeamish!
Profile Image for Karoline Tyne.
284 reviews4 followers
July 10, 2017
Check out my review on my blog!

https://karolinesbookreviews.wordpres...

I had a few reservations about this book prior to starting it. I don’t typically read adult romance novels but I decided to give this one a try (primarily because the main character is a veterinarian). I was worried that this book would cater to one thing only: sex. Thankfully, I was wrong and there was a strong plot line outside of the bedroom.

I enjoyed this book way more than I expected to. It was incredibly fast paced and I wasn’t bored at all. I found the murder mystery very intriguing even though I figured out who the serial killer was at 40% of my way through the novel. Despite the fact that I knew who killer was, I was still curious to see exactly where the plot would go.

I thought Riley was a strong female lead. Her backstory was intense but what she endured throughout the book was equally as challenging. Powell was a decent love interest though he fell a little short for at times because he was a tad blunt and crude about what he wanted from Riley. I wouldn’t say he was disrespectful per se, just direct. Overall, I did like him and thought he was a good match for Riley.

There was one thing that I found slightly off putting about this book. I hated the way the men talked about women. It was incredibly objectifying and any time a young woman was introduced into the story the first almost all the male characters would do was talk about if they thought she would be a good lay. Whether or not it’s an accurate representation of the way men talk amongst one another, it wasn’t something I wanted to read.

Though this novel was pretty predictable, I still enjoyed it a lot. It was fun but definitely had a dark side to it. I’d recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a romantic novel with a dark twist to it.
Profile Image for SANDYE.
458 reviews4 followers
March 11, 2019
Suspenseful. Scary. Dramatic. Heartwarming. Tearjerker.

Very well written story. Riley is an accomplished vet recovering from a troubled past, trying to choose between two love interests. Life gets thrown into a whirlwind for her when her assistant and close friend is found murdered in the woods. She doesn't know who she can trust, and every time she turns around there's more stress and trouble waiting for her.
This story contains violence, rape, murder, abuse, and death. If any of these are triggers for you, avoid this book...otherwise it's a great read!
Profile Image for Marbea Logan.
1,301 reviews17 followers
September 18, 2019
Wonderful story with so many elements and suspense and thrills! There wasn't one page that didn't have something dramatic,scary,romantic,or messy in it. Sometimes the author overworked Riley's way of speaking,not sounding natural in conversation. But the other moving parts in the storyline were great!
Profile Image for Bruce Weitzenhoffer.
2 reviews5 followers
May 12, 2014
I recently finished reading “Capricorn Cravings” by Trish Jackson. When I am choosing books to read, I often steer towards murder mysteries. From the little that I saw about this book, I figured I might well enjoy the novel. I was right. While I am pretty skeptical of astrology in general, and the title definitely lends the reader to think that this could fall into a “horoscope” genre, that aspect was a theme that helped tie the book together.
PLOT: Riley Shaughnessy is a veterinarian who seems to be living a steady and settled life and greatly enjoying her profession and getting past her past (so to speak). One evening, her calm life is turned upside down when she is out in the countryside, hears a gun shot, and comes across a man who has been injured. She tries to help. The plot then builds when her assistant disappears leaving behind a young daughter of whom Riley is awfully fond. Other aspects of this fun read include two men vying for Riley’s affection while Riley is unsure of each of their motives and their integrity; and another disappearance of Riley’s next assistant; and a serial killer on the loose… “Capricorn Cravings” carries through with Riley deciding to “help” along the investigation of her missing assistant. I’ll leave it at that in the hope that this is enough to pique interest.
WRITING STYLE: Jackson does a fantastic job of weaving many threads of a good novel. She has excellent character development. She keeps the story going at a very good pace. She blends romance within the novel that seems appropriate but sometimes a little much. She brings characters in and out of the novel in a way that made sense to me. She ties the various aspects of the plot together in a well thought well written conclusion that left me feeling satisfied that this was a stand-alone novel that could carry a sequel but doesn’t need to.
THE RATING: OVERALL – FOUR STARS; concept – four stars; execution – four stars; story – four stars; writing style & technique – four stars; typos, etc. – five stars… Bottom line – this fast paced novel was well done. If it says anything, I went to Amazon to see what other novels Jackson has written and will consider reading them.
Profile Image for Diana M. Hawkins.
26 reviews1 follower
December 23, 2015
Despite being the survivor of a brutal marriage that ended violently with her husband’s death, Riley Shaughnessy has picked up the pieces of her life after moving to a small town in Colorado. She is a veterinarian with a flourishing practice, who finds herself left in the lurch when her assistant Jamie suddenly goes missing, leaving behind a small daughter, who she had left in the care of the child's grandmother. Later Jamie’s body is found, a murder investigation is opened, and an overworked Riley reluctantly hires a young woman named Sandy as her replacement. In the meantime, there are two men vying for Riley’s attention, Randy a horse wrangler who often works out-of-state, and Powell an FBI agent on the trail of a serial killer. Riley gives Sandy the weekend off. She wants to accompany her boyfriend Billy, while he delivers a couple of horses. From here the action really starts to heat up. It turns out Billy and Sandy fail to arrive at their destination. Billy is killed when his pickup is involved in a traffic accident and one of the two horses in the horse trailer doesn’t make it either. Police determine that Sandy was not in the vehicle with him at the time of the accident. Riley is once again without an assistant because Sandy has disappeared off the face of the earth. Has the serial killer struck again? Riley learns that because she was involved in her former husband’s death, she is now considered a prime suspect in both Jamie’s murder and Sandy’s disappearance. She must find the real killers. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat and has plenty of plot twists to keep the reader guessing. It is a great read. While I’m not a regular follower of horoscopes, I found Riley’s daily astrological readings to be a cute way of giving readers a hint at what might be coming.
Profile Image for Joan Ellis.
Author 4 books98 followers
September 14, 2014
Capricorn Cravings by Trish Jackson
Review by Joan Ellis

Wow! 5 stars
This book had me at the first page. A racy read and a pacey plot kept me hooked. Trish’s writing pulls no punches. Characters are refreshingly human.

Gritty heroine, Riley Shaughnessy has a hidden backstory but when a serial killer strikes in Shady Valley, she can’t keep her past a secret for long. The victim, a young, single mum worked for Riley at her veterinary practice and her brutal murder is the beginning of a chain of events that will change Riley’s life forever. Feisty, flawed and likeable, I was rooting for her the whole way.

As for, our hero, Powell Stewart - I defy any woman not to fantasize about him stepping from the pages and taking them for the ride of their life on his trusty steed.

The writing is spare and strong. This is storytelling at its best. Reading ‘Capricorn Cravings’ is like watching a film. You’re there as you follow every twist and turn, never quite knowing what’s around the next corner.

If you like your romance spiked with danger, you’ll love ‘Capricorn Cravings’.
This is my first Trish Jackson novel. Can’t wait to read more.

I received a copy of the book in return for an honest review.
Profile Image for Paula.
113 reviews1 follower
August 7, 2015
Needed a fact checker

This book was very confusing in the beginning. I almost did not get through the first couple of chapters. After I understood a little of what the author was trying to express, the reading went a little easier. It was not a good beginning. It was if the author was trying too hard to grab our attention, and lost it in the process. It was a decent book, but there were other issues with the book that as a Colorado native, I could not overlook. Now I know why they have fact checkers for the newspapers. One fact that stood out was the time change from CO to FL; if it is 4:30 am in CO, it is 6:30 am in FL. Trish made it sound like it was the other way around. The other real-life fact is that Colorado’s county fairs are before their state fair. The Colorado State Fair is always the last one or two weeks in August and ends usually the first week in September. In the book the author wrote a county fair going on in mid-September, impossible in real-life. I live in Colorado and these things stuck out in my mind and distracted me from the story. I know it is fiction but I want a book to be as real as it can get and this one missed a few points
Profile Image for Star.
1,289 reviews61 followers
June 2, 2014
Riley Shaughnessy has lived a tough life, but she’s now enjoying her life as a country veterinarian. When she’s out in the woods, she sees a man shot and when she goes to him see is immediately attracted to him. Before she can get help, he disappears. In the meantime, her assistant is missing and found dead with wounds matching those found on other women killed by the same person. Even though Riley’s horoscope warns her of danger, she can’t help but put herself in harm’s way…

CAPRICORN CRAVINGS is a mystery, with a slight astrological twist and a romantic sub-plot. The author created believable and dynamic characters who stay consistent throughout the story. I liked Riley a lot as she’s someone who overcame a horrific past and cares deeply about her friends. Her perseverance in tracking down a murderer is sometimes foolhardy, but also admirable. The romance wasn’t over the top, which was nice. The story comes together well in the end and I enjoyed the mystery, suspense, and romance. CAPRICORN CRAVINGS is a good story and will keep your attention until the suspenseful ending!
Profile Image for Laura Scott.
Author 265 books636 followers
September 6, 2016
Riley O'Shaunessy has suffered more than anyone should have to, but has created a wonderful new life in her veterinary practice. But her new life is threatened when a serial killer strikes close to home. Riley is determined to be strong and to stand up for herself, even though every time she turns around it seems she bumps into handsome, tough Powell Stewart is right there looking out for her.

Powell soon figures out the serial killer is targeting Riley and wants to keep her safe. And when she disappears, he realizes he must fight against overwhelming odds to save her.

This is a great, sexy romantic suspense, that keeps the reader guessing at the real culprit. I thought the pacing for the romance was a little slow at first, but once Riley and Powell got together things really heated up into a very steamy romance. Nice job by the author.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Diana M. Hawkins.
26 reviews1 follower
September 3, 2018
Brianna (19) agrees to watch her precocious, 11-year-old niece, while her older sister is on vacation during spring break. To her consternation, she suspects she’s being stalked by several men but is unsure which of them is friend or foe. Meanwhile, she’s doing her best to conceal her dilemma, and an increasingly scary situation, from her niece who is sometimes able to see reality better than she can. Trish Jackson is a skillful writer of romantic suspense stories. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Liz Balaam.
Author 1 book3 followers
August 23, 2014
This is the first of Trish Jackson's books that I have read, but it certainly won't be the last. I was under the impression, just from looking at the cover, that it would be a sort of gentle love story. However, the book is so much more than that. If you are looking for something filled with drama, suspense, love, twists and turns, then this book is for you. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and look forward to reading more from Trish Jackson.
Author 27 books70 followers
July 28, 2014

Wow what a read. I wasn't sure what to expect but I got more than I could have expected. I LOVED Powell Stewart....great job on this hero. Riley Shaughnessy's a dream heroine..the girl everyone loves with a secret past she can't seem to hide. The story, characters, and everything about it was such an exciting read. This author was new to me, but I'll be looking at her back list.
Profile Image for Crystal Connor.
602 reviews3 followers
December 2, 2016
I'm not gonna lie my initial interest is this book was name. Because I'm a Capricorn. It was really good though. Editing could have been a lot better and there seemed to be some unintended fast forwards but still good.
Profile Image for Alice.
108 reviews
April 7, 2015
I was fortunate enough to win this book in a giveaway. I enjoyed reading this book . Can't wait to read more books from the author . Highly recommend !!
1,834 reviews3 followers
April 29, 2017
Fantastic

This is such a good book. There is suspense all the way through the book. Not a lot of romance but it's a well written very good story.¡
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