Roses are red Violets are blue How many will die Before he’s through
A sadistic serial killer is terrorizing the students at a small liberal arts college in Vermont and all of the victims look like Professor Violet Anastasia.
COBRA Securities agent Jake Kincaid is called in to assist in the investigation. He is instantly drawn to Violet and the case quickly becomes personal. When the killer targets Violet and she is forced to confront a monster from her past, Jake will stop at nothing to keep her safe. But will it be enough to protect her from a madman?
Velvet Vaughn was born in Indiana and spent fifteen years in communications, public relations, marketing and executive management in amateur sports. Articles she has written have been published in several magazines and reprinted in most major newspapers across the country. She served as editor, writer and designer for five sport magazines including one that was distributed to over 140 countries around the world, and one that was displayed in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.
Once again I’m in the minority here as many readers loved this novel and I certainly did not. I found it mediocre at best. Let me explain. First, how stupid are the police? Not one person on the task force has found the common denominator which is each victim killed is a student at the university and share the same professor. Like, come on! It takes Violet, the heroine and professor, to point out to the police that every victim was her student. It’s completely asinine that no detective figured that out. Next, ridiculous characters are added to try and make the story very mysterious, making it seem like there’s no way you can figure out who the killer is. You’ve got the idiot, Todd, a creep and colleague of Violet’s that makes her uncomfortable every single time she’s with him and she's with him often; the janitor that everyone ignores except Violet (what a surprise); the nervous and fidgety principal with secrets; and her stepfather, a convicted felon. No matter, it was easy to figure out who the killer was. When Jake and Violet meet for the first time, they’re of course both attracted to one another. Shocking. I have to say the way she behaved/acted with Jake when they first meet (after another girl is just killed) was just ridiculous and embarrassing. I didn't like this heroine one bit, so needy and pathetic when she's with Jake.
There’s a subplot added in and that’s about Detective Nick Turner and officer Maya Demcree, both of whom are working on the task force. They both ended up in bed one night and since then, he refuses to talk to Maya even though he can’t forget about their one night together or admit to her he’s head over heels in love with her. Now these two I really enjoyed reading about, their insecurities, feelings, etc. They were a terrific couple, way better then the two protagonists. Reading about them gave me a bit of reprieve from the other stupid people.
Yeah, I know I’m in the minority here with my two-star rating which it gets because of Nick and Maya. In the end, a good premise but one that was poorly executed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I often feel like it would be difficult to continue to come up with fresh and intriguing plots when writing romantic suspense novels such as the COBRA series, however, Ms. Vaughn never disappoints! I love the different settings and the creative stories. She keeps her culprits well hidden and keeps you guessing. Book Four and I am still excited to read the next one!
I was guessing up to the end, which doesn't happen very often for me. There was great suspense in this, always keeping you on the edge of your seat. I will be reading the rest of this series for sure.
I love this series and read most of it. But this one I finished in one day. Just when you think you have it all figured out, boom a new twist. Make and Violet warm your heart so does Nick and Maya.
Loved this book. Many subplots to keep you guessing. Very well written giving the main female character depth and strength. Also intriguing plot of a serial killer and mental illness. As with all the male characters in this series, sexy and hot body, whew!!
Velvet Vaughn is a master of murder/mystery/romance books! One of the best writers I've come across so far! I'm impressed that all the details and multiple plots that are woven into the story work together so well! Great job V. Vaughn!!!
This entire series has been amazing. At 69% into the book I figured out who the murdered was, which was no easy feat because he was hidden really well. With all the twists and turns it was in no way predictable. OMG. THIS. BOOK. IS. AWESOME.
An intriguing mystery with a wonderful romantic at.papers for Jake and Violet. Once again Ms. Vaughn has created a great story for COBRA Securities, a company filled with heroes.