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Serenity's Plain Secrets #5
Paper Roses
Some Amish communities aren't so cozy.
Paper Roses is the electrifying new addition to the Serenity’s Plain Secrets’ mystery/crime thriller series.
While an archeological team digs up Blood Rock’s sinister past, a forbidden romance begins, and Serenity races to stop a serial killer before he strikes again.
When the mutilated corpse of a young Amish woman is discovered in Blood Rock, Sheriff Serenity Adams embarks on her most terrifying case yet, facing a killer unlike anything she’s seen before. Law enforcement and the Amish join forces to unravel the truth and find the person terrorizing the community, and just when Serenity thinks she’s solved the case, she finds out that the nightmare is far from over.
Paper Roses is the electrifying new addition to the Serenity’s Plain Secrets’ mystery/crime thriller series.
While an archeological team digs up Blood Rock’s sinister past, a forbidden romance begins, and Serenity races to stop a serial killer before he strikes again.
When the mutilated corpse of a young Amish woman is discovered in Blood Rock, Sheriff Serenity Adams embarks on her most terrifying case yet, facing a killer unlike anything she’s seen before. Law enforcement and the Amish join forces to unravel the truth and find the person terrorizing the community, and just when Serenity thinks she’s solved the case, she finds out that the nightmare is far from over.
281 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 26, 2017
1359 people are currently reading
887 people want to read
About the author
Karen Ann Hopkins
43 books1,410 followersYou can visit Karen Ann Hopkins at her website: www.karenannhopkinsfiction.com.
"I loved joining Rose and Noah during their journey in the Temptation series by Karen Hopkins."-Katie McGarry, acclaimed YA author
Karen Ann Hopkins resides in northern Kentucky with her family on a farm that boasts a menagerie of horses, goats, sheep, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, pigs, dogs, and cats. Karen rescues and fosters a variety of pets and farm animals, but she also finds time to give riding lessons, coach a youth equestrian drill team, and of course, write. She was inspired to create her first book, Temptation, by the Amish community she lives in. The experiential knowledge she gained through her interactions with her neighbors drove her to create the story of the star-crossed lovers, Rose and Noah.
Karen grew up about a mile from Lake Ontario in Upstate New York. She was bitten by the horse bug at the age of five, and after diligently taking riding lessons for several years, she was rewarded with her first horse at the age of eleven. The feisty horse's name was Lady, a Quarter Horse-Thoroughbred cross, who became Karen's steadfast companion. Through the years, the constant force in her life was horses. Eventually, Karen found her place as a riding instructor herself. Before accepting her fate in the barnyard, she worked a short stint as a paralegal, traveled abroad, and guided tourists on horseback riding tours in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.
Karen is currently working on her two interconnecting mystery/crime fiction series, Serenity's Plain Secrets and Possum Gap, along with several new projects.
To learn more about Karen and her books, please visit her website.
"I loved joining Rose and Noah during their journey in the Temptation series by Karen Hopkins."-Katie McGarry, acclaimed YA author
Karen Ann Hopkins resides in northern Kentucky with her family on a farm that boasts a menagerie of horses, goats, sheep, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, pigs, dogs, and cats. Karen rescues and fosters a variety of pets and farm animals, but she also finds time to give riding lessons, coach a youth equestrian drill team, and of course, write. She was inspired to create her first book, Temptation, by the Amish community she lives in. The experiential knowledge she gained through her interactions with her neighbors drove her to create the story of the star-crossed lovers, Rose and Noah.
Karen grew up about a mile from Lake Ontario in Upstate New York. She was bitten by the horse bug at the age of five, and after diligently taking riding lessons for several years, she was rewarded with her first horse at the age of eleven. The feisty horse's name was Lady, a Quarter Horse-Thoroughbred cross, who became Karen's steadfast companion. Through the years, the constant force in her life was horses. Eventually, Karen found her place as a riding instructor herself. Before accepting her fate in the barnyard, she worked a short stint as a paralegal, traveled abroad, and guided tourists on horseback riding tours in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.
Karen is currently working on her two interconnecting mystery/crime fiction series, Serenity's Plain Secrets and Possum Gap, along with several new projects.
To learn more about Karen and her books, please visit her website.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
March 30, 2018
When the mutilated corpse of a young Amish woman is discovered in Blood Rock, Sheriff Serenity Adams embarks on her most terrifying case yet, facing a killer unlike anything she’s seen before.
Paper Roses is the fifth book in this series and I feel like the series has gotten weaker as it has progressed. I didn't feel as enthralled with this one and I picked out the killer easily. Also, despite the grisly nature of the killings, I didn't feel like this was Serenity's most terrifying case, even though that's what the synopsis says. The first two books in the series were more terrifying to me, simply because of the unknowns involved with the Amish,and their creepy behavior.
In my past reviews I've mentioned how Serenity seemed like a love struck teen around Daniel and how her focusing in on his looks and how he made her feel got old. Well that is completely absent in this book, which wasn't a bad thing. This time around Serenity is starting to have some reservations about their relationship because she feels like they are so different in some key areas and beliefs, which are actually valid concerns. Mostly though, the romance between them takes a backseat here. Daniel is featured but is mostly in the background.
In this book we get chapters from the point of view of Serenity and her friend C.J. I found myself forgetting whose point of view I was reading at times and confusing the two, but I really liked C.J. The forbidden romance aspect of her story was good, but a little too insta-love for me. This being a short book, I didn't feel like the characters spent enough time with each other before bonds were formed between them, and I don't just mean between C.J. and Joshua, but between C.J. and his kids as well. This resulted in the feelings between them not feeling as genuine as I would have liked.
My biggest complaint however is that this book just like the rest of the series needed more proofreading. There are a lot of typos in the Kindle version; missing words, words added into sentences that didn't belong, the wrong word in a sentence. These are mistakes that could be easily eliminated by proofreading.
Overall this was an ok addition to the series, but not as good as the others. After reading book four, I was feeling a bit weary of this series, but after a long break from the series I'm feeling more interested in it again. I mostly want to see where things go with the relationships so I'll continue reading when the next book is published.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
Paper Roses is the fifth book in this series and I feel like the series has gotten weaker as it has progressed. I didn't feel as enthralled with this one and I picked out the killer easily. Also, despite the grisly nature of the killings, I didn't feel like this was Serenity's most terrifying case, even though that's what the synopsis says. The first two books in the series were more terrifying to me, simply because of the unknowns involved with the Amish,and their creepy behavior.
In my past reviews I've mentioned how Serenity seemed like a love struck teen around Daniel and how her focusing in on his looks and how he made her feel got old. Well that is completely absent in this book, which wasn't a bad thing. This time around Serenity is starting to have some reservations about their relationship because she feels like they are so different in some key areas and beliefs, which are actually valid concerns. Mostly though, the romance between them takes a backseat here. Daniel is featured but is mostly in the background.
In this book we get chapters from the point of view of Serenity and her friend C.J. I found myself forgetting whose point of view I was reading at times and confusing the two, but I really liked C.J. The forbidden romance aspect of her story was good, but a little too insta-love for me. This being a short book, I didn't feel like the characters spent enough time with each other before bonds were formed between them, and I don't just mean between C.J. and Joshua, but between C.J. and his kids as well. This resulted in the feelings between them not feeling as genuine as I would have liked.
My biggest complaint however is that this book just like the rest of the series needed more proofreading. There are a lot of typos in the Kindle version; missing words, words added into sentences that didn't belong, the wrong word in a sentence. These are mistakes that could be easily eliminated by proofreading.
Overall this was an ok addition to the series, but not as good as the others. After reading book four, I was feeling a bit weary of this series, but after a long break from the series I'm feeling more interested in it again. I mostly want to see where things go with the relationships so I'll continue reading when the next book is published.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
June 2, 2018
The story itself was fine but as with the other books in this series it is in dire need of a decent editor. Calling the mayor Fred in one chapter, then Ed in the next, then back to Fred, is inexcusable. There were other instances as well. I will probably read the next book when it comes out but my fingers are crossed that the editing has improved.
February 26, 2020
We perhaps erred in glomming onto this fifth in a currently 6-book series featuring Sheriff Serenity Adams, as our first exposure to the set and its author Hopkins. We’ll admit to being curious if the novel was a bit of a knockoff of Linda Castillo’s excellent Police Chief Kate Burkholder series about a half-Amish, half-English small town in Ohio – and to some extent it was! Serenity is actually engaged to a former Amish fellow (Daniel) who took mostly a back seat in this tale. Moreover, a third of the story is told from the narration of her girlfriend CJ – and frankly that was little more than a cheap improbable romance just short of a bodice ripper between CJ and her Amish landlord Joshua. The author did very little to provide back story to any of these characters, nor the sheriff’s police force, nor the setting somewhere in Indiana.
Other than CJ’s aside, the main plot is about the murders of a couple Amish young adult females – their bodies savaged as part of their slayings. The sheriff did a credible job solving the violent case, and the latter quarter of the affair was particularly suspenseful. But in sum, probably not enough meat herein for a modern crime thriller / police procedural. {2.5}
Other than CJ’s aside, the main plot is about the murders of a couple Amish young adult females – their bodies savaged as part of their slayings. The sheriff did a credible job solving the violent case, and the latter quarter of the affair was particularly suspenseful. But in sum, probably not enough meat herein for a modern crime thriller / police procedural. {2.5}
June 19, 2018
As usual with Serenity's books, it was a good read and thoroughly enjoyable. But, a book is only as good as its presentation and leaving out grammatically required "a's" and "the's" does not make for a good presentation. But, the greatest and most unforgivable faux pas is mixing up the characters names, i.e. When CJ is being taken to the hospital and "Joseph" says he will be there no matter what the rules, when, in reality it was "Joshua" who said it, Joseph wasn't even there. And, therefore, regrettably, I had to take away one star from my rating. Ms. Hopkins should invest in a GOOD proof reader if she ever wishes to attain the acclaim given to an exceptional writer.
December 6, 2017
Another terrific story.
Yes, there were some spelling and grammatical errors but I don't think the fault was with the author. My one complaint is that in each of the books in the series she gives away the killer in the previous book.....so if you choose to read this group, read them in order or there will be no mystery.
Yes, there were some spelling and grammatical errors but I don't think the fault was with the author. My one complaint is that in each of the books in the series she gives away the killer in the previous book.....so if you choose to read this group, read them in order or there will be no mystery.
October 27, 2017
4 stelle abbondanti.
Bella storia, come al solito, ma stavolta non c'è il solito lancio per il libro successivo: ho temuto che la serie fosse finita, ma alla fine si dice che l'anno prossimo uscirà un nuovo libro, quindi sono stata rassicurata.
Ho capito subito chi fosse il colpevole, ma è stato solo per puro istinto. Il mistero è stato sviluppato in maniera tale che ho pensato per molto tempo che la soluzione fosse un'altra.
Bella storia, come al solito, ma stavolta non c'è il solito lancio per il libro successivo: ho temuto che la serie fosse finita, ma alla fine si dice che l'anno prossimo uscirà un nuovo libro, quindi sono stata rassicurata.
Ho capito subito chi fosse il colpevole, ma è stato solo per puro istinto. Il mistero è stato sviluppato in maniera tale che ho pensato per molto tempo che la soluzione fosse un'altra.
April 20, 2019
I think this was the best book of the series. I am anxiously awaiting the next book!
November 22, 2024
It was an ok read, filled the hours of a flight home, but not much else to say really.
September 30, 2017
Paper Roses
I expected a good novel but I got a great novel. Karen created a poignant story. The Serenity's Plain Secrets is one of my favorite Series'. I had my suspicions on who the murderer was and I was completely wrong. The story was well crafted and I am awaiting the next installment...
Mo'Nicole
I expected a good novel but I got a great novel. Karen created a poignant story. The Serenity's Plain Secrets is one of my favorite Series'. I had my suspicions on who the murderer was and I was completely wrong. The story was well crafted and I am awaiting the next installment...
Mo'Nicole
July 6, 2018
Deceptively Tense Murder Mystery...
Despite having read none of the previous books in this series, I was quickly drawn into the mystery of a serial killer terrorizing the plain people of two Amish communities; one in Indiana, and one in Ohio. Told from the perspectives of Serenity, the local female sheriff, and her best girlfriend, artist CJ, who has just moved there from Indianapolis, following a betrayal by her cheating boyfriend; both "outsiders," they provide a window into the lives, attitudes and customs of the Amish. This book grabbed me from the forewarning of the prologue, and kept me guessing to the very last page. Warning: this is a continuing saga that makes allusions to previous cases, from other books in the series, and the ending left me curious as to how both Serenity and CJ will resolve their relationships with their respective love interests; however, this book can stand complete as written, even if you never read any of the others. Would have given it 5 stars, but the Kindle e-book is riddled with typos, (which I normally overlook), but there were so many, they became annoying; impossible to ignore. My advice to the author: get a new typist, proofreader, and editor! If you are currently paying someone to do this, you are getting ripped off!
Despite having read none of the previous books in this series, I was quickly drawn into the mystery of a serial killer terrorizing the plain people of two Amish communities; one in Indiana, and one in Ohio. Told from the perspectives of Serenity, the local female sheriff, and her best girlfriend, artist CJ, who has just moved there from Indianapolis, following a betrayal by her cheating boyfriend; both "outsiders," they provide a window into the lives, attitudes and customs of the Amish. This book grabbed me from the forewarning of the prologue, and kept me guessing to the very last page. Warning: this is a continuing saga that makes allusions to previous cases, from other books in the series, and the ending left me curious as to how both Serenity and CJ will resolve their relationships with their respective love interests; however, this book can stand complete as written, even if you never read any of the others. Would have given it 5 stars, but the Kindle e-book is riddled with typos, (which I normally overlook), but there were so many, they became annoying; impossible to ignore. My advice to the author: get a new typist, proofreader, and editor! If you are currently paying someone to do this, you are getting ripped off!
April 27, 2020
This book had two of my favorite characters (I’m being sarcastic here):
1/ The ‘Too Dumb To Live’ woman. This is an intelligent woman who does the dumbest thing possible – like going down into the unlit cellar when she knows the killer stalking her for the past week is hiding there.
2/ The ‘Where the hell did he come from’ killer. This is the character who has appeared only once briefly until he emerges (with all the subtlety of a brick through a window) at the 90% mark of the book as the person who’s been killing people in the town for weeks by grabbing the ‘Too Dumb To Live’ woman.
Serenity seems a little more ‘mature’ in her role as sheriff but she’s still too insecure when it comes to dealing with some members of the Amish community.
Hopkins still presents the Amish community as darker than people might imagine them to be. Still, they are humans and, as such, prone to the same vices as everyone else.
That this was a serial killer novel (although not one in the more traditional serial killer mold) cost it a half star. So in reality 2½ stars instead of 3.
These stories are good enough that I’ll read the next one, but some advice, Ms. Hopkins:
1/ Give your characters (especially major female ones) the brains to come in out of the rain.
2/ Reveal clues to the guilty party throughout the story. Don’t just spring him on us near the end.
3/ Spare us any more serial killer novels. They have been done to death – so much so that they are boring.
1/ The ‘Too Dumb To Live’ woman. This is an intelligent woman who does the dumbest thing possible – like going down into the unlit cellar when she knows the killer stalking her for the past week is hiding there.
2/ The ‘Where the hell did he come from’ killer. This is the character who has appeared only once briefly until he emerges (with all the subtlety of a brick through a window) at the 90% mark of the book as the person who’s been killing people in the town for weeks by grabbing the ‘Too Dumb To Live’ woman.
Serenity seems a little more ‘mature’ in her role as sheriff but she’s still too insecure when it comes to dealing with some members of the Amish community.
Hopkins still presents the Amish community as darker than people might imagine them to be. Still, they are humans and, as such, prone to the same vices as everyone else.
That this was a serial killer novel (although not one in the more traditional serial killer mold) cost it a half star. So in reality 2½ stars instead of 3.
These stories are good enough that I’ll read the next one, but some advice, Ms. Hopkins:
1/ Give your characters (especially major female ones) the brains to come in out of the rain.
2/ Reveal clues to the guilty party throughout the story. Don’t just spring him on us near the end.
3/ Spare us any more serial killer novels. They have been done to death – so much so that they are boring.
July 1, 2020
This was my third book in the series and have lost my patience about a third of the way through.
Once again more beautiful people English and Amish.
Ridiculous sex and attraction seem to be very important to this author.
Heroic actions to bond strangers is prevalent in all these books. Pulling a little girl off a charging pony on her first meeting to seal the deal was so silly I knew this book was going to disappoint.
This story’s plot brought the reader to gruesome murders that Serenity her partner Daniel and to some extent the few others that are on the force have to stop.
A new character joins this book. Serenitys best friend , of course a beautiful single women who falls for a handsome widowed Amish farmer and his children. This happens in 5 minutes.
The actual solving of these murders gets in the way of this author who seems to write to titillate a 14 year old girl.
The many grammatical errors and fact the people’s names get changed from one to another then back again are a tiny issue when compared to the actual silliness of the romance of all the primary characters.
Fortunately this book was free on book bub so the only investment I had was my time.
Won’t be reading another in this series.
Once again more beautiful people English and Amish.
Ridiculous sex and attraction seem to be very important to this author.
Heroic actions to bond strangers is prevalent in all these books. Pulling a little girl off a charging pony on her first meeting to seal the deal was so silly I knew this book was going to disappoint.
This story’s plot brought the reader to gruesome murders that Serenity her partner Daniel and to some extent the few others that are on the force have to stop.
A new character joins this book. Serenitys best friend , of course a beautiful single women who falls for a handsome widowed Amish farmer and his children. This happens in 5 minutes.
The actual solving of these murders gets in the way of this author who seems to write to titillate a 14 year old girl.
The many grammatical errors and fact the people’s names get changed from one to another then back again are a tiny issue when compared to the actual silliness of the romance of all the primary characters.
Fortunately this book was free on book bub so the only investment I had was my time.
Won’t be reading another in this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2021
Love isn't easy..
CJ moves into the farm cottage Joshua is renting out against the rules but it's not the primary thing on anyone's mind after the mutilated and sexually assaulted body of a young Amish teenager, Makayla Bowman, is found in a barn by Charlie Saunders.
The crime is brutal, Makayla was attacked, pinned down and assaulted before being garotted and then mutilated, her entrails removed and replaced with a paper rose.
Charlie himself looks scary enough to be a serial killer at over 6'7" he's a giant of a man and he's definitely hiding something from Serenity. But when Hannah Kuhn's is found in similar circumstances in the bird box factory which has been closed for a week while the owners were away. Hannah is actually the first kill in Blood Rock not Makayla but the injuries match along with the evidence and now Serenity may well be looking at a serial killer.
CJ is having her own issues settling into the peaceful life of the Amish having fallen more than a little for Joshua, having rescued his youngest daughter from a wild ride on an out of control pony and taken Nana and the girls shopping she's become too close. The tall dark handsome man is just as drawn to CJ but neither want to give up their own ways so how can they move forward together?
CJ moves into the farm cottage Joshua is renting out against the rules but it's not the primary thing on anyone's mind after the mutilated and sexually assaulted body of a young Amish teenager, Makayla Bowman, is found in a barn by Charlie Saunders.
The crime is brutal, Makayla was attacked, pinned down and assaulted before being garotted and then mutilated, her entrails removed and replaced with a paper rose.
Charlie himself looks scary enough to be a serial killer at over 6'7" he's a giant of a man and he's definitely hiding something from Serenity. But when Hannah Kuhn's is found in similar circumstances in the bird box factory which has been closed for a week while the owners were away. Hannah is actually the first kill in Blood Rock not Makayla but the injuries match along with the evidence and now Serenity may well be looking at a serial killer.
CJ is having her own issues settling into the peaceful life of the Amish having fallen more than a little for Joshua, having rescued his youngest daughter from a wild ride on an out of control pony and taken Nana and the girls shopping she's become too close. The tall dark handsome man is just as drawn to CJ but neither want to give up their own ways so how can they move forward together?
June 23, 2018
Blood Rock is named after a massacre that happened many years earlier giving the area where Serenity Adams is sheriff its name. Archaeologists are in the area to try to find out what really happened. Meanwhile Sheriff Adams is confronted with a killer who delights in torture before his victims die leaving behind a paper rose as the only clue to a man who must be totally insane. He also may or may not be Amish as all his victims are young Amish women.
While Serenity tries to talk to the secretive Amish families she is also trying to spend time with her best friend CJ who just recently moved into the area. And, of course, Serenity's fiance is trying to get her to make plans for their marriage. Life keeps getting more and more complicated as little sleep is in the cards for the Sheriff and her deputies when she tries to keep her community safe from a person who seems to be the very devil himself. At least that is what the Amish think.
An edge of your seat thriller that will keep you guessing until the end.
(Beware! There were a lot of typos in this book, mostly extra words or missing words but the story was too interesting to stop reading.)
While Serenity tries to talk to the secretive Amish families she is also trying to spend time with her best friend CJ who just recently moved into the area. And, of course, Serenity's fiance is trying to get her to make plans for their marriage. Life keeps getting more and more complicated as little sleep is in the cards for the Sheriff and her deputies when she tries to keep her community safe from a person who seems to be the very devil himself. At least that is what the Amish think.
An edge of your seat thriller that will keep you guessing until the end.
(Beware! There were a lot of typos in this book, mostly extra words or missing words but the story was too interesting to stop reading.)
February 29, 2020
If you saw my review of book 4 a couple of days ago, you'd have seen my whinge about the different name for the Mayor between books 3 (Ed) & 4 (Fred). At the beginning of this book (#5), I noted with relief that his name is Ed. BUT... a few chapters later, it's Fred. Near the end of the book, a character's name was also incorrect (granted it started with the same letter but it's a completely different name). I noted on the book's acknowledgement that author has thanked her proofreader... really?!
Another thing that annoyed me is the change in perspectives, again! We still have Serenity's but in this book, we also have CJ's; a new character in the series who was Serenity's former best friend and was running away from a cheating ex. And just as Serenity's romance was settling down, kind of, we are introduced to another turbulent one *sighs*
2 stars for the clever mystery (most gory one in the series to date), the interesting historical mystery (yet to be solved), and consistency in Serenity's character.
Another thing that annoyed me is the change in perspectives, again! We still have Serenity's but in this book, we also have CJ's; a new character in the series who was Serenity's former best friend and was running away from a cheating ex. And just as Serenity's romance was settling down, kind of, we are introduced to another turbulent one *sighs*
2 stars for the clever mystery (most gory one in the series to date), the interesting historical mystery (yet to be solved), and consistency in Serenity's character.
June 6, 2020
😊
Death comes to an Amish community. 3 young girls are attacked and dismembered. Serenity Adams is the local sheriff and tasked with solving the case. As Serenity is doing hostname also see C.J as the chapters flick between Serenity and C.J. C.J is just out of a relationship where she was cheated on. While living with the Amish not everyone has welcomed her. Forbidden love between herself and Joshua, a widowed father. One night of passion. C.J decides she will move on before she is kicked out, much to Joshuas dismay even n though he knows he would never give up his Amish ways and C.J would never fully join.
As the case progresses more things come to light, a missing wife? Drug taking Amish youngsters. Reading romantic books which aren't allowed? How does it all really connect and who has C.J went to see on her way home to Indianapolis?
Book was written well with a little mystery to keep turning the pages.
Death comes to an Amish community. 3 young girls are attacked and dismembered. Serenity Adams is the local sheriff and tasked with solving the case. As Serenity is doing hostname also see C.J as the chapters flick between Serenity and C.J. C.J is just out of a relationship where she was cheated on. While living with the Amish not everyone has welcomed her. Forbidden love between herself and Joshua, a widowed father. One night of passion. C.J decides she will move on before she is kicked out, much to Joshuas dismay even n though he knows he would never give up his Amish ways and C.J would never fully join.
As the case progresses more things come to light, a missing wife? Drug taking Amish youngsters. Reading romantic books which aren't allowed? How does it all really connect and who has C.J went to see on her way home to Indianapolis?
Book was written well with a little mystery to keep turning the pages.
July 10, 2021
Okay, liked earlier books better
I fear that if the murder rate in Blood Rock keeps up at this pace, the Amish community will have no one left. The mystery is good, and I didn't figure out who done it, but the sort of romance between Serenity's friend CJ and an Amish widower felt juvenile at times. Serenity and Daniel's relationship took a back seat in this book. There was far too much lecturing by Serenity on serial killer history. Those were my dislikes. I like the stories about the Amish, we had many living near us when we lived in Indiana. I like that the stories are complete in each book. The murder mystery in this one is a puzzler. It's a fast read, a few typos here and there but not enough to distract from the book. I just felt that there was too much filler in this book. Still, I liked it and will continue with the series.
I fear that if the murder rate in Blood Rock keeps up at this pace, the Amish community will have no one left. The mystery is good, and I didn't figure out who done it, but the sort of romance between Serenity's friend CJ and an Amish widower felt juvenile at times. Serenity and Daniel's relationship took a back seat in this book. There was far too much lecturing by Serenity on serial killer history. Those were my dislikes. I like the stories about the Amish, we had many living near us when we lived in Indiana. I like that the stories are complete in each book. The murder mystery in this one is a puzzler. It's a fast read, a few typos here and there but not enough to distract from the book. I just felt that there was too much filler in this book. Still, I liked it and will continue with the series.
March 16, 2023
Tense and creepy
This book is creepier and more graphically violent than previous books and that ratchets up the tension. But once again it is a mystery full of twists and turns with ever changing theories.
Serenity is not at her best in this one. Perhaps it is the gruesomeness of the crimes but she seems to jump the gun here and not be as thorough and considered as she has been in the past.
There is an interesting discussion of real life serial killers that ties in to the storyline. The author is very clever in the way she does this.
We are seeing some changes in Serenity and Daniel’s relationship as well. I’m not sure if it’s for the better or not. The last two books have presented some real challenges and another couple’s issues seem to run parallel to Serenity’s. Looking forward to the next book.
This book is creepier and more graphically violent than previous books and that ratchets up the tension. But once again it is a mystery full of twists and turns with ever changing theories.
Serenity is not at her best in this one. Perhaps it is the gruesomeness of the crimes but she seems to jump the gun here and not be as thorough and considered as she has been in the past.
There is an interesting discussion of real life serial killers that ties in to the storyline. The author is very clever in the way she does this.
We are seeing some changes in Serenity and Daniel’s relationship as well. I’m not sure if it’s for the better or not. The last two books have presented some real challenges and another couple’s issues seem to run parallel to Serenity’s. Looking forward to the next book.
June 6, 2023
Paper Roses
The descriptive writing is very good. The inconsistencies of Serenity's thinking seem out of place for a mature Sheriff. It would also seem that she would try to get the citizens to all realize that they are part of the same community, especially when there is a criminal threat. It was annoying and seemed less than realistic that the mayor would require the Sheriff to be a liaison with an archeological group. Seems would be more appropriate for a representative from the mayor's office to provide that service, even more so during a spree from a serial killer. In addition it seemed unbelievable that Serenity did not question the assistant DA regarding when the girl staying with her went missing and was not mentioned even when she was found dead. The mystery part of the book seems good.
The descriptive writing is very good. The inconsistencies of Serenity's thinking seem out of place for a mature Sheriff. It would also seem that she would try to get the citizens to all realize that they are part of the same community, especially when there is a criminal threat. It was annoying and seemed less than realistic that the mayor would require the Sheriff to be a liaison with an archeological group. Seems would be more appropriate for a representative from the mayor's office to provide that service, even more so during a spree from a serial killer. In addition it seemed unbelievable that Serenity did not question the assistant DA regarding when the girl staying with her went missing and was not mentioned even when she was found dead. The mystery part of the book seems good.
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July 28, 2019Some Amish communities aren’t so cozy.
Paper Roses is the electrifying new addition to the Serenity’s Plain Secrets’ mystery/crime thriller series.
While an archeological team digs up Blood Rock’s sinister past, a forbidden romance begins, and Serenity races to stop a serial killer before he strikes again.
When the mutilated corpse of a young Amish woman is discovered in Blood Rock, Sheriff Serenity Adams embarks on her most terrifying case yet, facing a killer unlike anything she’s seen before. Law enforcement and the Amish join forces to unravel the truth and find the person terrorizing the community, and just when Serenity thinks she’s solved the case, she finds out that the nightmare is far from over. (less)
Paper Roses is the electrifying new addition to the Serenity’s Plain Secrets’ mystery/crime thriller series.
While an archeological team digs up Blood Rock’s sinister past, a forbidden romance begins, and Serenity races to stop a serial killer before he strikes again.
When the mutilated corpse of a young Amish woman is discovered in Blood Rock, Sheriff Serenity Adams embarks on her most terrifying case yet, facing a killer unlike anything she’s seen before. Law enforcement and the Amish join forces to unravel the truth and find the person terrorizing the community, and just when Serenity thinks she’s solved the case, she finds out that the nightmare is far from over. (less)
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January 29, 2020
Loved this book!
It is always interesting to read about the Amish. While Americans going back for generations, they are quite distinct from your every day born in the US American. They are deeply religious and everything they do is centered around their religion. They do not accept quite a few things that we take for granted. Electricity and cars are two of the major advantages that they refute. But they are human and have problems like the rest
of us. This book gives us a slice of their life - the good and the bad. Karen Ann Hopkins shows us a bit of their everyday life. This book is well written and enlightening. The crimes were horrid, but with steady police work, the Sheriff solved the murders. I cannot wait to read another one!!
It is always interesting to read about the Amish. While Americans going back for generations, they are quite distinct from your every day born in the US American. They are deeply religious and everything they do is centered around their religion. They do not accept quite a few things that we take for granted. Electricity and cars are two of the major advantages that they refute. But they are human and have problems like the rest
of us. This book gives us a slice of their life - the good and the bad. Karen Ann Hopkins shows us a bit of their everyday life. This book is well written and enlightening. The crimes were horrid, but with steady police work, the Sheriff solved the murders. I cannot wait to read another one!!
August 2, 2018
This was the first book of the series that I read and it stood alone very well. The references to previous books were just enough to tease but not overdone..
However, this really needs a whole lot of serious editing. It became distracting when sentences had to be read once and then reread to insert the adjectives needed. And it seemed to me that there were so many characters that just jumped into the story without proper introduction. All the names were confusing. Perhaps they were introduced in earlier stories but for someone who came late to the party they did take some sorting out. It was all a great read, however, it just needs some serious cleanup work.
However, this really needs a whole lot of serious editing. It became distracting when sentences had to be read once and then reread to insert the adjectives needed. And it seemed to me that there were so many characters that just jumped into the story without proper introduction. All the names were confusing. Perhaps they were introduced in earlier stories but for someone who came late to the party they did take some sorting out. It was all a great read, however, it just needs some serious cleanup work.
June 7, 2021
On par with previous books
I’ve got some ice cream want to get to so, I won’t be too curmudgeon. But a lot of predictability. I’m not a great detective by any stretch, only in my story world.
I knew who the evil one was when he first enters the story after
the prologue. It was so obvious, Hopkins had to do it intentionally.
But as mysteries go this one is just another. I am proud of one item I caught. A typo type mistake, I’m lousy at grammar, just read my reviews. So, when other reviewers talk about mistakes poor grammar I just 🤷♂️But I caught one. Has to do with a character name pretty much at the end. 🤫
Now for some ice cream 😋
I’ve got some ice cream want to get to so, I won’t be too curmudgeon. But a lot of predictability. I’m not a great detective by any stretch, only in my story world.
I knew who the evil one was when he first enters the story after
the prologue. It was so obvious, Hopkins had to do it intentionally.
But as mysteries go this one is just another. I am proud of one item I caught. A typo type mistake, I’m lousy at grammar, just read my reviews. So, when other reviewers talk about mistakes poor grammar I just 🤷♂️But I caught one. Has to do with a character name pretty much at the end. 🤫
Now for some ice cream 😋
November 23, 2017
Since this was my 5th book gotta say i loved it as much as the first one. serenity has such an awesome feel for people and shows the stuck in their way amish men and other guys just how smart she is. such a cliffhanger this one was with her friend C. J. almost becoming another number in the dead file in this amish community. loved how the amish stood together for their own even tho it was to the point of being ridiculous. great characters, awesome writing. just cant go on enough about the series .
June 9, 2019
Feels like this book was rushed to complete.
Warning... The murders in this one are horrific. Perhaps bad enough that the writer wanted to finish writing so she not have to stay in the murderer 's head.
The editing was also asKed and I caught several errors. Like WHO USED instead of HOW. Also in the same paragraph, two more. Probably occurred during an edit.
This book in the series concentrates on the crime and introduces a new character, CJ, who is the sheriff's best friend.
Warning... The murders in this one are horrific. Perhaps bad enough that the writer wanted to finish writing so she not have to stay in the murderer 's head.
The editing was also asKed and I caught several errors. Like WHO USED instead of HOW. Also in the same paragraph, two more. Probably occurred during an edit.
This book in the series concentrates on the crime and introduces a new character, CJ, who is the sheriff's best friend.
March 28, 2022
I've read some of the reviews, which highlight editing problems, and although I noticed a few, it would only take a half star off my review, so consider this 4.5. Although this is #5 in a series, it was the first one I've read, and it clearly stood alone fine, but I could see there was some backstory. I enjoyed it - read it all the same day (and night). It was a nice size for a day's read. Others have talked about the plot, so all I'll say is that I found the information on the Amish quite interesting, and I thought the twists and turns about who the monster could be was well done.
April 28, 2025
Nice Story - Really Bad Police Proceedures
This story theme guys into the other books of this series and is fun entertaining and education. However, in this book the author goes WAY OUTSIDE proper Police Proceedures and even though she tried to justify why she did, no Police officer would ever allow many of the things done in this book. You would lose the case in court, testimony would not be allowed and crime scenes were contaminated. Perhaps my Police background spoiled the flow of the story being told.
This story theme guys into the other books of this series and is fun entertaining and education. However, in this book the author goes WAY OUTSIDE proper Police Proceedures and even though she tried to justify why she did, no Police officer would ever allow many of the things done in this book. You would lose the case in court, testimony would not be allowed and crime scenes were contaminated. Perhaps my Police background spoiled the flow of the story being told.
March 17, 2018
Nice continuation of the story from book 4, although it could be read independently. I am not a romance book reader, so the extended attention to the CJ character's story arc was not appealing to me. It would be satisfying to those who enjoy that genre. The crime portion of the book was intense and made for a good par turner. I hope the author goes back to more crime story and less romance in any further stories.
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July 5, 2018
Karen Ann Hopkins
Big thumbs up to Karen Ann Hopkins. Just finished “Paper Roses.” Love her books — which are stories that could be taken from headline news. Her characters are ones you could call friends. The best thing about her book series is they do not have to be read in order, which can be a difficult thing to do in a timely way. I know I’ll read them all with enthusiasm.
Big thumbs up to Karen Ann Hopkins. Just finished “Paper Roses.” Love her books — which are stories that could be taken from headline news. Her characters are ones you could call friends. The best thing about her book series is they do not have to be read in order, which can be a difficult thing to do in a timely way. I know I’ll read them all with enthusiasm.
August 8, 2018
A quick and intriguing read
This is the first book I’ve read by this author even though it is fifth in a series. I really enjoyed the unusual plot, with unpredictable twists and turns. It had a good mixture of crime, romance and mystery to add up to a good adventure. I had to keep reading even though I had other plans. That’s a sign of a good book - one where you lose track of time as you turn the pages.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author even though it is fifth in a series. I really enjoyed the unusual plot, with unpredictable twists and turns. It had a good mixture of crime, romance and mystery to add up to a good adventure. I had to keep reading even though I had other plans. That’s a sign of a good book - one where you lose track of time as you turn the pages.
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