What do you think?
Rate this book
Love You to Death
Delicate, expressive hands...long, graceful legs...One man is looking for his perfect woman--and he'll stop at nothing until he finds her.
LOVE YOU TO DEATH
It's been days since reporter Elise McBride has heard from her sister, Ashley. She's convinced Ashley has met with some kind of foul play, especially when she learns that bodies of other missing women have surfaced in and around Chicago--all victims of a brutal serial killer. Convinced her sister is still alive, Elise vows to risk everything to save her...
The last thing ex-cop Trent Brady needs is more blood on his hands. Yet when he catches Elise breaking into her sister's house, full of reckless determination and fear, he knows she needs his help. But just as desire ignites between them, a twisted madman sets his sights on Elise. Hell-bent on possessing her for himself, this psychopath won't rest until he has his perfect woman.
LOVE YOU TO DEATH
It's been days since reporter Elise McBride has heard from her sister, Ashley. She's convinced Ashley has met with some kind of foul play, especially when she learns that bodies of other missing women have surfaced in and around Chicago--all victims of a brutal serial killer. Convinced her sister is still alive, Elise vows to risk everything to save her...
The last thing ex-cop Trent Brady needs is more blood on his hands. Yet when he catches Elise breaking into her sister's house, full of reckless determination and fear, he knows she needs his help. But just as desire ignites between them, a twisted madman sets his sights on Elise. Hell-bent on possessing her for himself, this psychopath won't rest until he has his perfect woman.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2009
26 people are currently reading
1350 people want to read
About the author
Shannon K. Butcher
36 books1,214 followersBestselling author Shannon K. Butcher, who now writes as Anna Argent, has written more than thirty titles since launching her career in 2007. She has three award-winning series, including the paranormal romance series The Sentinel Wars, the action-romance series The Edge, and the romantic suspense Delta Force Trilogy. Her alter ego Anna Argent also writes several series with a fresh and interesting spin on paranormal romance (The Lost Shards, The Taken and The Stone Men series) as well as a contemporary romance series set in a small town in the Ozarks. As a former engineer and current nerd, she frequently uses charts, graphs and tables to aid her in the mechanics of story design, world building and to keep track of all those colorful characters, magical powers and alternate worlds. An avid bead and glass artist, she spends her free time turning small sparkly bits into larger sparkly bits. She’s rarely on social media, so the best place to find out news about upcoming releases under either name is via her newsletter. You can sign up at AnnaArgent.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
October 19, 2009
In the mood for an outstanding, ‘creeptastic’ romantic suspense? One that has a super hot romance between a smart and sexy heroine and a to-die-for hero, as well as an easy-to-follow plot, an utterly deranged serial killer, and an ending that will have you shouting and pumping your fists in the air like you’re watching an action thriller in a movie theater? Then run, run, and get a copy of Shannon K. Butcher’s latest--the thoroughly awesome and most satisfying romantic suspense that I’ve read all year. If you are a fan of suspense queen Karen Rose, but you’re dying for a bit more romance and enjoy a less complicated plot, but still don’t want to give up the kind of psychotic villains like Rose creates, than look to Ms. Butcher. This was the first book I’ve read by her, and she totally wowed me.
The book’s plot revolves around free-lance reporter Elise McBride, and her search for her younger, flighty, artist sister Ashley, who’s been missing for a few days. Elise is convinced something has happened to Ashley, since they hadn’t been in touch for days (Ashley‘s not answering her phone or returning her calls), which never happened before because the sisters are so close. When Elise flies in from an assignment in Hong Kong to inform the police of her sister’s likely disappearance, they don’t seem as concerned as Elise would like them to be, so she decides to take matters into her own hands. It may be 3 a.m., but she decides to break into Ashley’s house--maybe she’s in there, but is hurt and can’t come to the door or phone for help.
When Ashley’s hunky neighbor, former cop Trent Brady notices someone creeping around her house at an ungodly hour, he decides to put a stop to what he thinks is a punk looking to break and enter. But whoa, that’s not some juvenile he’s got pinned up against the door--it’s a soft and curvy woman trying to fight out of his hold. What’s going on?
Well, to make a long story short, Trent sees that Elise is hell-bent on involving herself in the police search for her missing sister, no matter how dangerous it may become, and finds himself reluctantly helping her. Trent thought he was all done with police work, even though he misses his former job terribly. But a tragic accident involving his partner while on the job has Trent feeling guilty and very responsible, so he gave up the job he loved and for the past two years has been helping his brother at his landscaping business. (Hence, Ashley’s nickname for him as “Hot Lawn Guy”). As Trent and Elise search for clues to Ashley’s disappearance, it becomes apparent that she may be a victim of a serial killer. A serial killer whose victims all seem to be blonde, artistic types. And oh, God, what he's doing with his victims and why...*shudder*. As Elise and Trent get closer to tracking the killer and finding Ashley, they also are growing closer and closer in their attraction to each other. What starts out as lust and offering comfort and support to someone in need, soon turns into something a lot deeper for a romantic like Trent. But Elise is a bit more cynical when it comes to love. Yes, she may have feelings for Trent, but she’s sure there’s no future for them--or is there? Maybe when they find Ashley she’ll examine her feelings. But will it be too late for that when the killer sets his sights on Elise, and targets her as his next victim?
I just loved everything that went into this book, and it had me hooked from the start. And after the author’s description of the first time Elise laid eyes on the hunk-a-licious Trent… He wasn’t wearing a shirt, but for him, covering up should have been a crime. Golden skin stretched tight over delicious slabs of muscles. His shoulders were wide and heavy, his arms thick and long. The ridges in his stomach stood out every time he breathed. But the beautiful part was that none of it was a show. He hadn’t removed his body hair or oiled himself up, or sprayed on a tan. He wasn’t coiffed or groomed. In fact, he was in desperate need of a haircut. He wasn’t trying to look good. He just did. Yowza. Give me more.:)
Besides Trent's physical beauty, and his attraction to Elise, I liked his whole protective nature. He wasn't an over-the-top alpha, although he did try to 'forbid' Elise from doing certain things that were dangerous. But Elise was always able to talk her way around Trent's concerns for her and make him realize that she was doing what she had to do--something that he would do if faced with a similar situation. And then he was always right there to back her up, lend a shoulder, give a hug, hold her in his arms, comfort her in bed...HOT.
Trent was a guy also struggling with some demons of his own; he was suffering from guilt, self-doubt, and absolutely refused to cut himself a break over a 'mistake' he made over two years ago while a cop in Chicago. I felt really bad for him, and I could understand his guilt, but I just wanted him to forgive himself and believe in himself again. Luckily, near the end of the book, Trent got the chance to prove himself and exorcise his demons. Yay, Trent!
I could go on and on about Trent. I loved how he had a whole romantic side to his personality and believed in marriage--due to his own parent's happy marriage. I loved how he treated Elise, had no doubt he was willing to die for her, give up his life to be with her and make her dreams come true, loved how he was a friend to her sister Ashley, and I liked his relationship with his brother. This guy was just a keeper and I was ready to kill Elise if she broke his heart...
Elise was no slouch either. She was smart, brave, determined and unrelenting in her search for her kid sister. We should all be so lucky to have a sister like her. And what she was willing to do for Ashley at the end of the book? That was big-time sisterly love. This woman deserved a HEA, and I wanted her to have one--baaad!
The villain? A totally twisted psycho, and it was oh-so-creepy getting inside his diabolical head. God, did I want him to suffer, and get what was coming to him...that's all I can say without revealing spoilers.:)
Ms. Butcher did an excellent job pacing the book--no dead, boring parts anywhere. My only problem with it was I couldn't find a decent place to stop and put it down. And what a nail-biting, heart stopping conclusion...God, I was really sweating it out! And tearing up, too.
I'm hoping that somehow this book could be a start of a series. The author introduces a few characters who I could see having books of their own (the female FBI profiler, the Chicago detective assigned to the case, Trent's brother). If we can revisit Trent and Elise I'm all for it. This was my first experience with a Shannon K. Butcher book but it won't be my last--this lady can write! Now, I'm off in search of her other books... 5 big stars!
The book’s plot revolves around free-lance reporter Elise McBride, and her search for her younger, flighty, artist sister Ashley, who’s been missing for a few days. Elise is convinced something has happened to Ashley, since they hadn’t been in touch for days (Ashley‘s not answering her phone or returning her calls), which never happened before because the sisters are so close. When Elise flies in from an assignment in Hong Kong to inform the police of her sister’s likely disappearance, they don’t seem as concerned as Elise would like them to be, so she decides to take matters into her own hands. It may be 3 a.m., but she decides to break into Ashley’s house--maybe she’s in there, but is hurt and can’t come to the door or phone for help.
When Ashley’s hunky neighbor, former cop Trent Brady notices someone creeping around her house at an ungodly hour, he decides to put a stop to what he thinks is a punk looking to break and enter. But whoa, that’s not some juvenile he’s got pinned up against the door--it’s a soft and curvy woman trying to fight out of his hold. What’s going on?
Well, to make a long story short, Trent sees that Elise is hell-bent on involving herself in the police search for her missing sister, no matter how dangerous it may become, and finds himself reluctantly helping her. Trent thought he was all done with police work, even though he misses his former job terribly. But a tragic accident involving his partner while on the job has Trent feeling guilty and very responsible, so he gave up the job he loved and for the past two years has been helping his brother at his landscaping business. (Hence, Ashley’s nickname for him as “Hot Lawn Guy”). As Trent and Elise search for clues to Ashley’s disappearance, it becomes apparent that she may be a victim of a serial killer. A serial killer whose victims all seem to be blonde, artistic types. And oh, God, what he's doing with his victims and why...*shudder*. As Elise and Trent get closer to tracking the killer and finding Ashley, they also are growing closer and closer in their attraction to each other. What starts out as lust and offering comfort and support to someone in need, soon turns into something a lot deeper for a romantic like Trent. But Elise is a bit more cynical when it comes to love. Yes, she may have feelings for Trent, but she’s sure there’s no future for them--or is there? Maybe when they find Ashley she’ll examine her feelings. But will it be too late for that when the killer sets his sights on Elise, and targets her as his next victim?
I just loved everything that went into this book, and it had me hooked from the start. And after the author’s description of the first time Elise laid eyes on the hunk-a-licious Trent… He wasn’t wearing a shirt, but for him, covering up should have been a crime. Golden skin stretched tight over delicious slabs of muscles. His shoulders were wide and heavy, his arms thick and long. The ridges in his stomach stood out every time he breathed. But the beautiful part was that none of it was a show. He hadn’t removed his body hair or oiled himself up, or sprayed on a tan. He wasn’t coiffed or groomed. In fact, he was in desperate need of a haircut. He wasn’t trying to look good. He just did. Yowza. Give me more.:)
Besides Trent's physical beauty, and his attraction to Elise, I liked his whole protective nature. He wasn't an over-the-top alpha, although he did try to 'forbid' Elise from doing certain things that were dangerous. But Elise was always able to talk her way around Trent's concerns for her and make him realize that she was doing what she had to do--something that he would do if faced with a similar situation. And then he was always right there to back her up, lend a shoulder, give a hug, hold her in his arms, comfort her in bed...HOT.
Trent was a guy also struggling with some demons of his own; he was suffering from guilt, self-doubt, and absolutely refused to cut himself a break over a 'mistake' he made over two years ago while a cop in Chicago. I felt really bad for him, and I could understand his guilt, but I just wanted him to forgive himself and believe in himself again. Luckily, near the end of the book, Trent got the chance to prove himself and exorcise his demons. Yay, Trent!
I could go on and on about Trent. I loved how he had a whole romantic side to his personality and believed in marriage--due to his own parent's happy marriage. I loved how he treated Elise, had no doubt he was willing to die for her, give up his life to be with her and make her dreams come true, loved how he was a friend to her sister Ashley, and I liked his relationship with his brother. This guy was just a keeper and I was ready to kill Elise if she broke his heart...
Elise was no slouch either. She was smart, brave, determined and unrelenting in her search for her kid sister. We should all be so lucky to have a sister like her. And what she was willing to do for Ashley at the end of the book? That was big-time sisterly love. This woman deserved a HEA, and I wanted her to have one--baaad!
The villain? A totally twisted psycho, and it was oh-so-creepy getting inside his diabolical head. God, did I want him to suffer, and get what was coming to him...that's all I can say without revealing spoilers.:)
Ms. Butcher did an excellent job pacing the book--no dead, boring parts anywhere. My only problem with it was I couldn't find a decent place to stop and put it down. And what a nail-biting, heart stopping conclusion...God, I was really sweating it out! And tearing up, too.
I'm hoping that somehow this book could be a start of a series. The author introduces a few characters who I could see having books of their own (the female FBI profiler, the Chicago detective assigned to the case, Trent's brother). If we can revisit Trent and Elise I'm all for it. This was my first experience with a Shannon K. Butcher book but it won't be my last--this lady can write! Now, I'm off in search of her other books... 5 big stars!
January 29, 2015
4 ½ stars – Romantic Suspense
This is a very taut, dark suspense thriller about an uber creeepy psychotic serial killer who tortures and murders women to harvest parts with the intent of creating the perfect woman. He makes the Bride of Frankenstein seem like a fairy tale in comparison.
Reporter Elise McBride is convinced that something horrible has happened to her free-spirited, artistic sister Ashley, who appears to have gone missing. When the police initially brush off her sister’s disappearance as the latest whim of an erratic girl, Elise is determined to find Ashley on her own. Her sister’s ex-Chicago cop neighbor Trent Brady is worried that if Elise goes looking for trouble, she’ll find it, and wind up in danger like Ashley. He begrudgingly agrees to help her with the investigation, regardless of the fact that he swore off anything that reminds him of the job he left behind following a tragic accident two years prior. But when Elise becomes the psycho’s latest ‘perfect woman’ fixation, will Trent be able to keep her from becoming the killer’s next, ultimate victim?
Elise and Trent are likable, well developed characters and make a nicely paired couple, and although there is some romance and a few steamy love scenes balanced in, it’s still an intense, eerie, and gruesome suspense thriller with a sickeningly sinister villain at the center of the story. 4 ½ stars!
This is a very taut, dark suspense thriller about an uber creeepy psychotic serial killer who tortures and murders women to harvest parts with the intent of creating the perfect woman. He makes the Bride of Frankenstein seem like a fairy tale in comparison.
Reporter Elise McBride is convinced that something horrible has happened to her free-spirited, artistic sister Ashley, who appears to have gone missing. When the police initially brush off her sister’s disappearance as the latest whim of an erratic girl, Elise is determined to find Ashley on her own. Her sister’s ex-Chicago cop neighbor Trent Brady is worried that if Elise goes looking for trouble, she’ll find it, and wind up in danger like Ashley. He begrudgingly agrees to help her with the investigation, regardless of the fact that he swore off anything that reminds him of the job he left behind following a tragic accident two years prior. But when Elise becomes the psycho’s latest ‘perfect woman’ fixation, will Trent be able to keep her from becoming the killer’s next, ultimate victim?
Elise and Trent are likable, well developed characters and make a nicely paired couple, and although there is some romance and a few steamy love scenes balanced in, it’s still an intense, eerie, and gruesome suspense thriller with a sickeningly sinister villain at the center of the story. 4 ½ stars!
December 22, 2015
**If you haven’t read the book, my review might contain spoilers**
I’ve been in a weird mood lately, I couldn’t seem to keep reading a book. I started it, I liked it but then at some point I just had to stop because I wasn’t into it. It was the weirdest feeling ever and I hated it. And now I am so late in my Goodreads Reading Challenge, it’s not even funny! Anyway, I was looking at Auntee’s shelves and found Love You to Death, I wanted to read a good romantic suspense à la Cynthia Eden and thought this one was going to be good. Unfortunately, it was not. But, the good thing is…I’ve finally read an entire book!!!
Love You to Death was boring, the characters were annoying and some parts of the story were quite ridiculous. The writing style wasn’t bad, I do love Shannon’s writing, I mean, it could have been great. The plot itself wasn’t bad either. It started out pretty well actually. The killer was completely crazy and his story was solid, his POV was a good point, Shannon did a good job with him, I think he was actually the only character who was well written. Unfortunately, I didn’t like the heroine, Elise, at all. She annoyed me so much, SO MUCH. I understood her need to find her sister, I admired her for it even but she was so stubborn, stupid, delusional. Ugh, she deserved some slapping. I hated the way she was with Trent sometimes, she was arrogant and yes, she annoyed the hell out of me. She didn’t believe in love and/or in marriage and that, I don’t mind much, but it was the way she reacted to things, what a bitch. At some point Trent tells her that his parents are married, they have been for a very long time and they still love each other deeply and she just looks at him like is dumb and says something like “No, Trent, they don’t love each other, they just stay with each other out of habits, marriage doesn’t last, love doesn’t last, blah blah blah”, I mean, she never even met them, she doesn’t know them and who is she to say that to him?! At that point I wanted to kill her a little. And sweet, kind Trent didn’t say anything because poor Elise.
Trent was better than her for sure but the pity party had to end at some point. Trent was a cop, one night he shot a sixteen-year-old kid who was high as a kite and who had a gun pointed at him but while shooting him in self defense he also shot his partner, John, who put himself in the way for whatever fucking reason. Anyway, he killed the kid and paralyzed his partner. Sure it is a big deal and I could also understand his reasons for quitting the police but after two years of sulking, it was enough. He annoyed me too. During the entire book he blamed himself, saying he wasn’t a cop anymore and that he deserved it, that he was a dangerous man, he deserved to be unhappy blah blah blah, I mean…seriously?! John, his partner, tried to contact him for two years, Trent avoided him, obviously, and when they meet again John is fine (as much as he can be in a wheelchair, paralyzed), but he still has a good life, he’s happy and he never was mad at Trent but Trent continues to blame himself and that pissed me off. Trent was protective and sweet, yes, but he was too nice with Elise.
Shannon should have focused more on the plot and the psycho than the main characters because they were useless. I didn’t feel anything for them, their relationship was not emotional, they fell in love fast, they barely knew each other and Trent was already head over heels in love with Elise and she treated him like shit, just saying. I just didn’t feel anything. I kept reading because I wanted to see how it ended and because they still were some good parts, like the killer and the investigation.
Ashley’s POV was interesting as well. Ashley is Elise’s little sister and the one who’s been kidnapped. Ashley did annoy me and, I’m sorry, but the way her sister described her she sounded stupid and a bit slow. She annoyed me because how stupid is she?! The girl is twenty-two, she sleeps with 10 men at the same time, she barely knows them, she leaves her door open all the time, she forgets everything, and obviously the night a weird man pays her a drink and asks her to come back to his place, she says yes. Because why not. It was bound to happen to her at some point in her life. But I did like reading her POV, she was strong and it was a good addition to the story.
Sam, Trent’s little brother wasn’t much better. I mean, we don’t know him that much. We barely see him but he doesn’t know Ashley, maybe he met her once (Trent is Ashley’s neighbor). Anyway, a thing that was ridiculous was, at the end, Ashley is fucked up in the head, obviously. She saw and experienced awful things and Elise wants to move in with her to help her get better and to watch over her but Sam shows out of the blue and tells her that he will be the one moving in with Ashley and that he will take care of her, just like that… Hum, what happened? And Elise, the great and caring sister, is okay with it. I’m sorry but it was just too much. There were little things like that in the story that were ridiculous and they made the book even worse.
I give two stars to Love You to Death for the killer and his psychotic mind, for the plot itself who wasn’t bad, for Shannon’s writing style, the killings were awful and super creepy but unfortunately I would have loved more background on the bad guy. We don’t know much about him and that’s a shame. The ending was quite abrupt and I was just glad it was over.
I’ve been in a weird mood lately, I couldn’t seem to keep reading a book. I started it, I liked it but then at some point I just had to stop because I wasn’t into it. It was the weirdest feeling ever and I hated it. And now I am so late in my Goodreads Reading Challenge, it’s not even funny! Anyway, I was looking at Auntee’s shelves and found Love You to Death, I wanted to read a good romantic suspense à la Cynthia Eden and thought this one was going to be good. Unfortunately, it was not. But, the good thing is…I’ve finally read an entire book!!!
Love You to Death was boring, the characters were annoying and some parts of the story were quite ridiculous. The writing style wasn’t bad, I do love Shannon’s writing, I mean, it could have been great. The plot itself wasn’t bad either. It started out pretty well actually. The killer was completely crazy and his story was solid, his POV was a good point, Shannon did a good job with him, I think he was actually the only character who was well written. Unfortunately, I didn’t like the heroine, Elise, at all. She annoyed me so much, SO MUCH. I understood her need to find her sister, I admired her for it even but she was so stubborn, stupid, delusional. Ugh, she deserved some slapping. I hated the way she was with Trent sometimes, she was arrogant and yes, she annoyed the hell out of me. She didn’t believe in love and/or in marriage and that, I don’t mind much, but it was the way she reacted to things, what a bitch. At some point Trent tells her that his parents are married, they have been for a very long time and they still love each other deeply and she just looks at him like is dumb and says something like “No, Trent, they don’t love each other, they just stay with each other out of habits, marriage doesn’t last, love doesn’t last, blah blah blah”, I mean, she never even met them, she doesn’t know them and who is she to say that to him?! At that point I wanted to kill her a little. And sweet, kind Trent didn’t say anything because poor Elise.
Trent was better than her for sure but the pity party had to end at some point. Trent was a cop, one night he shot a sixteen-year-old kid who was high as a kite and who had a gun pointed at him but while shooting him in self defense he also shot his partner, John, who put himself in the way for whatever fucking reason. Anyway, he killed the kid and paralyzed his partner. Sure it is a big deal and I could also understand his reasons for quitting the police but after two years of sulking, it was enough. He annoyed me too. During the entire book he blamed himself, saying he wasn’t a cop anymore and that he deserved it, that he was a dangerous man, he deserved to be unhappy blah blah blah, I mean…seriously?! John, his partner, tried to contact him for two years, Trent avoided him, obviously, and when they meet again John is fine (as much as he can be in a wheelchair, paralyzed), but he still has a good life, he’s happy and he never was mad at Trent but Trent continues to blame himself and that pissed me off. Trent was protective and sweet, yes, but he was too nice with Elise.
Shannon should have focused more on the plot and the psycho than the main characters because they were useless. I didn’t feel anything for them, their relationship was not emotional, they fell in love fast, they barely knew each other and Trent was already head over heels in love with Elise and she treated him like shit, just saying. I just didn’t feel anything. I kept reading because I wanted to see how it ended and because they still were some good parts, like the killer and the investigation.
Ashley’s POV was interesting as well. Ashley is Elise’s little sister and the one who’s been kidnapped. Ashley did annoy me and, I’m sorry, but the way her sister described her she sounded stupid and a bit slow. She annoyed me because how stupid is she?! The girl is twenty-two, she sleeps with 10 men at the same time, she barely knows them, she leaves her door open all the time, she forgets everything, and obviously the night a weird man pays her a drink and asks her to come back to his place, she says yes. Because why not. It was bound to happen to her at some point in her life. But I did like reading her POV, she was strong and it was a good addition to the story.
Sam, Trent’s little brother wasn’t much better. I mean, we don’t know him that much. We barely see him but he doesn’t know Ashley, maybe he met her once (Trent is Ashley’s neighbor). Anyway, a thing that was ridiculous was, at the end, Ashley is fucked up in the head, obviously. She saw and experienced awful things and Elise wants to move in with her to help her get better and to watch over her but Sam shows out of the blue and tells her that he will be the one moving in with Ashley and that he will take care of her, just like that… Hum, what happened? And Elise, the great and caring sister, is okay with it. I’m sorry but it was just too much. There were little things like that in the story that were ridiculous and they made the book even worse.
I give two stars to Love You to Death for the killer and his psychotic mind, for the plot itself who wasn’t bad, for Shannon’s writing style, the killings were awful and super creepy but unfortunately I would have loved more background on the bad guy. We don’t know much about him and that’s a shame. The ending was quite abrupt and I was just glad it was over.
March 27, 2018
Although I liked the plot of this story with the heroine wanting to get involved with finding her missing sister, the plot got lost in character issues.
Elise, the sister to the rescue, is coming off a little too self centered. I know it's supposed to be self sufficient and she doesn't need people, but it comes off as self centered, critical of others with a I can do it better attitude. She's not my ideal heroine. The more I read, the less I like Elise. She's the type that is always right. Plus she puts herself in bad situations to find her sister - kind of the TSTL type.
Trent is coming off a little too perfect with the exception of the angst he feels over why he is no longer a cop. For the most part I thought Trent seems too good for Elise.
You know it's a romance novel if the heroine is tired, stressed and worried about the safety of a loved one and sleeping with a stranger is what occupies most of her brain cells. If she's not being a bitchy know it all, she's thinking about sex with Trent.
A couple of my least favorite quotes:
" It had been more than a year since she'd taken a lover. But Trent was making her think about taking another one. He was kind, caring. Not to mention gorgeous. ... Elise was sure that after a few days in his bed, she'd be able to go another year without sex." [Elise}
"For a woman who hadn't been with a man in a long time, Elise had no trouble remembering what she was doing." [Trent]
The last quote is referring to Elise giving Trent a BJ because his condom had expired. So for those of you who were worried you might forget how to give a stranger a BJ, don't worry. It's like riding a bike; you won't forget. (Snarky comments included for free in this review!)
I hate to admit but I skipped most of their first sexual encounter; I just wasn't ready yet. No I didn't have a headache; I just wasn't feeling it. You know I had just read about the psycho villain cutting a women's hand off, so I just wasn't ready to read about jumping into sex. Book sex and real sex have a lot in common; it's all about timing and pacing. This was just too insta for me and the relationship was moving too fast.
And speaking of way too fast - Trent is wanting to drop the L word. Again, I wasn't feeling the love, the lust or the relationship. Most of their dialogue is them fighting. She's taking too much risk, should let the police do their jobs. He's not a cop, he can't help in the investigation, he can't see his old partner. Rinse and repeat over and over throughout the whole book. This isn't a relationship. The only thing positive is they like each other's looks which they acted on quite early. I just didn't feel it.
Trent thought of her as sweet Elise, but she never showed a sweet side. She was an obstinate, opinionated, know it all. Nothing sweet there, which makes you feel like he doesn't know her. And yet here they are a week into knowing each other and talking marriage and she's going to move in with him. TOO SOON for a relationship that didn't even feel real.
The serial killer plot was good, but I got irritated with Trent and Elise too often and just wanted to get through the book. Lucky for me, I skimmed/skipped the sex scenes and the constant back and forth dialogue which shortened the book immensely. I really feel like their relationship and the set up of their personal weaknesses dragged down a good plot.
Elise, the sister to the rescue, is coming off a little too self centered. I know it's supposed to be self sufficient and she doesn't need people, but it comes off as self centered, critical of others with a I can do it better attitude. She's not my ideal heroine. The more I read, the less I like Elise. She's the type that is always right. Plus she puts herself in bad situations to find her sister - kind of the TSTL type.
Trent is coming off a little too perfect with the exception of the angst he feels over why he is no longer a cop. For the most part I thought Trent seems too good for Elise.
You know it's a romance novel if the heroine is tired, stressed and worried about the safety of a loved one and sleeping with a stranger is what occupies most of her brain cells. If she's not being a bitchy know it all, she's thinking about sex with Trent.
A couple of my least favorite quotes:
" It had been more than a year since she'd taken a lover. But Trent was making her think about taking another one. He was kind, caring. Not to mention gorgeous. ... Elise was sure that after a few days in his bed, she'd be able to go another year without sex." [Elise}
"For a woman who hadn't been with a man in a long time, Elise had no trouble remembering what she was doing." [Trent]
The last quote is referring to Elise giving Trent a BJ because his condom had expired. So for those of you who were worried you might forget how to give a stranger a BJ, don't worry. It's like riding a bike; you won't forget. (Snarky comments included for free in this review!)
I hate to admit but I skipped most of their first sexual encounter; I just wasn't ready yet. No I didn't have a headache; I just wasn't feeling it. You know I had just read about the psycho villain cutting a women's hand off, so I just wasn't ready to read about jumping into sex. Book sex and real sex have a lot in common; it's all about timing and pacing. This was just too insta for me and the relationship was moving too fast.
And speaking of way too fast - Trent is wanting to drop the L word. Again, I wasn't feeling the love, the lust or the relationship. Most of their dialogue is them fighting. She's taking too much risk, should let the police do their jobs. He's not a cop, he can't help in the investigation, he can't see his old partner. Rinse and repeat over and over throughout the whole book. This isn't a relationship. The only thing positive is they like each other's looks which they acted on quite early. I just didn't feel it.
Trent thought of her as sweet Elise, but she never showed a sweet side. She was an obstinate, opinionated, know it all. Nothing sweet there, which makes you feel like he doesn't know her. And yet here they are a week into knowing each other and talking marriage and she's going to move in with him. TOO SOON for a relationship that didn't even feel real.
The serial killer plot was good, but I got irritated with Trent and Elise too often and just wanted to get through the book. Lucky for me, I skimmed/skipped the sex scenes and the constant back and forth dialogue which shortened the book immensely. I really feel like their relationship and the set up of their personal weaknesses dragged down a good plot.
August 10, 2017
For the last two years ex-cop Trent Brady has tried to forget the job he loved, the job he lost because one accident left him with too much blood on his hands, too much guilt. But when he catches someone breaking into his flighty neighbour’s house, he’s determined to stop the burglar. But Elise isn’t a burglar, she’s a desperate woman looking for her missing sister. And he knows she’ll need his help which suddenly makes him feel like himself again for the first time in two years.
One thing reporter Elise McBride has learned is to trust her gut instinct and it’s been telling her something has happened to her sister, Ashley. And when she learns that more women has gone missing, Elise is determined to find her sister no matter what she must risk to do so. Luckily she isn’t alone and her sister’s hot neighbour is more than capable of helping her.
As the chemistry between Elise and Trent catches fire and Ashley remains missing, time seems to be running out especially when body parts starts surfacing. And things get even more dangerous when the killer catches sight of Elise, becoming obsessed and he’ll stop at nothing to possess Elise and finally have his perfect woman.
I liked Elise and the loyalty and love she felt for her Ashley was very special. For the most part I could understand her reckless behaviour in trying to find her missing sister, but I must say near the end she took some risks that angered me especially since those risks endangered Trent.
Now Trent I loved! This was a guy who couldn’t help himself from needing to help others, even when he tried to not care. And the way he tried to protect Elise was so very sexy!
I loved the romance between these two and the fact that it was a slow burn. I also appreciated that it never got in the way of them trying to find Ashley.
The plot was very dark and gripping with the killer trying to find the perfect parts for his perfect woman, the cops finding some pieces of the missing women… I must say this serial killer was one very sicko.
I love romantic suspense but it’s rare to find an author who manages to get the perfect balance between the romance and the suspense and Shannon K. Butcher definitely got it right with this one! I enjoyed every moment of this romantic thriller and my only complaint is that I would have preferred a HEA instead of the HFN at the end. Highly recommended to all RS fans.
October 26, 2009
Reading this was like being on a roller coaster ride. Wild! I couldn't put it down once I got started and if I did it was only for a moment, then I was back to it. Most of the book took place in a fictitious town (Haven, Illinois), and there were fairly frequent trips to Chicago which put the setting about 2 hours outside of the Windy City.
Two neat characters, Elise McBride, a freelance journalist, is the female heroine that enters the plot looking for her missing sister, Ashley. Trent Brady (AKA Hot Lawn Guy with a magnetic ass!) is a former Chicago Police Officer who returned to his hometown two years ago to work for his little brother, Sam, in the family business. Trent blamed himself for something that happened on the force and ran away from the his career, Chicago, and life.
Excellent suspense-thriller with a higher dose of romance than is found in a lot of good romantic-suspense books. Both character's grew with the story and even set up the next book in the series...Sam and Ashley.
Caution! There is a gruesome serial killer tucked between the pages. The name of the serial killer is not the mystery for it is divulged early on. Catching him is. He is a very evil person who enjoys inflicting pain on his victims, so FYI. I was glad to read his fate!
There were a few minor writing "things" that bugged me. One was a tad repetition of past events. The other was sometimes the pep talks the character's gave themselves was a little overdone. Got frustrated with Elise always saying, "I can handle it." But then she couldn't. Her insistence on seeing the bodies that turned up, etc. Minor things.
Two neat characters, Elise McBride, a freelance journalist, is the female heroine that enters the plot looking for her missing sister, Ashley. Trent Brady (AKA Hot Lawn Guy with a magnetic ass!) is a former Chicago Police Officer who returned to his hometown two years ago to work for his little brother, Sam, in the family business. Trent blamed himself for something that happened on the force and ran away from the his career, Chicago, and life.
Excellent suspense-thriller with a higher dose of romance than is found in a lot of good romantic-suspense books. Both character's grew with the story and even set up the next book in the series...Sam and Ashley.
Caution! There is a gruesome serial killer tucked between the pages. The name of the serial killer is not the mystery for it is divulged early on. Catching him is. He is a very evil person who enjoys inflicting pain on his victims, so FYI. I was glad to read his fate!
There were a few minor writing "things" that bugged me. One was a tad repetition of past events. The other was sometimes the pep talks the character's gave themselves was a little overdone. Got frustrated with Elise always saying, "I can handle it." But then she couldn't. Her insistence on seeing the bodies that turned up, etc. Minor things.
November 9, 2009
Rating: 4.5 / 5
Man, what a gruesome tale this story tales. It's so twisted and sick and enough to give you the creeps for days. The author did a great job with this romantic suspense, telling a full-bodied suspense story and managing to include a solid romance that didn't get shoved aside for the plot. This book was like a more romantic Karen Rose story and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Summary:
Elise McBride and her sister Ashley grew up with an overprotective mother who didn't let them do much. Elise wanted to travel and be an investigative reporter and hoped to go to college for her. Her flighty, artist sister rebelled by getting involved with numerous men and diving into her art. When their mother dies, they both decide to embrace their freedom. Ashley moves into a small house and pursues her art...and men. And Elise dives into her investigative reporting overseas.
Then Ashley goes missing and Elise goes to Haven, Illinois to try and find her. As she tries to break into Ashley's house, Ashley's neighbor, Trent Brady, catches her in the act. When Elise shares her fear over her sister, Trent becomes concerned as well. Everything in him wants to help, but the former cop is wary of getting involved because of a past tragedy while on the job. But he can't resist Elise and can't resist helping her look for Ashley.
It soon becomes apparent that something terrible happened to Ashley and even though she herself is now in danger, Elise keeps looking for answers. Trent tries to distance himself, but he can't stay out of it. So instead, he'll do everything he can to protect her. Unfortunately, the madman who wants her will stop at nothing to get her. She's perfect for his little project of making the perfect woman. Elise and Trent will have to put their trust in each other if they hope to survive.
Review:
I've read some pretty diabolical romantic suspense books over my years of reading the genre and I have to say that this serial killer plot ranks up there with some of the creepiest and most disturbing. The whack job in this book was freaky. His calmness and enjoyment of it all makes you shiver. Kudos to Butcher for telling such a vibrant - and thoroughly disturbing - story that sucked me in right from the beginning.
There's not really a whodunit aspect to the story. You know who the bad guy is and why he's doing what he's doing. The suspense revolves around how it will all play out. And Butcher keeps readers on their toes with the tension and twists the story takes.
Often these types of romantic suspense book don't have a very good balance between the romance and the suspense. Some are more suspenses with some romance thrown in, and others are more romances with a suspense plot. But this one was a nice 50/50 balance, which I really enjoyed. The suspense was solid and the romance satisfying.
Maybe it is a little weird to believe that two people could meet and fall in love during such a tragic, frantic time, but I thought the author did a good job with that part of the story. It didn't feel out of place or anything. There was great chemistry between Elise and Trent. Add in some steamy sex scenes and you've got a book that appeals on a lot of levels.
Both main characters were rather likable, as well. Elise is strong and determined...okay, maybe she didn't always make the best choices, but it was kind of understandable in her desperate need to find her sister. And Trent, poor guy. He's already been through so much and a few times I just wanted to give him a big hug...and other times I wanted to give him a smack on the head and tell him it was time to move on from what happened.
There were maybe two small criticism I have of the book. One was that I would have liked a little more solid wrap-up on all the details about the killer. A little more delving into his history. I thought the wrap-up relied too much on the bits and pieces revealed throughout the book and I just would have liked an ending that brought it all together in one big, cohesive explanation.
Also, the epilogue left me wondering too much about Ashley and her recovery and the sudden constant presence of Sam in her life. I was just left with this feeling that that part of the story wasn't yet complete. And I'm left wondering if Butcher has any plans to write another book featuring Ashley. There's nothing about that in the author's notes at the end, or on her website, that I could find. I really hope she does do a book for Ashley...I would definitely read it!
So Auntee, thanks so much for recommending this book! It was a great read and well worth the full price I had to pay at B&N to get it. For those of you who are fans of true blue romantic suspense, this is definitely one worth checking out!
Man, what a gruesome tale this story tales. It's so twisted and sick and enough to give you the creeps for days. The author did a great job with this romantic suspense, telling a full-bodied suspense story and managing to include a solid romance that didn't get shoved aside for the plot. This book was like a more romantic Karen Rose story and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Summary:
Elise McBride and her sister Ashley grew up with an overprotective mother who didn't let them do much. Elise wanted to travel and be an investigative reporter and hoped to go to college for her. Her flighty, artist sister rebelled by getting involved with numerous men and diving into her art. When their mother dies, they both decide to embrace their freedom. Ashley moves into a small house and pursues her art...and men. And Elise dives into her investigative reporting overseas.
Then Ashley goes missing and Elise goes to Haven, Illinois to try and find her. As she tries to break into Ashley's house, Ashley's neighbor, Trent Brady, catches her in the act. When Elise shares her fear over her sister, Trent becomes concerned as well. Everything in him wants to help, but the former cop is wary of getting involved because of a past tragedy while on the job. But he can't resist Elise and can't resist helping her look for Ashley.
It soon becomes apparent that something terrible happened to Ashley and even though she herself is now in danger, Elise keeps looking for answers. Trent tries to distance himself, but he can't stay out of it. So instead, he'll do everything he can to protect her. Unfortunately, the madman who wants her will stop at nothing to get her. She's perfect for his little project of making the perfect woman. Elise and Trent will have to put their trust in each other if they hope to survive.
Review:
I've read some pretty diabolical romantic suspense books over my years of reading the genre and I have to say that this serial killer plot ranks up there with some of the creepiest and most disturbing. The whack job in this book was freaky. His calmness and enjoyment of it all makes you shiver. Kudos to Butcher for telling such a vibrant - and thoroughly disturbing - story that sucked me in right from the beginning.
There's not really a whodunit aspect to the story. You know who the bad guy is and why he's doing what he's doing. The suspense revolves around how it will all play out. And Butcher keeps readers on their toes with the tension and twists the story takes.
Often these types of romantic suspense book don't have a very good balance between the romance and the suspense. Some are more suspenses with some romance thrown in, and others are more romances with a suspense plot. But this one was a nice 50/50 balance, which I really enjoyed. The suspense was solid and the romance satisfying.
Maybe it is a little weird to believe that two people could meet and fall in love during such a tragic, frantic time, but I thought the author did a good job with that part of the story. It didn't feel out of place or anything. There was great chemistry between Elise and Trent. Add in some steamy sex scenes and you've got a book that appeals on a lot of levels.
Both main characters were rather likable, as well. Elise is strong and determined...okay, maybe she didn't always make the best choices, but it was kind of understandable in her desperate need to find her sister. And Trent, poor guy. He's already been through so much and a few times I just wanted to give him a big hug...and other times I wanted to give him a smack on the head and tell him it was time to move on from what happened.
There were maybe two small criticism I have of the book. One was that I would have liked a little more solid wrap-up on all the details about the killer. A little more delving into his history. I thought the wrap-up relied too much on the bits and pieces revealed throughout the book and I just would have liked an ending that brought it all together in one big, cohesive explanation.
Also, the epilogue left me wondering too much about Ashley and her recovery and the sudden constant presence of Sam in her life. I was just left with this feeling that that part of the story wasn't yet complete. And I'm left wondering if Butcher has any plans to write another book featuring Ashley. There's nothing about that in the author's notes at the end, or on her website, that I could find. I really hope she does do a book for Ashley...I would definitely read it!
So Auntee, thanks so much for recommending this book! It was a great read and well worth the full price I had to pay at B&N to get it. For those of you who are fans of true blue romantic suspense, this is definitely one worth checking out!
October 22, 2013
I am really glad I read this book right after I read Ms. Butcher's "Delta" series because I was right into her 'groove' of writing.. and I gotta say with this story she DID. NOT. DISAPPOINT!
The writing, characters, and story were amazing to read!
Ms. Butcher is now one of my favorite "badass-protective-possessive-uber-alpha male" authors!
September 25, 2010
Good guys are victims and suffer setbacks rather than being smart and outwitting the killer. Some parts were repetitive.
STORY BRIEF:
Elise is a freelance reporter who writes about needy causes as she travels the world. Ashley is her free-spirited artist sister. They talk on the phone regularly. When Ashley doesn’t return Elise’s phone calls, Elise leaves her Hong Kong project and goes to Ashley’s home in Illinois. She searches for clues. Trent is Ashley’s neighbor who helps Elise.
The killer has been kidnapping women for years. He cuts off body parts with no anesthesia. He likes to hear them scream.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
I loved the author’s first book “No Regrets.” But this fourth book just doesn’t compare. This is a story about good people being victims and not making the best decisions. And the killer has the good luck to have “others” covering up for him. But the motivations and actions of these “others” did not make sense to me - see Spoilers below.
Trent is a former cop but shows no cop intuition. He makes incorrect assumptions and also is too much of a victim. He and Elise know a professional hit man is trying to kill Elise. Yet the two of them do something stupid which allows a kidnapping. I prefer reading about someone being smart and taking interesting action to catch the killer. But that was not the case – it was mostly unlucky victims with a touch of luck at the end.
Elise is grieving for half the book which was tedious. I was also tired of her repeated arguing with Trent: “I have to take a chance. I have to find my sister.” And Trent saying “No don’t take chances.” There’s a paragraph toward the end where Elise is thinking she failed at this, she failed at that, she failed at these other things as well. I’m thinking “yes, and now you’re going to fail again.” This was no fun.
Trent refuses advice to solve his psychological problem. He left the police force two years earlier because he accidentally injured his partner John - putting John in a wheelchair. Trent avoids seeing to John out of guilt. Several times various people have therapy type discussions with Trent urging him to talk with John and solve his problem. But he refuses. I was getting a little tired of it.
I don’t mind Elise grieving, Trent having a problem, or their arguments about Elise wanting to do something, but too much time is spent on these issues - resulting in repetitive conversations and inner monologues.
CAUTION SPOILERS:
Unfinished ends. We don’t get any closure on what happens to the people who helped cover up and hide evidence. I wanted to know what started the killer in all of this. It had to do with his dead wife, but we don’t learn about that relationship and exactly what happened to her. Elise’s dream job was traveling the world and writing articles to make a difference. But at the end of the book, she decides to do something different. Why did she change her passion? What exactly will she do next? This was not answered.
One person was helping the killer by disposing of the bodies. He continued helping cover up in other ways, but he stopped disposing of the bodies. Therefore the cops found bodies. This didn’t make sense to me. Why continue some cover-up actions but stop the most important cover up?
The victim was last seen leaving Sally’s bar with a “guy.” When Elise asks to see video tapes from the bar, the bartender sees a chance to get money. He calls “someone” connected to the “guy” asking for a bribe. Why didn’t he call the “guy?” What made him think “someone” would pay a bribe? Besides this was the first time the killer used the bar to get a victim. So the bartender had no reason to believe the “guy” was doing something really bad. The bartender’s motivations were confusing – needed more development.
DATA:
Story length: 377 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: 3. approximate number of sex scene pages: 19. Setting: current day Haven and Chicago, Illinois. Copyright: 2009. Genre: romantic suspense.
OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Shannon K. Butcher books, see my 5 star review of “No Regrets” posted 10/13/08.
STORY BRIEF:
Elise is a freelance reporter who writes about needy causes as she travels the world. Ashley is her free-spirited artist sister. They talk on the phone regularly. When Ashley doesn’t return Elise’s phone calls, Elise leaves her Hong Kong project and goes to Ashley’s home in Illinois. She searches for clues. Trent is Ashley’s neighbor who helps Elise.
The killer has been kidnapping women for years. He cuts off body parts with no anesthesia. He likes to hear them scream.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
I loved the author’s first book “No Regrets.” But this fourth book just doesn’t compare. This is a story about good people being victims and not making the best decisions. And the killer has the good luck to have “others” covering up for him. But the motivations and actions of these “others” did not make sense to me - see Spoilers below.
Trent is a former cop but shows no cop intuition. He makes incorrect assumptions and also is too much of a victim. He and Elise know a professional hit man is trying to kill Elise. Yet the two of them do something stupid which allows a kidnapping. I prefer reading about someone being smart and taking interesting action to catch the killer. But that was not the case – it was mostly unlucky victims with a touch of luck at the end.
Elise is grieving for half the book which was tedious. I was also tired of her repeated arguing with Trent: “I have to take a chance. I have to find my sister.” And Trent saying “No don’t take chances.” There’s a paragraph toward the end where Elise is thinking she failed at this, she failed at that, she failed at these other things as well. I’m thinking “yes, and now you’re going to fail again.” This was no fun.
Trent refuses advice to solve his psychological problem. He left the police force two years earlier because he accidentally injured his partner John - putting John in a wheelchair. Trent avoids seeing to John out of guilt. Several times various people have therapy type discussions with Trent urging him to talk with John and solve his problem. But he refuses. I was getting a little tired of it.
I don’t mind Elise grieving, Trent having a problem, or their arguments about Elise wanting to do something, but too much time is spent on these issues - resulting in repetitive conversations and inner monologues.
CAUTION SPOILERS:
Unfinished ends. We don’t get any closure on what happens to the people who helped cover up and hide evidence. I wanted to know what started the killer in all of this. It had to do with his dead wife, but we don’t learn about that relationship and exactly what happened to her. Elise’s dream job was traveling the world and writing articles to make a difference. But at the end of the book, she decides to do something different. Why did she change her passion? What exactly will she do next? This was not answered.
One person was helping the killer by disposing of the bodies. He continued helping cover up in other ways, but he stopped disposing of the bodies. Therefore the cops found bodies. This didn’t make sense to me. Why continue some cover-up actions but stop the most important cover up?
The victim was last seen leaving Sally’s bar with a “guy.” When Elise asks to see video tapes from the bar, the bartender sees a chance to get money. He calls “someone” connected to the “guy” asking for a bribe. Why didn’t he call the “guy?” What made him think “someone” would pay a bribe? Besides this was the first time the killer used the bar to get a victim. So the bartender had no reason to believe the “guy” was doing something really bad. The bartender’s motivations were confusing – needed more development.
DATA:
Story length: 377 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: 3. approximate number of sex scene pages: 19. Setting: current day Haven and Chicago, Illinois. Copyright: 2009. Genre: romantic suspense.
OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Shannon K. Butcher books, see my 5 star review of “No Regrets” posted 10/13/08.
October 13, 2011
Normally I adore Grand Central's romantic suspenses but this one was just not for me. The book seemed to consist of:
"You're not going to do look for your sister because it is dangerous."
"Yes I am!"
"No you're not!"
"Yes I am!"
"No you're not!"
"Yes I am!"
It got old fast.
I didn't particularly like the hero; he felt so sorry for himself. I don't mind angst, but this was "weak angst" and I didn't like it.
There were some parts so predictable where I literally started guessing the next words and even entire sentences and I was right.
None of it was particularly believable. I didn't like Ashley - the missing sister - because she was TSTL (leaving her door open? Come on, I'm artistic but you don't see me acting like a two year old.)
Lastly the ending was a total sham. Elise wanted to explore the world, etc. And then she stayed home to "watch her sister" - even though her sister is 23 years old.
And the very end was a Care Bear ending. Too ridiculous for words.
I will try another Shannon K Butcher book because her writing is good and, as I said, I love Grand Central. But yikes, I can't recommend this one.
"You're not going to do look for your sister because it is dangerous."
"Yes I am!"
"No you're not!"
"Yes I am!"
"No you're not!"
"Yes I am!"
It got old fast.
I didn't particularly like the hero; he felt so sorry for himself. I don't mind angst, but this was "weak angst" and I didn't like it.
There were some parts so predictable where I literally started guessing the next words and even entire sentences and I was right.
None of it was particularly believable. I didn't like Ashley - the missing sister - because she was TSTL (leaving her door open? Come on, I'm artistic but you don't see me acting like a two year old.)
Lastly the ending was a total sham. Elise wanted to explore the world, etc. And then she stayed home to "watch her sister" - even though her sister is 23 years old.
And the very end was a Care Bear ending. Too ridiculous for words.
I will try another Shannon K Butcher book because her writing is good and, as I said, I love Grand Central. But yikes, I can't recommend this one.
December 29, 2018
Love You To Death
3.5 Stars
Convinced that some disaster has befallen her flakey younger sister, Elise McBride breaks into her house to look for clues to her disappearance. Ashley's neighbor, former police officer Trent Brady, catches Elise in the act and the join forces to find the missing woman who has seemingly become the latest victim of a sadistic serial killer.
***Warning: This book contains graphic and gruesome depictions of violence and death.***
A satisfying romantic suspense novel although the hero is a bit too morose and the heroine a bit too stubborn for her own good.
Elise starts out well enough with a fierce determination to find her sister, which is admirable. However, her recklessness and inability to accept that the police just might know more about investigating a crime than she does ultimately begin to grate on the nerves.
Similarly, Trent is an appealing hero at first, but his "woe-is-me" angst turn him from a sexy alpha into a whiny beta very quickly.
Despite these issues, Elise and Trent have solid chemistry and the serial killer investigation has some exciting action packed moments, especially the climax and resolution.
All in all, not a bad book, but not a stellar one either.
3.5 Stars
Convinced that some disaster has befallen her flakey younger sister, Elise McBride breaks into her house to look for clues to her disappearance. Ashley's neighbor, former police officer Trent Brady, catches Elise in the act and the join forces to find the missing woman who has seemingly become the latest victim of a sadistic serial killer.
***Warning: This book contains graphic and gruesome depictions of violence and death.***
A satisfying romantic suspense novel although the hero is a bit too morose and the heroine a bit too stubborn for her own good.
Elise starts out well enough with a fierce determination to find her sister, which is admirable. However, her recklessness and inability to accept that the police just might know more about investigating a crime than she does ultimately begin to grate on the nerves.
Similarly, Trent is an appealing hero at first, but his "woe-is-me" angst turn him from a sexy alpha into a whiny beta very quickly.
Despite these issues, Elise and Trent have solid chemistry and the serial killer investigation has some exciting action packed moments, especially the climax and resolution.
All in all, not a bad book, but not a stellar one either.
September 28, 2009
After spending too many years as an Industrial Engineer, Author Shannon K. Butcher learned to write from her husband, best-selling author Jim Butcher. Other titles include: No Control, No Regrets, and No Escape, (for which she won an award). She resides in Missouri with her husband and son.
Free-lance reporter, Elise McBride, hasn’t heard from her sister, Ashley, in more than a week. The artist side of Ashley often has her flighty and distracted in her own paintings, but this time, Elise knew something was wrong. Convinced that Ashley has met with foul play, Elise breaks into her sister’s house to try to find some information or leads, since the police seem to think Ashley just ran off. Instead, she finds Trent Brady, an ex-cop still trying to wash the blood off his hands from before he resigned. The last thing he wants or needs is to become involved in a missing persons case, or become romantically involved with said person’s sister. But Elise needs his help, and he’s determined to keep her out of trouble until the police find Ashley. Except now, the bodies of other missing women are surfacing bearing an uncanny resemblance to Ashley, and it would appear that Elise is the next target of this brutal serial killer.
Two things stand out to me after reading this book. One: it was extremely well-paced, having a perfect blend of romance, suspense, and humor where appropriate. And two: the heroine, Elise, was not your typical hard-ass, strong as nails lead character you’d typically find in romantic suspense. She was strong and determined, but her insecurities and flaws were crafted nicely, making her enormously relatable. I found the other lead hero, Trent, very realistic in his flaws as well. Readers will appreciate being inside the killer’s head, as well as Ashley’s while she was in captivity. Mostly, you’ll never leave your doors unlocked again. The murders, the investigation, and fear the author illustrates will remain with you long after the pages are closed- a true testament to stellar writing. The setting was appropriate and the secondary characters moved the plot well. There wasn’t a dead spot to find in the entire book. Shannon is most definitely an author to keep your eye out for.
Kelly Moran
Author and Reviewer
Free-lance reporter, Elise McBride, hasn’t heard from her sister, Ashley, in more than a week. The artist side of Ashley often has her flighty and distracted in her own paintings, but this time, Elise knew something was wrong. Convinced that Ashley has met with foul play, Elise breaks into her sister’s house to try to find some information or leads, since the police seem to think Ashley just ran off. Instead, she finds Trent Brady, an ex-cop still trying to wash the blood off his hands from before he resigned. The last thing he wants or needs is to become involved in a missing persons case, or become romantically involved with said person’s sister. But Elise needs his help, and he’s determined to keep her out of trouble until the police find Ashley. Except now, the bodies of other missing women are surfacing bearing an uncanny resemblance to Ashley, and it would appear that Elise is the next target of this brutal serial killer.
Two things stand out to me after reading this book. One: it was extremely well-paced, having a perfect blend of romance, suspense, and humor where appropriate. And two: the heroine, Elise, was not your typical hard-ass, strong as nails lead character you’d typically find in romantic suspense. She was strong and determined, but her insecurities and flaws were crafted nicely, making her enormously relatable. I found the other lead hero, Trent, very realistic in his flaws as well. Readers will appreciate being inside the killer’s head, as well as Ashley’s while she was in captivity. Mostly, you’ll never leave your doors unlocked again. The murders, the investigation, and fear the author illustrates will remain with you long after the pages are closed- a true testament to stellar writing. The setting was appropriate and the secondary characters moved the plot well. There wasn’t a dead spot to find in the entire book. Shannon is most definitely an author to keep your eye out for.
Kelly Moran
Author and Reviewer
September 25, 2009
There is a serial killer on the loose. This killer is unlike any others, who have come before him. He has a purpose. He wants to create the perfect woman. So how do you achieve the perfect woman…Or course by taking parts from various other women and piecing them together.
Elise McBride had a feeling that something had something horrible had happened to her sister, Ashley. She hadn’t heard from her in days. Elise called the authorities but Elisa got the impression that they aren’t taking her too seriously. Elise decides to hop on a plane and investigate herself on what has happened to Ashley.
Ex-cop, Trent Brady was just getting ready for bed when he spots a light flashing across the street in his neighbor’s house. He knows it can’t be his neighbor as Ashley has left. Trent’s cop instincts kick in and he goes to investigate and receives a huge surprise. At what Trent first thought was a teenage boy, turns out to be a woman. The police arrive and assure Elise that they will find her sister. Elise and Trent team up together to locate her sister before it is too late.
Love You to Death is dark and sinister. The tension runs high all the way till the very end. Elise and Trent molded well perfectly together. Elise had the brain smarts and Trent was all muscle. I like that the killer had a purpose in mind and that it was revealed at an early stage. This helped make the killer in my opinion more menacing. Shannon K. Butcher has made me a fan and I can't wait to read more.
Elise McBride had a feeling that something had something horrible had happened to her sister, Ashley. She hadn’t heard from her in days. Elise called the authorities but Elisa got the impression that they aren’t taking her too seriously. Elise decides to hop on a plane and investigate herself on what has happened to Ashley.
Ex-cop, Trent Brady was just getting ready for bed when he spots a light flashing across the street in his neighbor’s house. He knows it can’t be his neighbor as Ashley has left. Trent’s cop instincts kick in and he goes to investigate and receives a huge surprise. At what Trent first thought was a teenage boy, turns out to be a woman. The police arrive and assure Elise that they will find her sister. Elise and Trent team up together to locate her sister before it is too late.
Love You to Death is dark and sinister. The tension runs high all the way till the very end. Elise and Trent molded well perfectly together. Elise had the brain smarts and Trent was all muscle. I like that the killer had a purpose in mind and that it was revealed at an early stage. This helped make the killer in my opinion more menacing. Shannon K. Butcher has made me a fan and I can't wait to read more.
September 21, 2014
Mrs. Butcher how I love your writing style. You had me engaged from page one. This book was so wonderfully creepy. This was a great romantic thriller.
The short of it is that Elise's baby sister has gone missing. Elise comes home to search for her. While she is breaking into her her sister Ashley's house she gets busted by her Ashley's hot lawn man neighbor Trent (yes lawn man, that is what Ashley referred to him as when she spoke with Elise). Trent is an ex-cop and has some issues of his own. Why well you will have to read it to find out. lol
Elise will stop at nothing to find her sister . She knows something bad has happened to her and spends some time trying to convince the police that her flighty sister didn't wander off. This leads her to get into some sticky situations. Trent is there along for the ride to help. He feels the need to help and protect her from herself and those she may piss off by asking too many questions.
The serial killer is just wonderful horrible. He for me is a little different in the serial killer department. He kills for the perfect woman. But why and what he does is just nasty. Not what you would think that's for sure. More along the lines of making the puzzle pieces fit if you will. A little here and there and we have Frankenstein. lol This book is graphic so some may not enjoy reading about this kinda thing. I founds it fascinating to read and be in this weirdos head . Several POV here which was kinda nice. Overall great read..
The short of it is that Elise's baby sister has gone missing. Elise comes home to search for her. While she is breaking into her her sister Ashley's house she gets busted by her Ashley's hot lawn man neighbor Trent (yes lawn man, that is what Ashley referred to him as when she spoke with Elise). Trent is an ex-cop and has some issues of his own. Why well you will have to read it to find out. lol
Elise will stop at nothing to find her sister . She knows something bad has happened to her and spends some time trying to convince the police that her flighty sister didn't wander off. This leads her to get into some sticky situations. Trent is there along for the ride to help. He feels the need to help and protect her from herself and those she may piss off by asking too many questions.
The serial killer is just wonderful horrible. He for me is a little different in the serial killer department. He kills for the perfect woman. But why and what he does is just nasty. Not what you would think that's for sure. More along the lines of making the puzzle pieces fit if you will. A little here and there and we have Frankenstein. lol This book is graphic so some may not enjoy reading about this kinda thing. I founds it fascinating to read and be in this weirdos head . Several POV here which was kinda nice. Overall great read..
April 18, 2014
Nicely done, I love both H/h , I love sweet men, not all of them need to be bad asses. This one was sweet and sexy and very realistic.
August 26, 2019
I don't really read romance because they're short on plot and story and all about the romance. But I wanted to give this author a try. This book felt about 60/40; still too much romance for me, but did well with story. Overall, I thought this was well done. The story kept me interested enough to want to finish.
I do have a major complaint though. You know how authors will put some kind of break between perspectives, like three asterisks or something to transition? That almost never happened. One minute, I was reading about Elise and Trent, then with no warning, there was a Gary thrown in. It was confusing, who the heck is Gary (we'll skip the Fall Out video here; right, gamers?). The asterisks were used a few times, so it wasn't that it was a foreign concept; but this is a major issue because it pulls one out of the story and makes things confusing at first.
The dialog was pretty good and progressed the story well. But in some cases, some parts were over done. One reviewer mentioned how Trent kept whining about his past mistake; I agree that it was way overdone. Trent was kind of a flat personality.
Again, overall pretty decent with good storytelling. I'd read this author again despite my dislike of romance because there is actually a story here.
I do have a major complaint though. You know how authors will put some kind of break between perspectives, like three asterisks or something to transition? That almost never happened. One minute, I was reading about Elise and Trent, then with no warning, there was a Gary thrown in. It was confusing, who the heck is Gary (we'll skip the Fall Out video here; right, gamers?). The asterisks were used a few times, so it wasn't that it was a foreign concept; but this is a major issue because it pulls one out of the story and makes things confusing at first.
The dialog was pretty good and progressed the story well. But in some cases, some parts were over done. One reviewer mentioned how Trent kept whining about his past mistake; I agree that it was way overdone. Trent was kind of a flat personality.
Again, overall pretty decent with good storytelling. I'd read this author again despite my dislike of romance because there is actually a story here.
November 29, 2024
I really like Shannon K. Butcher so I hate to rate this a 2⭐️ read, but I just couldn’t get into it.
Things I liked:
1. Terrifying serial killer story
2. Love between 2 sisters
Things I didn’t like:
1. Elise and Trent didn’t have any chemistry. I felt no tension.
2. Elise was so bullheaded.
3. The weird connection between the serial killer and the Mob was unnecessary.
4. Former partner John was a bit too positive about the situation for me.
Things I liked:
1. Terrifying serial killer story
2. Love between 2 sisters
Things I didn’t like:
1. Elise and Trent didn’t have any chemistry. I felt no tension.
2. Elise was so bullheaded.
3. The weird connection between the serial killer and the Mob was unnecessary.
4. Former partner John was a bit too positive about the situation for me.
September 22, 2018
Good storyline however the main characters were pissing me off especially Trent. He's a control freak. I would never get involved with someone who wants to control my life. I do what I want to do & won't allow others to control my life.
And Elisa shouldn't have put up with it, Don't know why she couldn't tell him to piss off. Her life, her choice.
And Elisa shouldn't have put up with it, Don't know why she couldn't tell him to piss off. Her life, her choice.
September 9, 2020
2.5 stars
The writing was good, the killer was mentally deranged, but just not mysterious or suspenseful enough for me.
There's something missing in the plot, or maybe too much push and pull between H and h in terms of helping and not, or maybe something else. It didn't hit it right with me. The h got a bit annoying and she had repetitive arguments with H, which kinda got boring.
The writing was good, the killer was mentally deranged, but just not mysterious or suspenseful enough for me.
There's something missing in the plot, or maybe too much push and pull between H and h in terms of helping and not, or maybe something else. It didn't hit it right with me. The h got a bit annoying and she had repetitive arguments with H, which kinda got boring.
January 1, 2018
I am really glad I read this book. I like that story. But I give 3 stars because some parts of the book I dont like it.
February 19, 2019
Wow,this was a fab read!!! A very twisted murderer looking for the perfect woman!!!! Fast paced & gripping:)
November 18, 2019
Love you to Death Is a book I've already read before and I could continue to read this book many times, it's that good. I love the characters and I love the ending.
September 2, 2022
Surprisingly good. Little slow at the end, but still exciting plot.
December 15, 2016
In 'Love You to Death', reporter Elise is worried to death after her sister Ashley appears to have fallen off the face of the earth. Cutting her Hong Kong trip short, she drops by Ashley's house only to realize that she's nowhere to be found. How shocking! When she learns about a string of mysterious disappearances involving young women, she decides to figure out Ashley's whereabouts with the help of Ashley's hot neighbour Trent. Will they be able to bring her home in one piece?
If my version of the synopsis sounded sarcastic in any way, it was intentional. Forget about the possibility of a story filled with suspense, tension and morbidity - you'll get tons of repetition in terms of dialogues and the general writing. That's not all - say hello to annoying, barely even one-dimensional characters AND useless, incompetent cops. What about the criminal and his victims who are brutally tortured and decapitated? Yet another disappointment as there was not much detail and the 'gore' was pretty tame.
This book could have easily been completed within a few really short chapters because the content was the same. Basically, it goes like this:
Elise: I'm so worried about Ashley. I've got to find her!
Trent: No, you can't. You might get hurt.. or k-killed!
Elise: But I can't sit and do nothing. I'm gonna find her!
Trent: No, Elise. I won't let you.
Elise: I have to. I must save her. She's my sister.
Trent: The cops will find her.
Elise: What if they can't? I must go.
Trent: No, Elise. It's too dangerous.
*they end up having sex*
Rinse and repeat.
According to Trent, Elise is beautiful, strong and brave. From what I read, she was the opposite. She thought it was necessary to dress skimpily to get information about her sister (Uh, really? Then I suppose policewomen should wear bikinis). Anytime she got into trouble, she needed Trent to rescue her. For example, in one scene she was driving alone and noticed another car following her. Instead of instinctively trying to shake them off by making an unexpected turn or driving faster, she called Trent who told her what to do. Ironically, later on she got mad at him for "telling her what to do". I have no words..
The ridiculousness didn't end there. So Elise was supposedly freaking out about Ashley but she could still have sexual thoughts about Trent and even have sex with him. As far as I know, when you're emotionally distressed especially when it concerns a life or death situation, sex would be the furthest thing on your mind. It didn't help that the two of them had no chemistry whatsoever. The sex scenes were boring as hell. To make things worse, the author passed the whole thing off as true love. It was completely unbelievable on every level.
Trent wasn't any better either. He used to be a cop but he quit after an oh-so-dramatic incident in which he caused his partner John to become paralyzed and killed an armed youth. Although John had been trying to get in touch with him and was okay with being paralyzed (yup, no anger or anything. Wow.), Trent avoided him until Elise told him he shouldn't anymore. Again, unbelievable. Apart from that, he was basically a walking slab of abs and muscles. The only thing he and Elise had in common? They had no personality.
You know the main characters are truly awful when you find yourself rooting for their deaths and preferring to read about the despicable murderer. The ending was predictable and cheesy. Another thing that I'd address here is this - blaming the victim is never right. However, Ashley was incredibly stupid and careless in the first place. She'd leave her doors wide open and let her car engine run for a long time. Her excuse? She's artistic. Oh please. Start acting like a mature, responsible and careful adult instead of a toddler.
Overall, contrary to the title I definitely didn't love this to death. Even if you're in the mood for dialogues that are repeated every few pages, characters that are annoying and dependent, police that are unprofessional and have no qualms about sharing confidential information with the public (Elise and Trent) and a meandering story, you should still skip this anyway. It's a total waste of time.
If my version of the synopsis sounded sarcastic in any way, it was intentional. Forget about the possibility of a story filled with suspense, tension and morbidity - you'll get tons of repetition in terms of dialogues and the general writing. That's not all - say hello to annoying, barely even one-dimensional characters AND useless, incompetent cops. What about the criminal and his victims who are brutally tortured and decapitated? Yet another disappointment as there was not much detail and the 'gore' was pretty tame.
This book could have easily been completed within a few really short chapters because the content was the same. Basically, it goes like this:
Elise: I'm so worried about Ashley. I've got to find her!
Trent: No, you can't. You might get hurt.. or k-killed!
Elise: But I can't sit and do nothing. I'm gonna find her!
Trent: No, Elise. I won't let you.
Elise: I have to. I must save her. She's my sister.
Trent: The cops will find her.
Elise: What if they can't? I must go.
Trent: No, Elise. It's too dangerous.
*they end up having sex*
Rinse and repeat.
According to Trent, Elise is beautiful, strong and brave. From what I read, she was the opposite. She thought it was necessary to dress skimpily to get information about her sister (Uh, really? Then I suppose policewomen should wear bikinis). Anytime she got into trouble, she needed Trent to rescue her. For example, in one scene she was driving alone and noticed another car following her. Instead of instinctively trying to shake them off by making an unexpected turn or driving faster, she called Trent who told her what to do. Ironically, later on she got mad at him for "telling her what to do". I have no words..
The ridiculousness didn't end there. So Elise was supposedly freaking out about Ashley but she could still have sexual thoughts about Trent and even have sex with him. As far as I know, when you're emotionally distressed especially when it concerns a life or death situation, sex would be the furthest thing on your mind. It didn't help that the two of them had no chemistry whatsoever. The sex scenes were boring as hell. To make things worse, the author passed the whole thing off as true love. It was completely unbelievable on every level.
Trent wasn't any better either. He used to be a cop but he quit after an oh-so-dramatic incident in which he caused his partner John to become paralyzed and killed an armed youth. Although John had been trying to get in touch with him and was okay with being paralyzed (yup, no anger or anything. Wow.), Trent avoided him until Elise told him he shouldn't anymore. Again, unbelievable. Apart from that, he was basically a walking slab of abs and muscles. The only thing he and Elise had in common? They had no personality.
You know the main characters are truly awful when you find yourself rooting for their deaths and preferring to read about the despicable murderer. The ending was predictable and cheesy. Another thing that I'd address here is this - blaming the victim is never right. However, Ashley was incredibly stupid and careless in the first place. She'd leave her doors wide open and let her car engine run for a long time. Her excuse? She's artistic. Oh please. Start acting like a mature, responsible and careful adult instead of a toddler.
Overall, contrary to the title I definitely didn't love this to death. Even if you're in the mood for dialogues that are repeated every few pages, characters that are annoying and dependent, police that are unprofessional and have no qualms about sharing confidential information with the public (Elise and Trent) and a meandering story, you should still skip this anyway. It's a total waste of time.
September 30, 2009
This review was originally posted on my review blog : Falling Off The Shelf.
Ashley McBride is extremely talented. She's an artist, that at any moment will stop what she is doing to paint or draw a picture. She's sweet, bubbly, and trusting. She's also a complete scatterbrains, and now that she's gone missing, her big sister Elise is starting to worry.
Ashley always calls Elisa after going out on Friday nights to give her all the juicy details of her evening. This time, she doesn't call, and Elise is sick with worry. She tries calling Ashley multiple times, only to go to her voicemail, which is entirely unlike Ashley. She's convinced that her baby sister is in trouble, and she will stop at nothing to get her back.
Trent Brady lives across the street from Ashley. He likes the young girl, enough to do small chores around her house for her, and make sure no one tries to hurt her. When he notices someone trying to break into her house, his cop instincts kick in, even though he's been off the force for over two years. When the perpetrator turns out to be Ashley's big sister Elise, sick with worry over her sister, Trent makes it his duty to help her.
When I first started reading this book, it was difficult for me to get into. It seemed like your regular romantic suspense, and I was just waiting for something interesting to happen. I honestly can say that I didn't start to really enjoy this book until the author let us inside of both the killer and his victims heads. That was when I realised I had to stick around until the end.
Shannon K. Butcher's characters are very well rounded, and I felt a very real connection to some of them. I actually cringed a few times when reading the thoughts of the killer, and I wanted to wring his neck myself for the horrible things he was capable of. I was also on the fence about Elise, because while she is a strong character willing to do anything for the love of a sibling, she doesn't think about whether or not she will live through her own decisions to see her sister home safely.
As for the romance in this novel, it was definitely there. It started out slow, and slowly worked its way up. It was an intense romance, while still being appropriate for the situation they were both dealing with. I have a very vivid imagination, and the scenes, whether romantic or not, were very easily pictured in my mind. I will most definitely read more novels by Shannon K. Butcher in the future. I'd like to thank Anna Balasi of Hatchette books for sending me an ARC to review, she is always a pleasure to work with!
Ashley McBride is extremely talented. She's an artist, that at any moment will stop what she is doing to paint or draw a picture. She's sweet, bubbly, and trusting. She's also a complete scatterbrains, and now that she's gone missing, her big sister Elise is starting to worry.
Ashley always calls Elisa after going out on Friday nights to give her all the juicy details of her evening. This time, she doesn't call, and Elise is sick with worry. She tries calling Ashley multiple times, only to go to her voicemail, which is entirely unlike Ashley. She's convinced that her baby sister is in trouble, and she will stop at nothing to get her back.
Trent Brady lives across the street from Ashley. He likes the young girl, enough to do small chores around her house for her, and make sure no one tries to hurt her. When he notices someone trying to break into her house, his cop instincts kick in, even though he's been off the force for over two years. When the perpetrator turns out to be Ashley's big sister Elise, sick with worry over her sister, Trent makes it his duty to help her.
When I first started reading this book, it was difficult for me to get into. It seemed like your regular romantic suspense, and I was just waiting for something interesting to happen. I honestly can say that I didn't start to really enjoy this book until the author let us inside of both the killer and his victims heads. That was when I realised I had to stick around until the end.
Shannon K. Butcher's characters are very well rounded, and I felt a very real connection to some of them. I actually cringed a few times when reading the thoughts of the killer, and I wanted to wring his neck myself for the horrible things he was capable of. I was also on the fence about Elise, because while she is a strong character willing to do anything for the love of a sibling, she doesn't think about whether or not she will live through her own decisions to see her sister home safely.
As for the romance in this novel, it was definitely there. It started out slow, and slowly worked its way up. It was an intense romance, while still being appropriate for the situation they were both dealing with. I have a very vivid imagination, and the scenes, whether romantic or not, were very easily pictured in my mind. I will most definitely read more novels by Shannon K. Butcher in the future. I'd like to thank Anna Balasi of Hatchette books for sending me an ARC to review, she is always a pleasure to work with!
February 7, 2010
Love you to Death by Shannon K. Butcher
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating: 2.5/5
Summary (from back of book):
It's been days since reporter Elise McBride has heard from her sister, Ashley. She's convinced Ashley has met with some kind of foul play, especially when she learns that bodies of other missing women have surfaced in and around Chicago--all victims of a brutal serial killer. Convinced her sister is still alive, Elise vows to risk everything to save her...
The last thing ex-cop Trent Brady needs is more blood on his hands. Yet when he catches Elise breaking into her sister's house, full of reckless determination and fear, he knows she needs his help. But just as desire ignites between them, a twisted madman sets his sights on Elise. Hell-bent on possessing her for himself, this psychopath won't rest until he has his perfect woman.
It’s hard for me to say where I sit for this book. There were some aspects of it that I liked (how do you spell Hottie? T-R-E-N-T.) and some that I didn’t (a lot of content.)
The plot wasn’t as mysterious as it could have been. I knew what the criminal was doing because when I read from his perspective, he told me. Also even at the end, there are some un-answered questions. They should have come up in the book and they didn’t.
This wasn’t a book that I was addicted to. I could only get through a few chapters at a time before having to put it down. The writing wasn’t anything special and the characters were just characters. They were realistic but not enough to make me really care about them. My favorite character was John, the ex-cop who was Trent’s partner. He just had so much character and personality. I think I would have enjoyed a book with him as the main character. Ashley and Elsie? Not so much.
On the good side, I liked the change in Elsie. In the beginning of the book she didn’t believe in true love, and laughed at the idea of marriage. She said it just didn’t work. She learned that that wasn’t true. I also liked that Trent was a marriage-minded man (There aren’t enough of those out there). But of course that didn’t stop their physical or sexual relationship any.
If you look at my sidebar at my rating system, you’ll see that this rating was the only one I could come up with. It wasn’t really worth reading, but I liked it enough to finish it.
Content: My opinion on the content is mentioned thought the review.
Recommendation: Ages 18+
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating: 2.5/5
Summary (from back of book):
It's been days since reporter Elise McBride has heard from her sister, Ashley. She's convinced Ashley has met with some kind of foul play, especially when she learns that bodies of other missing women have surfaced in and around Chicago--all victims of a brutal serial killer. Convinced her sister is still alive, Elise vows to risk everything to save her...
The last thing ex-cop Trent Brady needs is more blood on his hands. Yet when he catches Elise breaking into her sister's house, full of reckless determination and fear, he knows she needs his help. But just as desire ignites between them, a twisted madman sets his sights on Elise. Hell-bent on possessing her for himself, this psychopath won't rest until he has his perfect woman.
It’s hard for me to say where I sit for this book. There were some aspects of it that I liked (how do you spell Hottie? T-R-E-N-T.) and some that I didn’t (a lot of content.)
The plot wasn’t as mysterious as it could have been. I knew what the criminal was doing because when I read from his perspective, he told me. Also even at the end, there are some un-answered questions. They should have come up in the book and they didn’t.
This wasn’t a book that I was addicted to. I could only get through a few chapters at a time before having to put it down. The writing wasn’t anything special and the characters were just characters. They were realistic but not enough to make me really care about them. My favorite character was John, the ex-cop who was Trent’s partner. He just had so much character and personality. I think I would have enjoyed a book with him as the main character. Ashley and Elsie? Not so much.
On the good side, I liked the change in Elsie. In the beginning of the book she didn’t believe in true love, and laughed at the idea of marriage. She said it just didn’t work. She learned that that wasn’t true. I also liked that Trent was a marriage-minded man (There aren’t enough of those out there). But of course that didn’t stop their physical or sexual relationship any.
If you look at my sidebar at my rating system, you’ll see that this rating was the only one I could come up with. It wasn’t really worth reading, but I liked it enough to finish it.
Content: My opinion on the content is mentioned thought the review.
Recommendation: Ages 18+
March 27, 2024
Good suspense novel. Terrible romance. I'm certain that this wasn't written by a woman. In fact, there's so much similarity to the writing style that I'm convinced that Jim Butcher wrote this under his wife's name.
October 21, 2009
Overall, I enjoyed this new offering of Ms. Butchers. She writes solid, if not terribly original, romantic suspense. Love You to Death was creepier than her Delta force books because the reader is allowed inside the mind of a sick serial killer. Even though I am a big fan of the mystery/suspense genre, I don't want to be inside the mind of a serial killer, so it lessened the book's enjoyment for me.
Other than that, I have two quibbles with the book. First, Ms. Butcher falls into the common mistake romance writers make of too many repetitive internal monologues by the characters. We "hear" Trent tell himself over and over how he messed up everyone's life, how he doesn't deserve to be happy, how he can't be trusted not to mess up again, etc. And we also repeatedly "hear" him decide he has to take charge of Elise, even though early on the reader knows she won't allow it. We also get to "hear" over and over how Elise thinks it's her fault that Ashley is in this mess, and it's Elise's responsibility to get her out, even if it means doing stupid and dangerous things. Elise's constant determination to treat Ashley like a child is irritating. After a while, these paragraphs of repetitive internal monologues start to feel like padding.
Secondly, most of the small conflicts in the book, at least in the early chapters, involve Elise and Trent having basically the same argument multiple time. "You are not!" "Yes I am!" "I won't let you!" "You're not the boss of me!" That got old, too.
Lest it sound like I didn't enjoy the book, I need to add that I read the book in less than a day because the story drew me in and I thoroughly enjoyed the romance, which I thought was very well developed and believable. I fully intend to read the next book Ms. Butcher writes. She has published five books so far, and though they may not be the very best of their genres, they all have a very consistent overall quality. Ms. Butcher can be depended on to deliver an interesting story, a solid romance, and well-written love scenes. That's much more than some authors, and enough to put her on my auto-buy list.
Other than that, I have two quibbles with the book. First, Ms. Butcher falls into the common mistake romance writers make of too many repetitive internal monologues by the characters. We "hear" Trent tell himself over and over how he messed up everyone's life, how he doesn't deserve to be happy, how he can't be trusted not to mess up again, etc. And we also repeatedly "hear" him decide he has to take charge of Elise, even though early on the reader knows she won't allow it. We also get to "hear" over and over how Elise thinks it's her fault that Ashley is in this mess, and it's Elise's responsibility to get her out, even if it means doing stupid and dangerous things. Elise's constant determination to treat Ashley like a child is irritating. After a while, these paragraphs of repetitive internal monologues start to feel like padding.
Secondly, most of the small conflicts in the book, at least in the early chapters, involve Elise and Trent having basically the same argument multiple time. "You are not!" "Yes I am!" "I won't let you!" "You're not the boss of me!" That got old, too.
Lest it sound like I didn't enjoy the book, I need to add that I read the book in less than a day because the story drew me in and I thoroughly enjoyed the romance, which I thought was very well developed and believable. I fully intend to read the next book Ms. Butcher writes. She has published five books so far, and though they may not be the very best of their genres, they all have a very consistent overall quality. Ms. Butcher can be depended on to deliver an interesting story, a solid romance, and well-written love scenes. That's much more than some authors, and enough to put her on my auto-buy list.
October 26, 2009
Wow - can I just say that I thought this book was amazing. A wonderfully great romantic suspense and it delivers on both genres romance and suspense quite well.
Elise is a independent world-traveling reporter. No, she doesn't make a lot of money but she enjoys what she does. She doesn't have attachments now except for her flighty sister, Ashley. When Elise hasn't heard from Ashely in several days she gets worried. Worried enough to have Elise rushing to her sister's home from half-way across the world. Elise shows up there in the middle of the night and proceeds to break in to check on her sister, only shortly after she breaks in, a strong and powerful male overpowers her.
That strong male is Trent, an ex-cop who has a lot of baggage and is currently by Elise's sister's description "the hot lawn guy". Elise has to agree, Trent is hot but he doesn't seem to want to help her track down Ashley, he wants her to rely on the police. Elise needs to do this herself since it seems the police aren't interested. Finally it's too much for Trent, and his cop background takes over, but as Elise gets closer to the truth, it seems she's in more danger and Trent is in danger of falling for Elise.
Wow - the sexual tension in this one is amazing. I like the interplay between Elise and Trent as they got to know each other. The romance builds wonderfully and I can easily see and believe how they fall for each other. It's a steamy read. Add in some great suspense. You know from the beginning who the killer/kidnapper is, but there are several threads that take the whole book to unwind and the end is still very surprising. The killer is very creepy and he gives me the willies just thinking about him, but that makes him an excellent bad guy character.
Well-plotted and executed, this is a wonderful book for romantic suspense lovers out there. I actually hope there will be another book to follow this as I am interested in what happens between two of the characters at the end.
Elise is a independent world-traveling reporter. No, she doesn't make a lot of money but she enjoys what she does. She doesn't have attachments now except for her flighty sister, Ashley. When Elise hasn't heard from Ashely in several days she gets worried. Worried enough to have Elise rushing to her sister's home from half-way across the world. Elise shows up there in the middle of the night and proceeds to break in to check on her sister, only shortly after she breaks in, a strong and powerful male overpowers her.
That strong male is Trent, an ex-cop who has a lot of baggage and is currently by Elise's sister's description "the hot lawn guy". Elise has to agree, Trent is hot but he doesn't seem to want to help her track down Ashley, he wants her to rely on the police. Elise needs to do this herself since it seems the police aren't interested. Finally it's too much for Trent, and his cop background takes over, but as Elise gets closer to the truth, it seems she's in more danger and Trent is in danger of falling for Elise.
Wow - the sexual tension in this one is amazing. I like the interplay between Elise and Trent as they got to know each other. The romance builds wonderfully and I can easily see and believe how they fall for each other. It's a steamy read. Add in some great suspense. You know from the beginning who the killer/kidnapper is, but there are several threads that take the whole book to unwind and the end is still very surprising. The killer is very creepy and he gives me the willies just thinking about him, but that makes him an excellent bad guy character.
Well-plotted and executed, this is a wonderful book for romantic suspense lovers out there. I actually hope there will be another book to follow this as I am interested in what happens between two of the characters at the end.
February 17, 2017
It's amazing how effectively Shannon K. Butcher blends horrifying tortures, happiness, anguish and love into such a piece of art. Her book gives a peek into the mind of the psychopath and makes me wish I'd skipped those parts, because... *shudders*
The desperation of Elise to find her missing sister was almost as real as it gets on paper and gradual building of love from comfort and lust was wonderful.
The desperation of Elise to find her missing sister was almost as real as it gets on paper and gradual building of love from comfort and lust was wonderful.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews