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Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Review : Love You to Death by Shannon K. Butcher


Publisher : Grand Central
Genre : Romantic Suspense
ISBN : 978-0446510295
Series : Stand Alone
Release Date : September 29, 2009
Rating : 3.5/5 - Good

Description from Amazon :

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.

Review :

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!

8 comments:

Eleni said...

Nice review, I like me some romance :)

HODGEPODGESPV said...

good review...i enjoyed this one.

Cindy said...

Hey, sent you an email

HODGEPODGESPV said...

cindy, email to sandy or eleni?

Jenni @ Falling Off The Shelf said...

Sandy - it was an email to me :) Sorry for the confusion, lol.

Anonymous said...

Wow! This one sounds great!

HODGEPODGESPV said...

hey, guys, aren't you inpressed? I got it! i can follow postings...i am paying attention!

Leslie said...

interesting! thanks for the review!