Title: Dark Memento
Series: Verona Bay Book #1
Stand Alone Title: yes
Author: Katie Reus
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Blurb: Welcome to Verona Bay, a small
coastal town where the secrets just won’t stay buried—and people aren’t always
who they seem.
She was the one that got away…
Eight years ago Serenity Washington watched as her twin sister was murdered.
She was lucky to escape the same grisly fate. With her sister’s killer in jail,
she relocated and tried to move on with her life. She married a man in the Air
Force and started a family, but when her husband dies unexpectedly she moves
back to the last place she remembers being happy—Verona Bay, FL.
Now that she’s come home, it’s all starting again…
Within months of Serenity’s homecoming, she receives a ‘gift’—a bracelet from
her sister that was never recovered after her death—and a taunting note.
Terrified for herself and her young daughter, she turns to the local sheriff
for help. But there’s only so much they can do without proof that the gifts
aren’t more than sick pranks. There’s been no DNA, no fingerprints left
behind—nothing to indicate who’s leaving them. As the horrifying gifts arrive
with increasing frequency, Serenity has no doubt that she’s the ultimate
target. But with her sister’s murderer—a confessed serial killer—still behind
bars, she has no idea who’s stalking her.
She turns to the one man she’s been trying to keep her distance from…
Former Marine Lucas Jordan has been hung up on single mom Serenity since she
moved back to Verona Bay, but she’s made it clear she’s not looking for a
relationship. When she’s targeted, however, all bets are off. He won’t sit by
while she’s terrorized, and with her and her daughter’s lives in danger he’s
prepared to stand his ground and protect them both. Together they face the
impossible task of trying to figure out who to trust before they all wind up
six feet under.
Favorite quote(s): “What should I say? I don’t want to tell people the truth.”
“You can just tell people we’re dating.” He wanted to be, anyway, Okay, he wanted more than dating.
“I’m not going to do that to you.”
“Do what to me? Have the town think I’m dating a smart, successful, beautiful woman? Oh no, the horror.” He gave her a dry look.
Thoughts: Katie Reus is one of my automatic-buy authors for sure. Her words are gold – you literally can’t pick up a book of hers without loving it. I have to admit, I had a little pause – just a little – when I grabbed this one, since it is a little different from her norm. If it had been another author I’m sure it would have lingered in my TBR list for a while. Trusting Katie Reus, however, I started in with high expectations – and (as always) she did not let me down.
Dark Memento is captivating and thrilling and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I loved the characters – Reus always manages to write such great male characters that know what they want and wait, just biding their time to wedge their way into the female’s life. She manages to portray that yearning, though, that desire to be more that just draws me in to her books so completely. Not to mention her way of weaving a story! Dark Memento has a depth to it and a more complex story than her usual books, but Reus pulled this off without a hitch.
Another favorite for me! Can’t wait to see where the rest of the series goes!
Rating: A+
