Guilty As Sin by Jami Alden

Title:  Guilty As Sin

Series:  N/A

Author:  Jami Alden

Genre:  Romantic Suspense

Blurb:  For over a decade, a killer has been waiting, silent as death…Guilty As Sin
Fourteen years ago, Kate Beckett was a teenager more interested in summer romance than babysitting. Then the unthinkable happened: her younger brother was kidnapped and murdered on her watch. Now she is an advocate for missing children, and her newest case brings her back to the small town where she lost her brother-and where she left behind the first boy she ever loved.  Tommy Ibarra’s world fell apart after Kate broke his heart, and he’s spent his adult life making sure that he’ll never be vulnerable again. When a teenage girl vanishes, he offers his expertise as a high tech security expert to help find her. Although he’s determined to keep his distance from Kate, it isn’t long before he’s falling under her spell all over again.
As they race against the clock, their investigation leads to a brutal killer with a shocking connection to Kate’s tragic past. And this time, the killer has Kate firmly in his sites.

Thoughts:  This novel was not quite was I was expecting, but it is exceptionally well-written.  The genre it was listed under on NetGalley was Erotica, but to me it was of a romantic suspense novel.  From the blurb I knew it would have some intrigue, but I thought the focus would be mostly on the romance.  But this book is largely suspense – or at least equal part suspense and equal part romance.  While there are some sex scenes in the book, it is not what I would consider erotica standards.  A huge amount of the book is on missing children, capturing a killer, and the struggles loved ones go through when someone is missing or killed.  A huge part of Kate’s life is what happens in the aftermath.

I was impressed with the author’s decision to tackle the hard subjects – there is no shying away from the horror and the pain in this book.  It’s not all about sunshine and roses.  Yet the way the author portrays the topics in this book is so sensitive, thoughtful, insightful, and well-written that it really tells such a heartwarming tale.  A tale about pain, heartache, struggle, guilt, and a love that is rekindled from nothing more than ashes.

Just from reading this one book by the author, I would not be surprised to see her as one of the top authors in this genre within the next few years.  An excellent novel.  While I like suspense, it is not first choice when it comes to genre, but I would definately read anything else by this author.  Highly recommend!

Rate:  A