Review: Faceless by Alexandra Ivy

Author: Alexandra Ivy

Publisher: Zebra

Publication Date: August 2021

A masked robber, a gunshot, an endless nightmare left in its wake. Wynter Moore was just four years-old when she witnessed the murder of her mother. For twenty-five years she’s tried to blunt the trauma with ambition. Yet each year, she shuts down her popular Iowa restaurant to return to her small hometown of Pike, Wisconsin, to grieve. Only this time, her visit will be marked by new danger and shocking discoveries about the past—and about her mother.

Game warden Noah Hunter has tried to convince himself that Wynter is just a friend ever since they met in grief counseling as teenagers. But now that she’s in danger, that denial is over. Traveling to her side, he helps Wynter retrace the treacherous steps of her complex mother’s life—before she loses her own. Because someone wants—needs—Wynter gone, forever. 

Faceless is the second book in the Pike, Wisconsin series.  It can be read as a stand alone book.  I don't feel like you had to have read that one first because it deals with very different characters.  This one is Noah and Wynter's story.  Wynter  discovers that there might be more to her mother's death than just a random robbery.  Noah will do what it takes to make sure Wynter stays alive.

I really enjoyed this one. While I liked the first book, I actually liked this one more.  I felt like the romance was more believable.  Wynter and Noah had been friends for a really long time so their move from friends to lovers was seamless.  I liked both of the main characters, both separately and together.  Noah has found a place on my book boyfriend list. Wynter was smart and didn't take unnecessary chances.   As for the mystery, I was really surprised with this one.  I did not call the ending at all. I thought the segments from "the Stranger's" perspective were creepy.  I definitely recommend this one.  I look forward to reading the next book.

Review: Pretend You're Safe by Alexandra Ivy

Author: Alexandra Ivy
Publisher: Zebra
Date of publication: August 2017

HE SEES YOU
First came the floods. Then came the bodies. The victims—strangled, then buried along the shores of the Mississippi—have finally been unearthed, years after they disappeared. He remembers every satisfying kill . . . each woman’s terror and agony. But there’s only one he truly wanted. And fate has brought her within reach again . . .

HE KNOWS YOU
Jaci Patterson was sixteen when she found the first golden locket on her porch. Inside were a few strands of hair wrapped around a scrap of bloodstained ribbon. Though the “gifts” kept arriving, no one believed her hunch that a serial killer was at work. Now Jaci has returned home . . . and the nightmare is starting once more.

AND HE’LL NEVER LET YOU GO
Back then, Rylan Cooper was an arrogant deputy sheriff convinced that Jaci was just an attention—seeking teen. It was a fatal mistake. There’s a murderer in their midst, someone determined to settle old scores and keep playing a twisted game. And it won’t end until Jaci is his forever . . .

In Pretend You're Safe, a local farm is flooded when the levies break during heavy rains.  A dead body and a skull rise to the surface.  Jaci is worried the bodies may be connected to the mysterious lockets she received in high school.  Rylan once thought Jaci was over reacting, but when she gets a new locket after the flood, he sets out to help find the killer.

This was a fairly enjoyable romantic suspense.  There was a pretty solid mystery.  I definitely kept me guessing because there were several suspects.  So, I didn't call the ending because I was sure the killer was someone else.  Looking back, though, I can see the clues that I should have picked up on.  We do get the killer's point of view throughout the book and added to the suspense.  The characters were OK. I did like Jaci and Rylan separately.  It was nice to see Jaci finally believed by law enforcement. They did have a history, but their romance was a bit tepid for me.  There wasn't any real heat.  Truth be told, I would have been fine without the romance part.  I guess I just wanted a bit more between them.  I would love to see if Michael and Payton get a book.  The next book, What are You Afraid of?  is out now and is on my TBR pile.