Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.

Stepping into a Karen Rose world is like getting a warm hug. I can always trust her to write a great and intricate mystery with great suspense and action, paired with a low angst romance. It’s my literal kryptonite.

It’s not a secret that I am deep in my MM romance era. I’ll reread my favorite MF romance books occasionally, but there’s not many who make me want to read any new ones. Karen Rose is probably one of two.

The thing I probably appreciate most is that her MMCs are allowed to be vulnerable. They often have to lean on the FMC emotionally, and there’s never any toxic masculinity. They’re allowed to struggle and cry. The FMCs are always badass in their own way too, but never in the ‘she’s not like other girls’ way. She can be flawed, feminine and be struggling too. I’m probably over-explaining, but I really appreciate that.

I love books with service dogs, and I thought Phineas’ PTSD was well written. None of that toxic ‘pushing through’ the disability.

I love that we always get the villain’s POV. It’s never any mystery *who* did it, just how the characters will figure it out.

Sadly no quotes as I listened to the audio and it’s not in KU.

⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Mental illness rep
Romantic suspense
Past trauma
Security guard
PTSD
Size difference
Service dog
Found family
Military veteran
Solving a mystery
Age gap (9 years)

⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Gun violence
On-page murder
CPR on injured SC
PTSD & flashbacks
Panic attacks
Grief
Death of sibling (past, cancer)
Close family deaths (past)
Mention of suicide (bad guy’s spouse, past, off page)
Mentions of domestic abuse (minor SC)
Details of past homelessness
Explicit sexual content
Mentions of injuroes sustained during military deployment
Some details of dismembered military squad (past)
Brief mention of rape (family member, past, no details)
Brief mention of suicide attempt (family member, past, few details)
MC injured on page (gunshot wound)
Death of SC
MC hospitalized

⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, multi
Genre: Romantic suspense
Pairing: M/F
Main characters’ age: 28 and 37
Series: Interconnected standalone
Kindle Unlimited: No
Pages: 525
Happy ending: Yes