Sigh. 

Gone are the days where we get a great book from Devney Perry. It's one mediocre book after another and this is no exception. I wouldn't say it's horrible, but it's definitely not good either. I feel like she is really leaning into the whole reuse and recycle storylines, because this book feels eerily similar to her others, like The Bribe or Indigo Ridge. Like, it's basically the exact same story, just switch some details around and invent new characters and bam, you've got a book that feels like borderline plagiarism of her other stuff. Of course, she can do whatever she wants - it's her series. But we can definitely pick up on it and I'm not feeling it. It doesn't wow me, and it just feels like a chore to read at this point. Vance is Devney Perry's typical MMC, a gruff guy with absolutely no personality and the missing ability to communicate. Lyla is supposed to be an empowered, independent woman but just comes off as a doormat and also lacking personality. Together, there is no chemistry and it's all just so dull. They also hook up and barely talk and it's just your typical instalust, in and out and leave sort of thing. Even the suspense part was just not living up to the hype it is supposed to. I just wanted so much more, but it fell flat for me. Can we also move on from having cops as love interests? It's 2023. I know this is a small town, but please do better. Are there ANY other careers you could choose from? I was excited about Mateo's book but then it's this secret baby, accidental baby, single parent sort of thing and then you throw in the weirdness of his love interest and I just don't know. I'll be reading it and finishing the series solely for continuity's sake and out of spite, but I sincerely hope it's better than whatever the last three books have been.