‘My mother held onto a secret that ended up killing her.’

Keep Her Safe by KA Tucker had us gripped for two days straight. When we weren’t reading this book; we were thinking about this book. Intense, thrilling and frustrating; we were hooked as we followed Noah and Gracie on their journey to uncover the truth of a twisted and wrongful tragedy. Whilst not a romance per se, it did feature a blossoming relationship which simmered in the background of an addictive suspenseful whodunit. The latter part of the story was truly gripping and we were completely immersed and fighting alongside Noah and Grace in revealing what really happened on that fateful night which ultimately ruined the lives of a good man and altered the destiny of his much loved wife and daughter.

“He was a good, honest man.” “We are bad, bad people.”

We loved KA Tucker’s writing style and how the story was completely character driven as we moved from present with Grace and Noah, to the past with insights from the main players who no longer had a voice. Slowly we pieced together what happened and we have to say it was full of twists and turns that kept us guessing.

‘Fourteen years of this secret, festering inside her. What if it has festered too long? What if she has no real chance for recovery?’

Secrets, lies and cover up’s made for an exciting ride that had us riveted from the first to the last page. Keep Her Safe was brilliantly written with characters who each have their own burden to bear tied up in others’ in an intricate web of deceit and uncomfortable truths. Just who is telling the truth and what lengths will they go to in order to seek justice or hide what happened all those years ago? How far is the shadow cast from the sins of your loved ones?

‘When was the last time I trusted anyone the way I seem to trust Noah almost instinctively, no matter how many times he’s given me reason not to? I never have. Because I’ve never met a guy like him.’

Actual Rating 4.5 stars

"I don't know how I saw today going, but it definitely wasn't like this."

KA Tucker is one of my favorite authors. She is brilliant when it comes to writing a great mystery story. Her romantic suspense novels always keep me guessing until the very end. I know I can count on her to deliver when it comes to an edge of your seat suspense! I picked up KEEP HER SAFE as my second read of the new year and devoured it in a matter of days. You guys! You need to pick this one up as soon as you can get your hands on it. She had me hooked by the end of that very first chapter! A huge thank you to Atria books for sending an early copy for review.

"I wonder if she's suspicious of everyone who comes through here, or just the corn-fed Texas boy with the nice ride."

KEEP HER SAFE follows Noah Marshall, the son of the Austin PD police chief and Gracie Richards, the daughter of the police chiefs old partner. Gracie's father was labeled as a corrupt police officer when she was just a young girl. When circumstances bring new evidence to light, that may help prove his innocence, Gracie and Noah are brought together again in the hunt for the truth. Although they knew each other as kids a lot has changes in the years since Gracie's mom took her away from Austin. The worlds Noah and Gracie grew up in are vastly different. Will uncovering the truth put themselves and their loved ones in danger? Who can they trust and who's been hiding secrets?

"Every single time I've seen those bright blue lights flashing in my rearview mirror, I've known exactly why. This time around, though, I don't have a clue what I've done. ..."

KA Tucker is a master of storytelling. Her writing was beautifully written and masterfully plotted. Every time I hear that she has a new release coming, it's an instant purchase, no questions asked. I rarely even read the synopsis, I know I'll love it. This book was no different. Although I had a few issues with the female protagonist running her mouth when she should have just kept quiet, I didn't find that this detracted from my enjoyment of the story overall. Perhaps Tucker even wanted me frustrated with her! Overall this read was fantastic and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys mystery/suspense novels. If you're in the mood for this kind of book NOW, check out He Will Be My Ruin while you wait until this book releases on Jan 23rd!

"...maybe she had to accept that knowing something and being able to prove it are two entirely different things."

I wasn’t sure how much I was going to enjoy the story flip flopping from past to present. But a couple chapters in I realized I really loved it; craved it even. We were given puzzles pieces of the past that merged well with the present as the story progressed. We just had to figure out how it all pieced together and solve nearly a 2 decade old crime.

I loved all the characters whether they were of the human variety or the 4 legged, furry type. I honestly think that Cyclops stole the show many, many times throughout the book. But yes, even the evil characters were some that really brought the story to life. Everyone played a role, even the ones with the smallest parts. Pay attention to the people and the words this author creates. Don’t let anything slip past you.

And though at times you feel as if you know what happened, what is happening and who murdered who, you get thrown an unexpected whammy. Actually you get thrown a couple whoppers. Definitely was a huge shock to me. I was surprised and delighted with the ending. Wasn't expecting it at all.

I absolutely loved this story. Even after it was done, I kept wanting to go back to it and see if maybe, just maybe, some new words were magically added. No such luck. And though I am not one for crime/mystery solving reads, this one was amazing. Another wonderful, beautifully created read from Tucker! 5 Stars!

‘My mother held onto a secret that ended up killing her.’

Keep Her Safe by KA Tucker had us gripped for two days straight. When we weren’t reading this book; we were thinking about this book. Intense, thrilling and frustrating; we were hooked as we followed Noah and Gracie on their journey to uncover the truth of a twisted and wrongful tragedy. Whilst not a romance per se, it did feature a blossoming relationship which simmered in the background of an addictive suspenseful whodunit. The latter part of the story was truly gripping and we were completely immersed and fighting alongside Noah and Grace in revealing what really happened on that fateful night which ultimately ruined the lives of a good man and altered the destiny of his much loved wife and daughter.

“He was a good, honest man.” “We are bad, bad people.”

We loved KA Tucker’s writing style and how the story was completely character driven as we moved from present with Grace and Noah, to the past with insights from the main players who no longer had a voice. Slowly we pieced together what happened and we have to say it was full of twists and turns that kept us guessing.

‘Fourteen years of this secret, festering inside her. What if it has festered too long? What if she has no real chance for recovery?’

Secrets, lies and cover up’s made for an exciting ride that had us riveted from the first to the last page. Keep Her Safe was brilliantly written with characters who each have their own burden to bear tied up in others’ in an intricate web of deceit and uncomfortable truths. Just who is telling the truth and what lengths will they go to in order to seek justice or hide what happened all those years ago? How far is the shadow cast from the sins of your loved ones?

‘When was the last time I trusted anyone the way I seem to trust Noah almost instinctively, no matter how many times he’s given me reason not to? I never have. Because I’ve never met a guy like him.’

Beautifully suspenseful and full of intrigue, Mrs. Tucker continues to amaze. Messy police departments are not unusual to our society today and yet this book tackles the mess with a story line that keeps the reader turning pages. I don't want to give details away, but this truly is a must read novel for 2018!

An honest review in exchange for a free copy on Netgalley

3.5 Stars

'Keep Her Safe' is a very intricate police procedural story with a light smattering of romance. This story is perfect for fans of crime dramas and crime/mysteries. Everyone, it seems, is a suspect.

I lean down to place a kiss on her forehead, and she reaches up, her palm cupping my stubbled jaw in an affectionate gesture.

"I love you so much. Always remember that."

Noah's whole life changes one fateful night. His mother is the Austin Police Chief and it seems she has been harboring secrets for decades. Noah must find out what happened to the people affected by his mother's actions many years before and so sets out to make things right if he can.

The story is told in flashbacks which leads to a slowly-building feeling of doom and suspense. Noah is reunited with his childhood friend Gracie and together they begin to search for the truth about what really happened years before that affected so many lives.

"When was the last time I trusted anyone the way I seem to trust Noah almost instinctively, no matter how many times he’s given me reason not to? I never have. Because I’ve never met a guy like him."

This book started off a little slow for me but I actually enjoyed the story and the relationship between Noah and Gracie. The mystery is very well-thought out and the Texas setting was perfect. I also liked the multiple POV's, which added to the depth and mystery of the story. I adore K.A. Tucker’s writing and will continue to read her books but this one didn’t click as much with me as her other stories did.

If you are a fan of small-town romance and crime dramas, then you will love this story. I was rooting for Noah and Gracie and was thrilled that in the end, good triumphed over evil. And nothing is as it seems!

3 Stars.

Noah Marshall and Gracie Richards knew each other when they were children. Noah remembers her well. His mom, Jackie Marshall, and her dad Abe were friends as well as partners in the Austin Police Department. Abe was like a father to Noah. Then something went awry. Abe got killed and was found to be a corrupt cop. Embarrassed, Gracie’s mom, hightailed it out of town and took Gracie with her and never looked back. Years later, Jackie Marshall became the Chief of the APD. For all these years, she has kept a secret pertaining to Abe and it has torn her apart. One night she finally divulges something about it to her son Noah and it sends him on an wild good chase. One that involves Gracie. Together Noah and Gracie get wrapped up in something extremely dangerous and sparks fly - in more ways than one.

“Keep Her Safe” by K.A. Tucker is a crime thriller and a romantic suspense novel. I didn’t quite know what I was getting into - and unfortunately for me it didn’t quite deliver. What I did enjoy however, was the book’s setting - which took place in Austin, TX, where I lived for a while in 2013. The bio for the author, K.A. Tucker, says that she is from Toronto, yet the scene she set for Austin was spot on. From Congress Street, and the bats, to Lady Bird Lake and Downtown - I felt like I was back there, which I loved, so kudos to Ms. Tucker for that. All in all however, “Keep Her Safe” was simply just an ok story. While the characters were extremely well written, the novel was also fairly long. It took a while to get to the end, which I had figured out from the first few chapters and therefore didn’t find it suspenseful. Fans of romantic thrillers may, however like this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and K.A. Tucker for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley, Goodreads, on 1.21.18.
*Will be published on Amazon on 1.23.18.

I am a huge fan of KA Tucker, but I really love her contemporary romances. I don't ever read novels that are primarily suspense or mystery, but I do love a good suspense movie or TV show. So when I had the opportunity to read this book, I couldn't say no.

Noah Marshall has lived an ordinary, privileged life with his police chief mom. But when his mom reveals something that happened in the past that has been weighing on her all of these years, Noah is shocked and finds himself driving to Arizona to set things right. There, he finds Gracie, the little girl from his past who moved away after tragedy and lies ruined her family. Gracie has lived in a trailer park for the past 14 years, watching her mom deteriorate more and more to drugs. When this strange Texan stumbles into her life bringing up secrets revolving around her father's death, Gracie is determined to redeem her father and find out the truth of what happened all those years ago.

Going into this one, I was immediately drawn into the story thanks to the flashbacks we got of Noah's mom and Gracie's dad. I loved seeing first-hand glimpses into the past while we followed Gracie and Noah in the present trying to unravel this mystery. Since Gracie and Noah were so young when everything happened so many years ago, they really didn't know anything, so they were discovering new facts and information right along with us, the readers, which I really enjoyed. I was shocked when they were shocked and I was angry when they were angry. Also, it was so fun watching them grow closer and experience a little bit of romance, which I always love.

While I was reading this book, I thought it was definitely a four star read as the pacing was steady and the storyline was interesting enough. BUT. When we got to the end, this turned into a five star read. My jaw was on the floor and I definitely didn't see any of that coming. KA Tucker really created a suspenseful mystery that had me furiously turning the pages until I got to the end.

Overall, this was such a hit from KA Tucker. I loved everything about this book and she delivered a suspense that definitely kept me on my toes.

Menacing, adrenaline-pumping, and well crafted!

Keep Her Safe is a steamy thrill ride that takes us into the lives of Noah and Gracie as they investigate and unravel all the lies, secrets, deception, and corruption that has tainted their past and present and try to vindicate their loved ones once and for all.

The writing is taut and edgy. The characters are complex, secretive, scarred, and genuine. And the plot told from multiple perspectives is an intense, suspenseful love story filled with police politics, familial drama, palpable chemistry, coercion, manipulation, violence, and murder.

Overall, Keep Her Safe is another absorbing, touching page-turner by Tucker that has just the right amount of romance and mystery to keep you invested, engaged, and guessing until the very last page.

3.5 Stars

Noah’s life is turned upside down with his mother’s death, a decorated police chief. Noah’s always looked up to her, but with her drunken confessions about Abe Wilkes’ death, his mother’s police partner, Noah’s not sure about anything anymore. Abe Wilkes was not only Noah’s mother’s partner, he was like a second dad to him up until he was killed in a supposed drug deal gone bad. With all these new questions, and a quest from his dead mother, Noah seeks out Gracie, Abe’s daughter. Gracie and her mom left the state not long after Abe’s death, and their lives went downhill from there.

When Noah shows up on Gracie’s door she’s suspicious, but the help and support he provides during a family crisis softens the barriers between them. Noah was a sweetheart and completely steadfast. The questions about the past, what really happened to Abe, and what was Noah’s mother’s part in it, force Noah and Gracie to work together to find the truth and, hopefully, the closure they both need. There’s an immediate attraction simmering between them, but this is a slow burn romance, both needing to trust before anything can happen.

It took me a bit to get into this, and the mystery was a bit predictable, but the story ended up being a captivating tale of lies and betrayal. A few thrilling twists, danger, suspense, and a nice romance made this an entertaining read. Can’t forget the adorable one-eyed mutt, Cyclops!

A copy was kindly provided by Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.

This review is also posted at The Readers Den.

Keep Her Safe is a thrilling, romantic suspense that will keep you guessing. Everyone is a suspect and everyone seems to have a hand in the cookie jar. 

After one night, Noah realized that the life he lived with his mother, the Austin City Police Chief, was somewhat of a lie. Everything he thought he knew changed and more and more secrets are coming to life. Tasked with one difficult errand his mother left him, he embarks on a trial of lies and deceits that will turn not only his life upside down but many others as well. Right by his side is his childhood friend that he hadn't seen in 14 years. Together, they search for truths. 

I want to start by saying that I did in fact really enjoy the story so I don't want my rating to fool you into something it's not. I'm not sure why but this book read extremely slow for me for the first half. Unusually slow and because of that, I don't think I fully connected to either Noah or Gracie like I wanted to. Sure, I rooted for them but I wasn't invested. 

I thought the storyline was good and I liked the twists and turns. I also liked the fact that we get multiple POVs that span over quite a bit of time. There was always something new being discovered and while I certainly had suspicions of "who done it" just like everyone else, I liked that there was always something more. Something that digs just a little bit deeper. 

If you are looking for a thrilling and suspenseful story that follows involves corruption, scheming and a fight for justice, then Keep Her Safe is the book for you!

K.A. Tucker's Keep Her Safe is a tension filled mystery with romance featuring 25 year old Noah Marshall and 20 year old Grace Richards (Wilkes). The story alternates between the present and the past, between Noah and Grace, between Jackie Robinson and Abraham Wilks. As the story begins, we are introduced to Jackie (Noah's mother) and Abraham (Grace's father). Once upon a time, 1997, they were partners before Jackie's rise to the top of the food chain.

They were partners who were supposed to not only have each others backs, but their families spent a whole lot of time together, especially Noah and Abe who taught him more than his real father ever did. Then, something bad happened between the two. Something that has lingered for years. As the story opens, Jackie is feeling guilty. Guilt which apparently leads to suicide.

After Jackie is found dead, Noah struggles to find out why his mother, who seemingly had it all, killed herself. Shortly thereafter, Noah finds a letter telling him to find Grace and give her what's in the bag found in a hidden safe. There is also a warning. "Don't ask questions. Trust me, you don't want the answers." On what might be called the spur of the moment choice, or the white knight rides in to help the flailing young heroine, Noah drives to Tucson, Arizona with the letter and a curious bag to where Grace and her drugged out mother Dina live in a dilapidated trailer park.

Although their first encounter is extremely hostile, Noah turns out to be the hero when he saves Dina from their burning trailer. When he tries to give her the money, Grace wants nothing to do with it as she believes all the reports of her father being a crooked cop who died in a drug bust gone wrong. 14 years ago, Abe Wilks was killed and labeled a corrupt cop in a supposed drug deal gone badly. His wife Dina and daughter Grace fled Texas for Arizona.

Grace is a very bitter young woman since she and her mother have lived a hard life since her father’s death. Grace works two jobs, her mother is a stoner with no hopes of surviving the future, and then suddenly out of nowhere, Noah Marshall shows up with a large bag of money hoping to save the moment. Noah isn't exactly a welcomed sight considering who is mother was and what he's apparently here to bring her and her mother. But, Noah also may have answers to what really happened to her father.

This is a story where everyone, excluding Noah and Grace, could be guilty of anything. I dare say that I felt heart broken reading Abe's story because he is genuinely a decent man who not only loved his family, but didn't care that he was getting shit about being in an inter-racial marriage. Some would call him a boy scout because he was always looking to help out. Noah is one of those people who Abe helped out. Abe was more of a father figure to Noah than his real father ever was.

I am normally a supporter of police officers who go to work every single day. They leave their families behind and they do their jobs without puffing out their chests or crossing the line because they feel the badge gives them leeway to get away with crap that you and I would be quickly put in prison for. There are characters in this book that really made my blood boil, and that's a sign of a really good writer. When a writer can make you have a real emotions while reading his or her story, they have done an excellent job of putting together a decent mystery, a plot that really takes you on a roller coaster ride, and a romance that doesn't weigh heavily on the rest of the story and what is happening.

WOW!! I’m in awe with this book! It’s intriguing, complex and so damn well written. It had me on edge with all the information coming and coming and coming. I was reading so fast, I didn’t even have time to make theories, I could only turn pages and pages and be marveled by the story, the characters and all the dark truths behind all of them.

In order to not give away spoilers, I decided to write a Top 5 to tell my favorite things about Keep Her Safe.

TOP 5
5. Multiple POV: Keep Her Safe has four points of view, all completely needed to make this suspense romantic story so addictive. Every single word in this book is meaningful to how everything is unfolded along the book. Nothing goes unnoticed and everything what these characters think and say are evidence to solve the mystery in this story.

4. KA Tucker’s he writing style: I love the descriptions in Keep Her Safe. The places, the actions, the people. Everything was so greatly detailed that I could see everything in my head. This is one of those books that would be so great in a movie, because of all the action, suspense and the romance.

I also loved the construction of the characters, all of them were great, complex, and played a great place in this story.

3. The domino effect: You’ll understand this when you read the book.

2. Grace: She’s a firecracker, that’s what she is. She’s strong, and determined, and stubborn, and simply amazing. I loved her from the beginning and I wanted justice for her and her mom.

1. Noah: Welcome the new addition to my book boyfriend collection. WOW! He’s the definition of a good man. Well, he took his goodness out of the right person, and he wasn’t a member of his family. I love every time I get to mention my favorite quote from Supernatural in my reviews: “Family don’t end with blood”, and this works more perfectly with Noah. He’s had to balance the right and wrong all the time during this book. I wish I could take him out of the pages and hug the hell out of him and tell him how proud I am of his strength and his decisions and his great heart.

Now I have to wait another week to get the audiobook of Keep Her Safe and repeat this amazing story. Because I sure need another dose of KA Tucker’s mastermind in this book.

K.A. Tucker has a wonderful ability to be able to completely capture you with her stories from the very first page down to the last. They are captivating, thrilling and will leave you with an ending that is always as every bit as satisfying as it was fulfilling.

Her mysteries even more so.

I read a lot of mysteries and because I have for many years now, I've come to be able to predict a lot of what is going to happen in a story and sometimes that can leave the story lacking. But Tucker manages to keep me on my toes and even guessing until the very end and I couldn't love her more for it.

I love a story that is not only a tad bit darker than I expected but also has a romance that is every bit as sweet as I expected and this story has it in ten fold.

There is something about a good cop murder mystery that is so alluring and when I saw the synopsis for this I knew I had to read it and even though it was hard to put this down, I wanted to savor it as well and take it all in and adsorb every last word of it.

Truly another wonderfully told, wonderfully written story that many are going to be captivated by.

I've loved K.A. Tucker's contemporary romance books since I first picked up Ten Tiny Breaths years ago. I always fall for her characters and get totally wrapped up in their storylines. I'm not a big romantic suspense reader — it takes a special author, book and/or series to get me interested in that trope — but I'm loving this different side of Kathleen's writing. Both He Will Be My Ruin and Keep Her Safe totally hit the mark for me. 

This book, y'all. Can you say addictive and unexpected? It was both to me. I used to read a fair amount of thriller/mystery/suspense type books when I was a teenager and I could almost always guess the ending about halfway through. I think that's part of the reason why I got a little sick of that genre. Well, that and I don't particularly enjoy having nightmares. Ha! Keep Her Safe totally kept me guessing nearly until the very end. Instead of getting more answers as I read, I kept getting more questions. That's just part of why I found it so addictive though. The characters were the other reason. 

I LOVED Noah. (So much, in fact, he was a late addition to my "best book boyfriends" list for 2017.) I basically just wanted to hug him and tell him everything would be alright because he was saddled with so much during this book. Even in the midst of all he was learning and dealing with, he was somehow able to keep his head up and keep moving. And Gracie? Adored her, too. The chemistry between them was intense and damn near perfect if I'm being honest. There was something truly special about the two of them together. The romance might not've been the star of the show here, but it was a quality one. 

In short, Keep Her Safe was a fantastic book with enough twists and turns to keep me addicted but not make me absolutely crazy in the process. It also featured a swoony and steamy romance between characters who worked their way into my heart. 

FAVORITE QUOTES

It's easier to move on with life when you don't quite realize all that you've lost.

I will be his buffer. I will stand by his side, in the hard weeks and months, and years, to come. I will challenge anyone who dares claim that he is anything but a good, honest man.

Keep Her Safe

K A Tucker


Oh my goodness! KEEP HER SAFE is such an intense story! Once I started reading it was very hard to put down. I had no idea who dun it and I would not rest until I knew. The suspense and the mystery surrounding Police Chief Jackie Marshall's death kept me on the edge of my seat and left me almost afraid to turn the page, afraid of what was coming next. Nail biting moments are going to keep you flipping the pages late into the night! I have read K A Tucker before but not in this genre. She writes young adult books and I love how she stepped out of her comfort zone to write KEEP HER SAFE and I hope she continues to write both.


Noah and Gracie are the only two innocent people in KEEP HER SAFE. Noah is Chief Marshall's son. Gracie is the daughter of Abe Wilkes, a cop in Austin who died in a seedy motel with a known drug addict. They were found with drugs and money and Abe is quickly labeled a bad and crooked cop who succumbed to temptation. Abe played a big part in Noah's life as his parents divorced when he was young and Noah always looked up to Abe as a father figure. Noah cannot accept the fact that his mother and Abe are both dead. He thinks there is much more to the story and convinces Gracie that they should investigate. What they find out blows them both away!


Before Noah's mom passed she said some things that just didn't sit right with Noah. He starts to question everything and feels he can't move on until he has some answers. KEEP HER SAFE will shock readers with how the story plays out! I know I was! The twists and turns keep the reader fully engaged in the story. There is a touch of romance as well but this heart pounding read is so much more! Especially as each new secret is revealed.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this. I typically really like KA Tucker but I had a hard time staying tuned into this book. I’ve removed it from my shelves and will not post a review as a courtesy. I see great feedback from other readers so it’s likely a timing thing for me. Best wishes and thanks again.

If you flock towards books by B.A. Paris, Ruth Ware, Peter Swanson, David Bell, go find a copy of Keep Her Safe immediately. As someone who reads a lot of suspenseful stories, this one held my attention from the get go and I finished it in less than a day. You're first introduced to Jackie, the Chief of Austin's police department and her adult son, Noah. One night, she's had too much to drink and starts rambling about her partner and close friend from the past and how she wished she had done things differently. She tries to give Noah instructions, but since she's not coherent, he can't decide what's fact and what's fiction. When she commits suicide later, Noah is left with an abundance of questions (and other things) that can't be easily explained. Tucker has done a phenomenal job with Noah and his grief, his discoveries, the choices he has to make, and how he responds to people from his past. Just when you think you have everything figured out, more details and questionable connections get revealed. You won't be able to put this one down -- trust me.

Thanks #NetGalley for providing me with this awesome read! Thanks @atriabooks. I just finished #KeepHerSafe by #KATucker. This was my first read by this author and I’m so happy I chose this one to start with. Keep Her Safe is the story of Noah Marshall and Grace Wilkes and how their lives are affected by the choices of their families.

Noah’s mom is the police chief of the Austin Police Department. One night Noah comes home and his mom is a drunken mess, mumbling incoherently about things from the past. Noah doesn’t think much of it and goes upstairs to take a shower. Later, he wishes that he had paid more attention. Grace’s dad was Noah’s mom’s partner and best friend for years. Until he wasn’t. Because of his actions, Grace’s life is completely different from what it would have been. But were they his actions? Noah and Grace are left to sort through 14 year old questions and try to come up with the answers that may do more harm than good.

This story was well written and the pace flowed very smoothly, especially given that at times the reader is taken back and forth between past and present. I enjoyed the mystery and although some parts it was easy to figure out who the perpetrator was. However, I totally wasn’t expecting the final reveal. I enjoyed the book so much I can’t wait to try something else by the author. Be sure to check out Keep Her Safe, releasing January 23, 2018.
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Rating 📚📚📚 of 4
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There is this thing about reading a K A Tucker book: you just know that she will make you cry. You just know that you will be so fully emotionally invested that you will feel like the characters' pains are your pains. Even knowing this will happen - even with the foreknowledge to gird your emotional loins - you will wind up a mess by the end of her books.

Keep Her Safe is no different. Except it is different.

This isn't a second-chance romance because Noah and Gracie knew each other when they were kids, and there were no romantic feelings between them. She was a little girl the last time they saw each other. He remembers her in that vague way that you remember someone you knew when you were ten; her memories of him are a tad vaguer.

Yet they are connected in ways they don't anticipate, and Tucker develops that thread in the way that effective mystery writers do. She shows you the facts and clues, and she lets you scrutinize and theorize, determining your own theories. Most of you will figure out what's going on before Noah and Grace do, which makes the dramatic ironies all the more interesting to read.

Tucker builds the romance s-l-o-w-l-y. There are times when you will experience blue ... uh ... ovaries? Balls? Blue something. I loved that Tucker did this, though, because the fits and starts are so emblematic of Noah and Grace. Those two are fun to get to know. He's sort of quiet and steadfast and adorably awkward, and she's feisty and headstrong and far too cynical for a 20-year-old. They butt heads, yet they find themselves trusting each other, even though they don't know if they should.

The only thing I didn't like was a particular element of the structure. Tucker moves back and forth between several perspectives, two of whom are Noah's and Grace's, and two of whom are people involved in the mystery. I felt like the latter perspectives weren't needed. They slowed down the progression of the story. Yes, it helps to know what these characters were thinking and feeling, but those thoughts and feelings weren't disclosed to other characters. I think I would have preferred the not knowing, if that makes sense.

Fortunately, Noah and Grace are tremendous characters, and you will love them. You will love the way Tucker tells their tale, and you will love this book.