I have been stuck in such a funk lately, I think it’s only necessary to blame those winter blues. It’s cold and gross outside and I want to do nothing but sleep and eat soup. Plus, I’ve started a new job so that’s taking up more time that usual, and I just haven’t felt like reading. At all. Its been about six weeks and I’ve finished a grand total of one book. That makes my little heart sad. One night, I just needed something completely different to try, because it seemed like every book I picked up lately was made from the same outline and I was bored out of my mind. Remembering I had a copy of Murder Notes, I hoped, and prayed, and chanted that this would work for me.

Spoiler alert, it did.

This book is like watching an episode of Criminal Minds. It’s twisted, it’s fast paced, it’s detailed. Every time you think you might be able to figure something out, the author throws in another twist in the plot. Even something as simple as the ending of a chapter, it’s almost like they end with mini cliffhangers. It drives you to continue reading because you <b>can’t possibly stop there!</b>

Lilah Love is hands down the most kick ass main character I’ve ever read. With a take no prisoners type attitude, Agent Love is calling the shots and taking names, all while piecing together a puzzle the likes of which no one has ever seen. She doesn’t need a man to save the day for her. It’s specific and cryptic.

Being in her mind and watching her thought processes are amazing in this type of novel. The reader gets to experience all of this unfold as it happens, complete with her musings and inner ramblings. I found this writing style to work extremely well because I could follow just how she would go from point A to point B. How she came up with her theories, connected suspects, and answer questions that no one else could even dream of. Not only does this show you how she gets to these conclusions, but it really helped to get my mind stuck in this story. I was right along side Agent Love for each of these twists and turns, just trying to hold on for the ride. I couldn’t read the pages fast enough.

First and foremost, this is a suspense and mystery book. It’s not a romance. But I loved how it still has romantic elements. It’s just enough to give the reader a taste and add to the story, but not enough to take away from the plot in any way. I thought the relationship between Lilah and Kane is quite dynamic and I enjoyed that immensely. Whenever they were together, the reader sees the intensity from those characters, though it’s not as if the story revolves around them or their relationship from the past.

Probably my favourite thing about mystery or suspense books is the fact that every time I think we’re getting close to figuring out some sort of puzzle piece, the story changes. New information comes to light, a character disappears, a strange phone call, etc. But *something* happens to change the course of the story. I love this feeling of being kept on my toes and not knowing what would happen next, and the author does a stupendous job of that.

Now who this being said, I’m also a fan of cliffhangers. I know not many people are, but I love them. In this case, I also happened to read the first preview chapter of the next book, and I probably shouldn’t have (LOL). But now when everything is just heating up, and it feels like we’re on the edge of starting to figure everything out, it ends. Done. Everything goes blank. I looked up from my kindle, looked around, and realized that I have to wait FOUR MORE MONTHS to read the next one. That’s just cruel. *cries a little*

All in all, Lisa Renee Jones executes a winner with this cold blooded mystery. A thrilling journey that ensnares readers from the first page and leaves them guessing way beyond the last. She seduces with the perfect concoction of secrets that won’t stay buried, questionable murders, dirty cops and throws in a dash of lush for good measure. I need the next book now, please and thank you.



*An ARC was received in exchange for an honest review.

A riveting page-turner that will keep readers on the edge of their seats, eagerly flipping through the pages to uncover the truth. "Fatal Secrets" is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers that delve into the intricacies of familial ties, buried secrets, and the chilling realization that danger might lurk closer than one could ever imagine.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the advance copy of this book.

I got this book as an ARC for a honest review. Good start to the series. It will be interesting to see where it goes from here and fills in some of the story that is referred to.

I requested this several years ago and I don't think it's a book for me anymore. So I will not be reviewing at this time, but if I do read it, I will update this review. Thank you for the opportunity.

I loved this book, very interesting and a great storyline! I will definitely be reading more from this author, I highly recommend this book!

It was an interesting read but didn’t keep my attention for too long! It felt a bit lacking but was still a good read.

I was very excited when I found out that one of my favorite authors was writing a new mystery/thriller series, which is quite different from her usual romantic suspense books! Lilah was an interesting main character and I loved following her on her journey as she solved the cases! Can't wait to see where the author takes the story!

Good start to the series. It will be interesting to see where it goes from here and fills in some of the story that is referred to.

Murder notes by Lisa Renee Jones.
Lilac Love #1.
As an FBI profiler, it’s Lilah Love’s job to think like a killer. And she is very good at her job. When a series of murders surface—the victims all stripped naked and shot in the head—Lilah’s instincts tell her it’s the work of an assassin, not a serial killer. But when the case takes her back to her hometown in the Hamptons and a mysterious but unmistakable connection to her own life, all her assumptions are shaken to the core.
A very good read. Great story and some good characters. Had no idea who the killer or who Junior was. Looking forward to the next book. 4*.

This is a highly intense, nail biting, murder mystery that’s suspense will leave you on the edge of your seat, screaming for answers, and justice for all. Lilah Love, the very sexy intense criminal profiler for the FBI is also a woman with a very deep dark past, so deep it haunts her through her career. She is at the top of her game with the nickname "murder girl.” Because of her ability to crack cases. Living in California she is called back to her homeland of the Hamptons to help them solve a murder believed to be the work of an assassin, precisely what she is stellar doing and forces her to head home and confront the demons of her past. Even though she made a commitment to herself that she would never go back she has no choice as this type of crime is her expertise.

The most significant person from her past who will always make her blood boil in all the ways one should and should not is the head of the mob, Kane Mendez her ex-boyfriend. He's a man with ties to the mob and with a set of questionable morals. He still wants Lilah and Lilah no matter how much she wants to she can’t escape the emotional ties she has to him; their chemistry is toxic. Her past is his to own as well.
After returning and working with the Hampton police department who her brother Andrew is the chief of police who doesn't like Lilah investigating the case. Her father, a man of stature, who is possibly behind all of this…. has her feeling off…yet she continues to do what she is charged to do…. hence while she is back there is another murder (assassination) but the bottom line is that Lilah thinks it's possible they are all involved in some way with the murders. Trusting no one she turns to Mendez for answers, sex and a common denominator (find out who is behind these murders). He needs to clear his name.
It's an uncanny and very uncomfortable situation because her family is clearly tied up in these murders but she unable to find the clues…. because just when she gets close they another murder occurs….
This romance suspense will leave you wanting answers and so much more, you will want to be a character in this high yielding novel of thrills, spins, twists and emotional torment. A cliffhanger that has you craving the second novel of this series “Murder Girl”

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend to everyone.

This was not my favorite book from Lisa Renee Jones. I tried and tried to get into this book knowing that it was book 1 in a series., but I just couldn't do it. Because of this, I cannot rate this book fairly. I will not be posting a review on my social media sites. I am so sorry. Even though this book didn't work for me, doesn't mean that I don't love Lisa Renee Jones.

~ Heidi Pharo

I was super excited to read murder notes by Lisa Renee Jones as it’s been forever since I’ve read a book by her. I read her “If I Were You” series which I enjoyed, but didn’t like that I had to purchase more books to find out the ending. Now I like to only read stand alone novels or books in a series with no cliffhangers. I like a resolution/end to my books.
Sadly for me this was a long book filled with repetition for me. It was an okay read for me but I won’t be continuing with the series.
A very special thank you to Montlake Romance via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Lisa Renee Jones is a pure genius when it comes to mystery-type books. For me, though, Murder Notes fell a little flat. I wasn’t able to connect with the characters as good as I normally do and this is a big reason why it didn’t live up to the hype.

With that said, the plot was good and I kept reading until the end. Lilah Love’s investigation and everything that she’s lived through up until this point in the book was interesting and made me want to keep going, even if the story in general was a little slow for me.

This book doesn’t end well for me either. It just kind of stops when everything is just getting better so you’ll definitely want to have book 2 on hand or else you’ll be left kind of mad.

Overall, I will continue to support and read LRJ because she’s just that amazing, but Murder Notes isn’t one of my favorites by her.

3.5 Stars

Murder Notes is the first book in Lisa Renee Jones’s series about FBI Special Agent Lilah Love. It’s also the first time I have read this author. Murder Notes was a good book. It could have been great, but I felt like it started off slower than it should have considering the fact that Lilah curses like a sailor and is a hot mess. That generally makes for a fun-loving thrill ride based on other books I have read similar to this one. Considering the subject matter, maybe I just set my expectations too high.

Lilah Love has been in Los Angeles for two years and she has nightmares about something that happened to her back in her hometown of The Hamptons. Interestingly enough, her most recent case has similarities to that incident. To add insult to injury, a murder in The Hamptons, similar to her current case gets her sent back to her hometown to find out if it is the work of a serial killer. Without giving too much away, let’s say Lilah’s past and present collide on multiple levels. Her brother is the Police Chief in The Hamptons and her father is running for office. In addition, her ex-boyfriend Kane Mendez is now running his alleged crime family. All of this makes matters very complicated considering Lilah is sure her family and so called friends may be connected to both her shadowy past and this somewhat shady present. The suspect list gets longer as Lilah gets deeper into the investigation.

There are a lot of layers to Murder Notes. That’s both good and bad. The complexity of the investigation makes the book very interesting. Where I had issue is that when I finally got into a rhythm, the book ended. I can’t even say that it ended on a cliffhanger, it just ended. Clearly, it continues in the next book but I wish I had known that ahead of time. I felt let down and that I had wasted my time getting invested. I will definitely read the next book, Murder Girl, because I have to know the whodunnit but I hope the second book continues at a faster pace than how this one started. Lilah Love is a likeable character and I really want to know how she figures this all out and how this will affect her future.

I generally love this Author but there was something about this book that just didn't click well with me. I pushed through, but never really felt that connection. I will absolutely continue to try her work as I think maybe this subject just wasn't for me.

**I received this book from Montlake Romance through NetGalley for an honest review.**

Lilah Love and all of her stripper name glory is an FBI profiler. There have been a string of murders that seem to be happening just to catch her attention. Having moved from the East Coast to LA, she’s summoned back to her hometown to investigate a murder that fits the same profile as the ones in LA.

This was a story that you had to take notes for or you’d be completely lost trying to remember who was who. Things started out a little slow for my liking but after some time, I was for sure intrigued. It seemed like everyone in the Hamptons was beyond shady so it made it even harder to try and guess who was behind all of this mess.

I thought Lilah was cool though. Her no nonsense, straight to the point, don’t even think about wasting my time attitude was pretty bad A. I thought her decision making in regards to her past secret could have been handled better but we wouldn’t haven’t this story if it was. I’m for sure curious what kind of answers are to come.

It gets harder and harder to write a review for Lisa Renee Jones. I think I am seriously looking forward to a story from her that I don't love, that maybe disappoints me just a little. Well, I didn't get disappointed with Murder Notes. As usual, the story is fluid, filled with suspense and has me thoroughly convinced that I will not figure out this mystery any time soon. So, if you ask me why I love this author and her stories, it's because she does keep me in suspense, doesn't make anything obvious and she just has an eloquent way with words.
Lilah Love … Murder Girl. A woman with a past that is still a little confusing to me. She's the best profiler the FBI has. She has a knack of putting scenes together, figuring out the messages and solving the crime. Unfortunately for her, she just may be part of the reason these murders are happening. She has to confront her past, deal with her father, her ex-best-friend, her brother, a duplicitous woman, a detective that is determined to close the case and her ex-lover all while trying to piece together three murders that just may lay her sins at everyone's feet and show her a side to her father that she doesn't want to believe.
As for Kane, I'm really not sure who he is on the inside. Yes, we know he is part of her past. He has hinted that he never took eyes off of her even though she was 3000 miles away. But what, if anything, does he have to do with the murders? He is a confusing man who may have some knowledge of what is really going on, swears that he isn't the man his father way and has nothing to do with the murders, the notes or the investigation. His heart is in protecting Lilah from the past and the present.
Like I said, I have no idea where this story is going, how it is going to end or how it will get to an ending that doesn't destroy everyone. Mysterious, enticing and intriguing … Murder Notes is the perfect beginning to another wonderful Romantic Suspense by Lisa Renee Jones.

Sadly I didn't really enjoy this from Lisa Renee Jones. I've read many of her books and enjoyed them all up to this one, sadly I won't be continuing with the Lhila Love series.

I don’t believe I have read Lisa Renee Jones but romantic suspense books are my absolute favorite!! I really enjoy the way Murder Notes just goes full force like a locomotive! The plot is great and develops slowly... all while slowly lining up the pieces and players. I’m fascinated with the way Miss Jones feeds us clues. I’m a serious addict with FBI Files and criminal shows and this series just combined reading (listening) with my favorite shows!

Now there are a ton of characters, and I’ll be completely honest, there were a few that I never really had a grasp on who they were. So if you listen, play close attention because I was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of characters tossed at me.

The narrator, Madeleine Maby is precisely how I envision Lilah Love. She’s a bit monotone and aloft but when she speaks to those she loves, her emotions teeter a bit and bare themselves in her voice. While she’s normally cool and collected Kane can pull the emotions from her. It’s honestly one of the best character developments I’ve heard with a narrator. I wouldn’t have minded more emotions, more voice and tone variations bit I don’t think she would have been true to the character if she did.