I have long since considered this series one of my most anticipated each time a new installment is released. I reached for this one knowing that I was going to creep along dark, gritty shadows in a city’s underbelly as the law enforcement types work hard to bring down some of the world’s worst evil. This latest was riveting from the opening pages and was over before I was ready to let go. It has stayed with me for the days since I closed the book. Oh yes, it was that good.
Review

Say You’re Sorry is the #22 book in the author’s overall long running romantic suspense series, but it is the first in a new grouping set in the new locale of Sacramento. As with most books in the series, the reader shouldn’t have much trouble picking it up as a starting point or standalone. I will say that though each grouping begins in a new location that there are loose ties and references back to earlier books. I found that having read Monster in the Closet from the Baltimore series that I knew more about Daisy Dawson’s background story before it was revealed and was probably anticipating it more when I realized who she was. That said, this book catches the reader up so its not a necessity.

These are full stories with lots of twists, reveals, big ‘aha’s and a large cast of characters. Say You’re sorry clocked in at 600+ pages so I will be little more than skimming the surface of what my thoughts on this book really are and how I summarize it. Like others in the series, it does go into some dark and vile places so those with triggers toward cults, rape, and abuse should consider yourself warned.

So, the story opens on a Sacramento, CA, downtown street when recovering alcoholic Daisy Dawson finds herself grabbed and must fight free of a would-be abductor. Her abductor chillingly whispers that they all say they are sorry to him and she is left in possession of a mysterious locket. This sets police detective Rafe Sokolov, and his FBI agent best friend, Gideon Reynolds on the trail of a broken, twisted serial killer who has a fixation for the one who got away. Gideon’s past and this present case might seem unrelated…

Daisy is shook by the attack, but she is working to live her own life and stay free of her demons and addictions. The attraction between her and Gideon is there from the beginning and slowly something grows between them. It will take all she has to hold strong against this new threat.

Meanwhile, a man driven by his own demons prowls closer and closer to his prey.

I’ve said this before about the author’s books, but it bears repeating. They are dramatic without being full of nonsensical drama. The background and setting are developed with complexity as are the characters who people the story. They have weaknesses and strengths and the reader is allowed inside the heads of those investigating and those who are the perpetrators. This augments rather than diminishes the intensity because there are twists within twists. The criminal investigation team are clever and conduct their work with knowledge, skill, and precision. Their emotions fuel the drive to do the job and do it right instead of turning into loose cannons or impulsive, stupid types. The suspense is allowed to pace out and ratchet to just the right moment for a huge breathtaking climax that leaves me shaking every time (minds out of the gutter).

To add to what I just said about her meticulous work on setting and background, I can now say this with certainty. I saw it in her older books and it felt right, but, this one finally came to my old stomping grounds. The author described my home town well and I was excited to have experienced one of her books set there. Rafe’s Russian family could have been my old neighbors.

The romance for Daisy and Gideon was definitely a huge part of what I loved so much about this story. They both had real ugliness in their pasts. I was thrilled when they came together. They are good for each other and supportive through what comes in this brutal, gruesome story. It wasn’t instant and they both had to get past some things, but I was cheering them on hard.

In the end, I was left with a story that left me with book hangover and now I must wait for the next. For those who enjoy gritty, twisting, and grueling thriller romances, you must try this book/series.

My thanks to Berkley Romance for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I did not realize this was about a serial killer and was part of a series. As a rule I don't usually read series and prefer stand alones. This one was no exception and I could not get into the book. Unfortunately I cannot give an honest review as I did not get far.

I'm really enjoying Karen Rose's books! I haven't caught up on all the books but I like the start of this new Sacramento series. The storyline was suspenseful and exciting and I honestly couldn't put the book down. It was kind of long but I'm realizing all her books are but they're also full of a good story, with side stories as well. I also love the addition of the animals and the fact the dogs didn't get hurt. Odd, I know, but I'm a dog person and hate reading books where dogs are killed. Looking forward to the next book in the series!

SAY YOU'RE SORRY is the first book in Karen Rose’s new Sacramento series. It’s got an old-school feel to it, with its plot focusing on a sexy FBI agent who was raised in a cult until his mother secreted him away as a teenager, and a beautiful woman sheltered for most of her life who’s attacked by a serial killer when she finally spreads her wings. FBI Special Agent Gideon Reynolds and Daisy Dawson are drawn together like lodestones, connected to one another beyond the threatening case that’s bridging seventeen years’ worth of questions. This book is long and convoluted and there’s a lot going on, but Rose sets a break-neck pace that makes your heart pound.

*Originally published at Frolic: https://frolic.media/february-romantic-suspense-round-up-3-books-to-get-your-hands-on-asap/

I started and listened to most of this book on audio. The narrator was simply awful. That was a huge disappointment because the narrator of Monster in the Closet was amazing. Even with that, I hung in like a champ because I really wanted to listen to it at work. I ended up reading the last 40ish%.

The Sacramento series is a spin-off of the Baltimore series. I had no idea until I started listening to the heroine’s backstory. Then I had to back it up and listen to it again because it sounded so familiar. Daisy Dawson is Taylor Dawson’s stepsister from Monster in the Closet. Taylor’s mom lied to her husband, Daisy’s father, about Taylor’s bio dad being after them. So they went into hiding for years. That really messed Daisy up. She started drinking when she was fourteen and went into rehab when she was seventeen. She’s an amazingly strong woman.

Daisy knows someone is following her. She’s sure it is one of her dad’s people. Although the truth came out about her stepmother’s lying, her dad can’t let her live her life. She goes down an alley after him (insert eyeroll) and is instead attached by a man with nylon mask on. After a valiant fight and with the help of her dog, Daisy manages to get away from her attacker. She also rips what she finds out is a locket from around his neck.

When her good friend and Sacramento PD detective, Rafe Sokolov, arrives at the scene and sees the locket, he immediately calls his friend Gideon Reynolds. He recognizes that the design on the locket is the same as a tattoo that Gideon has. Gideon gets to the scene as fast as he can and is floored by two things. The first thing is that he has finally found a lead back to the cult that he escaped from as a young teenager. The second is that he cares more about what Daisy Dawson went through then something he’s been searching for for years.

When it becomes apparent that Daisy is going to remain a target, Gideon volunteers to be the one to protect Daisy. Together they start digging into his past. When the past collides with the present, it puts both Gideon and Daisy in danger. Now they have a cult to find and a serial killer to outsmart.

I really loved this book. A lot. There are a few things location wise that threw me off because I used to live in Sacramento. So I knew that Gideon’s house was not by where he worked. I got over that because I love Karen Rose. The cult angle was very interesting. The dynamic between Gideon and his sister Mercy was interesting as well. It was obvious that Mercy and Rafe are going to have a book and I’m curious to see how exactly that is going to work. I’m just really looking forward to the next book.

Bravo on this one, KR.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Note: The link to this review will go live on March 4, 2019.

I had no clue what I was getting into when I first started reading this, and I was hooked on the first page! I also had no clue this was part of a "Romantic Suspense" series! I am now on a mission to read all of Karen Rose's books! I absolutely adored this book! Serial killers mixed with a romance story!? That is my jam!

To make the book even better, I fell in love with all the characters! Daisy is a strong badass chick, Gideon, the sweetheart with a tough exterior, the Sokolov's the biggest hearted people! I can't wait to read more of the "Sacramento" series!

The story was told in different POV's which kept you on the edge of your seat the whole way through! Plus this book has a LOT of pages, but I was never bored. I would have even kept reading because as much as I love the ending, there is definitely more to the story. Highly Highly recommend!

Berkley and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Say You're Sorry. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Detective Rafe Sokolov feels the need to involve his friend, Gabriel Reynolds of the FBI, when a family friend is attacked. Daisy Dawson manages to use the skills that her father taught her to fight off the assailant, grabbing hold of a locket that was around the man's neck. Gabriel is uniquely qualified to shed light on this case because of his connection to the evidence. As the would be killer tries to get to the one that got away, will Gabriel's protection be enough to save her? Will the pair form a special bond that Gabriel will do anything to keep?

Say You're Sorry is a good romantic suspense thriller, as it is well balanced between the investigations into various crimes and the brewing romance. The problem is that the perpetrator gets the jump on Gabriel and Daisy's plans several times, but any FBI agent worthy of the title would have been a little more guarded based on the circumstances. As Gabriel's past would warrant, it would also be likely that he would keep more to the shadows. These plot points seem to serve the only purpose of moving the action forward. Additionally, the author took a little too much time to unfold the story, especially considering that the identity of the perpetrator is already known to readers. Finally, every character seemed to have a backstory filled with abuse of one type or another, which was just too much. Say You're Sorry would be a much better story with a few less pages, but readers who like romantic suspense thrillers should enjoy the novel.

This was one complex read, as the serial killer’s backstory at times made me feel sympathy for him. YIKES! The emotional and physical trauma that he suffered formed him into the psychopath that goes about murdering in this new book by Karen Rose. Say You’re Sorry is the first book in a new series by Rose, but also has ties to her other book series. The book is set in Sacramento California and it’s surrounding area. The killer is mirrored by FBI Agent Gideon Reynolds, who also suffered as a child but didn’t become a psychopath. Reynolds’ is paired with Daisy, a victim of the killer, who got away. The book centers around two mysteries, Gideon and Daisy’s past. The book for me was an okay read, with sometimes brilliant moments and other times mediocre. At points in this book I was sometimes very engaged and at other times bored as some of the dialogue/scenes are redundant. I didn’t need the character telling the same story to multiple characters. I also thought the hunt for the killer was too easy. This killer had been hunting for years and then decided to start making huge mistakes and then compounding them?
3.5 Stars

Admittedly, I was a bit intimidated by this book for the sheer number of pages. Once I started, that fact disappeared as I was immediately taken in by Daisy, Gideon and the multiple story lines. This book is billed as a romantic thriller and Karen Rose absolutely delivered on both counts!

This book delves deep into anxiety, childhood loss, abuse and abandonment, resilience, a religious cult, into the mind of a serial killer and still manages to provide a scorching romance. Immediately upon completion, I clicked over to the author's website to see if a sequel is in the works. I need more of Daisy and Gideon!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the opportunity to read and e-galley of Say You're Sorry. All opinions are my own.

I LOVED this novel! It was fun, exciting, thrilling, sexy and emotional. Some of the situations depicted can be major triggers and several events are pretty graphic. The characters are interesting, relatable and fleshed out well. There is so much more to know and find out about them. I look forward to the rest of the series.

Overall I thought this was a good book. I thought that the plot was well thought out and the story made sense and flowed nicely. I did feel that it was a little drawn out. There were parts I think that could have been cut down, but I thought overall it was good. There were some good suspenseful moments and some surprises that you didn’t quite see coming. There were some hard parts in the sense that you feel for the bad guy, “Sonny”, too because of the life he had, but then you also read about how he tortures his victims. The story chapters are told from different perspective, they aren’t labeled with who is speaking and doesn’t have a specific order, but they are labeled with a place, date, and time.

The characters are well developed and you get a nice background on each of the main characters. Each has their own issues that have shaped them into who they are; Gideon grew up in a cult, Daisy was isolated on a ranch by her father, and “Sonny” has a stepmom that abused him. The chemistry between Gideon and Daisy was good, their relationship developed quickly and I like that it was a simple one, no love triangle to get in the way or issues that tears them apart like a typical romance plot. I like that the story evolved more around the mystery than just the budding relationship between Daisy and Gideon. The supporting characters all played an important part in the story and were almost close to main characters themselves because you learn a lot about them and start to root for them as well.

The writing was well done, it was clear and concise and flowed nicely. Like I said my main thing was just that it seemed to take long to get where it was going. I thought there were good plot twists and some unique things that happened in the story. It was a good book to read and it kept me wondering what was going to happen in the end.

Karen Rose never disappoints. Her books are always intriguing and suspenseful. Seeing that she had a new book was like Christmas!

Daisy has lead a sheltered life. Remember Taylor for Karen's previous book? Well that's Daisy's step-sister. Meaning she was living in the middle of nowhere on the ranch as well. Not that it didn't have it's perks. Living on the ranch and preparing for danger saved Daisy's life one night, but in return she's gained the attention of a serial killer that has been operating for longer than anyone knows.

While dealing with this unfortunate situation, she's forced to meet the guy her adopted family has been trying to set her up with. Not knowing that the pull is going to be greater than either anticipated. Will they have the chance to see where this new found likeness will go or will they be separated before they've really begun?

All questions are answered as the clues slowly start to reveal themselves and the players slowly start to lose control.

This was good, but not at all what I was expecting. A good thriller with plenty of twists and turns to keep you entertained!

I have not read any books by this author before, but I would give her another read. This was a suspenseful book that had romance as well, something I do not usually enjoy. I am not a huge romance fan. This is a book that is a gritty thriller, and detailed romance. If you are not a fan of the grisly details, or like much detail in your romance, this may not be the book for you. For me, this was a little long, but it was a steady paced thriller. This is told from various aspects and I always enjoy that. I would recommend this book, but it is not my favorite I have read recently. I would say for me it is due to the amount of romance in it. If I am going to read a humorous "romance" book, that is fine, but it is because I went in knowing. This was just a little out of what I normally read.

SYNOPSIS: on her way to dinner one night, Daisy Dawson is attacked by a serial killer with a penchant for kidnapping unsuspecting women and carving the word “Sydney” into them. Unfortunately for the killer, Daisy was raised by a survivalist war vet father and homegirl fights back hard and escapes. In the process, she also happens to snag a necklace that her attacker was wearing, the necklace of a previous victim who just happens to share an extremely dark past with FBI investigator Gideon Reynolds. Together, Gideon and Daisy unravel the dark secrets of Gideon’s past while working against the clock to try and stop said serial killer, who is still on the loose and intent on tracking down Daisy and finishing what he first started. Let me start off by saying this book is 600+ pages, which is outrageous to me! How many thrills can one person handle in a book!? I kicked and screamed the entire time reading this (just ask @readwithjamie!). That being said, don’t listen to my whining, because this book was so effing fun. Serial killers w mommy issues, mysterious cults, badass women, sex and intrigue; I rocketed through it and couldn’t get enough of tough-as-nails Daisy (she’s the badass heroine I didn’t know I needed in my life) and the sweet, sensitive and moody Gideon (so emo). They make a fun team and their chemistry is undeniable (I also appreciated that the author made note that their coupling may have had more to do with former alcoholic Daisy using love and sex in lieu of booze as a way of coping with tragedy, especially since I have no idea how you bang it out when your best friend has just been horrifically murdered...le sigh). I thought the story moved forward at a fast clip with little downtime, the bad guy was sufficiently bad, the ending had me on the edge of my seat, and Rose did a great job laying the foundation for future books in the series. Thx to my friends at Berkeley and Net Galley for the advanced copy!

My first Karen Rose book and I official hooked on her books. Say You’re Sorry is a romantic thriller but it is also a psychological thriller. There are so many twists and turns that my head just kept spinning trying to keep up. Yet, the book was easy to follow, amazing to read, and bone-chilling to finish.

With over 600 pages to read I was pleasantly surprised by how quick the story went. With each chapter, there was something new happening. Cults, FBI, kidnapping, families coming together, a dash of romance, and so much more all kept me turning pages, staying up late, and reading chapter after chapter. I had no clue who the villain was, I loved the good guys, and was in awe of the strength that the main characters had to show just to survive.

Say You’re Sorry is the first book in a new series by Karen Rose and I am so excited for more from her.

The characters were well-developed and intriguing. It was fast paced, kept you interested. Wasn't expecting a romance/murder genre.

Wow! Another great thriller/suspense/romance novel by one of my favorite authors, Karen Rose! In typical Rose fashion, this one starts out with a spine-tingling, horrifying event that makes you want to sit up straight and not put this book down until the very last page. Yes, that's what it did. And now I am anxiously waiting for more books in this series.

This one wasn't so much of a mystery, but the action and suspense was still awesome! The characters were multi-faceted, showing their strong sides and their weak sides, their vulnerabilities and their strengths.

The story centers around Daisy and Gideon and a link between the two involving a heart-shaped locket. Even though the main characters were fascinating, many of the other characters worked their way into my heart as well. The Sokolovs melted my heart with the way they brought Gideon and Daisy into their family fold, always being there for them. And Danton and Sammie showed the reader how important a bit of kindness can be and how wonderful it is to "pay it forward".

The story was a bit drawn out in places, with things being repeated over and over again, but I can overlook that because the story was just so dang good!

This is the first book in a new series called Sacramento Novels by Karen Rose. The series features the Sokolovs family. But the two most important characters in this book are Daisy and Gideon who are only part of the family by 'adoption'. Daisy has been attacked by a serial killer and Gideon is an FBI agent who is her protector. The secrets that they both have affect how they interact with each other and other people. The serial killer thinks he is so smart but as the tale unfolds, there is pressure which builds and builds. Also, one of the secrets is beginning to be known but not resolved -- that is for the next book. I look forward to the next book.

Rating 4.5 stars!

The cover of Say You're Sorry by Karen Rose enticed me.  While I hadn't heard of author, Karen Rose, before I saw this book, once I looked into this book further, I saw that she is a seasoned author, this being her 22nd book! To be honest, I'm not even sure how I managed to miss this author since I enjoy the romantic suspense genre fairly often. Oh well, another author to add to my TBR stack, right?

The first thing I will say is that the 544 pages that this book consists of was slightly overwhelming to me.  I found myself reading other books in front of this one - worried about making the commitment to such a big book.  Folks, don't make the same mistake I did - dig right into this book and you'll love it.  Promise.

Gideon Reynolds is a special agent with quite a past. He was raised up in a cult, and once he escaped from the cult, he used routine to keep himself safe. His world is very structured..... that is until Daisy Dawson arrives and shakes it up.  

Daisy seeks out the help of the FBI when she is attacked by a man in a mask and Gideon is assigned to her case.  Daisy had managed to grab the locket that the serial killer wore around his neck during her struggle with him.  His "m.o." is to torture his victims until they say they are sorry - creepy, right?

Their journey takes readers on the hunt for a serial killer and the answers to the mystery surrounding the members still trapped in the same cult Gideon escaped from when he was 13 years old.   A large percentage of the story is actually narrated by the main antagonist of the book -- the creepy serial killer himself. I liked the angle of the killer's POV too, it was a thrilling way to move the plot ahead and give readers some insight into the killer's motives.  I almost felt bad for the guy - key word - almost.

I felt that this book was the perfect balance of both romance and suspense.  The characters were well-developed and very intriguing.  There are plenty of twists and turns and non-stop action throughout Say You're Sorry, and it keeps readers engaged throughout.  Even though it's true the book is lengthy, I never felt that way and it was an easy read (but definitely not in one sitting).

Thank you to Berkley Publishing who provided me with a advanced reader copy of this book through NetGalley for review.  All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.