I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

The idea of this book was really great, but from the moment I started reading this, it was a bit rocky. It was really hard to connect with this book and the characters. It's supposed to be an emotional novel, but the characters emotions jump around to much for me to keep up with.

But looking at other readers thoughts, it looks like i might be in the minority on my feelings, so I think other readers have enjoyed this book. It just wasn't for me. I'm glad I got a chance to read this book!

2.8 Stars!

***I received a free copy from the Publisher, through NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.***

I am sorry to say that I didn't enjoy this book much...

It took me TWO ENTIRE WEEKS to finish reading this!

My main issue with the book was that I expected a Lot more from it... I'll break down the reasons to my disappointment:

1. The Murderer Mystery

There is NO Mystery! At no point in the book is the reader wondering if the Male Main Character, Luke, did really kill Elizabeth, Lauren (the Female Main Character)'s 12 year old sister.

We know from the start who the murderer is! There is no mystery! So we're just waiting for the murderer to get caught... And that becomes Boring after a while.

Also, there's No Explanation at all as to the murderer's intent. I read all the book, I did finish it, but I didn't really get why the murderer killed all those 12 year old girls?!

Was the murderer a Pedophile? Did he have a fixation on Elizabeth? Or was he obsessed with Lauren?! Lauren, who he couldn't have so he put his all his feelings of Rejection and Frustration into killing her sister?!

And, then, he kept repeating that behavior for years, as a way to cope with the rejection from Lauren?!

I would have liked to see more into his psychological state... It would have been interesting, at least.


2. The emotions

Lauren, an 18 year old girl, finds out the Love of her life is getting arrested for the Murder of her little sister... And she's utterly Devastated, of course!

12 years later this guy is released out in the open; and Lauren has to deal with it.

What does she do? Goes out to confront him!

Okay, I get it. The feelings of Rage, of Hurt, of Grief, of wanting to make him Pay for what he "did".

What she ends up doing? Hooking up with him... 🤔🙄

She truly believes he is the Murderer... So, how can she do it?!

Luke didn't repent... he is Innocent, of course; and was falsely Accused...

So, then, their Love grows back...

I expected this book to be highly Emotional! There's a young girl who died; a family left broken; a young man whose life got interrupted by being accused of an horrible crime he didn't commit; a woman who still has feelings for the man accused of killing her little sister... BUT I really didn't feel much!

I am sorry to say that I didn't connect with the characters and didn't very much care about them. So, I didn't feel the growth of feelings between the MCs. They had loved each other in the past and their reunion just felt like lust and the reviving of lost memories and feelings.

3. The 12 year old daughter

Well, Laramie (cool name btw) is 12 years old... And she is not!

Laramie acts like a teenager! Not like a pre-teen! She acts like an 16/17 year old girl, not a 12 year old child!

And, at times, Laramie is almost more wise and mature than our 30 year old female MC.


Overall, I didn't like this book. I thought of dropping it, but I hoped it would get better in it's development and I wanted to faithfully review it, so I kept reading.

I really hope that if you pick up this book you can enjoy it more than I did... (maybe if you have lower expectations, who knows. There's certainly people out there who liked it).

Lauren and Luke were childhood sweethearts until their lives are ripped apart by the kidnapping and subsequent murder of Lauren's young sister. Suddenly Luke is accused of the murder and dispatched to prison where he languished for 12 years before he's finally able to prove his innocence. If Luke is innocent then who's the murderer?
Lauren, now a victim advocate in the District Attorney's office and mother to a young daughter is conflicted between her hate of Luke and the love that refuses to die. Unbeknownst to Luke, Lauren was pregnant with his child when he was hustled off to prison in the biggest miscarriage of justice in the small town where they live and now that Luke is back and he and Lauren seem to be making their way back together, their daughter is in danger. Can they stay one step ahead of the killer this time and finally bring the truth to light?
The author has done a superb job with the characters and bringing the emotions to life in her words. You can almost feel the pall of darkness that overshadows the small family trying to rebuild trust and just wait for the other shoe to drop.
This is my first by the author but it certainly won't be my last.

First time reading this author and I was definitely not disappointed. I loved the premise and characters. They just drew me in as effortlessly as I like.

Interesting, captivating premise that tugs at your emotions. You are slowly drawn into the characters lives til you don't want to put the book down. I really enjoyed this story.

First time in reading this author with the story line luring me in. The story in one that at the start tugs at your heart but raises questions you start looking for the answers. Lauren and Luke have a intricate story that is riddled with intrigue and danger. The chemistry is there along with the suspense you keep turning the pages to see where it leads. I also found I had to have those answers so before I knew it I had them.

I knew going in that this was going to be a different kind of story. It was one of the things that kind of caught my attention. It was an emotional story of course. And it had good flash-backs between the past and current time for both Luke and Lauren. That's not always well done but here in this book, it was.
I have to say that I was 100% Team Luke pretty quickly. He was written in such a way that you could FEEL his confusion, despair and losses. And the hits of unfairness just seemed to keep coming. For a while at least. But hang on, it's not all depressing when it comes to the story.
I have to admit I had a problem with Lauren. Hey, I got that she was emotional and somewhat confused as well. But she was so hard-headed even when presented with some of the true facts of Luke's case. I just "might" have muttered under my breath a few times. Like, "T.S.T.L., what a brat" as I tossed my kindle down a few times. I just hated how she treated Luke like crud. She certainly did have quite the unique way of greeting Luke when she saw him after his release. Now, that was a surprise! One thing I couldn't fault her on was that she loved her daughter Laramie and she was a good mother.
Lauren's boss Brian Wimberly is a good addition to the story. He kind of keeps the general hysteria down in a good but mostly unemotional way.
A good amount of tension is kept up in the story leading up to a dangerous twist towards the end.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

What an excellent book by Ms. Smith. The characters and the plot were very well developed. Liked it from start to finish.

Lucas Fuller is found guilty of murder at eighteen. He is accused of murdering Lauren's sister. And Lauren is the love of his life.
Complicated, right?
Wait, because not only does he claim to be innocent. He knows who the real murder is!!! Despite all that, he is sent to prison for twelve years.
But after being released, he finds Lauren hates him, the real murderer is on the run and some more secrets...
I liked this book. Although I would have killed Lauren for the first half of it. Thank God, she evolves throughout the story.
The writer used to work as a prosecutor. That, and the plot makes you wonder how many cases like Luke's there are in the world...

Oh wow! What an emotionally charged uphill battle to a happy ending! Luke and Lauren have been through hell and back. The connection they had as young adults was as strong as ever and reformed again after his prison release. I loved their interactions and talks they had. Throw in both of their conversations with their daughter and all is golden. Laramie knew right away that Luke was someone she could trust. They were a lot alike. The other half of Laramie was all Lauren. Both strong, fierce, and loyal. Although all three were scared during their encounter with Clint, they stood strong for one another and put the other's safety above their own. I admired those traits in these characters.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the publisher through Netgalley.

A great romantic suspense novel that hooks you from the start, get comfortable with this as you won’t want to put it down. Great characters, great plot with twists and turns, an overall fab read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I received a copy of Dark Justice by Angela Smith from Angela Smith and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

I give Dark Justice by Angela Smith 5 stars! This romantic suspense will keep you engaged until the very end. With well developed characters and a riveting storyline, I definitely recommend this book!

Great, great story from beginning to end. Combination of love, betrayal, action, and forgiveness.
Luke and Lauren are high school sweethearts, ready to be married and start their lives together. Their dreams are destroyed when Lauren's sister, Elizabeth, is found murdered, and Luke is arrested for the crime.
Fast forward 12 years and Luke is finally exonerated for the crime he never committed, but many still believe he is guilty. But he knows the real killer is out there, and has wormed his way into Lauren's life, and the life of her daughter. Will Luke and Lauren be able to overcome the past to secure a future of happiness for themselves? When other kids go missing, will Luke once again be charged with their murders?

This is a romantic suspense that will draw you in and keep you engaged until the very last page is turned

Twelve years ago Luke was charged and convicted of killing Lauren's little sister Elizabeth now he has been exonerated and as he always has said he has been proven innocent Now he finds he had a daughter Laramie with Lauren but she isn't ready to believe that he is innocent and neither does she realise that the killer is much closer than she realises Luke doesn't know if they have a future together but he does believe that his straighter and Lauren are in danger and he will do whatever he needs to in an effort to protect them. Do these two have a future together can they get over their past you will have to read to see

A second chance at life more than a second chance at love.
The story it's heartbreaking and fulfilling at the same time. There are moments when I had to stop reading because the event are pulling my heart strings and had to stay away for a few hours.
I'm always for a second chance love because, once , your heart loved that person and she/he was everything for you. All your dreams and fears were shared and all your future plans were including both of you. Unfortunately, sometimes life throws a lot of obstacles in the happy ever ending and there's a lot to take in in this story.
I felt like sometimes the story was repeating the same moments, or just went a bit too slow for my taste. But it's a good story overall and will be reading more from the author

My first read by this author, Dark Justice is an engaging romantic suspense. I enjoyed the character interaction and the well delivered story. I will be recommending this book and looking to explore more by this author.

Luke Fuller, was eighteen years old, when he was sent to prison for a crime he did not commit. He was charged with the murder of his fiancée’s younger sister, Elizabeth. Although Lauren wanted to believe that Luke was innocent, the evidence against him, at the time, was overwhelming. Twelve years later, Luke has been exonerated when it was discovered that prominent members of the small town had framed Luke in order to protect the real killer. The killer is now on the run and no one is safe. Luke soon learns that while he was in prison Lauren gave birth to their daughter, Laramie. As more young girls become victims, the killer is closing in on Lauren and her daughter. Ms. Smith tells this story by effortlessly moving between the past and present events. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

The story was considerably fast and for some reason I felt detached when reading it. Yes it was cute and it was almost like a second chance romance. Still I felt they slightly managed to touch on the romance and the mystery but really did not dwell on either one of them that much that I felt attached to any characters. Despite that I enjoyed reading the book and loved how mature Lamarie was with the whole situation she was put in. Yes, she sometimes acted out but other than that rare occasion where she actually acted like a 12 year old (which too made me like her character more) she felt as if she was the most grown up in the story, ironically.

When Luke was 18 he was sentenced to life in prison for murdering his fiancée’s little sister, a crime he did not commit. 12 years later he is released after the truth is revealed about what happened on that horrific day. Lauren doesn’t believe the love of her life is innocent of killing her sister, the betrayal of what took place years ago was too strong. While Lauren tries to keep her distance from Luke, it becomes difficult to protect her heart and her biggest secret of all, the daughter they share. As Luke and Lauren try to resolve past and current feeling, they learn the their biggest challenge is protecting their daughter from the true killer, a man who already has his eyes set on her.

I absolutely loved this book! A beautiful story of a injustice, fighting for what is right, and true love. Having parts of the book told in the past showed the love and heartbreak of Luke and Lauren. A fast read that had hooked the first page and me rooting for the couple from beginning to end. I can’t say enough good things about this book, I want to read it again, I want a sequel, just ahhhhhhh.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this phenomenal book.