Cover Image: Murder Notes

Murder Notes

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Member Reviews

Book one in this series and it definitely draws you in!
Suspense, secrets, hope - I really enjoyed it.

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Lilah Love is an absolutely brilliant FBI profiler. She is able to see inside the minds of the depraved individuals that commit heinous crimes. She is on the case of a crime that seems to be targeting her and a secret she holds dear to heart. Returning home to the Hamptons, she is confronted with the past she ran away from. Trying to find the answers causes her to deal with more questions and try to stay two steps in front of a lethal killer. Absolutely brilliant start to a new series. Cannot wait to see where the next book takes Lilah.

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I am sorry for the lack of a stellar review, but I don’t think these books are the right fit for me at this time. I'm not really a fan of romance mixed with thrillers and would hate to have a preconceived bias toward this story before reading it. I wouldn't want my review to be tainted because of that. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

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ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
It took me a long time to finish reading Murder Notes. I wasn't a fan of this book.

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I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

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Murder Notes is the first book of a series and as it's now common to find in books series this story ends in a cliffhanger. It is, however, entertaining, has a lot of twists and turns, and makes the main character, Lilah, face her past (which is not easy to do!). The story gets your attention from the beginning and the stalking and mystery just add up to the end. It´s easy and fast reading.

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First in Lilah love series with good suspense , secrets ,and character world development. Does have second book to continue with story.
Ebook from netgalley and publishers with thanks. Opinions are entirely my own.

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Took awhile to get through all 4 books but it was worth the wait. I adore this authors writing style and was not disappointed in these. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Oh wow I usually don’t like cliff hangers but this book is so good it left me wanting more. It has enough who did it’s to keep your interest. It’s action packed with romance. Strong heroine and handsome, not sure yet if he’s the hero or not but who cares.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

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Nope.Nopenopenope, this book was not for me AT ALL. I am not used to "soft" thrillers like this one and this was more of a romance with thriller elements than an actual thriller. The MC annoyed me to death and the only reason I continued reading was to know who Junior is. Which, sadly, this book decided to keep a secret. And since I do not read any further books in this series after the fourth for which I had received an ARC by the author, I presume I'll never find out. Which is a real shame, because my favourite chatacter doesn't make his appearance until the second book and then again in the fourth and I really wished I knew how things turn out for him eventually...

I received a free copy by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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This is ok. The story doesn’t conclude, and I hate serials, so some of the sourness is likely due to that. I didn’t like the protagonist.

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Lilah Love is a twenty-eight-year-old FBI profiler working on a murder investigation in California when she’s entrusted by her boss to travel to New York to compare a case being investigated there. On arrival, she receives word that another body has been found and she heads to the crime scene. Back in her hometown in the Hamptons, a place she left two years ago bearing a big secret, she receives the first of several notes from an unidentified stalker...

With the whole of Long Island watching her every move, Lilah must quickly figure out who she can trust - not easy for someone like Lilah. I enjoyed the steady and unrushed pace and the characterisation of Lilah who was certainly a tough cookie with a strong mind. The mystery itself was intriguing and well done. I have previously read 'A Perfect Lie' by Lisa Renee Jones as well as the first in her 'Filthy' trilogy ('The Bastard'). Even though Murder Notes ended with a cliffhanger, nevertheless, it was still an enthralling and deeply enjoyable read. Well worth five stars!

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

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I loved the characters and the storyline development of this book. It was absolutely one of my favorites so far and I can't wait to delve in to the next one that this author writes. The storyline was simple, enjoyable, and entertaining.

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This book tells the story of Lilah Love, FBI profiler with a penchant for murder. Sounded like a winner to me and at first, I did find the story interesting, though a bit slow moving. The book abruptly ends mid scene with no resolution, forcing you to read the next in the series if you want any closure. I’d prefer to make that decision on my own, this feels forced.

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*I was kindly gifted this in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley*

This book has me feeling all sorts of conflicted feelings. I really can't decide how I feel about this book. Hence the middle-of-the-road rating.


Things I didn't like...
LILAH -Lilah is dull and really irritating. Her inner thoughts drag on for pages and pages and I just couldn't care less. She has zero charisma inside her own head (when she's around others I liked her a lot) but when she's on her own (which is most of the novel) she is such a drag. You learn nothing about her as a person other than snippets about a tragic past event in her life and even that is vague. You read it from her POV and you should connect with her but you don't.
THE CHARACTERS - I don't think I liked a single character in this. They all felt very 2D. We learn nothing about any of the characters other than what potentially could fuel the plot, and even then it's vague at best. Especially Kane...the number of times he says "I'm not my father" is comical. He needs more of a personality than not being his father.
THE ROMANCE - I wanted to like the romance, give Kane and Lilah something redeemable. BUT again, you learn nothing about them - how they met, how they fell in love, first kiss or date. Why they bonded? What connected them? All you learn is why they are not longer together. It's hard to route for them why you don't even know why they want to be together.
THE WRITING - I did like the writing style...but there was very little dialogue. You spend a solid 80% of this book in Lilah's internal thoughts or description of things. It just drags it down. Mysteries rely on questioning people to gain information hence there should be a decent amount of dialogue but instead, it's just mental leaps made by Lilah alone in her room. Lilah never seems to question anyone. She just sends her lackeys to do internet research. The couple of times she tries to get information from someone - she fails. SHE SUCKS AT HER JOB!! Why is everyone treating her like is amazing at it?
THE PLOT - I still don't know what the plot of this book really was. The first 20% - great plot. And then after that point...not much happens other than Lilah running around and learning nothing. And then the murder mystery book ends without solving anything and just leaving it to the next book in the series.
THE CLIFFHANGER - well...this is obvious why I didn't like that. Does anyone like cliff-hangers?

The things I liked...
INTRIGUE - Despite not liking all of the pretty key features of a book that I mentioned above...something about this made me want to keep reading. And has made me already start the sequel because I just had to know what happened next. It wasn't just the cliff-hanger that made this a thing, it was like this the whole way through. I didn't want to put it down despite seemingly enjoying very little about what made this book this book. I can't explain why but something about this has me hooked.
THE DIALOGUE - Even the dialogue was very few and far between in this book, when it did crop up I adored it. They were the few moments where I liked Lilah. It was actually funny and I did laugh aloud. I hope the next book has more dialogue!

Basically, my thoughts are that this book was too vague. It feels unfinished. The author didn't want to give away too much about the mystery which she successfully managed...but in the process left everything else in the book feeling vague too. Leaving the reader not ever learning anything at all and not connecting to anyone or any aspect of the book. I hope the next one improves because this has promise if it just focuses and develops these things.

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Murder Notes (Lilah Love #1). By Lisa Renee Jones. 2020. Julie Patra Publishing (ARC eBook).

When FBI profiler Lilah Love is called to a murder scene on a California beach she finds a connection to her past—a past event that sent her running away from the NYPD, her family and lover. Now she learns that this murder ties to another in New York and Lilah believes they are the work of an assassin and not a serial killer that the police are assuming. That past connection though is what sends Lilah back home to do damage control. But she seems to have collected a stalker as creepy notes begin showing up for her, warning her away from investigating.

Murder Notes is a fascinating read. Lilah is brash and has no filter. Her story unfolds with humor and building tension and suspense. Lilah’s former lover, Kane Mendez is a powerful and dangerous man, so totally swoon-worthy. Together they are a hot mess. Lilah’s family and fellow law enforcement are acting shady and the cliffhanger has me wanting to start the second part of the duet ASAP.

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Fasten your seatbelt and prepare for a wild ride. The action and suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat. The attraction between Lilah and Kane just sizzles. I loved the badass personality of Lilah that is balanced out with her hints of femininity. She is a hunter that enjoys her vintage Louis Vuitton wardrobe. I loved how she acknowledges that she does better with dead people than with the living as there are some days that I can relate. There are lots of twists in this story with all the different characters and potential suspects (even family members) only for it all to end with a cliff hanger! Can’t wait to start book 2, Murder Girl.

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Another favorite by a great author. The plot of the story was very well written. The author really draws the reader in as you read. I felt like I was an unnamed character in the story. Love this author.

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This is a solid first book to get you hooked in the plot.

The whole time you have two main questions. What happened the last day Kane and Lilah were on the beach and who is the killer? During the whole book Lisa Jones does an excellent job at making all the characters appear to be morally grey and have a reason to be the murderer. You also have a love triangle brewing between Kane, Lilah, and Rich; Rich is the guy Lilah has been with while living in LA. While, Kane was old faithful that she was hot and heavy with in her hometown. You also have some other questionable relationships politically and sexually that don't seem to make any sense either. I will continue to read this series because I really want to know who is behind the murders and why.

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This author is someone I've checked out before and thought I'd look at again. Boy am I glad I did! And let me just say that this woman is the queen of cliffhangers! The story is full of suspense, action and intrigue and truly captured my interest the entire time. I'm glad I got the first few books to get started! #murdernotes #netgalley

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