2 1/2 stars

I tried to like this book, and while the action and suspense were good, the “romance” was disturbing.

When it comes to writing a creepy, yet somewhat perfect psychotic killer, Ms. Dawna did a fabulous job. The times Mary’s stalker tries to scare her, you can feel her genuine terror and uncertainty. The thriller aspect is where this author shines.

That being said, the relationship not only between John and Mary, but also the friendship between Mary and Kim send up red flags. Neither are healthy relationships, and Mary should have run like hell from both of them.

John, the billionaire who always gets what he wants, is constantly talking over Mary and ignoring what she says she wants or needs. But a flash of a smile and Mary forgives him, even goes so far as to think she doesn’t deserve so wonderful a man. He’s emotionally abusive and extremely controlling. After three dates, where he keeps bull dozing right over her, she’s in love and wants to marry him. As for John, he thinks non-stop about Mary, constantly wants to contact her, ignores everything she says she needs or wants, yet claims to love her. That isn’t remotely what love looks like. His behavior is so disturbing the romance alone kept me horrified throughout the book.

Her relationship with her best friend is exceedingly unhealthy. Supposedly this woman’s family helped her when she was a child, yet when Mary confides in Kim about her fear of being watched and the strange things happening at home, her friend twists it into a way to gain sympathy from others because she has to deal with this poor, obviously delusional, woman. She doesn’t believe Mary, and goes so far as to make Mary feel like she’s losing her mind. With friends like this one, who needs enemies? Let’s not discount how much Kim pushes for Mary and John to date, because he’s just so gorgeous. Kim comes across as a self-centered teenager, and I honestly couldn’t find one likable thing about her.

I think there’s potential to redeem Mary’s character, but this poor woman is so firmly under everybody’s thumb, little more than a doormat, that it would take a lot of effort to make her a strong character. At thirty-two, she’s been windowed, doesn’t want to date, yet let’s her friend bully her into a blind date. Abandoned as a child and left to fend for herself, I’d have expected a strong, independent woman. Someone who could stand up for themselves. But that’s not how she comes across, not in the scenes with Kim and John. The few times she feels a spark of anger or annoyance, almost immediately she’s all smiles and forgiveness, and feels bad for getting upset and trying to take charge of her own life. She’d steadfast in her belief of no sex before marriage, but it’s about the only time she takes a stand. She’s an odd mix of child and someone born in a bygone era.

The thriller bits of the story kept me interested, but I badly wanted to send Mary to counseling. She’s psychologically damaged, emotionally abused, and has been targeted by a stalker. If the romance was toned down to almost non-existent, this would be an amazing story. I can’t express enough how horrifying and disturbing the romance is.

I tried so hard to read this book. The dialogue is cheesy and very insta-lovey. It had some great potential but fell flat. Couldn’t finish it.

Lee Dawna has written a beautiful story of what true love could look like and how much we do for those that we love. I enjoyed reading this book so much and it reminded me of the marriage that I am a part of. We haven't stopped showing each other how much we care just like Mary and John. Thankfully we also did not have the plot twist that happened in this book. Talk about sitting on the edge of your seat to find out what was happening and who was responsible.

A great love story and a really good mystery happening at the same time! Easy to read and hard to put down, those are two of my criteria for a good book and this book met those criteria quite nicely. Well Done Lee Dawna, I wish you much success with this book. Mark your calendars it will be published March 1, 2021!

Thatnk you #netgalley for making this book available to me