Last Seen Alone by Laura Griffin was a mystery thriller with a romance thrown into the story.
The two main characters Leigh a lawyer and Brandon the detective but are looking for the same missing girl. Leigh was hired to be her attorney and paid the retainer fee and she hadn't heard from her since. She knows there's more then what seems going on. Brandon and his partner are trying to see is she just missing or has the case turned into a homicide?

They aren't working together and he keeps trying to tell her to stay out of the case but she won't leave it alone. Turns out they need each other more then one way. But because she has gotten herself involved and asking to many questions she gets attacked at work. Is it because of the case is it a random break in? These are all the questions Brandon has to ask and find out. The more they go down the rabbit hole the more things that start to come out.

There are a lot of twists and turns in this one and there is a slow burn romance in this story.
my only complaint is i felt the ending was a little rushed. AS soon as she finds out some things everything just started rushing ahead without it feeling more flushed out. But who doesn't love a good creepy missing person story. The story started out with a bang and keep you hooked.

Thanks to NetGalley/,Berkley publishing for a copy of the Audio Arc in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the setting of this story. It mentioned Texas and Austin area and I loved it. Leigh is a lawyer who helps with a missing person case and falls right in the arms of a local detective. It was very fast paced and I love books like that.

I really enjoyed this book!

I love Griffin's characters, they are deep enough to be real but she doesn't bog down the book with lengthy overt descriptions. This book was a quick read and it held my interest and the twist surprised me.

My only criticism is that the romance scenes get a little length and I don't need that, especially because I find it kind of awkward to listen to. If I wanted to listen to lengthy sex scenes I'd read erotica. That being said, it wasn't crazy over the top and it was mostly tasteful!

This was intriguing and fast-paced with lots of twists. I didn’t enjoy the romance aspect and the detailed descriptions of intimacy, but that’s just me. The narrator was ok but I felt that her depiction of male voices was off: kind of forced and jarring. Overall an ok read.

Interesting but somewhat not really my cup of tea. A mystery thriller crime. Loved the story line but the voice actor of the guy detective just ruined the book for me. Well written. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I enjoy Laura Griffins work so I was thrilled to listen to her newest audiobook.

I really enjoyed Last Seen Alone. The writing was well done. I've not read anything I'd classify as romantic suspense before and this seemed to fit the bill. The plot wasn't overly original but I still enjoyed it.

The narrator did an excellent job as well.

I had high expectations upon requesting this read from NetGalley, and was more disappointed than I am when I am declined a book by NetGalley. I can't get my time back to be spent on a good read, and I know they are out there.

A seasoned attorney falls for a seasoned detective. Yippee. How unbelievably unrealistic is this? The cheesy dialogue is proof positive this is not plausible. The story was just lame and is lower in content than a B movie.

Kudos for pointing out keeping a journal when strange things start happening.

#NetGalley
#Audiobook

Vanessa Adams is the woman the reader meets at the beginning. The last we see of her she is running through woods. Her car’s found, her body’s not; however, there is a lot of blood in the woods. The police can’t consider this a homicide without a body, but all signs point that way. Defense attorney Leigh Larson is the one person that might have some answers but because of her relationship with the young woman gets mired in the investigation to the point of making herself a target. Testing proves the blood belongs to Vanessa Adams but no body is found. Even though technically there is no homicide, Brandon and Antonio continue to work this case. Brandon tracks down Leigh Larson, an attorney who represents women stalked and harassed online by exes. She had met Vanessa once but only becomes her attorney when she received a retainer check by mail the day after Vanessa disappeared. Brandon and Leigh work individually to learn Vanessa's fate but sparingly share details with the other. Regardless of the trust issues between Brandon and Leigh, a romance develops. Brandon only feels more protective of Leigh after she is assaulted by someone with probable connections to Vanessa. He tries to persuade Leigh to stop her investigation but Leigh won't stop until she finds Vanessa or what happened to Vanessa. I did struggle to like Vanessa. out victim, if I'm honest. She was kind of her own worst enemy. There are plenty of layers to the story and I was kept very engaged. This story is intense with the real-world issues faced today by many women of stalking and revenge when relationships fail.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Berkeley Publishing for the ARC.

Last Seen Alone by Laura Griffin was a book I could not put down. I listened to it in one day. I have only read one other Laura Griffin book. I will be checking out her other works.

I’ve read romance novels, and I’ve read suspense novels but “romantic suspense?” I never knew the sub-genre existed! I know, shame on me for that one! For someone who may find traditional “thrillers” or crime novels to be too intense, this is the perfect option. Last Seen Alone does offer insights into criminal law, with drawn out suspense. There was no gore and minimal violence. What Last Seen Alone does have is relationships, romance and even steam!

Going in to this novel I was expecting a thriller, which was my own fault for not knowing what I was about to consume! I found the second half of the novel to pick up the pace. If you want more than just the budding romance, stick with it!

I enjoyed this title via audiobook. The narration was slow, making it easy to consume in 1.5x speed, which I always enjoy. The narration was very straightforward.

I would have preferred less romance and more of the mystery — I regretfully did not connect with the leading lady. :( But this was a pleasant audiobook listen and perfect for someone transitioning into suspense, mysteries and eventually thrillers.

Brief Synopsis: Vanessa Adams is missing. Her car is found abandoned on a desolate road. The passenger door was left open and blood smears are present. This is an unusual crime scene for homicide detective Brandon Reynolds. Prior to her disappearance, Vanessa retained a lawyer (Leigh Larson) who specializes in extreme domestic situations. Neither the detective nor the lawyer have any clues as to what had been troubling Vanessa, but they must work together to solve the case.

Thoughts: The characters in this story are realistic and the storyline is mostly believable. The sexual tension that builds between the main characters in a week’s time is a bit cringeworthy. But the one aspect that kept me from loving this book is that I didn’t like Leigh’s character. In fact, I found her annoying. Her actions didn’t seem overly believable, especially layering in that she’s an attorney. She consistently went rogue and inserted herself into police matters. More to that point, she was never physically prepared for the situations she KNOWINGLY put herself in.

Thank you to Laura Griffin, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for an audio copy of this book. I thought Cynthia Farrell did a good job with the narration, though I didn’t overly love the “voice” of Brandon’s character. Overall this was a good, non-gruesome investigative mystery.

An abandoned car and a missing woman lead Detective Brandon Reynolds and Attorney Leigh Larson to meet each other... the missing woman Vanessa Adams wanted to hire Leigh for some unspecified reason which prompts Leigh to involve herself in the investigation into the disappearance. So what happened to Vanessa? And what was she hiding?

I didn’t much like Brandon and sometimes it felt like Leigh was making good points that he was just ignoring for no good reason. Was she doing a little too much? Yes but a lot of the time he did seem rather unreasonable. I don’t claim to know what the dynamics between cops and lawyers is like but Brandon was just difficult. They were both rather difficult. Leigh’s past was rather obvious but her too stupid to live tendencies were what annoyed me about her. If someone already attacked you why would you go putting yourself in danger? Repeatedly? I can just assume that real lawyers don’t do any of this nonsense that she engaged in.

It was an ok book and the narration was ok. The downside of having only the audiobook is that I can’t skim through the boring parts so that I can find out what happens in the end. I did want to know what happened to Vanessa and how it would all play out but it was a struggle to keep going the characters just weren’t likable enough for me to truly care. It wasn’t a bad book it was just ok.

Laura Griffin delivers a fast paced mystery novel with a little romance sprinkled throughout. It all begins when detective Brandon Reynolds crosses paths with Leigh Larson, an attorney representing sexual extortion and online abuse. Reynolds is searching for a missing woman, Vanessa, who he believes to be Leigh’s client. Once Leigh realizes Vanessa may be in trouble, she decides to launch her own investigation. As her and Brandon’s searches begin crossing, they start spending more time together and quickly fall for one another. When Leigh’s involvement in the case puts her life in danger, Brandon is the one who comes to her rescue. The book was well written, and wasted no time getting right down to the mystery. I enjoyed the book and all of the twists that came along kept me guessing.

Despite the lower rating I will say I really enjoyed this Last Seen Alone. I would recommend this as an easy read, though. The entire case and even the romance plot were painfully predictable but the writing was good and I still found myself enjoying the story. You are not going to find anything original here or overly surprising but its enjoyable still. The narrator did an excellent job as well.

Laura Griffin never disappoints! This book was action packed. I held my interest and kept me engaged the whole way thought. If you want a great detective, who done it and where are they well, read this!!

The narrator was fabulous! She did an excellent job keeping the characters separated, it was extremely easy to follow along. Even at double speed.

Last Seen Alone by Laura Griffiths

Vanessa Adams has gone missing.

Leigh Larson is an attorney who fights for victims of sexual extortion, harassment and online abuse. Vanessa hired just before disappearing. What could have happened to Vanessa? Leigh is determined to get answers.

Brandon Reynolds is called out to find Vanessa’s abandoned car on a desolate road. A pool of blood nearby in the woods suggests a brutal homicide. But there is no body.

Leigh and Brandon must work together to get to the truth of what happened to Vanessa.

My attention was held most of the time as I wanted to know what happened to Vanessa. A decent story. I

Thank you Laura Griffiths, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the audio to listen to this book in return for my honest review!

🔊Song Pairing: Where’d You Go - Illenium

💭What I thought would happen:

Local woman missing kind of story. Figured a spouse or relative attempted to find them.

📖What actually happens:

Vanessa has gone missing. Last seen purchasing a gun in the middle of fiddle playing forestry….

Brandon is the lead detective on the case to find Vanessa’s body dead or alive. However, Brandon feels quite certain this is a homicide due to the traces of blood found.

Leigh is an attorney battling for victimized women, specifically taking down assholes who post revenge porn of their ex girlfriends (you go girl!).

Leigh had a meeting with Vanessa weeks prior to her missing and puts her into Brandon’s case. Instant chemistry between two lone wolves.

🗯Thoughts:

It’s not that I didn’t dislike this book. It’s more so that nothing original happened whatsoever. It was painfully predictable and the characters only had about 60% likability/charisma.

I just wanted to get through it so that I could find out what happened to Vanessa and to move onto my next book.

The narrator, Cynthia Farrell was excellent. She has an excellent sultry voice for this mystery.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Berkeley Publishing for the ALC & eARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars, rounded down for stupid armchair detective attorney

The premise of this romantic suspense novel is pretty good. "Missing without a trace" books are my catnip, I can't resist any of them. I'm honestly not a fan of romantic suspense, so maybe that's where this book lost me. I love romance and I love suspense, but the two together often feels like one or the other is not given the development it needs. In this case, I thought both were kind of lacking.

The good:
Like I said, I liked the premise. At the beginning of the book we meet Vanessa who is being chased through the woods (after buying a gun) and disappears. The police find her abandoned vehicle and belongings and a large amount of blood in the woods, but Vanessa has vanished.

The overall suspense story and its conclusion, although a bit predictable, was decent. It flowed well and made sense, most of the dots were connected in the end.


The not-so good:
I didn't feel any chemistry between attorney Leigh and detective Brandon. The first part is all about him investigating and getting distracted by her legs, her perfume, her chest, etc. Then all of a sudden without any development they kiss and then the next meeting they have sex. I didn't get a sense of attraction growing between them other than the lust. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it just felt forced.

Leigh is a stupid armchair detective. She is repeatedly in danger, repeatedly told to step back into her lane as an attorney and leave the detective work to the police. Yet she ignores it over and over again. (Yet still Brandon is attracted to her, go figure). All for a client that she barely remembers and that she received a paltry retainer for. She obviously had a death wish or was just incredibly dumb to keep confronting suspects and investigating on her own.

If not for those things, I would have graded this book a bit higher. I just hate armchair detectives overall, especially when they are intelligent people who should know better. If readers do feel chemistry between the main characters they may be able to overlook the shortcomings of the investigation.

A side quirky thing I noticed, and it happened at least three times, if not more. There are scenes when Character One is either preparing food or has purchased take out. They offer food to Character Two (whose stomach is usually growling) and Character 2 declines. The food offer is presented at least once or twice more before the Character 2 finally gives in and eats (or they leave or get interrupted). It started to become a kind of joke for me because it happened over and over.

I divided my reading of this book between the print copy and the audiobook. I liked the narrator, Cynthia Farrell, and thought she did an excellent job giving voice to both the male and female characters. She kept me engaged and interested in the story.

Overall: I'm just not the right reader for this book. I overanalyze things that maybe some readers would let go. If you like romantic suspense and have enjoyed other books by this author, then you will probably enjoy this one.

I enjoyed this one! I listened to the audio version and thought the narrator really brought the story to life. The characters were likable and the plot was both different and interesting. This is a new author to me and I will definitely look for more of her books.

Austin homicide cop Brandon Reynolds gets a call out to what appears to be a murder scene, an abandoned car and a tremendous amount of blood; problem is, there is no body. The vehicle is registered to Vanessa Adams, but the only other scrap of information in the car is a business card for attorney Leigh Larson. Leigh is a no holds barred attorney who’s on a mission to take down men who prey on women. She had only just been hired by Vanessa, so Leigh has little information and no clues about a suspect. Together with Brandon, Leigh sets out to find the killer and get justice for Vanessa. Timely and powerful