High energy and a bit supernatural. Worthy read and the storyline was intriguing. The characters were a bit too perfect for my taste (so beautiful and otherworldly) but that's just how it goes. I loved the look at the sacrifices that mothers make and how Dodd wove that into this tale.

Christina Dodd is a great suspense writer. She is an auto-buy for me. This was an exciting story and as they say, hard to put down. I was very lucky to get an arc of this story and bought an official copy as soon as it came out.

I have ready many of Christina Dodd's book but this was not my favorite. It seemed very disjointed.
A submerged car is pulled from the bottom of the lake and the driver has been shot in the back of the head. Only the legendary Dragon's Heart remains inside and when it comes to the surface, collectors from around the world gather. They'll stop at nothing to gain possession of the priceless piece.

Zoey Phoenix, the only person who stands in the way, remembers nothing about her early childhood. Then she’s almost killed in a hit and run and, days later, her mother disappears. Zoey has no idea who tried to murder her or why, but she’s determined to find out.

I've read other books by Christina Dodd and loved them, but this one wasn't as much my style as some of the others. I can't quite pinpoint it so it might just be mood, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd have liked to have. I read about 50% of it and just didn't feel a drive to keep going.

I think others who enjoy a good mystery will enjoy it, however.

This was ok.. I pushed through it. It was not what i expected from Christina Dodd. Her books are always faster paced for me and this was slower.

I wanted to like this. I really did. The premise sounded fun, but holy lord, the story itself was so ridiculous and disjointed that I barely managed to finish it. It felt like the author had a list of random, brainstormed ideas for a story… and decided to mash them all together in this one book. Disappointing.

Dodd returns to Gothic, California. Zoey grow flowers but when she is almost killed by a hit and run, her ex comes to help her out. A missing mother, mysterious package and a garden tour all add to the chaos. ARC from NetGalley.

Very gothic in plot and setting. I loved the names of the character.
This one was kind of a slow starter for me but once I got into the rhythm of the story, it steamed along.
I liked how some long held secrets are divulged at the end.
The ending left me hanging in anticipation with the next book!

Thank you HTP and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Love Christina Dodd. You can tell she's a seasoned author. Great writing and dialogue plus an interesting premise.

Zoey has the touch for growing anything and when she is run off the road her ex-husband comes back into the picture. This is a sweet second chance at love story with multiple twists and turns. As always the author weaves a well-written and entertaining story. Christina Dodd is one of my favorite authors.

Well, she's done it again, crafted an intensely compelling thriller that kept me reading into the wee hours of the night. With intriguing characters, edge-of-the-seat suspense, impeccably placed humor, emotional depth, and more twists than a two-lane mountain road, there was no way I was going to be able to put this one down until I turned the final page.

I'm pretty good at figuring out mysteries but Dodd is a master of the surprise twist, a skill she continues to fine tune with each book she writes. Just when I think I've figured things out she throws in a "wow, I didn't see that coming" and sends me off in an entirely new direction. This book is littered with those moments, adding new dimensions to the story and keeping me on my toes from beginning to end.

Another area where Dodd excels is in developing characters and character relationships. In Forget What You Know, we have parent-child relationships, friendships, marriages, second-chance romances, and more with each relationship being given the care and attention it deserves.

As for the individual characters, each of them, whether primary or secondary, is well developed and integral to the story. Some of them touched my heart, others had me shivering and looking over my shoulder, while more still left me laughing out loud. That's another skill this author uses with great effectiveness: humor. Her sly wit frequently catches me off guard, taking me from breath-stealing intensity to snort laughing in a heartbeat. Keep an eye out for Zoey's former mother-in-law in this book. She's the purveyor of some of the best lines and, frankly, steals just about every scene she's in.

When a book keeps you glued to the pages until you finally reach the conclusion around 3:00 AM and then all you want to do is go back to the beginning and start all over again, that's a must-read novel. I can't wait to discover what Dodd has in store for readers next.

If you enjoy twisty suspense, action, heart-tugging romance, quirky characters, and unexpected laughter, add this book to your reading list. Forget What You Know, the newest suspense thriller by Christina Dodd has my highest recommendation.

Top Dish Review
ARC received for fair and unbiased opinion

FORGET WHAT YOU KNOW – Christina Dodd
HQN
ISBN: 978-1-335-62400-0
March 7, 2023
Romantic Suspense

Gothic, California – Present Day

While driving her car one day, flower breeder Zoey is broadsided by a Hummer with a driver seemingly intent on running her off the cliff. She awakens in the hospital with her mother by her side. While Zoey is groggy, her mother rambles on about dragons and other things, but then her mother isn’t there when it’s time to be released. Instead, Zoey’s ex-husband, Luca, is there with a car to take her to her beloved little home in Gothic. Their marriage ended when Luca wouldn’t give up his pro wrestling career. Zoey needs the temporary help while she recovers, so she agrees to accept Luca’s help.

But things aren’t what they seem. Gothic is a small town where everyone knows just about anyone in town. But the townspeople are a bit eccentric, starting with the matriarch of the town, Angelica, a former movie star. Secrets are aplenty in Gothic, yet folks will help their neighbors. Upon Zoey’s arrival home, she is informed that a package came for her and is waiting for her in a neighbor’s home. Unfortunately, the wife ended up in the hospital before the package could be given to Zoey. But that is forgotten as other things take precedence. Such as Zoey getting reacquainted with Luca—and realizing that her love for him hasn’t died. There is also the fact that someone broke in and ransacked her place, including upending her beloved plants. Is it just a random break-in, or is someone looking for something they think Zoey has?

FORGET WHAT YOU KNOW is a tense thriller with as many twists and turns as a winding mountain road. Readers will kind of get a hint early on of what the mysterious people might be after and how it involves Zoey. She, however, is oblivious and thinks the accident was just a random hit-and-run. But her mother knows better and takes off to get some answers, leaving Luca in charge of Zoey because she feels he would protect her. They fell in love at a young age and married, but his wrestling career and her own burgeoning one as an up-and-coming “plant whisperer” soon has them splitting up. Luca’s mother was happy to see Zoey leave, but partway through this tale, she shows up. How will the reception be? Why is she there?

Meanwhile, Luca and Zoey start to reconnect again, similar to when they first fell in love. But Luca is hiding something from her, namely the reason why he let her walk away from their marriage and why he’s back. I won’t go into the reasons, because it is part of the spoilers. There are certainly plenty of goings-on and intriguing twists in FORGET WHAT YOU KNOW. The heart of the story is a missing Dragon’s Heart. It appears people will kill to get it. Is Zoey the next victim, even though she has no idea what or where it is? Will Luca protect her as he planned? How will the quirky townspeople of Gothic play a part?

I must admit that I hung on to one intriguing crumb in the story that I knew was the key, and turned out to be right. But I wasn’t expecting all the forks in the tale that unfold the deeper I got into reading FORGET WHAT YOU KNOW. It is action-packed and filled with intrigue and quirkiness. If you want a read that keeps you glued to the pages, pick up FORGET WHAT YOU KNOW by Christina Dodd.

Patti Fischer

I had forgotten how amazing of a writer Ms Dodd is… I couldn’t stop myself from reading the next page, the next chapter…
I loved the undercurrents between Zoey and her ex-husband, as well as the action that had me unable to relax into my sofa!

An ancient statue of a dragon with a ruby heart, a body pulled from a drained lake, and a woman who has a magic way with flowers; three story-lines twine together in this immensely satisfying closed door romantic suspense. Zoey is on her way back to her home in Gothic when she is deliberately T-boned and badly injured. Her mother believes the hit and run is because of a past she has never revealed to Zoey. Before her mother sets out to remove the danger, she arranges for someone to guard Zoey. The last person Zoey wants to see is her ex - and she doesn’t realize he, too, is hiding a deadly secret. With her trademark humor, tightly woven plot and the mystical setting of Gothic, Dodd delivers a story with rich characters and plenty of action. I especially enjoyed glimpses into the world of flower breeding and Luca’s formidable mother. Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is a twisty tale set in Gothic, where odd happenings are a regular thing. There's a lot going on at once and it takes a bit to keep it all straight. I love the quirky characters that live in Gothic and was happy to see them again in this story. The mystery kept me guessing until the end. I loved Zoey and her way with flowers, and that Luca is determined to win her back. Zoey's parents have a convoluted history of their own, and there's a question there that never gets answered, but all in all it's a fun, interesting, and satisfying read.

Zoey is injured in a hit and run she was lucky to survive and her Mother insists Luca, her ex husband, come take care of her and protect her because she has mysterious business to attend to. They are unable to contact her Mother after she leaves and wondering why someone would want to hurt her. Zoey. This story is set in an unusual town with a lot of quirky characters. There is suspense, romance along with some humor. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

A story with lots of humor, suspense and Romance. Luca a retired wrestler and Zoey who can make flowers grow are divorced but he comes to her rescue when bad guys and girls are after her. Throw in a Italian Mother and lots of other quirky characters and you have a fun read.

Christina Dodd has done it again! She has created a fun, mysterious and romantic story that will keep the reader engaged in the story. The main character is Zoey Pheonix, a flower breeder who has a magical way with plants. When Zoey's car is viscously pushed off the road, her life takes an unexpected turn. Suddenly she is thrust into the mystery of why anyone would try to hurt her as well as the sudden disappearance of her mother. And on top of that.... her mother had sent Zoey's ex-husband to watch over and protect Zoey in her absence. This novel has a wonderful combination of mystery, romance and adventure. Oh yeah.... did I mention the missing Dragon's Heart statue? Lots of fun!!!

This is a well written, sometimes funny, sometimes insightful, sometimes suspenseful and sometimes a family drama and a love story. Whlle the style wasn't my favorite, I think a lot of people will enjoy it

Zoey is a genius when it comes to raising flowers. Her ex-husband is a retired boxer. Both of their lives are in danger from unknown sources. Greed abounds when a priceless gem is discovered at the bottom of a lake and Zoey has ties to it she doesn't remember. I love the town of Gothic, it's quirky citizens, the suspense and the romance!