The ending took a turn. I felt as if it was a romance book that turned into suspense thiller the last few chapters

Gunner and Regan are reunited due to an unfortunate death. Gunner returns home. A home he left a long time ago. He has family secrets that he never wanted to rehash.
Regan is pissed at Gunner. They used to be high school sweethearts and Gunner 8 yrs ago just left and never said why. Regan has a secret of her own that involves Gunner

3⭐️ 2🌶️ 4🎧

As someone who primarily reads romance I was so excited to see KMods take on it. Unfortunately I was a bit underwhelmed.

Anyone who knows me that my biggest trigger in books is FMCS that are TSTL and unfortunately Reagan fit that category. For someone who kept insisting she wasn’t a princess she had an incredibly naive view of the world that frustrated me to no end.

The saving grace of this book was Gunner. Yes, he absolutely made a mistake when he left. But he thought all of his worst fears had come true. When he returned he never resented her for her choices and just wanted her happiness, even if it wasn’t with him. He was amazing. I love him so much.

In typical KMod fashion things really kicked into high gear in the last 25% and I was shocked by so much of what happened.

I really wish that his job as a bio hazard cleaner played a more prominent roll on this book. It sounded so interesting and I wouldn’t mind if she wrote a full on domestic thriller with a character with this job.

I listened to the audiobook and though the narrators did a wonderful job.

I really enjoyed this book. It is the first romance (it was more of a romantic thriller) that I have read by Kiersten. I have loved her thrillers and this one did not disappoint! I loved the second chance romance with a. twist! It kept me engaged and I felt connected to the characters and I was rooting for them the whole time!

I have recently discovered Kiersten Modglin and have yet to read one of her books and feel disappointed. This one was no different. The Cleaner kept me engaged and intrigued throughout the whole book. It was a fantastic listen! Solid 4 stars!

The Messes #1
The Cleaner
Kiersten Modglin
Gunner James is a Cleaner. He cleans crime scenes. Due to a misunderstanding Gunner left his hometown eight years ago and vowed to never return. However, that changed. He returned home to the woman he left behind to relay the news, her sister had died. A surprise awaited him in his hometown. He had a child. Eight years ago he and Reagan declared their love for each other. Then Gunner disappeared. She tried to find him to no avail. Life goes on. Reagan made a life for her and her child, his child. She tried to love someone else but as soon as she saw Gunner she knew he still held her heart.
I liked Gunner. I liked Reagan. I liked them together. I was thrilled when he returned to town. Then it became convoluted. The reason he left was revealed. The dynamics of his family was exposed. There were things he didn’t know. Ok I get all of that but this could have been a nice romance with a happy ever after ending. But all the drama was in the last 1/4th of the book and it ruined the mood. This book had great potential but for me…it failed.

Heavy on the romance with a sprinkle of mystery and suspense.

If you're a fan of second-chance romance this is a novel for you!

Gunner came from a troubled home, where he tried his best to protect his siblings from their abusive parents. It wasn't until he met Reagan that he was shown love and acceptance. However, a misunderstanding caused their relationship to fall apart. Eight years later, Gunner and Reagan are reunited due to an unexpected event. Can they make amends with their past?

I wanted more mystery and suspense from the story, but I enjoyed the romance.
I would recommend it to fans of romance.

*** Thank you to NetGalley, Kiersten Modglin, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.**

The story line was slow however I still enjoyed this book quite a bit. It was a little bit sexy & touched on some real trauma. It even had a twist I didn't see coming. There were some moments towards the end that I felt played too quickly. I wish the author would have expanded on some moments a little bit more because I enjoy the psychology of the characters.

This was my first trip down the Kiersten Modglin road and I'm happy to say I am hooked. I'll be looking for more of her books in the future.

The Cleaner was a really well written second chance romance with a touch of drama and mystery blended in. Gunner returns to his hometown to deliver bad news to his former girlfriend, Reagan. But while he's there, other secrets are uncovered and there's much more to process and deal with that he bargained on. And it seems he and Reagan may just still have feelings for one another. Of course, there's no guarantee that they'll act on said "feelings."
To complicate things, there are some mysteries and unknowns just waiting to rear their heads at the most inconvenient time.

I listened the the audiobook and it was done really well. I found myself pulled into the storyline and held in its thrall. I couldn't wait to finish the book and see how it ended. Very well done. 5 stars

The severe lack of trigger warnings was alarming to the point I couldn't get through it. Authors need to be much more cautious with sensitive topics like SA

This book started out so well! I was invested in the story I needed to know what the heck was going on and what made him leave his home town, his family and his high school sweetheart.

About midway through is when it all fell apart for me. And it just didn’t get better. I won’t go into a lot of detail but I felt that a certain decision he was was very extreme and what transpired after that just had me rolling my eyes.

I read this book via audio and I thought that the narrators did a really good job, it was an easy listen. Thanks to NetGalley for the #gifted copy

This was such a good romantic suspense! There was so much questioning and angst with a side of sweetness that made it so well-rounded.

I could not stop listening. The opening started with a bang. It's written in present day with some flashbacks but flows so well. There are lots of twists and several big surprises.

Their turmoil with their past really made you feel for them. It's written so well that you have such a connection to the characters.

The only part I was like ahh man on lol was their reconnection. Without spoiling, it was just too sudden for me.

Other than that, I devoured this book and can't wait to read more in the series.

Thank you, @netgalley @kierstenmodglinauthor
& @dreamscape_media for allowing me to review this Audio ARC. The narrators: Rachel L. Jacobs; Heather Costa; Chris Andrew Ciulla...did a phenomenal job.

3.5 Stars

This book was not what I expected. I hadn't really read a synopsis before, so when it started I thought this was going to be more of a thriller all about Gunner who is a crime scene cleaner. I was surprised when the story took a turn and ended up being more about second chances. That being said I still really enjoyed it and it kept me listening. I liked the narrators and the dual storyline. It was a quick read.

Thanks, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ARC audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The suspense in this book was great! The flashbacks throughout the book really made the story griping and heartbreakingly sad. I felt for this couple throughout the whole book and was so happy to see them get a happy ending.

Gunner is a crime scene cleaner. He comes home one night and can smell a dead body. Turns out he knows who the deceased is. He goes back to his hometown where he left his high school sweetheart Reagan behind after a misunderstanding that left him so heartbroken that he had to leave town as fast as he could. Now we get to flash back to before when Gunner and Reagan were first together and what transpired to have him leave.

I requested this book because of the author and because I liked the title. I thought it was going to be more about his job as a crime scene cleaner but it was not. The first chapter had me hooked, then when I realized it was more of a reconnecting romance I was a little disappointed but it ended up being a really good story. It did have some mystery of what happened to “Holly” the dead girl. There were twists and turns that had my head spinning. However this book is supposed to be book one in a series and I have no idea how this story can be added to because I feel it ended the way it was meant to end.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape media for an ARC audiobook. The narrators did a perfect job portraying the characters.

My first "romance" by Modglin and definitely not my last! I, seriously, love all of her books!! This was such a great read! Gunner and Reagan were such a great, complicated couple. I really enjoyed this well developed story. I listened to the audiobook along with the ebook. The audiobook was so nicely done with the narrators. So enjoyable!!

*Thank you @dreamscape_media for the #gifted audiobook in exchange for an honest review.*

"Death was easy. Life was where things grew complicated."

Gunner's life is complicated and very twisty in book 1 of The Messes series, The Cleaner by prolific author Kiersten Modglin.

Gunner cleans up crime scenes; he gets rid of blood stains in the carpets and walls. The last thing he expects is to be at a crime scene of the death of Holly, the sister of his ex-girlfriend Reagan. It's 8 years since he left, since she broke his heart. Now he's back where his step siblings died in a fire. Reagan's moved on but she has a secret and as the truth about Holly's death comes to light Gunner realizes his family has some messed up secrets too.

I loved that this story has an awesome romance with its twists and whiplash turns. Narrators rachel L. Jacobs and Heather Costa bring all the love lorn angst. Now Chris Andrew Ciulla had me girl fanning with his deep sexy baritone whispery voice when he says, "I don't want to be a kid with you. I want to be a man." He's bad boy with a good heart personified. He has my vote to narrate every romantic lead. The Cleaner will leave your libido a bit messed up but your heart will be all clear.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Dreamscape Media via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Such a great listen!

First of all, there's no one better than Kiersten Modglin when it comes to fast paced, twisty thrillers. The Cleaner was no exception to the rule. From page one I was hooked. The narration was great! This audiobook had 3 different narrators and all 3 were fantastic. I literally hit play and I was fully immersed in Gunners world!

Thank you KMod, and NetGalley for an audiobook version of The Cleaner for an honest review.

The PERFECT mesh of love story, drama, and thriller. I did the audiobook version of this one and I absolutely did not want to stop listening!

Gunner is a crime scene cleaner in New York, but once he lived in his hometown with the love of his life, Reagan. When something terrible happens, his only choice is to run away, start a life over somewhere else. However, as life has it, tragedy strikes and finds himself returning home and has clean up a mess he made himself 8 years prior. Will the past destroy them or save them?

Kierstin Modglin did it again for sure, quickly becoming on of my favorite authors. If thrillers were missing a love-story and that’s why you didn’t enjoy them, you absolutely must give this book a try. Romantic suspense? She absolutely crushed it!

As always with KM, immediately got my attention and was a quick read.

Enjoyed the dual narration of Gunner and Reagan, and the dual timelines.

He definitely has an interesting job. And there was a lot to unpack, both between them and each individually.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the Arc. This audio captured me from the beginning. The narrators were fabulous. I could picture Gunner in my head with that voice. The story was well written and I can not wait for the second book. A must listen.