Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. I wasn't a fan of this book. The whole crime scene cleaner actually creeped me out. I thought it wouldn't play such a big part of the story.

Reading Between the Wines book review #104/115 for 2023:
Rating: 3.5 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book: The Cleaner
Author: Kiersten Modglin
Re-Releases in audio on Aug 29, 2023!

Sipping thoughts: The love Gunner and Reagan have for each other is, like the young kids say, hashtag goals. So what in the world would make Gunnar want to leave the love of his life? I never imagined what would have made him leave like he did, and the reason he had to return is even more twisty. This was a good start to a series that I can't wait to complete. The last 20% was rather surprising but in normal KMod fashion. Can't wait to pick up The Messes #2.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @DreamscapeAudio for an advanced copy of @TheCleaner.

#TheCleaner #KierstenModglin #DreamscapeAudio #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

Gunner knows the stench of death - he's the one they call to clean up after a dead body is found after all. When he smells death in his apartment building and his neighbour is confirmed dead, Gunner is pushed into visiting the hometown he was determined never to set foot in again. While there, he will come face to face with she who he has been avoiding. 

This was unlike the typical Kiersten Modglin book I'm used to. The ones I have read have all been thrillers so when there was a touch of romance added to the mix, I was a little thrown. And yes, you'd think I would have figured it out judging by our pretty boy book cover! Thrillers and romance are my favourite genres though so I was all for the amalgamation. The narration of this audiobook from all parties was great and I loved all the twists in the storyline, which the author is renowned for.

This is a classic second-chance romance, full of turmoil. Reagan and Gunner were best friends in high school. He was the bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks with a family that was experiencing many dreadful things, whereas she was the good girl from a loving home. Despite their youth, they were hopelessly in love. Then a major misunderstanding occurs, and Gunner uses it as his excuse to leave town and never return.

The story was suspenseful throughout the book and the narrator did a great job.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC audiobook!

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Read it all in one sitting. There is a mix of romance and mystery in this, plus a little suspense at the end. I loved the romance part.

The revelations are shocking. I didn’t see them coming. It does feel like a crazy amount of revelations. Nothing is revealed for the first 75% and then suddenly bam, bam, bam. Gunner had a horrible family life.

The audio was amazing. The anxiety and the heartbreak is conveyed perfectly.

<i> Gunner James is good at death.

An expert.

His job is to clean up the messes no one else can.

But behind that tough exterior, Gunner has a few secrets of his own.

Eight years ago, Gunner left his hometown and vowed to never look back. When his past collides with his present in the form of a familiar face, Gunner must return home to take care of one final mess...

the woman he left behind.


Reagan Orrick knows heartbreak.

Eight years ago, the love of her life disappeared without a trace or goodbye.

In his absence, she has fought to build a life she can be proud of.

When tragedy strikes, Reagan must go it alone or make a choice to trust the man who shattered her heart once again.

Their secrets can save or destroy them...but only the truth will allow them to be cleaned. </i>

I’ve read and enjoyed a few of Modglin’s books now, so I was eager to dive into this one. Unfortunately, as I got further into it, it was even more eager to just be done with it. I’m still not sure exactly what I listened to. Was it a romance? Was it a suspense? Did it even know? Did any of it make sense? Were we really just going to ignore what happened to Reagan by a certain male character?

I kind of wish I’d decided to DNF this one. Modglin has plenty of other great ones to check out that I will recommend instead, though.

Rachel L. Jacobs, Heather Costa, and Chris Andrew Ciulla did a nice job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you Kiersten Modglin, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for providing this ALC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

I went into this book completely blind and was surprised to find it to be a love story. The chapters alternate between main characters and also past and present. Just when I thought it was going to be a sweet reunion, BAMMM, KMod came back with the suspenseful twists and turns. The narrators were great and I did not see any of the last half coming straight for me. Loved it. Can't wait to see what's next since it's the first book in "The Messes Series".

Thank you to NetGalley, Kiersten Modglin and Dreamscape Media for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Boy meets girl. Girl helps draw boy out of his shell, constructed due to his toxic dysfunctional family home. Boy allows his heart to be opened. Boy misinterprets a situation and runs away. Eight years later, through a sad event, he returns. Seeing each other again rocks their world. What will they do? Can past hurts be healed? Can it be forgiven? The reader finds themselves rooting for them, and saddened at all the hurt and trauma they’ve endured.

This is a story mixed with shock, surprises, and sweet tender love.

The narration is well done. It’s very nice to have the narration be done by more than one person the way this was done.

The Cleaner is a story of Gunner, who is a crime scene cleaner. It is prevalent in the first part of the book but that’s really the only time it’s discussed. He discovers a dead body and that causes him to return to his hometown that he left 8 years ago, severing contact with everyone there. The story goes back in time to explain why he left town without another word. Honestly the reason really upset me because of his reaction and lack of communication. There is some suspense and mystery in the story. It also discusses some hard topics so check content warnings. The narrators were fine, not my favorite but they were okay.

I requested this audiobook without reading the description, thinking it would be another KMod thriller. I don’t usually like romances so I wasn’t sure what to expect.

This had a lot of romance tropes - grumpy x sunshine, second chance romance, miscommunication. It probably would have been closer to a 4 but there a few big plot holes I couldn’t get over. I don’t want to give spoilers but they involved his brother and sister, and especially his brother.

Overall an entertaining story, I liked the narrators a lot, and check your trigger warnings.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

Loved the male narrator, but the woman was a bit jarring to switch to as the style felt different. I think my expectations for this book weren't quite right, this does a lot of unconventional things I didn't anticipate.

This is the first book I’ve listened to by this author, and it won’t be the last. The Cleaner is chocked full of suspense with a side of romance. So many twists and turns! Just when you think you know what’s going on…bam, it’s something else. It looks like the series has been out for awhile and it’s being released as an audiobook. I am not familiar with the narrators, but they did a great job. NetGalley provided an Audiobook to review for an honest opinion, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Cleaner by Kiersten Modglin
(Narrated by Rachel L. Jacobs; Heather Costa; Chris Andrew Ciulla)

I love this story plot! Suspenseful and twisty.

Gunner was a cleaner. His job was to clean up the mess after the dead bodies removed. He didn’t expect to see the body in his apartment which was familiar…and he decided to go back to his old home that he left 8 years ago. A place that he never wanted to go back…

Gunner and Reagan were collage lovers. Gunner broke Reagan’s heart and disappeared in her life without a word eight years ago. Now Gunner stood at Reagan’s doorstep. The secrets they were hiding created the tension of the story.

Leave or stay? Forgive or forget?

Kiersten never disappoints psychological thriller readers. Never. The little hints in the story plot, the perfect lace, the development of the characters and the twists are well-crafted.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Kiersten Modglin for the audiobook.

Format: Audiobook (7h13m)
Pub date: Aug 29, 2023

For me, The Cleaner is a very average romance book that is saved by having a unique final quarter.

I found myself getting very aggravated while reading The Cleaner. The story follows Gunner who returns home after 8 years. Gunner returned because he found a dead body that he recognized. The body was the sister of the love of his life, Reagan. After returning home the book goes through multiple timelines that show you how Gunner and Reagan's relationship began and how they ended up where they are now.

They were a very cliche relationship. He was the bad boy she shouldn’t be with but loved him anyway. They are happy together and then an event happens that I won’t spoil that causes Gunner to leave. When you find out all the details this was absolutely infuriating. If he loved her the way he claims he did there is no way he leaves without ever contacting her. I had a hard time getting passed this.

The final quarter of this book was the strongest for me. The conclusion played out like a thriller. It was exciting and heart-pounding. The writing for this part was so strong that I would love to read a thriller by Modglin.

This is the first book in The Messes series. I will definitely continue on to the next one and see how this series continues.

Thank you to @netgalley for the advanced audio of The Cleaner by Kiersten Modglin! I blew through this book during my workday today and here are my thoughts:

🍷 I didn’t know this was a re-release until I was done reading but in hindsight you can definitely see how this book influenced The Reunion (especially those tender and messy flashback kids-in-love scenes)! The Reunion is my favorite book by Modglin so I loved seeing more of that!

💋 I kept waiting for normal twists and thriller action to pop up but at about 65% I chalked this book up to being straight romance. Not necessarily bad but also not what I expect from KMod. It really felt like a Coho book.

👀 Some suspense/slight thriller action does come in towards the end but it felt so out of left field!

😬 I really disliked the male narrator on the audio. He was fine when he was portraying the male main character but everyone else was a little rough. There were some moments where his choices actually made me cringe.

All in all, this is a fine book but you can definitely tell it was one of her earlier works. It was still really fun for me to see how far she’s come because I really do love this author!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was not your typical romance novel. I enjoyed the characters and the twists and turns throughout. It really kept me guessing.

This was such an addicting listen!! It was so good! I really loved the past and present timelines and the intricate characters in the story. I was rooting for Gunner and Regan. I was really shaken by the ending. I really enjoyed the twists and turns that this story had.
The narrators, Rachel L. Jacobs, Heather Costa, and Chris Andrew Ciulla did a phenomenal job!! Together they elevated the story and kept me engaged till the very end.

I highly recommend this book to lovers of romance mystery suspense.

Probably my favorite Modglin book so far! The romance, the suspense, the twists! So perfect! I didn’t know how much I needed a Modglin romance in my life and I’m so hoping for many more books from her like this one.

Thanks to #Netgalley #DreamscapeMedia for the ARC #TheCleaner by #KierstenModglin. Although romance is not my fav genre, I really enjoyed this book. It did have some thrilling parts, but it tied in well with the love story. Honestly, anything by Kiersten is amazing.