Thank you to NetGallery and Dreamscape media for the audio version of The Cleaner. I love this cover so much more than the alternative covers I have seen. I listened to the revised edition set to release August 29. Not sure what changed except the cover but overall this has been my favorite Kiersten Modglin book. I see there are others in the series and must check them out. I was a little skeptical at first that this was so outlandish but I kept listening and it all made sense in the end. Very solid listening experience both narrators were wonderful! Being named the Cleaner I also wanted or thought the book would go into more details about Gunners life as a Cleaner but really it was only important in the first few chapters.

I have a lot of Modglin's books but none of this series, which I will promptly add too. She never disappoints!!!

Gunner James is a cleaner. He cleans up after crime scenes. He left home eight years ago after Reagan broke his heart. Something happened that broke both of them, and he left before she could explain.

When he discovers someone dead in his apartment building he finds someone who connects him to his past. When Gunner sees Reagan a secret is revealed which will tie them together? Reagan is engaged and has a daughter.

I loved everything about this audio. Thank you Dreamscape Media, and Netgalley for this audio. Off to order the series.

Fantastic as always.

I listened to the entire audiobook in one day... just could not stop listening. It was a smooth ride until about 75% and then chaos ensued. I see that this is a mess series so now I have to see where she takes the other characters.

Overall - very enjoyable!

Book Title: The Cleaner
Author: Kiersten Modglin
Series: The Messes Book #2
Narrators: Rachel L. Jacobs, Heather Costa, and Chris Andrew Ciulla
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Audiobook re-release Pub Date: August 29, 2023 ~ Original Pub Date was: June 1, 2018
My Rating: 3.5 rounded up
Pages: 270

Story told then and now from the POV of Gunner and Regan.
Gunner is a crime scene cleaner - the one who cleans-up any signs of death that remain after the body is gone.
He swore eight years ago that he would never return to his hometown. However, when the death of his neighbor turns out to be someone he knew, he believes he has to return.

Gunner James and Reagan Orrick were high school sweethearts; she- the good girl; he - the bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks. They were in love but something happens and Gunner leaves town and Reagan is heartbroken.

This is my twenty-second Kiersten Modglin! Yep! I am a member of the K-Mod Squad psychological thriller fan club! Have to admit that I was disappointed that this was much more on the romantic side than a thriller. Although I would have preferred more twists and turns, I loved both Gunner and Reagan and ended up liking this more than I thought!
Glad that the ending did have some typical K-Mod twists.

Want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for granting me this audiobook.
Audiobook re-release Date scheduled for August 29, 2023.

I finished this book in one long drive! Normally when something goes from present to past tense a lot I dread reading the book, but this gave the perfect amount of detail on both story lines and kept me entertained the whole way!

🎧 Audio Review 🎧

I received this audiobook from NetGalley. I picked it because it sounded so interesting, I mean a book with a Crime Scene Cleaner just caught me attention BUT much to my disappointment he didn't work for even 1 minute in this book. I mean why name it Cleaner and act like his career is a part of the book when it is not. I was very disappointed with that.

The Suspense:
I enjoyed the first half of this book, I liked that time jumping because you get the whole story and I enjoyed this couple when they were teenagers. I didn't love the 2nd half of this book, it felt like it was so obvious and it just had too many things going on to make what happened believable. I think it felt a little like the author was just going for shock value but sadly I wasn't shocked at all.

The Romance:
They were a much better couple as teenagers than they were adults. I felt like it was just to easy for them to jump right back into love after 8 years and a lot of misunderstandings. I would have expected the trust to be hard to gain again but nope these two just loved each other instantly and it took about 1 day to full trust each other and jump right back into where they left off. I guess I just needed more work to get back into things.

The male narrator reads more than the 2 female narrators. He was a good narrator and did a fine job but he didn't really make a difference to the story. Sometimes a great narrator can help a book I am struggling with but he did not. The female narrators did a good job. I do not know who was who but I enjoyed the narrator for Reagan, she did great with the emotions. The narrator for Gia was also really good especially because her character is very chaotic.

I love Modglin's writing and I love romantic suspense so I have no idea why I waited so long to read this!!

A crime scene cleaner as the MC worked so well. I loved the dual POV dual timeline.

This was sepulcher a fast book with so much going on. I really enjoyed it and definitely didn't see some parts coming.

Thanks tNetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook. I thought this was a very romance book until the twist. The twist was unpredictable in my opinion and it definitely changed the dynamic of the book, I thought it was really good in thriller world but in romance world I was bored. I thought the “forgiveness” part of the book was too easy and really co-dependent red flags. But overall it wasn't a bad book. I thought the female narrator was great but the male narrator annoyed me most while he imitated other characters dialogue.

This book had twist and turns but in the good way. It kept you entertained and wanting more. I can't wait for more.

You will go through so many emotions in this book and yet love the roller-coaster while on it.

It has secrets, lies and drama and to top it off betrayal. Wow

Wow, this was SO different from every other Kiersten Modglin book I've read. I would say that fans of Colleen Hoover's style of writing/novels will definitely be a fan of The Cleaner. This had a lot of depth and some complex storylines riddled with trauma. This was definitely not a light book, but it had me intrigued from front to back. I sped through this because I was so enamored with the main characters. I loved the way the POVs hopped back in the timeline to develop the relationship between Gunner and Reagan. That was honestly my favorite part of the book - learning about how they fell in love and fell apart only to rediscover each other years later through crazy circumstances. One thing I do wish we had gotten more of was Gunner's job as a cleaner. I thought since that was the title that his job would be the focus and I was fascinated by it but felt we didn't get enough of that aspect to name the entire book after it. I would have loved to hear more about that. Otherwise, I thought this book was great and look forward to the next in the series! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this full cast recording on this book! It was cast very well and incredibly easy to listen to quickly. I really enjoyed the premise of this story and how it was more about romance than psychological thrillers like most of this authors other books. I really can’t wait to continue the series when they get released for audiobook format! If you like twisty romances, definitely check this book out!

The Messes, book 1–Gunner James left his small hometown eight years ago and now works in New York. When a tragedy oddly occurs, he returns to face his past. Reagan Orrick never had the chance to leave, and what started out feeling like a second chance romance to me, turns to something more sinister. I loved the huge revelations, twists and danger. There is a shift between past and present, assumptions and truth, lies and betrayal. I could not stop listening! The narrators all did a great job, and the several characters in the story were quite distinct. This book sets up the characters for the next books in the series, and I am totally invested in finding out what happens to them. Looking forward to Jesse’s story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Audio for the audio review copy.

Gunner James cleans up messes no one else can. He is tough, but inside he has secrets. Eight years ago, he left his hometown, never to return. However, when his past and present collide Gunner must return home and deal with the woman he left behind.

Reagan Orrick knows the ins and outs of heartbreak. Eight years ago, the man she was in love with left town without saying goodbye. However, she persevered and created a life she is proud of. When disaster strikes, Reagan has to decide whether she will deal with it alone or trust the man that once broke her heart.

Wow, Kiersten Modglin has done it again! While this is not a psychological thriller, it is still suspenseful. Modglin does a fantastic job of building and maintaining suspense throughout the book. The point of view switches back and forth between Gunner and Reagan and the narrators make it clear which character is talking throughout the story. I highly recommend it to fans of Kiersten Modglin and those that like suspense with a little romance. I give it 4/5 stars!

Oh my God I absolutely loved this book. I think it’s my new favorite Kiersten Modglin book.

As usual, Kiersten gets right to the point, you won’t find any fluff or filler in her books. There are no unnecessary words for chapters. She gives you nothing but solid content.

I absolutely loved all of the characters and loved to hate the villains in the book. It was so well done and had me feeling a wide array of emotions.

I’m completely drained and I regret nothing.

Wow, just wow. This is a book that I will always recommend.

While K Mod has a style all of her own, but at times pieces of the story gave me Colleen Hoover vibes mixed in with a little Jennifer Hillier…which I loved.

KMod proves once again that she doesn’t only box herself into the genre of domestic thrillers…she can craft a beautifully written romance with lots of twists, and turns along with complex family dynamics.

Can you give books standing ovations? No?! Ok well how about a glowing review instead. 😉

Gunner is a cleaner who cleans up crime scenes. While he is good at cleaning up messy situations, there's one he still needs to clean up from his past. The woman who's heart he broke 10 years ago.

I enjoyed the narration. I enjoyed the first half of this book verses the second. It felt rushed and it wasn't a huge crazy twist that I usually expect from this author. But I will also listen to her books. She's hand down one of the best thriller authors to listen to on audiobook!!

3.5⭐️

I’m still not entirely sure what I think about The Cleaner even though I finished it a few days ago. I have come to the conclusion that I liked it but did not love it. I think the narrating helped me like it, I’m not sure if I read the book that I would have felt compelled to keep reading because it wasn’t exactly fast paced. It was part romance, part suspense, part thriller. Former high-school couple Gunner and Reagan are reunited 8 years after Gunner abruptly left his hometown and Reagan behind. The how and why he left slowly emerges, as well on how the intervening years for both of them have gone in general. The big question is will they or won’t they rekindle a friendship (or even a romance)? There are several twists and turns which you could not see coming, yet I felt like maybe there were just too many twists and turns. At the end I just felt a bit confused and wasn’t exactly sure of all the details. I was also a bit confused by the title ‘The Cleaner’. We know Gunner is a crime scene cleaner as there’s several references to this but there’s not any actual crime scene cleaning taking place and I didn’t feel like the title was a metaphor either.

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape for an advanced copy of the audio book in exchange for an honest review!
This book was just ok for me. I went in completely blind but also thinking it was a psychological thriller because every book I've read by Kiersten Modglin was that genre. While this book did have some twists towards the end, it was definitely not the fast paced thriller I was expecting. Most of the book was slow paced back story about Gunner and Reagan's high school romance. I thought there would be more about the job, Gunner, has as a crime scene cleaner. Unfortunately (for me at least) there were only a few references to the job in the book.
If you're looking for a dual timeline romance with a bit of mystery, Reagan and Gunner's story is for you! If you're looking for more of a fast paced psychological thriller that Kiersten Modglin is known and loved for, maybe skip this one.

Prepare to be thoroughly captivated by a literary journey that defies expectations at every turn. This book, crafted by a masterful author, showcases their ability to expertly weave a tale that keeps even the most seasoned readers on their toes.

Just when you think you've unraveled the intricate plot, a surprising twist emerges, reminding us of the author's uncanny talent for keeping us guessing. The emotional depth of the story goes beyond the norm, tugging at heartstrings and creating an immersive experience like no other.

The heightened drama and unexpected developments are seamlessly intertwined, and the ending wraps around you like a comforting embrace, leaving an indelible mark on your literary soul. This is not just a book, but an enchanting symphony of emotions and revelations that will resonate with you long after you've turned the final page.

A must-read for those who appreciate the art of storytelling in its most dynamic and compelling form.

The Cleaner is a deeply unserious book, but it’s also not unenjoyable. This story moves at a breakneck pace and can’t seem to decide if it’s a romance or a thriller. It’s goofy and over the top, but I think this campiness is the kind of thing a lot of readers love.

Started out really good. I was all in…
Unfortunately, this book quickly devolves into ridiculous nonsense. I didn’t like Gunner. His choices were pointless and unrealistic.

I don’t want to trash this book, because in 2018 when it came out, I would have eaten this book up. But, the romance tropes I liked when I was younger are not interesting to me anymore. This was so much unnecessary drama, bad choices and strange plot choices for shock value.