Innocent Intent by K.C. Mills

Pub Date Jun 25 2024

When a wife becomes the prime suspect in her husband’s murder, this criminal psychologist must forget everything she thought she knew in order to clear her name.

For a whodunnit/thriller, I felt it was very well done. The way the characters were introduced and how the author allowed us to see them through the MC’s perspective also helped move the storyline forward. However, the development of the relationship between Cassidy and Nathaniel didn’t feel believable to me, especially considering what Cassidy had just gone through and Nathaniel’s character. It seemed that this aspect was rushed to add some 🌶️🌶️ to the storyline. Although I am not sure it was entirely necessary for this particular book, its inclusion didn’t take anything away from the plot.

Overall, it was an enjoyable and well-written read. Lovers of psychological thrillers are likely to enjoy this one.

Rating: ★ ★ ★/5

#BlackOdysseyMedia #NetGalley #ARC

While reading this book, I was on pins and needles trying to figure out who the real killer was. At first I just knew that the wife was guilty of the crime because she found out that her husband was cheating on her, but it was an amazing plot twist that kept twisting and turning as we got closer to the end of the book. Phenomenal book!

After her husbandis found murdered, criminal psychologist, Cassidy becomes the main suspect in his death. With motive and opportunity, Cassidy must work to clear her name.
Detective Davis is determined to find the truth, no matter who he has to interrogate.

I must say those lines started blurring very quickly.

While a good story, it was slightly predictable. I would have liked a more exciting ending.

I believe this is the authors first venture into psychological thrillers and I think she did a good job.

K.C. Mills is one of my favorite authors and I have read several of her romance novels. When I heard that she was going to be releasing a mystery thriller, I was excited. Although my favorite genre to read as of late has been romance, I knew that if K.C. Mills wrote it, the genre did not matter….it was going to be good! And boy was I right.

I loved the suspense, mystery thriller, with a dash of romance. This was a perfect recipe for a book and really took me back to my high school days when I exclusively read murder mystery novels.

The main character in this novel is Cassidy Evans. She was an esteemed criminal psychologist who has been accused of murdering her husband. Now, she must work to prove her innocence.

This story had some unexpected twists and turns and really kept me on my toes! I loved that. The characters were well developed. The plot was superb and well thought out and the story was very engaging (I read the book in just a few days and the pacing was perfect).

Reading this book has reawaken the lover of murder mystery novels in me and I cannot wait to explore this genre more as an adult. I loved K.C. Mills before this, and I am excited to read more of her books in this genre.

Thank you NetGalley and Black Odyssey Media for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

ADDICTIVE!! This riveting and suspenseful debut psychological thriller seamlessly blends elements of mystery and romance, leaving readers guessing until the very end!! I was captivated from the start and devoured this book in one sitting because it was that compelling. Determined to figure out whodunnit and why kept me flipping the pages so fast. As an avid thriller reader, I was impressed by my inability to solve this one! Get ready to be amazed; just when you think you know the culprit, the twists will keep coming and shatter your theories. This is my first read by K.C. Mills and it will not be my last! I cannot wait to read more of her books! Another thriller to add to my favorites list for 2024!! ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

Synopsis:
Cassidy Evans is the blueprint. As a Criminal Psychologist, she is a savant, having spent years solving groundbreaking cases by delving into the minds and behaviors of those driven by darkness. After dedicated fieldwork, Cassidy retires to share her expertise on killers' mentalities as a novelist. Now a published author, she is happily married and spends her time traveling the world, teaching others how to understand twisted minds.

Despite her extensive knowledge, Cassidy overlooks the lies of the person closest to her. When she tags along to a crime scene with an old colleague, she is shocked to discover the victim is her husband. To make matters worse, the victim's identity doesn't match the name on their marriage licenses. Cassidy's world spirals out of control when she becomes the main suspect. Not knowing her husband is the least of her problems; everyone believes she is a murderer, especially lead detective Nathanial Davis.

Cassidy learns that things are never what they seem. How did she end up married to a man she loves but doesn't truly know? Who killed him? Why did he lie to her?

Conclusion:
I thoroughly enjoyed this engrossing and entertaining mystery thriller! I highly recommend and it deserves all the stars!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a really great read. It really flowed and built up nicely. I like how the love story evolved between Cass and Davis. I will say it was predictable to me but it didn’t keep me from enjoying the book.

I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Anyone who knows me knows romantic suspense is my jam. So, when I heard K.C. Mills was jumping into this genre, I immediately requested an ARC and sis did not disappoint. Cassidy Evans is a world-renowned criminal psychologist and bestselling author who finds herself on the other side of the law when her husband is mysteriously murdered. When it’s discovered that he’s been living a double life and having multiple affairs, Cass immediately becomes the prime suspect. With her world turned upside down and no one to trust, she begins to question everything she thought she knew.

Nathaniel Davis is the new detective in town, and he makes it known he’s not there to make friends. Nate said he’s there to close cases and das it. Because Cass has such close working relationship with the detectives of APD, it’s deemed a conflict of interest for any of them to work the case so, Nate is assigned as the lead detective. That does not go over well with his new brothers in blue. He could care less about Cass’ notoriety or popularity with the other detectives. If she’s guilty, he plans to prove it.

The suspense in this book had me on edge the entire time. Every time I thought I knew who the killer was, the author threw curveball that kept me guessing. And, I loved the romance between Cass and Nate. It was a slow burn but, the attraction between them was intense. If you’re a fan of romantic suspense then, Innocent Intent is a must read. It's action packed and it has the perfect balance of romance and suspense. You won’t be disappointed. Congratulations to K.C. Mills on her first traditionally published novel. I hope there are many more in your future. Thank you to Black Odyssey Media and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Seems like an unpopular opinion, but it didn't work for me. It's sad when you are reading a murder mystery and don't care about the person who is being murdered or the killer or the investigation.

It started well. I really liked the childhood story of Cassidy. Actually I was fascinated by the blurb. A woman , a criminal psychologist, becomes the prime suspect of her husband's murder. And I loved the cover, even though I don't really like models on the book cover.

So basically, the wife is the only suspect (till a very long time) and the story is being told from her perspective as well, as she tries to prove herself innocent. After a point, I began to lose interest. The investigator is portrayed as a no nonsense person, who is only focused on his work, not intimidated by anyone. But this thing is mentioned or shown so often that he seems like a snob.

Also Cassidy 's profession, whether it's criminal psychologist or author, doesn't make any difference. She could have been anyone from the department.

And the usage of italics. It's so frequent and unnecessary that it was annoying. We understand the importance of certain words/sentences in certain situations. You don't have to emphasize every other sentence using the italics.

Sadly, I didn't want to know who killed the man or whether or not the wife was innocent.

What would you do if you accompanied a detective friend to a crime scene as a favor just to discover your husband was the victim? However, said husband had a completely different identity that you knew nothing about. Innocent Intent follows criminal psychologist Cassidy as she fights to clear her name as a suspect in her husband’s murder. Lead detective Nathaniel Davis was determined to discover the truth in this case but lines were blurred and him and Cass quickly fell for one another. While I enjoyed this story initially, I felt like it ran out of steam towards the end. It read more like a suspense than a thriller and it felt like the twist was lacking. Overall it was an enjoyable and easy read that I would still recommend.

I was hanging on every chapter as if I was a detective trying to find the clues myself. What would you do if you found out your husband was cheating on you. Let’s take it a step further, not only is your husband cheating on you, he is not who you think he is …or was. The name you thought was your husband’s was in fact not his real name and he has come up murdered. *GASP* Who did you marry? Who killed him? Why did he lie to you?
Put on your detective hat, as you read this story to find out the answers to all these questions and more. Cassidy is a criminal psychologist,who thought she was happily married until she finds out the man she married has been found murdered and she is the prime suspect. While being investigated by her detective colleagues, she will find out the man she married was not real and her past will come back to haunt her.
There is a bit of romance but you are reading to figure out how Cassidy missed so much that was happening right under her nose.

Had me hooked immediately.

I read this book in one sitting, that's how much I loved this story. This thriller with a side of romance was great from beginning to end.

Cassie was being accused of her own husband's murder but that didn't stop her from trying to help solve the case on her own. Considering she was criminal psychologist who investigated with the police department frequently, she definitely put those skills to use. I loved Cassidy's character, I felt for her and was rooting for her the whole time.

Mr. Nate didn't play no games when it came to his case. He was going to investigate anyway he saw fit. Including getting close to Miss Cassidy justtttt to make sure she wasn't the murderer.

One of my favorite parts was Detective Davis' personality when he was at work. He always let them boys have it, he wasn't kissing nobody butt! All he wanted was to do his job and do it well, and I could not blame him one bit. I am glad that he found one person he could trust and confide in, he deserved it.

Anything by K.C. is always going to be an immediate read and this did not disappoint. I can't wait to read more of this genre from her.

This book is ok. For me, it read pretty one note. Nothing was particularly exciting. Early on in the story, I knew who committed the murder and I was right. I wish there were more potential suspects. With the cast of characters being so small, it limited the authors ability to point the finger at more people which made the culprit obvious.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced eARC.

My first K. C. Mills book and it most definitely will not be my last. I can’t believe I waited so long to dive into her world.

This is my first book by this author and it won’t be the last one. Romance and thriller. Didn’t know I needed it. This book has my hooked from the start and I couldn’t put the book down. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time reading.

I liked it! It was nice to get the dual POVs and a little bit of background on both characters and their tortured pasts. I didn’t get the coffee joke and kinda guessed who did it halfway through but it was a good plot!

Plot twist after plot twist Mills will keep you guessing until the very end. Loneliness will have you seeking love from someone who you least expect to be with.

Love! Love! Love! I’ve read a lot of KC books and I really enjoyed this psychological thriller with a subplot of romance. The story was quick pace and engaging!

The story enticed me from the very beginning and forced me to turn into a detective while reading the book. I thoroughly enjoy thriller and crime shows and this book read like one. I would highly recommend this book for those that love crime/mystery with a splash of romance. I was able to determine early one who the killer was, but the details that unfolded in the story still made it enjoyable.

I was so excited excited to see a mystery thriller from K.C. Mills! This was everything I wanted it to be and more. Very good plot with the right amount of twists. I could not put this book down. Oh and I loved the romance aspect that was sprinkled in too!! I’m so glad that I read this one and I’m looking forward to more thrillers from Mills as well!

This was a great murder mystery with a side of romance.

Dr. Cassidy Evans, a brilliant criminal psychologist and bestselling author, finds herself to be the prime suspect in the murder investigation of a man that she knows as her loving husband but has been identified by a name she’s never heard before.

Nathaniel Davis, the “newbie” detective is assigned lead to the murder investigation where Cassidy is his prime suspect. Detective Davis, very much attractive and confident in his work ethics, digs through Cassidy’s past to uncover secrets that can tell him if she is as innocent as she and his colleagues claim her to be.

I really enjoyed the chemistry building between Cassidy and Davis. K.C. Mills does a great job at keeping you invested in “whodunit” and why.

The things I didn’t like: This was engaging but didn’t feel like a thriller. And the main characters are presented as specialists in their careers but their actions didn’t always reflect that, which made some events seem a bit unrealistic.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. Thank you to NetGalley and Black Odyssey Media for the ARC!