Bleeding Hearts
By Dana Louise Provo
A new adult romantic suspense novel
Published by Clean Reads
Orphaned at an early age, now twenty-four-year-old Camryn Lucks is ready to commit to find that special someone, and so accepts a date from a charming, gallant, handsome stranger. The last thing she imagines after accepting that first date with Carson would actually be the beginning of her worst nightmare.
Red roses, a reminder of her parents' killer, soon become an emblem of horror for Cami as one by one, those closest to her fall victim to a serial killer. Cami becomes an obsession for Carson, the man she had finally allowed herself to love. Not only is he vying for her heart, but also her life.
Finding herself in a whirlwind of torments shadowed by the blood-colored bloom, Cami finds solace in Isaac, a neighboring police officer. She’s desperate to escape the haunting memories, but she must revisit them in order to catch her would-be killer. Living life in constant fear has driven Cami to second-guess every choice she makes. Will the police catch the illusive murderer, or will Cami be forced to face him once again?
While I would consider this one more thriller than romance or suspense, it is a page-turning read. It's a bit different from most books in the genre in that we know who the antagonist is from the very beginning with a heart-pounding opener, and then the story is told in bits and pieces with flashbacks. I do prefer to be left in the dark about the whodunit/who's behind it all element, mostly because I enjoy the puzzle as I try to figure it all out, but we do get some interesting twists in the story as everything comes together. The romance aspect is more secondary or even tertiary to everything else going on and it's kind of a slow build that you can see coming but don't give much thought to as Isaac tries to protect Cami. On the other side of that coin, the relationship between Cami and Carson progresses crazy fast, which makes sense given what we learn about him throughout this tale. Carson certainly makes for a chilling bad guy as we learn more and more about him and Cami is a curious mix of innocence and strength. On the whole, the story is well-written and the author is talented at drawing the reader into a scene. It's fast-paced and even when I knew what was coming, I still found myself on the edge of my seat, especially during some of the flashbacks. So, while there were some issues for me, most were my own personal preference, and in the end, the story did hold my interest and is definitely worth the read.
-Momma😘
EXCERPT:
My arm trembles as I grip the cool handle of my pistol,
keeping a firm grasp to ensure it doesn’t slip out of my sweaty hand. It
usually stands sentry in my left nightstand to scare the nightmares away. But
this isn’t a dream. The room is dark and hides the face of the man whose intent
is to kill me. But I know who he is. A metallic taste fills my mouth; I want to
gag. My blood drips off the blade in his hand in slow, steady beats on the
carpet. My arms shake as I lift the barrel and point it in his direction. He
doesn't move. His heavy breaths alert me to the meager distance between us.
We’re at a stalemate.
A soft glow from the lamppost just outside my window casts a
sliver of light on his face. His dark, beady eyes that I have grown to know
rake over my body like I'm another one of his many victims. He lifts the edges
of his mouth into a smile. My heart plunges into my stomach. I know what that
sinister expression means, and I think back to all the times he had looked at
me like that before. I had been so blind.
Before I react he lunges at me, grabbing onto my waist and
twisting me to the ground. I shriek as my head slams against the bed frame.
Black spots flood my vision. I squeeze my hand only to find it empty. My gun is
gone. The sound of the knife clattering on the floor gives me slight hope. Not
much though. He climbs up my body trying to pin my arms to the floor. I thrash
my fists around, desperate to knock him off.
“Get off!” I scream, pulling on his shirt and kicking him
off balance. Wrapping his hands around my arms, my attacker cuts off the
circulation of blood. Rug burns flare across my skin as he drags me across the
carpet. He closes his hands around my neck, shutting off my air supply. I pull
at his hands but it's no use; he has always been stronger than me. My pulse
drums a frantic beat in my ears. The air slowly leaks out from my lungs,
killing any hope I may have left. I search for the gun around the room; it may
be my only savior now.
"Why are you doing this?" I struggle to get the
words out. He squints his dark eyes. I'm wondering if there might be a chance
that he will stop this madness. I am wrong.
"It'll be over soon, sweetheart." His hands again
tighten around my neck, blocking the air from entering my lungs.
About the Author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanaProvo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/icehorses12/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/authordanaprovo
Amazon: https://goo.gl/aL1YR8
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