Willow Rose

Possible Triggers: Physical Abuse, Trama, Sexual Abuse of Children
The story follows the life of Emma, a young girl who is found wandering the streets alone, with no memory of how she got there. The town’s doctor, Polly, takes her in and tries to help her regain her memory. As Emma slowly starts to recall her past; she remembers that she has been the victim of a terrible crime. The story is told from multiple perspectives, including Emma’s... Polly’s...and the person that committed the crime. Please be aware that in spite of the cute title, there is nothing what-so-ever, in anyway... "cute" about this story! Actually, it may be hard or impossible for some people to read since it deals with trauma, memory loss, and child sexual abuse with all the resulting lucid psychological effects. I read a lot of grizzly things, but I have to admit that I was not prepared for that... but I'm not sure that the story could have been told without including it. I also have to admit that I chose the book based on the tile and the cover. I think that I should probably watch that in the future. Important questions are also raised about the nature of evil and the human capacity for violence. Seems we are not s far from the cave as we thought. The entire atmosphere of the book is eerie and chilling adding to and jacking up the tension and suspense. There are some terrific twists and turns and, I guarantee that you won't see what comes at the end. The underlying story is beyond tragic for so many reasons, but it sets the stage for the horror and the mystery. Fans of Psychological thrillers will more than likely like it or at least be able to tolerate it. Something interesting that I discovered along the way is that the title is based on an old children's rhyme.… (mere)

Lots of people seemed to like this book, but I couldn’t get into it. Referring to one character by three different “names” was annoying. I know it was to make it mysterious as to who the bad guy was, but seriously? Man has 3 children, one of whom might as well be non existent; we went here or there, and oh yeah Emily was there too. Falling immediately in love with a woman you just met. Going into a hostage situation without backup and a civilian in tow. I could go on, but I won’t. Save your time and skip this one… (mere)

Don’t Let Her Go by Willow Rose
Detective Billie Ann Wilde #1

This is not an easy review to write. The premise for the book, inspired by real life, had great promise. It felt fragmented and was difficult to sink my teeth into. There were many characters that popped up in scenes that felt out of the blue and though eventually tied to the main case Billie was following, didn’t necessarily have a purpose to further the story.

As for Billie, the main character, she wasn’t easy to warm up to. Her past definitely impacts her but a lot of it was revealed but not necessarily dealt with in this book. And what a mixed bag the issues they are: medical, personal, gender, religious, health, social, professional, family, marital…and the list goes on. How she handles some of the issues will no doubt be looked at and dealt with in future books of the series. Perhaps she will grow as the series continues – I hope so – and that she will figure out how to move forward successfully while navigating all those issues

As for the crime(s) in this book – there is a serial killer that is killing to cover up another heinous crime that is ongoing and harmful to more than one person. I guessed who the killer was early in the story so skimmed to get fill in the details. The bad guy is caught, his friend is in the wind, at least one of those harmed is better off, and hopefully in the future stories more information will be given about Kitty and her children.

Did I like this book? It was okay
Would I read more in the series? Maybe

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3 Stars based on averaging the 2 for my overall feelings + 4 for the NetGalley ask if it is publish-worthy… (mere)