Customer Reviews

Kill Me Again (Secrets of Shadow Falls)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Intriguing and fast paced, Kill Me Again sucked me in and held my attention through much of the book. I enjoyed the characters and while predictable at times, I did like the story-line and am now intrigued to read Shayne's other PNR series.

REVIEW: A practical recluse herself, Olivia Dupree admires and emulates reclusive author Aaron Westhaven. So, when the man agrees to come to her home and participate in a charity event she is holding for her university, she is thrilled. But, the day she expects him, instead of a knock at her door, she is summoned to the hospital to identify a John Doe, whose sole possession is a pocket watch and her business card with her address on the back. The same card she had sent to Aaron Westhaven.

The man that everyone is assuming is Aaron Westhaven, is gorgeous, well-spoken and in possession of a rather unique skill-set that isn't congruent with an author of Westhaven's genre. When Olivia's house is broken into and the buglar threatens her life, both her and Aaron come to the conclusion that both her attack and his almost murderer might be connected. They set off together, even though neither of them trust each other, to try and put 2 and 2 together and maybe solve the mystery of who he is and who is trying to kill/rob Olivia.

I enjoyed the fast-paced mystery of this novel. The pace and subtlety of the clues kept me intrigued and wanting to press on. I thought I had it all figured out, but something would always pop up and make me doubt my theory. In the end I had figured it out, but the non-obvious way it was portrayed kept me wanting more. I also enjoyed the coupling. There was so little trust in the beginning, and the slow, duress induced attraction was charming and seemed real.

What I didn't like about the book was at the end, the pace did slow down. Olivia's ex was also a bit over the top, and so was the ending finale. I thought it was just a little unbelievable that someone would take these steps to cover-up what they were covering up. I don't want to give too much away, but Olivia had disks that she took from her ex, disks that held images of people purchasing / smoking marijuana...not heroine or coke, or some BIG felony. I don't think marijuana is even a felony and it has been revealed that past presidents have engaged in the use of marijuana "I Did Not Inhale" etc. So, I think the premise of these disks of images of marijuana usage was a little far-fetched and unbelievable and a major part of the story-line, therefore the reason I gave this story a 3 star, instead of higher. But that is my opinion.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Fans of Shayne and her other works should not be disappointed. Fans of Nora Roberts might enjoy, it had that romantic feel to it. For adults, this is a mystery/romance.

Olivia Dupree is an English teacher with a secret past. This past has just surfaced to bring Olivia the fight for her life. When the book first starts off, we find that Olivia has asked her favorite reclusive author to speak at her university. She is extremely nervous to meet the man that has written such tender and prominent books that have touched her heart. What will he be like? Will he like her?

Aaron Westhaven is the elusive writer that Olivia has admired for years. He is scheduled to speak at her university but does not show up. Did he change his mind or did something happen. On the day that he is scheduled to arrive, Olivia gets a call from the police that there is a John Doe in the hospital. He has no ID except her business card. Is this the elusive Aaron Westhaven?

Kill Me Again by Maggie Shayne is the second book in this series but I happened to read it last and found it to be my least favorite. I had an extremely hard time getting into the story at the beginning and truly to the end. My main problem was that I felt like I had read the story before or it seemed very predictable. However, I would still recommend this book and definitely recommend this series. This series was the first time that I read Maggie Shayne's work and I will definitely read more. She has an excellent way of describing situations that I love.

Veteran romantic suspense author Shayne intrigues readers once again with her latest compelling read, complete with a handsome author and a woman with a painful past.
Olivia Dupree is living a quiet life in a small Vermont town where she works as a local college professor and lives with her faithful companion, her dog Freddy. But when she finally gets the opportunity to meet her favorite author at a local book signing, she is thrilled. When the author never shows up at the book signing and is found injured and unconscious, Olivia is surprised that he has amnesia.
Author Aaron Westhaven is every bit as good-looking and charismatic as Olivia anticipated. As the pair fights their attraction for one another, Olivia fears that her life may be in danger as her mysterious past collides with her present idyllic life.
As Aaron and Olivia try to discover who might have wished both of them harm, they grow increasingly closer to one another even as Aaron learns some unwelcome truths about himself. Sizzling romance fills the pages even as the mystery and intrigue escalate.
Intense suspense is filled with captivating twists and turns which will keep readers glued to the pages until the explosive conclusion.

I have enjoyed Maggie Shayne's books in the past and was looking forward to this one - but had difficulty believing that our heroine would have experienced everything that she did.

THREE life threatening action-adventures that the average person does not ever experience BEFORE this one. And she's an English teacher. Not a spy. Not a cop.

Too Over the top for me.

In Shadow Falls, Vermont two joy riding teenagers Samuel Overton and Kyle Becker find a wounded man in a field. He is rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment, but has no idea who he is as he suffers from amnesia due to his trauma.

He did carry a business card of English professor Olivia Dupree in his pocket so the police call her to come to the hospital to see if she can identify him. Olivia cannot, but wonders if the amnesiac could be reclusive author Aaron Westhaven, whom she was to meet for the first time. They share a philosophy that life is a string of disappointments that is best run alone. After leaving the ailing hunk at the hospital, someone attacks Olivia in her home; more frightening is the name she hears, a name she has not heard anyone call her in sixteen years. Olivia and the man with no memory flee as unknown adversaries stalk them though she wonders if it is her or his past that has them on the run.

Though amnesia is an anciently used technique, Maggie Shayne turns it into a strong feature of the latest Secrets of Shadow Falls romantic suspense (see Killing Me Softly and Kiss Me, Kill Me). Fast-paced from the moment the lead couple meets in the hospital and never slowing down, readers will wonder whose past has caught up with the protagonists. With a super twist, readers will fully enjoy this tense thriller.

Harriet Klausner

The first thing I want to say is be still my heart. For a minute, I had forgotten that Olivia was in the previous book, but once I got my mind on track and the action started happening, I was hooked. The story was awesome. I don't need to talk so much about the plot because others have and will. What I need to talk about are my feelings while reading the book. My heart started racing the minute Olivia walked into the hospital room and didn't stop until nearly the end. When I say the end, I mean that last four or five pages. To say that I'm waiting for book 3 would be serious understatement. Bring it on Ms. Shayne.