Customer Reviews

Say You Love Me

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

 

 

There isn't much else I can say about this book other than it's AMAZING, and a complete page turner one right after the other. At first I was skeptical about the whole storyline, and characters but this book got to me in a heartbeat. I couldn't put it down until I was finished, and I fell in love with the trouble detective who everyone thinks is a hero, but himself.

And he falls hard for the leading lady, Britta, from the first scene you just know. But they take their coming romance slow, to the point you want to tear your hair out because Herron likes to tease her readers. She has a few scenes where Jean-Paul and Britta come close, but don't, and when they do it's a beautiful read.

Suspense is great. Book is AWESOME! Check it out!

Britta Berger, columnist for New Orleans' popular erotic magazine hears the secrets and fantasies of the city's populace. Beneath her public mask, Britta has dark secrets of her own, especially of one past terrifying night. Britta receives an anonymous note, "I know your secrets. And you know mine..." with details from a possible murder included, she contacts Detective Jean-Paul Dubois. As the details of ritualistic murders unfold, Jean-Paul realizes that Britta might be the key to solving the string of serial killings that begin just as Mardi Gras approaches. Can Britta and Jean-Paul overcome the dark secrets of their past in this race against time? Most importantly, can they trust one another enough to reveal those secrets before it is too late?

Rita Herron writes the landscape of her novels brilliantly. New Orleans and the Black Bayou are dark, breathing entities that infuse the novel and the characters. The landscape itself is a character. Herron captures the dark underside of the South that hides and lurks in the landscape and in the soul. Rita Herron has a style and a way of writing suspense that keeps the clues and possibilities open. Even if the reader knows the villain --- we hear his voice --- which one of these twisted characters has gone way over the edge? It could be any of them. The suspense encourages a fast-paced excited read while the landscape and the romance encourages the reader to savor every word. The romance of the novel builds as the hero and heroine fight their own personal demons in the hunt. The reader feels the heroine's struggle with the perfect amount of psychological realism poetically portrayed to feel her depth. Together with the hero, can two wounded souls heal the darkness that emerges from the interior and physical landscapes that surround them?

Rita Herron writes about dark, twisted people and their secrets. On the flipside, she writes about the subtle light, the emerging courage of her characters, and a love born from the secret depths of the heart and soul.

In a twisted cult ritual on the banks of the Black Bayou outside New Orleans, teen Adrianna Small learns that she is to become the sacrificial bride to an evil polygamist cult leader's son as his rite of passage. All her instincts cause her to fight back in a deadly quest for her safety, and she eventually emerges from the swamp alone, frightened, and determined to escape the rough life her mother exposed her to. Thirteen years later, she has once again reinvented herself, this time as Britta Berger, the editor of an erotic magazine, and is in receipt of graphic photos of a serial killers latest conquest. When she turns them into the police, she and Jean Paul Dubois, the lead detective are immediately smitten with each other, though they both plan to steer clear for their own reasons. As the killer closes in and makes Britta his confidante, it is apparent that the killings as well as the killer's interest in Britta are tied to her past. More victims are found, and soon it is apparent that a trap must be set to catch the culprit once and for all. The suspects are piling up, many with plenty to hide, but are any of them killers?

Herron's post-Katrina bayou thriller will have the reader enthralled from the opening paragraph. She has, created an ingenious MO for her serial killer (and pretty graphic at times), as well as a conflicted hero and tortured heroine. The chemistry between the leads is scorching. I did feel a little shortchanged on the identity of the culprit - I hate when authors create tons of red herrings and suspects only to toss in a surprise character with little page-time. Other than that, my only gripe is the end came too quickly.

Britta was extremely stupid and annoying about the whole thing, as was Jean-Paul. There were also just way too many plots going on and a lot of loose ends weren't tied up at the conclusion. Really quite annoying.

A vicious killer is terrorizing New Orleans as Mardi Gras approaches. Britta Berger is haunted by her past, a past that appears connected to the ritualistic murders. Detective Jean-Paul Dubois is determined to stop the killings. Always focused on his job, Jean-Paul is conflicted over his feelings for Britta. Will Britta and Jean-Paul be able to look beyond their pasts to the simmering attraction between them? With a wide cast of potential suspects, Jean-Paul must find this madman before all is lost.

Rita Herron takes readers on a wild ride, full of numerous twists and turns. Surprisingly, the identity of the killer isn't easily deduced as Ms. Herron does an excellent job at maintaining a high level of suspense throughout the tale. SAY YOU LOVE ME has a dark edge to it that keeps escalating the tension level until the dramatic conclusion is reached.

Character development is key to the success of SAY YOU LOVE ME. Britta has a hard shell but Ms. Herron allows the reader to see through the cracks to the soft, caring woman inside. Jean-Paul is all Alpha male, determined to be the selfless hero and yet embarrassed by the recognition for his deeds at the same time. The cast of secondary characters provides multiple possibilities for the unknown killer, and readers will enjoy sifting through the hints and innuendos, guessing at which façade hides the heart of a killer.

SAY YOU LOVE ME is a compelling, albeit almost eerie, read. Rita Herron writes a powerful romance while teasing the reader with glimpses of some myths and legends surrounding the bayou. Readers should be forewarned that there are some very disturbing scenes and images, as Rita Herron explores the seamy side of the bayou. Take a chance and curl up with SAY YOU LOVE ME... it's sure to make a lasting impression.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

In New Orleans, Naked Desires erotic publications columnist Britta Berger knows how fortunate she is to be alive. Thirteen years ago, a deadly pervert almost killed her. Though wary, she feels safe in the Big Easy until now. A ritual serial killer using the same modus operandi of the psychopath she escaped from has begun a murder spree that frightens the locals especially Britta.

With Mardi Gras coming soon, Detective Jean-Paul Dubois is obsessed with finding the serial killer haunting the city. He soon concludes that the maniac is working his way towards Britta, the one who got away. Jean-Paul vows to keep Britta safe, but hides from her that she already owns his Cajun heart.

This exhilarating serial killer romantic suspense is enhanced by the changing perspectives that include the lead couple and the psychopath so that the audience reads a strong thriller. The maniac is so insane that he kills others as he slowly targets his victim Britta who he believes deserves his vengeance. This is a fine tense psychological police procedural thriller with an incredibly discerning insight into the irrational mind of the insane killer

Harriet Klausner

This book crosses way over the line from Romance into...I don't even know what to call it...how about skanky. I liked the main male character and sometimes the main female, but the depravity of everything else in the book finally had me just putting the book down. And based on the descriptions in this book, I never want to go to New Orleans...surely it isn't as depraved as it is described in this book....at least not on the whole. Nothing romantic or charming about it...just dark and dirty. Definitely do not recommend.