After the Dark by Cynthia Eden Pages: 384
Series: Killer Instincts #1
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Source: ARC, NetGalley
Also in this series: Midnight Target, Before the Dawn, Into the Night, Midnight Rescue
Also by this author: Taken, Wrecked, Shattered, Before the Dawn, Torn, Into the Night, Broken, Frozen in Ice , Touched By Ice , How to Heal a Heartbreak , Trapped In Ice
Goodreads
In New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Eden's gripping new series, a disgraced FBI profiler must save her reputation by stopping a sadistic killer she knows all too well.
Former FBI agent Samantha Dark was one of the most respected profilers in the bureau, an expert on the twisted minds and dark hearts of the most depraved criminals. But when her own former lover turned out to be the serial killer she was hunting, Samantha's career was destroyed. Blamed for the FBI's failure on the complex case, Samantha fled Washington, DC, for the quiet anonymity of Alabama.
Now an all-too-familiar killer is hunting once again. She can catch the sadistic assassin, but that means putting her trust in her former partner, Blake Gamble. Ex-military, Blake is tough, protective, precise. With her entire life on the brink, she knows he wants her back in the FBI…and possibly more.
But someone else wants her, too. A threat is waiting in the dark, a killer who has set his sights on the ultimate trophy victim—Samantha.
After the Dark is perfect if you like Criminal Minds, true crime, and the likes. Samantha Dark is a profiler for the FBI. Well, she was, until a mistake cost her. That mistake? Her former lover was the serial killer she had been hunting. Now, he is on the run and there is a copycat hunting Samantha. Her former FBI partner, Blake, found Samantha and is determined not only to get her back as his partner, but explore the feelings between them.
The story is nonstop action as you can imagine. Told in 3rd person, you get into the mind of the killer which I always love in a book. Eden is probably my favorite romantic suspense author because she really brings the tension to a story. You have multiple killers, multiple motives, multiple victims. The plot never slows and while you know who the killers are, you don’t know what their next move would be, and you don’t know if Samantha and Blake can get ahead of them. I will say this book is pretty graphic in its descriptions of violence. I wasn’t bothered by it, but if you aren’t really into that, this book might be a bit much. The murders are fairly grizzly; its not gratuitous because the killings really ARE the story.
The romance is probably the only part of this book I felt was weak. Its not that Samantha and Blake aren’t developed characters, it was just that I didn’t particularly ‘get’ why he loved her. I understood why she didn’t want to have a relationship with him, I understood his desire, but I didn’t understand the motivation. I never really got why he loved her and she loved him. It just was sort of…expected. So, they jump into a sexual relationship well before they had worked through any of their emotional issues, but that didn’t even really bother me. I just kept waiting for Blake to explain WHY he loved Samantha and for Samantha to explain why she loved Blake. What was it about the other that was different and worth fighting this hard for?
I can’t wait for more of this series. Eden is already one of my favorite authors, but this series is probably one of my new favorite series!
- POV: 3rd
- Tears: no
- Trope: FBI
- Triggers: View Spoiler »
- Series/Standalone: standalone (but it would be helpful to read the prequel novella)
- Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
- HEA: View Spoiler »
Books by Kaylea Cross, Alexandra Ivy, Toni Anderson, Mary Burton, Karen Rose…then you will probably like After the Dark!
After the Dark
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