The past few weeks have been insane in my writerly world which means my reading time was seriously non productive. And that is a very sad thing. But with some edits and tweaks and new words on my projects, I was able to dive back in to my TBR list with Crossing the Line by Nikki Rose.
Giving this review is going to be a tricky one because with a romantic suspense novel, the very last thing you want to do is give away any spoilers. Crossing the Line is chock full of all kinds of “OMG what just happened” kind of twists and turns that make is hard to avoid.
If you’ve read any of my past reviews, you know how much value I put on starting in the right place and with some action and Ms. Rose delivers that in spades. On page one our hero (a term I use kiiiiiiiind of loosely because he is a morally gray/borderline antihero type of character) Hunter is murdering someone. Yep, you read that right. We start smack dab in the middle of serious heavy drama and I loved it!
Our heroine Addy is a bit different. She is a heartbroken girl, new in the big city, and just trying to find her footing and maybe make some new friends. However, on a night out with said new friends, she is the sole witness to a murder. One that isn’t just your average run of the mill murder (yeah, I can’t believe I just said that either), but one that has the calling cards of many others and possibly was done at the hands of a serial killer. All of this means our Addy is shipped off into witness protection and transformed into Emma.
Here’s the thing though, Hunter is cloaked in mystery, but well connected mystery. He is able to find her, even though she’s hidden away in a backwoods town and has traded her art career for waitressing at a small diner. He takes the opportunity to wine and dine “Emma” all the while knowing she is really Addy, the girl who lived in a building across from his in the city where he (creepily at times) would watch her and quickly fell in lust.
Their relationship heralded… well one of the BIG twists that takes place in this story. And because of it, not just their HEA, but their lives are thrown into jeopardy.
A few notes about Crossing the Line, because I am a big believer in the importance of warnings: this has Stockholm Syndrome tones as a major plot point, sexual interaction between the hero and someone NOT the heroine, and several episodes of violence. I believe Ms. Rose handled the violence quite well and even my sensitive self had no issues reading, however I put those points as a warning to potential future readers.
If you enjoy dark romances with a thread of suspense and featuring hot as Hades, but morally gray leading men, grab a copy of Crossing the Line and dive into the world of Hunter and Addy/Emma.
Amelia Foster 