Bea Reviews I'll Never Let You Go by Mary Burton

Publisher: Zebra
Series: Morgans of Nashville #3
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 27, 2015
Challenges: Finishing the Series | NetGalley & Edelweiss ARCs
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | ARe*  | iTunes | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

LOVE HURTS

He promised to kill her. One night four years ago, Leah Carson’s husband almost succeeded. Philip stabbed her twenty-three times before fleeing. The police are sure he’s dead. But fear won’t let Leah believe it.

AND SOMETIMES It starts with little things. Missing keys. A flat tire. Mysterious flowers. All easily explained away if the pattern wasn’t so terrifyingly familiar. Leah has a new veterinary practice and a new life with no ties to her nightmare. But Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agent Alex Morgan suspects something. And when another woman’s body is found, stabbed twenty-three times, Leah knows her past has found her.

IT KILLS

As Leah and Alex untangle the horrifying truth, he watches her, ready for the perfect moment. Until death—that was the vow they made. And a killer always keeps his word…

Bea's Thoughts:

I do enjoy this series. The Morgan family is dysfunctional yet intensely loyal and they're all very different. This story is Alex's. Unlike the rest of his family, he's not a police officer, but works for the Tennesse Bureau of Investigations or TBI. Specifically, his job is investigating cops suspected of being dirty, which makes him unpopular with the police. Alex keeps tight control of his emotions and can come across as cold and unfeeling. He's neither but he doesn't show his emotions easily. When he asks Leah out, it's for business reasons, not personal. She's connected to a police officer he's investigating. Interestingly, there's no real interest between them until about halfway through the book and they don't actually do anything about it until almost the end of the book. So while it's marketed as a  romantic suspense, it's really a mystery that has a little bit of romance in it.

At 63% in the story, we get this:

As she pictured Alex waiting for her at the top of the hill, attraction snapped. The sensation was odd, something she hadn't felt in a very long time. She'd been too nervous on their so-called date to feel anything other than nervous, but she felt something now. Energy hummed in her veins. Her skin warmed. As much as she wanted to embrace the unexpected feelings, she feared them. She'd once been attracted to Philip.

The two men appeared to be similar, powerful and in charge, but she could see now that Philip was weak compared to Alex. Power, not fear, radiated from Alex, and the way he looked at her made her a little weak. 

Instead, "I'll Never Let You Go" is a story of when love and romance go wrong and turn into abuse and stalking. Burton handles the topics with sensitivity and clearly shows us the psychological and emotional effects. The story is gripping, and kept me guessing. Every time I thought I knew who the killer was and who was stalking Leah, a new wrinkle would come up and I'd change my mind again. It was intense but with sweet moments, especially at the vet office where Leah works. I was worried for a while about a dog in the story but she escapes unscathed.

Leah was occasionally paranoid, though not without reason, but she managed to keep stay in control and to take protective measures. She's afraid but doesn't let it rule her life. I liked Leah. Despite the hell she lived through, she's pulled her life together and made a new life. She does have trouble trusting people and making friends but she is trying. Alex, who as I mentioned also maintains a tight control, is smart, tricky, and determined. When he sets his eyes on a goal, he doesn't quit but he is adaptable.

Alex and his brothers are working several cases which all circle back to Leah and her dead husband. Or is he dead? Burton ratchets up the tension and keeps us guessing. Is he dead? or alive? Who killed Leah's friend? Her ex-husband? Leah's maybe-dead husband? Someone else unrelated? "I'll Never Let You Go" is suspenseful and engaging and worth staying up late for.

My review of book 1, Cover Your Eyes
My review of book 2, Be Afraid