Brynn is a successful defense attorney about to begin defending a very big case. When a defendant from a previous case (when she was a prosecutor) escapes from prison and kills one of the other attorneys on that case, her life is turned upside down.
She is having to try to work on her case while being constantly distracted and waylayed by a plethora of bodyguards that her boss has hired to keep her safe. And the danger becomes very real as the escapee continues to kill people associated with his case.
Erik is the head of Brynn's detail. And there is a definite attraction between these two, even though it is highly unethical.
First of all, I don't understand the title at all. Who are the Desperate Girls? The victims of the escapee? We don't really learn much about them, and they are not the focus of the case. Brynn? Yes, she becomes a bit desperate, but she's only one girl. Not a big deal, but it doesn't really make sense to me.
Secondly, this is my bad, but I didn't expect the (very) hot and steamy romance. If you read the blurb, it isn't really mentioned. If you look at the subject headings, it does very clearly say "romance," but I missed that. So I was surprised, but not really disappointed. I was just expecting a straight-up thriller, and it was really a who-done-it/romance.
I was completely stunned by the twist at the end and appreciated that. I suspected that there was more to the story when it seemed like everything was settled with still ten percent of the book to read. That's too long for a denouement, and I was correct. But totally surprised too.
The story is exciting, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the ending. The balance of romance/detecting was just right. Desperate Girls is an adult book and would be appropriate for mature teens.
Published by Gallery Books, August 7, 2018
eARC obtained from NetGalley
368 pages
Rating: 4/5
I love it when I don't see the twist at the end, but I agree that titles (and covers) that don't match a book really throw me.
ReplyDeleteI had the same reaction to another "thriller" I read by this author. It was definitely more of a romantic suspense, the former being (in some ways) more prominent than the latter. I prefer my thrillers the other way around!
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