Wednesday, January 13, 2016

ARC Review: Known by Kendra Elliot

Known
Author: Kendra Elliot
Series: Bone Secrets (Bone 5)
Publication: Montlake Romance (January 19, 2016)

Description: After a brutal snowstorm in the Cascade Mountains, Chris Jacobs discovers two things he never expected to see: the charred shell of a cabin, and Gianna Trask and her sixteen-year-old daughter huddled in an SUV, having barely escaped from their burning vacation rental.

Still scarred from a childhood ordeal, Chris knows there’s something sinister about the scene—it’s the stench of burned flesh.

Forced to wait out the blizzard in their rescuer’s retreat, medical examiner Gianna Trask wonders if her hidden past has finally caught up with her. When a body is found in the destroyed cabin’s ashes and a forest ranger is brutally murdered, both Gianna and Chris must confront their secrets if they want to escape the violent threat lurking outside.

In the fifth book in the Bone Secrets series, Kendra Elliot leads readers on a dangerous, twisting journey of two lives forever changed by a fiery snowstorm in the mountains.

My Thoughts: The action never stops from the moment Chris Jacobs finds Gianna Trask and her daughter Violet huddled in their SUV outside the burned remains of the cabin they rented. Chris is used to being alone and likes it but he is also quick to offer his help to Gianna. Both Chris and Gianna have had side roles in the other Bone Secrets novels and it is great to let them star in this one.

Chris is still dealing with the trauma that he faced when he was kidnapped as a twelve year old and held captive and tortured for two years until he managed to escape. He's always on the alert and doesn't connect with many other people. He has a close relationship with his brother Michael and his sister-in-law Jamie because they were the ones who pushed and forced him to connect with them. He also has a close relationship with his son Brian but is worried now that he's not homeschooling him and he's interacting more with the outside world. During most of this story, Brian is on vacation in California with his grandparents.

Gianna has just accepted a job as a medical examiner in Portland and removed herself and her daughter from New York. Both Gianna and Violet are still adjusting to the loss of her husband's mother. Violet is unhappy about the move both because she feels that she's losing the place where she made memories with her grandmother who was her primary caregiver and she's losing connection with her friends. Gianna was afraid that Violet was falling in with the wrong crowd. Still, in this whole story, it is clear that Violet loves her mother.

The main action of this story has an unknown stalker targeting Gianna and Violet because he believes that she has a flash drive that contain information that is very damaging to his family. He's brutal and a screw up and leaves a trail of bodies behind him. Chris, Gianna and Violet are almost killed on a few different occasions. The story has a lot to do with hidden family secrets and finally confronting them. Chris begins to be able to share some of his childhood experiences with Gianna and Gianna learns that there is more to her traumatic past than she could remember.

This was an excellent, suspenseful addition to the Bone Secrets series which will delight readers of the series and fans of romantic suspense in general.

Favorite Quote:
"My uncle can be a bit infuriating," Gianna replied.

"I take it 'infuriating' is a polite term?"

"Absolutely. He's a freight train, barreling full speed wherever he pleases. Right now he feels the need to come supervise my life and stir every pot I own."

"Sounds like he cares about you?"

"That's not what I need to hear right now."

"Okay...sounds like he's a pushy son of a bitch."

"That's better."
I got this one for review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

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