HE SEES YOUFirst came the floods. Then came the bodies. The victims—strangled, then buried along the shores of the Mississippi—have finally been unearthed, years after they disappeared. He remembers every satisfying kill . . . each woman’s terror and agony. But there’s only one he truly wanted. And fate has brought her within reach again . . .HE KNOWS YOUJaci Patterson was sixteen when she found … Patterson was sixteen when she found the first golden locket on her porch. Inside were a few strands of hair wrapped around a scrap of bloodstained ribbon. Though the “gifts” kept arriving, no one believed her hunch that a serial killer was at work. Now Jaci has returned home . . . and the nightmare is starting once more.
AND HE’LL NEVER LET YOU GO
Back then, Rylan Cooper was an arrogant deputy sheriff convinced that Jaci was just an attention—seeking teen. It was a fatal mistake. There’s a murderer in their midst, someone determined to settle old scores and keep playing a twisted game. And it won’t end until Jaci is his forever . . .
“Alexandra Ivy gives readers a nice balance of romance and suspense in her fast-paced, well-plotted novel.” —Kat Martin, New York Times bestselling author
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Jaci lives in her grandparents farm house and bakes goodies to sell and crafts. When the levee breaks and it starts to flood, a body and a skull wash up. When Jaci was in high school someone would leave lockets with hair and a ribbon with blood on her porch. Rylan was working at the sheriffs office at the time and thought she was trying to get his attention. Rylan owns a security company in California and is back in town for a few weeks. But when it’s clear Jaci’s stalker is back, and more women start to disappear, Rylan will do anything to keep her safe.
Excellent story with action, suspense, and a little steam. This will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat. I was honestly shocked at who the killer was.
GREAT RECENT DISCOVERY
I only recently discovered the author, Alexandra Ivy, and took a chance on her work. I’m a little surprised how much I enjoyed reading Pretend You’re Safe. You see, until this book, I’d never read a romance, though technically Pretend is listed as a suspense with romantic elements. I’m more of mystery and thriller reader, but I was hardly disappointed here either. Pretend had plenty of suspense and some rather hot romance—both of which I enjoyed—but it also had a pretty good mystery which will keep whodunit lovers guessing till the end. Alexandra does a nice job with the POV characters, particularly our heroine, Jaci and our hero, Rylan. Both came off as real and understandable, with their own set of issues and strengths. I was especially impressed with Ivy’s work with the setting, a small town along the mighty Mississippi reeling with a devastating flood. As I flipped through pages. I could almost feel the suck of the wet mud on my feet. If you’re looking for a fine story of suspense or interested in a good murder mystery or seeking a little steamy escape, I’d recommend you check out Ivy’s Pretend You’re Safe. You’ll be glad you did.
You never really know the people you know.
A great story with likable characters.
This romantic suspense was extremely well written. My usual genre is paranormal romance but this book kept me on the edge of my seat. She dove into the H and h personalities very nicely. This suspense was so good and it had some steam. Definitely worth the read.
Story 5/5
Performance 5/5
Steam 3+/5
Narration 5/5++++
Overall 5/5
Loved it, loved it, loved it! This was suspense with a romance underneath. As much as I like the install- connection, hot, sexy stories, a slow building do or die love gets me every time. Great Book!
I liked this book. The characters were well-developed and the story kept me guessing until almost the end.
Pretend Your Safe is what a good mystery should be. It held my interest and dangled carrots throughout, making me second guess myself about the killer’s identity. While I liked Rylan’s perseverance with winning Jaci over, the romance side of this tale could’ve done with a bit more depth. That aside, the suspense was good and at the conclusion, I found myself thinking back through the tale and realizing that while it isn’t glaringly obvious, there are some clues. It’s more investigation than action until the end, but the story is interesting and engaging throughout, and the suspense builds as the book progresses. With suspense, some romance, and bits of levity thrown in, this is one that I can easily recommend and I’ll be looking forward to the next book in the series. Overall, a solid start to a promising series.
3.75 stars–PRETEND YOUR SAFE is the first installment in Alexandra Ivy’s contemporary, adult THE AGENCY romantic, suspsense series. This is security and IT specialist Rylan Cooper, and twenty seven year old pastry chef Jaci Patterson’s story line.
Told from several third person perspectives including Rylan and Jaci PRETEND YOU’RE SAFE follows the hunt for a serial killer. With the recent deluge of rain, the rapidly rising waters of the Mississippi gave up her secrets with the missing and the dead. When a bloated body and a severed skull are discovered floating in a farmer’s flooded field Jaci Patterson’s mind begins to wander to the past to a time when s number of local women went missing, and several golden lockets with a few strands of hair would appear on her door step. Fast forward to present day, and the terror begins anew when her estranged mother’s housekeeper goes missing, and a new locket appears from out of the blue. Enter Rylan Cooper- back home from sunny California, visiting his aging father- and the man with whom Jaci will fall in love. What ensues is the rekindling friendship and relationship between Rylan and Jaci, and the search for a killer as Jaci is once again targeted by a unknown man.
PRETEND YOU’RE SAFE is a slow building story of intrigue, romance and suspense. Rylan is a protector; a man who is desperate to protect the woman he loves but also a man who knows he must atone for sins of the past. Years earlier, a then arrogant deputy sheriff, Rylan ignored the panic and emotional fall out of the innocuous threats against Jaci’s life but with the uptick and resurgence of a similar MO, Rylan knows that to ignore Jaci could be fatal in more ways than one. The $ex scenes are limited but seductive although the attraction between our leading couple is low key and felt somewhat awkward. Jaci struggles with her attraction to the man who ignored her earlier fears and warnings.
There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including Sheriff Mike O’Brien, his office assistant Carol, local artist Nelson Bradley; Jaci’s estranged family including half-sister Payton, half-brother Christopher, step-father Blake Hamilton, and mother Loreen Hamilton. We are also introduced to Rylan’s father Elmer Cooper , as well as a number of townsfolk, neighbors and nosy busybodies.
PRETEND YOU’RE SAFE is a thrilling and passionate story line. The premise is intriguing and keeps you guessing until the very end.
Pretend You’re Safe by Alexandra Ivy
The Agency #1
Jaci Patterson KNEW she had a stalker when she was sixteen…a creepy person leaving lockets filled with a locket of hair tied by a ribbon and…blood. Nobody believed her at the time when she shared and tried to find out who was leaving the morbid gifts. She was away from home for college and returned only to have the lockets start showing up again. Who is the stalker and what is behind the gifts? How will the story proceed and…END?
There are murdered women, some red herrings, a bit of romance and some sleuthing by Sheriff Mike O’Brien and a computer guru named Rylan Cooper as they try to protect Jaci – all three are natives of the small town the dead are being found in. The story is well written but I did figure out who the killer was before Rylan and Mike did. I read the trailer for the next book in the series and it sounds like it will be a humdinger – one I won’t want to miss.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington-Zebra for the ARC – This is my honest review.