The man she barely escaped in her youth stands ready to welcome her home.Lily Thomas can no longer run from her past. With her New York publishing career in tatters and a stalker tracing her every step, she flees to her hometown in hope of a fresh start. But when the obsessed fiend follows, she fears the only person who can help her is the man whose heart she broke 12 years ago.FBI Special Agent … Agent Cooper Adams never got over losing his childhood sweetheart. Dedicating his life to taking down human traffickers, he’s still tormented by the shocking event that sent Lily running from his arms. While elated by their chance reunion, the discovery of a bloody warning splattered across her front door sparks Cooper’s protective instincts for his former love.With nowhere safe from the terror, Lily receives threatening messages tying Cooper to her ordeal. And with each clue they uncover, the agent believes the crimes of past are on a collision course, and tragic consequences are imminent.Can Lily and Cooper solve a brutal sex trafficking case decades in the making, or will a shadowy force rip their love apart?
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Not as good as book 1
While Cooper and Lil’s story was enjoyable it’s not as good as book one. The story of the crime itself is quite intriguing and you find yourself pulling for the law to “get their man” and see justice. Although I loved Cooper, I disliked Lil a lot! I have never read a more “wishy washy” female character in my life. One minute she has clarity and determination about something in her life only to, three seconds later, second guess herself. She was a very weak female character and I really don’t like those. She even disappointed me in the end when she did stand up to “the bad man”. She had no saving grace whatsoever. I think I would have enjoyed the romance part of this story if Coop had ended up with the doctor. Lily or no I enjoyed the book and will be moving forward with the next book.
Not Over Yet
When you already think an author is a really great writer and you read the lastest book it just keeps getting better and better.
Now Lil did manage to work my last nerve in the story but that was her purpose so a job well done.
On the other hand Coop is like relationship goal worthy but he could be single focused and buried in the past which was not always a good look for him.
Having said all of this to let you know I could not put the book down until I finished it.
A must read!! Heather Sunseri has done it again! Lil and Coop had a story that was begging to be told and here it is! Just when you think you know who is behind the mystery, Sunseri throws a curveball and just like that you’re wrong. Lil and Coop have been through a great deal and it is wonderful to see them work through it all.
I looooved this book! I love Heather Sunseri, and always read her new releases because they never disappoint. That held true with this book. There were so many twists and turns – every time I thought I’d figured it out, something happened that threw me off.
I also love that Heather tied in Luke from “Death is in the Details.” – it’s like you’re a part of their little world of Payne’s Creek when you start reading this series.
I’m a fan, haven’t missed a book by Heather.
Glad to have the entire story to read. Thoroughly enjoyed the twists & turns, the romance, the characters. When you’re an avid reader, as I am, there are certainly times when you have a feeling/certainty of how the events will play out, who the bad guy/girl is or what will happen next. However, the authors who are capable of keeping me on my toes, throwing twists that prove my “certainty” wrong, and can have me reading until my vision gets blurry are my absolute favorites. Heather Sunseri fits into that category.
Received a complimentary copy of this book.
Truth is in the Darkness by Heather Sunseri is the second novel in the Paynes Creek series. Lily Thomas had just learned she was accepted to art school in New York and she has a special evening with her boyfriend, Cooper Adams. After stopping for gas, Lily is kidnapped. She is lucky to escape, but the crime is not solved. She departs for art school and does not return to her hometown for twelve years. Lily arrives at her grandmothers to find a bloody warning. Things begin spiraling out of control with further threats. Lily and Cooper set out to solve her kidnapping and put a stop the torment once and for all. I thought Truth is in the Darkness was well-written and engaging. I was immediately drawn into the story. The story is told from Lily and Cooper’s point-of-view. I like that we get to see what each of them is thinking. Lily is a complex character. She is strong, determined, and artistic. But the past has affected her giving her a vulnerability. Cooper is more straightforward with a good heart. What happened to Lily affected him as well and he wants to prevent similar crimes from happening to others. Truth is in the Darkness can be read as a standalone if you have not yet read Death is in the Details. Truth is in the Darkness has an intricate crime. You need to pay close attention to each detail as they all work together to form the whole story. I enjoyed the mystery and how it all came together. It is shocking what people will do and how they justify their crimes. I liked this whodunit, but I wish it had been harder to identify the guilty parties (my mother said I have read too many mysteries). Truth is in the Darkness also has family, friendships, careers and romance. We get to know the characters—what they are thinking and feeling. There is, unfortunately, foul language in the story and intimate relations (it is not graphic). Truth is in the Darkness is a gripping tale with complex characters, a mesmerizing mystery, and a warm romance.
This is an exciting thriller love story filled with interesting characters and can’t stop turning the page plots. This book is a wonderful escape from the difficulties of life. It held my attention and I finished it in two days. I love Lil and Coop and highly recommend it as your next Entertaining read.
I loved having this chance to come back to Paynes Creek, but I don’t quite know what to say about this book. I had a bit of a rough start with it because I have no patience for characters who blithely throw themselves into danger. Especially ones with no formal training who decide they know better than the professionals. This put me at odds with Lily for a lot of the book. She’s an amazingly well-written character to push so hard on my buttons. She’s complex and nuanced, independent yet vulnerable. Even with all his secrets and baggage, Cooper felt positively straightforward in comparison. And I adored him pretty much from the word “go”. I’m going to blame my ultra-suspicious nature for not being terribly surprised by the identities of the villains in this book. Though, there are some lovely twists and turns that caught me by surprise. I may have just finished reading this book, but already I’m looking forward to coming back to Paynes Creek.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author.
I love how this story turned out. It’s really more of a 4.5 stars. I started reading it as short snippets in Heather’s emails and I’m happy with how she fleshed things out and brought things together. I really want to thank Heather for this Arc. I’m thrilled that this idea now has an ending. It was fun to read it in the emails but having a complete story is so much better.
This story starts out with a children’s book writer coming back to the little quiet town that she had grown up in until a terrifying incident drove her to leave. After countless hours of therapy, and a stalker to call her very own, she heads back to Payne’s creek to help her grandmother sell her house. After reuniting with everyone she had loved, the threats and other terrible things start happening again. It’s up to Lily and the love of her life that she left behind to figure out what is happening before someone she loves gets hurt.
The story does contain sex but not graphically. It’s a romance/thriller/who-dun-it that was fun to pick up and read. I enjoyed reading it without the heavy emotional baggage that can sometimes come with a book touching on the topics that it does. All in all, a nice read with a happily ever after.