ARC REVIEW The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison

This is one of my Not Romance reads! I must emphasize this point. It is about a mad man sociopath and his son who kidnap young woman tattoos their backs with butterfly wings, rapes them repeatedly, and keeps them for a couple of years before he kills them. What makes this book unusual and what I really liked about it is the narration. If you have seen The Usual Suspects it is similar to that. The main character is sitting in an interrogation room telling her story. The thing with this is that she doesn't tell it in order she jumps back and forth so it may confuse some. It does also switch from third person through the perspective of the FBI agents and first person as the young woman tells her story. I loved this book and while there was rape it was never really described it not graphic but it lets on enough your imagination can get the hint and run with it..

The book starts off with FBI special agent in charge Victor Hanoverian observing the young woman in the next room and despite being told that she was in shock he sees something different. The young woman only known as Maya has a story to tell, one that started three years ago when she was kidnapped by a man she only knew as The Gardener. There is more to Maya though and Victor and his partner Eddison are trying to figure out what exactly happened. Maya's narrative flows in a circular motion but she does eventually get to the point. She tells of her experience as a child and how she ended up where she did and what lead up to her kidnapping, she also tells of the girls in the garden with her and the bond they formed, she also tells of The Gardener.

Overall,  I feel this is a twisted story that really pulls you in and sets you on edge. It has to be one of my favorites of the year so far.

ARC REVIEW Vulnerable by Mary Burton

Book four of the Morgans of Nashville series by Mary Burton and this one is just as creepy and suspenseful as the others. I have been waiting for Georgia's story since the beginning.

Georgia Morgan the youngest and only girl of the Morgan family, she is one of the forensic techs with Nashville PD and ever since the first book she has been pestering her oldest brother, Deke, who is in charge of the Homicide Department to let her handle some of the cold cases. Luck is on her side when Dalton Marlowe starts to put pressure on NPD to reopen his son's case. Deke gives the case to Georgia and Jake Bishop, Boston born with a dark past who previously came across as a bit of ass; but ever since Jake saw Georgia perform her cover of Faith Hill's Breathe on stage he sees her in a different light and is falling in love with her. Georgia is a little oblivious when it comes to Jake but then she realizes why he acts he way he does with her and she basically says why the hell not.

Mike Marlowe, Bethany Reed, and Amber Ryder all went into the Percy Warner Park for a science experiment; only Amber came out alive and she couldn't tell anyone what had happened because she claims to have amnesia. Georgia, all ready to start on her case, has called Amber to ask her questions. Five years and still no clue or bodies have been found. That is until a local girl is found dead, her body dumped in a cave and as Georgia is doing her thing collecting evidence she uncovers two more bodies hidden deeper in the cave. The two bodies are revealed to be Bethany and Mike. Amber's return has Dalton in a stir, he doesn't believe her amnesia story and blames her for his son's death. The more Jake and Georgia ask around the more they slowly discover the truth and with all their poking and prodding it has the culprit on edge.

Overall this was a great twisting and turning suspense, more suspense than romance but then again I love those. It does reveal something early on but then through out the book it has you wondering WTH! I really enjoyed this one. I love Mary Burton's style of writing and the connection she writes   between the characters themselves and the connection that you feel for the characters. I can't wait for more.        

ARC REVIEW Try Not to Breathe by Holly Seddon

Try Not to Breathe is a debut psychological suspense by author Holly Seddon. This was a good mystery, I really enjoyed the how the events unfolded moving from past to present and an insightful look into the mind of a comatose girl. It was a little slow paced for me, but that is just personal preference. The characters are perfectly imperfect it makes them seem more real, their pain more palpable. I liked reading it, it kept me intrigued; I kinda figured it out early in the book but it was entertaining to find out how the characters reached the conclusion.

The main character Alex Dale has her own demons to fight and she thinks she has her alcoholism under control. Alex was a great journalist but the death of her mother and her alcoholism which played a part in the death of her unborn child and in part why her husband left her, and in turn her career tanked. She thought she hit rock bottom until her doctor told her unless she stops drinking entirely and seek treatment she will die in a year. Alex was working freelance doing fluff pieces trying to get her her place back at the paper. One of her pieces lead her to the coma ward at one of the hospitals Alex's life changed dramatically after that.

Amy Stevenson was a typical teenage girl until she went missing and found several days later almost dead. They never found who did it, and ever since Amy has been considered a vegetable. Her brain is active she just can't wake up. Alex feels a kinship with this woman it has been a whole decade since Amy has seen the world and Alex remembers when Amy went missing have grown up not far from where it happened. Alex feels like she owes it to Amy to find out what happened. Alex diligently works to uncover the truth about what really happened to Amy all those years ago. She recruits the help of her police officer ex-husband, Amy's Step-father and Amy's high school boyfriend. All the while Amy is reliving the events up to her disappearance over and over again until she finally remembers but still stuck in her uncooperative body.

The revelation of the whodunit was very exciting. Overall, I liked the book well enough. It was beautifully written and the characters were all very real.