Love, evil, secrets & murder threaten Rachel and Patrick. Trust is all that will untangle the secrets that dominate their lives, free a little girl of her silent prison, and save them all from a serial killer who stands too close.
Some secrets are better left dead.
Rachel James’ ex-husband is released from prison determined to reclaim her and her little girl — the child is his key to controlling the James fortune. Frightened, Rachel flees to Denver with the child who hasn’t uttered a word since her daddy went to prison.
Contractor Patrick Thorne wants nothing to do with another of his parents’ charity cases. He failed his own wife so abysmally she took her own life as well as his unborn son’s. After two years, it’s time to concentrate on the bid he’s won and the saboteur trying to destroy his construction firm.
There is no room for trust in either of their hearts. But trust is all that will untangle the secrets that dominate their lives, free a little girl of her silent prison, and save them all from a serial killer who stands too close.
(A Thorne's Thorns Stand Alone Novel)
Excerpt
Four weeks….
Two days….
Sixteen hours….
…‘Til death.
The first time he laid eyes on her, he stood on the threshold of a doorway he dare not cross. He fell into her fathomless dark gaze, unable, unwilling to shake his soul free and, in that one moment, he knew.
She was meant for him to love.
Untouched by the sordid life that flourished around her, she was sunlight in a gray existence. A smile in a dingy room. A joy such as he’d never known. She was a gift from a cold, unforgiving God. Forever innocent.
Why God would give him such a precious angel, he didn’t know. But he suddenly knew what he was willing to die for. What he’d kill for.
In that instant of clarity the monster that lurked in the dark recesses of his mind was freed. A creature designed to kill. To live and die. Over and over again. Until his angel ascended once more to her place in Heaven at God’s feet where he couldn’t reach her.
‘Til death parted them, she was his and his alone.
Certain she’d been lost to him, the shock of spotting her again in LoDo, a lower downtown section of Denver, nearly brought him to his knees. His brain tried to tell him he was mistaken. She had more curves than he remembered. Her hairstyle and clothes were different.
The others were different, too.
He shook his head against the monster’s treacherous whisper. He refused to listen. Couldn’t listen. His angel smiled at him. His soul recognized her. Somehow, some way, his fractious God had been appeased and given him yet another chance.
The past seven days were hell. Watching her. Wanting to take her. Knowing he couldn’t screw up and lose her again. Tonight, his preparations in place, she’d return to his side where she belonged.
Breathing slow and measured through the full-face ski mask he’d bought at a thrift store, he sucked in a lungful of musty stench. In this uncommon late-May heat wave, he was sweating bullets but the wool soaked it up before it could sting his eyes. The itching would drive him insane, though, if she didn’t come home from work soon.
The LoDo sports bar where she waited tables closed almost an hour ago. She couldn’t have gone on a date at two o’clock on a Thursday morning, could she?
Three times he’d entered her ground floor apartment after she’d left for work, and he’d seen no sign she was involved with anyone. No jockey shorts mixed with her panties in the hamper. No extra razor. The food in the refrigerator wasn’t enough to feed a cat, let alone her and a boyfriend, and the only scent on her pillows was floral. The sole message from a male on her answering machine had identified himself as a special research librarian from the Denver Public Library reminding her to pick up the copy of “The Warwick Genealogy” she’d requested.
That doesn’t mean she isn’t still involved with him, the almighty scion of Thorne Enterprises. She’s probably crawling into his bed like a whore right this minute, letting him do things to her, making her scream….
Screams.
Blood.
Death.
“No! Stop!” he whispered. “That was a mistake!”
Was it? The insidious question lashed him from the dark place in his pounding skull.
He rejected the smirking voice, the vivid images. Think of something else. Anything else. Forgetforgetfor—
Professional Reviews
Intriguing, Suspenseful, Laugh Out Loud and Heartwarming! All this and MORE!
OK, I first should tell you that I received this book as a gift. Now, that said, this is the 3rd Karen Doctor Book I have read! I loved"Catch That Santa" , "Satin Pleasures" had me blushing! But this book, the Thorne's Thorn's Stole my heart! This book truly has it all! It's has the strong independent characters I truly love, it has drama, romance, suspense, comedy, charm, and HEAT! Did I mention it has HEAT????
If you are looking for a book you won't want to put down you have found it! I will be thrilled to find there is a volume 2 to this set and be happy to buy it! This book was hard to put down! For the 1st time in a long time I carried my kindle EVERYWHERE just in case I had 5 minutes to read!
I highly recomend this book, it has a story line you will want to follow, enough charecters for a great story but not so many you get lost trying to follow it! You will love this book!
Definitely a MUST read!!!
Killing secrets has it all; humor, passion, suspense, twists and turns that leave you wanting more. There are so many things going on in this book, but they work out to make a story you can't put down.
Rachel and her daughter, Amanda, has been running from her ex-husband since he beat her and her friend Simon put her back together and sent her off Texas to hide. However, she just found out that her ex-husband was getting out of jail. She knew he would be coming after her and Amanda. She had to run again. Her friend Kate made arrangements for her to hide at the Thorne's residence.
Next door to where Rachel is staying is the Thorne's son, Patrick, who is just recovering emotionally from his wife's suicide while pregnant with his child two years earlier. On top of that, someone is sabotaging his work sites. He doesn't have time for a beautiful woman, who haunts his dreams, and her troubles. However, when her ex-husband shows up and starts threatening Rachel, Patrick jumps to her rescue. Has he just signed his death warrant?
The rest of the book is how Rachel and Patrick get out from under the dark cloud of troubles. There is some major passion as well as sexual frustration between Patrick and Rachel. There are twists and surprises that you don't see coming. Overall, the book keeps you engaged and wanting to know what happens next. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys some romance and suspense all mixed in one!! One of my top books! Can't wait for book 2!!
Holy crap this book kept me up half the night
Holy crap this book kept me up half the night! It was extremely hard to put down! There are so many twist and turns that keep you guessing. There are so many things that you don't and won't see coming! First time reading from this author and let's just say she knew what she was doing when she wrote this book! This is a MUST READ!!
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