A writer goes into hiding when she learns she's the obsession of a serial killer.
Thirteen murders. Six years. One connection.
Romance novelist Casey Martinez thought changing her name would help her escape the pain of her past but when she receives photographs of a grisly murder, it becomes evident that a killer is stalking her. Over the past six years, women who share an eerie similarity to Casey have been found raped and mutilated—each with the remains of Casey’s book by their side. Haunted by the death of her mother twenty five years earlier, Casey reluctantly seeks refuge in the town she swore she would never return to—Rosehill, Texas.
Detective Scott Weller is assigned to protect Casey, and it's no easy job dealing with the stubborn, independent woman who wants nothing to do with him. But living in such close quarters leads to temptation neither can resist. When Casey is attacked during a break-in, evidence points to a second stalker. And with the gruesome discovery of another body, it becomes a race against time to find the real killer before Casey becomes the next victim.
Excerpt
Casey glanced at the clock next to her bed and sighed. Sleep was a luxury she didn’t pack for this trip. Tossing the blankets aside, she crawled out of bed and grabbed her cigarettes from the end table. She had left the window open so she could listen to the sounds of the night and the crash of waves, hoping they would lull her to sleep. But three hours later, she was still wide awake.
After lighting a cigarette, she climbed out of the window and stood on the deck. A gusty breeze blew in from the beach, carrying the lingering odor of burning wood from the bonfire. She waited a moment, straining to listen for Scott. She’d heard him go into his bedroom an hour after she did, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t hear her. The man had built-in radar where she was concerned. She didn’t know whether to be impressed or annoyed.
Satisfied he wasn’t nearby, she crept down the stairs to the deck below, feeling much like a thief on the prowl. The trill of crickets and cicadas broke through the silence of the night. The waves rolled in the distance like a subtle applause. She moved to the edge of the patio to watch them curl inshore. The full moon glistened an endless trail on the water. Lights from the oil-rigs glowed in the distance like a cityscape.
The conversation she’d had with Scott earlier played back in her head. In two weeks it would be June. If his theory was right, in two weeks she could be dead.
Professional Reviews
For once not my taste became my taste
Reviewed By: Emily Tuley / AngelsCryHavoc
Blog Reviewed For: Great Minds Think Aloud Literary Community
Rating: 5 Ravens
Romance novels, Unless they are Paranormal (yes, I know typical for most) I have not had a knack for them. Suspense, Thriller it didn't matter no matter what I did I had a hard time getting into them and then. I was given this book as a Review assignment from my director Kitty Bullard, She told me I just had to read it that I would enjoy it and that it would change my mind. I'm always open to try new things. Give them that good old fashioned try and so I did. Never will I admit this often but she was right. I didn't just enjoy it. I loved it. I loved it. It was fast paced and suspenseful but left me guessing at each possible angle and scenerio that could come of the multiple stalker situation. It had me grow that affinity for Casey where one minute I wanted to hug her and try to help comfort her from her horrible past to where the next I wanted to shake some sense into her out of frustration and the situations she allowed herself to get into.
Casey is clearly suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) where it affects some and they shut down or close themselves off , This is what I've heard call the Fight or Flight response. she has chosen to take what I call the Fight approach in stead of flight making her strong willed and defiant to the end. Refusing to admit that she can't handle anything on her own. She struggles like some of the men that have this disorder to relinquish control and to admit that this is a moment they need help. It shows just how much of that can be destructive to herself and others. Maybe I read a little more into the character than I should have but I found her well developed and proof of ones life , trials and tribulations things that happen some of them more shocking than one might admit or know can alter a person and their personality greatly. It's this and coming home that is allowing Casey to do the one thing she never really thought she would be able to do and that is face her past and possibly heal herself to save her future.
Scott is the good cop with a family background but he himself has issues refusing to settle down or make anyone deal with what his mother had to go through as being a cop ran in the family. He's just a good ol' boy that never expects to find a woman completely off what he figures to be his "type" in Casey not only is she his best friends sister but she's everything that infuriates and frustrates him but all in a completely good way. Making his job as bodyguard only that much harder while she's back home in her home town. The two having to deal with her family hiding the fact she's been stalked by a crazy serial killer and the rest of the stalkers who have a claim to her one odd way or another. Thinking everything she says or does is about them.
Once again I thoroughly enjoyed this book and perhaps , perhaps I'm definitely looking for more from this Author
Forget Me Not is exciting and suspenseful
5.0 out of 5 stars "Forget Me Not is exciting and suspenseful...", June 24, 2012
By M. Nix
As Casey Martinez tries to put her painful past behind her, a stalker sets his sights on her. The FBI wants Casey far from her home in New York, so Casey heads back to Texas where her brother lives and her nightmares still remain. Detective Scott Weller is assigned as Casey's bodyguard. Scott doesn't want the job, and Casey doesn't want him there either. That's about the only thing they have in common, except sizzling mutual sexual attraction, which Casey is determined to keep hidden. With a killer on the loose Scott has to keep his feelings separate from his job. Keeping her safe is just as hard as keeping his distance.
Forget Me Not is exciting and suspenseful. While I was engaged and anxious to see how things would play out, subtle clues dropped here and there gave me a few guesses as to what might happen next. Scott charms with his good looks, sexy Texan drawl, and southern manners. While I liked Casey's feistiness, she borders on ice queen at times, especially toward Scott. And her smoking habit is unappealing. Her personality traits are understandable, considering what she's been through, and she does warm up, but she's a tough nut to crack. Forget Me Not is a good story, and it's packed with danger and action.
Reviewed by Nannette
For Joyfully Reviewed
Enjoyable
4.0 out of 5 stars , December 2, 2011
By LAS Reviewer "The Long and the Short Of It Reviews...
Forget Me Not is a sizzling, fast paced suspense.
Casey Martinez lives a quiet, lonely life. She occupies herself with writing paranormal romances. She keeps most people at a distance, having built a wall around herself so high that it's difficult to open up and be sociable and friendly. This quiet life is interrupted one day when the FBI feels she may be a target of a killer. Where is Casey sent to? Home. To a place she avoids visiting as much as possible. But Texas, here she comes.
Casey's reserved attitude holds steady in most of the book. She's got a tragic past, or so it seems, as the author gives readers hints and glimpses into a past Casey would love to just put behind her. The only good ties she has here are her brother and his wife. Casey's reclusive life is slowly changing, now that she's surrounded by what's left of her family, and a man who must protect her at all costs, despite Casey's efforts to push him away.
Scott Weller is just as unhappy about having to be a bodyguard to Casey as she is. Scott is also a friend of her brother, and Casey wants the information about needing protection and a possible stalker to stay hidden. The sparks fly between the two, though at first it's not the good, falling in love sparks. The two drive each other crazy and are usually throwing harsh words at one another for awhile. After a few incidents, though, the two finally start getting along and giving into their desires.
Ms. Molina brings the characters to life with their troubled pasts and wide variety of characteristics that make them very dynamic. The tension is high as someone gets closer to having Casey just where they want her. I was left guessing until the very exciting climax of the book, one that I didn't see coming. This is an excellent novel, one that had me at the edge of my seat, hanging onto every word. Romantic suspense fans should take note of this author, and this excellent story with believable characters and intense plot.
If you like a tough heroine, a hero that will do anything to protect the woman he loves, and a story about giving into what the heart wants, then don't miss Forget Me Not.
Love is universal and not limited to the most perfect among us. In this collection of romantic short stories and poetry, love comes to those who are decidedly imperfect, who possess very real human flaws, scars, and challenges. Awaiting us as we are.
