Publisher: Ballantine
Publish Date: Out Now
How I got this book: NetGalley
A SHADOW IN THE WINDOW
Nia Hollister doesn’t scare easily. Come hell or high water, she intends to find her cousin’s killer. She returns to Ash, Kentucky, for answers. What she doesn’t expect is to ache with desire every time she sees Law Reilly. If any man can help her escape the nightmares for a while, it’s him. But can she allow herself to take comfort in those strong arms when a murderer still roams free?
Unknown to Nia, as she quietly slips into Law Reilly’s home, is that she’s being watched—by someone who is waiting for an opportunity to strike. Timing is everything, though he can’t wait forever. If she’s not frightened, she soon will be. Nia has made a vow to find her cousin’s killer. She should be careful what she wishes for.
*Blurb from Goodreads*
MinnChica: I’ve long been a fan of Shiloh Walker, and when she came out with a romantic suspense trilogy, I was in reading heaven! After going through the first two books in a few days, I quickly drove right into the third, needing to know how the story resolves. Unlike some suspense trilogies, the villain and overall story arc continues through all three books. So be sure you have all three ready to go, because once you start you will want to read until you get to the very end! I was anxious to see how Law and Nia would finally get over their initial meeting and move on, and I’m happy to say I really enjoyed their relationship. This was a strong series and an even stronger final book!
E: I have also been a Shiloh Walker fan for years. I am not as keen on romantic suspenses as MinnChica is so I held off on getting the first of the Ash trilogy. Then when I saw people’s comments on twitter and her blog posts about not knowing who the perpetrator was yet I was really intrigued and decided I should wait until all three books came out. Let me tell you once I started reading I was very glad I waited to start because having to wait for months in between would have driven me insane. Law and Nia’s first meeting was rather explosive so I wanted to see how they would manage to work things out not to mention her less then positive impression on Law’s closest friends. I also really wanted to know who the killer was and if any of my list of possible suspects was correct.
MinnChica: I too was totally stumped by who the killer was. I kept going through the list in my head. Is it him, or maybe her, or him? Going into this book, I think I had it narrowed down to three possible suspects, and it was somewhat obvious (to me) about a third of the way in, who the killer was. I have no idea how I actually figured it out, but I did, and I have to say that Walker really threw me for a loop with that one. Romantic suspense fans who love the mystery to play a big role in their books will definitely love this trilogy. I have to say though, for me, the romance just wasn’t where I hoped it would be in this third installment. I didn’t really feel like Law and Nia wanted to make a relationship work.
E: The actual or should I say the worst of the bad guys was on my list but he was towards the bottom. Someone else had risen to the top at the end of book two. MinnChica and I had discussed who we thought the killer was, she guessed right I didn’t lol, but as I continued reading I had a sneaky suspicion that she was right. I was completely on her side by about half-way through the book and a small part of me wanted to stop and re-read the first two to see what I missed. Luckily my curiosity won out and I continued reading. I really enjoyed the fact that Ms Walker kept me guessing through the majority of the trilogy so I stayed hooked. I was actually more focused on finding the killer then I was on the relationship between Law and Nia. Nia wasn’t ever my favorite character and I didn’t regain my initial liking for Law after he defended Nia instead of his best friend.
MinnChica: I am not usually a big fan of when the suspense portion of a book is strung out throughout multiple books, but I found that in this trilogy, I liked it. I liked the constant guessing and trying to figure out who the killer was, what his next move would be. It was crazy and exciting and fun! The romance reader in me felt like Nia and Law really took a backseat to the wrap up of the overall plot. Now, for me, that wasn’t a huge deal, because like I said, I didn’t feel any big connection to these two. I thought Nia was rude and abrupt and not the most likeable heroine. On the other hand, Law had this tendency of rubbing me all the wrong ways, especially when it came to his reaction to Nia and how he treated Hope whenever Nia was around. I had a hard time liking the two of them as individuals, and I think that tainted my enjoyment of their romance.
E: Aside from that particular romance I enjoyed this book and even though I still had some questions when I finished reading I think the way everything tied together was pretty impressive. I don’t mind the suspense continuing over a few books provided they pick up where the previous one left off. I have to get sucked back into the action and edge of my seat quickly or I will start skimming. Ms Walker was able to keep me focused and eager to see what was going to happen next to the poor residents of Ash, Kentucky. I have decided I am NEVER living in a small town in the south where 50% of the town has the same last name.
MinnChica: All in all I think Walker has created a thrilling and wonderful romantic suspense trilogy with these books. They are exciting, kept me engaged and guessing at every twist and turn. While I wasn’t a huge fan of the romance from this particular book, the trilogy wrapped up so incredibly well, that it more than made up for it. This series is one that romantic suspense fans out there should definitely pick up, and all at once too. Once you start the first book, you won’t be able to stop until you reach the end!
I give If You Know Her a B-
E: I am a spoiler junkie and I have also been known to flip to the last part of the book just to see how it comes out. After seeing the comments of those who read the first book when it was released and then had to wait for the other two I decided I would wait. Then I decided I wasn’t going to look at any of the reviews until I had a chance to read them myself. That was incredibly different but I am very glad that I did. I enjoyed the ride that Ms Walker wove throughout her trilogy and how I knew something bad was going to happen but I didn’t know what. I also liked how the “lesser” bad guys also got what was coming to them. If you like darker romantic suspense this is certainly for you. Like MinnChica said you might as well buy them all at once because you are going to begrudge the pause to buy the next one. I refuse to confirm or deny that I have a nightlight now.
I give If you Know Her a B.
I am sitting on pins and needles. I have the first 2 books, but am waiting until i can get the third book to read them all at once. I HATE to read a book and be left hanging until the next one. I usually have to re-read the first, and when the last book comes out — i have to re-read the first two (look squirrel!). Love, love her books.
@TrishJ: They are good!! I’m excited for you to get to read them in order!!! 🙂
Great review ladies, thank you. I really like those dual reviews 🙂
@aurian: Thank you! We really like doing these, especially since we all seem to enjoy the same kinds of books, but sometimes have such different opinions! 🙂
I would like to read this book.