He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not by Lena Diaz
HarperCollins (Aug. 9, 2011(ebook); Sept. 6, 2011 (paper))
Mass Market: $7.99; ebook: $3.99
ISBN: 9780062115775
Favorite Lines: “The sweet music of her screams echoed in his mind as he inhaled the lavender-scented shampoo he’d selected for her.” (p. 5)
Four years ago, Amanda Stockton was forced to play a serial killer’s twisted game of chance. Bearing the scar from her ordeal and the burden of a terrible secret, she retreats from the world around her. But when another woman dies clutching a long-stemmed red rose, Amanda knows she can hide no longer.
If there were any other way, Chief Logan Richards would never ask the only surviving victim for help. But it’s clear this killer will not be stopped and Amanda is the only link. Torn between catching a madman and winning the trust of the woman he’s come to love, Logan and Amanda are caught in a dangerous game. And there’s no guarantee they’ll come out on top.
This is another shitty cover put forth by Avon Impulse. It’s really frustrating to me because the Avon Impulse stories have pretty much been good stories wrapped up in bad packaging.
Read my thinking process in the comment area.
I really enjoyed He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not. It’s a bloody good romantic suspense revolving around two guilt ridden people who deserve happiness. It is also Lena Diaz’s debut book. If it’s a sign of what’s to come, I’ll be pleased to read more from her.
After surviving a brutal murder attempt, Amanda retreated from the world, changed her last name and attempted to lead a normal, but extremely secure life. Logan made a rookie mistake as a kid and has been waiting years for the boot to fall and display the effects of that mistake.
He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not reminds me of Kiss the Girls. If I’d never have seen the movie and if I weren’t such a fan of Criminal Minds, I could have been surprised with the way the story worked out. As it is, the first clue given on page 5 told me everything I needed to know about the killer. It is an obvious, in your face clue and points to the most important lesson of the story: always follow your instincts.
The lesson is one that Logan should have learned after his rookie mistake. I think he did learn it, but damn the poor man can’t frick’n win. Add Amanda to that same can’t win category. The poor woman is estranged from her only living relative and is scarred both inside and out. She retreated from society and unfortunately cannot trust her instincts. There are several instances when she reacts out of fear, some of them are justified but other times it’s straight up fear of the unknown.
On to the romance. I didn’t get the instant attraction or romance. Don’t get me wrong. I think the hero and the heroine are worthy of love and that the best place to find that love is with one another. However, I’m glad the hero and heroine are slow to enter into a relationship. Diaz takes into consideration the heroine’s traumatic past and eases her into life and a relationship with Logan. Like I said, I don’t get it but it works.
In the end, I’m happy to have read He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not. It took me out of reality to a world where a killer could come from anywhere and stab me. Yep, it yanked me right in. Despite knowing who the killer was early in the story, I enjoyed watching it unfold. I never knew what was going to happen and I appreciated that.
You know what I thought, but do you know what they think?
The Book Pushers
Long and Short Romance Reviews
Scooper Speaks 