Kill Without Mercy by Alexandra Ivy (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Rafe Vargas is only in Newton, Iowa, to clear out his late grandfather’s small house. As the covert ops specialist for ARES Security, he's eager to get back to his new life in Texas. But when he crosses paths with Annie White, a haunted beauty with skeletons in her closet, he can't just walk away—not when she’s clearly in danger…

There’s a mysterious serial killer on the loose with a link to Annie’s dark past. And the closer he gets, the deeper Rafe’s instinct to protect kicks in. But even with his considerable skill, Annie’s courage, and his ARES buddies behind him, the slaying won’t stop. Now it’s only a matter of time before Annie’s next—unless they can unravel a history of deadly lies that won’t be buried."

My Thoughts:

I'm so glad that I've finally given this author a try and started this series!  I probably say this every time but I really enjoy the romantic suspense genre and don't read enough books like this.  This was the perfect change of pace to some of the darker thrillers and mysteries that I've been reading as of late.  Which funnily enough wasn't as different as I had expected because this book did contain a mystery as well.  The focus though was on the romance which felt refreshing and was exactly what I was in the mood for at the time.  Don't you love when that happens?  This wasn't a perfect read for me but overall I enjoyed it which is really all that matters.  I'm really excited to read more by this author now and it looks like I have a variety of books to look forward to!

One of the things that I liked most about this book was how easily I fell into it.  This wasn't one of those books that you feel the need to set down or get distracted from.  Instead I found myself constantly reading (even when I shouldn't have been) and it was another late night as I raced to finish this one.  Rafe and Annie both come back to the small town of Newton, Iowa for different reasons.  Rafe is dealing with family stuff and Annie is in search of answers concerning both the past and present.  Her hunt to learn more about the Newton Slayer otherwise known as her father connects her to Rafe when he begins to try and help her learn more.  My one and only complaint with this book was how easily Rafe and Annie fell together.  It almost felt like insta-love which is not my favorite thing in a romance.  I do say almost because it wasn't that extreme but honestly I would have liked a little more conflict or time for them to develop their feelings for one another.  That being said, the chemistry between this couple was pretty darn hot and one that I couldn't help but enjoy.  I loved how the author tied the mystery and Annie's past together to give their relationship a feeling of urgency.  Maybe that is why they fell into their feelings for one another so easily due to the danger that they were facing.  The author did a really nice job with the mystery portion of this book and I sure didn't see the ending coming.  I also really, really enjoyed all of the other characters in this book which are Rafe's "brothers".  This will be a series that I am definitely following waiting for each of these men to get their happy ever after.

Overall, this book was a fun, fast-paced read that just fit my reading mood perfectly.  I am so glad that I decided not to wait any longer and read this one.  I'm left really excited about this series and impatiently waiting yet again for the next book to release (and wondering whose book that will be!).  I'm very eager to check out this author's other books while I wait for book two in this series.  I would recommend this book to readers of romantic suspense or just romance in general to be honest.  Even fans of mysteries should give this one a try since the mystery was done so well.  Recommended!

Bottom Line:  One of those books that just fit my reading mood perfectly!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.