REVIEW: If You See Her by Shiloh Walker

Title: If You See Her (Amazon)
Series: The Ash Trilogy, #2
Author: Shiloh Walker 
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Source: review copy from author
Published: January 31, 2012 by Ballantine Books

A FACE IN THE MIRROR

Hope Carson may not look like a survivor, but she has escaped an abusive ex-husband and recovered from a vicious assault. Now she endures the painful memories and suspicious rumors surrounding her involvement in the attack. Her ex is a cop, so the last people she trusts are law enforcement officials—and she certainly doesn’t trust how the local DA makes her feel inside.

Remy Jennings should know better. He has no business falling for a woman who he suspects may have a deeply troubled mind. And even if he did make a move, she’d bolt like a frightened rabbit. But how can he deny a burning desire that threatens to consume him? As Hope’s past catches up with her in the worst way, Remy is determined to break through her defenses, earn her trust, and keep her safe in his arms—before it’s too late.

Why I Read this Book: I needed to know if my suspicions as to whom the killer is were right.

What I Liked: Ever since reading If You Hear Her (my review), I had a theory on who the killer is. And I was so convinced that I had it figured out. Until page 300-something (I’m not going to give you an exact page because you’ll either jump straight to the page or it’ll preoccupy your mind when you should be paying attention to the story), I knew it was [insert character who I thought was the killer]. But then [insert event that happens that squashes my theory] occurs. The choices for the killer are somewhat limited; there’s one detail regarding the killer that’s given away in the first book (no, I’m not going to say what that detail is but it’s an important one) and most characters don’t fit the profile because of that small detail. In fact, I do not even know who fit’s the killer’s profile now. *scratches head*

I love how Remy challenged Hope, in more ways than one. Remy would ask Hope how she was feeling and she would reply I’m fine or I’m okay and he’d rebut her by calling her out as a liar. It made me chuckle but I’m glad he didn’t let her get away from addressing her feelings. I think an important thing with someone who’s as broken as Hope is to get them to express their feelings instead of keeping it all bottled up inside. And Remy did a fine job at coaxing it out of her.

I had the notion that the author was so wickedly forthcoming with some details (like internal dialogue). A new detail came to light regarding the person I *thought* was the killer and yet, I was still in denial. I was ready to go back and skim through the entire book to prove to myself that my theory could still hold weight. But I decided to keep reading and another new detail came to light and completely derailed my suspicions. I now have absolutely NO IDEA who the killer is. And I like it! Otherwise it would have felt too predictable. And if’s there’s one thing If You See Her is NOT, it’s predictable.

What I Didn’t Like: There was a time or two when Remy just needed to be a little more cautious with his physical movements around Hope. He knew better.

There were a few times when the descriptive narration felt repetitious. I’d read a sentence and think I just read that.

Overall Impression: By the end of If You See Her, my theory on who the killer is was completely debunked. I am now stumped and thoroughly confused. I have been completely and utterly invested in figuring out who the killer is and I can’t wait to read If You Know Her.

The Book Vixen’s Rating:

 

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