Keep Her Safe | Book Review

Keep Her Safe

Written by: K.A. Tucker

Number of Pages: 436

Average Rating: 4.27/5 stars

My Rating: 3/5 stars

Published: January 23, 2018

Read in February 2018

Summary According to Goodreads

Noah Marshall has known a privileged and comfortable life thanks to his mother, the highly decorated chief of the Austin Police Department. But all that changes the night she reveals a skeleton that’s been rattling in her closet for years, and succumbs to the guilt of destroying an innocent family’s life. Reeling with grief, Noah is forced to carry the burden of this shocking secret.

Gracie Richards wasn’t born in a trailer park, but after fourteen years of learning how to survive in The Hollow, it’s all she knows anymore. At least here people don’t care that her dad was a corrupt Austin cop, murdered in a drug deal gone wrong. Here, she and her mother are just another family struggling to survive… until a man who clearly doesn’t belong shows up on her doorstep.

Despite their differences, Noah and Gracie are searching for answers to the same questions, and together, they set out to uncover the truth about the Austin Police Department’s dark and messy past. But the scandal that emerges is bigger than they bargained for, and goes far higher up than they ever imagined.

My Thoughts

I received an ebook copy of this novel to review from NetGalley, but that does not influence my opinion. 

This was my first experience reading K.A. Tucker, although I do own a couple of her novels and have been interested in others. I went into this with no expectations except to be in for a steamy thrill ride. Unfortunately, that is not what I got. Although this novel is first categorized as a romance, I would say it is actually quite far from it. It isn’t until about mid-way through the plot that our characters become level-headed enough to see each other in that way, but it is implied as a lead-in from the beginning. I was put off a bit by the five year age gap, as Gracie is only 20-years old, they do have differing levels of maturity without a doubt, but they almost seem to balance each other out because of it. 

In a contemporary novel, I find characters to be a crucial element to my level of enjoyment. There isn’t a magic system or dystopian setting to build something unique, so memorable characters are so important. I didn’t fall head-over-heels for either of our main characters, but I did find Noah to be enjoyable enough to read. He was passionate, dedicated, educated, loveable, and of course very attractive. Grace on the other hand I found to be immature, rash in her decision making, and ignorant of the bigger picture. The novel bounces between their perspectives, but we also get small excerpts from Grace’s father, and Noah’s mother. I found this to be a great addition to the delivery of the novel, because it provided a clearer understanding, but it also took away the mystery of what happened. 

My biggest issue with this novel was its predictable and repetitive plot. There were moments where I felt like they just kept going in circles and giving us (readers) the same information over and over again. I do understand that an investigation such as the one they were experiencing could have a “chasing tail” outcome, but it was way too exaggerated for my taste. I am not one to surprise easy with plot twists, as I read so much, and this novel was no different. From the beginning I had an idea who was involved and how it would unfold, but there was a shock at the end that got me. That twist that tied it all together was clever, but I did begin to piece it together before it was officially revealed. 

Overall, it was a good read. I would class it as a suspenseful contemporary, not too heavy on thrill or steamy romantic scenes. As I mentioned earlier, this was my first experience into K.A. Tuckers writing, but I am optimistic that it will not be my last. If you are into mysteries that are realistic in their delivery, and not so heavy on the romance, I would recommend you give this a go!