good, intense but not overly so
344011
Good read. Kind of formulaic but very enjoyable, good thriller aspect. I don't like the thrillers that have you looking over your own shoulder because their sooo intense,  so this was good. Not too intense. Liked characters and setting, will read more of series,  author.  Thanks!
4261838
The story kept moving and was strong enough to catch and keep your attention. It was not a book that I couldn't put down, however. Overall good, but not great.
2559349
Wow. This book is hard to describe. The story doesn't really ring true for me. Inviting a third person into the bedroom requires a high level of trust which wasn't there in this story. The babysitters feeling seemed authentic. This book was very intense. It is a fast moving story. Sometimes a little hard to follow jumping forward random arbitrary intervals (time wise i.e. days, weeks, months). Some conversations are hard to follow because it's just a list of sentences. No clear indication of who is speaking and I had to stop and try and figure it out.
292064
I liked the characters a lot and the author's prose flows nicely. The plot revolves around a couple of different kinds of abuse and while I know it happens and have known people in that kind of situation, some of this was still too unbelievable.  That gave it a little more of a real life feel though so I still give four stars.
1174767
This novel was very intense, but the author added comic reliefs at times.
I felt that the story was well developed and the characters believable.
4189584
I read this book on a whim. I don't usually read mysteries (why I don't know, crime TV shows are some of my favorites) but this one caught my attention. It's not the fastest paced book but I didn't get bored because while there are some pretty intense things happening within the plot, the psychological standpoints of the characters are what really engaged me.

I read a few reviews before reading the book that said the book made the reader jump because it was so intense, but that definitely didn't happen to me. In my opinion it's not an obvious make-you-jump thriller, but an intense, disturbing, realistic view into the skewed psyches of two people who are indisputably intertwined in a very destructive manner.

If you're interested into a story with lots of twists and interesting, twisted-yet-believable characters, this is a great read.
2182708
This is a great action/thriller with complex relatable characters.  I enjoyed the action and watching the characters grow..  I was less thrilled with the level of violence in this book, but that's me.
2500792
Very Brief Synopsis - At the age of fifteen, Olivia Wainwright was kidnapped and held for ransom. Although she manages to escape with the help of "Jack", a young boy also under the kidnapper's control, her life is forever changed. When a skeleton of a young boy is discovered in the wall of a burnt out bar near where Olivia was held, she feels compelled to go to the scene. She meets Detective Gabe Cooper, and together they unravel the mystery of the remains. Someone doesn't want them to succeed, and is intent on removing Olivia from the case.

Olivia - Her kidnapping experience has left her with an extra sensory gift - if she touches a body or remains, she relives the last 130 seconds of the deceased's life. Pretty horrifying "gift", huh? She works with a group of folks who each have their own gift, and together they help people who have exhausted more traditional methods. Her gift is taking a toll on her, though. Olivia is such a strong character, and completely feminine. She really takes the lead here, and even initiates the physical relationship with Gabe. She can take care of herself, but chooses to let Gabe help her. It's great to have a heroine who is in touch with her girl side while still being completely in charge.

Gabe - Gabe is a skeptic of all things mystical. Yet as he gets closer to Olivia, he is forced to admit there may be more out there than meets the eye. Gabe is a good guy. He cares about people, he believes in his job, and in justice. He tries not to blur the lines between the personal and professional with Olivia, but as they spend more time together, the attraction he feels to her builds.

The romance between Olivia and Gabe builds at a nice, believable pace. I like that there was a friendship and a getting to know each other period before they got physical. They generate a good bit of heat together once they do get physical, though.

There is a good bit of tension-breaking humor throughout the story, which is always a win in my book.

The story is intense, interesting and moves along at a good pace. Leslie Kelly tends to not hold back on the gruesome details of death, which adds a grittiness to the story not often found in this genre. Her books have a sense of realness, for want of a better word. This is not Murder Lite. There is some ugliness, some grief, good people are lost. And if the good guys win in the end, well, it isn't a win that comes without pain and adjustment.

Personally, I love it when the secondary characters come on strong and grab their share of the limelight. In Cold Touch, there is a wealth of grabbiness. Not so much that they overshadow the main characters or story, but enough to where the reader can eagerly anticipate the other character's turn in the spotlight. Specifically, Julie and Morgan...I am dying to know how Ms. Kelly is going to handle their circumstances.

Ms. Kelly has a real winner with this series. Cold Sight was excellent, as is Cold Touch. The storylines are very different from the "normal" PNR, yet still populated with interesting characters and gripping plotlines. If you like Cynthia Eden's Deadly series, Laura Griffin and/or Kylie Brandt, I would urge you to give Leslie Kelly a read.
4429713
Pretty intense from the beginning. I have to say not very many sympathetic characters in this story granted it is a prison but did not care for Lucie all that much. When she meets the Valos from the area one  them Sarsen treats her very rudely. He does not trusts her but they end up sleeping together.anyway. Asche and Ertale are calmer and more giving. At the end though Lucie does change.
354400
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was glad it was written as a narrative. There were times where I had chills up my arms and my neck, definitely some intense moments. I recommend this book with knowledge that some of the dialogue is weak at times but the feel of the overall book is worthy of your time.
199552
Very intense revenge story about a young woman who suffered extreme violence, rape and betrayal, as a 15-year-old, by people she knew and trusted. If you understand that this story is about revenge and not quite a love story, it will be a wee bit more palatable. As a reader I felt the brokenness in the heroine which allowed me to understand her vantage point that much better. While sad for the heroine, I like how the author kept it gritty in respect to how the traumatic event (and other events) utterly changed her and set her on this trajectory. It doesn't matter how strong you are, horrific violence and betrayal are so difficult to overcome and irrevocable changes your perspective on life.  It is interesting (and I felt realistic) how the author included how the heroine's inability to cope in the early years after assault, affected Elliot.  When escaping into a book I often want a true HEA, but after reading something like this - it makes me appreciate my own life so much more.
4666086
The characters were interesting, both the main ones and the side characters. All had depth and were interesting to learn about. I did feel that after the main two got together a lot of crap happened. All very extreme, all very quickly. Left me kinda confused, breathless and emotionally spent. Maybe if the book had been longer (it was probably a novella), and those events all could be spread out more, I'd have enjoyed the progression more. I did like the future glimpses after that calmed down though. And the tie in with the title at the end was a nice touch, and very real for the reader as well. Pretty good sex scenes. A good perspective on different types of non-feme gays.
238217
This story was a bit more intense than I had anticipated -- at one point the teacher is eaten, so I'd recommend this for readers 10-13.  I like the imaginative element here, but frankly it's a bit too far out to be believable in any way
389432
This is a good read, but alert..... it is not for the squeamish.  The characters and location are not like the TV series, but the characters are complex and are very interesting.  At times you wonder how can they deal with such evil people in their work and seem so nave.  Of course, it would not be much of a story, if they never let themselves be put in harm's way.

Be forewarned, this story deals with extreme sexual violence upon women.  The victims may be dead and on the autopsy table, but as Tempe unravels their death, you probably will find yourself wondering .......  what kind of "sick xxxx" could think of doing such things to a person or even their dead body.

The second half of the book is better and faster paced.  You will wonder who else is going to die and how.  Expect to stay up late reading "just one more chapter" for a couple of nights.
3608410
I liked this sequel a lot, it was fast moving and things came one after the other.

I took off one star because, well, partially for the same reason I liked it, it never slowed down.  That is a weird thing to say perhaps, fast moving plots are preferred by me.  But there was almost no time to take a breath or take stock of things which meant she could never really take a break to address her own issues.  I would not have minded her making more progress in the personal arena, but there was enough to satisfy.

The main plot was good, but I didn't see the twists some other reviewers saw, no surprises there for me.  Despite the red herrings he threw out I never truly gave my early conclusions a second thought, there were enough hints to figure things out long before the end.  But the rest of the book was so strong and engaging it didn't bother me.

I will be continuing the series and on the lookout for the next book.
455411
Good movie, very intense.  Even though the responsibility for sucide falls on the person themselves, I think it's important everyone realize that none of us can know exactly where a person is mentally/emotionally and that our actions, no matter how small, can impact someone's life.
1104798
Other than a few POV issues and some coarse language, I liked this book. In some places, the POV shift (or at least the shift from flashback to present) was unclear, and in some places I thought the information would have been better filtered through another character. It was obvious the author was holding back information. All in all, though, it was infrequent and not a big deal.

The plot is so much more than 'baby-daddy for hire'. It has enough romance for the gals and plenty of action and suspense for the guys. And, we find out by the end that things are not completely as they seem. This is one of those books with which you have to sit back, trust the author, and enjoy the ride. She does a good job of unfolding the story layer by layer, bringing the suspense and action to a fevered pitch by the end. A solid 4 stars.