Casee‘s review of Silver Falls by Anne Stuart.
Rachel is finally getting it right. After years of wandering, she’s married the perfect man and settled into the ideal life. But as her sleepy little town turns into a killing ground, she realizes that this new life might come at too high a price.
Caleb Middleton says he’s returned home to set things right. But as her husband’s dangerous brother circles like a hungry wolf, poking holes in her perfect world, Rachel draws her young daughter in close. The rain and violence keep coming, and Rachel must decide whether to trust her dream life or her instincts…before the town of Silver Falls becomes her grave.
I’m usually a big Anne Stuart fan. She writes some of the darkest heroes that I’ve ever read. Silver Falls has the dark hero, but not as dark as I’ve come to expect. Usually I can take or leave her heroines. I would have rather left Rachel. She was TSTL.
Rachel married David Middleton after her daughter, Sophie’s, best friend was murdered. She decided it was high time for her to settle down and give Sophie a normal life. As a photographer, she has taken Sophie all over the world, hardly what she would call a stable life. When she decides to marry David, she knows that his dullness and predictability is the exact thing that Sophie needs.
Caleb Middleton never has any intention of going back to Silver Falls. When he hears that his brother has married a woman that has a young daughter, he can’t stay away. For too long, Caleb has looked past what he knew was the truth about David. All he can hope for now is that he can outsmart his brother and do what he should have done a long time ago.
When Caleb and Rachel meet, their attraction is instantaneous. Rachel is determined to stay away from the black sheep of the Middleton family, no matter how drawn she is to him.
This is where is started falling apart for me. Rachel couldn’t decide if Caleb was a serial killer or not. One day she would decide he was, the next he wasn’t. In the meantime, she ignores all the signs of things going on with her own husband and what is right under her nose.
Then, when the shit hits the fan, she leaves her daughter with friends. Huh. This is the one person she cares about most in the world. And she lets her out of her sight. That just didn’t work for me. As protective as she was of Sophie, not being with her (to have sex no less) was just wrong.
I did like that David’s POV was included. It made the book more creepy and suspenseful.
3.5 out of 5.
This book is available from Mira. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
I really like your honest review of this book, listing the pros and the fact that you usually like this author’s books. When you describe why certain parts don’t work, your reasoning makes sense to me. I think I”ll pass this one up, unless a friend donates a copy or something – and even then…might not be worth the time. Keep on posting those reviews and twitters, love to keep up with your writing.
Stuart’s heroines often teeter just on the edge of TSTL, appearing to do the things we know are so wrong for them, making poor decisions, putting themselves in harm’s way. Yet we always seem to understand the pull they feel to jump into the fray. To launch themselves into the unknown, unable to help themselves; they feel that inescapable urge to be with their hero. And we usually forgive them for it, because we completely understand it. Their heroes are usually that compelling.
But it’s usually themselves that they put in harm’s way (or the hero), not someone else. And a child? Bad.
But one thing you have to say about Stuart. She doesn’t shy away from the controversial. A married heroine? That’s pretty gutsy.
I know I’ll end up reading it anyway. Although she lost me after the 2nd Ice book, I’m still an Anne Stuart ho.