Reviewer: Jen
Until Death by Cynthia Eden
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: August 25th 2015
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense
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When Ivy DuLane witnesses a murder during the madness of Mardi Gras, she enters a deadly cat and mouse game with the killer. The city has gone wild with the annual celebration, and Ivy has to rely on sexy homicide detective—and her ex-lover—Bennett Morgan for help.

But with every moment that passes, the killer grows bolder, and the body count starts to rise.  It soon becomes very hard to tell the innocent from the guilty…especially since Bennett is keeping dark secrets of his own.

Ivy DuLane is a private investigator in Mobile, Alabama who sees a woman being stabbed during the city’s Mardi Gras parade. As she gets involved with the case, she also comes in contact with Detective Bennett Morgan, her past love who has returned to town after many years. When it appears that the murder is not a solitary occurrence and that it is related to Ivy somehow, the two have to work together to figure out what is going on as well as come to terms with their past.

I enjoy Eden’s writing, but most of her heroes are definitely the alpha-iest of all the alphas. Bennett is certainly bossy and gruff, though not quite as obnoxious as some of her other heroes, which I appreciated. He judges Ivy pretty harshly as a spoiled princess who doesn’t understand anything about how hard life can really be. Of course, a lot has happened in Ivy’s life since she and Bennett had dreamed of a life together, and she is much tougher and savvier than he realizes. I enjoyed seeing her prove him wrong. Those of you who like second chance love stories, this will fit the bill. Poor Ivy and Bennett were drive apart by others and by their own insecurities, and it’s a little painful to read about. There is a lot of hurt and mistrust to work through, but their mutual attraction continues to draw them both and eventually open a path to reconciliation. Don’t think there is going to be a ton of heartfelt conversation, though. Ivy and Bennett talked enough to satisfy me, but just barely. 

The mystery plot was overly complicated, I thought, but it did keep me guessing and interested until the end. Ivy has a complex and painful family history that comes into play here. Her brother has a particularly heartbreaking role in this book, and he doesn’t really get his own happy ending. While it’s not filled with gore, it is kind of dark and sad at times.

This is a solid if not exceptional romantic suspense with some good sexual chemistry and a plot that will keep you guessing.

Grade: 3.5 out of 5

*I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.