Rating: 
Summary: Though action packed, the story line is character driven
Review: In Asheville, North Carolina Mary Grace is hospitalized after a fall down the stairs leaves her battered and partially crippled. Her husband police officer Rob Winters whispers a warning to her to keep quiet that he pushed her. When she begins to heal, she returns home, planning to disappear with their son Robbie before his father kills one of them during one of his control freak outs. Two years later, the opportunity arises and Mary accompanied by Robbie vanishes. Rob thinks they are dead while many law enforcement types think he killed her.Seven years later, the county sheriff finds a car belonging to Rob in Douglas Lake, Tennessee, but no corpses inside. Rob goes to the locale and finds evidence in the vehicle that makes him believe Mary lives and has his son with him. Irate, he plans to locate her, beat the hell out of her, and take back his boy. Living in Chicago, Mary works as an office assistant at Carrington College under the name of Caroline Stewart. She and the new head of the history department Dr. Max Hunter are attracted to one another. However, Rob is coming which means no one in her circle is safe. Though action packed, the story line is character driven. Macho Rob is a sociopath predator who hides his abuse behind a thin caring veneer. Caroline is not the person he used to batter, having improved herself once she got out from under his oppression. Readers will admire her courage, but feel anguish and dismay at a support system that failed her while hoping that true justice prevails. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Great GREAT book!**5 1/2 stars**
Review: Karen Rose has done it again! Very well written book with well developed and likable characters. A real page-turner. Karen Rose is a master at suspense. Lots of suspense books are based on the wife leaves husband due to abuse, but this book was unique and well worth your time and money. The characters are easy to relate to and I really hated for the story to end. I ran out and bought Have you seen her?, which is like part two of Don't Tell..both were excellent and a great addition to any suspense lovers collection.
Rating:
Summary: THIS IS A WORK STOPPER/GET NO SLEEP BOOK!!!
Review: Karen Rose succeeded in accomplishing in her first book not only a suspenseful story about a woman fighting for her and her son's life from a abusive husband, but also succeeded in portraying a romance that was real as well as steamy! The characters were believable and made the story so real that it was impossible to put down. I rank books by how easy they are to put down when I need to get some sleep, go to work, shop and take care of my family. This book ranked the highest because I didn't accomplish any of the above until I finished it. I can hardly wait for Karen Rose to write another. She ranks up there with Nora Roberts in my opinion. Keep up the great writing Karen!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Don¿t read DON¿T TELL
Review: Let me begin by saying that this novel had potential. I think that with a little more attention to creating characters that seem real, Karen Rose could exceed Linda Howard's popularity as a romance suspense novelist. However, the main problem with this novel (& the sequel as well) is that some of the key details and many of the lesser details (in plot as well as character) are implausible. Here are some examples: •The ridiculous arguments the hero & heroine get into. These arguments were made to seem as it they were so serious that they might have destroyed the relationship, but the issues about which the protagonists were arguing were essentially petty.
•The implausibility of the relationship itself. In this age of sexual harassment suits, I doubt that a boss would actively pursue his secretary within a day of meeting her. He also wouldn't give her the obvious once-over the first time he meets her. Basically, within 2 weeks, he's asking her to marry him. I feel that Rose could have made this relationship plausible had the protagonists gotten to know each other a little more and then, despite their employer-employee association, pursued a relationship.
•(...)
•At the end of the novel, after all the drama w/ the ex-husband, the police ask Caroline, Max, & Tom if they're okay. Max says something about Caroline needing a hospital and all of them needing "counseling." Oh, give me a break! I'm not putting down counseling, but that issue would not have been brought up at that particular moment; it would be something that would be considered later, after the initial shock of what happened. This is another attempt by Rose to paint Max as the ultra-sensitive, understanding male; sorry, I don't read romance novels for quiche-eating heroes.
•Finally, -- I admit this is minor - why in the world would Evie be leading the department meeting? That would be Max's job as department chairperson. I've worked in academia for 15 years and have never seen an intern or secretary lead a department meeting. I could go on with these implausible situations-Max's idiotic outburst at the department meeting, the obvious come-on to Max by another history professor on day two of his being hired, the 100 times he says, "I love you" (believe it or not, this gets old after a while), but I'll stop there. It's odd that Rose includes so many of these far-fetched details since she does a fairly good job at making the major plot twists in the novel plausible. In short, there were just too many teeth-gritting improbable elements for me to enjoy the novel. The only reason it even got 3 stars out of me was because I liked the way she handled the character of the psycho husband and the way she built the suspense; without that, this novel wouldn't have even gotten two stars from me. When I checked out this book from the public library, I also got her sequel, HAVE YOU SEEN HER, but after reading the first 30 or so pages of it and seeing evidence of the same type of far-fetched details, I think I'll be returning it in short order.
Rating:
Summary: Do Tell Romantic Suspense Fans About Don't Tell!
Review: Mary Grace Winters is nearly killed by her husband more than once. Since he was cop, the only way out was to disappear and start a new life with her son far away from North Carolina. With new names and a new look, they lived in relative safety in Chicago for several years, but when the car she ditched is found, her husband realizes she isn't dead YET.
Max Hunter is her new boss, and he is YUMMY! It was love/lust at first sight for him and Caroline (formerly Mary Grace). Although the sparks are flying everywhere, both have many issues they need to resolve before they can think of a future together. Also, her son is terrified his mother will end up in another abusive relationship.
I like romantic suspense/thriller, and this is one of the best I've read. The pace was relentless, and once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. Who needs sleep, right? :) This novel is violent, sexy, sweet, and haunting. If you like Lisa Gardner or Tami Hoag, you will love this book.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: Mary Grace Winters knew that it was time to get away from her abusive husband, if only for the sake of her son, Robbie. It took her two years to recover from a 'fall' down the stairs enough to make an escape. Now, seven years later, Caroline Stewart is a single mother working on her way to a law degree. She is content, if not happy with her life, but she can't quite stop looking over her shoulder. When she meets her new boss, Dr. Max Hunter, she feels a sexual attraction that shocks her, for she has never felt anything like it before. Max Hunter is dealing with his own demons. After a car accident left him paralyzed, his career in the NBA was over. Even though it had been twelve years, he still hasn't put the horror of that night behind him. After all those years, Max finally returned home, hoping to put some of those demons to rest. He didn't expect Caroline, who doesn't look at him like he's less of a man because he walks with a cane. But he doesn't know everything of her past, and Caroline is afraid of what he'll feel when she finally tells him. Don't tell is an extrodinary romantic suspense. It was enough romance to keep me enthralled, along with the suspense which kept me on the edge of my seat. Rob Winters is one of the most evil characters I have ever read about and I got the chills more than a few times. The way that these characters came off the pages was incredible. You really felt like you knew them. I can not wait until her next novel comes out which is supposed to be in Feb of '04 which is too far away!
Rating:
Summary: Do Tell!
Review: Mary Grace Winters was nearly killed by her husband more than once. Since he was cop, the only way out was to disappear and start a new life with her son far away from North Carolina. With new names and a new look, they lived in relative safety in Chicago for several years, but when the car she ditched is found, her husband realizes she isn't dead YET.
Max Hunter is her new boss, and he is YUMMY! It was love/lust at first sight for him and Caroline (formerly Mary Grace). Although the sparks are flying everywhere, both have many issues they need to resolve before they can think of a future together. Also, her son is terrified his mother will end up in another abusive relationship.
I like romantic suspense/thriller, and this is one of the best I've read. The pace was relentless, and once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. Who needs sleep, right? :) This novel is violent, sexy, sweet, and haunting. If you like Lisa Gardner or Tami Hoag, you will love this book.
Rating:
Summary: Great Reading from the Windy City
Review: This book was an excellent thriller. It kept me enthralled from the first to the last page. It was written so well, I could feel Caroline's (Mary Grace's) fear. I can't wait for Karen Rose's next book. I am an avid fan already!
Rating:
Summary: Pretty KKRAZZY
Review: This book was not bad, kind of wild. Crazy, demented villian! Must admit I didn't care for how quick the main charcters so heavily got involved, especially with Caroline's history and especially with the severe nature of abuse she TOOK. It doesn't matter how nice Max seemed, it was one of the negatives in this book. Otherwise, it was intense and again KRAZZY! It keeps you interested and I am now starting her second novel.
Would recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Riveting, 5 stars is just not enough !!!
Review: This was such a great suspenseful story with well related supporting characters. I found it hard to put down. Karen Rose made you truly feel what each character was feeling. There were times that I was so angry with Caro's husband; that I wanted to reach inside the book and do him some harm. I can't wait for Karen's next book (Feb is too far away) and hope that she writes a story about Tom and Dana (Caro's son and best friend) and about Max's brother David.
Don't miss out on this wonderful book.
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