Books & Spoons Review DARK HEARTS by Sharon Sala

Some lies never stay buried...

Betsy Jakes was having nightmares, nightmares that could solve a decades-old mystery. And for someone in her small town, that meant she had to die. 

When Sam Jakes returns home to help his brother solve their mother's murder, two things shake him to the core. This crime is clearly the work of a serial killer who has struck twice before. And ... Lainey Pickett is still in town.

​The woman he walked away from without an explanation years ago has just walked back into his life. She still holds a grudge - and his heart.

As Sam digs deeper into the murders and thirty-year-old secrets begin to emerge, he finds himself racing against time not only to catch a killer but to keep Lainey, the only woman he'll ever love, from falling victim, too.

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A series' conclusion, that left me breathless. Absolutely fantastic romantic suspense, where the romance and mystery are twined together perfectly.
Since the book one, the author has given some clues to the reader who might have been behind the heinous, senseless murders in the small town in the mountains of Virginia. Even when part of the story is told from the murderer's point of view, the true identity still manages to surprise.
The story is flowing off the pages so seamlessly, it was impossible to put down, until the case was solved. The fear and tension in the town are palpable, the frustration of the law enforcement high, since there seems to be no evidence to point out to any direction.
The tragic murder of their mother, brings the recluse son, Sam to the town. He had his reasons to stay away, the reasons no one truly understood, until they meet him again after a decade. The scars the war left on him, are not only outside, but the PTSD flares up, when you least expect, and he wanted to keep his loved ones safe, from himself. 
The reunion with Lainey is oddly beautiful in its brutality. It shows that no one is safe from the tragedies of life, and puts both Sam and Lainey on the same line immediately. I absolutely loved them together, how the angst and drama of their circumstances was enough, and the author just lets them love and cherish each other, after the long separation. Their honesty, loyalty, and love for each other was stunning, and so graceful.
All the characters in the story are well built, and have levels of depth, that made them alluring. They are the kinds of people you want to spend your time with, and get to know them, lovable, charming, and utterly captivating. 
In the midst of the thrilling and heart-stopping mystery, that leaves several families devastated, two broken souls finally find their way back to each other, if only they can stay alive, to have the second chance with each other
~ Five Spoons

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