REVIEW for Touch of Smoke by Karissa Laurel

Kindle Edition

Published February 12th 2019 by Red Adept Publishing, LLC

Three years ago, Rikki Albemarle watched her best friend die at the hands of a supernatural evil. Certain she was slated to be the next victim, Rikki fled her small Smoky Mountain hometown, vowing to never come back. Plagued by nightmares and knowing she's the only one who believes Mina's death was no accident, Rikki returns with hopes of finding answers and holding the killer accountable.

Rikki is convinced the key to unlocking the secret of Mina's death lies with Owen Amir, the alluring young army vet who once claimed her heart. But the deeper Rikki digs into Owen's past, the more she's torn between the urgings of her heart and her memories of him on the night Mina died.

After falling further into the rabbit hole, Rikki lands at the feet of an ancient and powerful evil determined to finish what it started years before. To survive, she'll have to make a decision: believe Owen is the monster she always feared he might be or trust him enough to stay and fight for a second chance at love.

My Thoughts…

OH, My… I knew that I’d have a book that I couldn’t put down as with the other Karissa Laurel books I’ve read but I didn’t know that I’d be raving about the book long after I finished the last page.    The characters were fun with interesting lives that come together with heat, passion, and friendships.    I love the small town that the story is set in.   The people of the town are nosy, protective, and loving.   They are exactly as they should be.   

The story of Rikki and Owen is captivating.   I love how they are strangers, they meet and the attraction is instant yet Rikki is cautious.    She doesn’t jump right in and she makes him prove that he can be trusted.    When things happen that can’t be explained she questions, she takes time to make decisions and still trusts that he will always put her first.   

The paranormal aspect of the story is almost hidden.   It is not the most prominent part of the book and I liked that it was a little behind the scenes.   It was an important part of the story but it didn’t make the entire story.  It was important to the story and I loved it and was excited about it but the story of Owen and Rikki was what I loved most.   I loved their relationship and their strengths but I loved that Owen did what he could to make Rikki happy and to keep her safe.    

The ending, oh wow!   It was perfect.   I love how their positions changed and their love was strong.   I need more of this story, this setting, and these characters.  

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