I’ve had my eye on Cade Brogan (also known as KA Moll) for a while now. What made me pull the trigger was a stellar review posted from TheLesbianReview on the second book in this series. I thought it sounded enticing and decided to start said series. Overall, it was a very quick-paced thrill that left you hanging for more.
Here’s the premise-
Rylee Hayes is an experienced homicidedetective brought on scene to investigate the crimes of Joanna Grey. When theinvestigation leads her to old college-girlfriend, Kenzie Bigham, the stakesare heightened as Rylee tries to catch the killer while balancing a rekindlingrelationship. Kenzie is a single mom, struggling to maintain a peaceful householdwith her 13-year old daughter (who is absent most of the book). After a few membersfrom her church fall victim to Joanna’s poison, Kenzie becomes Rylee’s mainconcern.
I love that the serial killer is a woman andthat the book delved into her as an actual character. We learn almost just asmuch background about her as the other two leads, but I actually would haveliked more of her inner monologues and thoughts. It felt like they went by tooquick, and were some of the most interesting parts of the book. One thing Iwant to note that I thought was really affective and stuck with me throughout thewhole book was the quote in the beginning. I thought it even lent itself toJoanna’s character as you really don’t hear a lot about female serial killersand the quote gave a really strong image.
Because you know who the killer is from page 1, this isn’t so much of a “who-done-it,” but instead focuses on Rylee’s character and her relationship with Kenzie. Riley is a tough and tender butch with a soft heart that still beats for Kenzie even after harvesting open wounds for 12-years. I liked her as a character and felt like I knew her well, after the story.
I found more to be desired with Kenzie. She’s ready to come out of the closet after 12 years of denial just because of a few encounters with Rylee- this was a stretch for me and I felt like more needed to be developed. As someone who lived through the church life experience, I understand how hard it is to come to terms with things. It seems Kenzie has, as she pursues a relationship with Rylee, but we don’t see why or how she’s gotten to this point. I questioned that if she had been okay with being gay then why not date a woman before Rylee came on scene? I especially don’t understand how she’s reached the point of acceptance after being in the same spot- going to the same church – facing the same judgment- without any awakening to build that character change.
This story is pretty much conducted by non-stop action, which lends to a fast pace that made the end events more exciting. I did feel like it would have benefitted from some transitional paragraphs/sentences instead of constantly using page breakers. I understand the use for them sometimes, but even when the next scene is a continuation from the one before, they’re used, which was confusing because I kept thinking that the story must have jumped ahead.
It’s important to keep in mind that this is the first book in a series, as there’s a lot left unresolved at the end. With that being said, I think certain events could have been postponed until the next book to avoid it feeling like they occurred too quickly. Though I did like how the story didn’t end after the climax and we got to see the characters settle into a new life before the next wave of events.
If your kink is tender love making, toxicology, and spaghetti that’s (supposedly) almost good enough to die for then you might enjoy Close Enough to Touch.
https://www.amazon.com/Close-Enough-Touch
Follow KA Moll (Cade Brogan): @ka_moll