ARE YOU LISTENING? THE LAST KISS GOODBYE: A REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

WELCOME TO BOOKIN' WITH BINGO'S" 
ARE YOU LISTENING? DAY"
I AM EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE TODAY'S
AUDIO BOOK CHOICE....

THE LAST GOODBYE

Read by Ann Marie Lee

BY KAREN ROBARDS

ABOUT THE BOOK:

When New York Times bestselling author Karen Robards brought her irresistible brand of hot passion and chilling suspense to the paranormal romance scene with The Last Victim, it was just the beginning. Now her all-new series cranks up the deadly danger and intense desire to the next level, as sexy serial killer hunter Charlotte Stone returns to action in her thrilling second adventure.

THE LAST KISS GOODBYE

Dr. Charlotte “Charlie” Stone has dedicated her career as a psychiatrist to exploring the darkest territory of all: the hearts and minds of serial killers. It’s a job she’s uniquely suited for, thanks to the secret talent that gives her an uncanny edge—Charlie can see dead people, whose tormented spirits cry out to her for the justice only she can provide. This blessing—or curse—gives Charlie the power to hunt down and catch madmen and murderers. It’s also turned her love life upside down by drawing her into a hopelessly passionate relationship with the lingering ghost of charismatic bad boy Michael Garland.

But there’s little time for romance with her supernatural suitor when murder comes pounding at Charlie’s door in the form of a terrified young woman fleeing a homicidal maniac. Saving her life places Charlie squarely in the cross-hairs of a sadistic predator nicknamed “the Gingerbread Man,” notorious for manipulating his victims like pawns in a deadly chess game. And now the queen this psychopath’s bent on capturing is Charlie. Refusal to play will only put more innocent lives in danger. Matching wits with this cunningly twisted opponent will require all of Charlie’s training and expert skills. But even with her devilish “guardian angel”—not to mention her favorite flesh-and-blood Fed, Tony Bartoli—watching her beautiful back, the Gingerbread Man’s horrifying grin might be the last thing Charlie ever sees.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Karen Robards is the author of 40 books and one novella. She is the mother of 3 boys (25, 19, and 14) and lives in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. A regular on the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists, among others, she published her first novel at age 24. "I read, I write, and I chauffeur children," she says with a laugh. "That's my life. 

PRAISE FOR KAREN ROBARDS AND THE LAST GOODBYE SERIES:

“Filled with gritty thrills and featuring a psychopathic madman, this suspense tale will truly have you on the edge of your seat!”—RT Book Reviews

“One of the most popular voices in women’s fiction.”—Newsweek

“Draw a line between two extremely popular genres, mysteries and romance novels, and in the middle you will find the bestselling Robards. She merges the two worlds like no one else, deftly interlacing plot and passion.”—Albany Times Union

“[An] exceptional storyteller . . . Leave it to Robards to deliver the start of a series that is distinctive and unforgettable!”—RT Book Reviews

“Excellent . . . This story is going to haunt you.”—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“Thrilling . . . a fun and sexy read.”—Booklist 

SOME OTHER BOOKS BY KAREN ROBARDS:

                   

                   

                    

                    

MY THOUGHTS/REVIEW:
Karen Robards normally writes books I enjoy. But, THE LAST KISS GOODBYE was one I have to be honest about…I just didn’t get it. I admit that I didn’t read the first book in the series, THE LAST VICTIM, and THE LAST KISS GOODBYE does pick up where the first one ended. However, my not reading the first one wasn’t the problem as Robards spends a lot of time setting the stage and going back to the first story so readers know what is going on. The narrative even explains how the main character, Charlotte Stone, learned as a young girl that she had a remarkable talent to see and speak to the dead. The dead she is able to converse with, as it turns out, are all ones who have died in a violent way.

I assume as a result when Charlotte grew up she decided to become a forensic psychiatrist whose specialty would be working with serial killers. Seems an odd choice at first look but considering she was able to survive an attack by a serial killer who actually killed her best friend, it then becomes clearer as to how her choice was made. So far, this doesn’t seem like that bad a premise but when Charlotte starts to communicate with the ghosts, it becomes a little less plausible. Robards goes on to actually have Charlotte develop a relationship with one serial killer ghost who, of course, claims he is innocent and keeps returning to Charlotte as their relationship grows. This particular ghost, Michael Garland, was in the Marines and wants to prove his innocence and thus the reason he will not continue on to the next “level” after death.

Charlotte is currently working with the FBI on a case involving a serial killer who is known as the Gingerbread Man. Keeping her special “gift” a secret, Charlotte becomes quite involved with the case, working with Tony, a savvy FBI agent, as the killer keeps repeating “Catch Me If You Can” just to aggravate them even more. And to seal the deal of my feelings toward this book, a third party becomes part of a weird love triangle with the ghost named Michael being the third wheel who tries to help with the case of the Gingerbread Man. THE LAST KISS GOODBYE goes on with these three trying to catch the Gingerbread Man. The fact that we never find out if Ghost Michael is innocent or not, leads me to believe he will show up again in the next book in the series. 

Sadly, I have to say I won’t be finding out as I won’t be reading it. Perhaps it is this awful summer heat frying my brain but I just couldn’t get into this book at all. It was too far fetched for me and because it added the growth of a romantic relationship between Charlotte and Michael, the ghost, I was just so puzzled that I didn’t really care or want to understand it. I did finish it and there were some good parts that kept you guessing but I am still not sure I cared to guess at some point along the way in THE LAST KISS GOODBYE. I hope that those of you who enjoy this genre will give the book a chance and make your own decision about its merits. 

  GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO RICHARD AND THE GOOD PEOPLE
AT RANDOM HOUSE AUDIO BOOKS, I HAVE ONE
COPY OF KAREN ROBARDS' AUDIO BOOK,
  THE LAST KISS GOODBYE, TO GIVE AWAY
  TO ONE OF MY LUCKY FOLLOWERS

  

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GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
 6 PM, EST, SEPTEMBER 12

 

 GOOD LUCK!