Reviewed by Iva
Tainted Pictures by Sarah Robinson is the second book within the series and cannot be read without having read Tainted Bodies beforehand. Content makes it only suitable for people over the age of 18.
Sarah Robinson's Tainted Pictures picks up right where Tainted Bodies left off. Kate and Derrick are picking up the pieces and trying to mend the physical and emotional hurt left behind after the traumatic events that occurred in the previous book.
Kate begins a healing process that not only deals with recent events but also begins to untangle the emotional scars of her childhood, loosening them to a point where she can begin to examine them. Kate becomes a more rounded character in this book and you can see she is beginning to have some belief in herself as a woman and person.
Derrick realises that he has been selfish over the course of their relationship and strives to put Kates needs before his own. This also allows their relationship to stabilise and as a result their love blossoms.
Sarah Robinson has once again used the emotions of the characters to drive the novel and whilst this book is much more riveting than the first in terms of action, I found myself skimming through the romantic scenes within the book because the passion the characters were feeling for each other had already been revealed in their thoughts.
Tainted Pictures concentrates on the investigation into the identity of the masked man. I felt there should have been a little more research done in this area of the book as some of the police procedures feel a little brittle, but, written this way, it allows the story to keep going at a suitable pace, so it is only a small irritation and not a reading hurdle.
The masked man's identity, whilst not 100% confirmed, is revealed towards the end of this book. I don't think many people will be surprised at who this person turns out to be but I do like how the author has kept him a mystery from the characters within the book. His presence is felt throughout the story, and whilst it is unsettling, it isn't alarming. Given the writing style, this may be due to the lack of black thoughts from the villian. However, I suspect this may change with the third book, now that the reader and the characters know who he is.
I think this series as a whole will be very good. Each book is a significant point in the overall story and I, for one, can't wait to read the next book for what is sure to be a dramatic ending.
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Iva rates Tainted Pictures 3 1/2 Hearts
Keep reading for Iva's review of Tainted Bodies (Book 1) |
Kate just nodded slowly and picked up her phone. She sent Derrick a text message, not saying anything specific except that she needed him there now. She just didn’t know what else to tell him over text message and she wasn’t sure she could put a string of words together to talk over the phone. The joy she had felt all day had come to a crashing halt and everything had taken two steps backwards.
Plus the truth was that she did need him. She needed him right this moment, his arms wrapped around her to hold her up, his breath against her neck reminding her that she was alive, his eyes piercing through her in a way that always made her brain completely shut down. She needed to shut down in that way that only he was capable of bringing out in her. She wanted him to be there right now and her anxiety began to raise as she realized how badly every second without him felt to her.
Detective Snow was on her phone calling her partner and forensic techs to come sweep the apartment. Kate went to her bedroom to put on a sweatshirt and some socks, since she was only wearing a tank top and pajama bottoms at that point. She then went back to the kitchen where Detective Snow was writing in a notepad. She sat down next to her and began sipping the tea that had been made for her, but she wasn’t even tasting it.
Finally there was a knock at the door and Kate jumped up out of her chair. She wasn’t sure how much time had gone by since she had sat down at the table, she felt quite out of it. All she knew is that Derrick was at the door and she couldn’t handle another moment not having his broad, thick arms clenched around her shoulders and pressing her tightly against his chest. She rushed to the door, flying right past Detective Snow, and swung open the front door.
“Good evening, Kate.” It was Detective McCraig with several crime scene technicians behind him wearing matching windbreakers and carrying cases and boxes of supplies. Kate felt her entire face fall and practically hit the floor, she couldn’t possibly have looked more disappointed to see him. McCraig wrinkled his eyebrows at her furtively, wondering why she looked so startled to see him.
She didn’t say hello back but instead just stepped to the side and motioned everyone into her apartment. She grabbed her jacket hanging near the door and pulled it on and stepped into some tennis shoes, getting ready to leave. She didn’t want to be here while they were making her apartment look like a crime scene again. She just stood there, dejectedly, and waited for the last person to walk in the door so that she could leave.
“Kate?” Someone called her and she looked up to see the last crime scene technician walk past her, but behind him was a friendly face. Derrick stood in the doorway, almost blocking the entire entrance with his large, muscular frame.
“You beckoned, beautiful?” He grinned at her, knowing that she needed a hint of normalcy right now. Kate burst into a smile and rushed to him, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face into his smooth, soft skin. He caught her with his arms around her waist and on her back, her feet dangling off the ground as he supported her.
“Take me away from here.” Kate whispered to him.
“You’re with me now and everything else doesn’t matter. Just you and me. This is all that matters. Let’s forget about everything else for tonight?” Derrick touched her chin, gently pulling her to face him. She nodded in agreement, eager to have him take over and just care for her. She was too worn out to keep pretending everything was fine. Everything was not fine. There was a psychotic killer hunting her. That’s really the very definition of not fine.
Seeing Derrick here pushed all of those thoughts away. The way he expanded to take over the room and envelope her in his arms was mesmerizing. She glanced up at him, her arms still wrapped around his waist and he head leaning against his shoulder. His lips were only inches from hers. Her eyes were searching his, looking for any signs of doubt, any signs that he might betray her again. She wanted to push that fear away, she couldn’t keep holding onto this much fear. She loved Derrick and she knew he wasn’t the same man he had been before.
“And I’m never going to leave you again.” He whispered, reading the fear in her gaze and stifling it immediately. He wished he had never made the mistake to abandon her in her time of need and he knew he would happily spend every day for the rest of his life reassuring her that he would never be that man again.
The corners of her mouth lifted into a smile and she looked down at his lips and then back up at his deep, gentle eyes. He wasn’t going to deny her another moment and so he leaned down and kissed her gently. He squeezed her tighter against him as he did and then he smiled at her in the midst of their kiss and lowered her back down so her feet were on the ground. With one quick motion, he reached down and one of his arms swept up behind her knees lifting her straight up into his arms. She squeaked in surprise but didn’t try to fight him.
“Let’s go home.” Derrick said to her, as he carried her down the hallway and she curled up in his large arms.
Tainted Pictures
Tainted Bodies
(The Photographer Trilogy #1)
Romantic Suspense
Sarah Robinson
Kate Jackson is listlessly floating through her life having no idea what or who she wants to be and burdened by the pains of her past. That is until she meets Derrick Kane.
A whirlwind romance leads Kate to believe that Derrick is the answer to all her questions and the patch to heal all her wounds.
Derrick and Kate’s love is quickly tested as a shocking crime forces Kate to have to figure out how to take care of herself and leads her into a mystery that only Kate has the key to solve.
Can she catch an extremely dangerous criminal and keep the love between Derrick and her alive? Find out the conclusion of this thrilling crime drama and contemporary romance in the following two books of The Photographer Trilogy.
***Please note that this is the first book in a trilogy and therefore does contain a cliffhanger.
DISCLAIMER: Please note that due to dark subject matter, this book is meant for 18+
Reviewed by Iva
Tainted Bodies by Sarah Robinson contains some confronting material and should be read by mature readers aged over 18 years of age.
Kate Jackson's life hasn't taken the path she'd hoped it would. Instead of helping people with her psychology degree, Kate is holed up in front of a desk selling office furniture. In fact, her whole life has become monotonous with the only highlights being visits from her sister, Annie, and her morning coffee on the way to work.
It is her morning coffee that brings Derrick Kane into her life. Derrick is charming, kind and quick witted and brings a happiness to Kate's life that she has never experienced before. It isn't long until both of them fall for the other. But will their love be able to overcome the secrets they both hold? Can it survive a traumatic and violent encounter with a masked man?
Sarah Robinson's Tainted Bodies starts with an intriguing prologue that has a reader keen to learn what events transpired to lead to that point in time. It sets a good tone for the book and allows a reader to feel empathy for Kate from the beginning, so it's no surprise that by the end of the book you feel emotionally haggard.
Sarah draws from her psychology background to bring to life characters that are both flawed but real. The story mainly follows Kate, but does follow the other characters at times so there are few surprises around how they react because the author does concentrate on how they are feeling, rather than what they are seeing or hearing.
Kate is a woman who has isolated herself from others. Not allowing anyone apart from her sister to get close to her, and even with her sister she keeps part of herself hidden, not wanting to show or feel vulnerability towards another person. Her past is tragic and has wounded her deeply so it is mesmerising to see the dull glass that was Kate begin to glitter like a sparkly diamond as she comes out of her shell and into Derricks loving embrace. Kate does, however, keep her secrets from Derrick, not willing to let go of that last part of her shield that keeps her emotionally safe.
Derrick clings to his own past hurt, and although he is charming and seems to genuinely care for Kate, you can't help but be suspicious of him avoiding some of the questions put to him. As such I didn't "bond" with Derrick, but feel he does have the potential to grow as a character.
The author does a good job of pacing the relationship so that the issues slow it down but don't make it stop altogether. The reader is able to appreciate the authenticity of two flawed souls trying to build love on an unstable foundation. It does make the story slow, and I must admit to being shocked at how much I'd read when it felt like I should be further along in the book.
The appearance to the masked man changes the dynamic of the book. What at first felt like a sweet romance, quickly turns into an emotional suspense, and the pages seem to turn faster. The author needs to be congratulated on writing such a chilling and traumatic encounter in a understanding and dignified way.
Overall Tainted Bodies is a good romantic suspense/ crime novel. It is perhaps, a little monotonous in content at first, but the major plot twist hits harder because of this. The characters are interesting and are perfectly poised to evolve as the series continues. The authors writing style is unusual in that she concentrates on the emotions of the characters in the telling of her story, but her prose is fair and therefore easy to read.
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| Iva rated Tainted Bodies 3 1/2 hearts |
Tainted Bodies
Book 1 - Tainted Bodies
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