Touch of Smoke

by Karissa Laurel

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.

• ISBN10: 194805129X
• ISBN13: 9781948051293
• Publish Date: 12 February 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Red Adept Publishing
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 338
• Language: English

Reviews

[Baroness Book Trove]

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Do you believe in second chances?

Touch of Smoke by Karissa Laurel is all about second chances and what happens after losing faith. The main character is Erika Albemarle, who is a twentyish nurse working oncology coming home to face what she left behind three years or so ago.

Erika Albemarle

Erika Albemarle is the only character's head that we get into. She is the one that takes us through from the beginning to the end. Rikki, as she likes to go by and not Erika, is the only daughter of the local sheriff who is her mom, and has lived her whole life in her small town before moving to Chapel Hill, North Carolina three years before the start of the book. She is a force to be reckoned with and stubborn to boot. There is a lot of things that Rikki goes through in the book, and she is continually growing.

What I like about Rikki is that she is a fighter, and will get control of her life again even if it means coming back to the one place she never wanted to return. Another great thing about her is that she will make an effort to forgive, which shows lots of compassion. Rikki is a survivor. The one thing that I dislike about her is a spoiler, so I can’t tell.

Owen Amir

Owen Amir, while not voicing his thoughts the way Rikki does, is the cause of all her grief for the past three years. He hasn’t meant to do anything to harm Rikki, but in a way, he did when he made a choice in Iraq that he has regretted. Owen is complex and stubborn to boot that makes it hard to get him to open up. He does eventually, and it might work for him and Rikki.

What I like about Own is he tries to be a good man while letting Rikki have her space. He truly loves Rikki, and it shows a lot when he is around her or doing things that she would want him to do. I couldn’t find anything that I didn’t like about him except his stubbornness. 

Four Stars

I am giving Touch of Smoke by Karissa Laurel four stars and recommending it to everyone that reads paranormal romance. This story is all about second chances along with paranormal taking a spin in Rikki’s life. These two deserved more than they got. The one thing that got me is that it was slow in the beginning. Then the way it moves from being in the present and jumping into the past for three to four chapters to go back to the present with one chapter made the flow seem out of sorts. I think if we got the past at the beginning of the book then did a part two with the present might have worked better.



Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Touch of Smoke by Karissa Laurel. 

Until the next time,



Happy Reading!

This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

Three years ago, Rikki Abermale fell in love, but witnessing the death of her best friend, at the hands of a monster marred the joy of the experience. The trauma of the event led to her abandoning all she held dear. Now it was time for her to return home to get answers to burning questions that have been the source of her nightmares the last three years.

Touch of Smoke by Karissa Laurel features well-developed characters, a sweet romance and a story line that was fun, captivating, intriguing and unique. The story moved between the past and present. The blending of the past and present gives readers insight into the events that resulted in Rikki’s flight and provides a glimpse into what appears to be gearing up to a battle of epic proportions.

I enjoyed spending time with the characters. I found them to be credible. I had some issues with Rikki, but it did not prevent me from liking her. Owen’s character is shrouded in mystery. Despite the hints given about his nature, it was not easily decipherable.

I loved how the romance developed. A small flame, which grew into an inferno. The author served up a sweet romance with a side of sizzle.

The story like the romance developed at a slow pace and gradually took me down a path that was unexpected but exciting and emotional

Conclusion/Recommendation
Overall, this was a beautiful story of love, loss and second chances. This is my first time reading Laurel’s work, and it was a delightful experience.

[Cocktails and Books]

3.5 Cocktails

I liked it. A paranormal twist on an otherwise small town, second-chance romance.

Full review to come.