Beautiful Killer took my poor heart by sneak attack! I was not prepared for the feels!! Sunny has such a heartbreaking story; except on its face, it doesn't seem that heartbreaking. Reading her day to day life though made my heart hurt for her. You never realize how sad being alone can be. I mean, she literally has NO ONE. And frankly, she hasn't had anyone most of her life. At first, I was like "Meh that sucks, but not a tragedy". Sunny's experiences, even the mundane, made me realize what a tragedy being truly alone could be!
At first, the story reminded me a LOT of Mystery Man by Kristen Ashley. Except, I liked this story more. In Mystery Man I did NOT like Hawk. He was kind of douche-y. Zeke on the other hand, is sympathetic as a hero. Dealing with an ex-fiance who cheated on him and aborted their baby along with survivor's guilt from his time in the army, Zeke is an incredibly complex character. He certainly isn't looking for female companionship, but Sunny approaches him and he simply can't say no.
Sunny had been a shooting star through my endlessly starless night. A flash of brilliant light in the darkness. Perfect, but fleeting.
See what I mean?! Zeke is a damaged hero, but still evokes sympathy! Since Sunny is just happy to have whatever broken pieces of himself Zeke is willing to give, they never share any info about their lives. He shows up at night then leaves once they are done. Sunny, lonely as she is, accepts this arrangement, telling herself that she will just enjoy this small bit of happiness while it lasts. She doesn't push Zeke for more and she doesn't beg when he leaves. I think that makes it so much sadder! Seriously, I cried so many times for Sunny!
Later that night, as I got into my car and headed for home, knowing that Sunny would be there when I walked in the door, that emotion came over me again, the one I hadn't felt in a fucking long time. Happiness. I hated myself for it.
Gah-Zeke...I mean, talk about guilt!! Its heartbreaking!
There is also danger. Someone attacks Sunny; the cops have no leads. This danger adds a lot of suspense to the story and totally kept me wondering what would happen (I will admit I thought it was PRETTY obvious who was behind it all, but it didn't dull that mystery of WHAT would happen, you know?)
Beautiful Killer is book 3 in the series but I have not read the previous books and it didn't affect my enjoyment of the story. However, you better believe I am grabbing those 2 books right away! Beautiful Killer was an emotional and authentic read that made me cry and hope for Sunny and Zeke!
But one thing I was sure of: I was utterly, desperately, hopelessly in love with him.
So am I, Sunny. So I am.
- POV: dual 1st
- Tears: yes!
- Trope: security/PI, ex-military
- Triggers: none
- Series/Standalone: stand alone within an interconnected series
- Cliffhanger: no
- HEA: yes with epilogue
Mystery Man by Kristen Ashley, The Until Series by Aurora Rose Reynolds, The Raven Riders series by Laura Kaye...then you will probably like Beautiful Killer!
See full review on The Book Disciple