RATING: 3 out of 5 Stars
THE REBOUND EFFECT by Linda Griffin is listed as a romantic suspense. It is not a romance. This book is a domestic psychological thriller. If considered in that genre, it is a high intensity read of a single mother on the rebound and the new man who comes into her life while women are disappearing in the area.
Teresa Lansing is a struggling single mother working as a veterinary assistant in the small town of Cougar. She is doing the best she can for herself and her six-year-old deaf son. Both are trying to get over the recent break-up of Teresa and her fiancé after she found out he cheated.
While visiting her best-friend at her local family bar and grill, Teresa is swept off her feet by Frank McAllister. Frank just moved to Cougar four months ago. He is a cop and works on the S.W.A.T. team in the big city near Cougar. Frank is handsome, charming and very sexy. Teresa and her friend believe she has finally found a good man.
As the courtship progresses, Teresa at many times feels overwhelmed by the fast pace Frank wants to set for the relationship. She tries to draw some lines, but she always feels ungrateful for everything he is doing for her and her son and lets Frank continue to have his way. While Frank is pushing for a permanent commitment, Teresa’s former fiancé continues to try to win her back.
While tensions rise between Teresa and Frank, the number of missing women in the area also increases. Is Teresa safe or is she the next to die?
Ms. Griffin’s characters are realistic and make you easily understand how psychopaths and psychological abusers can overwhelm you. Yes, there were times I wanted to smack Teresa in the head and tell her to wise up and put her son first, but Frank knew how to tie them both together to get what he wanted. The sense of danger and the high intensity of the emotions in this book keep you turning the pages. As I wrote previous, this is a thriller and not a romance. For me, a romance or romantic suspense must end with or be leading to a HEA. The dating and sex in this book is not a romance.
If you are looking for a domestic psychological suspense, this is a fast paced, high intensity read.
Written for The Romance Reviews.
