I tend to run hot and oold on Wohl's books. This is one I really enjoyed. TheTalebearer is a light paranormal mystery with a hint of romance. I was really happy to see that Wohl resisted the urge to play up the romance and focused on the mystery and paranormal aspects which I think made for a tighter story line. There's a connection established between Liz and Willow, but it simmers in the background as there really are more pressing things to deal with during the story.

The book revolves around LIz as she receives visions of women who have been killed by a heretofore unknown serial killer. Already mentally and emotionally fragile from being the victim of a near fatal shooting, Liz's self assurance and confidence strengthens as she and her friends begin to follow the clues from the visions. The chemistry between the characters - Elizabeth, Willow, Meg and Eldon - really worked. You could see the bonds of friendship and respect. I had a bit of a hard time with Eldon - he made some odd decisions (watching Liz's house from a car parked down the street - probably not the best thing to get your paranoid friend to relax, and his decision to throw in with the search for the woman in the vision when his sister was missing) but he was a nice guy and it was sweet to see another budding romance building with his crush, Meg.

This is a serial killer mystery - with the horrifying idea that there's a serial killer who has been so well prepared and methodical that she's (yes, she) been operating for years with no one even noticing due to the random selection of victims. There's really no blood or gore or police procedures. The leads don't really hunt or catch the killer as much as find bodies and foil her plans to remain undiscovered. This of course results in them becoming targets of her ire.

As part of this book, Wohl adds chapters from the killer's POV. Normally I despise this plot device but I think she actually made it work. Even after the killer self-names herself The Jaguar, I didn't cringe. Yeah ... she was a sociopathic serial killer, but I still think she was a pretty awesome character and the inclusion of her POV helped move things along and pushed the suspense up a few notches. There's a few things that are a bit too convenient - Jaguar is delayed while disposing her latest victim and sees the police discovering one of her earlier carefully hidden victims. It is a bit of a stretch - but it gives Jaguar a nice little arc where her cool calm demeanor starts to unravel and she starts making rash decisions - which crank up the suspense as she fixates on Liz and her friends.

This was a good light read that had just enough mystery, just enough paranormal and just enough potential romance to make it a satisfying read.

** This one starts a little slow but does pick up a bit...it jumps around a lot, but the storyline is interesting. It wasn't a quick read for me, but a fairly enjoyable one none-the-less.

I've been putting this off for weeks because i knew there was no romance but i did find it an ok read even though i always stick to romance, all the characters were interesting enough, my personal favorite was The Jaguar, she was a total sicko but she kept me turning the pages, so top marks for her, overall i did find this a refreshing change and it held my interest which is rare these days but i think i'll stick to my romances in the future, if this had a good strong steamy romance running though this then it would have been a 5 star book for me....
3.5 stars

This is only my 3rd book by this author. The first two (She Wolf and Necromantia) I really enjoyed. This one nearly stopped my reading for over a week. Typically I read a book every two days or so. This one I just couldn't get into. I am not one to give up and will push through even if it isn't going well. I felt the book was slow and I didn't relate at all to the characters. I refused to give up, and thought it would get better as it went. I didn't enjoy the jumping around and found myself confused a couple of times. Just too many points of view for me. I often have no problem with two mains going back and forth if it is by chapter or clearly split up. I finished the book, and perhaps someday I will revisit when I am less in a reading funk and have a different read. I am going to rate this one 2 stars. I struggled with the rating between 2 and 3 only because the book isn't poorly written and the style may appeal to other readers. If you are a fan of this author I am sure you will pick this one up, if this author is new I would recommend picking up one of the two books mentioned above.

I've been putting this off for weeks because i knew there was no romance but i did find it an ok read even though i always stick to romance, all the characters were interesting enough, my personal favorite was The Jaguar, she was a total sicko but she kept me turning the pages, so top marks for her, overall i did find this a refreshing change and it held my interest which is rare these days but i think i'll stick to my romances in the future, if this had a good strong steamy romance running though this then it would have been a 5 star book for me....
3.5 stars

An ARC was given for an honest review

At the beginning it was a bit slow and I almost gave up on it but once I was past that it picked up the pace and I couldn't put the book back down. It had an interesting plot line and interesting characters.

The Talebearer was a slow start that gave way to a really great and engaging story for me. Once I got into the heat of the story I didn’t want to put it down. Liz was a victim of a shooting and suffers from intense PTSD from the event. She suddenly was visited by a woman in her dreams asking for her help. Liz is able to use her skills as an artist to draw what the woman in her dreams is trying to tell her. Liz gets a sense of her old self back through finding this woman’s body and helping her “come home”. Liz is helped by two of her friends who have been looking after her since the shooting. Meg ( one of Liz’s friends) introduces her to Willow and the two women find themselves drawn to each other.
Willow also has experienced a form of ESP herself and understands what Liz is going through and begins to help Liz with her drawings.

There is a killer loose and Liz is finding her secrets out and uncovering them which angers the killer. The group of friends search for the women of n the drawings and Liz might just help bring a killer to justice and help herself in the process.
I would recommend The Talebearer to others,

It is the talebearer who brings dark stories to light -- which releases the dead from the confinement of others not knowing their story. This story is a paranormal thriller where Liz, the survivor of prior violence is able to open the door to visions of another dimension. She has help from her trusty German shepherd, friend Meg, and new and interesting friend Willow. A well told tale.

So nearly a 5 star. Trying to follow the complex mind and actions of a psychopathic serial killer, throw in a paranormal slant for a bit of variety to this genre and add the promise of a f/f romance; just about my dream book. Except it wasn’t quite. The brutal murders were there. The psychopathic, self-named ‘Jaguar’ was present. It definitely had edge of your seat tension. If you are looking for a romance, this is not it, at all. Not even a light romance. That would not be a problem, but it is advertised as such, and so is misleading. As a crime thriller it is a great read, but a romance, no.
I was given a review copy by BSB and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good crime-thriller. I guess you could also put the paranormal tag on this book. But when I say paranormal I mean visions and psychic feelings. This is lighter paranormal; I’m not talking about vamps and werewolves here. This is my seventh book I have read by Wohl and I think I can easily say it is my favorite.

After being shot and almost dying, Liz’s life has been forever changed. After quitting her job and moving into a new house, Liz is trying to control her fear. But the PTSD is weighing heavily on her. When she starts having visions of a woman that has been missing for years, Liz realizes either she’s crazy or something unbelievable is going on. With a serial killer on the loose, Liz is about to find out if her new found visions are a gift or really a curse.

I’m a big paranormal fan, and even though I consider this light paranormal, I still really enjoy these types of stories. I think what almost makes this one creepier, is that the premise isn’t so far out there. We have all heard stories about people with near death experiences, or maybe know of someone who has had premonitions. Heck my great grandmother predicted my birth shortly before she died. What was odd about it, is my brother and I am 13 years apart. My parents had tried and tried to get pregnant again for over a decade, but had given up. So when my great grandmother announced to the family my mother would soon become pregnant, no one believed her. My point, this premise isn’t so farfetched in my eyes, so I think I enjoyed it even more because of that.

I do have to mention, I would not consider this a romance. There is a possible love interest for Liz, but anything romantic is very light. I don’t even think there is kissing in this book. There are two women who are attracted to each other and starting a connection. I love steamy romances in any book, but I was actual okay the romance wasn’t big in this book. With a serial killer running around, getting hot and heavy would have seemed weird.

I really enjoyed the crime-thriller part of this book. This is the kind of book you don’t want to put down. I was flipping the pages just having to know what would happen next. It was a good entertaining read which I always appreciate. I also want to mention for anyone who has read Wohl’s book Necromantia, some characters from that book are secondary characters in this one. You don’t have to read Necromantia first, I didn’t and I’m very anal about reading order. But what it did do is now I absolutely want to go and read it. If you are looking for a crime-thriller book with a paranormal flare, give this book a shot.

The Talebearer is one of those rare books that literally does make it difficult to put down. Using the psychological thriller the Sixth Sense as it’s inspiration, we are thrown head first into a cat and mouse chase of a deranged serial killer. Add a paranormal twist and plenty of suspense and you’ve got a roller coaster ride to the finish that will leave you a worried mess for this crew of friends that are inscrutably tied to the case. I loved the pacing of this book right up until the epilogue. This book was categorized as a romance and while there is a developing romance the central theme was definitively cast around the serial killer. (Minor spoiler) I kept waiting for that romance to fully blossom and I was puzzled that Liz and Willow had suddenly evolved their relationship between the last chapter and the epilogue. It was like an entire chunk of the story, their story, was edited out of the book. Still, this book had lots of amazing thrills and chills as told through the mind of a crafty story-teller.

This is the first book I’ve read by Sheri Lewis Wohl so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect but the blurb sounded really interesting. It’s been a year since the shooting and Liz Boone, still suffering from PTSD, is a near recluse. Her friends, Megan and Eldon, worry about her but short of stalking her, there not much else they can do. One night Liz wakes from a terrible nightmare and reaches out to her friends insisting that her nightmare was a vision. Thinking it can only help, Megan gets her friend, Willow, who has had a similar experience, to contact Liz. Willow is attractive and calm and sets Liz at ease within herself but not from the dread she feels from the vision. The (self-named) Jaguar has been killing for years but no-one knows until now.

I couldn’t put this down which was a surprise because it’s not really a romance (which is my preferred genre) although there is definitely an attraction between Liz and Willow and the prospect of a relationship. I enjoyed the way Liz came to terms with her visions and how her PTSD limited her. I was immersed in the mystery and on tenterhooks knowing that her visions put her in danger and that it was only a matter of time.

This is a good paranormal thriller and well-worth reading.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

Anyone who enjoys programs like sensing murder, or who is open to the idea of psychic abilities, is bound to be captivated by this story.

I personally cannot find enough books with this kind of twist. With that said this book isn’t full of twists and turns. It’s impossible to guess who the killer is for reasons I can’t get into without spoilers.

Although the story is primarily Liz’s, it’s told through the eyes of a number of characters; Liz, Eldon, Willow, and the Jaguar.

While it’s far from a romance, there are two budding romances lurking in the background. The most prominent one being between Meg and Eldon.

Until around the 80% mark this was a solid five star read for me. However, the climax fell painfully short. Just when it reached an edge of the seat crescendo, I anxiously flipped the page only to read… Epilogue, six months later.
Sure, enough information is given for the reader to fill in the gaps, but to me, it was a missed opportunity to make a great story really shine.

With all that said and done, I’d gladly recommend this story to others.