Thank you so much to net galley the publisher and the authors for sending me a copy of this book. I did not finish this book unfortunately but not for any pertinent reason

What's not to love. Great story, the main characters are always well developed and the reader is drawn in to enjoy every page of the journey. Can highly recommend.

What a great read and the inclusion of Morgan and Casey was a bonus. Instead of the courtroom the hunt is on for a serial killer. Great characters and quite a surprise at the end

This is another great procedural storyline from an excellent author. The characters are interesting and sympathetic, the plotline is dramatic and intense. As always, the writing in on point. I anxiously await the next book from Ms. Taite. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ms Taite is well known for her legal romances - but sometimes she leaves the courtroom behind and focuses more on crime. In Drawn, Detective Claire Hanlon is investigating a murder which leads her to Riley Flynn, a local artist with a dark family history. As the bodies start to pile up and suspicions point to Riley, Claire is torn while Riley's distrust of the police is another obstacle.

As this was a murder/mystery, things moved quickly but I thought it may have worked more effectively if the romance portion had more time to develop - but overall this was a good read.

Another great title from Carsen Taite. It was wild ride like most of her books. They always keep me on the edge of my seat.

DRAWN marks the first book I've read by Carsen Taite and it was a fantastic reading experience. I didn't even realize I selected a mystery from the LGBTQIA section of NetGalley. The murderous plot about a serial killer who leaves art sketches on the victims' bodies created a mystery I could envelope myself in as a figure model and comic book fan. The dueling protagonists, Riley and Claire, have tension immediately and it never lets up.
From chapter to chapter some things are a little repetitious, but no more so than other books where the authors feel the need to emphasize things. The setting is Dallas, Texas. Taite describes landmarks and scenes with precision. The Ginger Man bar is a real place - technically places - and has a location in New York City too. The bar plays a role in being the afterhours spot for drinks when the Eastside Sketchers art group relax after hours of drawing.

I will question a bothersome use of "namaste" in a throw-away sentence describing one of the murder victims who was positioned to be seated upright with legs crossed. I've listened to a lot of yoga podcasts and one thing I've learned from Yoga is Dead hosts and yoga teacher Susanna Barkataki is that white people have done so much colonization of yoga including how and when the word "namaste" is kicked around. There are countless memes and t-shirts with quips like "namastay in bed" or whatever. Before I derail into a diatribe about it, let this be a little #protip to other writers that you should not throw around Sanskrit terms to be your white colonizer pun. I say this as a white yoga teacher.

Readers don't get to learn much about the victims. Only enough information is presented to point out that all the victims have some similarities as they do with an old case. Humanizing them more could have added to the book. I read a digital copy so I don't have page numbers to reference. The first body is revealed around 18% and the second one at 40%. The cops can't catch the killer in time to stop a third body from showing up at 68%. Roughly every fifth of the book increases the stakes.

Riley has another important relationship taxing her emotionally throughout Drawn. While she can typically push romances to the side, she could not avoid her father and the pressure from her mother to reconnect with him once he gets out of prison. This was a huge part of the plot that I found relatable despite the detail that Riley's father was in prison for murder. Dysfunction and burned bridges are familiar ground. I'm a firm advocate of allowing toxic relationships to die when they can't be mended. Family is choice is my motto.

Claire's only other relationships are with fellow cops: her partner Nick and her mentor Bruce. Nick tries to bring common sense and keep Claire on course to avoid getting involved with their top person of interest, Riley. Bruce and the superiors of the police force only care about pinning the crimes on one person, resolving the case quickly, and seeing Claire rise through the ranks. Claire isn't willing to compromise her integrity of arresting the wrong person to further her career.

Besides the well-crafted murder mysteries, Taite delivered the best sex scene I've ever read. I won't spoil any of it.

The killer's real identity is revealed at the climax and I had never figured it out until then. For those interested in pacing of murder mysteries, this was at 92% when Riley is placed in dire peril and Claire gets to save her (you knew that much was coming based on their progress). Riley is never a helpless damsel though. Early on, her strong physique and capable muscles are made clear.
Rating: 5 stars

NetGalley Review:

It is exciting to see Carsen Taite write a story that does not revolve around a lawyer. I liked it particularly because it relied less on jargon and legal procedure. I think this burn was a bit too slow for me. I am back on the Taite train.

Loved this!

Detective Claire is investigating a strange event that occurred in a location where a local art group had been gathered. Artist Riley has no idea that this murder appears to be directly connected to her until Claire keeps turning up and asking her questions not only about the one murder, but others that happen to fit the pattern that have started to occur lately. Claire and Riley have a connection and it leaves them both conflicted given the situation. The more Claire gets to know Riley the less she is convinced Riley could be involved in the murders, but if it isn’t Riley then who could it be.

I loved this story, it was so beautiful in the sentiment too. Riley being an artist gives a light-hearted tone to the gritty, seedy crimes that are taking place. I loved how Carsen used art and creativity to link to the darkness of murder, it was so clever and created beautiful imagery, even if some of it was tainted again by the murders. It was amazing how Claire and Riley had that strained relationship because of the circumstances. It really added to the tension and the drama of an exciting case.

Riley and Claire’s relationship was one to be adored, the enemies to lovers scenario worked perfectly. Both of them were suspicious, Claire because of her job and Riley because of her past. And it was Riley’s past and connections that helped keep that mystery for Claire and the reader in wondering just how involved in all this she could be. There were so many moments where I just couldn’t help but wonder. I was loving how instantly these two connected though, given everything you could just tell they liked one another enough to be attracted instantly and it was only circumstances that were making them cautious and hesitant to be more involved.

This really was a great read and I would highly recommend it!

Detective Claire Hanlon is climbing the Dallas PD ladder and it all hinges on finding the meticulous killer that is terrorizing the city. To make things more complicated, the main person of interest is Riley Flynn, an urban artist and someone Claire wished wasn't off limits, given the circumstances.

Let me start by saying I love Carsen Taite's books and this book sounded super interesting. However, this book did not do it for me. I thought the pace was slow, which I don't mind when it is a slow burn romance or a good thriller, but I think that was not the case for this book. I pushed myself to finish the book in hope of a great climax or great romantic scene, but found none.

Sure, the killer's motive was good and it made sense but I found like the romance part was forced into the story. Which was unfortunate. I think the book could have been good as just a mystery/thriller not involving any romance in it.

That being said, I cant wait for the next book by this author.

I received this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I usually love Taite’s books, but for me this one didn’t reach her usual standards at all I’m afraid. The area where she is usually strong, the mystery and police procedural itself was really weak, it didn’t feel like one of her books to me. The ‘romance’ felt off as well, just didn’t ring true and no chemistry. Only 2.5 stars from me, probably marked down because I expect more from a Carson Tate novel.

This is a well-written detective procedural novel with romance weaved through. Although not difficult to guess who the murderer was, it was interesting to see how the feelings between the main characters affected Claire's approach to her police work. A small criticism is that there could have been more time devoted to the developing romance, it seemed a bit rushed in the end.

This has been a thriller involving a police investigator and a drawer, hence the title.

The artist is Riley, she has just started her career, she is going to expose her work in an art gallery, but she has a family past related to her father that now resurfaces. That past seems to be related to a series of crimes that have begun to occur and that somehow seem to incriminate her. The woman who takes over investigating these murders, Claire, has mixed feelings about Riley from the first moment they meet.For one thing, she can't disassociate Riley's father's past with the new murders. But on the other hand, the sensations that Riley provokes in Claire are that she cannot in any way be related to these crimes. In addition to causing an almost unstoppable attraction that makes Claire behave like she has never done before.

In a story of crimes and suspense, there will always be who finds the development and outcome is better or worse. In this case I think it is not one of the best stories of this author.

Anyway, it has been a distracting story and I think that those of you who choose it as reading will have a fun time, with some final tension, as it could not be otherwise.

An honest review thanks to NetGalley. Wow. I was going through a slump and been picking up books and dreading reading because I haven't been able to fall into a story. The first chapter of Drawn and I was literally drawn into the plot. This was an amazing read and throughout everything I felt so connected to the characters as well as the murder plot. Usually authors show way to many clues and I guess who the murder is before the halfway point but this took me until the very end, the first time in very long that I had no idea who was committing the killings. This was a great read and Riley and Claire shared an intense attraction that pulls the reader in further to the story line. This was outstanding!

Another good read by Carsen Taite about a cop and an artist who turns up as a suspect in a couple of murders. As always the working of the police are written very well by Taite and the added backstory about the father who was in prison for 15 years for a crime he didn't commit added depth to the characters and their interaction. The romance was nice, but not great. But if you want to read a nice mystery/thriller combined with some WLW romance then you can never go wrong with this writer.

*** An ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review ***

This is a romance/mystery story. Ms. Taite has professional expertise in the legal system and therefore uses case histories to help develop intriguing plots. She has done this in Drawn.

The two main characters in this book are Riley Flynn and Claire Hanlon. Riley is an artist who enjoys drawing scenes around Dallas. She belongs to a group of artists who meet weekly to sketch a particular place. Claire is a Dallas detective. She is assigned to a murder case in which, interestingly enough, the perpetrator poses murder scenes to replicate Riley’s paintings.

Though the plot is interesting, I did not find it to be as complex as some of Ms. Taite’s previous books. However, it was a good read even though I was able to correctly guess who did it. The characters were well developed and believable. Due to Ms. Taite’s legal background, I think she has always done a good job of creating plots and developing the characters in her books.

Drawn will provide the reader with several hours of enjoyment. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to read a good romance. I give this a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I was intrigued the whole time. I did think the timing of this book containing an unlawful arrest and the current uprising in the US adds a poignancy to the story. I liked the two characters, I thought they had chemistry. I would recommend this book to others.

This was an interesting concept for a mystery book. I really enjoyed both main characters. Riley is an artist who mainly stays to herself. she teaches art and belongs to an artist group who meet to paint at local sites. Her family is dysfunctional with a mother who drinks too much and a father who is in jail for killing his young lover. When a dead body is found beneath an art piece she painted an a building, she meets Claire, a detective who is highly professional and is an the move to get to the next police level. She has no time for a relationship. When the two meet there is an attraction but Riley hates police and is not very cooperative with Claire. I really liked how the author worked to get these two characters together. There is drama in the story because dead bodies keep showing up where Riley was last painting. The secondary characters were not a focus for me.
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others who like a slow burn mystery.

I am a Carsen Taite fan. Let me just say that first. I enjoy her crime based stories. I always seem to learn something about the work and world of lawyers. This read was more about police work and not about the law. This read was different and in my opinion, that can be a good thing. Crime with romance can be intriguing and sexy. Instant attraction was also at play. Detective Claire Hanlon, focus on moving up the Dallas Police Department ranks and not much else. Urban artist, Riley Flynn, focus on doing what she loves and making a living doing it. Neither woman is looking for a relationship but is that not the best time for a relationship to find you.

The read caught my attention from the beginning and held it throughout. The sketch artist, detective, and various secondary characters really kept the story interesting. I wish it were a little longer but hey, it was still entertaining.

I always get excited when Carsen Taite has a new book out as she always delivers good stuff. This book was no exception - the serial killer storyline was well paced and not predictable, and the two main characters had an exciting dynamic, with one character having had a troubled family history which made her distrust for law enforcement, and the other main character being a detective. I also really liked some of the secondary characters, like Claire's partner Nick, and the banter between them. I really liked how Taite used different points of view for the same events. The only thing that could have been better is the length of the story - I felt some of the developments, especially the romantic storyline, could have been drawn out a bit more and given more airtime.