Riley Flynn is an artist whose passion is to sketch and paint the urban city life of Dallas.  Three young women are murdered and their bodies carefully positioned in areas Riley has sketched. In the pockets of the bodies is one of her sketches so Riley becomes one of the prime subjects. Detective Claire Hanlon who has been assigned to the case is under pressure to catch the serial killer but somehow must separate her growing feelings for Riley yet remain impartial as Riley could be guilty of murder.
You can always rely on Carsten Taite to deliver a good read.  With Taite's legal background, she always writes a great story, in this case, a murder mystery with a huge dose of romance. Riley and Claire have great sexual chemistry and I love the fact that Claire is so ambitious. Generally there's a lot of witty banter in Taite's books, not so much this time but still an enjoyable read.

The only thing that stands between Detective Claire and her promotion is an elusive serial killer who keep piling the numbers. When investigations lead her to artist, Riley’s direction, Claire find lines getting blurred with attractions that refused to be tamed.

This is a tantalising read where unbidden attractions between a Detective and a person of interest could not only threaten a job but might cause her to lose the woman she is drawn to.

I just reviewed Drawn by Carsen Taite. #NetGalley

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers, Bold Strokes Books Inc., of 'Drawn" for affording me the opportunity to read the book and review it.

Carsen Taite' has her own unique and very successful story telling method which involves rich scene setting, and drawing engaging multi-dimensional characters. 'Drawn' is no exception. Here the timeline and storyline develops around each of the central characters, who all have additional backstories which contribute to the pace, depth and direction of storyline. The combination produces a very satisfying, engaging read, well done.

I can't fault this. But I can recommend "Drawn" for being a 5* engaging read. Spot on editing and proofing help and purist followers of the author's work will appreciate her casual link to popular characters from previous books.. I'm hoping we will see more of Claire and Riley in future works.

I love crime mystery stories, and this one was captivating from start to finish.

Career driven Homicide Detective Claire Hanlon and her partner Detective Nick Redding were pushed to the limits to solve a serial murder case that targeted young white women. Claire’s mentor insisted they make a recently released convicted killer, Frank Flynn, their priority. Artist Riley Flynn, Frank’s daughter, became a potential suspect by association.

Riley and Claire were both comfortably settled with their career choices, but their personal relationships never seemed to work out. For Riley, relationships never made it beyond the third date while Claire’s relationships couldn’t get over her detective hours. When they first met, there was obvious interest until reality set in. Riley was wary of cop Claire and Claire was suspicious of Riley’s involvement in her case. Both women cautiously navigated through their feelings for each other and at the same time sought to apprehend a killer in their midst.

The detectives were very realistically written along with all the procedures involved. I liked how Claire and Nick became each other’s voice of reason professionally and personally as they tried to solve the case. As the author introduced new characters, possible suspects were added, and the level of engagement increased. I think the best part of this story was how the author allowed her reader to be involved in the action and thinking process of both Claire and Riley in a simultaneous time period. This added another layer of depth to these scenes.

The romance between Claire and Riley took time to develop and rightfully so since Riley was still on that suspect list. However, whenever the women met, there was always an underlying chemistry to their interaction.

Carsen Taite has once again delivered an intriguing and thoroughly engaging storyline. If you are a fan of mysteries or law and order, you will enjoy this read.

An ARC was given for an honest review.

I love Carsen Taite and have read everything that she has published and her new book did not disappoint. Drawn was a quick read for me and absolutely loved the crime and mystery part of the story. The romance of course happens later in the story but I didn’t mind because I was engrossed in trying to solve the crime myself trying to figure out who did it..lol
Pick this one up for sure!

4.5 stars
I was given this ARC via NetGalley and publisher. Many Thanks!!

A murderer is strangling women and leaving them in places a local artist group meets. Detective Claire Hanlon is up for a promotion if she can just solve the case. Riley Flynn is an artist in the group with a past that leaves her distrustful of the police. Will they be able to find a murderer and love in time?

Carsen Taite is always a grab, sight unseen. Her books never disappoint. She has a knowledge of courtroom law that serves her well in writing very interesting and believable law enforcement stories. Her descriptive writing creates a very tense, absorbing read. You can’t help but read quickly desperate to find out the conclusion.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Detective Claire Hanlon is on track for a promotion, she just has to close this one new murder case. The only problem? Her main suspect is proving to be a beautiful distraction. Sketch artist Riley Flynn doesn't trust the police after they pinned a crime on her father years ago. Then the police start questioning her about the bodies that wind up at her usual sketching spots, and a certain gorgeous detective starts breaking down her walls. As the bodies pile up, it becomes increasingly clear that Claire and Riley are a bad idea. But neither woman is able to resist the growing attraction between them. What will happen when the truth comes out?

This was a really engaging read. I read it all in one night. This was my first book by Carsen Taite, and I loved it.

The Characters: Both Claire and Riley are emotionally closed off, but it's clear that they are good people. Taite wrote them with nuance, and they both struggle with certain internal and external conflicts. They are very real and relatable. I also liked the cast of side characters, who add a bit of extra fun into the story.

The Romance: This book isn't that romance heavy. We get some nice longing glances between Claire and Riley, and they do end up with a HEA, but a lot of the plot was focused on the mystery. Even so, what we did get was super cute and enjoyable.

The Plot: The murder investigation really pushed the plot along, which was why I finished the book so quickly. It was very entertaining, kind of like watching an episode of a tv crime drama. I do think there were some loose-ends that could have been wrapped up more nicely, but those didn't really detract from the story. Some other comments have mentioned that the book is too short. While I don't think it was <i>too</i> short, I wouldn't have complained if I had gotten to see more of Claire and Riley, especially for their HEA.

Writing: This book is really well-written. The dialogue and narration flows very naturally, and I can tell that Taite knows what she's talking about with regard to the legal stuff. Taite is especially good at setting the scene.

All in all, a very enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend. Just make sure you have a good chunk of time available to read, because you might not want to stop!

**I received an ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Really good. I mean really really good! It was a quick read and I got through it really fast which means that it was a page turner. I had a feeling that the murderer was one of 2 people and I close. The writing was tight, the dialogue was great and I loved that throughout the investigation they got closer. I’ve been a Carsen Taite fan for a while and this book didn’t disappoint.

With time, I started enjoying Carsen Taite's books for their thriller and crime genre, their love story being on the back seat almost. I know this writer will never fail in delivering a good, exciting story and even if the love part isn't always a top notch, you can always count on the crime part being the best.

Artist Riley Flynn was about to get her big break when Detective Claire Hanlon entered her life, investigating in a murder case that occurred where she was painting. And then came more cases with the same MO (modus operandi). With the escalating stakes as well as mutual attraction, Claire knew it was a horrible idea to get involved with Riley, one of her suspects. But what should they do about the growing bond between them?

I enjoyed the level of intensity in this book: not too nerve-wracking to be a romance fiction and not too fluffy to be a mystery story. While I imagined the book to be much longer, covering more interactions between the characters as well as filling up some unmentioned time gaps, "Drawn" worked nicely as a shorter novel. The span of the whole story sans the last chapter was just nine days, which was not a very long time period for the multiple homicides that occurred. It certainly was not a very long time for Riley and Claire's relationship to build either.

The attraction between our two main characters were instant, but it did not read as a shortcut to romance. Initially, both were aloof because of Riley's distrust in the police and Claire's suspicion of Riley's involvement in the murder. It was definitely a conflict of interest. But their relationship was solidly built over time throughout the investigation process and I could see them connecting as friends before venturing into something more. It was believable and both characters were also very relatable and mostly likeable. I think they would have a very balanced relationship, too.

An interesting writing style of Taite's "Drawn" was the simultaneous timelines in successive sections. The story was not exactly a linear narrative and it took me a bit to get used to, but we could see what both characters were up to at difference locations at the same time, providing a better picture of the plot.

I liked how the story included police corruption and a second chance for the formerly incarcerated. Unfortunately, a key thing that did not work for me was the last crime scene. It involved some questionable execution that I cannot say more about without giving away the whole story. I am also dubious about the necessity of preceding murders as well as the evidences at the crime scenes. But then again, crimes did not have to make perfect logical sense, so I guess I should not fret.

Despite the horrifying crimes and scare, "Drawn" is a sweet romance at heart. I also love how the title could mean the sketches and that Riley and Claire where drawn to each other. It was undoubtedly a worthy read.

'ARC provided by both NetGalley and The Publisher in exchange for a honest review'

**'As any good writer knows, they have to arouse all interested reader's desire to eventually know what happens...And always try to write what should not be forgotten..'

Compelling read!
I will not have any irresolution from all my previous admissions that Ms.Taite is pretty knowledgeable with law enforcement agencies, their policies and procedures. And so when it came to this book, her craftiness was on point -- skillful penmanship at it's highest.
'DRAWN' may not seem like her best work to some but because of it's riveting and engrossing storytelling, others will find that Ms.Taite is an exceptional writer.
With the plotline, it being a bit suspenseful do allow for the development of everything else that is going on while at times also keeping up this entire mystique of this unique serial killer aura.
The romance do not play a huge role but the way Ms.Taite ingratiates both leading characters many interactions, it does lead to this intense sexual chemistry between them.
For what it's worth, it was an uneasy relationship from the start because of Claire's detective status which made her many laser focused unnerving presence uncomfortable to Riley --- herself the daughter of a convicted killer as its revealed. But the ramifications of both Claire and her partner's actions of not broadening their suspects list -- might unknowingly put them at a crossroad because the identity of the real killer was in their eyesight all along. The chaotic finale was literally spectacular, and the expected misdirection was in such an engaging high adrenaline overdriven showdown that everyone involved found out who the real killer turned out to be.
"DRAWN' can also be deem as a page-turning crime thriller filled with twists, murder and this reliable narrative from start to finish --- it might even be perfect for many interested readers who are fans of Ms.Taite's long list of published crime thriller books.

Well, it was a somewhat interesting read and I liked the concept from the summary. The delivery of that concept was a little lacking for me, however.

I would have liked for this book to have been longer, so the relationship could have matured before the quick ending. The two main characters said "I love you" way too quickly. It was the total lesbian cliche. Claire marked Riley off as a suspect, and then straight to sex and love like 3 days later.

Also, once the killer was revealed, and their motive was literally announced, I didn't understand why other women were killed. It didn't make sense to me at all. I don't want to give too much away in that regard for other readers, but it seems like it could have been a one-off kill.

Overall, the book felt like it needed more smoothing out on the concept. I wouldn't read it again.

3.75 Stars. This book held my attention from start to finish. I’m a huge Taite fan and I love when she writes crime-romances. Because Taite knows so much about the law, it gives her books an authentic feel that I love. Plus her books are always entertaining which is something we could all use right now.

Two women see each other across a crowded room. The noise falls away and the only people these two can see are each other. The attraction between them is instant and strong. But what happens when one of these women is a detective and the other one just might be a killer?

This book had a real quick pace that I loved. It never dragged and I was flying through the pages. Besides the mystery of who the killer is, both characters are dealing with pretty big issues. There was a good amount of interesting storylines happening that kept me glued to the book. And it was also a treat that Morgan for It Should Be a Crime made a cameo. Her book is one of my Taite favorites so I loved seeing her character again.

I also really enjoyed a slight change in Taite’s writing style. She wrote in the POV of both characters and since there is a killer on the loose, this book is taking place in shorter time frame. What Taite did that was different is if you were with one character, you didn’t miss out on what was happening at the same time with the other main character. For instance one character might be at home working on her art and we are in her POV while she is sketching until she opens the door to the detective. Then we switch to the detective’s POV but here Taite backs-up the timeline so we get to see what the detective was doing before she actually got to the artists door. I hope I explained that so it made sense. It was a really cool author’s trick and I don’t know why it isn’t used more. This way of writing makes it so as a reader you don’t feel like you are missing out on anything because you get to be there for all the important parts even when the characters are separated with two things happening at the same time. It was well done and something I wish more authors would try writing.

While this book completely entertained me, I did have some issues. The biggest one was the book’s length. This story was too short! I felt like I flew through this book and I so badly just wanted more. There were a lot of loose ends that I wanted to see play out. I wanted to see Morgan do her thing. I wanted to see a certain secondary character get lambasted for his poor mistakes. After Taite spent the whole book showing all the interesting parts with her little writing trick, it was a letdown just to hear a quick summary of what happened on the last page. And while I really liked the mains and was rooting for a HEA, they needed more time together too. This book needed at least 3 more chapters. I have been having bad luck with some rushed endings lately and I don’t know what’s going on.

Even with my main complaint, I had a lot of fun with this book. Law, crime, mystery or bounty hunters, if Taite writes about any of these I will not only read the book but I will stalk the release date too. I would easily recommend this to Taite fans and crime-romance fans. I’m pretty disappointed that this book is over for me already and I hope we don’t have to wait too long for Taite’s next.