Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of SAFE by Jane Adams in exchange for my honest review.
Safe is a fast-paced thriller novel, which I thoroughly enjoyed throughout. The story follows Lauren and Harry who are on the run from Lauren’s father who is in the mob. Lauren is a really likable character and you really feel sorry for her and want to protect/help her. The relationships are written beautifully and they feel really real. The story is told from several perspectives which I feel really helps move the story forward.
There are sooo many twists and turns in this book and I did not find it predictable at all. Each chapter end with a slight cliffhanger which makes you want to keep reading and find out what will happen next. This is such an easy read as it is so gripping and really interesting.
If you enjoy crime thrillers then I would 100% recommend this.

Lauren is on the run with her Uncle Harry. After 17 years living with her violent father head of a organised criminal gang she just wants to feel safe. When he catches up with them she has no option but to trust DS Petra Merrie with her life. Will she ever be safe?

This was a nicely done thriller following the 17 year old daughter of a crime boss who kills the son of her another crime boss when he tries to rape her. That leads to a series of events where Lauren Sykes needs to run for her life from her father, the other crime boss and maybe even members of the police force. It is a book where it's not completely sure which character can be trusted and who cannot or only partially and you feel like you're on the run with Lauren, trying to make the best decisions you can to survive. I liked the pacing, main characters and the plot was solid and held my interest throughout. It seems like this will become a series and I wouldn't mind finding out what happens next.
A solid 3.5 stars.

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

Lauren Sykes is desperate to protect those helping her to escape her father and would-be father-in-law. Then depths that her father will go to to make her pay for killing the man she was arranged to marry knows no end. This book encompasses crime families, law officers and all those around them. It is a true crime thriller.
Thank You to NetGalley for the chance to review this ARC.

***I was provided an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.***

***May contain spoilers .***

Safe follows Lauren, one child/ daughter of a crime lord through her journey to get away from her father’s extensive crime ring after she kills a man she is set to marry in self-defense. This book ended up reeling me in, however, I was not invested until I was 34% of the way through the book. I’m other words, it took some time for the book to pick-up, but the action in the middle of the book almost makes it worth it. As a lover of psychological thrillers, I will say this was nothing unique and is not something I would recommend to others.

Things I liked about this book:

-Lauren, although only 17, has a good head on her shoulders and continues to surprise those helping her with how intuitive she is.
-When it finally picks up, although the outcome could be guessed by the reader, it is action-packed for a time.
-I found myself really rooting for Lauren and even though I knew I wouldn’t end in the way I didn’t want it to, I felt like k had to keep reading.

Things I found to be “meh” :

-It’s harder to get invested when there is no “love” and Lauren’s father found her to just be a pawn in his games.
- Harry, Lauren’s uncle, had too small of a presence. I wanted more.
-The ending was too predictable.

Overall, if you’re a Jane Adams fan, go for it, just know you won’t be surprised. However, if you’re looking for more excitement I might look elsewhere.

Now this is what i call a crime thriller. Takes off like a rocket and never lets up in pace. Seventeen year old Lauren Sykes has just put her life in danger. She is now running to the only person she can trust. Two crime families are now looking for her and they mean to silence her for good. Packed with oodles of tension and suspense, nail biting, gut wrenching read. A very gritty and hard hitting crime thriller. Love this author and she has definitely got another fantastic five star read on her hands. Can't wait to read more of this authors work.
Thanks to Joffre Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

A real page-turner! I loved the strong female characters...especially, 17 year old Lauren. Great descriptions of places, people and events which totally bring this thrilling story to life.

This is a really good thriller about organised criminal gangs and a bit of police corruption thrown in. it's well written with interesting characters and a tightly woven plot. it starts off a bit slow but soon picks up pace as Lauren, the main character, runs from her criminal father. This is an excellent psychological thriller with a great potential for a new series. I really enjoyed it. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Gritty gangland thriller. Good characters,exciting storyline which moves quickly to it's conclusion. Would like to think the police corruption and extreme violence is from a time past.

Safe - described as 'addictive' and it certainly is! This book is a page turner, i didn't want to put it down! Gripping from page one to the end - i loved it!

This is the first book in a new series by Jane Adams. I loved the Mike Croft series so was looking forward to settling down with this one and I was far from disappointed.

Lauren has never been safe her father is an evil man who cares only about himself and his power and his plans for the future include a merger with the Perrins and o do that Lauren will marry Charlie Perrin the fact that Lauren doesn't like Charlie and is only 17 whereas he is much older doesn't matter to Kyle, all that matters is him having total control.

Lauren is a resourceful character. Life has taught her to survive. 17 years old but with the life experience of someone much older she knows she can only rely on herself. When Charlie tries to rape her she reacts by shooting him. Realising she has made a mistake that will bring the wrath not only of her father but also the Perrins down on her she runs to the only person she trusts thereby dragging him into her problems.

What follows is a race to keep one step ahead of her pursuers, forced to trust a total stranger can Lauren survive against all the odds?

WOW what can I say? A fantastic read full to the brim with adrenaline pumping suspense that had me gripped from the very first page. Very realistic characters that gain depth over the course of the story. I loved Lauren. The life she has led has formed her character and Jane has written this perfectly. This is an awesome read that will appeal to anyone who likes a good thriller. 5 stars from me.

In this first book in the new Merrow and Clarke series, Lauren, 17, is on the run from her father, Kyle Sykes – a psychopathic leader of an established criminal gang, after shooting dead the man she is supposed to wed – Charlie Perrins, the son of rival gang boss, Gus Perrin. This marriage was arranged between the two firms in order to connect the two organisations, but it is not something Lauren was willing to accept.

After killing Charlie, Lauren flees and turns up on the doorstep of Harry Prentice, a retired member of her father’s firm – someone who she has always seen as a father figure. Harry quickly realises that both he and Lauren are in serious trouble, both being actively hunted down by Sykes: Lauren, for going against her father’s wishes and Harry for siding with Lauren and so they go on the run, hoping to disappear before Sykes catches up with them and deals with their “betrayal”.

There are lots of other characters that make their way into this story as Lauren and Harry’s quest to remain safe continues.

I found this book fairly slow-going at first, but it picked up and really flew at the end. There are lots of twists, a fair bit of violence and some clever takes on things. The ending, I half-expected and was unsurprising, but still very good.

I did notice some missing words throughout – not one or two -enough to make it noticeable, but perhaps this book has now had a final proof read since I received my copy.

All in all, a pretty good read and a promising start to what looks like is going to be a new series featuring certain characters. Thanks to NetGalley, Joffe Books and the author for the digital copy. My opinions on the book are unbiased, honest and voluntary.

Loved the fast pace of this book! A very addicting read! The complexity of all of the characters and the situation Lauren has to go through for only being 17 years old will keep anyone’s attention!

** Thanks to Netgalley and Joffe Books for the advanced copy in exchange for this review

Seventeen year old Lauren is on the run from her father Kyle Sykes, who tried to force her into a marriage with Charlie Perrin, a known criminal. The Perrin and Sykes names are renowned for heading up organised criminal gangs, and this marriage was meant to cement the two families together in power.

We follow Lauren as she seeks help from her uncle Harry Prentice, uncover why she needs help from DS Petra Merrow and how she can help DI Clarke pin down the men who’ve got away with murder before (literally).

The book starts dramatically, but the pace seems to dwindle a little from there and it wasn’t as action packed or as shocking as I was expecting. Whilst there are twists and reveals of information, the ending was a little cliche and I kind of guessed how it would come to a peak.

I did like that the story centred around the fleeing for safety, and that the main protagonist was a female trying to escape a family loyalty she never wished to be part of. I also enjoyed the switching of perspectives from her, to Petra Marrow and to the DI investigating the case

WOW!! Safe is one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time and I say this because it had my full attention the complete book. It grabbed me from the first page and never stopped. I loved Lauren, to be her age in a loveless home, under strict supervision of her father still remain strong. Thankfully Lauren had Harry, who put her under his wing to protect her from the storm that was coming her way. I’ll definitely be looking for more of Jane Adam’s Books!! #netgalley. #Safe

Totally addictive and exciting book.
Right from the first chapter I was totally hooked.

Following the young 17 year old Lauren, as she escapes her father's clutches, knowing that what she has done means no way back.

Fighting to stay alive and hidden, who can she fully trust?

Highly recommended read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for ARC.

Thank you netgalley. Great story. I didn't want to put it down. Lauren is only 17, but her father has arranged for her to marry a member of a rival crime family, the Perrins. In an attempt to protect herself she kills her soon to be husband. Lauren along with her uncle Harry and one of his contacts is on the run. She not only is been hunted by the Perrin family but also by her own father's crime family.

Lauren has learned a lot about how to survive, but will she be able to with two crime families and a corrupt police force looking for her?

Synopsis
Lauren’s whole life she has been watched, protected, guarded. She has kept silent about the family business, as she should. At 17, she has seen too much, knows too much and now she is a liability. A wedding is planned between the 2 crime families to unite and build an empire. But this time, Lauren is not going to obey.
Lauren is now on the run and people involved with her are dying. Who can she trust? Clarke is a cop who would love to take down the families, he’s been chasing them for years, but who might be on the payroll?

Review
I would give this book 4/5
I read it in one sitting. From the first chapter the reader is glued to their seat. The crime families are not gentle in their search for Lauren and their methods are ruthless. The author does a fabulous job depicting the deaths of those the betray the Sykes family (warning its pretty gory) and the tension and threats are palpable across the page. As a reader I found myself holding my breath..
Ai would highly recommend this book to family and friends who enjoy suspense and crime stories.

Lauren Sykes, seventeen-year-old daughter of Kyle Sykes, a man everyone feared, and the police could never pin down, had terror in her heart. She needed to flee, to get away from her father as she knew he would kill her without a qualm. After all, she knew he’d killed her mother. Lauren wouldn’t stay one step ahead of her father for long…

When her father’s men became too close, once again she ran. But this time she had a phone number to call – only in the case of an emergency, and it was definitely that. The woman who answered the phone was hushed but confident – she’d retrieve Lauren in a couple of hours. She just had to stay safe in the meantime. But could Lauren trust this woman? She had to trust someone, but she also knew her father had local cops on his payroll.

Meanwhile DI Toby Clarke was working the police department end. The speed everything was moving, he had trouble keeping up, but uniting forces with Petra Morrow kept the adrenalin pumping. The bodies were piling up, Kyle Sykes’ alibis were rock solid as were Gus Perrin’s. Would they be able to keep Lauren safe and trip her father up? Clarke didn’t like their chances…

What an absolute corker of a read! Safe is the first in a new series – Merrow & Clarke – by Jane A. Adams and it took off from the first page and kept going until the last! Fast paced, plenty of twists, bodies and intimidated people everywhere; my heart was in my throat most of the journey! I can’t wait for the next addition to the series. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn’t get into this book at all. I gave up 20.% of the way through.
This book I’m just wasn’t for me.