This book is very cleverly plotted with lots of interesting characters. Basically it shows that if you have plenty of skilled resources you can survive multiple threats! It was most entertaining and I could quite easily imagine it as a movie or tv series.

This is the second in the series of assistant district attorney, Kaj Cardozo and it’s a bit of a chunk of a book, as with most, if not all, of Karen Rose’s books.

This book was a real rollercoaster. Filled with action and drama. There is also the romantic tension building between Kaj and Val. I absolutely loved the character development in this novel. Both damaged people who are finding a “friend” in each other.

The book is told from the villians point of view in part one, which I really enjoyed

The 592 pages do not disappoint. It lives up to the usual Karen Rose standard of gruesome, dark and violent thriller. It is hard to believe that after 28 novels, karen rose is still massively on her a game and pulling it out of the bag like this. Looking forward to reading more in this series

Brilliant story and everyone I expected from Karen Rose! Val is hired to protect a little boy who has almost been kidnapped by some very dangerous people. But that’s not the end of it! Really gripping storyline and great character and as always a blossoming love story. Highly recommend.

Karen Rose has instantly earnt herself a place on my favourite authors list with this book! It's my first of hers but I can't see her doing any wrong in her other books!
I absolutely loved the writing style, it was so quick to read and I felt like I raced through it even though it's a super chunky book (and usually I feel really unmotivated with chunky books). About a third in there were two days where I was too busy to read any and honestly whenever I wasn't reading this book I was thinking about the characters and how much I love them and how much I wanted to just be sitting and reading this book! I think it might be the most I've thought about wanting to read a book while not being able to read in a long time. I was so hooked and it really sticks with you!
I totally wasn't expecting the romance element in this, although I really should have been because Goodreads describes Karen's books as Romantic Suspense (I didn't think about that until after), and I thought it was such a great addition to the mystery/crime elements. I love a good crime/mystery book but I always says romance is my favourite genre so to have both in one was absolutely perfect for me!
I loved the fact that you got to see what was going on from all sides, flitting from following different characters (in 3rd person so you never got confused who "I" was), so you knew what the 'bad guys' were doing and plotting whilst the 'good guys' tried to figure it out and stay safe. And I loved every single one of the characters, I basically fell in love with the entire cast. Maybe not so much in love with the 'bad guys' but they still mostly had some likeable traits and definitely all made excellent characters. The amount of twists and turns in this, I honestly didn't see any of the major twists coming at all, they were fantastic!
I loved basically everything about this book! In all 580 pages the only thing I didn't like was one tiny "we won't tell her, she doesn't need to know" moment near the end where I think they should have told her haha. Everything else was 100% perfection. I'm definitely going to grab Karen's first book and read them all!

Beneath dark waters by Karen Rose is the second book in the New Orlans series with the first being Quarter to Midnight.

If you like suspense, crime, romance then I'd 100% recommend this to you! It's amazing and reading it and watching it all play out in my mind has been an incredible roller coaster, I honestly hope one day its a film or series of its own altho I doubt very much that anything will live up to the amazing writing from @karenrosebooks.

The story throughout is grabbing and it makes you not want to put the book down, the story moves through the different parts and people so effortlessly.

Now I have to say there is a few trigger warnings ⚠️ so please check those before you read.

The characters dynamics are fantastic and I love the little groups. The characters are so easy to love and hate the bad guys.
My heart for Jace and Elijah tho 💗

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🖤Crime/Suspense
🖤Romance

Ive read numerous books by Karen Rose and they always have been a great read and this book is no exception!
Although this is book two in the series it can be read as a stand-alone!
It is a long book but thoroughly enjoyable and I loved it!

Many thanks to #NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

I’ve read a few Karen Rose books and they always deliver and this one does too.

This is book two in a series. I’ve not read book 1 and found that book 2 can be read as a standalone.

It was a bit longer than I’d expected but overall enjoyed it and sped through it.

Many thanks to #NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Karen Rose is a sure bet for a gripping thriller and Beneath Dark Waters is part of another fantastic series from her, set in New Orleans.

I loved this book from the outset. From the word go, we are thrust into the heart of the action and there is no let up from there on in.

There are a lot of characters in the book, but they are easy to distinguish, thanks to the excellent writing and I had very strong opinions and reactions to them all!

Get your hands on this book, and all of Karen Rose's previous books, as soon as possible!

Thanks to the author, Isabelle Wilson, Headline Publishing Group and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

Thank you to #Netgalley and #Headline for my copy of #BeneathDarkWaters by #KarenRose
Assistant District Attorney Kaj Cordozo's son has just survived a kidnap attempt and Kaj is so scared. New to New Orleans and not knowing who to trust he hires Burke Broussards Private Investigation Agency to watch over Elijah. Val Sorensen is appointed as Elijah’s personal bodyguard. Can she and Kaj work together to keep him safe.
The plot races along and the words practically leap off the page.
This is Karen Rose at her best!!!!!

Although Karen Rose is a prolific writer I'd not read any of her books. I found this a very long book, but it held my interest right through to the end.
The addition takes place of a week with a lot happening on practically every page.
There's a lot of characters to keep track of that include some vicious whose level of violence is brutal and high. initially the plot is a simple one but it gets more complicated and involved at every turn, involving child abuse, murder for hire and police corruption. It contains a shocking revelation about a deceased family member that has a huge impact on one of the main characters.
All in all a very good book with some detailed descriptions of the bayou area of New Orleans that made me wondering if I should perhaps visit.

Beneath Dark Waters Karen Rose

4 stars

The second book in the New Orleans series

I have always enjoyed Karen Rose’s books and this one is no exception. I did read the first one in this series and although this book could be read as a stand-alone it was good to revisit some of the characters from the first book and see how their lives are proceeding.

The main character in this book is Val Sorensen a bodyguard who is employed to protect Kaj Cardozo’s ten year old son Elijah from a prospective kidnapping by the infamous Gates family.

There are so many different streams to this story which initially seem unconnected but as the book progresses we learn about how Val has suffered a traumatic experience in her past and how her dead brother is linked to the villains in this story. There were many twists and turns, lots of killings but also some lovely moments including the burgeoning love affair between Kai and Val.

This is a long book but well worth the read, as always I read this in a few days in order to reach the ending. I will be waiting for the next instalment and will definitely be reading it.




Karen Deborah
Reviewer Netgalley

A good tale with strong characters but a little too twee for my taste!

I suspect that I'm not Ms Rose's target audience

Thank you for letting me review the book anyway.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Beneath Dark Waters by Karen Rose in return for my honest review.
This is the second book in the New Orleans series but could easily be read as a standalone. In true Karen Rose form this is a brilliant page turner with lots going on and just the right amount of romance, can’t wait for the next instalment.

This book had a slightly different feel to it than previous Karen Rose novels. A lot of the story centres round the villain and his two young brothers. I didn't like these characters so I would have preferred to see the story unfold from Elijah's viewpoint or his dad and Val.
Jace grew on me as the story progressed and I was rooting for him by the end.
This is quite a slow burn but the twists and turns are plenty. The last quarter of the book is completely taken over with suspense, action and drama and this was the section that I couldn't put down.

This is the second book I e read centred around Val Sorenson, this time assigned to bodyguard a young boy after a failed abduction attempt.

If you’ve read any Karen Rose before, you’ll know what to expect and this one doesn’t fail to deliver: fast, furious and vicious. It’s great!

I'm a big fan of Karen Rose's books but this one didn't quite hit the mark for me. I like the format with the story being set over a matter of days but I struggled to engage with the characters. Val was almost too perfect and at times quite annoying as a result. I also found some aspects of the story rather predictable. That being said, it was a good read and ideal for a holiday book.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.

As always Karen Rose has delivered a very good book here. I always like the format her books take, in that they cover a short period of time and are told through various character perspectives. This one is no different and in my opinion is a thrilling, fast paced read full of lots of action. I found it hard to like Val at first, and felt she came across as almost too perfect although she did grow on me as the story progressed. I liked Kaj much more and thought Elijah came across a little irritating and far too mature for his age. All the main characters had good and believable histories. Karen Rose excels at setting the scene and drawing her readers in through her writing. The story is well written, flows easily and has a great plotline. The beginning had me hooked fairly quickly and wanting to know more, and this read held my interest and attention from start to finish making it quickly become a real page turner. There are characters I absolutely loathed with a passion and couldn't wait for them to be found out. Add in the usual romance element, secrets, lies, deception, is all as it seems, who has their own agenda and you've got a gem of a read on your hands.
I really liked the descriptions of the bayous and could picture them in my mind when reading. I really liked the ending which gave very fitting closure. This is a great addition to the authors New Orleans series and I'd recommend this if you like thrillers with a bit of romance. If you've new to this series I'd suggest you read the books in order so you know the characters from the beginning. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and although it didn't quite wow me as some of the other books by Karen Rose, I will definitely want to continue with this series and read the next book.

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I’m usually a big fan of Karen Rose but this wasn’t one of my favourites. I found it hard to feel engaged with the characters. For me it dragged and the twists were a little convoluted and unbelievable. It certainly won’t put me off her books and I know others have loved it.

Val Sorenson is assigned as a bodyguard for ADA Kaj Corodozo’s son Elijah after two masked men tried to kidnap him. Val has a very personal connection to the suspects in the attempt, Sixth Day, as her twin brother Van was killed by them.

This has everything you want in a good read - gripping from the outset, fast paced and with brilliantly twisty and intriguing plot lines, going to dark, unexpected places. At times I found myself holding my breath I was so invested in the book. I love Vals character, determined, courageous but with a softness despite her background. She has her own demons but puts everything into making sure Elijah is safe, and by extension Kaj too. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Another fantastic read from Karen rose . Just like all her other books a page turner that you just can't put down down . Looking forward to the next book .