Book Review: Need Me by Cynthia Eden

Need Me
Dark Obsession #3
Author: Cynthia Eden
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Mystery | Romantic Suspense
Released: February 24th 2015
Review Source: Hocus Pocus Publishing | Netgalley

Innocent…or guilty? The cops think that Julianna Smith is a murderer. No one will listen when Julianna claims she’s innocent, and as the suspicions mount against her, only Julianna knows the truth…a killer is hunting her. Somewhere in the darkness, a stalker is closing in and preparing to deliver a final justice that she can’t escape.

He’s her only option.

Devlin Shade isn’t a man who trusts easily, and when Julianna Smith walks into VJS Protection, he’s well aware of her reputation—the sexy blond could be a cold-blooded murderer. Only when he looks at her, cold is the last thing that Devlin feels. There’s an instant attraction between them—hot, fierce, primal. And he agrees to take her case. He’ll be her bodyguard. He’ll keep her safe from the enemy hunting her, and he’ll also find out the truth about the mysterious Julianna. If she is a killer, he’ll turn her over to the cops himself.

She can’t let him get too close…

Julianna knows that she is walking a dangerous line with Devlin. She never expected to want him so much, and as they grow closer, she realizes that he’s working to uncover her secrets. But the secrets that she carries are worth killing for…and she can’t let anyone discover the truth, not even Devlin.

Killer or victim…

Soon the thin line between right and wrong is blurred. For Devlin, the case becomes personal, and all that matters is Julianna—keeping her safe and stopping the stalker who is on her trail. As he slides deeper into Julianna’s dangerous world, Devlin’s own darkness rises up. He’s played the good guy for so long, but now his mask is falling away. He isn’t controlled, he isn’t safe, and when Julianna is threatened, he will cross any line to keep her safe.

This is an Adult romance novel recommended for ages 18+ due to sexual content and mature subject matter.

This was my favourite book in the series by far. Book 1 and 2 had intriguing and heart pounding mystery and action, but Need Me totally stepped it up a notch in my books.

Again Cynthia set up the characters so good as secondary characters that when it came to them having their own books, I was actually looking forward to reading it. Granted, Julianna wasn't my favourite heroin in this series, Sophie holds that spot for me, but Julie was pretty awesome too in a completely different way. She seems to be the most messed up. Jeremy, her ex-(and now dead)husband, warped her too much in the short 2 months they were married.

Now, Julianna is being accused of murdering her husband. After all he was found dead in the bed next to her. His blood splatted on her body, her fingerprints marring the knife which ended Jeremy's life. And there's not a single lick of evidence to back up her innocent pleas. Poor gal can't get a break, and that point is proven even more when someone is out for her life.

That's where Devlin steps on to the scene. Julianna hires VJS Protections when she suspects whoever killed her husband is going to come after her as well. Good thing she did hire Devlin's company, because she'd probably be dead without him.

Whilst Need Me's romantic aspect wasn't as enjoyable as the previous installments, the mystery side was definitely more interesting. The first two books dealt with stalking, Need Me kicked it up a notch and was all about murder. I couldn't put the book down. It was a really great read. In fact, I was really impressed with this one and how much of a step up it was from the first two books.

Though, there's been a small issue I've had with this series. No matter how good the mystery and suspense is, it feels like we don’t get to know the characters well. We find out about their pasts and the characters develop into love interests, but something is missing. I feel like there's still some shallowness to the characters. That being said, though, this series doesn't exactly have long books, therefore the lack of development is understandable. But it's still something I would have liked to see.