ARC Review: Ripple Effect: Episode 1 by Keri Lake

Book Title: Ripple Effect: Episode 1
Author: Keri Lake
Series: Ripple Effect #1
Release Date: February 24th, 2017
Genres: Dark Romance, Mystery/Thriller

Ripley

They call me RIP.

I’m a killer. A murderer. A psychopath.

In the eyes of the righteous, I’m a monster, born of sin and depravity.

I want to protect her, but I’m not a good man.

I want to love her, but I no longer feel.

She gets under my skin, though, and has awakened something inside of me.

Something I’d kill for.

I’m not her savior—not even close. In fact, I’m worse than the hell she’s already suffered.

I’m her vengeance. Tit for tat, as they say.

And if she’s not careful, I’ll be her ruin.

Dylan

For months, I’ve watched him.

I’ve fantasized him as my savior, my lover. My ticket out of the hell I’ve lived in for the last six years.

I never dreamed he’d be my nightmare.

Had I known what he really is, I’d have never gotten in the car that night, but life is full of cause and effect.

And sometimes the choice on offer isn’t a choice at all.

It’s the result of something already in motion, and we’re merely left to survive the ripple effect.

Man, this woman can write anti-heroes we really need to hate but something deep down makes us root for them. This is very much the case with Ripley. He's tall, dark, tattooed, and a ruthless killer, infesting the seediest of Chicago's underground gangs, often 'friending' the enemies and assassinating them when they least expect it. Assassinating sounds almost too easy. What he does is oftentimes long and torturous- exacting information, vengeance and filling the need deep within his psyche for the kill.

Dylan, almost 18, finds herself living on the streets after escaping a seedy foster family. No money for food or shelter, she finds herself at the wrong place at the wrong time when she meets Rip. It's a dangerous game of cat and mouse and she may be his next prey...

Ripple Effect is a four episode series chock full of suspense and intrigue. I found my heart racing at the moment Dylan meets Rip. Can this hard-on-her-luck kid find a tiny bit of humanity within the monster that Rip's become? Are they both simply victims of the seedier side of humanity?

After Episode One, I'm peeled to my kindle, hoping but also fearing what's to come for Dylan within the clutches of Rip. She's tough. She's feisty. But is she tough enough?

Advanced copy received by the author in exchange for my honest review.

Keri Lake is a married mother of two living in Michigan. By day, she tries to make use of the degrees she’s earned in science. By night, she writes dark contemporary and paranormal romance. Though novels tend to be her focus, she also writes short stories and flash fiction on the many occasions when distraction sucks her in to the Land of Shiny Things.

She loves hearing from readers …

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