This is the first book I've read by Karen Cleveland and what a compelling read it was!

Steph Maddox is an FBI agent who begins to suspect her teenage son, Zachary, of being involved in a serious crime. Steph had been raped and that's when she discovered she was pregnant. When it transpires he has found out who his father is, she initially suspects he is involved. However, when it seems her mum and ex boyfriend, fellow agent, Scott, have been attacked, she begins to realise it's much bigger than she thought.

Each new chapter had a revelation and it was difficult to put the book down. The book was well plotted and I felt completely invested in Steph and Zachary's future. The tension was built up really well to the final climactic scene .
This would make a greath film/tv drama and it would be great if there is a sequel to this.

Thanks indeed to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

FBI agent, Single mum of a teenage boy that shes put on a pedestal but potententially is a little troubled. This could be a Netflix series in the making!

When a gun is found in Zachs room, and suggestions about who he associates with start to come out maddox doesnt want to believe hes anything but perfect. But is she right to do so?

This is a moral dilemma on instinct vs maternal love.

The story is great as you just want Maddox to do the tight thing and for it all to be okay.

A fantastic read - full of tension and with quite a few twists and turns. I'm new to the author but I will definitely look forward to reading more from them in the future. Highly recommended!

[Took me a while to get to this, because DRC was in a format I couldn't read.]

I really enjoyed Cleveland's debut, NEED TO KNOW, so was very much looking forward to reading the author's second novel.
KEEP YOU CLOSE is another excellent thriller: expertly plotted, gripping, addictive. Great characters. Really enjoyed it, and eagerly await the author's next novel.

Apologies, forgot to submit review
Decent second publication from Ms Cleveland with loads and loads of twists that keep you guessing all the way to the very end.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

This is an incredible book, full of twists and turns, posing the dilemma of what would you do if you discovered your child was involved in a terrorist plot? Would you break the law to uncover the truth? How far would you go to save him?

I don't want to say too much for fear of spoilers, so I'll just say read it!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

This novel is about work/life balance and what happens when they intertwine. Steph works for the internal investigations department in the FBI whilst her son is finishing his studies before heading off to college/university. However it takes just one knock at the door to flip everyone's life upside down.

Background
During the novel there are several flashbacks of Steph's life before the FBI. Although this information is vital to know, I found that this distracted my attention from the original plot I was trying to follow. This could have been resolved by using chapters to represent the past and present of Steph's life. The constant change of flashbacks within chapters began to hinder the pace of the novel and ultimately my interest.

Characterisation
Cleveland can create some fantastics characters, especially in her first novel Need to Know. However the characters in Keep You Close needed more personality. I didn't like a few of the main characters, particularly Steph as I felt like she had too many flaws. My favourite character was her son, however I felt like his background and personality was overlooked. This could however emphasise what Steph see and believes. Therefore questioning the readers own judgment of Steph's son.

Prequel or sequel?
My biggest issue with Keep You Close is how it has tarnished my memory of Cleveland's first novel. I loved Need to Know and was over the moon to find out that previous characters were in this book too. However I was crestfallen once I had read the epilogue. For this reason I would strongly advise reading this book first and then Need to Know. Otherwise, don't read the epilogue as it made me as a reader lose hope and feel a defeatist. 

If you love twists and turns regardless of characterisation then you may find this book a real head turner. You can purchase Keep You Close here.

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will enjoy.

Why..?!? It is not always the case but Stephanie should have listened to her mother. Not trusting anyone she is not making it easy when she gets entangled in a huge conspiracy theory. Endangering both her mother and son and not even explain a thing to them so they can anticipate some things. As he gets involved in the investigation he is making all the wrong choices due to being misinformed making it possible for her to even make more mistakes and this frustrated me to no end.
The book kept me captivated though, conspiracy theories inside the US government is always really exciting even if you feel like slapping the main character most of the book..

Steph is an FBI agent and a single mum to a 17 year old son, Zachary. When she find a gun in his bedroom she starts to question how well she knows him? What sort of a mother is she and has she spent too much time on her career rather than parenting Zachary?

A fellow agent tells her that Zachary has potentially been involved with a terrorist group and she starts investigating her own son in her need to protect him. The past secrets come to haunt her and she fighting to clear her sons name.

This is a book that is full of conspiracies, scandals, corruption and secrets.

#netgalley #KeepYouClose #KarenCleaveland

I huge Thank You to The author, The publisher and Netgalley for providing the e-arc in exchange for a unbiased review of these works

I really love a good ethical dilemma and this books focus is based around a big one and I constantly found myself thinking what would I had done? How much you really know about the ones close to you?.

Stephanie Maddox is the FBI agent in charge of Internal Investigations, so she has a strong sense of right and wrong the ultimate moral compass.

When she discovers a loaded gun in her teenage son’s room, the next minute Zachary is soon being accused of being associated with a terrorist group.


Does Stephanie really know her son? is she blinded relating the little baby boy she loves to the distant teenager with secrets he is now? She now has to decide who or what to believe.

An enthralling read that scoots along at a fast pace with many twists along the way.

Steph is Head of Internal Investigations for the FBI in Washington. She is also a single parent to 17 year old Zachary. Due in part to her commitment to her job, her relationship with Zachary is strained. When she finds a gun hidden in his bedroom and it is alleged he is a part of a terrorist group, she sets out to prove he is innocent.

Having never read anything by Karen Cleveland, but having heard good things about her previous book, Need to Know, I was looking forward to reading this book. There is much to recommend about it. It started off extremely well and I was instantly drawn in to the Steph/Zachary dynamic. As a parent, it raised some interesting questions about how well we really know our children and to what lengths we would go to protect them and uncover the truth. here are plenty of twists and turns as the plot unfolds and it certainly keeps you guessing. It slowed a little for me in the middle as I struggled to keep track of some of the complexities and subplots, and the ending felt somewhat unsatisfactory to me. Overall it was an interesting read and if you are looking for an easy to read, fast-paced thriller I would recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam Press for an advance copy.

Thanks to Netgalley And Bantam Press for a copy of “keep you Close “ for an honest review.
I’d forgotten until I started reading this that I’d read Karen Cleveland’s first novel” Need to know “ and struggled to finish it.
Unfortunately this just wasn’t for me , I prefer a psychological thriller and I just couldn’t connect with this storyline.
I am giving this 3 stars as it might suit others , but not for me.!

What I liked: Fast paced, a page-turner, a unique premise (it's usually the spouse or a parent who is a suspect, not the son)

What I struggled with: the moral of the story. ( ***** SPOILER ******* If the good guys don't win, what's the point? I mean, the actual point? What's the author trying to say to us?)

Recommendation: if you like thrillers, particularly suburban thrillers, give it a go.

This book started off with a bang but very soon it became so far fetched that it was unbelievable.
It may be better suited for fans of fantasy or Sci-fi

Im not a big fan of FBI/ CIA books but I thought I would give it a try. I don't know if it was the fbi element but I found that I couldn't really connect with the books.

As head of the FBI Internal Investigations, Steph Maddox has always worked hard which has impacted on her seventeen year old son, Zachary. She feels he is pulling away from her and their relationship is strained - a point continually made by her mother. One day when cleaning his room, she finds a gun hidden in his closet and when a colleague knocks on her door claiming Zachary is part of a suspected terrorist organisation, she sets out to prove he has been set up and is innocent.
The story is slow paced and very repetitive with little action throughout and a little disappointing compared to her other books; however it does question just how far a parent would go to protect their child.

You go into your son's bedroom. It's the usual mess. You tidy up some dirty plates, pick up some clothes, open the wardrobe to put them away.
And that's when you find it. Something so shocking it doesn't seem real.
And you realize a horrifying truth...
Your own son might be dangerous.

This book is a great read and it actually makes you think about family relationships. It was very easy to read, but it was so enjoyable at the same time.

It was fast paced and showed intelligence.

It also makes you ask yourself the question, does love conquer all?

Keep You Close is a gripping thriller, exploring how well we know our kids and what we do to protect them. A book that kept me engaged. Recommend to lovers of thrillers and spy books