Katie Reus kicks off her latest series with murder, suspense and romance as history begins to repeat itself in Verona Bay.

“She was the one that got away…”

I’m not going to say anything on the storyline here as I never do when there’s a whodunnit, but what I will say is that it’s one which keeps you on your toes, introducing twists and turns that bring a darker atmosphere alongside a lightness created by Serenity’s daughter, Harper and the building friends-to-lovers romance between Serenity and Lucas.

“I like being naked friends.”

I have to say this is one of my favourites from the author, I pretty much read in one sitting and the next book can’t come soon enough.

4.5 stars.

Dark Memento is a riveting tale that will keep you guessing. Someone is gas-lighting Serenity. They’re sending her mementos from her twin sister who was murdered eight years ago. But the murderer is in prison. This mind bending story gives us several suspects and winnowing them down won’t be easy. Keeping Serenity and her daughter safe falls to former Marine Lucas Jordan which is fine by him because he has fallen for the young widow and will let nothing harm her. This story is filled with twists and turns and a brain puzzle that will keep you guessing.

Katie Reus is amazing. Serenity and her sister were targeted by a serial killer. While Serenity escaped her sister did not. Reus opens the book with this dramatic, emotional image for the reader. The depth of pain serenity feels at the loss of her twin can be felt by the reader. As the book progresses the same intense emotion prevails, whether it is the fear as she is stalked, the growing she does in her relationship with Lucas, or the love for her daughter. There were quite a few hints about the identity of the villain, but the story was still enjoyable. I enjoyed the interaction between Serenity and Lucas as well. Lucas is highly protective and in love. It was nice to see a male character who owns his feelings as much as he did. I highly recommend this book.

This book was provided by Netgalley for an honest review. The opinions are my own.

Dark romantic suspense at it's best. It's not my normal genre but I love this author. The suspense ramps up to a crescendo at the end. This very well crafted story that I do recommend.

I volunteered to read and review an advanced readers copy through Netgallery of Dark Memento. This is an absolutely Magnificent story .
I was captivated from the start of the story to the very end . This is a very emotional , very dark at times all out thriller / romance . I found myself flipping the pages . I could not put this story down . Hands down a favorite for me . The story is one rollercoaster ride of suspense . Twists and turns you don't see coming . The characters are a unique bunch of people . Serenity Washington was a twin in college they were abducted by a serial killer she was able to escape . The killer was apprehended but serenity's twin died . Years later Serenity returns to the town a widow with a young daughter and Terror returns also. Retired Marine Lucas Jordan wants to be more than a good friend . When threats and danger head for Serenity he will protect her and her daughter at all cost . Serenity doesn't know who she can trust except she knows she can trust Lucas . This story is well written , suspenseful , Intriguing , action packed , romance and justice .
I highly recommend taking the time to read and enjoy a 5 star read .

This was a great story. The characters were well developed and it had me on the edge of my seat from page one. The intrigue was present and had me trying to figure out who the unsub was in the cast of people that she was friends/enemies with. This had all the elements of intrigue, suspense, chemistry and romance. Most definitely would recommend.

This ARC was courtesy of netgalley - all thoughts and opinions are mine and unbiased

I've read other works by this author and have thoroughly enjoyed this

Well written, great characters - fast paced

Highly recommended - great summer read

I must say, Dark Memento was an excellent book. Dark Memento, a mystery suspense thriller, with a fast-paced plot, one fan of mystery suspense would enjoy.

Highly recommend Dark Memento, best thriller I have ever read to date.

I received a complimentary copy of this ARC via Netgalley but all opinions provided are my own.

Eight years ago Serenity Washington and her twin sister Savannah were kidnapped by a serial killer and only one of them made it home. Now Serenity is a widower, the owner of a dog grooming company, and a single mom, and the serial killer responsible for her kidnapping and her sister’s murder is in prison. But someone has started harassing Serenity, sending her pieces of jewelry that only he presumably would have had access to, and murdering women in Serenity’s community.

I’ve read several of Katie Reus’s books and Dark Memento is a standout to me. There’s a lot to appreciate here, foremost the relationship between Serenity and the hero Lucas Jordan—which takes off despite her worries about relying too much on a man like she did with her former husband. The chemistry between them is smoking hot and sweet, too, largely because of how Reus makes Lucas, a former military guy turned contractor, an alpha who’s also sensitive to Serenity’s relationship fears and insecurities.

The will they or won’t they question throughout Dark Memento thoughtfully ramps up the overall tension in the book, and both the ending to their romantic story—and the murderer plot—is satisfying. The Epilogue in particular has a lot of heart.

Then there’s the single mom relationship between Serenity and her daughter, which adds depth to the plot and a richness to their relationship with Lucas. And, finally, the mystery murderer angle is well done; the killer’s identity surprised me even if her motivations and sex were clear from the beginning of the book.

I discovered Katie Reus last year and her romantic suspense books have been a great escape. Like Cynthia Eden, Katie Reus writes books that are passionate and intense, sometimes over-the-top, but really enjoyable to read, and I’m excited to see where she goes with the rest of the series!

Dark Memento was fast paced, romantic and nail bitingly good!

I loved the suspense, and even though I'd suspected who the culprit was a long time before it was revealed, it was still suspenseful enough to keep me hooked.

Lucas's character was my favourite, beyond any doubt. He was the most supportive and understanding guy ever. This quote was the moment he became my favourite character:

"...if she wasn't interested in him, he didn't want things to be awkward between them. Right now, she needed a friend more than anything else. A friend and a protector. That was something he could definitely be..."

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dark Memento and will be looking forward to reading more books from the Verona Bay series.

Eight years earlier Serenity and her twin sister were kidnapped, and Serenity was the only survivor. Now, someone is leaving her mementos from that day, and friends start disappearing or winding up dead. With her sister’s murderer in jail, Serenity, Lucas, the police, and the FBI have to find out who is behind the crime before someone finishes what wasn’t finished eight years ago.

The book grabbed my attention and kept it until the end. I really enjoyed the suspense and thought it was well-written. While I liked the romance, I wasn’t quite sure why Lucas had been so drawn to Serenity once she returned to town. Still, I liked them together and how Lucas took care of Serenity and her daughter.

Fans of romantic suspense won’t want to miss the start to the Verona Bay series. I’m looking forward to seeing what else is in store for the series.

**A copy was provided via NetGalley to voluntarily review**

Dark Memento (Verona Bay, #1) by Katie Reus....Great series starter....Thanks so much to the publisher and #NetGalley for letting me preview this book. Katie keep me on the edge of my seat until I finished this... Serenity (8 years ago her twin was murdered and she barely escaped..she is now a widow with a young daughter ...Harper and has moved back home) Lucas( former marine now back home...he wants to help her when she receives her dead sister's bracelet and a cryptic note ) This is a little dark with suspense, murder, some laughs, angst, and steam...if you like a great romantic suspense you will love this...when I thought I had it figured out Katie threw me another curve...you do get to a wonderful HEA...and I can not wait for the next book.

Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Entertaining Unpredictable Steamy Wonderful characters Happily Ever After Easy-to-read Romantic Scary Great world building Action-packed Page-turner Haunting

Serenity Washington suffered tragedy in her life when she and her twin sister, Samantha, were kidnapped by a sadistic killer. Serenity tried to save her sister, but Samantha died before Serenity was able to escape and their captor caught. Years later, when her husband dies unexpectedly, she and her young daughter, Harper, return to Verona Bay where she was once happy, finally hoping for peace. Someone does not want Serenity to find peace and begins to leave mementos from her time as a kidnap victim with the words “tick tock”. Former Marine Lucas Jordan has befriended Serenity and he is someone she trusts. When the stalking continues, her friends are now targeted by this sadistic person leading to murder. Since her captor is still in prison, who is after her? Did he have an accomplice? In the final moment, will Lucas be able to protect Serenity and her friends? A wonderful complex mystery and beginning to a must-read series. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

An excellent book with a wonderful set of characters and an engaging storyline. Highly recommended to every reader that is interested in a book that really draws you in.

The only survivor of a serial killer, that claimed the life of her twin sister, Serenity returns to her home town of Verona Bay. She’s had more than her fair share of trauma to deal with. Now a single mother and business owner, she’s on the cusp of a relationship with Lucas, when her past returns to haunt her. She receives messages connected to the man incarcerated for the murders, her abduction and attempted murder. But how is this possible? And then her friends go missing and there are more deaths. She’s then fearing for her life and of those she cares about. Whilst the prologue pulls you in, and then you’re in the midst of suspense as you try to work out who’s behind it all, the story doesn’t really pull you in deep enough. The character development and interaction isn’t deep enough. And Serenity and Lucas’ relationship isn’t deep enough either.

Dark Memento is the first book in Katie Reus's new Verona Bay series, and whilst it is different to the usual military romance she writes I have to say the change to straight up romantic suspense was spot on. As this story was quite honestly brilliant and it had me hooked from page one. Because it was so full of suspense, great characters, and a killer who I never saw coming. Which just goes to show how well written and intricately plotted it was.

Plus, the relationship between Serenity and Lucas was great and it was balanced perfectly with all the edge of your seat suspense it had going on.

And I would 100% recommend it to others. Especially to fans of Cynthia Eden's romantic suspense series such as Lost, Deadly and For Me. As this story really reminded me of those.

I gotta hand it to the author, I tried to guess who the culprit was twice and was wrong both times. She didn't try to trick you into believing one over multiple other options, which made it hard to pinpoint who it was. I love it when an author can fool me like that.

I love the new setting for this series and I have high hopes for all the Jordan brothers. Lucas Jordan was awesome. I melted with the interactions with him and Harper. I do wish his and Serenity's relationship built a bit faster but that's the only complaint I have. I really enjoyed this and I'm looking forward to more in the series.

Great mystery and romance. I thought I had figured out who it was and then it wasn't. So, great job, I was fooled completely.

As always I enjoyed reading every bit of this book. And can't wait to read the next in this series!

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a new Series by the wildly talented Katie Reus. It has all her trademarks; romantic suspense, mystery, murder, and a sexy alpha leading man! Serenity and Lucas are wonderful characters. Plus you het the side benefit of and adorable little girl and dog. I loved this book and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!

The first book in the Verona Bay series and it started with a bang! The characters and the plot were intricately woven and developed over the story and left me reeling from everything that happened. I really enjoyed discovering the culprit with the main characters and have to admit, I never expected the outcome.
The characters were well developed and that is not only true for the two main characters, but also for the side characters which will hopefully get their own stories in the next books. I liked the flashback chapters where we got to know what happened to Serenity and her sister, because while they were horrible actions to read about it wasn’t too explicit which gave me the mood and the pictures in my mind without scaring me to get nightmares. I liked to see that Lucas was a guy who could hold his word because most of the times if a guy in a book says he is going to wait or he takes what she has to offer and won’t pressure for more, they don’t. Lucas did. He waited patiently for Serenity to find the courage to trust and love him and it was perfect.
The final showdown was perfect in a suspenseful way without being over the top or too much. I really liked to see the women fight for their freedom and the bad guy getting caught. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.