Has to be a 3.5 rounded up from me. Strong female lead bodyguarding a young boy and his father in relation to murder and rape cases. Plenty of action involving the completely dysfunctional and nasty family members of the alleged murderer. Set over only a few days so romance between the bodyguard too fast and pretty irrelevant anyway. A lot of repetition spoils the flow. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

I love novels set in New Orleans and this one was excellent: the setting, the well developed characters, and a tightly knitted and well plotted suspense that kept me turning pages and guessing.
It's an entertaining story that deals with serious issues and the dual POVs made the story more interesting and gripping.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Karen Rose is what I call a 'Quality' writer. Her work is amazing. This book is no exception. Brilliant, as always. Recommended.

This is a book full of dead bodies. It takes a while to sort out all the various gangsters but it is well worth persevering until you have got it all sorted. It starts with an unsuccessful attempt to kidnap an assistant district attorney’s small son which leaves him frightened and vulnerable. It was an attempt by brothers to influence a case hanging over another of their brothers. Yes, it is a large family of brothers. One of the brothers abuses his siblings but the youngest is rescued by the protection agency brought in by the ADA to protect his son. This teenager, Jace, has severe learning difficulties which are understood by his rescuers and a plan put in place to help his dyslexia. That is very well handled in the story. The story is essentially about trying to influence prosecutions and the managing of drug runners. It is a long but worthwhile read. I recommend it.

I really really enjoyed this! It was super interesting reading a thriller where one chapter was 'the good guys' and the other was 'the bad guys', so you got multiple perspectives, in various ways and got to know each characters story. This book was super intimidating at first as she's over 600 pages. A very chunky boi but I'm so glad I picked it up!
I've never read a thriller where it's part bodyguard part detective, it was really unique and a fun twist to other thrillers. Parts of this book made me so emotional especially when things got heavy, as I was very invested in the story and the characters.
I love Val, she's such a fun complex badass layered character. Kaj is a sweetheart and still has a big heart despite all the crap life throws at him. Elijah and Jace were two of my favourite characters, they were funny and wise and witty and both deserve the world
I'll definitely be picking up the other books in this series and reading more by Karen, and recommending this one to all my thriller loving friends

I absolutely loved this book! Can’t believe I’ve never read Karen rose but I will definitely be reading any I can get my hands on. I was gripped from beginning to end and I loved the main characters, val and Kaj and all the other supporting characters. Thank you NetGalley and Karen rose x

Can I just say this Author can do no wrong in my view - her multiple , interconnecting series are a joy to read
this is the second book in the New Orleans series and in my view can be read as a standalone

ADA Kaj Cordozo's life is turned upside down when an attempt is made to kidnap his son Elijah - is it connected to his latest case ? Should he recuse himself to protect his son or stand firm against the threat ?
Val Sorensen is assigned as Elijah's bodyguard her job keep him safe at all costs
Working together with Kag , Val soon discovers a link to the gang that killed her brother , a gang who have no problem killing anyone in their way to free their leader . Matters soon escalate , who can they trust or will betrayal result in their lives ?
This book is a fast paced and character driven , with twists and turns around every corner which sums up why so many people enjoy her books

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Ive have read a couple of Karen Rose's books over the years, including the first in this New Orleans series earlier this year, but this second book was on a whole other level. For a 600+ page book, it absolutly flew by. There was never a dull moment and never a boring page.
For a very very large cast of characters I was never confused or wondering who was who. Rose did a fantastic job of keeping 20+ characters separate and with their own voices. This book contained a lot of the first characters and the introduction of a couple more, expanding the found family feel that the first book had.
I found myself tearing up at several places throughout the book (i will protect Jace with my whole heart) and I cannot wait for the third book in the series, who ever that may follow.

Now I'm going to go and read through her whole back catalog.

Thanks to Netgalley and Headline Books for the ARC of this book.
You can rely on Karen Rose for an excellent read and this book did not disappoint. Tense and fast paced right from the start and characters that you will absolutely fall in love , or hate , with straightaway.
The way the romance blossomed between Val and Kaj was so perfectly written and with the addition of a child and a dog who could not fall in love too.
Hope there are more books that feature some of the characters as they are perfect for a mini series.
Looking forward to Karen’s next book.

I feel like I’m running out of ways to say “Karen Rose has done it again”. She is an auto-buy author for me as I’m never disappointed with her stories or her characters.

Personally I love her method of storytelling and her fast paced writing style. You’re in the thick of the action from page one. Her stories are action packed and full of adrenaline but also emotional and heartbreaking. It doesn’t hurt that she writes amazing characters that you can’t help but love. Beneath Dark Waters is no different in that we’ve added more lovely people to our growing New Orleans family. Can’t wait for the next one!

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to the publisher for inviting me on this Blog Tour.

I’m huge fan of Karen Rose and I felt so honoured to be invited on this Blog Tour.

This is the second book in the New Orleans series, the first book is called Quarter to Midnight.

The Prologue was perfectly written it did its job in having me thinking “if this is just the prologue I’m in for an amazing read”.

We’re back with Broussard Investigations, this time with Val in the spotlight who we met in the previous book in the series, she’s just got a new client and It’s ADA Cordoza’s son Elijah who’s just survived a kidnapping attempt.

What can I say about this book apart from that it was absolutely incredible and I literally couldn’t put it down, I devoured every single word hungrily.

I was overjoyed to be back with all the people who work for Burke at Broussard Investigations, it felt like coming home and seeing old friends again.

Val has a special place in my heart after finding out about her devastating past, she’s such a strong women even after getting blow after blow in this story she kept going and doing her job no matter what the personal cost was to her.

This was a fantastic, fast paced book that I really couldn’t put down, it’s one of the best books that I’ve read this year and I can’t recommend it enough.

Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Having read the first one in the series I could not wait to dive back in. Once again the characters were relatable with a strong female lead. With multiple twists and turns in the book it keeps you guessing with what will happen next.

Thoroughly looking forward to the next book.

I had so missed reading to a Karen Rose and I dont know why after reading this. It was fantastic such an intelligent, gripping ride. I just immediately got involved in the characters and the plot, the different sub plots came together. This was a long read but I devoted two afternoons to it as I just needed to know what was going to happen and why and how it was going to be resolved.

So worth the time fully recommend.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

I've read quite a few Karen Rose books over the years and enjoyed them. I hadn't read the first book in this new series but it works quite well as a stand alone. I can't say that this is one of my favourites by this author. There was quite a bit of repetition which is irritating and I found the main characters a bit too good to be true. Both, of course, are stunningly beautiful and can barely keep their hands off each other, even though they are in a life threatening situation with a young boy to protect. It's ok but not not one of her best.

I just live Karen Rose writing, I was gripped from the first page and just wanted to keep reading but also did not want it to end.
Ten out of ten as usual.
This book has it all, fantastic characters, love, acceptance, adversity, corrupted cops, murder, family, friends, justice

A good story, but the book was twice the length it should have been - it is in need of good editing. It's also full of cliched characters, and slightly unbelievable ones at that. Not a book I will wholeheartedly recommend I'm afraid.

Another classic from Karen Rose. She is just undeniably the best at what she does.

I love the fact that she delves deep into her characters personas to the point where you wish they were your friends.

Love all the action and suspense, I devoured this book in hours. Cannot wait for the next installment.

I have even reviewed my points system and given this book a 5+

Highly recommended, 5+ stars from me.

A great story but I felt it went on too long as the story was told over a few days and a lot was happening so it could have been a lot shorter, saying that it kept you turning the pages with lots of twists and turns and a good ending.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review.

I have to admit Karen's books are formulaic, but that doesn't stop them from being a brilliant read. This book, the second in the New Orleans series tells the stories of Val, Kaj and Elijah as the baddies attempt to kidnap Elijah to interfere with one of Kaj's cases.

It was gripping and fast paced, I read it in just over a day because I couldn't put it down. I loved it, and look forward to the next in the series which I reckon will be about Phin.

A fast paced story that deals with some quite dark themes. It deals with corrupt police and drug dealers who will stop at nothing to get the results they want. Intermingled with this is a story of love and acceptance. As I was reading the book I realized that this was not the first novel with these characters. It did not make any difference to my enjoyment of this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for the advance copy of this book.