Buried Lies
Author: Kaylea Cross
Length: 228 Pages
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Published: November 27, 2018
Rating: 
Heat Level: Steamy
She left her painful past behind. Poppy Larsen is finally free. She moved to Crimson Point to make a new life for herself, full of bright possibilities. A whole new world awaits her, if she can find the courage to trust again—even her gorgeous neighbor, the town sheriff. But darkness lurks in the picturesque Oregon Coast town, concealing a deadly threat that’s closer than she ever imagined.
Now a killer is watching her from the shadows.Sheriff Noah Buchanan can’t help but be intrigued by his new neighbor. She’s hard working, sexy as hell, and unlike most of the women in town, she hasn’t thrown herself at him. After it becomes clear that she plans to put down roots here, he finds himself falling more and more for Poppy and her big heart. When someone from her past tries to hurt her, it triggers all his protective instincts. But the real danger is hiding in plain sight. When the unthinkable happens, Noah is thrust into a race against time to save her before it’s too late.
Buried Lies by Kaylea Cross was a quick read that has helped get me back on the review train after experiencing two ARCs that really just dragged me down. I even resorted to knitting for half a day even though I have a stack of library book waiting for me. I’m so glad I decided to pick up this title on NetGalley. This is the second book in the series centered in Crimson Point and while I haven’t read the first book I had no problem jumping right into the story.
Freed from her familial obligations in hardworking South Dakota, Poppy decides she needs a fresh start to rebuild herself on the Oregon Coast. Opening up a bookstore and remodeling her adorable little cottage on the edge of town keeps her plenty busy and there is no way she has the time or the inclination to follow up on the thoughts centering around her dreamy neighbor; the town sheriff. I enjoyed watching Poppy come into her own woman, pushing away her insecurities and befriending the locals by being true to herself. As I was reading, I felt like she was the kind of person that I would want to be friends with! This also extends to Sierra and Molly. I love that they just welcomed Poppy into their fold with no judgments.
There was so much good in this story that I have found that I am being a bit greedy when I hashed out my critiques. I enjoyed it but I wanted more. The pace of the story was almost too fast. We were whisked past some points that could have added some more substance to the characters. Poppy could have benefited from a few flashbacks would have helped me visualize the torture she went through at the hands of those bullies in South Dakota. I want to be shown, not told, why she has this fear of the dark/claustrophobia and mistrust in men. The serial killer angle fell by the wayside. It felt like the Jase, Carter, Molly triangle took up the spotlight that should have belonged to our creepy killer. The Molly, Carter, and Jase aside, while super interesting and is most definitely a set up for the next book, I felt like it distracted me from Poppy and Noah’s story. I was left wondering about their plot arc when I should have been focused on Poppy and Noah-do-no-wrong.
Noah is written to be a dream come true, perfect fit for Poppy. I loved that he respected her boundaries but I felt like his character came up a little flat, especially when compared to Poppy and her soul-searching journey. Aside from a brief discussion about his ex-fiancee cheating on him we don’t have any real information on Noah. The beginning was an excellent opportunity to capitalize on his lack of trust in women but the way it is written at the moment, he is just a little suspicious of the new girl. As it stands, we have no real character flaw for Noah and I hate when the male lead is flawless, probably because I am so very flawed.
On another note, I loved the insight into the bad guy and his movements. I wished there had been more chapter excerpts to give us more information to increase the tension. As it was, my heart was beating quickly during his scenes and I was thoroughly creeped out by his flower obsession.
The book was 228 pages but it could easily have been extended by another hundred pages or so to flesh out some of the character development and plot lines to make it a truly great book. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for Aiden’s story in particular. I love me some Scottish burr and I have a feeling Cross definitely won’t disappoint.
I was given a copy of this book through NetGalley in return for an honest review.