**Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review. Any thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Bloodlines by Vanessa Skye
Following the acclaimed debut of The Enemy Inside and its sequel, Broken, comes the stunning conclusion to the ‘Edge of Darkness’ series by investigative journalist Vanessa Skye, Blood Lines. Detective Alicia “Berg” Raymond is lying. She’s lying to the Chicago Police Department, to her boyfriend, Captain Jay O’Loughlin, but most of all, she’s lying to herself—about her past, her future, and her ongoing addiction. As Berg investigates a series of brutal rapes and sinks under an ever-increasing caseload, she finds herself juggling every aspect of her life—finding justice for victims of crime, keeping her own sordid past buried from her colleagues, struggling with blackmail that threatens to push her over the edge, and protecting her lover from the details of all of it. Wrapping her damaged head around living in a state of domestic bliss she’s certain she doesn’t deserve, Berg is driven by the need for justice and a determination to stop a rapist before any more innocent lives are ravaged. But when enemies from the past threaten her present, she is once again vulnerable to the demons that have plagued her every day of her life. It’s only a matter of time before her lies unravel and the fairy tale she’s finally started believing implodes . . . but the biggest threat of all, as it turns out, is her very own bloodline. Can she save herself, and the casualties of crime, from the lurking darkness waiting to strike, or will her own mistakes drag her under—this time for good?
I have not read the other two books in this series but this one can definitely be read as a stand-alone. This book was SO good! Berg was my favorite character for several reasons but most importantly because I could understand the apprehension of letting your guard down around people. Berg's unwillingness to forgive herself for terrible things she did in the past is part of what drives her to continue to make terrible mistakes in her life. Including mistakes that involve colleagues. And some of her choices will really throw you for a loop if you're like me and didn't see it coming! Berg's relationship with Jay is very endearing and one of the best parts of this book because it's her motivation to save him that ultimately saves her.
Just when Berg thinks that parts of her past are finally behind her and buried deep where no one will find them, her bloodlines bring all her dirty secrets out in the open. And they don't just threaten to expose her, they threaten her life and the life of the one man she loves more than anything. I don't want to give away too much but you have to read this book! The action scenes are amazing and there are some pretty raunchy sex scenes that will have you blushing!
I cannot wait until I read the other two books in this series. Vanessa Skye is a great writer and gives her characters so much depth and soul that you will feel like you're right there in the story with them.
