I killed a man.
Paid ten years of my life for it.
Then she blew through my front door, all train wreck and temptation.
A broken soul . . .
an invitation to danger.

Photographer by day, Ben and Jerry’s enthusiast by night, Louise Sloane isn’t known for her organizational skills or obsession to detail. But when someone from her past goes missing, she makes it her mission to solve the case—especially when the mystery becomes linked to the notorious serial killer, the String Strangler. During one of the worst snowstorms on record, Louise sets off to the small Southern town of Berry Springs, bulldozing her way not only into the investigation, but also into the home of a reclusive former inmate with eyes as cold as ice.

Ryder’s one goal in life is to be left alone. A desire unacknowledged by the five-foot-two-inch train wreck who breaks into his house in the middle of the night. He wants nothing to do with her and all her curves—until she uncovers his secrets and unearths a link to the past that changed his life forever.

As boundaries are shattered and relationships are questioned, a body is found on Ryder’s land, and it becomes apparent that the killer is closer than anyone realized. With his freedom on the line, Ryder must risk going back to prison or losing Louise forever.

RYDER is a standalone romantic suspense.

Purchase Link: https://bit.ly/RyderSSInvestigations

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 out of 5

A story that is heartbreaking, has betrayal and twists and a woman with determination to find the person behind the murder of her friend.

Ryder lives a very quiet life. He likes his house minimal, clean, and quiet, so when he finds an intruder in the middle of the night, his world will be turned upside down and sideways by one small woman. He has no idea what is in store for him when he allows Louise to stay with him because she can’t find a room anywhere in the vicinity.

Louise is a quirky woman that has no path in life except for her photography business. She loves to take pictures, and she’s good at it, but she isn’t really happy with her life. She is disorganized, loyal, and determined. When a friend comes up missing, Louise organizes a search for the young woman and when the local authorities deem her friend to be less important than a local, Louise is determined to find her friend and get justice for her, she has no concept of the danger she could be in while doing this. When she stumbles upon and breaks into a house sitting on the hill on a large piece of land in the middle of the night, she finds herself in a cold, dark, minimal house.

I loved this story. It has so much in it. A quirky woman, a man that has been shunned by his town, danger, twists, betrayal, and suspense. It is full of action, and great characters. Louise is a woman on a mission and has no sense of the danger she has put herself in on more than one occasion, Ryder is a man who has lost so much already and just wants to live his life in peace and quiet, but that won’t be possible once he finds Louise. These two are complete opposites, but they are great together. I give this story a 5-star review and whole heartedly recommend it to readers that enjoy suspense, danger, investigators, quirky women and twists in their stories. This was my first read of the Steel Shadows Investigations series, but not my last for sure. I love Ms. McKinney’s books and she did not disappoint in this one.

Possess and worship, his deepest desires

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 out of 5

These bikers are tough and loyal, but their women can match them no doubt. The women are just as tough as the men and if they weren’t, they wouldn’t fit in with the big, bad bikers.

Menace wasn’t looking for his forever, but after watching his president and other club brothers find their women and their lives were so much fuller and happier, he thought maybe he was ready for that too. After all, they weren’t getting any younger and being a biker was hard on a man anyways. These bikers were not the worst outlaws, they are retired military and they do what they can to help out their town and community. When Menace laid eyes on the beautiful masseuse that was angry and walking down the hall at the spa, he was taken with her immediately. He wanted her for more than a hit it and quit it, but he has his work cut out for him to convince her of it.

Alannah is an independent woman that works three jobs, is going to college to be a nutritionist, plus works her grandmothers farm with her. She moved back to the area when her grandmother got sick to help her out and take care of her. It was the least she could do for the woman that raised her since she was seven years old and showed her the only love she received. She loves what she does and is not a woman to sit around and do nothing, so working all the time keeps her busy and gives her little time for a personal life. However, when she lays eyes on the sexy biker standing in the hallway, her mind takes her places she never thought about before. The trouble is that no one has ever stayed around her long enough that she could let herself believe a sexy biker would. The only one that ever stayed around and took care of her was her grandmother, Ms. Marie.

I love these books and they keep getting better with each story. The characters are great, the women are sexy, sassy, and strong and keep their men on their feet at all times. They don’t let anyone hurt them and they will protect the men in the MC as fiercely as the men will protect them at all costs. Menace is a bit older than Alannah, but they are made for each other and will have to overcome some problems before they will get their happily ever after. This book is full of actions, twists, turns, and suspense and that along with the heat between these two keeps the pages turning and the steam factor rising. I loved this book and give it a 5-star review. I purchased Ranger’s Enchantress right after reading this book so that I can keep up with the characters. I can’t wait to carve some time out of my schedule to read it. It looks to be as hot and action packed as the others have been.

Fractured minds or women without hearts? Quiet killers. What makes a woman kill?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 out of 5

Wow! This was an interesting read. I enjoy Ms. Coletta’s fiction stories and this was my first read of a true crime story by her. I always find her stories to be intriguing and entertaining and she never disappoints.

I have always thought of women serial killers to be more passionate about their victims and this book showed a couple of more sides to the killers themselves. The reasons behind their killings as well as the relationships with their victims.

It has always intrigued me as to the character and disposition of someone that can take a life. If I think about it, I consider most killers to be killers of passion, someone that kills due to anger, love triangle, or wrong place, wrong time, but a serial killer has a completely different mindset, of which I have not ever thought of. Ms. Coletta has now opened my eyes and my mind to this with Pretty Evil New England. The women in this book that were accused of being killers are a range in age, societal standing and temperament. Most are women with families.

Jane Toppan is a woman with a mind of steel but with shards as far as I can surmise. What brings her to determination to kill? How has she picked her victims? She has a line of deaths behind her but unfortunately, some of those deaths will never be solved because she wouldn’t share them with anyone.

Lydia Sherman is a woman that is hard to read. She’s a woman that has been married a few times and doesn’t seem to have any real love for anyone. She has no discern for her victims, even though she may show a soft side in public, her actions behind closed doors are not as kind and soft. Does she kill because she does not like to be the one to have to support her family, or does she do it because she can?

Nellie Webb is a young woman that would not generally be a suspect. She’s young and kind. However, there is another side to her. What happened to Nellie, did she stop killing, did she change her name and live a full life, or did she just disappear?

Sarah Jane Robinson, on the outside she appears to be a loving, caring, kind sister, mother, and person, but she has a sinister side to her, and she has no problem using her womanly wiles to her advantage.

Harriet Nason is not a woman that has a lot of friends, she is probably the one killer in this book that people would suspect as being sinister. She keeps to herself and her immediate family, she’s distant from her community with only a few close friends.

I find it interesting how the mind works and have always been interested in the mind of criminals. I want to know what makes them tick and why they have the desire to be the person they are. While most people have morals and standards of right and wrong, what causes a killer to have their own standards and the desire to kill? Is it due to their upbringing, their childhood due to trauma, or is just because their mind works differently? I also find it intriguing that some of these women believed and vocalized their innocence until the very end, and that some of them walked away without any repercussions. In the time period of these stories, society saw women as being the nurturing, caring, kind human and men as being the violent, cruel, hard human. This was one mistake that led to the mishandling of some of these cases, in my eyes. Women are vicious, dangerous, and more deceptive than some people realize. I love that Ms. Coletta delved into these stories and told them. She’s a great storyteller, whether it be fiction or true crime. I live in New England and these stories were close to home. While this was my first read of one of Ms. Coletta’s True Crime Novels, it won’t be my last. She makes me think and opens my mind to intriguing stories. I have always had an interest in crime stories, and she feeds that interest in her writing of fiction and true crime. I look forward to more and give this book a 5-star review.