What Are You Afraid Of?

3.5 stars--WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? is the second instalment in Alexandra Ivy’s contemporary, adult THE AGENCY romantic suspense series. This is IT specialist Griffin Archer, and best-selling author Carmen Jacobs’ story line. WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary. Told from several third person perspectives including Griffin and Carmen WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? follows the hunt for a serial killer-a copycat killer who is re-enacting the murders profiled and researched by our heroine Carmen Jacobs. With the upcoming, paper back release of her best-selling book Carmen finds herself the victim of a stalker, a killer who is copycatting the murders and sending her the pictures of his latest ‘achievements’. Needing additional assistance when the local police refused to help, Carmen contacts an IT expert who isn’t thrilled with Carmen’s re-appearance. Enter Griffin Archer, IT specialist, and the man with whom Carmen will fall in love. What ensues is the building romance between Griffin and Carmen, and the potential fall-out as a serial killer ups the body count in direct proportion to Carmen’s best-selling novel. WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? is a suspense-filled, thrill ride but the ‘guilty’ party(s) is alluded to early on thus avoiding the twists and turns that I would have expected. The predictability was disheartening as were the likely and forseeable reasons behind the copy-cat killings-sometimes too much information imparted to the reader unravels the mystery before it begins. The premise is engaging; the characters are intense-we are reintroduced to Rylan Cooper from Pretend You’re Safe (book one); the romance is a slow build towards a happily ever after.

Alexandra Ivy has done it again! The Agency’s second book is a spine chilling suspense that will holding your breath in anticipation. Griffin and Carmen are two very strong characters that easily draw readers into their story and are easily related to. Their relationship starts off on a slippery slope but grows stronger and hotter as they fight for their lives, and the story is full of emotional turbulence which holds readers tightly in their grip. Carmen faces some hard truths and she discovers just what learning about killers has done to her life as comes face to face with disbelief, mistrust the one man who has ample reason to dislike her. The fast paced plot keeps suspense and anticipation building throughout the story keeping chills rocking reader’s spines as the killer plaques the couple with doubts and fears by ensuring that Carmen knows that he understands her and knows all her secrets. Readers find themselves glued to the pages to find out what happens next as surprising twists keeps everyone on their toes. Alexandra Ivy always produces well thought and defined out plots that keep readers guessing and holds them captive throughout each story and the characters are always life like and well developed. What Are You Afraid Of? is another exhilarating example of her romantic suspense stories, it held be captivated from the first chapter until the very end and even had me wondering what I was afraid of? I am certainly looking forward to the next book by Alexandra Ivy.

Good