Tainted Pictures (The Photographer Trilogy #2)
Romantic Suspense
Sarah Robinson
Kate Jackson had no idea who she was until she met Derrick Kane and their whirlwind romance turned out to be everything she needed to build a future and heal her past.
But a shocking crime leads Kate to uncover the work of an extremely dangerous serial killer, notoriously called "The Photographer" due to his penance for taking pictures of his victims.
Derrick continues to work to gain back Kate;s trust and to find The Photographer as Kate builds new friendships and finds new skills.
Can she catch The Photographer and learn to trust Derric again? Find out in Tainted Picture's sequel and the final installment of The Photographer Trilogy.
**Please note that this book is to be followed by a final book in the trilogy, therefore contains a cliffhanger.
DISCLAIMER: Due to violent and dark subject matter, this book is meant for 18+.
DISCLAIMER: Due to violent and dark subject matter, this book is meant for 18+.
Tainted Bodies
Nicola's 4.5 Bare Naked Stars Review*****
As soon as I got the synopsis to ‘Tainted
Bodies’ I was completely intrigued to see where the story and characters
would go. Well, let’s just say I was absolutely surprised by the whole book.
I must admit though, at first I did find myself zoning out of the
story, but by god did it pick up. I was soon so engulfed in the story, the
characters and the events which were occurring that I completely devoured it
and was left with wanting more at the end.
Kate learned from a very young age not to depend on anybody apart from
herself. After losing her parents she has no family left apart from her younger
sister and ‘uncle’ Lenny; a childhood friend of her fathers. But, she is no
damsel in distress needing saved. She’s strong, independent and level-headed.
Doing a job that she merely tolerates to pay the bills, Kate flits
through her day to day life with no real idea what she wants. Until one day
changes everything.
Enter Derrick....
From the moment Kate and Derrick met at Kate’s favourite coffee shop,
their attraction to one another was palpable. That day marked the turning point
in both Kate’s and Derrick’s life. A future that looked bright.
After that chance meeting, Kate and Derrick begin to spend all their
free time together and quickly start building they’re relationship. But after
months of being together, Kate starts to question the extent of their
relationship.
“She
wanted a boyfriend, leading to a husband, then a family. As much as she loved
Derrick, if he couldn’t give her those things then maybe this wasn’t a good fit
for her anymore.”
But, just as Kate manages to break down his walls, something happens
to Kate which leaves her needing him more than ever. However, Derrick flees,
leaving Kate to try and pick herself up.
Will Derrick be able to get Kate to forgive him for leaving her, or
has he ruined their relationship before it’s really begun?
“Kate, I have messed up plenty of times in my life but this is the one
I will regret the most. It I have ruined any chance of us being together,
ruined the love we shared, then I will regret that until the day I die.
You didn’t deserve me leaving like that and I don’t deserve your
forgiveness. But I have to ask because you are my whole world, Kate.” ~ Derrick
The book is written in 3rd person, which to begin with I
wasn’t too sure about. But as the story progressed I found to enjoy it more
than if it was written in 1st person. This way you get to see both
Kate’s and Derricks insecurities, which there is a lot of, but you also get a
feel for the love that they share for one another. You also find yourself better at
understanding the reasons for Derrick holding back on certain things.
Sarah’s writing is flawless and her ability to let the words just flow
off the page seamlessly makes it feel that much more real. The plot line is
very much real and the situations that occur ... Well they could appear in the
headlines at any time. The characters are very well developed and you can’t
help but feel connected to them.
It’s raw, and it’s real.....It’s as simple as that really.
The pace of the book is steady and doesn’t feel rushed at all. You can
almost believe that you’re looking in to Kate and Derrick’s life and watching
it unfold before your eyes. It truly is a remarkable piece of writing and I
can’t wait to get my hands on the second book.
Thank you Sarah for giving us such a wonderful,
real and captivating story
Tainted Pictures
Nicola's 5 Bare Naked Stars Review*****
Wow...just Wow!!! If you loved ‘Tainted
Bodies’ then you’re definitely going to love ‘Tainted Pictures’. Full of even more twists and unexpected turns, Sarah
has completely blown me away yet again with this second instalment to the
‘Photographer Trilogy’. She pulls us in and keeps us turning the pages and on
the edges of our seats until the very end.
We are pulled straight back in to Kate and Derricks life just as book
1 ended. After being attacked and left in the hospital alone by the one person
she thought loved her, Kate is trying to get her life back on track. Determined
not to let the attack weaken or defeat her; working with the police to catch
her attacker and to stop him from being able to hurt anyone else.
But not only does she have to help the police, Kate also has to learn
if she can trust Derrick again. If their love and relationship can move forward
from what has happened.
“I feel broken. I feel as if what we have is
broken, Derrick. I needed you and you weren’t there for me. I love you but
this,” Kate motioned between the two of them, “isn’t what we used to be.”
Derrick is determined to fight and gain Kate’s trust back after he
left her in the hospital.
“Kate,
I love you too but this isn’t broken. What we have, that spark, the connection-
it’s still there. Maybe two people can be broken on their own, but together
they heal each other, they are whole. Kate, I am broken without you in my
life.”
He knows what he did was wrong and will do everything in his power to
not fail her again. To protect her, love her and to make her feel safe.
“You
are always going to be safe with me, Kate. I will never let anything happen to
you again. I am yours forever. I love you, Kate.”
But is it enough?
And do we find out who ‘the
photographer’ is?
I can’t fault anything with this book. The writing, as always is
flawless, characters are very well developed and the attention to detail is absolutely
brilliant. I loved the suspense, and just when you think you’ve worked out who ‘the photographer’ is, you hit a dead
end. Sarah keeps you guessing and wracking your brain up until the last page.
I loved how the chapters flitted between Kate and Derrick to the
detectives in charge of the case. It made you feel more in the loop with the
happenings of the case instead of only getting little tidbits when Kate went to
see them or vice versa.
I also admired Derrick a lot more in this book. I was absolutely
astounded with the way he reacted once he found out what happened to Kate in
book 1. She needed him and he failed her. But he really did make it up to her
in this book and showed her the man he is. He grew up a lot.
I can’t say this enough, but thank you Sarah for once again delivering
such a wonderful story.
I’m now anxiously waiting for the final instalment of this amazing and
suspenseful series. Believe me; you are going to want to get your hands on
these books.
YOU. WILL. NOT. BE. DISAPPOINTED!!!
Book 1 - Tainted Bodies
Book 2 - Tainted Pictures
Book 1 - Tainted Bodies
Book 2 - Tainted Pictures
Kate just nodded slowly and picked up her phone. She sent Derrick a text message, not saying anything specific except that she needed him there now. She just didn’t know what else to tell him over text message and she wasn’t sure she could put a string of words together to talk over the phone. The joy she had felt all day had come to a crashing halt and everything had taken two steps backwards.
Plus the truth was that she did need him. She needed him right this moment, his arms wrapped around her to hold her up, his breath against her neck reminding her that she was alive, his eyes piercing through her in a way that always made her brain completely shut down. She needed to shut down in that way that only he was capable of bringing out in her. She wanted him to be there right now and her anxiety began to raise as she realized how badly every second without him felt to her.
Detective Snow was on her phone calling her partner and forensic techs to come sweep the apartment. Kate went to her bedroom to put on a sweatshirt and some socks, since she was only wearing a tank top and pajama bottoms at that point. She then went back to the kitchen where Detective Snow was writing in a notepad. She sat down next to her and began sipping the tea that had been made for her, but she wasn’t even tasting it.
Finally there was a knock at the door and Kate jumped up out of her chair. She wasn’t sure how much time had gone by since she had sat down at the table, she felt quite out of it. All she knew is that Derrick was at the door and she couldn’t handle another moment not having his broad, thick arms clenched around her shoulders and pressing her tightly against his chest. She rushed to the door, flying right past Detective Snow, and swung open the front door.
“Good evening, Kate.” It was Detective McCraig with several crime scene technicians behind him wearing matching windbreakers and carrying cases and boxes of supplies. Kate felt her entire face fall and practically hit the floor, she couldn’t possibly have looked more disappointed to see him. McCraig wrinkled his eyebrows at her furtively, wondering why she looked so startled to see him.
She didn’t say hello back but instead just stepped to the side and motioned everyone into her apartment. She grabbed her jacket hanging near the door and pulled it on and stepped into some tennis shoes, getting ready to leave. She didn’t want to be here while they were making her apartment look like a crime scene again. She just stood there, dejectedly, and waited for the last person to walk in the door so that she could leave.
“Kate?” Someone called her and she looked up to see the last crime scene technician walk past her, but behind him was a friendly face. Derrick stood in the doorway, almost blocking the entire entrance with his large, muscular frame.
“You beckoned, beautiful?” He grinned at her, knowing that she needed a hint of normalcy right now. Kate burst into a smile and rushed to him, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face into his smooth, soft skin. He caught her with his arms around her waist and on her back, her feet dangling off the ground as he supported her.
“Take me away from here.” Kate whispered to him.
“You’re with me now and everything else doesn’t matter. Just you and me. This is all that matters. Let’s forget about everything else for tonight?” Derrick touched her chin, gently pulling her to face him. She nodded in agreement, eager to have him take over and just care for her. She was too worn out to keep pretending everything was fine. Everything was not fine. There was a psychotic killer hunting her. That’s really the very definition of not fine.
Seeing Derrick here pushed all of those thoughts away. The way he expanded to take over the room and envelope her in his arms was mesmerizing. She glanced up at him, her arms still wrapped around his waist and he head leaning against his shoulder. His lips were only inches from hers. Her eyes were searching his, looking for any signs of doubt, any signs that he might betray her again. She wanted to push that fear away, she couldn’t keep holding onto this much fear. She loved Derrick and she knew he wasn’t the same man he had been before.
“And I’m never going to leave you again.” He whispered, reading the fear in her gaze and stifling it immediately. He wished he had never made the mistake to abandon her in her time of need and he knew he would happily spend every day for the rest of his life reassuring her that he would never be that man again.
The corners of her mouth lifted into a smile and she looked down at his lips and then back up at his deep, gentle eyes. He wasn’t going to deny her another moment and so he leaned down and kissed her gently. He squeezed her tighter against him as he did and then he smiled at her in the midst of their kiss and lowered her back down so her feet were on the ground. With one quick motion, he reached down and one of his arms swept up behind her knees lifting her straight up into his arms. She squeaked in surprise but didn’t try to fight him.
“Let’s go home.” Derrick said to her, as he carried her down the hallway and she curled up in his large arms.
Sarah Robinson is a native of the Washington, DC area and continues to reside there with her new husband, Justin, and their 16 pets! She has both her Bachelors and Masters Degrees in criminal psychology. A vast amount of in-depth work experiences in intense environments have given her a plethora of experiences to draw from when writing crime dramas. Writing has been her hobby since high school and she has been published several times. Sand & Clay was her first full-length novel and will have a sequel coming out in 2015. Her second book was Tainted Bodies and is the first part of The Photographer Trilogy. Her writing often concentrates on the complexity of love and emotions and the struggles of finding your destined path through life, as well as overcoming life’s tragedies and misfortunes. She combines psychological complexities and human emotions to attempt to create real characters experiencing life in a very real way. Her books focus on redemption and forgiveness, learning to build on what has been broken.
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