New Release Review ~ With Ties That Bind ~ Trisha Wolfe

With Ties That Bind by Trisha Wolfe
A Broken Bonds Novel #1
Release Date: February 29, 2016
Genre: Adult, Romantic Suspense, Dark Romance
Source: I  received an eARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. I also purchased my own copy.
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms
Challenges: #COYER B2B, #NewRelease2016
Goodreads

Synopsis
This series is a spinoff of the Broken Bonds serial which must be read prior to beginning this first book. Contains spoilers to the Broken Bonds serial.

Detective Ethan Quinn has questions. The Arlington Slasher case is closed, the UNSUB no longer a threat--but Quinn can't quiet the suspicion he harbors towards his partner and the young, attractive M.E. Not only does he loathe his uncertainty, he's torn between doing his job and protecting his team.

But burying himself in cases no longer works. He's restless. On edge. And tired of fighting his compulsions. Quinn has always viewed the law in black and white. Only now his world is swirling with a murky gray that threatens to devour him.

When lead medical examiner Avery Johnson careens toward a dangerous path, she pulls the unwitting detective into a dark web of deception and lust, triggered by a spree of recent killings.

Is this new player linked to the Bathory murders, or is it another copycat?

Time almost took Avery from him once before. As the clock ticks, Quinn will stop at nothing to protect her, refusing to let Avery become a victim again. Against his uncompromising logic, Quinn can't deny his feelings. Avery forces him to acknowledge his darker desires, tempting his control--which weakens with every second he spends with the feisty M.E. as they hunt down the perpetrator threatening to tear them apart.

What a wickedly twisted mind Ms. Wolfe must possess!

With Ties That Bind takes us back into the ACPD where Quinn and Avery are investigating a possible link between two victims. The link they find, however, opens up a can of worms neither of them wanted open. And then the unthinkable...is Avery in danger again?

I like the mix of police procedural and romantic suspense Ms. Wolfe weaves into this dark story. With Ties That Bind lacked the criminal profiling element of With Visions of Red, but I'm hoping to see some in the next installment. The reason behind these latest crimes was interesting as was is link to Avery. And I really appreciate how Ms. Wolfe tied the crimes together with events from With Visions of Red. I'm sure that'll only add to teh suspense over the course of this part of the series.

The budding relationship between Quinn and Avery is an element I look forward to watching continue in its development, especially since it goes against Quinn's code. The pull between them is palpable and intensified with all that's happened to Avery. Quinn is hesitant and Avery is as well, but for different reasons.

The ending left me frantically processing and questioning. Who is this sick person? Do we already know him? I can't get any of the puzzle pieces to fit together yet and I'm biting my nails in anxiety wanting the next set of pieces so I can begin laying out the puzzle to see if I can figure out the picture.