Dying for Love by Cara Putman Series: Hidden Justice #.5
Published by Whisper Valley Press LLP on January 31, 2017
Genres: Fiction / Romance / General, Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense
Format: Audiobook
Amazon|Barnes&Noble|Goodreads
David can't walk away from the murder investigation. Judge Palmer was the only one who believed in him enough to give the boy from the wrong side of the tracks a fighting chance. But his amateur sleuthing keeps him crossing paths with Ciara and he can't help but admire her passion for her clients, even if they are often at odds across the judgment table.As David and Ciara get closer to discovering who killed Judge Palmer, their old feelings reignite. But the investigation takes an unexpected turn, can they trust each other enough to push for the truth? And will their rekindled relationship survive the aftermath?
Okay, so when I listened to Hidden Love, I assumed it was a prequel to the prequel for the Hidden Justice series. And I assumed that Dying for Love would be the prequel, and then we would be steady sailing. Keep in mind what happens when you assume things, as that’s where I am now. I mean, I guess with a tad bit of paying attention with a smidge of research, I would have figured out that may not be the case at all. What I have learned is that while part of the series, they are not prequels. They are still great, though, so there’s the win. The end.
If I am being brutally honest, I didn’t enjoy Dying for Love as much as I did Hidden Love. I did appreciate that it didn’t try to be more than it was as a novella. Slice of a life, if you will. But it was more heavy into the romance and light on the mystery/suspense. Very heavy on the romance. I get it, the death that started us out was used to bring the two back together, but still. The entire mystery was handled completely off-screen, and the romance was center stage throughout. If you, like me, have a cold black heart, this is really a romance with a side quest of mystery. The faith content was strong, not jarring or out of place, but it was woven into the conversations and thoughts naturally. The backstory was a bit vague, but it was pretty solid for me.
But here’s my elephant in the room: the male main character’s name. Now, keep in mind my research is specific to the audiobook. If you look on StoryGraph and Goodreads, the name is Daniel. However, on BookBub, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Hoopla (where I listened to the book), the name is David. I feel like he went through some minor life crisis and changed his name somewhere along the way. And David/Daniel, I feel this myself. New identity sometimes feels like a thing I need 😀 Now mind you, I didn’t do this research until I started listening and was thinking the name was Daniel. But, since I had to do other research, as shared previously, I tracked the name thing out as well. Overall, a really good novella if you love romance with a side of mystery, but I didn’t love it as much as Hidden Love.
About Cara Putman
Since the time I could read Nancy Drew, I have wanted to write mysteries. In 2005 I attended a book signing at my local Christian bookstore. The rest, as they say, is history. There I met Colleen Coble. With prompting from my husband, I shared my dream with Colleen. Since those infamous words, I’ve been writing books.
In addition to writing, I am an attorney, lecturer at a Big Ten university, active in women’s ministry, and all around crazy woman. Crazy about God, my husband and my kids. I graduated with honors from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Go Huskers!), George Mason Law School (JD), and Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management (MBA). You can learn more about my books at https://www.caraputman.com.
Wanna share your thoughts? Leave a comment!