Aftermath by M.K. Ahearn

Aftermath by M.K Ahearn

 3.8/5 ⭐️

 

Check TW list before reading

Received as an ARC.

⚠️Spoilers included in this review.⚠️

First off I would like to say, I am very grateful to have been picked to receive this book as an ARC Reader. Thank you M.K. Ahearn for this opportunity. 

This book was a bit of an adventure for me. I couldn't get fully invested in the book until around chapter 7. Which is earlier than some books, but not as early as I typically prefer. Once I did get into the book It fully had my attention and I finished it within two days. 

We start off switching between POV of Agent Stone and Len. Stone is a FBI Agent independently trying to solve a small town cold case. Len is a museum historian who has done intense research on said cold case. Both of them must work together to finally solve The Costal Killer Case. 

I was under the impression it was a Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds inspired book, which is why I signed up for it. I love Spencer, and his little quirks. However the MMC Stone didn't give me nearly the same serotonin. He had a previous habit that is occasionally mentioned, and seems to have the photographic memory. His actual mannerisms didn't give me 100% Reid vibes. More loosely inspired based off certain episodes. 

One thing I really enjoyed about this book was that it taught you how to profile someone as you read. Which makes you feel like an agent on the case. It gave a slight interactive feel. 

This however did become a problem when it started ruining some of the surprises and twists in the storyline. You begin to pick up on quite a bit of the hints speckled into the story while profiling every character. 

Despite this, I did enjoy the book by the end. We watched the internal growth of both main characters through their journey of solving this cold case. We watched how obsession, jealousy,  and anger ruins people, and can bring people together. 

We saw Len and Stone both of whom had went through traumatic situations, learn to live a more normal life again. 

This is main storyline after the cold case 

Now onto the romance aspect of it. 

Slow burn. There is very little romance until closer to the end of the story. We see all the signs of them falling in love,  entwined with the close proximity of working together, and little simple kisses. During the Epilogue though we see the full spectrum of their growth, and are granted a worthy HFN.

Overall I felt the book was written a little too well, showing it's secrets to the readers chapters beforehand. The ending made me enjoy the story more. If there is a sequel to this book, I would consider reading it. I don't feel this story is quite 4 stars by my personal assessment, but was too enjoyable to be 3.5. I feel the 3.8 is accurate. I'd definitely love to see more of Agent Stone and Lenore, learning more about their continual growth together. 

(This is my own personal review based on my opinion on this book/series. Not everyone enjoys the same books, just because I loved/hated it doesn't mean you will love/hate it. As always, check your trigger warnings.)