Where the Blame Lies

I thought that going into a nationwide lockdown would mean untold hours of reading but I found myself unable to concentrate on anything other than what was going on around me. That all changed when I downloaded the audio version of this book. I. Was. Hooked. I haven’t felt that for so long!

Josie is out on a regular night with friends at a local bar that ends with her being kidnapped from her own bed and chained to a wall by her captor. This is just the beginning of 8 months of terror and survival for her. And honestly, I have no idea how she ever survived what she went through but her determination to fight until the end ultimately is what saved her.

Eight years later, another victim is found and the similarities of this crime and Josie’s case are uncanny. Detective Zach Copeland has never forgotten the night he met Josie after she escaped her captor and lay in a hospital bed while he guarded her door. All those memories come flooding back to him as he tries to reconcile what has just happened to another woman and how it could be linked to Josie’s case.

Josie lives in an old farmhouse that was left to her by her late grandmother. Her plan is to turn it into a B&B and make a business out of it. It has taken her years to move on from what happened to her in that basement and it is not far from her mind. When Zach arrives on her doorstep and shares with her what has recently happened she begins to relive every moment with her captor all over again.

Sadly this latest death is just the beginning of what will become a suspense filled story that has Josie and Zach working together as he tries to protect her from being a target once again and working out what the hell is going on.

I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who was responsible and also invested in what seemed to be happening between Josie and Zach. Honestly I could not stop listening. This is a thrilling, all encompassing, sad and heartfelt story. You have to read this!

Romantic suspense has been a trope I have really been eating up this past year, and when Mia Sheridan announced she would be writing a suspense story, I absolutely had to read it! She has really been branching out with her last several books, and I have loved each and every one of them.

Josie Stratton - this girl was strength personified with every thing she went through in this book! Abducted, held captive, repeatedly raped - at just 19 years old. How she managed to survive that both emotionally and physically I cannot even comprehend. Reading about the things she was put through was very tough, not gonna lie about that. But the sheer will she had to survive was amazing. She's spent the last eight years trying to heal and move on and create a new life for herself.

Zach Copeland sounds like every woman's dream. A dedicated cop, who also happens to be out of this world good looking? Yes, please!! He and his partner find themselves investigating a recent murder that is so similar to what Josie went through eight years ago, it is scary.

This story kept me on the edge of my seat. Starting out in present day, Mia intersperses chapters throughout that take us back to what Josie went through during those ten months she was held captive. And we learn a lot about what kind of childhood she had, and how that shaped her as a young woman attending college and not always making the best choices she could have for herself.

I can honestly say, I had no clue how this story was going to turn out, or what revelations would be revealed along the way. As a self-professed Psychology nerd, I was fascinated with the mindset of Josie's abductor, and with the mindset of whoever was posing as this copycat killer. Actually, I was fascinated with the mindset of just about all the characters in the story. Josie's for sure, with Zach who has some things from his past that drives him today to be the best cop he can be. With some other secondary characters who I won't discuss here since their roles would be too spoilerish, but nonetheless fascinated me as well.

I am just amazed at how Mia comes up with these stories, how she crafts such a complete world that these people live in, and how she manages to draw me straight into the story within the first few paragraphs. And yes, there is romance in here, but it was organic and subtle and fit just so seamlessly into the story. Mia has another incredible story here!!

What do you do when one of you favorite authors drops a book? You one-click, of course. I may be the odd one out, but I tend to not even read the synopsis of my favorite authors because I want to be surprised. And boy was I surprised with this one! Where the Blame Lies was not Mia Sheridan's normal contemporary romance. There was a tad bit of romance, but that was not at the forefront. This was more in the psychological thriller genre and she DID NOT disappoint. I was pulled in from the beginning to end and can't believe this type of book was swimming around in Ms Sheridan's head.

My first clue that this book was going to be different should have been obvious. I follow some social media accounts and Mia had said she was writing this book with a rain sound effect on. I can't think of a better way to get in the mind frame of the story than this. I actually read this book while it was raining in the PNW. Dark and dreary and sad. It really set the tone. This was a book about pain and suffering but also survival and the beauty in human strength.

This book is not an easy one to read. We live in the past and present of the main character, Josie. A woman that experienced one of the worst things anyone can experience. But she is/was a survivor and endured being captured by someone with an evil that lived within them. Living through those moments was so real. Mia Sheridan captured the character's feelings and the scenes so vividly (or should I say darkly). The plot moves back and forth between the time periods in a very fluid manner. The past showed what she had to endure and what got her there. It was ugly and hard to bear witness to such evil. Who could do that?

Flash forward to the present and crimes are being committed that are mirroring Josie's own. A copy cat. How could this be happening when her case was all but "solved and handled"? Enter Zach, a detective on these new cases and one that happened to be around when Josie survived her own tragedies. He is getting too close to the victim while investigating the new crimes. He must keep her safe by any means necessary. How close will they become and how far will he go to protect her?

This story is unlike any other Mia Sheridan book I've read and it worked. It flows from beginning to end seamlessly and we get a feel of who Josie was before and after. I enjoyed seeing Zach come in with his mission to protect and serve. The twist blew my mind but was believable. I thought one thing toward the beginning but was pretty much derailed right from the get go. I was kept on my toes all throughout and worried about Josie's safety and about the abilities of the local police force. When your heart is pounding for fictional characters, you know the author did their job. And when they drop the bomb and then not "tie it all in a pretty bow"? You scream hallelujah! Genius and masterful!

I applaud Mia Sheridan for taking on a different genre and doing it so well. A true artist that excels at her craft. She constantly captures her characters in such a way that makes them unique yet believable in any sort of scenario. Even though this wasn't her normal genre, she clearly can write it and I can't wait to read more like it from her.

There are times, when reading this book, that you aren’t sure you can take more anguish. And yet Mia Sheridan heals you as surely as she bruises your heart.

When Josie Stratton was nineteen, she was abducted off her college campus, chained in an abandoned building, starved, and emotionally tortured. Ten months later, she managed to escape. Reading those scenes, dear reader, is painful. You will admire Josie tremendously, not only for her fortitude but because she is so determined to keep surviving.

Now, eight years later, it appears someone is copying the crime. Other young women are being abducted and chained. Zach, a police detective who encountered Josie the night she escaped. He is drawn to her, which adds tension and conflict to his determination to find the person replicating the crimes against Josie.

Mia Sheridan tells the story through Josie’s eyes, both now as she continues to fight to persevere and eight years ago as she was abducted and imprisoned, as well as Zach’s. He sees her strength, yet he isn’t one to let his attraction overwhelm him. When Josie has a crucial decision to make, Zach opposes her choice. He may care for her, but he doesn’t want to see her make a mistake.

You will feel this story. You will feel Josie’s terror and anguish, you will feel her courage and resilience, and you will feel Zach’s love for her. I can’t count the number of times I wept. I couldn’t see how Mia Sheridan could craft a happy ending for Josie, given all that she suffered. Sheridan offers no quick relief, no magical recovery. Josie’s survival isn’t minimized. You read this book with your heart in your throat, worried for Josie–and Zach, too. From page to page, I marveled at the many ways Mia Sheridan made me feel this story.

So grab some tissues and set aside a few hours to immerse yourself in Josie and Zach’s book. Then please come back and let me know what you thought.

This is the best I’ve read in a while. Suspenseful on the edge gripping and nail biting. I couldn’t get enough, now I’m not sure what to read next after reading this great read. I’d love another good read like this but not sure where to look.

For this I just kinda stumbled upon it. I love stories like this but never seem to find really good ones like it or know where to look.

<b>Abducted. Terrorized. Imprisoned.</b>

At 19 Josie Stratton, is kidnapped by a madman and held shackled for ten months in an abandoned warehouse before she finally escaped her hellish prison.

Eight years later, when the body of a young woman is found chained in the basement of a vacant house, Cincinnati Police Detective Zach Copeland is instantly reminded of the crime committed against Josie Stratton. Zach was just a rookie on the perimeter of that case, but he's never forgotten the traumatized look and haunted eyes of Josie’s.

As more information emerges, the crimes take on an even more sinister similarity. But how can that be Josie’s attacker died by suicide. So does this mean there’s a copycat on the loose or something worse? Soon Josie, learns a shocking truth that not only threatens her life but also threatens everything she’s fought for.

<b><I> That life was unpredictable, that her safety was always at risk. That’s what a violent crime did to a person, Josie mused. It altered their entire world view. People always said things like, “Everything will work out,” or, “That won’t happen.” But what about when things didn’t work out? Or when the unthinkable did happen? You had to walk around with the knowledge that life could sweep the rug out from under you at any moment. It could, because it had.</I></b>

Josie has spent the last eight years attempting to get her life back on track, but now there's a chance she could be the next target. Zach now vows to keep her safe, since the investigation is getting even more dangerous and Josie is forced to revisit the past that she so desperately wants to forget.

Going through what Josie went threw was so horrible, I don’t know how she even survived. I know for me I wouldn’t be the same ever again, that’s for sure. I was on edge for her and Zach the whole time I couldn’t get enough. I even let loose a bunch of tears at times that’s how gut wrenching it was. After reading this I give it all the stars in the world and definitely recommend Where The Blame Lies to anyone looking for a really great quality book to read. You won’t be able to put it down Josie and Zach will pull you right in from the beginning and you can’t help but love them both. You’ll be heart broken for Josie and loving the awesomeness of Zach for his great heart and promise to stop whoever is responsible.

As a 19-year old college student, Josie Stratton was abducted after a night out and kept prisoner in an abandoned warehouse for ten months. She was able to escape, but her life was never the same. Detective Zach Copeland was a rookie cop assigned to guard her hospital room after she was found, and he’ll never forget her case. Eight years later, a woman is found dead in an abandoned building, shackled just like Josie had been. There are other similarities to Josie’s case, and when more women are found dead, Zach feels he has a copy cat killer on his hands. Police are concerned for Josie’s safety during this, and she can’t help but want to be involved and catch whoever is doing this. As suspects are ruled out, you won’t believe what Zach and Josie uncover.

This was my first read by Mia Sheridan and I really liked it. The topics are definitely on the darker side, so please check the CWs (or you can DM me!). It was a super twisty read, and I did NOT suspect the killer at all. However, the author connected it all in a way that it totally made sense once it was revealed. There is a sequel (of sorts) to this book and I am looking forward to reading it.

Where the Blame Lies was pretty good as far as the thriller plot and the romance. Mia Sheridan has written a very dark book with descriptive flashback scenes of the killer's kidnapping, abuse, torture and rape of the the main female protagonist, Josie. The present is 8 years post-kidnapping, when Josie has already done a lot of healing from the ten months she spent chained to a wall in an abandoned warehouse. Everyone thought the kidnapper had died shortly after Josie escaped her predicament. But no... did he? Because now other women are being hurt in the same way Josie was, and this time... they're not escaping with their lives. Is he back from the dead? Is it a copycat? What's happening? All very tense and suspenseful and makes for a good read.

So this was a really good premise for a book, and the plot is complicated and twisty in a great way. There's also a sweet, but also sensual, romance between Josie and Zach, a police detective who was a rookie back when she'd just escaped her kidnapper, and now he's a detective trying to solve the linked cases of these newly abducted and left-to-starve women.

I give it three stars for the plot and the writing style. The intimate scenes are well written. The abductor is super creepy. The dialogue is realistic. There are some red herrings and surprises and everything I like.