Five Steps Ahead

An Age Gap Forced Proximity Romantic Suspense (Dark Shadows, Book 1)

By: Samantha Baca

Narrated by: Marcus Barton

I had one job.

One responsibility.

Lust wasn't a distraction that I had time for, and love was even further off the table. My career was demanding and required my undivided attention which left little time for romance. But when my sister went missing
after meeting a guy from the same dating app as the beautiful way too young for me college student that I had been assigned to protect, everything changed.

Keeping Hannah safe was my top priority, along with finding my sister. But the closer Hannah and I got, the more clouded my vision became. She was as sweet as she was innocent and things needed to stay that way. The only problem was that in order to keep her safe she had to stay with me until the threat was handled.

Living in cramped quarters, I was up close and personal with all of the reasons why I couldnt get involved with Hannah. With chemistry so combustible it could set the world on fire, we knew we had to keep our distance. One wrong move could be fatal with her stalker constantly five steps ahead.

Content Warning:

This book contains language and storylines that may be bothersome for some listeners and is intended for a mature audience. Violence and sexual scenes may be shown in detail as well. The listener is encouraged to reach out to the author directly ([e-mail]) if they would like to further discuss the content warning(s) for this book.
Warnings for Five Steps Ahead:
Stalking
Violence
Murder

©2020 Samantha Baca (P)2024 Samantha Baca

Oh Hannah....

I thought I had the bad guy all figured out, but nope—totally wrong! That twist actually made it even more fun to read. Some parts of the story were a bit out there, but overall, it was solid and super entertaining. The narrator kept things lively and pulled me right into the suspense.

Hannah might not have been the brightest, but she had her moments, and honestly, she wasn’t half as frustrating as some other leading characters. Her determination and little flashes of charm made her easy to root for.

All in all, this was an engaging and suspenseful story that’s worth a listen.

story quite tense, really grips you

I just finished this audiobook and I'm still trying to catch my breath. A story about one committed professional whose life is turned upside down when his sister disappears after meeting someone from a dating app-he now has the job of keeping safe another college student, Hannah, from the very same app-he must fight this crazy chemistry with her while still keeping his mission in mind. With threats from a stalker always near, and having to live together, the tension between them is palpable. The sweet romance brewing between them is forbidden, adding an emotional layer to the suspenseful plot.

Intriguing Murder/Suspense/Romance

This is an audiobook that has violence, stalking, and murder which may serve as a trigger for some.

Hannah is a young college coed who has been receiving mysterious gifts, feels she is being watched, and discovers some of her personal items have been moved. Hannah’s best friend stays with her but is thrown out of the window. Max is a police detective assigned to solve the death of Hannah’s friend. In the meantime, he discovers that his sister is missing. The connection between his sister and Hannah’s mysterious watcher is a dating app!

The author, Samantha Baca, crafts a terrifying storyline that leaves the listener on the edge of their chair. The narrative is authentic and highly realistic! The dialogue between the characters is an authentic feeling as well. The anonymity of the dating app and online relationships is both terrifying and accurate. Her plot twists are well done, and her characters are fully developed. The difference in age between Hannah and Max is realistically presented through dialogue and reactions. The relationship between Hannah and Max was a bit quick to develop, but that is how trauma bonding works. so it is realistic.

The narrator, Marcus Barton, delivers an excellent performance. He effortlessly slips into each character and draws the listener deeper into the action while creating a strong connection with the characters. He speaks clearly with a well-paced delivery that is effective in highlighting suspense, emotions, and more.

This is a suspense-filled book that keeps the listener on the edge of their chair!

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook.

great book

this really drew me in and I wanted to keep listening to see what happened next! my great story and characters. I enjoyed the narrator as well.

Marcus Barton does a great job in this character!

I love reading books by Samantha Baca but an audio book is incredible! Marcus Barton does a great job in this character!

Five Steps Ahead is in her Dark Shadows Series.

This one keeps you on the edge of your seat and kept you wondering what was going to happen next.

In this story we meet Hannah and Max. Hannah a college freshman ready to get out and start living her life, well up until she learns she has someone following her everywhere she goes. Scared and unsure what to do she goes to the police.

Max, a police detective finds out his sister is missing and is losing his mind with worry. Because he is family, he isn’t allowed to work the case and is giving a different assignment.

Max and Hannah are thrown together because of the situation they are given, Max is working Hannah’s stalking report but being close together fire begins to erupt between them both.

good

This book was good. You have a thrill when you are waiting to see if you have a mystery or a love/romance next to read when you get to the next chapter. This book is a fast pace read.

This series is going to be great!

Five Steps Ahead is book #1 in the Dark Shadows series. This story is full of suspense and intrigue, but check the trigger warnings as it deals with some uncomfortable subjects. Hannah is an NYU student that tries a dating app. When things go wrong, she ends up speaking with Detective Max Romano, the sexy Italian that is very protective of her. Sparks fly between them, but her stalker isn't easing up. We get suspense, age-gap, some humor with the side characters, angst, and smexy times! Loved, loved, loved this! Cannot wait for the rest of the series to come to audio!

The narration was fantastic. Marcus Barton is a new narrator to me, but he brought the broody Max, the naive Hannah, and all the other characters to life. Just brilliant. 5/5 stars

Couldn't turn it off

This is an amazing story with lots of twists and turns. I highly recommend this book. The narration was great he keeps you ingrossed in the story.

Murder Mystery Romance

Love, lust, mystery, and a bit of thrills. This book definitely keeps you on your toes.

exciting

This story is exciting, suspensful, full of anticipation. A stalker, a murderer, someone is overly obsessed with Hannah.
this is an age gap, murder mystery , a cat and mouse game. What will the next clue be???
This story had me on the edge of my seat.
Marcus Barton brings the intensity to this suspenseful dramatic story.
very well done.