My Darkest Heart

By: Toni Goode

Narrated by: Freya Victoria

"Why are you so damn worried about my virginity? It's mine to do what I want with it," she snapped at him.

"Oh, that's great. So, you're just gonna lose it to some random guy...that's just great, Emily," he yelled at her.

"You're such a damn hypocrite, and you know what? This conversation is OVER," she stormed past him. "See you tonight as planned!" She slammed the door as she left, and he stood there, fuming with anger, and, more importantly, jealousy. He stormed out of the bathroom.

In the heart-pounding thriller My Darkest Heart" Gabriel, an undercover FBI agent, and Emily, a determined rookie cop, join forces to unravel the chilling mystery behind the sudden disappearances of local women. As they delve deeper into the investigation, the horrifying truth of a human trafficking ring begins to surface, sending shockwaves through their community.

Driven by their shared passion for justice, Gabriel and Emily navigate a treacherous underworld, risking their lives to uncover the elusive mastermind behind the abductions. With each step they take, the danger escalates, and the line between right and wrong becomes blurred. As the case becomes increasingly personal, their professional partnership evolves into a deeply emotional connection, fraught with the risks and sacrifices that only love can bring.

My Darkest Heart is a gripping tale of suspense, passion, and bravery that explores the dark underbelly of human trafficking. Be prepared to be immersed in a world where trust is fragile, and betrayal lurks in the shadows. As Gabriel and Emily navigate a web of deceit and manipulation, they must confront their own vulnerabilities while fighting for justice and the lives of the innocent.

©2022 Toni Goode (P)2023 Toni Goode

Not a love match

SPOILERS
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Emily Maxwell is a rookie cop who answers directly to her uncle Thomas, the Chief of Detectives. She hates that she has to sit at a desk, doing what she believes is menial labor. Tonight there's a lot of action in the police station, since there's a major investigation into a sex-trafficking ring. A dangerous criminal, Nico Deluca, has been under surveillance for a long time and, just when there's a chance that they've found him, some mishandled evidence sends the FBI back to the beginning. Gabriel Moyer is the lead detective on the case and he selects Emily to go undercover with him. He owns a club that caters to BDSM, and that's where he intends to trap Nico. Since Emily has never done anything like this, Gabriel promises to show her the ropes. He is a dom and will teach Emily all she has to know. The beginning of the story starts out very well, but within a few chapters Gabriel becomes a living terror! He's so angry at her and to teach Emily a lesson, he goes off on her and rips her a new one, degrading and insulting her. He tells her he doesn't do relationships because he caught his fiancee, Caitlin, in bed with his best friend, Cooper, and he says it has ruined him for good. But there are feelings growing between them that appear to be hopeful. Within weeks, they've crossed the line from colleagues into much more and this is when Gabriel becomes a disappointment and I lose all respect for him. He's abusive in his language, the volume on his voice is turned all the way to high. The narrator's throat must have been terribly sore because of the fast-paced, angry narration. To add angst to the story, Gabriel becomes a different, closed-off and flaky character. She catches him with another woman in a private room at the club and when Emily asks if there's anything special with her, his answer is "been there, done that." Ewww.... Remember that cheating fiancee that destroyed his heart by cheating with his best friend, Cooper? Well, Cooper dies in the line of duty, Caitlin falls apart and is in the hospital so what does Gabriel do? Tells Emily he has to go out of town, but he's really going to see his cheating fiancee. Emily knows it and can hear it in his voice, then she hears a woman's voice and Gabriel can't figure out why she might be upset. At this point, I should have followed my instincts and stopped because it got worse. Emily asks him if he's still in love with Caitlin and he doesn't answer fast enough. He has to admit that, yes, he still has feelings for her. (as of now, no happy ending in my book). Emily is so crushed that she tells him to get out of her sight, and Gabriel doesn't consider fighting for her. So, the disgusting "hero" goes back to his fiancee to try to make it work, and by this point I was so angry that I quit. (By the way, it didn't work, but he sure gave it a try. And he expects us to believe that he loved Emily? They are separated for two years and not once did this "madly in love" jerk go after or call her. And I haven't even mentioned her surprise pregnancy (it's Gabriel's, but she lives with her friend Christian, who's in love with her, and doesn't tell Gabe.) I'm sure there's a happy ending, but not for me. That happy ending was destroyed by Gabriel's cruelty. The narration was okay, albeit a little difficult to listen to, because the characters all sounded too similar and the inflection is what I'd call frenetic in its pace and volume.

Crime -Solving

This mystery in interesting. I liked the book. I was frustrated with the decisions made by the heroine. I felt this took away from the storyline.