Mary Grace Winters held the grand title of "punching bag". An abused wife with a bad-cop husband, Mary Grace had no choice but to take what he gave her. With no job, no skills, and no friends of her own, she had no one to turn to for help, had nothing to allow her to escape the life that she led. In turn, she lived for her son, Robbie, who one day had the horrible misfortune to find his mother lying in a pool of blood at the bottom of the cellar stairs, broken and battered.

Mary Grace used her months in the hospital to form a plan. She needed to escape, to run away, not just for her sake, but for the sake of her son. Rob Winters wasn't just a cop, but a cop that demanded respect and invoked fear not only in her, but in his fellow officers. So she dreamed, and she plotted, and she faked her own death.

Caroline Stewart was a woman with a wonderful job as the administrative assistant to the head of the history department of Carrington College. She's found her niche, and created a nice, sturdy world for herself, when her mentor and boss suddenly dies. Enter Max Hunter, a man larger than life, with a chip on his shoulder the size of a small country. He uses a cane, and should anyone mention it or show him the least bit of pity, he's prepared to use said cane upside their head.

When Caroline, a new woman who's almost put behind her the old world of Mary Grace, and Max, who can't, or won't, put behind his own, collide, much more than sparks start flying. Passion, mixed with pent-up anger, regret, and sorrow, abound from every page, along with enough humor thrown in to make you laugh out loud.

"Don't Tell" is romantic suspense at it's ultimate best. Ms. Rose is a wonderful story-teller, able to breathe life into her pages until you feel as if you're part of the story. I laughed, I cried, I yelled...and all from the words printed on these pages. If you've ever wondered if good can conquer evil, if you're not sure that the good guys sometimes do win, then this book is for you. Karen Rose goes down as a master of suspense in my book, and I can't wait to devour everything else she's ever written...and hopefully will keep writing long into the future. ( )

I am still shaking from the pent-up adrenaline that Rose's book built up in me during the final chapters. WOWEE!! Holy Mackerel! This was THE MOST exciting romantic suspense book I've ever read!
Have you ever seen the movie starring Julia Roberts called Sleeping with the Enemy? This novel has the same premise. A young battered mother, Mary Grace Winters, fakes her death and that of her young son, Robbie so that they can escape the horrific abusive life she endures at the hands of her cop husband Rob Winters.
Now, Rob Winters was a fictional character, but I'll tell you - he scared the living daylights out of me! The pacing in the story was excellent, even though the book was almost 500 pages long. The speed and terror kicked up from the middle of the book onwards right up to an action-packed climax.
Caroline Stewart (Mary Grace Winters) was an amazing woman - unbelievably brave, smart and determined. All other characters were excellently fleshed out: Max Hunter, her new boss and first "lover"; her wonderful, protective son Tom (Robbie) and Dana, director of the woman's shelter. Max's family was warm, loving and forgiving. Rob Winters, as I said, was easily the scariest villain I've ever come across. I could barely turn the pages knowing he was getting closer and closer...
If you love romantic suspense, this book has it all! I'm eagerly awaiting Rose's next book featuring Special Agent Thatcher. This one is obviously highly recommended. ( )