Kiki Swinson

This is the first book I have read by this author. I can say that I did like this book and do want to check out more books by this author. It had a gritty feel to it. Ms. Swinson really knows how to write as I was transported within the pages of this book from the court room, to the cell that Misty was housed in, to the hidden torture room where Misty endured such horrific acts.

Which speaking of the torture. It is hard to read. Misty endures rape on several occasions before it is stopped. Yet, I like how she came out on top...stronger and a fighter. She experienced a lot during her time in prison. She could have just given up but she didn't give up hope. Part of this was due to the help of others. My favorite quote from this book was at the end. Misty says she is no longer "property of the state" but "property of God".… (more)

​You expect to begin a story with flawed, maybe even unlikable characters but for them to grow as the plot progresses. ​​​That did not happen here. Lauren, Matt, and Yancy are all foul, selfish and mean. They can't see each other past themselves. They are evil to each other in the worst ways. Betray each other at the drop of a hat. Which would all be okay if they experienced any character growth or heck, even remorse, over the course of the book. They don't.

​In fact, they get even worse.

​I hated them all. I wanted them dead. These kind of vicious, evil people are part of the cancer that is eating our society. ​​​We would all be better off without the Lauren, Matt, and Yancys of the world.

​Three-quarters of the way through the book I realized I didn't have to put myself through this punishment and I closed it forever. I guess I hung on waiting in vain for some kind of redemption for one or all of them. I'm a great fan of villains and anti-heroes and will put up with a lot. This was too much even for me, and that's saying something.​​

​One more thing: Lauren is an idiot. The so-called elaborate and smart you'll-never-see-this-coming revenge "plan" she kept boasting about​ didn't exist. What she did was soooo predictable and only worked because this is a book. The same thing for what I saw of Matt's revenge. Lauren, if you had more than three brain cells to rub together, you would have verified with the care-home itself instead of taking the word of an unsolicited call (did it even have the same area code?!? Hello???) from a "nurse" right after your thievery.

​This book was pushed as a clever thriller. Instead, we get ​several very predictable betrayals committed by apparently irredeemable characters incapable of any sort of introspection or growth.

Of course, none of this is touching on the shoddy quality of Swinson's writing. Not the worst I've seen but she definitely needs a reliable editor who will at least help her distinguish between past and present tense. Pick one, seriously. No one's perfect but it's just so grating when an author doesn't have the basics down.

​​Hated it. Did not finish.​​ One star.​​… (more)

This book was violent, and pretty unbelievable. Misty Heiress is set to be a pharmacist, but gets involved in a drug ring, a robbery, and a murder. She is working with the DEA, but is under suspicion for murder. She escapes from the hospital, outwits the police on multiple occasions, also outwits the drug mafia. She then gets involved with a bunch of drug pushers and robbers, and tries to use them to help her get her mother away from the mafia. It is pretty far-fetched. I didn't care for all the violence, and the abasement of women.
I doubt that I will be reading another of this author's books. It is not my genre.
#TheSafeHouse #KikiSwinson… (more)

Fans of Kiki Swinson will likely hate this review. I’ve never read any of her other works but I did not enjoy this book. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters. They were either naive, insecure, or just downright dumb. To be fair, I probably would have enjoyed this book when I was in my 20s and urban lit was really hitting the scene. As a middle-aged mother of 2 young black boys, I really struggled with Dawn and Reese’s decisions and actions. As for the writing, the word choice felt odd and out of place. This was a NetGalley advanced reader’s copy.… (more)