Book Review: Where the Blame Lies by Mia Sheridan (Where… #1)

Where the Blame Lies by Mia Sheridan is a high-octane romantic suspense, thriller that will have readers glued to their seats. Read the blurb, publication history, genre, favourite quotes, buy links and book review of Where the Blame Lies by Mia Sheridan in this post.

 

 

Where the Blame Lies by Mia Sheridan Book Review:

 

 

A nineteen-year-old college student, Josie is kidnapped, tortured and held captive for ten months by a deranged man. Always in a mask, Josie doesn’t know his face, but she is determined to escape which she eventually does. Now, years later a woman is found murdered and his injuries are eerily similar to Josie’s. Police Detective Zach Copeland, who was a new cop when Josie was rescued, is now the main Detective handling the case. When he asks for Josie’s help in capturing this killer, it sets them up for a series of events that threaten not only their lives but will also bring forth secrets that have the power to destroy the newfound stability in Josie’s life.

 

A series of choices- some bad, some good, some seemingly meaningless- could lead you places you’d never set out to go. Because everywhere, all-around other people were making choices too. Paths were crossing, separations were closing, lives were commingling. Sometimes he wondered if there was any order to it at all, or if they were all just helpless victims of happenstance…”

Quotes from Where the Blame Lies by Mia Sheridan

 

 

Wow! I have no words for this book. Mia Sheridan is a terrific writer and I have read all of her books. She started out with soulful romances like “Archer’s Voice” and then shifted to romantic suspense with “Savaged” and “The Wish Collector“. I have adored all of her books and she has become an instant 1-click author for me. Where the Blame Lies goes a step further and is a romantic thriller that had goosebumps erupting on my skin and horrified me with the level of human cruelty and depravity it frankly showcases through the villain.   This story is disturbing and chilling but also a story of hope and determination. Josie is a character who awed me with her strong mind and her determination to not surrender to her tormentor. The atrocities she endured would have broken the spirit of anyone but she endured and totally has my respect. I cried tears of abhorrence, anger, grief, and fervent prayers to see her saved. A character that is an inspiration and one that will stay with me forever, I absolutely adored Josie. Her strength of character, her struggle to make a life for herself, and the brave way in which she endured everything while never giving her captor the satisfaction of breaking her had me so wowed that it has made a big fan of hers and I can’t stop fangirling.   Zach is the perfect man for her and their slow-burn chemistry was still so intense that it burned through the pages. A responsible, mature, and kind man, Zach is a great cop and his protectiveness towards Josie had me swooning all over. The perfect couple who beautifully complete each other, he is just the man to make her happy.

 

“I love you,” …”Every imperfect, flawed part of you. Every heroic, selfless part of you. The part that’s fallen, and the part that’s gotten back up, over and over and over. You.” ‘

Quotes from Where the Blame Lies by Mia Sheridan

 

I am out of words for the deranged villain who represents criminals that look seemingly normal and even friendly but are rotten through and through. They fool everyone and perpetrate heinous crimes. So shrewd that they evade the law, they are a true danger to our safety because there is no way to identify them.

 

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.”

Quotes from Where the Blame Lies by Mia Sheridan

 

Told in the third perspective both from Josie and Zach’s POV, you will feel this story like it is happening to you. Every emotion and every feeling was heightened and it left me feeling shocked. I had to close my eyes briefly for a few minutes many times just to still my rapidly beating heart and cool my agitated self. The chills and feel I got from this book are so intense that I felt scraped raw.

 

…Memories. Longing. Despite her happiness and the peace she’d found, for her, life would always be a tricky mixture of conflicting emotions that sometimes she just had to breathe through. She was prepared, and because she was, she knew it would be okay…”

Quotes from Where the Blame Lies by Mia Sheridan

 

This book is definitely darker and more upsetting. While not overly graphic, the events are such that my mind completed the images and I was horrified through and through thinking that such crimes did take place in reality and such criminals did roam for real in the world. I sat glued to my seat and could not put the book down until the end.    The plot is expertly planned and executed. It is not predictable and the epilogue and last chapter are something else entirely. The emotional upheaval I felt while reading this story was totally worth it.    A commendable effort from the author, you just have to read this one. Magical storytelling, vivid world-building, and characters that seem like people known to us, Mia Sheridan shows her writing prowess in the dark, scary and frightening tones she uses to sketch the story. The happy ending left me with a goofy and satisfied smile. The victory of good over evil is a major lure for me and I got my full in this one.

 

…Love didn’t end. Love never dies. Love went on and on, like a swiftly moving river. No matter the obstacle, it continued forward, an unending force moving around, over, into -carving away at the rocky shores in its path…”

Quotes from Where the Blame Lies by Mia Sheridan

 

I wanted more after the book ended and I kept hoping there was a sequel that thankfully, we have got in “Where the Truth Lives“.   5 super shiny stars out of 5 to Where the Blame Lies by Mia Sheridan. I adored this book and have become a huge fan of the author. If you haven’t read books by Mia Sheridan, you are missing out on great storytelling and memorable characters. Njkinny recommends this book to all lovers of romance, thrillers, and mystery above the age of eighteen.

 

Buy Where the Blame Lies by Mia Sheridan From:

Amazon.in

 

Read the next book in Where Series by Mia Sheridan

• Book Review: Where the Truth Lives by Mia Sheridan

 

Also Read these Recommended Books:

• Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan Book Review and Book Quotes
• The Wish Collector by Mia Sheridan Book Review and Book Quotes
• Making Faces by Amy Harmon Book Review and Book Quotes
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