Back of Book: 

Leyla Clarkson's world was shattered the night her family was murdered. Years later and running from chilling reminders of her past, an unexpected reunion with her childhood friend, Cameron Curtis, brings a glimmer of hope — and a dangerous darkness she never saw coming.

Cameron, once the sweet boy she met in the midst of grief, is charming and irresistibly magnetic, but he seems to be hiding his own dark secrets. As their connection deepens, Leyla is torn between the friend she once knew and the mysterious man he’s become.

As their relationship unfolds, betrayal, obsession, and violence push them to the brink of sanity. Leyla and Cameron are forced to confront their pasts, their demons, and the undeniable pull between them.

Can love survive in the shadows, or will the darkness consume them both?

Book Number: One

Genre: Adult | Horror | Contemporary | Romance | Mystery

Review: 🌟🌟🌟

An exciting dark romance involving serial killers and the trauma they leave on their families and their victim’s families alike. 

Leyla Clarkson’s life completely change the day her family was murdered by a serial killer. Years later, she is still running away from the pains of her past and trying to remember the shadowy memories of her childhood that lurk in the corners of her brain. Cameron Curtis, a boy that she met during therapy in her youth, unexpectedly reappears in her life and makes suddenly makes her feel lighter. Leyla never expected to find love, but she feels safe in Cameron’s arms. Even when she discovers Cameron’s dark secrets, she only wants to hold him tighter. As they grow closer, things only seem to be becoming more dangerous…

Next up on my journey to read a book by every author attending Midwest Bookish Fest 2027 is a dark romance involving serial killers. This one is definitely outside my comfort zone, but I always love giving new things a try! 

I was actually surprised by how invested I found myself in this story, There is quite a bit of mystery surrounding all the men in Leyla’s life as well as the identity of the Whispering Killer. Roberts did an incredible job at using misdirection, because as soon as I thought I knew what was going on, she’d pull the rug from under my feet and completely catch me by surprise. The twists and turns in this one were great and definitely caught me off guard! 

Leyla and Cameron have both went through a ton of trauma in their lives. These two are certainly unreliable narrators as they both conceal many secrets about themselves from the reader. I found it interesting to slowly learn more about their dark pasts and the horror that both of their parents put them through. It’s sort of sweet to see these two come together and bond over their shared trauma, but their relationship is also pretty messed up. I don’t want to spoil anything, but their relationship went in a few directions I wasn’t expecting it to. 

Despite being very invested in this story and wanting to find out what happens, I can’t say I exactly liked this one. Thrillers and gory stories are harder for me to get into, because the morbid always makes me freak out a bit. Serial killers are always a freaky topic which is why I tend to stick to YA stories involving such eerie things, so this one definitely brought my mind to some dark places. This may not have been my favorite type of book, but I’m glad I read it. 

Also, the ending has me totally shook and has made up my mind that I will in fact be reading book two also. That was one crazy cliffhanger to leave off on. I have some thoughts about what happened, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to be totally blown away by any of the reveals that happen at the beginning of book two. 

Overall, “The Moments You Miss” is quite different than the type of books I usually read, but I still had a good time. Trying to unravel the mysteries in this one with no help from our unreliable narrators of main characters was quite the doozy. Leyla and Cameron both have a ton of trauma that they are contending with, and it’s sweet to see them bond over it. However, keep in mind that this is a dark romance and the tenderness of their relationship turns wicked quite quickly. This book was creepy in the best way, and the ending has me desperate to know what happens in book two! 

Audiobook Note: This one is dual narrated by Gabriel Michael and Lila Winters. Michael did a great job at making the several PoV he narrates very distinct. Winters only had to give a voice to Leyla’s chapters, but they did such a god job with it. I think I would have a hard time narrating a horrific dark romance novel such as this, but these two felt like they were truly in their element.

Back of Book: 

Something terrible happened, and Hazel Matthis doesn’t say a word. Instead, she lives her life as the embodiment of sunshine and joy—only, so much more lurks underneath.

When she crosses paths with the guarded Zachary Blake, though, they can’t help but be drawn into a web of lies and secrets they’ve always kept buried deep. Together, they begin to peel back the layers to uncover a truth far darker than either could have imagined.

But as the past claws its way to the surface, Hazel and Zack realize nothing about that night was ever as it seemed, and someone will go to any length to ensure it stays hidden.

The Whispering Killer is still watching, still waiting…and no one is safe.

Some truths are too dangerous to uncover. And some lies? They’ll kill you to keep them

Book Number: Two (Last Book) 

Genre: Adult | Horror | Contemporary | Romance | Mystery

Review: ?