The Executioner - Book Review

By Shauna Allen

Synopsis

~ Five brothers, one family tragedy, untold heartache. ~

A stray bullet ended my Army career, forcing me to follow in my father’s prison guard footsteps.
My sister’s disappearance ten years ago annihilated my family, forcing each of us to find a way to cope.
But I’ve survived. Adapted.
At least until Genevieve Stone showed up, digging into the truth in the name of journalism and finding her way deep under my skin. I’m determined to do whatever it takes to find my sister, but when the case is blown wide open by the sexy reporter, I’m left with the ultimate question . . . can I trust her?
I’m a soldier, heart and soul.
I don’t do love.
War and death and pain are my church.
My name is Asher Creed.
I am the Executioner.

***Reader note: This is the first of a 6-part emotional family saga series. Each story is 100% male first-person point-of-view, and while each full-length novel is guaranteed to have a complete HEA romance, their family mystery remains unsolved until the end of the series.

Review

THE EXECUTIONER starts with a quick prologue that shows Claire being abducted ten years ago, before continuing on in the present day. Asher’s family has been left devastated by Claire’s disappearance, but Asher is also saddened at how his once-close family has drifted apart over the years, as each family member has suffered alone and in silence.

Asher is a very hard working, honest and down to earth man. What you see is truly what you get. While working as a prison guard is not his dream job, he takes pride in his work and is respectful, which translates into being somewhat respected by most of the inmates he works amongst. Genevieve is a crime reporter who doesn’t just focus on the crime when writing her stories, but also on the victims and their families. Being a victim herself, she understands that it’s the people who are left behind that tend to suffer the most. She’s perfect for Asher in that she too is very hard working, respectful and has a lot of integrity.

While THE EXECUTIONER does involve a romance between Asher and Genevieve, the bulk of this story revolves around the Creed family members as they deal with Claire’s disappearance, even ten years later. I’ll be honest, I don’t remember much about the romance between Asher and Genevieve, but I am very intrigued by Claire’s disappearance and would love to know how that story plays out.

THE EXECUTIONER is told only in Asher’s POV and ends in a cliffhanger. It is considered a family saga, so the books cannot be read as stand-alones and they will need to be read in order. Asher is the oldest of five brothers, and each brother will get their own story: Asher; Levi; Jamison; Joshua; and Silas. Although, considering this will be a six-part family saga, I’m not sure who the sixth book will be about. I have a theory, but it’s one I’ll be keeping to myself. Looking at Amazon, the next three books are being released at the end of May, June and July. If that’s the case, I’ll be very happy that we won’t have to wait too long to find out what exactly happened to Claire.