K.A. Tucker

"The USA TODAY bestselling author of the Ten Tiny Breaths and Burying Water series makes her suspense debut with this sexy, heartpounding story of a young woman determined to find justice after her best friend's death, a story pulsing with the "intense, hot, emotional" (Colleen Hoover) writing that exhilarates her legions of fans. Twenty-eight-year-old Maggie Sparkes arrives in New York City to pack up what's left of her best friend's belongings after a suicide that has left everyone stunned. The police have deemed the evidence conclusive: Celine got into bed, downed a bottle of Xanax and a handle of vodka, and never woke up. But when Maggie discovers secrets in the childhood lock box hidden in Celine's apartment, she begins asking questions. Questions about the man Celine fell in love with. The man she never told anyone about, not even Maggie. The man who Celine herself claimed would be her ruin. On the hunt for answers that will force the police to reopen the case, Maggie uncovers more than she bargained for about Celine's private life--and inadvertently puts herself on the radar of a killer who will stop at nothing to keep his crimes undiscovered"--

A Novel

He Will Be My Ruin

Maggie Sparkes has left the village where she has been involved in charity work to fly to New York where her best friend, Celine Gonzalez has killed herself.  Spending time in Celine's apartment is nostalgic, but what she finds there opens old wounds and creates new ones.  Celine had been keeping secrets that may have gotten her killed, and Maggie is determined to find out what happened to her friend.  The search leads her to many things she didn't want to know about Celine and her lifestyle, but it also leads her to suspects who may have had reason to kill her.

He Will Be My Ruin is not romantic suspense as I expected when I started reading.  There is some romance in the novel, but it is part of the mystery and does not lead to a traditional HEA.  This story is definitely a thriller/mystery in which the reader follows the protagonist as she investigates and finds clues.  The story opens with a scene that actually takes place near the end, and then the plot flashes back to what happened to lead Maggie into this situation.  Overall, He Will Be My Ruin is a decent mystery/thriller but just not what I expected.

Lynn Braden

Maggie Sparkes has left the village where she has been involved in charity work to fly to New York where her best friend, Celine Gonzalez has killed herself.  Spending time in Celine's apartment is nostalgic, but what she finds there opens old wounds and creates new ones.  Celine had been keeping secrets that may have gotten her killed, and Maggie is determined to find out what happened to her friend.  The search leads her to many things she didn't want to know about Celine and her lifestyle, but it also leads her to suspects who may have had reason to kill her.

He Will Be My Ruin is not romantic suspense as I expected when I started reading.  There is some romance in the novel, but it is part of the mystery and does not lead to a traditional HEA.  This story is definitely a thriller/mystery in which the reader follows the protagonist as she investigates and finds clues.  The story opens with a scene that actually takes place near the end, and then the plot flashes back to what happened to lead Maggie into this situation.  Overall, He Will Be My Ruin is a decent mystery/thriller but just not what I expected.

The bestselling author of the Ten Tiny Breaths and Burying Water series makes her suspense debut with this sexy, heart pounding story of a young woman determined to find justice after her best friend's death, a story pulsing with the "intense, hot, emotional" (Colleen Hoover) writing that exhilarates her legions of fans. Twenty-eight-year-old Maggie Sparkes arrives in New York City to pack up what's left of her best friend's belongings after a suicide that has left everyone stunned. The police have deemed the evidence conclusive: Celine got into bed, downed a bottle of Xanax and a handle of vodka, and never woke up. But when Maggie discovers secrets in the childhood lock box hidden in Celine's apartment, she begins asking questions. Questions about the man Celine fell in love with. The man she never told anyone about, not even Maggie. The man who Celine herself claimed would be her ruin. On the hunt for answers that will force the police to reopen the case, Maggie uncovers more than she bargained for about Celine's private life-and inadvertently puts herself on the radar of a killer who will stop at nothing to keep his crimes undiscovered.

Courtney

Wow! I was completely blown away at how much I loved this novel! I have been getting more and more into mystery and suspense and this book delivered! Also a tad bit of explicit sexual content in this book but it seemed tasteful in my opinion and not overly done. I overall really enjoyed this and will definitely be adding more of this author’s work to my tbr pile! So many twists and turns and just when you think you know whodunnit, bam! So good!

freya.nightwolf

I was this close to stopping reading this book, and it's too bad because it has potential... It's full of detail dumping. I don't think I've seen so much repeated and unwanted information in my life. This rating could have been worse. I almost gave it 1 star, but the plotting that started to feel after the 200 pages of agony... I finally felt like we were getting somewhere. At some point, I simply stopped reading the details and what she felt. We learned more from the dialog. THANK GOD! 

That ending is a creepy one. So, first, she gets to live on while Jace is practically still free, but under supervision. And he just let her live?! Just like that???? That's the stupidest thing I've ever read. In what timeline and on what planet, the one who not just killed one person, but plotting to murder a second, and this time, he threatens with a knife, just stops and lets her go on with her life?!!! 

And second, we found out that on Gardy's file, there are 2 more victims [besides Celine, who technically is Jace's victim, but practically she's Jace's and Gardy's victim.]. We don't know anything about those two other victims. In what way they were victims, and what did he do to them? Ok. I got it, that now are safe, healthy, and have normal lives, but what the hell did he do to them? This is a big deal since in the epilogue it's crystal clear that Sam Jacobs is the one and only Jay Grady. Don't get me wrong, I saw that ending the second it was mentioned first that the cops didn't find the body. And, unlike Jace, Grady actually had a brain. But, in the end, Maggie clearly thought of Grady when she saw Jacobs, and she simply was way too calm...

And Maggie is really stupid. Really?? You hire a private detective and you start telling your neighbors, WHO YOU JEST MET, details of an ongoing investigation??!!!?!!! THAT DUMP????!!!!

Sven Test

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights ReviewsMaggie knows her best friend would have never committed suicide so she sets out to learn about Celine's life to figure out what really happened. Turns out, Maggie didn't know much about Celine and what she finds leaves her speechless

K.A. Tucker's Burying Water series was amazing and I didn't think He Will Be My Ruin would top it—I was wrong. Once again, the brilliant K.A. Tucker surprised and amazed me! My mind was blown away. I always think the prologue sets the tone for the rest of the story and helps give more insight. This one set the bar high! The suspense was kicked in immediately and I was gripped from the very first page.

[...] He uncovers your secrets, your fears, your flaws—and he uses them against you. He did it to Celine. And now he's doing it to me.

Maggie was an easy person to like. Despite her family being rich, Maggie travels the world helping those in need. She doesn't mind getting her hands dirty to provide help for others. At the same time, I didn't like the decisions she made—some were beyond stupid—and she was too trusting, too fast. I mean, if you're trying to uncover what happened to your friend, don't go telling everyone you know who you suspect, why and what you're doing to find out the truth. I literally suspected everyone, even the old lady neighbor. To me, everyone was a suspect and I couldn't rule out anyone. Although, there were times where I would say, "No, it can't be this person because of this and that." Still, there was one character I suspected and thought they didn't do it. I even defended the character so much to Erica from Novel Ink (buddy-reading this book with her was freaking awesome!) and yeah.... Let's just say SUSPECT EVERYONE!



I loved that the story turned out to be divided in two POVs: one in present day Maggie and the other in Celine's past, a few months before her death. I would have liked to know more about Celine, even more than we got and maybe the aftermath about what happened after the book ends but hey, let's hope for a novella or a sequel ;)

Overall, this book exceeded my expectations. It went above and beyond what I expected and then some. K.A. Tucker is a master at suspense and this book clearly shows that. I can't wait to read more of her suspense novels (hoping she keeps writing them) because they are so worth it!This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews

Chrissy

at the moment using goodreads star rating option of "it was okay". RTC

What made this book such a low rating book is because of Maggie the main character. Maggie was probably the most annoying character. When I look back at the notes I took as I was listening to it was all complaints about Maggie's actions. 
This is a mystery where Maggie has to go to her childhood/best friends apartment after she has died by suicide to clean out her stuff but as shes there she starts to really question whether that is how she dead. She tries to work with the police but ends up being her own detective and gets a private investigator (I think) to try to find out herself what happened. 
During her own investigations I will admit is that I continued to go back and forth between who I thought murdered her friend and that can be the sole reason I finished the book. I just wanted to know if Maggie was going to be right in who she thought it was or not. 
Throughout her own investigation I felt like all she did was make stupid decisions. She was so quick to jump to conclusions based on so little information and just run with it. I wanted her to be suspicious to everyone and question everything and be open to all possibilities. Especially since she starts to learn more things about her friend that she had no idea was going on and all these secrets she was keeping so why not be more cautious of everyone that crossed paths with her?? 
SO in the end Maggie was so frustrating that I felt like so many things could have went differently. 
I'm willing to give another book by the author a try though just to see if other characters in other books will be less annoying.

Ruth Parker 

This book started a little slow but it was worth continuing on for sure. 

It was a sexy thriller with an interesting main character investigating the possible suicide of her best friend. While cleaning out her apartment, she finds out things bout her friend she didn’t know and it quickly dragged into a dangerous world.

I liked the twist at the end and enjoyed reading this story with the characters. A good thriller!

Raven Dean

***3 Stars***

This book was okay. I found myself having a hard time getting through the book, but I also found myself picking it back up to see how this book would end. And the ending was just meh for me. Kind of predicted what was going to happen. I also didn’t really like any of the characters either. I just was expecting something way different story wise and it wasn’t that at all.

Amanda Furlan

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads.


Aside from my teen years, when I devoured any and all R.L. Stine/Christopher Pike/etc. type mystery/thriller/suspense books, I've never really been a fan of the genre. I don't love being scared. Ok, that's a lie. I do in the moment. It's afterwards, when I'm lying down to sleep and I'm at the mercy of my overactive imagination that I regret watching or reading something scary. But, I'm a big fan of K.A. Tucker and I've enjoyed everything she's written so far. I was willing to give this one a shot, even though it didn't appear to be romance-driven. I was curious to see how she would tackle a different genre. I was willing to risk the nightmares or freak out moments (and I had both) and I regret nothing. This was a fantastic read! 

I went into He Will Be My Ruin nearly entirely blind. Sure, I read the synopsis – ages before I actually read the book. I hadn't looked at any reviews or ratings from other bloggers. I didn't want anything to ruin the book and I'm glad that's how I chose to do it. As soon as I picked it up, I knew it was going to be one of those books I finished in a day. I would've read it in one sitting if I'd been at home alone, but I was away for the holidays, so I had to be somewhat social. I still basically growled any time I had to sit it down. My mind worked overtime as I tried to figure out what happened to Celine. I was on the edge of my seat as I worried if Maggie would meet the same fate. Just when I thought I had everything worked out, a new twist occurred and I had to start all over again. I forgot just how much I loved trying to solve a mystery before the big reveal. 

I'm probably not going to run right out and start buying all kinds of mystery/thriller books, but I enjoyed a little break from the romance I usually read. If K.A. writes a book like this again in the future, I'll definitely read it. He Will Be My Ruin had a little bit of everything – secrets, lies, suspense, action and mystery. There was even a bit of kissing (and more) thrown in there, and while it was central to the plot, it certainly wasn't the main focus. I was surprisingly ok with that. (You now how much I love my kissing books.) This one was something totally different than what I typically read and I really enjoyed it. 

If you enjoy mystery/thrillers, you should give this one a shot. If you've enjoyed K.A.'s other books, you should try this one. Expect the unexpected and enjoy the ride. It'll take you places you never would've guessed.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

I jointly reviewed this with my co-blogger, Becca!

 THE STORY: 

  BECCA
: When Lisa and I received e-ARCs of He Will be My Ruin we were literally doing happy dances! For anyone who knows us, you are aware that KA Tucker is one of our absolute favorite Authors ever! We were so excited to dive into this novel and KAT definitely delivered!

This story centers around Maggie, she arrives in New York City after her best friends Celine's suicide. As a favor to Celine's Mother, Maggie agrees to pack up her apartment and get all of her assets settled. Celine was a passionate antiques collector with an extensive collection that had to be appraised and sold. As Maggie packs everything she begins to uncover clues that appear to point to her friend being murdered and she tries to gather evidence to get the police to reopen the case. Throughout the rest of the story, every character you meet and every word they say is scrutinized and analyzed, creating a pretty epic "who done it" story. Trust me... you will suspect everyone!
 


  

 


  LISA
: When Maggie's best friend turns up dead in her NYC apartment due to a suicide, Maggie has no other choice but to rush home to take care of the mess. Celine and her mother are the only true family Maggie has ever known. At a very young age, Celine and her mother, Rosa, moved in to live with Maggie. Rosa was Maggie's nanny and basically raised her. From that time forward, they were the only family Maggie truly recognized. The loss of Celine is overwhelming. And since Celine's mother is ill and living in another state, Maggie takes it upon herself to clean up Celine's apartment, sell all of her prized antiques, and clean up the mess that's been left behind in her wake.
 

 
 THE CHARACTERS: 

  LISA
: The characters in this story, as is normal KAT fashion, are all very unique with loud personalities, making them quite easy to love/hate. Maggie is a strong, successful person who is spending her life (and her family's riches) taking care of people less fortunate than her. She lives the majority of her time in other countries, building homes for the homeless, feeding the starving, and making sure the people of poverty have everything they fully deserve in life. But in the course of making her life all about others, she hasn't had the time to find true love for herself. Though very successful, her life feels as though it's missing something.

Maggie is the kind of character that you may find yourself judging quite a bit for choices she makes and actions she partakes in... but at the same time, you're routing for her 100% of the time. I love when authors can make me simultaneously love and be completely annoyed with a character in the matter of 10 pages.

Maggie is surrounded by a very interesting group of characters. She first meets the extremely nosy, elder woman next door who knows everyone's business and prides herself on this fact, Ruby. The cast of characters continues with the flirty superintendent, Grady, eccentric friend and fellow antique lover, Hans, an old friend of Celine's and a few coworkers, Celine's secret lover, a private investigator Maggie hires, the police detective who's been assigned to the case... and on, and on. As you can imagine, with this HUGE cast of characters it's impossible to not constantly be accusing everyone and wonder if they are the guilty one. As Becca mentioned, we seriously suspected EVERYONE throughout this book at one time or another.
 

  BECCA
: WOW Lisa, I could not have summed up these characters any better than that! It's so true, I both loved and hated Maggie. A similar thing happened for me with Celine, the more I learned about her life (after her death) the more I began to question her decisions and the life she was living.

I was so suspicious of everyone the entire time, so I never really trusted anyone, but I loved that about it! Every time I would begin to really like a character, I would think "but what it THEY are the killer?!"
 

  

 
Once again KAT creates amazing characters that are absolutely unforgettable! Each with their own vibrant personality, their flaws and of course those endearing characteristics that stay in my memory and heart :)
 
 TO SUM UP: 

  BECCA
: KAT has successfully dabbled in the world of Suspense with her Burying Water series, and I was so curious to see how she would do with a book that was solely a Mystery/Suspense novel. She blew me away! I knew that I would love it (because I love everything that she writes) and I was so amazed at how she built this story! Every moment, every interaction and every word mattered... so much so that I was on the edge of my seat the entire time! Towards the end Lisa and I gave up on our daily 15% and just kept plowing ahead because we literally could not stop reading! Trust me when I say READ THIS! It is so unique and intriguing and I hope that you love it as much as we did!

KAT set this up for a sequel and I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next! Is there nothing this amazingly talented Author can't do?! NA Contemporary, NA Romance Suspense and now Mystery Suspense and she has amazed me at every turn! I am a true KA Tucker Fangirl and I always will be!
 

  

 

  LISA
: Oh, my darling K.A. Tucker, you never cease to amaze us. 
 

 
HWBMR was different from her prior books, yet equally over-the-top kindle-gripping and outright amazing. There's a reason she stays at the very top of my Favorite Authors list. ♥ KAT continually amazes me with her incredibly creative mind and utter knack for grabbing me by the heart and twisting until I'm drained and begging for more. (Too much? Sorry! I just can't EVEN!!) 

As I say with every single Tucker book I've ever read, this is amazing and everyone needs to read it. Please. Do yourself a favor, and become a fangirl with us. You won't be disappointed. Tucker has this amazing way of sucking her reads in, no matter what their reading genre preferences are. Everyone that reads this book seems to love it, and I'm totally not surprised by that. Another A+ read from my very favorite author!! ♥

(Thanks to Atria Books for the review copy!)

Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!

Farah Khaled 

OMG THIS BOOK DROVE ME CRAZY!! I even suspected myself lol! Review coming soon

Gretchen Gomez

I had guessed the end of the book in the beginning and I was right. It was just okay. I know K.A. Tucker as a New Adult author and I was excited for her to cross over, however this just fell flat to me. She still incorporated some New Adult themes that weren't necessary for this book. I didn't like the characters nor connected with any of them.

He Will Be My Ruin A Novel

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