tense ( )

Rachel has been blind since she was a teenager, and now she’s receiving a cornea transplant that finally “takes”. She has no idea what she’s in for. She received the corneas of a serial killer and is now having terrifying visions. And the killing continues…

I really liked this one. It kept me wanting to read. I did guess at the mystery very shortly before it was revealed, but I still really enjoyed the story to get there. Apparently, it is a series, and I do plan to continue. ( )

Sleep With the Lights On
3.5 Stars

Do a person’s memories, tastes and/or psychoses reside in the DNA and can these be transferred to an organ recipient? This is the basis for Maggie Shayne's Sleep With the Lights On, when successful self-help author, Rachel De Luca who has been blind since age 12, receives the corneas of a serial killer and begins experiencing visions related to the murders he committed and it seems is still committing via other donor recipients.

This basic premise is very compelling and presented realistically both from the scientific and emotional perspectives. The characters are well-written and interesting, especially Rachel’s whose sarcastic wit and cynicism makes her an engaging heroine (although some readers may be put off by her attitude).

Detective Mason Brown is an intriguing hero, particularly given the ethical dilemmas that he faces throughout the story. While the reasons for his behavior are understandable and show him in a very human light, it is difficult to accept the ease with which Rachel forgives and forgets his actions.

Where the books falls flat is in the shifting POVs, the predictable villains and the numerous typing errors. While the transition from Rachel’s first person POV to everyone else’s third person POV is meant to immerse the reader in the story and allow him or her to experience Rachel’s visions vicariously, for me it had the opposite effect and I felt distanced from the events and emotions, and may explain why it was not as creepy a read for me as it has been for others.

In addition, the villains are far too predictable probably because the red herring is in your face obvious, and the book is in need of proof-reading because the typing errors are glaring.

All in all, a solid thriller with an interesting premise and engaging characters. I look forward to what happens next. ( )

Despite some rather unlikely elements within the book (unlikely even for a paranormal-ish book) this was a solid and entertaining thriller.

What I liked: The Characters. Sure that is pretty broad but I really did enjoy them all. I liked Rachel's snarkiness and the fact that she was a self help guru made it all even better. I appreciated Det. Brown's moral and ethical dilemma between his job and protecting his family. It made him real and very human. And let's not forget Myrtle. Rachel's rescue dog. Poor, blind, ugly Myrt. I loved her. She added a bit of lightheartedness to the book that really balanced it out.

I also enjoyed the creepy serial killer being tied to organ transplants. The way Shayne used this idea, which in itself is not a new concept, was a nice twist and added a touch of paranormal to the story. The added changing POVs was used well to keep the creepiness going. There is nothing like reading the inner thoughts of a murderer. Love it!

What I Didn't Like: The romance. It was very underdeveloped and as this was a romantic suspense novel I was expecting the romance to be in balance with the suspense. As a matter of fact the relationship between Rachel and Mason in it's entirety was a little off to me. I was able to just go with it because there are several more books in the series and a novella for their relationship to grow and I'm looking forward to their journey. However, Mason was pivotal in several parts of Rachel's new life. Her new sighted life and her new life without her brother, Tommy to be exact. The ease that Rachel accepted these things felt, well, off. I'm not sure I would have been able to start a relationship with a man who did the things Mason did. Mason is not a bad guy but you know the saying "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."

Quickly, just a couple more things that didn't work for me....The changing POVs. Granted, I used them as a plus which they were but in my eARC the changing POVs weren't clearly marked so it made me extremely confused when they abruptly changed. It took me a good paragraph to figure out whose thoughts I was reading throughout the book. Also the idea of the transplants, although good, seemed a little fictional. Well, duh, Christina. This is fiction after all! But seriously, a patient getting to see their donor's family was played out as being fairly easy in this book. Not so much in real life.

In a Nutshell: Even though there were some rather off putting things they really didn't diminish my enjoyment of this book. I've been in a horrible reading slump for 4 months and not only was I able to finish this book, I did it in a matter of a few days. Lately my reading has been so bad I've started dozens of book this year and have only finished 3. Yikes! ( )

Sleep with the Lights on is a paranormal thriller. Not much in the romance department and it’s a continuing series which means you are left hanging on many points at the end. The plot isn’t a new one, blind woman receives a cornea transplant and then suddenly starts having visions/nightmares through the eyes of the killer. The main characters are both liars too. I liked them, but the secret Detective Mason Brown chose to keep to himself was highly unethical even if he thought he was doing it for a good reason. I’m honestly torn on my feelings about this book. Even though it’s a paranormal and unrealistic things happen in that type of book it wasn’t clear to me exactly the who/what/why of the killer persona that manifested itself in many men. The overall story itself was interesting and there is plenty of thrilling moments but I felt unsatisfied at the end. ( )