Between 4 & 4.5 stars. 
 Most of the Romances I read have some kind of paranormal element. This one is Contemporary, but it is a Romantic-Suspense with a REALLY evil big bad in it. It's also different in that it's not fully contained in one book. The main relationship is, but the overall mystery will span 3 books, each with a different couple as the main focus, but still with the other characters involved. This is very different from other romances I've read and I think it really works for me. If everything had been solved by the end, it would have been too neat. Too easy. I've read a few too many Romantic-Suspense books where in between the all night marathons of fantastic sex to the exclusion of all else, the hero and heroine are also able to capture the villain who has been giving the authorities the run around for years. I'm not saying that this concept hasn't been done well (for instance, I loved Linda Howard's Dream Man), but in more than a few I haven't been satisfied with the end, mostly because there wasn't enough balance between mystery-solving and romance-building. 
 I liked the characters. There are a lot of different POVs here (it's all 3rd person, just following several different characters), but that didn't bother me. It worked for the story. Being in the killer's head was creepy as hell. He's a sadistic torturer-rapist-killer. You don't get really graphic, explicit details, but sometimes what's NOT told is even scarier as your mind makes up the difference. 
 Lena, our lead female character is blind with a fierce independent streak. She's worked hard for the life she's built, is fiercely loyal to her friends, and has a wicked sense of humor. Ezra is a cop on leave following a shooting - I won't spill what happened, as it's pretty crucial to his whole attitude, but I thought it worked. There were plenty of times I called him an idiot, but his actions were understandable. I bought their relationship. It's not one that starts because of the villain, although circumstances involving the mystery do bring Lena & Ezra closer together. The romance was hot - there was no skimping on that end at all. 
 I am definitely reading the next one.