Review: Sacrificial Muse by Maegan Beaumont

Sacrificial Muse is the second in the Sabrina Vaughn series. I didn’t read book one, but I had no problem following this as a stand alone. I can’t go back and read the first one now that I know what happened, but I’m sorry I didn’t start with book one after reading this because, clearly, it must be an action-packed, heart-pounding journey. I recommend starting with the first one if you have the opportunity.

I thoroughly enjoyed Sacrificial Muse. The author grabbed my attention from the first chapter, and I was enthralled right up until the end.

From the blurb:

She is his muse, and the fates require sacrifice.

San Francisco Detective Sabrina Vaughn is able to shrug off the nine red roses being delivered to her office every day. But when only eight roses arrive on the same day a Berkeley student’s mutilated body is found, Sabrina fears that the killer is taunting her. Forced into a partnership with a deceitful reporter who somehow remains one step ahead of her, Sabrina discovers that she’s the object of a psychopath’s twisted delusion . . . and there may be no escape.

I’m a sucker for a heart-pounding thriller. Even more so if the author can keep me guessing until the end. I’ve read stories that range from the too-obvious bad guy to pulling a rabbit out of a hat at the end to come up with a surprise bad guy—both of which leave me grumbling. In Sacrificial Muse, I guessed some things, but the truth blew me away. The clues were there, but the author expertly directed my attention where she wanted it.

I loved the characters—even the ones I wanted to pummel. Sabrina was a bad-ass, perfectly capable of taking care of herself, while at the same time somewhat vulnerable; something I love in a female lead. I enjoyed the banter and humor woven into her interactions with her partner, ex-partner, ex-love, and the annoying reporter who won’t stop hounding her.

My copy was an ARC and contained some odd phrasing and/or missing words in places. I’m hoping the final book went through another round of edits before publishing because many of the mistakes were silly ones.

The one thing that took away from the enjoyment for me was at the end. While the climax was spectacular, there were certain parts of the story that were left unresolved.

What kept this from being a five-star for me is a combination of the numerous simple errors throughout and the unfinished bits of the story.

Sacrificial Muse is an action-packed mystery and thriller with a side of sexy. Great writing, fantastic characters, and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I’m hooked.

4.25 Stars