If You Dare (A Deanna Madden Novel, 3) Paperback – November 10, 2015

If You Dare (Deanna Madden #3) by AR Torre5 stars!!!“I am the girl I never wanted to be but have been for a long time. I am the madness, the demon, the insanity.”This was the series that brought AR Torre to my attention many years ago. Deanna Madden was one of those characters that always was a bit of a mystery, yet despite all her faults and her eccentricities she was one character that had totally endeared herself to me. Yes, I felt sorry for her, yes, I empathised and sympathised but most of all I was intrigued, who or what had made Deanna, Deanna?“I can only keep the crazy confined for so long.”In this book we delve deeper into Deanna’s psyche but this is definitely a story of personal growth for Deanna. The self-imposed reclusive is slowly beginning to realise that there is a life outside of 6E. Just as she begins to make those baby steps to a little freedom something happens that leads Deanna to question everything and puts her right back to square one. Deanna is facing her biggest challenge in this book, who is friend, who is foe? Who can she trust? Can she trust herself?“I’ve become much more comfortable with lying than I’ve ever been with telling the truth.”Jeremy, our favourite UPS man really tries to get through to Deanna, he starts to push her boundaries little by little and tries to bring her out into the open. He becomes a bit more forceful in this book, but for the good and he is gentle with it. He knows he has to tread carefully for Deanna’s sake as well as his own. He loves Deanna, he can’t help it, but he needs a little “normal,” however, as we all know, there is nothing “normal” about Deanna.“And therein lay the problem. There was a strong possibility he was in love with a psychopath.”I loved Mike in this book, he is Deanna’s one constant and someone that she can rely on, always. He is the only person that knows all there is to know about Deanna and he is the one person that is always there, no matter the time or circumstances. He really steps up to the plate in this book and is one awesome friend. Everyone needs a Mike.This book had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end, my heart was in my mouth for most of it. AR Torre has always packed a punch with this series and If You Dare is no different. With multiple POV’s and flips from past to present, AR Torre slowly drip feeds you the pertinent information that you need to understand what is actually going on. The first half of this book I was as confused as hell, but in a good way. It is this confusion that leads you to question everything you are reading, looking for clues and that one piece of information that could potentially put the lid on the can of worms that is If You Dare.“He was the one clean thing in my life, so I held him close. Seduced him further, let him love. I was too selfish not to.”AR Torre masterfully weaves that tangled web and you are the poor fly caught on the outskirts waiting for that big bad spider to come and gobble you up. The anticipation of being spider dinner is forever present as you struggle against what you are reading, yet still manage to absorb. But it is your impatience and fervour to understand that keeps those pages turning wildly and made this a truly un-put-downable read for me.“It was a fun game. And now it is over.”Once again, I applaud AR Torre for another astounding read. Those that follow me know that Hollywood Dirt is my favourite read of the year so far and now we have another contender for that spot, If You Dare. It seems AR Torre is getting a little greedy and wanting those top spots all to herself. But this just goes to show her diversity and her talent, from one extreme to the other the words speak for themselves, whether it be romantic comedy or mystery suspense, this woman knows how to write.

I had been salivating for this final book in Deanna's story. I couldn't wait. My mind was always wondering what Alessandra had in store for this book. This ending to the captivating story was well worth the wait!Is Deanna the one who tried to kill Jeremy? Did she stab him? Push him out of his window? Will she survive prison? Is prison worse for Deanna's mental capacity than her apartment of seclusion? What is really going on in the world that Deanna has worked so hard to avoid all of these years?This one, like the others, had me at the first word. This book surpasses any expectations I could have possibly had before reading it. It's gripping and suspenseful. I found myself questioning if she truly was capable of such a heinous crime. I found myself waivering and wondering. I tried to piece everything together to figure out just what really happened.In true fashion, Alessandra will have you on the edge of your seat from the start to finish. This book will blow your mind. It is pure perfection!

If You Dare is the third installment of the Deanna Madden series and it does not disappoint. One thing I like about this series, other than the characters and concept, is the fact that each book is unique in the way the story approaches Deanna’s life and the challenges she is facing. It isn’t the same story modified slightly over and over. Each book allows us to see a new facet of Deanna and some of the situations that arise when one is a presumed sociopath.If there is one thing people should know about Deanna it is do not, under any circumstance, mess with the people she cares about. It is easy to watch over your loved ones when you can count them on one hand. This woman will, quite literally, hunt you down and mutilate you. And enjoy it. Immensely.If You Dare takes the reader between the past and present, approximately three weeks part; between relationship highs and lows for Deanna and Jeremy, and then to an ongoing police investigation with Deanna as the primary suspect. Deanna sinks to new emotional lows and new dark highs and watching it all unfold is quite intense. Deanna in jail is fascinating, to say the least, and it is behind bars that the reader gets a more intimate look at her psyche.Why didn’t I give this five stars? The primary reason is because I was able to guess early on where the story was going. This normally wouldn’t be such a big deal but Alessandra Torre has trained me to expect the unexpected and that, when it comes to her books, my gut is not as reliable as I think. I chalk it up to holding writers of high quality to high standards.This is a solid addition to a fascinating, riveting, and unique series. I truly hope we see more from Deanna in the (cross my fingers) near future. One thing of note, if you enjoyed reading about Mike in the previous books you will enjoy seeing him here, vulnerable in a new way. Yay, Mike! If you have not read this series yet, you are missing out on something great. I’m a huge fan of anything Alessandra Torre writes. I think she is a brilliant and witty writer who is full of versatility and class. This series is a prime example of all of that.