Secrets at Cedar Cabin by Colleen Coble ~ Book Review and Tour

Publisher's Description:  
From USA TODAY bestselling author Colleen Coble comes the third book in her beloved Lavender Tides series. Her mother lied about her identity and her husband wasn’t who she thought he was—can Bailey even trust herself anymore? Running for her life in the wake of her mother’s murder, Bailey Fleming escapes to the only place she can think of—a remote, dilapidated cabin in Lavender Tides. Intending to finally get to the truth behind the lies of her past, Bailey only finds more questions when bodies are discovered near her cabin hideout along with traces of a dangerous human trafficking ring. In an unlikely partnership with FBI agent Lance Phoenix, Bailey races to understand the mystery surrounding her life and circumstances before the murderer tracks her down. Meanwhile, Lance is determined to rescue his sister, Ava, who was abducted after running away from home as a teenager. An unexpected lead brings him to the remote cabin, and he wonders if Bailey—with her suspicious past and strange connections to his sister’s case—is really who she claims to be and if she can somehow lead him to Ava. Filled with Colleen Coble's custom blend of suspense and romance, Secrets at Cedar Cabin takes us back to the evocative landscape of Washington's coast where nothing is quite as it seems.

My Thoughts:  
I really enjoyed this wrap up to the Lavender Tides Series.  It was fast paced and hard to put down.  The story focused on the Bailey, the youngest sister of the three siblings that this series deals with and an FBI agent named Lance who is trying to find his missing sister.  The whole series had an interesting premise of 3 siblings separated at a young age through tragedy.  It connects them all together in this last installment but this story also dealt with a very real issue and that is the one of human trafficking.  At times the story was hard to read because it deals with the tragedy of how young girls are lured away and then taken and what might be happening to them.  I thought the author did a very good job of bringing awareness to this very important topic.  I liked the character of Bailey and how she struggled to deal with all the lies that made up the foundation of her life and now put her in a position of who to trust going forward.  The romance was not heavy handed and I appreciated that though as is usual in stories like this was a bit  fast moving.  There were a couple parts involving FBI agents that made me wonder if they would actually do that but I can see where it was necessary to keep the story moving and not get bogged down in procedure.  All in all I really like this story and the series as a whole.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for providing a copy free of charge for my honest review.  I was not required to give a positive review and all opinions are my own.  I gave this a 4/5 on the BookLook site but wish they would have 1/2 star options as I would have bumped it a  4.5.

Chosen People by Robert Whitlow ~ Book Tour and Review

Publisher's Description:
Bestselling author Robert Whitlow returns with an international legal drama that speaks to critical issues of our day.

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation...

 During a terrorist attack near the Western Wall in Jerusalem, a courageous mother sacrifices her life to save her four-year-old daughter, leaving behind a grieving husband and a motherless child. Hana Abboud, a Christian Arab Israeli lawyer trained at Hebrew University, typically uses her multi-language skills to represent international clients for an Atlanta law firm. When her boss is contacted by Jakob Brodsky, a young Jewish lawyer aggressively pursuing a lawsuit on behalf of the family under the US Anti-Terrorism laws, he calls on Hana’s expertise to take point on the case. After careful prayer, she joins forces with Jakob, and they quickly realize the need to bring in a third member for their team, an Arab investigator named Daud Hasan, based in Israel. To unravel the case, this team of investigators goes from the streets of Atlanta to the alleys of Jerusalem, a world where hidden motives thrive, the risk of death is real, and the search for truth has many faces. What they will uncover will forever change their understanding of justice, heritage, and what it means to be chosen for a greater purpose.

My Thoughts:
This story was an interesting look into terrorism in the Middle East and it's legalities as related to U.S. terrorism laws.  Hana Abboud was a very interesting main character.  As a Christian Arab Israeli lawyer there were many facets to her personality and her faith is strong and touches everything including her work life.  I really liked how faith forward her character was. Because of growing up in Israel and her skill with the languages there, she is now working for an Atlanta law firm when she is asked to be co-counsel on a case that a secular Jewish lawyer, Jakob Brodsky,  is trying to pursue for one of his clients, a man who's wife was killed and daughter injured in a act of terrorism while on holiday in Jerusalem.  As the case progresses, they realize they will need help and Hanna pursues hiring an investigator who will help them on the Middle East side of digging out the truth.   As she and Jakob try to juggle their working relationship events in Atalanta start to look like there might be a connection to the case they are working on.     The story was good though I felt the romantic part of the story didn't ring quite true for me.  There was some aspects of that relationship that just felt rushed.  But other than that I found it interesting learning about relations between the Arab and Israeli parts of the Holy Land, reading about different areas and attractions of Israel and how laws affect pursuing justice in acts of terrorism. I loved the exploration of being chosen for a greater purpose both in the sense of the Jewish people and in a personal way and enjoyed Jakob's growth within the story. If you like legal thrillers with lots of action and light romances this would be a great read, though if reading about terrorism is a trigger for you, I would have to add a caution as this book does not shy away from it's plans and effects.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for providing a copy free of charge for my honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.

Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan ~ Book Tour and Review

Publisher's Description:
In a most improbable friendship, she found love. In a world where women were silenced, she found her voice. From New York Times bestselling author Patti Callahan comes an exquisite novel of Joy Davidman, the woman C. S. Lewis called “my whole world.” When poet and writer Joy Davidman began writing letters to C. S. Lewis—known as Jack—she was looking for spiritual answers, not love. Love, after all, wasn’t holding together her crumbling marriage. Everything about New Yorker Joy seemed ill-matched for an Oxford don and the beloved writer of Narnia, yet their minds bonded over their letters. Embarking on the adventure of her life, Joy traveled from America to England and back again, facing heartbreak and poverty, discovering friendship and faith, and against all odds, finding a love that even the threat of death couldn’t destroy. In this masterful exploration of one of the greatest love stories of modern times, we meet a brilliant writer, a fiercely independent mother, and a passionate woman who changed the life of this respected author and inspired books that still enchant us and change us. Joy lived at a time when women weren’t meant to have a voice—and yet her love for Jack gave them both voices they didn’t know they had. At once a fascinating historical novel and a glimpse into a writer’s life, Becoming Mrs. Lewis is above all a love story—a love of literature and ideas and a love between a husband and wife that, in the end, was not impossible at all.

My Thoughts:  
I am having a difficult time reviewing this book.  I was excited and very interested in the story of Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis.  I had watched Shadowlands years and years ago and vaguely remembered some of it so thought this book might be a great way to learn about first their pen pal relationship, then friendship, then love.  Unfortunately, it was everything else surrounding their story that finally made me set aside this book at 3/4 of the way through.  I just didn't care enough to push through to the end.  The pace in the book was very slow and because I didn't really know their story, I found it mentally tiring trying to separate the fact from fiction or the fleshing out of the story.   I felt the author did a ton of research into the topic and that she really gave a voice to Davidman who was a gifted author herself, but because of the times and circumstances of her life found herself struggling to find her place.  Joy Davidman did not have an easy life.  I enjoyed reading excerpts of Lewis and Davidman's correspondence and quotes from Lewis.  And the description of how the idea of Narnia and it's characters and story was most interesting.  The descriptions of England and it's countryside and Oxford were lovely and made me really want to visit that country.  That being said the circumstances surrounding their story and the way it was written read very much like a worldly novel to me.   Don't get me wrong, I read all sorts of genres beyond Christian fiction, but when I pick up a Christian fiction book, I have certain expectations.  I think that had the book been a memoir or biography I would have approached it from a different mindset as an actual factual read and would have thought nothing of it.  But because it is labeled as fiction and from a Christian publishing company, I found myself mentally tiring  and bogging down trying to sort what might have been actual fact and what was the author fleshing out the story.  Even if it had been a mainstream novel from a mainstream publishing house I would have approached it differently.  I found way too much detail surrounding circumstances that I was not expecting in my choice of Christian fiction.  And the amount of alcohol and drinking portrayed in the story not only on the part of Davidman's alcoholic husband but also on the part of Davidman herself was too much for me in a "christian fiction" novel.  Hence, I feel that for me, the story would have been better served as a non-fiction biography.  I also found the pace very slow.  The reviews by others seem to be divided down the center and leave it as a book you either love or not with not many reviews in the middle, but for me, I'm sorry to say, it was not my cup of tea.  It's one of those books where one would have to read it themselves to make up their own minds about it.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for providing a copy free of charge for my honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.

The House at Saltwater Point by Colleen Coble ~ Book Tour and Review

Publisher's Description:  
The dangerous beauty of Lavender Tides is harboring secrets that reach around the world. Ellie Blackmore is making a name for herself as a house flipper. But when her sister Mackenzie disappears, Ellie can’t focus on anything but uncovering what happened. Her only clue is the bloodstain on the deck of Mackenzie’s boat. Ellie knows her sister isn’t on the best of terms with her ex-husband, Jason, but he wouldn’t kill her—would he? Coast Guard intelligence officer Grayson Bradshaw believes Mackenzie faked her own death after stealing a seized cocaine shipment. The problem is convincing Ellie, who seems to view him as the true enemy. Both Ellie and Grayson want truth, but truth—and family—is often more complex than it first appears. From international terrorism to the peaceful lavender fields of Puget Sound, The House at Saltwater Point is a thrilling race to uncover the truth before it’s too late.



My Thoughts:  
The is the 2nd installment in the Lavender Tides Novel series.  Though it is part of a series it can be a stand alone novel.  Some favorite main characters from the first book make an appearance but you don't have to know their full story to "get" this one.  There is also a character introduced who was barely made mention of in the first book, but again the author gave enough background that you got their story without having had to have read the first.  Though that being said I loved the first book, "The View From Rainshadow Bay",  so was looking forward to this one.   The element of Ellie Blackmore flipping houses for a living was interesting as it is such a popular thing right now on a lot of tv channels, and the author opened each chapter with a quote from the character's renovation blog which was an ambiguous reference to the coming chapter.   There was a lot of action, a smidge of romance and a well done exploration of family loyalty and personal history affecting how a person will react.  The characters are well developed but I must say at first the character of Grayson I found most annoying and presumptuous.  Though I enjoyed the action and suspense and the story in general in the back of my mind I kinda wondered if I thought it believable.  But it was a great summer beach read that took me away to another place and kept the pages turning to the end.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for providing a free copy for my honest review.  All thoughts and opinons are my own and I wasn't required to give a positive review.

Where Hope Begins by Catherine West ~ Book Tour and Review

Publisher's Description:
Sometimes we’re allowed to glimpse the beauty within the brokenness . . . Savannah Barrington has always found solace at her parents’ lake house in the Berkshires, and it’s the place that she runs to when her husband of over twenty years leaves her. Though her world is shaken, and the future uncertain, she finds hope through an old woman’s wisdom, a little girl’s laughter, and a man who’s willing to risk his own heart to prove to Savannah that she is worthy of love. But soon Savannah is given a challenge she can’t run away from: Forgiving the unforgivable. Amidst the ancient gardens and musty bookstores of the small town she’s sought refuge in, she must reconcile with the grief that haunts her, the God pursuing her, and the wounds of the past that might be healed after all. Where Hope Begins is the story of grace in the midst of brokenness, pointing us to the miracles that await when we look beyond our own expectations.


My Thoughts:
Oh boy where do I begin.  I finished this book yesterday and my mind and heart are still mulling it over and dealing with all the emotions it evokes.  This story is so relevant to this day and age where so many families are devastated by the chaos that marital and family betrayal brings.  It dealt with some heavy duty topics:  adultery, marriage break up, loss of a child, suicide, guilt, worthiness, forgiveness.  The family in this story was facing some major issues.  Tragedy, that instead of drawing them closer, was driving them apart as they tried to cope.  There were some light moments, some heart breaking moments, some very, very difficult moments and yet the story was infused with hope.  I felt the reactions, emotions and struggles of the each of the characters was written very real.  I loved that the author didn't try to pretty up and skirt around the pain and not only showed the heartbreak and raw feelings of the parents but also of what the teenager and young adult child were going through.  I was the young adult  many years ago and this story resurfaced many, many feelings that I went through so I know they were written very honest and legitimate.  The characters and their reactions were very real and not perfect as they struggled to make sense of what happened and how to move forward and to face the grief that they had never really dealt with. I loved the symbolism of the broken down, seemingly dead green house and how that became a place of hope and looking beyond the obvious for Savannah.  In real life, I think the characters would have had to take much more time to work things through but for the sake of the story the timeline did move quickly.  (Otherwise you would end up with a very long tome).  There is some physical feelings  between husband and wife that are added for those who are sensitive to that in their reading material but I felt they were done tastefully and it is definitely part of what a couple experiencing this would go through.There is great questions in the back and this whole book would make for a great book club read, both Christian and non-believer, as there is so much that could be discussed.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for sending this book free of charge for my honest review.  All opinions and thoughts are my own and I am not required to give a positive review.

I gave this book a 9/10 rating but for BookLook Blogger purposes they rate out of 5 and don't have 1/2 point ratings so I bumped it to the 5 on their site because of it's honest portrayal.

Send Down the Rain by Charles Martin ~ Book Tour and Review

Publisher's Description:
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Mountain Between Us comes a new, spellbinding story of buried secrets, lost love, and the promise of second chances.

 Allie is still recovering from the loss of her family’s beloved waterfront restaurant on Florida’s Gulf Coast when she loses her second husband to a terrifying highway accident. Devastated and losing hope, she shudders to contemplate the future—until a cherished person from her past returns. Joseph has been adrift for many years, wounded in both body and spirit and unable to come to terms with the trauma of his Vietnam War experiences. Just as he resolves to abandon his search for peace and live alone at a remote cabin in the Carolina mountains, he discovers a mother and her two small children lost in the forest. A man of character and strength, he instinctively steps in to help them get back to their home in Florida. There he will return to his own hometown—and witness the accident that launches a bittersweet reunion with his childhood sweetheart, Allie. When Joseph offers to help Allie rebuild her restaurant, it seems the flame may reignite—until a 45-year-old secret from the past begins to emerge, threatening to destroy all hope for their second chance at love.

 In Send Down the Rain, Charles Martin proves himself to be a storyteller of great wisdom and compassion who bears witness to the dreams we cherish, the struggles we face, and the courage we must summon when life seems to threaten what we hold most dear.


My Thoughts:
Once again Charles Martin has written a story that touched all my emotions and had me invested in the characters.  It's a beautiful story of lost dreams, great sacrifice, worthiness, PTSD, forgiveness, and the struggle of good and evil.  And as always there is a beautiful thread of redemption that all his stories carry.   And that is a lot to pack into one story but he managed to do it.   The story grabbed me in the very beginning and then kept hold of my interest and emotions right on through.  At first there is quite a few story lines being laid but it all starts to come together and presents the story of a Vietnam vet who despite everything he's seen and experienced and his longing to hide himself away, steps up when he comes across someone in need.  Charles Martin is my favorite author and once again he's proven why.  His stories just do something in my heart, make me really think and feel, his prose is lovely and I can't pick up another book for a few days while I mull over everything I just read.  The sentences and statements he makes throughout the book about forgiveness, good vs evil, and worthiness just took my breath away at times.  Highly recommend.

I rated this a 9.5/10   (Because Booklook does their star rating out of 5 and does not have a half star I will round it up to a 5 on their rating system)

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for sending me a free copy for my honest opinion.  All thoughts are my own and I'm not required to write a positive review.

Hurricane Season by Lauren K. Denton ~ Book Tour and Review

Publisher's Description:
From the author of the USA TODAY bestseller "The Hideaway" comes a new story about families and mending the past. Betsy and Ty Franklin, owners of Franklin Dairy Farm in southern Alabama, have long since buried their desire for children of their own. While Ty manages their herd of dairy cows, Betsy busies herself with the farm’s day-to-day operations and tries to forget her dream of motherhood. But when her free-spirited sister, Jenna, drops off her two young daughters for “just two weeks,” Betsy’s carefully constructed wall of self-protection begins to crumble. As the two weeks stretch deeper into the Alabama summer, Betsy and Ty learn to navigate the new additions in their world—and revel in the laughter that now fills their home. Meanwhile, record temperatures promise to usher in the most active hurricane season in decades. Attending an art retreat four hundred miles away, Jenna is fighting her own battles. She finally has time and energy to focus on her photography, a lifelong ambition. But she wonders how her rediscovered passion can fit in with the life she’s made back home as a single mom. When Hurricane Ingrid aims a steady eye at the Alabama coast, Jenna must make a decision that will change her family’s future, even as Betsy and Ty try to protect their beloved farm and their hearts. Hurricane Season is the story of one family’s unconventional journey to healing—and the relationships that must be mended along the way.


My Thoughts:
The first thing that drew me to this book was the cover, it's just gorgeous.  The second was that it is a story of sisters.  I'm always up for a good sister story.  There are many dynamics that come into play in the relationships that sisters have and this story touched on so many of them.  The deep bond of not only being sisters but also being the only two siblings within a family,  the perceived or not favortism of the parents, the responsible older sister compared with the wild child younger sister all play into where they are in their lives.  Betsy was a character who I could relate to, being the older sister.  Both sisters have some issues from their past that affects how they relate to one another and to the world around them.   I thought that their characters were quite realistic in that they both had good qualities and yet had flaws arising from the hurt in their lives that caused some questionable decision making.  The author was able to  involve my emotions toward them in one way or another.  The corresponding story of the building hurricane and the swirling events happening in their lives really kept me engaged as I wondered if it all would just blow over or whether there would be devastation, either on land or in hearts. I liked the character development of all the main characters in this story and really liked the how the supporting characters were written.   Though there was not a big element of faith to the story it was a nice, clean, touching contemporary story of the relationship of sisters and overcoming shattered hopes and dreams that I really enjoyed.  I would recommend it if you like a contemporary story about sisters, lost dreams, or hope.

I gave this a 9/10.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for sending me a free copy for review.  All opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.

The View from Rainshadow Bay by Colleen Coble ~ Book Tour and Review

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Publisher Description:
"Prepare to stay up all night with Colleen Coble. Coble's beautiful, emotional prose coupled with her keen sense of pacing, escalating danger, and very real characters place her firmly at the top of the suspense genre. I could not put this book down." --Allison Brennan, New York Times bestselling author of Shattered

 After her husband, Jack, dies in a climbing incident, Shauna has only her five-year-old son and her helicopter charter business to live for. Every day is a struggle to make ends meet and she lives in constant fear of losing even more than she already has. When her business partner is murdered, his final words convince Shauna that she’s in danger too. But where can she turn? Zach Bannister was her husband’s best friend and is the person she blames for his death. She’s barely spoken to him since. But right now he seems her only hope for protecting her son. Zach is only too happy to assuage his guilt over Jack’s death by helping Shauna any way he can. But there are secrets involved dating back to Shauna’s childhood that more than one person would prefer to stay hidden.

 In The View from Rainshadow Bay, suspense, danger, and a longing to love again ignite amid the gorgeous lavender fields of Washington State.

My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this latest from Colleen Coble.  It's the first in a new series called Lavender Tides set in Washington state and I'm looking forward to more.  I think it might be my favorite that I've read from her.  And can I just pause to mention the gorgeous cover?  So pretty.  The story is a page turner for sure, but what really made it good for me was that it wasn't just a murder suspense mystery but that it had depth to it and  involved my emotions as the characters struggled through their grief at losing a young husband, father and friend.  The way they were written was really good and very believable.  Though there is an element of romance to the story as is in all the author's mysteries, it didn't take over the story and it didn't make me roll my eyes at an "insta-love" element.  The ones involved had known each other many years and I found the development of their attraction sweet and probably quite natural.  As for the mystery I was really drawn in and couldn't put the book down in a lot of  the parts.  It paced really well to keep me turning those pages.  A few unanswered questions at the end set the book up nicely for the next in the series.

I give this book a good 9/10 using my rating stars that I've done for years.  (Though on the BookLook site it's out of 5 stars with no halfers so on their site I will give it the 5 stars rather than the 4)

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for sending me a free copy for my honest review.  All thoughts are my own and I'm not required to give a good review.

Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent ~ book tour and review

Publisher's Description:

Soon to be a Major Motion Picture
 A dangerous, homeless drifter who grew up picking cotton in virtual slavery. An upscale art dealer accustomed to the world of Armani and Chanel. A gutsy woman with a stubborn dream. A story so incredible no novelist would dare dream it.

 It begins outside a burning plantation hut in Louisiana . . . and an East Texas honky-tonk . . . and, without a doubt, inside the heart of God. It unfolds at a Hollywood hacienda . . . an upscale New York gallery . . . a downtown dumpster . . . a Texas ranch. Gritty with betrayal, pain, and brutality, it also shines with an unexpected, life-changing love.

 Bonus material in this special movie edition includes: A new epilogue with updates on the authors since the release of the original book; The amazing story behind the movie, how it got made, and the incredible experiences while filming in Jackson, MS; 16 page color photo insert from the movie set.


My Thoughts:
I've been wanting to read this book for years and when the movie came out this year I made a point of getting to it. What an incredible true story it is. It challenged my faith, challenged me in how I am obedient to what I think God is trying to say, challenged me in how I view the homeless and even in my attitudes to volunteering. Deborah Hall had a heart for the homeless of Fort Worth, Texas and when she talked her husband into going with her to volunteer at the Mission serving lunch, he never imagined how it would change their lives. Deborah had a dream of a very poor homeless man changing the city and the day he walked into the shelter she knew God had big plans. But the only trouble was the man, Denver, wanted nothing to do with anybody. He was big and he was mean and everybody gave him a wide berth. But God had a plan and Deborah was courageous, persistent and determined. This is their story.

The story reads easy and draws you right in causing to take a look at where your own heart is and asks the question "whom is God trying to tell you to show love too and what are you doing about it?".  What I really loved about their story was it tore down the preconceived notion that this is a story of how a rich white man changed the life of a poor down and out black man, it is also the story of how that poor black man changed the life of the rich white man.  This is also the movie edition so there is an interesting section on the making of the movie.

 Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for providing me with a free copy for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.

Home All Along by Beth Wiseman ~ Book Tour and Review

Publisher's Description:
Charlotte, an Englisher, is living in Amish Country, and she has formed strong and lasting bonds with the people in her new community. She has even fallen in love with an Amish man. But just when she is considering a permanent conversion to the Amish way of life, her world crashes around her. An unexpected death and a mysterious visitor unsettle Charlotte, and she begins to question her faith and her choices. Daniel loves Charlotte and wants to share his life with her, even it if means leaving the only world he’s ever known. But as he walks alongside of her through her struggles, his own world is turned upside down when a loved one receives a grim medical diagnosis and a prodigal relative returns home. Will Charlotte and Daniel’s relationship succumb to the many pressures around them, or will their faith and the strong community around them allow them to weather the storms of their own lives in order to build a life together?


My Thoughts:
This is book 3 in the "An Amish Secrets Novel".  I reviewed book 1 here.  I didn't read book 2 but I didn't feel lost at all in the 3rd book continuiing Charlotte's story.  I really like the author's portrayal of real life tough stuff  in this series and especially this book.  This was not a fluffy Amish romance.  Though there was a love story involved, there were some strong story lines of life's crisis' and hard decisions both from an "Englisher" perspective and an Amish perspective wrapped around Charlotte and Daniel's love story.  I like that the author took these head on without trying to downplay them or the struggles with faith that they bring.  The characters had to really work through the issues and I thought she did this well from both perspectives.  Though not an action filled book it really drew me with the characters, their journeys, the honesty of emotions and where God fits into it all.  Nice finish to the series.   I already bought book 2 and will read that later in the year.   I know, out of order but I want to see what the second adds.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions were my own and I wasn't required to write a positive review.

Beneath Copper Falls by Colleen Coble ~ Book Review & Tour

Publisher's Description:  

Dana has already learned that love isn’t safe . . . but could it be different in Rock Harbor? As a 911 dispatcher, Dana Newell takes pride in being calm in tough circumstances. In addition to her emotionally-charged career, she’s faced enough emergencies in her own life. She recently escaped her abusive fiancé to move to tranquil Rock Harbor where she hopes life will be more peaceful. But the idyllic town hides more danger and secrets than it first appeared. Dana is continually drawn to her new friend Boone, who has scars inside and out. Then she answers a call at her job only to hear a friend’s desperate screams on the other end. Soon the pain in her past collides with the mysteries of her new home—and threatens to keep her from the future she’s always wanted.


My Thoughts:

This book is revisits the Rock Harbor series, a popular series by Colleen Coble,  which was written a few years back, something that I didn't realize when I requested it for review.  I hadn't read the prior series but I feel this book can be a stand alone and you don't have to read any of the others before you dive into this one.  There were only a couple instances when descriptions of minor characters to this story confused me a bit and I felt those descriptions of who was related to who didn't really need to be in there to make the story flow or come together.

That being said Beneath Copper Falls was a fast paced, edge of your seat murder mystery mixed with romance.  But it is not a fluffy read at all.  Along with the aspects of abuse, stalking and serial killers in the mystery, it also looks at deep heart issues like focusing on outward appearances and how they can be in direct contradiction to what the heart of a person really is.  How do we deal with things we don't like in ourselves especially when life seems to constantly be throwing us curve balls and how do we face what has shaped us and how to go on from there?

I really like the character of Dana as she tries to get her life back together while on the run from an abusive fiance.  To get away from him she heads back to where she feels she'll have some safety and support living with her adoptive brother and in the town where she grew up and has some friends.  But it seems trouble follows her no matter where she heads and just when she doesn't need it the past starts to rear it's ugly head.  I'll not lie, I found some of abusive parts very difficult to read as well as the actual deaths involved in the story and it may be a trigger for some who have been through situations like that.  I can usually handle that and just take it as part of the story but this one touched something in me and it was hard.  But Dana's story drew me in as she tried to deal with the feelings that came as everything was happening.    I liked the exploration into how we face things or bury them and how either way it shapes who we are and how we handle things.  I also liked the look into the work lives of 911 dispatchers and the training of search and rescue dogs.  Both careers that I didn't know much about.   The ending wrapped up a bit abruptly for me but still enjoyed this page turner.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for a free copy of this book for my honest review.  I wasn't required to write a positve review and all thoughts are my own.

The Memory of You by Catherine West ~ Book Tour and Review

Publisher's Description: 
Thirteen years ago, Natalie lost a part of herself when her twin sister died. Will traveling back to the family winery finally put the memory to rest, or will it completely destroy her?

 When Natalie Mitchell learns her beloved grandfather has had a heart attack, she’s forced to return to their family-owned winery in Sonoma, something she never intended to do. She’s avoided her grandparents’ sprawling home and all its memories since the summer her sister died—the awful summer Natalie’s nightmares began. But the winery is failing, and Natalie’s father wants her to shut it down. As the majority shareholder, she has the power to do so. And Natalie never says no to her father.

 Tanner Collins, the vintner on Maoilios, is trying to salvage a bad season and put the Mitchell family’s winery back in business. When Natalie Mitchell shows up, Tanner sees his future about to be crushed. Natalie intends to close the gates, unless he can convince her otherwise. But the Natalie he remembers from childhood is long gone, and he’s not so sure he likes the woman she’s become. Still, the haunted look she wears hints at secrets he wants to unearth. He soon discovers that on the night her sister died, the real Natalie died too. And Tanner must do whatever it takes to resurrect her. But finding freedom from the past means facing it.

My Thoughts:
I loved this story.  It captured me right from the first pages and totally had my emotions invested into the characters all throughout the book.  The setting is beautiful, the Sonoma wine valley,  and the author's descriptions made me picture it clearly in my mind's eye.  The two main characters  are both dealing with tragic circumstances that have changed who they are and their struggles came across as authentic and well written.  Right from the get-go I felt for Natalie's pain and vulnerability as the life-long struggle with the death of her sister so many years before comes back full force after a negative event in her adult life.   As her life starts to spiral her father decides she should go back to the very place her pain began, her grandfather's  home and winery, with the mandate to shut it down.  Because her grandmother bequeathed her the majority of shares in the winery, Natalie hopes to see if she could improve on it and not close it's doors.  But she must go against her father to that.  And after spending her growing up years and her adult life trying to please her father, Natalie doesn't know if she has the strength to go against him.   As she comes face to face with a combative, defensive and angry vintner, who just happens to be a crush from her childhood and  who believes she is about to put him out of a job, you can't help but hope she can hold it together.   I must admit I struggled a bit to like Tanner at first until his story started to unfold and you saw the place of pain he was operating from.  The secondary characters were all nicely developed too.   As the story peals back it's many layers it deals with loss, guilt, secrets, family dynamics, depression,  facing the past and moving forward, forgiveness, faith and love.  I found it multi-layered and rich with a satisfying ending.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for a free copy for review.  I was not required to give a positive review.

Some Small Magic by Billy Coffey ~ Book Tour and Review

Publisher's Description:
All Abel wants is a little bit of magic in his life. Enough money so his mom doesn’t cry at night. Healing for his broken body. And maybe a few answers about his past. When Abel discovers letters to him from the father he believed dead, he wonders if magic has come to the hills of Mattingly, Virginia, after all. But not everything is as it seems. With a lot of questions and a little bit of hope, Abel decides to run away to find the truth. But danger follows him from the moment he jumps his first boxcar, forcing Abel to rely on his simpleminded friend Willie—a man wanted for murder who knows more about truth than most—and a beautiful young woman they met on the train. From Appalachia to the Tennessee wilds and through the Carolina mountains, the name of a single small town beckons: Fairhope. That is where Abel believes his magic lays. But will it be the sort that will bring a broken boy healing? And is it the magic that will one day lead him home?

My Thoughts:
Have you ever read a book where you just didn't know how you felt about it or what to say about it?  Well, turns out this is one of those reads for me.  Parts I really liked and others not so much.  The description sounded interesting, a bit out of the genres I usually tend to gravitate towards .

After reading it, I would have to say I don't know if I would list this as Christian fiction.   It has as a smidge of faith element to it but I would  not call it a biblical based story.  If I had approached it this way, rather than expecting more of a faith based read because of who published it, I think I might have enjoyed it a touch better.  But I kept waiting for more of a biblical foundation to come through, at least a conclusion that would wrap it up or bring it to biblical truth.

I found there were parts that captured me, where I couldn't put it down and then other parts that tended to the tedious side and I found myself skimming the pages.  The friendship struck between Abel who was a young boy born to poverty, raised by a single parent and living each day with a disease that caused his bones to break very easily and the young adult who was mentally disabled was beautiful.  How they supported each other was heartwarming and inspiring as goals of friendship. I had to really push past the name given to this character however,  as I found it offensive to this day and age and my own sensibilities.  The character was a simple-minded man because of events that occurred when he was small and he was called Dumb Willie by those who knew him.  For the setting, I understood this and got that the attitude towards him was being established, but then to keep on referring to him as such through the whole story, even by his best friend, was really hard for me to get past, especially with my own experience working  with mentally impaired children.  The portrayal of brokenness and the different ways brokenness manifests in people's lives was also really well written.  But the comparisons, or maybe the right word is references,  of faith, miracles and magic and the whole premise of the story just didn't sit quite right with me.    This made the telling of the story just a bit too long for me but that could be because with this type of story, rather than relaxing and enjoying it I feel like I always have my discerning feelers up and working.  Was it a bad story?  No,  not if I was expecting just a fantasy or magical kind of story.  But because I was expecting  something more based on a biblical foundation it didn't connect with me and was just not my cup of tea.  I can see it being turned into a movie though.


Thanks to BookLook Bloggers and Thomas Nelson for providing a copy free of charge for my honest review.  I was not required to give a positive review.

Linked to Semicolon's Saturday Review of Books

Because You're Mine by Colleen Coble ~ Book Tour & Review

Publisher's Description
Alanna has been plagued by tragedy. So it should come as no surprise that in the beauty that surrounds Charleston, all is not as it seems. When her husband is killed by a car bomb while their band is on tour in Charleston, Alanna doesn’t know where to turn. Her father-in-law is threatening to take custody of the baby she carries, but the one thing she knows for sure is that she can’t lose the last piece of Liam she has left. Their manager offers her a marriage of convenience to gain her U.S. citizenship and allow her to escape her father-in-law’s control. It seems like the perfect solution . . . but her doubts begin almost as soon as she arrives at Barry’s family home, a decaying mansion surrounded by swamp. To make matters worse, Liam’s best friend survived the car bomb. She’s never really liked Jesse and now she can’t seem to get away from him. When he takes Liam’s place in their band, it’s almost more than she can bear. But then things start happening. Things that could easily cost Alanna her life—or the life of her unborn child. Are they merely coincidences? Or is there something much more sinister at work?


My Thoughts
This story had a bit of everything.  It's a contemporary mystery thriller.  It wasn't my absolute fave from this author but I still enjoyed the book and it still held enough for me to keep the pages turning and was a solid tension filled read.  It was a bit of a darker and creepier story than most of her mysteries and there were things about it that I loved but a few things that left me with a few questions.

The basic story was really interesting to me as we walked through the heartache of what Alanna deals with in the aftermath of the accident and then finding out it was a bomb that killed her husband.  Her and her husband's love was sweetly written and it was nice to see marriage positively portrayed even amongst the music industry.   The story touches upon struggling with one's faith and anger towards God after a tragedy though I would not really call this an overtly Christian novel and I would have liked to have seen that explored a bit more.  I loved the Irish theme woven into it through the main characters.  It is mostly set in Charleston, South Carolina but does go back to Ireland a bit.  I enjoyed the Irish brogue because it wasn't overly done and didn't leave me googling definitions of words or phrases as other books have done when they use another language.   As Alanna's background is unfolded reading of the "travellers" or Irish gypsies was interesting too.   I did think some of the story parts were a little rushed and left me with questions and would have like to have seen those fleshed out a bit better and though I guessed parts of the story about 3/4 of the way there was more to the story that kept me going right until the end.

This novel would be enjoyed by those who like a clean psychological thriller.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for providing the book free of charge for my honest review.  All opinions expressed are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.

Linked with Semicolon Saturday Review of Books.

Long Way Gone by Charles Martin ~ Book Tour and Review

Publisher Description:

“No matter where you go, no matter whether you succeed or fail, stand or fall, no gone is too far gone. You can always come home.”

 At the age of eighteen, musician and songwriter Cooper O’Connor took everything his father held dear and drove 1,200 miles from home to Nashville, his life riding on a six-string guitar and the bold wager that he had talent. But his wager soon proved foolish. Five years after losing everything, he falls in love with Daley Cross, an angelic voice in need of a song. But just as he realizes his love for Daley, Cooper faces a tragedy that threatens his life as well as his career. With nowhere else to go, he returns home to the remote Colorado mountains, searching for answers about his father and his faith. When Daley shows up on his street corner twenty years later, he wonders if it’s too late to tell her the truth about his past—and if he is ready to face it himself.

 A radical retelling of the prodigal son story, Long Way Gone takes us from tent revivals to the Ryman Auditorium to the tender relationship between a broken man and the father who never stopped calling him home.

My Thoughts:
This story was so good.  Charles Martin has a really unique way of starting a story off and then weaving the past into the present, telling the story in layers that the reader must fold back.  This story had me wanting to keep turning the pages a quick as I could read to find out how this telling played out and yet it's the kind of storytelling that I also want to take my time with and savor because of the lovely writing and the depth within it.


Most of us, especially in Christian circles, knows the story of the prodigal son.  This story sets it into modern times and it totally worked and made it fresh and relatable not just for the church goer but for anyone who loves a great story about broken families.  I especially enjoyed the many quotable moments about music and it's place in life.   The story set in contemporary times brought a real understanding of the prodigal son story and God's love for those gone astray.  The depth of feeling, compassion and understanding for both the father and the son that the author was able to bring out in me surprised me and there were many tear filled moments for me throughout.  I totally could see myself many times in Cooper's character, and I totally was broken for the father.  The part where the son leaves felt like I'd been literally punched.  After this story, I think I have a new understanding of the prodigal that wasn't there before and a fresh new understanding of the love God has towards us.  Worth reading as always with Charles Martin books is his author's notes.  It really lets you into his heart for writing the story.

This is a story that I know I will be rereading and I would highly recommend it.  I know it's going to be a go to gift this Christmas for the readers on my list.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers and Thomas Nelson for providing me a free copy for my honest review.  All opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.

Twilight at Blueberry Barrens by Colleen Coble ~ Book Tour & Review

Publisher Description:
“I need you to keep these girls safe . . .”

 Kate Mason has devoted herself to caring for her family’s blueberry barrens. But after her fields stop producing fruit, she’s forced to come up with alternative ways to make a living. Renting out the small cottage on her property seems an obvious choice, but it won’t be enough. When entrepreneur Drake Newham shows up looking not only for a place to rent but also for a nanny for his two nieces, it’s almost too good to be true. And maybe it is—because Drake brings with him dangerous questions about who might be out to kill his family. The more time Kate spends with Drake and the girls, the more difficult it becomes to hide her attraction to him. But a family crisis isn’t exactly the ideal time to pursue a romance.

 Meanwhile, Kate learns that her uncle—in prison for murder—has escaped. Add to that a stalker who won’t leave her alone, and Kate is looking over her shoulder at every turn. With threats swirling from multiple directions, she wonders if her blueberry fields will ever flourish again . . . or if this twilight is her last. Set on the beautiful coast of Maine, Twilight at Blueberry Barrens brings together suspense, romance, and the hope that one day new life will come again.


My Thoughts:
This is Book 3 in the Sunset Cove Novel series.  And Colleen Coble has produced another suspense filled page turner.  With favorite characters from the other two books plus a few new ones she takes us into the life of Kate Mason to explore what we let define who we are.   With Kate's troubled past and life threatening illness which she overcame, she is struggling to see herself as someone who is worth knowing and loving and tends to see herself through her past.  With a newly developing relationship with a twin sister she never knew she had until recently, she is finally starting to have a positive influence in her life.  I loved how her sister was her biggest cheerleader yet was able to be totally honest with her.

This story has some of everything making it complex and interesting;  tension and suspense, mystery, crime and romance all blend wonderfully into a great mix.  It can be read as a stand alone very well, but my opinion is it is so much better to have read the first two so that the reader can know  and understand the backgrounds and richness of the relationships.   Though references are made to things that happened in the other books they weren't to terribly detailed and might raise a few questions for the new reader of just this book.   It however, doesn't affect the story telling to the point of the reader being confused as to what is happening in this installment.  I must admit I found the stalker aspect of the story totally creepy but it added to the atmosphere of tension.   If you are at all sensitive to that kind of thing you might want to know it is in there.   It was a definite page turner and I had it read in a few days.  One small thing I found mildly annoying about the book was that it had several instances of product placement which made the sentences they were in sound a bit  "unnatural" to me, but that was easy enough to get past.  As usual, this author has an absolute wonderful ability to describe the area the story is placed and make you feel like you are right there.  It was nice to revisit the area of Folly Shoals and Maine in this story.  If you like the contemporary suspense romance genre you can't go wrong with this series.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers and Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing this book free of charge for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions were my own and I'm not required to give a positive review.

The Things We Knew by Catherine West ~ Book Review

Publisher's Description: 
When their tragic past begins to resurface, can he help her remember the things she can’t?

 After her mother’s death twelve years ago, Lynette Carlisle watched her close-knit family unravel. One by one, her four older siblings left their Nantucket home and never returned. All seem to blame their father for their mother’s death, but nobody will talk about that tragic day. And Lynette’s memory only speaks through nightmares.

 Then Nicholas Cooper returns to Nantucket, bringing the past with him. Once Lynette’s adolescent crush, Nick knows more about her mother’s death than he lets on. The truth could tear apart his own family—and destroy his fragile friendship with Lynette, the woman he no longer thinks of as a kid sister.

 As their father’s failing health and financial concerns bring the Carlisle siblings home, secrets surface that will either restore their shattered relationships or separate the siblings forever. But pulling up anchor on the past propels them into the perfect storm, powerful enough to make them question their faith, their willingness to forgive, and the very truth of all the things they thought they knew.

My Thoughts:
I found this a very readable, engaging contemporary story.  It is definitely packed with family drama as each sibling faces dysfunctional aspects to their lives because of the death of their mother.  All but Lynette have taken off to make lives for themselves but Lynette has never been able to bring herself to leave and now she is faced with an ailing father, the family home falling apart around her and the stress of being the only financial contributor to the upkeep of the huge home. When she goes into the bank to try to get a loan she comes face to face with an old family friend and her teenage crush, Nick.  And he doesn't have good news for her.  The only option he sees for her is to sell the crumbling family home.  As the family gathers in Nantucket to deal with this, a stipulation in their mother's will, they must each have to face these dysfunctions and deal with questions surrounding their mother's death.  Lynette especially finds this difficult as she was only 12 when it happened and she can't remember anything and no one will talk about it which frustrates her to no end.  And now she is having dreams and nightmares and her paintings are taking a turn that is scaring her, so she is struggling to comprehend what it all means.

The story was well written in my viewpoint, it certainly kept me turning the pages.  I really felt for Lynette as the youngest of the family, being essentially left behind by the others, and having to deal with her dad's illness and the financial issues on her own.  The added stress of her mother's death and her lack of remembrance about it felt very real in the story.  I also loved how the author wove the other siblings issues into the story so naturally.  On the surface their lives all looked pretty good but each was dealing with huge repercussions with what happened so many years ago to their mother.

Nick's character also brings with it an air of mystery.  Growing up, he and Lynette's youngest brother were the best of friends and Lynette had a teenage crush on him.  But a huge falling out between the two young men and the reason behind it still affects their relationship and throws another layer into the mystery

Even though this is Christian fiction, the faith element did not dominate the story so I think anyone who likes contemporary or family drama stories would enjoy this story.  Those who are looking for a more heavier faith element might find this light on that aspect but it still makes for a good read.


Thanks to BookLook bloggers and Thomas Nelson for sending me a free copy for my honest review.  All opinions and thoughts are my own and I'm not required to give a positive review.

The Things We Knew is available for purchase here.

Go Big or Go Home - The Journey Toward the Dream by Scotty Mcreery with Travis Thrasher ~ Review

Publisher's Description:  
It was just a simple singing competition that would be fun to audition for. Who knew what kind of doors it might open for a sixteen-year-old from Garner, North Carolina.

 Go Big or Go Home is the story of a kid with country songs in his soul. The special thing with Scotty McCreery, however, is that he has this God-given ability to sing those tunes the exact way they should be sung. Daring to enter the limelight at such a young age, Scotty finds himself embraced by the nation, and even overseas, as he competes on "American Idol". This is his journey from his North Carolina roots to winning America’s most popular singing competition and launching a musical career he had always dreamt about.

 Go Big or Go Home narrates Scotty's journey from a kid imitating Elvis on the school bus to 30 million across America tuning in to see him win Season 10 of "American Idol”. Now as he completes his ground-breaking fourth album, Scotty shares a glimpse of where he came from and the impact his faith, family and friends have had on a humbled guy who keeps asking “why me?”


My Thoughts:  
I'll be honest here, I originally ordered this book for review so that I could give it to my daughter, who is a fan. I did watch the American Idol season that he competed on and eventually went on to win. And though I really enjoyed his work on American Idol, not being a big country and western fan myself, I didn't really keep up with his career after Idol. But I was struck by what a seemingly very mature teenager he was who really seemed to have a solid relationship with Lord and wasn't afraid to show it. And he really impacted me when he apologized for not sticking up for a younger person on the show when they had been dropped from a group. I thought that took a lot of guts for such a young person to do in an every man for himself competition.

 I really enjoyed reading Scotty's story. It's written in a very conversational tone, almost like having him sitting with you talking and telling his story. I loved reading about the faith in his family and how it has passed onto him and his deep love for his hometown in North Carolina. His story really starts with how he grew up with a love for Elvis and old time country music. His audition on Idol was not because he came up with the idea but because his mother solidly believed that God gives everyone giftings and it was the job of a parent to recognize them and do everything in their power to nuture those gifts and set the child onto the road of using them. I love how throughout the book he is very humble about his whole journey considering the great success he has already had at the ripe old age of 22. His realization that it is a blessing and that it could end at any time, and how thankful he is for what he's received is prevalent throughout his story. And his love for Jesus shines through without being preachy.

 While his story itself was a joy to read, I did wish the layout of the story was a bit different. Woven throughout the story is small framed comments from different fans or people in Scotty's life. While they also were interesting to read, they are interspersed randomly in the chapters and I did find that a bit distracting as you have to stop in the middle of whatever story he's telling to read it and then continue on or back up to it after said story or paragraph or chapter. I would have much preferred those at the beginning and/or end of each chapter.

 I would recommend this story to anyone who watched his journey on Idol or who listens to or knows his music today or anyone who likes a good autobiography. It really "fleshes" out the story of a very solid, very mature young man who just desires to serve the Lord with the gift he has been given.

 Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for a free copy of this book for my honest review. I was not required to give it a positive review and all opinions are my own.

 "Go Big or Go Home" is available for purchase here.   

Sister Dear by Laura McNeill ~ Book Tour and Review

Publisher Description:  
All Allie Marshall wants is a fresh start. But when dark secrets refuse to stay buried, will her chance at a new life be shattered forever? Convicted of a crime she didn’t commit, Allie watched a decade of her life vanish – time that can never be recovered. Now, out on parole, Allie is determined to clear her name, rebuild her life, and reconnect with the daughter she barely knows. But Allie’s return home shatters the quaint, coastal community of Brunswick, Georgia. Even her own daughter Caroline, now a teenager, bristles at Allie’s claims of innocence. Refusing defeat, a stronger, smarter Allie launches a battle for the truth, digging deeply into the past even if it threatens her parole status, personal safety, and the already-fragile bond with family. As her commitment to finding the truth intensifies, what Allie ultimately uncovers is far worse than she imagined. Her own sister has been hiding a dark secret—one that holds the key to Allie’s freedom.


My Thoughts:
This is a fast paced book that has you cheering for the main character.  Though at first I thought maybe the back cover blurb (up above) may be giving too much away, it really didn't.  From it you know the sister does know something but the story turned out to take a totally different path than I thought it would. Allie's situation is sad and I really wanted her to succeed and move past the small town prejudices.  She had been in a great time of her life, engaged to the love of her life who accepted and loved her daughter, accepted into medical school, she seemed to have everything going for her.  But when the local sheriff came upon her bent over the bloody body of the beloved high school coach, she was arrested.  That she had written an editorial for the paper accusing the coach of some pretty serious things did not help her cause and she was convicted for his murder and sent to prison.  But she set her mind to survive because she had her beloved 5 year old daughter to think of.  Always maintaining her innocence, she now returns to town, paroled 6 years early, to try to take back her life.  But it is so much more difficult that she could have imagined.   And when her now teenage daughter is bristling about meeting her and is confused, demanding of her mom to prove that she is innocent, Allie has no choice but to do just that so that her daughter will once again trust her.  I really liked so many things about the story.  How it delved into the difficulty of a person just out of prison trying to start over, what things a teenager might go through with a parent just paroled and also another area of concern that I don't know how to mention without giving away some of the story.  But it was interesting and caused me to keep the pages turning.   I was much more engaged in this  mystery/psychological thriller than I was the last one.

Of note, though Thomas Nelson (a Christian publishing company) did publish this book, I would not categorize it as a "Christian" fiction.   I would just plain plunk into the contemporary suspense thriller genre.   I think anyone enjoying a good mystery filled with twists that isn't overly violently graphic in nature or dropping swears continuously would enjoy this taut, page turning read.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for providing me with a free copy for my honest review.  All thoughts and statements are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.

Mermaid Moon by Colleen Coble ~ Book Tour and Review

Publisher's Description:  
Mallory’s mother died fifteen years ago. But her father’s last words on the phone were unmistakable: “Find . . . mother.” Shame and confusion have kept Mallory Davis from her home for the last fifteen years, but when her dad mysteriously dies on his mail boat route, she doesn’t have any choice but to go back to Mermaid Point. Mallory believes her father was murdered and childhood sweetheart Kevin O’Connor, game warden in Downeast Maine, confirms her suspicions. But Kevin is wary of helping Mallory in her search. She broke his heart and left—without a word—years ago. When Mallory begins receiving threats on her own life—and her beloved teenage daughter, Haylie—their search intensifies. There’s a tangled web within the supposed murder, and it involves much more than what meets the eye. As answers begin to fall into place, Mallory realizes her search is about more than finding her father’s killer—it is also about finding herself again . . . and possibly about healing what was broken so long ago with Kevin. She just has to stay alive long enough to put all the pieces together.


My Thoughts:  This is the 2nd installment of the Sunset Cove series by Colleen Coble. (The first one "The Inn at Ocean's Edge" is reviewed here.)   Like all her contemporary books that I have read it is a suspense romance.  The mystery starts almost immediately with Mallory receiving a phone call from her father that has a confusing message for her.  But as she listens to him talk Mallory thinks her father is having a heart attack.  Her first instinct is to call Kevin, a game warden, who lives in her father's area and with whom Mallory had a relationship before she left 15 years before.  Now with her father's death Mallory must take her 14 year daughter back to Folly Shoal's and take care of her father's affairs.  It's the last thing she wants to do.  But when it's looking like her father didn't have a heart attack but was murdered she is determined to stay and find out what was going on in spite of the fact that she feels everyone is upset that she is back.

A "Mermaid Moon" refers to a pink moon that Mallory's mother, who died when she was young, used to tell her gave a mermaid the power to overcome her troubles and make a new start.  It becomes significant to the story as Mallory's story deals with guilt and shame from her past that paralyzes her future.  The story explores what happens when we can't forgive ourselves for something we've done and how it affects all our decisions.  And what do we do when that past catches up with us?  Mallory has a hard time moving forward past her mistakes and living a happy life.

The mystery was good and I never guessed the surprise twist at all.  Mallory's relationship with her teenaged daughter was totally relatable and the romantic tension between her and her ex, Kevin, was just enough without being overdone.  I enjoyed going back to the area in Maine where this story is set after the author introduced it in the first book to the series.  Her descriptions are lovely and makes me want to visit there.  One of the only criticisms I would have is that there was quite the cast of characters in this story and near the end I was getting a little mixed up as to who was who.  This was a fast paced, enjoyable "escape" read.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for providing Mermaid Moon free of charge for my honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.