Book Spotlight of The View from Rainshadow Bay by Colleen Coble

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. 

Seagrass Pier by Colleen Coble

About the book: 

In a secluded corner of Hope Beach, one woman must decipher a stranger's memories . . . before they cost her everything.

Elin Summerall was one of the lucky ones. Not only did she get a heart transplant, but the donor was a perfect fit. A miraculously perfect fit.

But when Elin begins having violent flashbacks---and vivid dreams of being strangled---she realizes that she has been the recipient of more than just a new heart . . . Elin is remembering her donor's murder.

Her strange affliction has attracted some unwanted attention: from the press, from the authorities . . . and from the killer himself. Now, living alone with her young daughter and aging mother, Elin is being stalked---by a man she's only met in her nightmares.

The police are dubious of her story, but one off-duty FBI agent is eager to help her: Agent Marc Everton, the father of Elin's daughter.

Of course, he doesn't know about that. Yet.

Now, in a remote cottage on Hope Island, Elin and Marc must probe the secrets buried in her borrowed heart. And there's no time to waste. One man is desperate to silence her---before she remembers too much.

Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/xAP8O

About the author: 

Colleen Coble has sold over 2 million novels worldwide. Seagrass Pier, the third installment in her acclaimed Hope Beach series, marks a new highpoint for emotion and complexity in Coble's addictive brand of romantic suspense.

Colleen can be found at: website,Twitter, 

My Take:  I liked this book but I did have some issues with it.  I am not sure how I feel about the whole main point of the book which is having the memories of someone else who you have gotten a donated organ from.  It did make for some very interesting reading and helped with the whole mystery of who killed the lady who Elin got her donated heart from.  I also became alittle uncomfortable with some of the romance elements.  I thought that for a Christian book that they were alittle on the border.  They didn't cross the line for me but they came close.  I read alot of non Christian books and I am exposed to alot worse than was in this book but like I said I thought it came awfully close to the line. 

All in all this was a good mystery.  I did not guess who did it until it was revealed at the end.  I felt that maybe alot was thrown at the reader at the very end of the book as that is where most of the action took place.  Even though this is the third in a series it stands alone.  

I received a review copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest opinion. 

Smitten Book Club by Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Denise Hunter, and Diann Hunter

Book Info

About the book: The century-oldGentlewoman's Guide to Love and Courtship is no ordinary book club choice. But for the little book club in Smitten, Vermont, it might be their best pick yet! The thick, leathery tome Heather pulled out of the dusty cardboard box was definitely coming home with her. Not only was The Gentlewoman's Guide to Love and Courtship an appealing curiosity by virtue of its title; it was also written by Smitten, Vermont native Pearl Chambers, a local gentlewoman from three generations back. Little did Heather know the repercussions this little curiosity would have on her and her friends' romantic exploits. When Heather and her fellow book club members begin passing the book around, their respective interpretations are unleashed on their respective love lives . . . for better or for worse. Is it a mystery? An idealist fantasy? An intimation of Jane Austen? As romantic love finds its way to each woman, the Guide proves itself both surprisingly prescient and hilariously irrelevant. What's more, a handwritten inscription indicates that the arcane book might hold the only extant clues leading to buried gold---exactly what one of the members needs to keep her house. How could they not go treasure hunting? In this remarkable collaborative novel, besties Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Denise Hunter, and Diann Hunt tackle the tale of the Gentlewoman's Guide by writing for one book club member apiece. Smitten Book Club is a hopeful, hilarious story of friendship and healing, written by friends for friends. Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/t7BO1 Meet the authors:  RITA-finalist Colleen Coble is the author of several best-selling romantic suspense novels, including Tidewater Inn, and the Mercy Falls, Lonestar, and Rock Harbor series.   Christy Award finalist and two-time winner of the ACFW Book of the Year award, Kristin Billerbeck has appeared on The Today Show and has been featured in the New York Times. Her books include A Billion Reasons Why and What a Girl Wants.   Denise Hunter is the award-winning and best-selling author of several novels, including A Cowboy's Touch and Sweetwater Gap. She and her husband are raising three boys in Indiana.  Diann Hunt has lived in Indiana forever, been happily married forever, loves her family, chocolate, her friends, her dog, and, well, chocolate. Diann lost her courageous battle with cancer in December 2013. My Take; This book is a set of 4 novellas written by four different authors all set in Smitten Vermont.  Each story is a story unto itself but each story interweaves with the other stories.  Each of the women in the stories belong to the Smitten Book club and they each have their own relationship with the current club book selection.  This is a very good book that will give you a bit of romance and alittle mystery. I received a review copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest opinion.

Rosemary Cottage by Colleen Coble

About Rosemary Cottage: Amy came to Rosemary Cottage to grieve, to heal, maybe even find love. But there's a deadly undertow of secrets around Hope Island . . .

The charming Rosemary Cottage on the beach offers Amy Lange respite she needs to mourn her brother, Ben. She's even thinking of moving her midwife practice to the Outer Banks community. It's always been a refuge for her and her family. She also wants to investigate Ben's disappearance at sea. Everyone blames a surfing accident, but Amy has reason to wonder.

Coast Guard officer Curtis Ireland has lost a sibling too. His sister, Gina, was run down by a boat, leaving him to raise her infant daughter. If anyone knew who little Raine's father was, Curtis could lose his beloved niece. Yet he can't help being drawn to Hope Beach's new midwife, Amy. He even agrees to help her investigate what happened to both Ben and Gina.

Can two grieving people with secrets find healing on beautiful Hope Island? Or will their quest for truth set them at odds with each other . . . and with those who will go to any length to keep hidden things hidden?

Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/mQ63a

Meet Colleen: Best-selling author Colleen Coble's novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, ACFW Book of the Year, RWA's RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers' Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has nearly 2 million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers and is a member of Romance Writers of America. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana.

Learn more about Colleen: http://colleencoble.com/

My Take: I have always loved Colleen Coble books and this book did not let me down.  this book had it all  , romance, suspense and thrills.  This is the second in the series but you don't have to read the first book to enjoy this book.  I would highly recommend this book if you like any of the elements I mentioned above or if you just like well told stories. 

I received a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review from LItfuse.

Secretly Smitten by Colleen Coble, Kristne Billerbeck, Dian Hunt and Denise Hunter

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About Secretly Smitten: 

 

Summer, fall, winter, spring-Smitten, Vermont, is the place for love . . . and mystery!

There's a secret in Grandma Rose's attic-a forgotten set of dog tags belonging to her first love. But David Hutchins was killed in action and never returned to Smitten. How did the dog tags end up in the attic?

The mystery intrigues Rose's three granddaughters-Tess, Clare, and Zoe-and they decide to investigate, though their mother, Anna, warns against meddling. But as the seasons turn and the mystery unravels, the three young women and their mother encounter some intriguing mystery men of their own. Has a sixty-year-old puzzle sparked something new for this close-knit family of women?

Join popular romance novelists-and real-life BFFs-Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter for four delightful intertwined tales of mystery and sweet intrigue.

 

Link to buy the book: http://ow.ly/gM679     

 

Meet "The Gals":  

  

 RITA-finalist Colleen Coble is the author of several best-selling romantic suspense novels, including "Tidewater Inn", and the Mercy Falls, Lonestar, and Rock Harbor series. * Christy Award finalist and two-time winner of the ACFW Book of the Year award, Kristin Billerbeck has appeared on The Today Show and has been featured in the New York Times. Her books include "A Billion Reasons Why" and "What a Girl Wants." * Denise Hunter is the award-winning and best-selling author of several novels, including "A Cowboy's Touch" and "Sweetwater Gap." She and her husband are raising three boys in Indiana. * Diann Hunt has lived in Indiana forever, been happily married forever, loves her family, chocolate, her friends, her dog, and, well, chocolate.

My Take:  This book was a nice little read that takes several stories about different people and has a common storyline thread running through them all.  It was interesting to see how each writer took a different character and told their story to add to the enjoyment of the overall book.  Yes this is a romance book and there were really no big surprises in the romance area.  It is all rated G as this is a Christian romance.  The story overall was very good and the mystery helped tie everything together.  Very light read and a quick read.  I did not read the first in the series but I will be going back to read it.  If you haven't read the first book it won't make your enjoyment of this one any less.  

I received a review copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest opinion. 

Tidewater Inn by Colleen Coble

About the Book:   

Welcome to Hope Beach. A place of intoxicating beauty . . . where trouble hits with the force of a hurricane.

Inheriting a beautiful old hotel on the Outer Banks could be a dream come true for Libby. The inn cries out for her restorer’s talent and love of history. She’s delighted to learn of the family she never knew she had. And the handsome Coast Guard lieutenant she’s met there on the island could definitely be the man of her dreams.

But Libby soon realizes that the only way she can afford the upkeep on the inn is to sell it to developers who are stalking the island. The father who willed her the inn has died before she could meet him, and her newfound brother and sister are convinced she’s there to steal their birthright. Worst of all, her best friend and business partner has been kidnapped before her eyes, and Libby’s under suspicion for the crime.

Libby’s dream come true is becoming a nightmare. Her only option is to find her friend and prove her innocence, or lose everything on the shores of Hope Island.

Meet Colleen: 

Best-selling author Colleen Coble's novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, ACFW Book of the Year, RWA’s RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers' Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has nearly 2 million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers and is a member of Romance Writers of America. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana.

Visit her website at www.colleencoble.com. Twitter @colleencoble.

My Take:  This book starts out with a bang and doesn't slow down to the very end.  Libby's business partner is kidnapped right before her eyes.  When she goes to the island which is the scene of the crime she learns that her father didn't die when she was five like her mother said but much later and she actually has a family on the island and she has inherited an inn in need of much repair.  she also learns that she is the prime suspect in her partner's kidnapping.  She is offered a huge amount of money to sell the inn.  What should she do?  There is mystery and intrigue all around.  I really enjoyed this book.  Please see the previous post for your chance to enter a contest linked to this book.  I received a review copy for review purposes. 

To see what others think about this book follow this link

http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/13526905/tidewaterinn

Lonestar Secrets by Colleen Coble

Shannon Astor wants to make a better life for herself and her daughter Kylie.  When her uncle dies and leaves her his ranch this seems like the right move.  Shannon will have to face the members of the small town of Bluebird Crossing where she left five years before as an unwed mother.

Shannon has put herself through vet school and has returned to take over for Grady so he can spend more time in the ministry.  At the Mustang Makeover she meets her high school enemy Jack MacGowen and his daughter Faith who looks exactly like Shannon's daughter Kylie.  But that can't be because Kylie's twin sister died at birth.  Or did she?

This was a roller coaster of ride book.  It seemed like about every couple pages there was a new secret revealed which kept me turning the pages till the very end.  This was a mixture of thriller and romance.  I don't usually like romance books but this one had enough suspence to keep me interested till the very end.  Although God and faith were mentioned throughout the story it was not overbearing or "preachy".
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast paced raomance with alot of thrill packed in.

I read this as a part of the Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger program.  You can find info at http:/brb.thomasnelson.com/