I had to force myself to finish this book. There was no suspense, no engaging mystery to solve. I didn't care about any of the characters or what happened to the dead person. I tried to read the second book hoping the writing got better but it did not. Skip these books. ( )

I read THE ROYAL NANNY by Karen Harper just a little while ago and I found it a fantastic book. So, naturally I was curious to see how her other books would be. Now, romantic suspense is normally not a genre I chose to read that very often, but, I hoped that Harper's writing skills would make CHASING SHADOWS a book worth reading. Unfortunately, I have to say that I was disappointed with the book.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION! ( )

I read THE ROYAL NANNY by Karen Harper just a little while ago and I found it a fantastic book. So, naturally I was curious to see how her other books would be. Now, romantic suspense is normally not a genre I chose to read that very often, but, I hoped that Harper's writing skills would make CHASING SHADOWS a book worth reading. Unfortunately, I have to say that I was disappointed with the book.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION! ( )

Claire Britten has just won a pivotal case. As a forensic psychologist, her word is highly valued. She squared off against Nick Markwood in the courtroom. Little does Claire realize that Nick will play a very important role in her immediate and long-term future. Upon leaving the courtroom, Claire faces a life and death situation. As Nick had a business proposition for her, he was able to get to her right away and all but saved her life.

When Nick outlines his proposal to Claire, she really would like to consider it. However, if she takes the case, she will have to be away from her four-year-old daughter for a bit. But, that is not what she really needs to convey to Nick. Claire has narcolepsy and catalepsy. She has fought these illnesses for years and has finally been able to manage them effectively.

Claire needs for Nick to understand and accept her limitations. Because she was not honest with her husband about these things, her marriage deteriorated and she is now divorced. Her ex, Jace, a co-pilot on an international airline, makes certain to continue to be a part of her life, much to her consternation.

As it stands, Claire takes Nick's job investigating a questionable suicide. The situation could possibly be murder and Nick is hoping that Claire can use her exceptional skills to investigate the situation, and this includes interviewing several people. Rather soon Claire discovers that Nick has a personal investment in the case. No doubt this will be quite stressful for Claire, and stress is the one thing that can set her symptoms off.

Chasing Shadows is the first book in the South Shores series. There are currently six books written and it is my hopes to read each and every one of them. This book has a great mystery, a creepy Gothic feel and plenty of twists and turns. Furthermore, Jace just won't go away, and that adds a different spin to this story. The book evolves into one of romantic suspense, especially as Claire becomes more and more aware of Nick's strong attraction to her.

I look forward to reading the next book in the series soon, Drowning Tides. I have to do this post-haste because this story ends with a terrifying cliffhanger. I am glad that I have the opportunity to read the second book immediately. I feel bad for readers in this series when it started, because the cliffhanger is a zinger! ( )

Received via Mira/Harlequin Books and GoodReads in exchange for an completely unbiased review.
Also posted on Silk & Serif

Chasing Shadows is a decent detective novel with plenty of details to keep reader guessing. Ignoring the parts that were rather drawn out, this was an acceptable read with strong plot and character development.

We enter with the mysterious circumstances surrounding the mysterious murder/suicide of a plantation owner, a slowly burn romance between our main characters Claire and Nick, and end with a shocking revelation concerning Nick's past that impacts every single character we meet in Karen Harper's first novel in the South Shores series. A slow, often plodding plot, Chasing Shadows is a novel that takes some effort getting into, but makes it all worth while with some pretty interesting plot twists.

Chasing Shadows is a wonderful who-dun-it mystery, but far too slow in the beginning to be a great mystery. The cliffhanger ending in Chasing Shadows hints at an exciting and fast paced follow up novel in Drowning Tides and an even more promising series.

I found the main character a bit annoying and difficult to relate too early on in the novel with some serious snap judgements about other characters that makes me wonder how good of a Forensic Questioner she really is. I mean, I get that her job is to make judgements on people, but I felt like Claire entered the situation with value judgements at the fore front rather than an unbiased. I also felt like Claire's jealousy of Nick's old flame made her incapable of being unbiased and she probably should have given up the case the minute she became involved with her boss, but perhaps I am just puritanical.

I understand that Claire's medical condition is potentially serious and also a major burden on her daily..but without sharing the illness with her husband, then over sharing and demanding special treatment from her new boss, I was a bit frustrated that Claire did not find a way to be less abrasive about her condition. However, I will concede that Claire's difficulties sharing (or not sharing) her condition made her a more realistic character rather than a cookie cutter generalization. Claire is a flawed individual.


In the end, I think my issue with Claire's character was her lack of professionalism rather than a critique on how she handled her illness - the woman is raising a daughter and running her own start up business while struggling with a life altering disease! That's serious girl power!

Regardless, by the end of the novel it appeared the author had found her stride with the South Shore series. Harper had successfully closed the murder mystery in a satisfying and exciting way, as well as created a strong overall plot that will follow the series in the future. Chasing Shadows was a decent novel that sets up what has potential to be a fantastic series.

This novel will appeal to readers to enjoy murder mysteries, novels with less action and more "sleuthing", clean romance and sweet love interests. I would recommend this to readers looking for novels with strong female leads, flawed/realistic characters and lead characters struggling with health issues. This series will probably fall under the "diverse" genre because of it's focus on the daily struggles of mental health. ( )