I am unsure if I will keep reading Coble’s books since this is the second one that I feel is below average as her so many enjoyable books, yes, there were some interesting parts, some intriguing plot lines, and it was almost good but I just didn’t feel that intrigued by the book, more disgusted, there was light romance without too much kissing, but there was a physical attraction that to me was what made the characters a couple, I just didn’t love the book. And the spiritual content could have been better. But it was all right.
Rating: 3 stars.
Recommendation: 18 up due to murder, mentions of mistresses, affairs, and more.
Verse: Isaiah 55:8
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. (King James Version.)
Disclaimer: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. ( )

Harper's mother died just before Harper was born, and she never knew her father. At the age of 15, a man named Oliver took her under his wing and became like a father to her in many ways. His own children detested Harper, though, because of how much attention their father paid to her, and assuming that Harper was only after their father's money. As an adult, Harper looks up to Oliver as a mentor, and now works with him as a business partner. At the start of the story, a DNA registry site has found a likely half-sister for Harper, and upon meeting, Harper realizes that both sisters have a similar story, with their mothers dying when they were infants, and neither knowing their father. At the same time, both women become the target of attempted kidnappings. Oliver is also attacked, and his son Ridge is determined to find out why, while also attempting to expose Harper for the fraud he believes her to be.

This book was a jumbled mess, and my mind feels a bit jumbled when trying to organize a review. I will start with what I did like. The premise was intriguing, and the mystery did hold my attention for the first half of the book. The descriptions of the Florida setting were good, and it was easy to imagine a warm, humid environment. The book brought some subjects to my attention that I otherwise might never have known about (for example, sea silk and other things related to pen shells).

However, this also leads me to my first issue. Many things came up in the book that were completely foreign to me, and I was left to figure out on my own what on earth it even was. Or the explanation would come so late that I was confused for a while. At one point early in the book, it says a character was in the "Weeki Wachee parking lot," but really never actually says what Weeki Wachee is. My first guess was that it was a common supermarket chain in the region. Or maybe a restaurant. But after Googling it, it's apparently a state park and spring in Florida. It would have been really easy to explain this in the book, along with many other things, but instead, I had to Google more than I would prefer while reading a book.

Speaking of Google, there was a lot of mention of food and restaurants in the book that weirdly came across like name-dropping. As if, to make the book feel more authentic to the location, the author had done an internet search for popular restaurants in the real-life town in which the book is set, and even went to the online menus so that the characters could mention specific dishes that really do exist in those restaurants (I looked one up; it's real!). Maybe this shouldn't seem like a big deal, but it got to a point where it was just a bit too much, and took me out of the narrative enough to bother me.

And then there was the really weird part where the narration compared the main male character (Ridge) to "Chris McNally from Supernatural a bit, right down to the thick black hair." I had to stop right there and look him up. I've watched Supernatural quite a bit, but I didn't recognize the name. He was in two episodes, 6 years apart, as bit roles! I have my theory about why Coble included this bit of obscure trivia, but no matter the reason, it was completely out of left field and made no sense. This reference is not going to help anyone envision the character. This is indicative of what I felt was a greater issue in this book--it really could have done with another round of intensive editing.

This book was half-mystery, half-romance. The mystery half was the only thing that kept me going, because the romance was half-baked at best. For one thing, I really didn't care about either of the two main characters. I did not connect with them at all. Also, the main characters strongly disliked each other for a while, then started to warm to each other. Then Ridge tells Harper that he misjudged her and wants to start fresh, making it clear that he has some sort of feelings for her. But two days later, she's panicking over an idea that maybe he just thinks of her as a sister. And since the turn in their relationship came halfway through the story, it was very predictable what the bump in the romance was going to be, and even that turned out to be weakly done.

As for the mystery half of the story, it really fell apart in the 2nd half as well. For one thing, there are flashbacks throughout the book showing the life of a woman who was murdered around 1970 in the year leading up to that event, but by the end of the book, I realized that the flashbacks added basically nothing to the story. And to make things worse, Ridge was able to watch some video taken by the murdered woman, that ended right before the murder. After the video is described, the same moment is shown in a flashback, and it didn't even match up with the video!

This review is getting very long, so I'll try to be more brief in the rest of my notes. Clues to the mystery were given in an order that did not maximize suspense for the reader. The main characters investigated more than the authorities (who didn't really seem all that concerned about the abductions), and yet the main characters are constantly questioning if these obviously related events are even related. Most of the mystery was fairly obvious (to me) early enough in the book to make any twists near the end fall flat. Several things happen that make no sense and are never explained. There's a bomb that never goes off and is never mentioned again, that I forgot about until right now!


All in all, this half-mystery, half-romance didn't deliver in either department. And this time, I don't think I can chalk my biggest issues up to personal preference. The book has many flaws that clearly others were able to overlook, but I couldn't. I would not be able to recommend this book to anyone, and again I'd state that with further revision, it could have been a much more enjoyable read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. ( )

58185

This book kept me guessing all the way to the end. I love plots that I can’t figure out and this book did not disappoint. I loved the way the author wove in stories from the past of two women, to the present and all the secrets that they held.

The end of chapter 28, the two main characters were talking about trust. Trust in others and trust in God. It really touched me. I read over that section 3 times. I would love to share a quote, but it would give something away. I don’t like spoilers!

It was also interesting to discover things about sea life that I didn’t know about. And as far as DNA testing...I d ( )

3-3.5 Stars
I love Colleen Coble's books so when I read the synopsis for this book, I knew I had to read it.

Harper Taylor takes a DNA test and discovers that she has a possible half-sister name Annabelle. A sister with an eerily similar history to hers. Both tragically lost their mothers and never found out who their fathers were. Is this simply a coincidence or is there more to the story?
Despite her tragic backstory, Harper is doing well for herself. With a degree in marine biology and a pen shell business, she's doing what makes her happy. Even so, she's lonely and longs for a family of her own.
When Oliver - Harpers mentor who took her in as a teenager - is attacked, he asks his son Ridge to step in and help with her business. Ridge does so grudgingly with the intent to prove once and for all that Harper is just after his dads money. It's not long before he realizes he misjudged her and feelings begin to develop between the two.

I liked the use of DNA research in the storyline. Harper had no more family but with the use of a single DNA test she finds a possible familial connection which is certainly nerve-wracking but exciting for her. Until of course, bad things begin to happen. Shortly after meeting, both Harper and Annabelle are victims of attempted kidnappings. Realistically, I would have liked for the police to have been a bit more involved but...it's a book so naturally the main characters are the ones doing a majority of the crime solving.
I enjoyed the mystery aspect but not the romance. It just didn't feel believable to me. I usually adore enemies-to-lovers but in this case Ridge and Harper didn't seem right for each other.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher and Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. ( )