Colleen Coble: Secrets at Cedar Cabin

By Kelly Bridgewater

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.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

Colleen Coble is a highly acclaimed romantic suspense author. With Secrets at Cedar Cabin, Coble dives back into the world of the missing siblings. This time, I received the story of Bailey, the baby of the family. I learn just at the same time as Bailey does about what happened to her at the beginning of the story. This story touched and dived into the world of human trafficking. This is a horrible topic, but a harsh, disgusting reality in our world today. The story does move pretty fast. It does have moments of rush and calm to it. In my personal opinion, I believe there is more calm than the rush of a typical suspense novel. The story was well-written and kept my attention because I wanted to see how the story ended, but I wish for more suspense. Overall, Secrets at Cedar Cabin does explain the final clues to the missing siblings, and the human trafficking was interesting, but the story didn't flow like a suspense novel with non-stop action. I believe fans of Coble's previous writings, Lynette Eason, and DiAnn Mills would enjoy this novel.

I received a complimentary copy of Secrets at Cedar Cabin by Colleen Coble from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

About the Author:

From Amazon

Best-selling author Colleen Coble's novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, the ACFW Carol Award, the Romance Writers of America RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers' Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has over 2 million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana. Visit her website at http://colleencoble.com. (Taken from Amazon.)

Colleen Coble: The House at Saltwater Point

By Kelly Bridgewater

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.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

A House at Saltwater Point by Colleen Coble is the second book in her Lavender Tides Series. I read the first one. I believe that the most interesting aspect of the story was the missing siblings that died in the earthquake. I wish more of the story focused on this thread instead of the suspense with the dead body or missing body of Mac, Ellie's sister. The novel's structure does fit a romantic suspense. Fifty percent is about the romance and fifty percent is about the suspense. The suspense leads the story and Ellie and Grayson look for clues to find Mac. The romance also plays off each other as Ellie and Grayson depend more on each other and learn to trust one another as the story progresses. To be honest, I wish the story had more depth. It wasn't that suspenseful, and I wasn't worried about Ellie or Grayson's life. And what is it with practically every romantic suspense novel anymore always having a car being pushed by another car from behind? Think of something else.

Overall, A House at Saltwater Point by Colleen Coble didn't thrill me like I want a romantic suspense novel to. I felt cheated with bland characters, a plot I wanted more of, and a romance that really didn't feel like a romance.

I received a complimentary copy of A House at Saltwater Point by Colleen Coble from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Colleen Coble: The View from Rainshadow Bay

By Kelly Bridgewater

Her photographs capture the beauty of Puget Sound. Do they also expose a darkness that someone would kill to keep buried?

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.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

The View from Rainshadow Bay by Colleen Coble is the introduction to her newest and latest series set in Washington state. With Coble being so established in the Christian romantic suspense genre, I knew what to expect before even starting the novel. Coble does a good job at creating characters who jump from the page and intermingle with the plot.

A good romantic suspense novel with have the same amount of romance and suspense in the story. The romance or the suspense doesn't overshadow the other parts of the story. They both deepened as the story progresses bringing depth to the characters as individuals and as a whole. Coble does a good job at this.

In The View from Rainshadow Bay, Coble invites me into the life of Shauna and Zach. I see their dark moment in their past, which affects who they are as we meet them on the page. Shauna and Zach learn how to move on with their lives and learn to accept love into their heart. Both Shauna and Zach change and transform by the end of the novel into better people, which I really enjoy seeing.

As for the suspense, Coble does a good job at creating conflict that isn't what every other suspense writer has done, she does keep you guessing and surprised when something happens to the character. I finished the book in a day. It was interesting and held my attention.

Overall, The View from Rainshadow Bay by Colleen Coble features transformative characters caught up in moving on from their past hurts and staying alive as the truth from the past comes forward in their lives. I enjoyed this novel and recommend it to fans of Irene Hannon, DiAnn Mills, Dee Henderson, Katy Herman, Christy Barritt, and Brandilyn Collins.

I received a complimentary copy of The View from Rainshadow Bay by Colleen Coble from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars