Rating: ★★★.75
Audience: Romantic Suspense
Length: 457 pages
Author: B.K. Clark
Publisher: Bradford Press LLC
Release Date: May 28th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads
BOOK SUMMARY:
Two broken hearts get a second chance at love in this atmospheric, suspenseful love story.
Claire has never known affection. Not from the parents who raised her to carry on a family empire or her recently deceased husband, who only married her for that empire. She’s hidden every “needy” emotion, every desire, in the stories she pens by hand. No longer able to bear the shallow condolences, the familial expectations—the dark secret she carries—Claire leaves for the picturesque island of Solsken. It’s her chance to become the woman, the writer, she longs to be.
She never expected him.
Danny is reeling from his ex-wife’s infidelity. Already leaning too heavily on his best friend, he doesn’t need secretive women with guarded smiles and quirky writing habits showing up in his tavern, stealing his attention. He can’t allow the snare of attraction, that mouth, to unravel his carefully built walls. He’s barely holding himself together.
Then the whispers start, a cold touch while Claire sleeps, a window opening without her. Claire’s convinced it’s in her head. Stress. Until a blood-written threat appears, driving her to Danny’s doorstep. She shouldn’t seek him out, it’s not his mess to fix, but there’s the way his eyes never waver from hers, those tender touches she craves.
…And there’s her secret that could tear it all away.
ALMOST THERE.
I was enjoying this book a lot (and I did enough overall to read another from this author), BUT we lost some steam in the second half. Namely, the trauma dump. A good amount played well into the romantic suspense elements and then there were a few scenes that took it over the top and I was hit with a maybe I should throw my kindle vibes.
The romance was pretty good too. I thought the insta-connection seemed to work well and I was obsessed with the setting. It was haunting in all the best ways. I wish the inner monologue had been a little less repetitive though. I’m always interested in low spice/closed door romantic suspense so hopefully there’s future books!
Overall audience notes:
- Romantic suspense
- Language: low
- Romance: one vague fade to black
- Violence: moderate
- Content warnings: stalking, attempted murder, gun violence, loss of a husband (recounted), murder, kidnapping a child, cheating
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