Navy chaplain Angela Gallagher wants to put the past behind her, but she’s still haunted by the wartime death of her assistant.
So when his brother claims he’s in danger and pleads for her to use her family’s private detective company’s resources to help him stay alive, she can’t turn him down.
But someone will stop at nothing—even murder—to keep her from revealing their secrets. She’ll have to depend on a military colleague to keep her head above water. Dr. Dan Blackwell was in the field with her when her assistant died, and he’s determined to keep her safe.
Can they sift through the web of lies to find the truth without losing their lives?
SERIES: Pacific Coast Private Eyes #2
GENRE: Romantic Suspense, Christian Fiction
PUBLISHER: Love Inspired Suspense
RELEASE DATE: May 10, 2016
PAGES: 288
“And that was courage… to go forward through the fear, holding tight to faith and pressing on.”
Seaside Secrets explodes with action from the very first chapter and the fast-paced, high-stakes tension continues through the entire book. There’s also a nice balance of delicious romance, authentic emotional struggles, and a message of hope and courage – as well as a few moments of humor to let your shoulders relax just a tad. 😉
I really liked the characters in Seaside Secrets, the secondary as well as the main. Jeb is hysterical – and his service dog is a sweetheart. Marco and Donna (from Dangerous Tidings) are equally fun, and I found myself grinning frequently at Donna’s feistiness. (“All right,” Marco said. “Donna and Angela -” “Are not going to wait here while you manly men search, so don’t even suggest it,” Donna said, arms folded.”) On top of these, a whole slew of compelling secondary and tertiary characters kept me engaged and trying to figure out whodunit… and what “it” is that the “who” has done. (lol)
Dan and Angela make a great team, and their separate personal battles made them even more relatable. In particular, I found Angela’s fight against PTSD and her struggle to find her footing with God again to be written especially well and with great insight and sensitivity. Some very touching conversations – with her sister and with Dan – have their roots in this battle. It’s a battle that attacks Angela physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually and it will be meaningful to anyone else fighting an attack against all fronts, whether it be PTSD or health issues or a broken heart.
Bottom Line: Intriguing, action-packed, and compelling, Seaside Secrets belongs on your must-read list! The plot never lags, and the characters set up camp in your heart. Bits of humor mingle with poignant moments and intense drama as well as heart-fluttering romance, achieving the ideal tone for a great romantic suspense. While Seaside Secrets is the second in a series, Dana Mentink has written it well as a stand alone too. To be honest, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to this story or these characters and I’m eagerly looking forward to the next book in the series – due out later this year – in hopes of catching another glimpse of them.
(I received a copy of this book in exchange for only my honest review.)
My Rating: 4 stars / Loved it!
KissingBook Level: 3 / May forget to breathe on occasion
Dana Mentink lives in California where the weather is golden and the cheese is divine. Her family includes two teen girls (affectionately nicknamed Yogi and Boo Boo.) Papa Bear is retired from the fire department and he met Dana doing a dinner theater production of The Velveteen Rabbit. Ironically, their parts were husband and wife.
Dana is an American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year finalist for romantic suspense and a two time ACFW Carol Award winner. Her suspense novel, Betrayal in the Badlands, earned a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award. She is honored to write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired, Harlequin Heartwarming, and Harvest House Publishers. Besides writing, she busies herself teaching third grade. Mostly, she loves to be home with Papa Bear, Yogi, Boo Boo, a dog with social anxiety problems, a chubby box turtle and a feisty parakeet.
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What about you? What does “courage” mean to you?
Courage means to me, doing something scared, which is not original with me. When I was blogging a book, I hit the publish button nervously almost every time. When I published my first book, I did it scared. Sometime you just have to do things anyway and hope for the best!
Yes! So true!