Oscar-nominated actress Meg Tilly strikes again with the third gripping contemporary romantic suspense novel set on the idyllic Solace Island in the Pacific Northwest.
When Solace Island gallery owner Zelia Thompson\’s close friend Alexus Feinstein of the prestigious art gallery Feinstein & Co. dies of a \”drug overdose,\” Zelia\’s intuition sounds an alarm. The Alexus she knew didn\’t do drugs and had everything to live for.
As Zelia begins looking into the circumstances of her friend\’s death, what she uncovers will put her life in imminent danger. Will Zelia–with the help of the reclusive crime fiction novelist Gabe Conaghan–be able to unravel the mysterious happenings surrounding Alexus\’s untimely death? Or will she become the bloodthirsty artist\’s next victim?
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Release Date: Oct 1, 2019
Series: Solace Island
Book: 3
Heat Level: Sensual/Hot
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley
Price: $9.99
Hidden Cove is the third book in Meg Tilly’s Solace Island trilogy, and while it can be read as a stand-alone (which is what I did) I do think it would have been much better if the previous two books are read first. There are many characters and back stories and relationships that would have been better understood if I had known everyone’s full history prior to reading this book. With that being said, I highly recommend this book and I will be going back to read the other two.
Hidden Cove is centred on Zelia Thompson looking into the supposed drug overdose death of her good friend Alexus who knows a swanky art gallery. As she digs deeper into his death she realizes some things that could put her life in danger of “overdosing” next. Enter Gabe Conaghan, a crime fiction novelist, who would never have been in Solace Island if his parents into visiting didn’t trick him into visiting. His task is to check out a local bed and breakfast that they want to purchase. He plans to do this quickly and continue with his next novel. Zelia and Gabe soon run into each other and are instantly attracted but both a bit hesitant for different reasons. They decide to work together to help solve this recent murder.
I really enjoyed reading this story, it had the perfect mix of romance, suspense, and humor. The conversations between Zelia and Gabe were funny and quirky with the awkwardness of attraction thrown in. I also liked that even though there was instant attraction between the two main characters, there was still a slow build to a full romance due to the age of the characters as well as their past histories. It made the romance aspect of this story seem more realistic and like a journey that the readers also went on with the characters. The mystery at the core of the story kept me guessing throughout the novel, there were so many twists and turns and new revelations every time. There is definitely a dark side to this story but it is very well written and executed.
One minor dislike I had were the parents and the pressure that they put on Gabe and Zelia to get married and have babies. Some of the conversations where his parents were in the mix were painful to read, but at the same time it is realistic to how some parents are.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be going back to read more of Meg Tilly’s novels.
~ Harshita
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