About the book:
Harper Taylor is used to being alone. Her mother passed away in a car accident when she was an infant, she never knew who her father was, and now even the widowed grandmother who raised her is gone. She’s done just fine investing her marine biology degree and her energy into her pen shell business.
The last thing she expects is for the DNA test she took to reveal a likely half-sister. And when she and Annabelle meet, there are striking similarities in their stories. Is it just coincidence that both their mothers died tragically without revealing Harper and Annabelle’s father’s name?
When Harper’s business partner has a stroke, his son Ridge steps in to help. Before long, he's spending more time with her than the business would dictate . . . and Harper finds she doesn’t mind in the least.
When yet another tragedy strikes close to home, though, Harper and Ridge realize that the secrets of the past can’t stay there. They’ll have to unravel Harper’s past before they can secure their future.
My rating:
So, I'd like to start off by saying that I appreciated the lack of physical touch in this book. There was definitely attraction, and a few awkward moments, but really. (minor spoiler here) the couple didn't even kiss until the end. So there's that. I was pleasantly surprised at how clean it was. That's probably what kept this boat from sinking to two stars.
Okay, now . . . the setting. The diving and overall setting was super cool to read about, but all the talk about mollusks and pen shells and byssus and sea silk went right over my head. (Not gonna lie, I eventually Googled some of that stuff.) But Harper's house boat sounded super cute and quaint (I mean, really. She wants to get rid of the old orange shaggy carpet that clashed with the turquoise bedspread? C'mon, Harper, where's your sense of adventure??)
The murder mysteries were unique and intriguing and sad . . . but I kept getting Lisa and Judy mixed up. And Grace and whoever the other best friend was. Good grief, there were so many minor characters, I finally gave up trying to remember them all. If I couldn't place a name, they just stuck in my head as a vague idea.
Okayyyy, the main characters. *deep breath* Let's go.
Harper. *cringes* I enjoyed Harper's character. I really did. But the book started out with Harper at a clinic, adopting an embryo. The problem? Harper is a single 30-year-old woman so desperate to have children and show them the love that she never had as a child, that she takes matters into her own hands when she comes to the conclusion that she'll probably never get married soon enough to have kids. Now, some wouldn't have a problem with this. I couldn't show you exact Scriptures to back me up. But I also believe that a single parent adopting a child (or embryo in this case) goes against God's design for family. Harper claimed to be a Christian, yet there was nothing in the book that mentioned her waiting for His timing, trusting Him, or even wondering if He wanted her to have any children at all.
Okay, rant over. Let's move to Ridge. Dude has serious trust issues—almost as bad as Harper herself. He's bitter and has held a grudge against Harper for nearly two decades because his father seemed to give more love to the 'daughter of his heart' than to his own two children. So when his dad comes up with a situation in which they can work together, his first reaction was repulse—until he realized that he could use this as an opportunity to prove once and for all that Harper was only here to mooch his dad's money! Brilliant! *headesk* Someone shoot me. One of my least favorite tropes is enemies-to-lovers. And this is a classic moment in that very trope.
So, okay, let's dive into more depth on the romance. They both have admitted their attraction to each other. (Actually it was more of an I-realize-that-I-hated-you-to-protect-myself-from-my-attraction-to-you-all-these-years kind of admittance, but I digress.) She wants to run her fingers through his thick, gorgeous black hair. He wants to protect her with his entire being. They both pretty much know exactly what the other is thinking. Yet Harper is convinced of his love one moment, then convinced of the opposite the next. And Ridge? Well, he was a little more steady, which I appreciated. But *cringes* both characters seemed a little . . . shallow?
So why three stars instead of two? Like I mentioned before, the romance wasn't awful. (Aside from their constant denial.) And the mysteries kept me intrigued. The intense moments kept me hooked and let's just not forget the stun gun. That was fabulously angsty.
Okay, now . . . the setting. The diving and overall setting was super cool to read about, but all the talk about mollusks and pen shells and byssus and sea silk went right over my head. (Not gonna lie, I eventually Googled some of that stuff.) But Harper's house boat sounded super cute and quaint (I mean, really. She wants to get rid of the old orange shaggy carpet that clashed with the turquoise bedspread? C'mon, Harper, where's your sense of adventure??)
The murder mysteries were unique and intriguing and sad . . . but I kept getting Lisa and Judy mixed up. And Grace and whoever the other best friend was. Good grief, there were so many minor characters, I finally gave up trying to remember them all. If I couldn't place a name, they just stuck in my head as a vague idea.
Okayyyy, the main characters. *deep breath* Let's go.
Harper. *cringes* I enjoyed Harper's character. I really did. But the book started out with Harper at a clinic, adopting an embryo. The problem? Harper is a single 30-year-old woman so desperate to have children and show them the love that she never had as a child, that she takes matters into her own hands when she comes to the conclusion that she'll probably never get married soon enough to have kids. Now, some wouldn't have a problem with this. I couldn't show you exact Scriptures to back me up. But I also believe that a single parent adopting a child (or embryo in this case) goes against God's design for family. Harper claimed to be a Christian, yet there was nothing in the book that mentioned her waiting for His timing, trusting Him, or even wondering if He wanted her to have any children at all.
Okay, rant over. Let's move to Ridge. Dude has serious trust issues—almost as bad as Harper herself. He's bitter and has held a grudge against Harper for nearly two decades because his father seemed to give more love to the 'daughter of his heart' than to his own two children. So when his dad comes up with a situation in which they can work together, his first reaction was repulse—until he realized that he could use this as an opportunity to prove once and for all that Harper was only here to mooch his dad's money! Brilliant! *headesk* Someone shoot me. One of my least favorite tropes is enemies-to-lovers. And this is a classic moment in that very trope.
So, okay, let's dive into more depth on the romance. They both have admitted their attraction to each other. (Actually it was more of an I-realize-that-I-hated-you-to-protect-myself-from-my-attraction-to-you-all-these-years kind of admittance, but I digress.) She wants to run her fingers through his thick, gorgeous black hair. He wants to protect her with his entire being. They both pretty much know exactly what the other is thinking. Yet Harper is convinced of his love one moment, then convinced of the opposite the next. And Ridge? Well, he was a little more steady, which I appreciated. But *cringes* both characters seemed a little . . . shallow?
So why three stars instead of two? Like I mentioned before, the romance wasn't awful. (Aside from their constant denial.) And the mysteries kept me intrigued. The intense moments kept me hooked and let's just not forget the stun gun. That was fabulously angsty.
