Romance, clean; mystery suspense; Christian faith elements
This was a romance, but also a murder/mystery. Shauna and her sun are faced with a threat, and as she seeks refuge and answers to the present distress, the mystery surrounding her husband and other people's deaths, intertwine as clues gradually are uncovered. Zach, her husband's best friend, helps her and their feelings of friendship grow into something more as their hearts heal a bit, and as they rely on each other to stay strong during the stressful moments surround the murders and the threats.
Intense suspenseful writing, and an interesting premise behind the murders, and the gradual exposing of the clues and suspects made for an great read. I think my only complaint was the romance was a little stilted, but the mystery more than made up for it. I am becoming a fan of her work. Can't wait to read the next in this series.

I received this free from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.
This is the first in a new series by Colleen Coble. Set in the beautiful state of Washington, it starts with a girl running through lavender fields unfortunately she doesn't get far before the killer gets her. Fast forward a year, we meet Shauna who is trying to recover from losing her husband in a climbing accident while raising a five year old boy. A friend asks her to deliver a box to his wife and as she drives away from his house it blows up. And so begins a twisty, surprising, suspense filled mystery with a touch of romance. Great story-telling that will keep you guessing until the end.

Really enjoyed this book. Yes, it is a love story, but the twists and turns around the family are well thought out, and not your average saga.

The View from Rainshadow Bay is another solid suspense, with a touch of romance, novel from Colleen Coble. She does a great job keeping you in suspense from beginning to the end!

This story is about a woman who is married with a 5-year-old son and her husband dies in a recreational activity. His best friend, who was with her husband at the time, plays such a great role in this book. This book is nailbiting at times and quite intense, which is just the way Colleen writes. I really enjoyed the preciousness of her son and her relationship with him. The grandmother and others surround him well and take great care of him. If you like mysterious, extreme reads, you’ll like this one.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The View from Rainshadow Bay was a good suspense book. I enjoyed the romance and the suspense, but was a little off-put by the idea that Shauna, a Navy veteran, was told multiple times that she needed a man to protect her. There were other little points that, had they been tweaked, would have made this a great book. I did enjoy the overall story and will read the next book in the series.

Ever since her husband, Jack, died in a mountain climbing accident, Shauna McDade lives only for her five-year-old son and her helicopter charter business. Every day is a struggle to make ends meet and she lives in constant fear of losing more than she’s already lost. When her business partner and close friend is murdered, his final words are enough to 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 the accident that caused his death. She’s barely spoken to him since, but, right now, he may be her only option for protecting her son. Zach’s perfectly willing to do all he can to keep Shauna and Alex safe. But, there are secrets dating all the way back to Shauna’s childhood that more than one person would go to extreme lengths to make sure they stay secret. This is a story of suspense, intrigue, and second chances.

I have read other books by Colleen Coble and I tend to enjoy her historical novels more. There were a few inconsistencies in this story, that I won’t go into, but I still enjoyed it. I did find that Coble has a lot of talent as far as character development, but she seemed to forget some details in Shauna’s backstory. The story was still very suspenseful and I did really enjoy it but I feel I could have enjoyed it more if it hadn’t been for these inconsistencies. I think she had a very good idea and that the storyline had a lot of potential. Hopefully the rest of the series will live up to this potential. I liked Shauna and Zach, in general. I thought she was a little bit hard on Zach, but I can’t promise that I wouldn’t be the same way towards the person I blamed for my husband’s death. So, forgiveness was another big theme in the story. I’m still looking forward to seeing what happens next because I do enjoy Coble’s books, in general, and I feel this series has a lot of potential.

Have the courage to admit you want justice for you, not for them. Justice this side of heaven is a myth. It's not our job anyway. Real justice belongs to God

I have to say, I was surprised by this thriller, mystery, crime, Christian read. I found myself caring deeply for the characters and my curiosity was piqued as to the why and the who.

It has been a year since Shauna has been left alone to raise her 5 year old son. Her husband Jack was killed in a mountain climbing accident. She blames his best friend Zach and has not spoken to him during this time. However, it all changes when her business partner gives her a package and instructions and as she is leaving, his place blows up killing him. Zack a firefighter responds to the call and meets up with Shauna.

Zack is determined to keep Shauna safe and Shauna is determined to have nothing to do with Zack. However, with her son's safety, she finds herself under Zack's care. Together, they connect the dots of several murders and Jack's accident. Her life becomes threatened as she gets closer to finding the truth.

Shauna and Zack are the perfect characters as they work together thru grief, mis-understanding and faith. Faith was an important aspect of these characters lives and it was believable and not that pie in the sky kind of faith. It was a faith that pulled them both to the truth. The truth of God's character and also their own struggles. Where Shauna had judged Zack to where she learned to trust him. Zack with his despair and guilt to fighting for what was right and true.

Loved every minute of it.

A Special Thank You to Thomas Nelson and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

Basically a clean Christian romance with a mystery thrown in. Widow with a child and financial worries witnesses an explosion taking the life of a dear friend. Accidental or murder? The sheriff is not helpful. The plot thickens. Enter the best friend of her late husband that she has not spoken to in a year because she blames him for her husbands death. Began with a bang but, unfortunately, slowed down and took a some time to pick up again. Lots of angst. Faith played a part but not overly religious. The plot could have been been interesting but it felt disjointed to me. Needed editing for tightening and/or some rewriting. Don't want to be too harsh as I admire those who take the time and effort to write a book. Although this book is not my cup of tea others may enjoy it. Formatting left much to be desired and found it so distracting it was a struggle to read and found myself putting it down frequently. Perhaps this was a draft. The letter "n" hanging in space for no reason was annoying but spaces within words and a space after every word beginning with "f" was really frustrating. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

In a romantic suspense novel set on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, Shauna is beset by a series of murders. At first they don't seem connected, but once she and her late husband's best friend Zach begin to investigate, there are hints at connections. In fact, was Shauna's husband's death (for which she's blamed Zach) not an accident? This novel combines mystery and a little romance in an easy to read manner. Though the murderer seemed pretty obvious to me from the very start, I still found the book an interesting read.

Wow and wow. This mystery/suspense thriller will compel you to keep reading. Great characters and storyline, with twists and turns in the plot that you never see coming. I don’t want to give away spoilers in this review, but promise that you’ll love this latest book by Colleen Coble. She never disappoints her readers. A clean suspense novel with no embarrassing scenes.

I received a copy of this book for review. I was not required to give a positive review. This is my honest opinion about this book.

This is a fabulous thriller that kept me awake all night. I was unable to put the book down until the end.
This is one of my favorite authors and this new series proves to be as exciting as her other work.
The View from Rainshadow Bay is a new exciting mystery thriller series. She has truly outdone herself with heart stopping action, thrills and a intriguing plot. I loved that she began with grief of a widow and built the story around a superbly crafted mystery with clues abounding throughout for the reader as the crescendo built to a exciting ending. I absolutely loved it and wish we had a higher star rating. The characters are done to perfection and the author gives the reader much to choose from in likable people. The background of Washington state as always is beautiful. I look forward to the next in series.
Thank you for the ARC which does not influence my personal opinion.

I adore the way Ms. Cobble develops her characters and the situations they find themselves in. This title deals with issues such as losing a beloved child/spouse/friend while blaming someone for their death. And it deals with the need to build trust where it was lost.

Tossed into this mix is a bit of mystery and a smattering of romance. Overall, a great read to take you outside of your daily grind.

Widowed single mother Shauna McDade struggles to keep afloat with her private charter business and caring for her 5 year old son. When her business partner is murdered his final words warn her that she is in danger too. Even though she blames him for her husband's death, she turns to the only person she can trust, Zach Bannister, to keep her son safe.



Zach is determined to do everything that he can to keep his late best friend's family safe. He understands how Shauna feels about him, but is still hoping that she will forgive him. Meanwhile, Alex, her son can't wait to hang out more with Zach.



But as more people are killed, and the only clue is in a box given to Shauna before the house blew up, will secrets from her past destroy her chance at a bright future?



Alex likes Zach, and Shauna encourages their relationship for her son's sake. Zach and Shauna work together to try and figure out why she seems to be the target of a murderer. I like how Zach takes charge, moving them out of their home to where he can protect them better, yet he is respectful of Shauna's resentment. Tey start out walking on eggshells, but as they work together they find their friendship restored. Zach is especially good with Alex, playing with him and talking with him about heaven and God, which opens up more discussions on faith.



Zach is a man of faith and compassion. He's a known risk taker, who's done a lot of dangerous things in his lifetime for the thrill. But what happened with Shauna's husband makes him rethink things, as well as having young eyes looking up to him.



Shaun has been through so much, and I admired her determination to take care of her son.



I liked the suspenseful and action-packed pace, and dramatic rescues. I like how the situation brings Zach and Shauna together. But I didn't like how the book followed that bad guy, he was super creepy, so I kinda skimmed over those parts. But I did like the interaction, quick pace, and intrigue.



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and testimonials in Advertising."

I really enjoyed reconnecting with Colleen Coble in this book.

I thought it was well written and keep my wanted to read even though I told myself I need to stop at the next chapter. I liked how it dealt with forgiveness, second chances and truth.

The nicknames were one of my favorites.

This book is not as gripping as some of the books in the series. I didn't like the characters quite as much. As a former Marine, the main character was strong in many ways but she was weak in ways that didn't agree with how I thought a former marine would think. The hero was a take charge guy and a great protector. Somehow, this one didn't have the same chemistry for me. I still enjoyed the book. Coble writes books that are a great get away from the everyday. A combination of a little suspense and a little romance.

When she lost her husband in a senseless accident, Shauna could console herself with her work and her young son. Enter the dramatic and a bit edgy best friend, Zach, who helpfully guides her through the turmoils of yet another tragedy: the murder of her business partner. Is she the next target? Their turbulent relationship-his guilt over her husband's death, which she blames him for-enters new territory when Zach is the only person Shauna can trust. Or can she?

Colleen Coble hits another home run with the first book in her new series!

The View from Rainshadow Bay captures the readers attention from the opening murder to the final page. It is a great story with just the right amounts of intrigue and mystery plus a little romance and thrills woven in.

Ms. Coble does a great job of weaving the characters faith and the gospel throughout the story without it coming across as preachy and in your face.

The characters are real, the plot line believable and the story as a whole is engaging. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others. I have already preordered a copy for my church library.

I received a free digital copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

The View from Rainshadow Bay was an implausible tale with bits of great story telling sprinkled within. It’s the story of a recently widowed woman who gets dragged into a mystery with multiple deaths and a scary killer after her. There are deep buried secrets to be uncovered and a romance quickly building.
I was drawn to the main character, Shauna, for several reasons. I admired her strength to move on after her husbands death and I liked how fiercely she loved her son, though I think the author used that as a bit of a crutch sometimes. Shauna would do just about anything if she was reminded that it was best for her son and I got a little tired of that same technique.
I also liked Zach as a character. He’s flawed but completely likeable. He has a lot to carry on his shoulders but he does it well. I felt like his actions and reasoning where inline with what I expected of his character. The other supporting characters, Alex and his grandmother, were well done as well.
Now, that being said, the book was just too far fetched for me. I can’t really get into here without giving it away so I’ll try to stay clear of specifics. Part of the issue I had was that there were too many twists in the story. While the authors does tie them all together, by the end of the story I kept thinking “that would never happen”. There are a few other inconsistencies that really bothered me. One character is murdered in a way that would really never work. The killer seems like a vicious psychopath one minute and the next he is hesitant and regretful.
The other issue I had was that the romance seemed way too quick for me. This is supposed to be the start of a series and yet the book wraps up as a standalone and didn’t really seem to leave a lot for the rest of the series.
My overall thought is that I probably won’t continue on with the series. I give it 2.5 Stars.
*I received this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Colleen Coble is the master of Christian romantic suspense, and The View from Rainshadow Bay is no exception. It starts with a murder in the Prologue, and the pace never lets up.

It’s been a year, but Shauna McDade still blames Zach Bannister for the death of her husband. Unfortunately, she needs his help as a father-substitute for her son’s class trip. Two murders and a mysterious box later, she needs Zach’s help for more than just the class trip.

One of the items in the box is a unique necklace that belonged to Shauna’s mother—one that was supposed to have been buried with her. Shauna and Zach chase clues together, but there are no easy answers. It’s a detailed plot, with lots of seemingly insignificant events coming together in an unexpected end twist (no spoilers, but I really hope this is fiction!).

And that makes it kind of hard to review—pretty much anything I might want to say could be giving away a significant plot point. So I’ll keep it simple and say that if you’re a fan of Colleen Coble, Christian romantic suspense, or both, then you’ll want to read this book.

The View from Rainshadow Bay is the first in the new Lavender Tides series from Colleen Coble, so it’s a great place to start if you’ve never read her books before. Recommended.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.