The premise for this books is great = Maggie, just dumped by her boyfriend, Eve, her sister who lives on Solace Island and Luke, hunky guy who just happens to also live on Solace Island. Maggie decides to escape her break up by moving in with her sister and in the first chapter we meet Luke -- the hunky guy who just happens to be the first person she meets.

To tell you the truth, I had very little expectations because I didn't know that Meg Tilly was an author. That being said, it surpassed every expectation I had. I thought she did a great job making us fall in love with Maggie (and Eve) and then ultimately route for her relationship with Luke even if it is a rebound.

Solace Island started off a little slow for me, but it definitely picked up. Sexy and suspenseful and great characters. Look forward to reading the rest of this series.

Maggie and her sister Eve have decided to take a much needed break on Solace Island. Maggie has just broken up with her nightmare of a fiance Bret after he on her and Eve just needs a break. Also on the island is Luke, sexy as hell, baker, veteran, security op extraordinaire, who once seeing Maggie is instantly attracted to her. Once he smells her baking, he finds other reasons to like her as well, but tells himself to stay away. When someone targets Maggie, his protective instincts kick in, and he can no longer stay away, nor can she.

To be perfectly honest, I requested this title on author name recognition alone. Is that a bad thing? No. What I didn't expect was what I got. Now disclaimer: I read this at work. So when you're sitting at work reading scenes about someone's cock throbbing in their pants (paraphrasing here), it can be a whole lot of interesting. I had a really good few days at work though, so not complaining. Firstly, I actually really enjoyed the exchange between the two main characters. There seemed to be actual mutual respect and interest between the two of them. You don't always find that in a romance. I also really like Eve. I mean, Luke and Maggie were interesting on their own--but the artsy, older protective sister kind of always has an appealing vibe. Maybe it's a sibling thing? As in, I am sibling, so finding a well written sibling in literature? Is so refreshing and lovely. I dug the twist too. I didn't see that coming entirely and I love when that happens!

I also have to say--I am glad this is a series. That is one of my 'beefs' so to speak. I wanted to see more of Solace. Islands are so much their own communities and I don't feel like we saw a lot of that. (Maybe because the main characters weren't locals?) Also--the ending? It felt a little too perfect. I know that sounds silly. But they could have just been happily dating at the end. That would have been a good conclusion for their relationship in this book. The whole engagement just felt rushed and a little bit more cheesy than need be. We didn't have that buildup of their relationship as readers, so we're kind of left feeling at sea and not truly connected to what is going on. Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed this and am ready to read book two! Thank you!

SOLACE ISLAND is the first book in the series by the same name. There are definite twists and turns to the story, but the story seems to be missing a bit of depth. My heart didn’t race, even when the bad guys got involved. Still, it’s an enjoyable read and I hope to see what the next book, CLIFF’S EDGE, has in store.

The book begins in Arizona with a love gone bad, but was there even love involved in the relationship that lasted five plus years? When Maggie runs away to Solace Island in Washington to vacation with her sister, things don’t look promising. Her ex keeps trying to contact her, and she realizes she dodged a bullet when he ditched her.

Maggie gets lost on the island driving to her rental and meets Luke, from whom she gets directions and has instant chemistry. They meet again and grow to learn about and care for each other, despite being leery, given their romantic histories. The characters are easy to like, but Maggie acts more naive than I would expect her to be.

The story engaged me but seemed to fast-forward too quickly to the end without the details I had hoped for. The time between the end and epilogue also confused me. I did enjoy the book, however, and look forward to reading the next two books in the series, CLIFF’S EDGE and HIDDEN COVE.

Ms. Tilly is a new-to-me author who is also an actress. I look forward to seeing some of her movies as well as reading more of her books.

I originally requested this book because of the setting; unfortunately, I have yet to read an actually-good book that is set locally, and this book doesn't change that statement.

There will definitely be some fans. It's romantic suspense with hot sex and a zany, clumsy heroine who often felt like she would have been at home in a Stephanie Plum novel. The silliness of the heroine's day-to-day situations wasn't a good fit against the stress of her life changes in the first part of the book or for the suspense and danger of the attacks in the second part.

The hero wasn't believable. Most of us would love a millionaire who can cook and is tender and loving, who can keep a rock-hard body with an occasional run and isometrics, but he was unreal: every stupid thing the heroine did, the hero thought it was adorable and mentally complained about his hard-on. Nope.

The suspense storyline was well-paced, although the stuck-in chapters where an employee overhears the bad guy plotting felt awkward.

Mostly, the writing killed me. The author couldn't tell what bits were important, so she over-detailed everything. The characters didn't eat lunch, they had hand-made locally-sourced sourdough with organic, home-canned strawberry jam and hormone-free eggs. There was never a stately tree on a bluff, it was a madrona clinging to limestone. The dialogue especially was clunky and unnatural.

Give this one a miss.

A well written, suspenseful romance book that grips you from the start and doesn't let you go. The story was full of mystery, action, had it's sweet moments. I love the island of Solace, it would be somewhere I would go to visit. I enjoyed the bond the sisters had. It was refreshing to see.
Overall a really enjoyable book.

Thank you Penguin Random House International and Berkley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 34%

Solace Island is the first book in a romantic suspense series about Maggie Harris whose fiance breaks up with her the day before their wedding. Apparently he's been cheating on her and Maggie is oblivious by it. Heartbroken and sulking, her older sister Eve brought her to Solace Island for a vacation. Then Even falls in love with the island and decides to stay for good and start anew. Maggie's love interest is their neighbor, Luke Benson. He's known in the town as a baker and his looks drawn women to him. He's also a bit mysterious and she wants to know him more.

Maggie and Luke have unlucky relationships in the past. Both are attracted to each other even after their awkward first encounter. This book has a potential but I DNF it by 34% for the following reasons:

- I'm having a second hand embarrassment on Maggie. She's overdramatic, clumsy and childish. Her sense of humor and sarcasm makes me cringe.
- Maggie and Eve are too impulsive. I find it unbelievable they want to be stuck in a small town coming from a city life and leave their responsibilities back home.
- It feels like a contemporary romance than a romantic suspense. It's a bummer.

I lost my interest. I didn't care about the story nor the characters. The heroine is annoying and the hero is bland. The dialogue is mediocre and cheesy. I am not continuing the series and let myself suffer.

I liked this story line and I'm looking forward to book two, Cliff's Edge, in the Solace Island series. Maggie visits her sister Eve when her life goes haywire over an ex-boyfriend's betrayal. Eve wants Maggie to stay permanently and help open a bakery on the island. Soon violence comes to their small town as someone is out to kill Maggie and without Luke's help, she would be dead. A good suspense story with just enough drama to keep you reading. Looking forward to Eve's story. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Solace Island is thriller romance novel. The setting of the book is beautiful. I am in love with island itself, it’s Saturday market and the coffee shops 😍😍 I really appreciated that the female protagonist was a strong woman inside-out. But I wasn’t satisfied with the thriller part of the book. It had its suspense but the ending of it was not that great. I would rate the book 3 ✨ (mostly for the Island itself and the hot baker/romance part of the story 😍😍)

This was such a fun read. Humor, mystery, romance, suspense, a real page turner. I look forward to reading more from Meg Tilly, she’s proved she is a writer.

D9nt get caught thinking Solace Island is just a romance. Meg Tilly has given us a book that is fun, loving, and suspenseful. Great book; I didn't want to put it down.

Solace Island is a place for Maggie to recover, after being dumped by her fiance the night before the wedding. Needed a place for her soul to heal, Maggie found more than she expected while there. After finding out about the local wildlife, Maggie’s sister Eve shows up just in time to make things interesting. It’s obvious that Eve and Maggie care deeply for each other. Eve encourages Maggie to spread her wings a little and enjoy their time there. Enter Saturday markets and sexy neighbor Luke and increasing danger to her life, Maggie digs deep and finds herself and once of the lifetime love.

Luke has left the high-society, high-paying life of security after a personal relationship almost left him dead. Rehabbing both his body, heart and mind on the island, Luke is able to make his bread and enjoy a much slower paced life until Maggie jumps into his arms. Unable to deny the pull between the two Luke risks his heart and shares his market days, falling deeper and deeper each time for Maggie. When Maggies’ life starts to crumble, Luke knows what he needs to do to protect her and give them a chance.

Luke and Maggie’s story takes a while to really start. Once the romance and suspense enter the plot, things really take off and the story becomes so much more. The romance has some super sexy scenes and some swoon worthy sweet talking. Ms. Tilly created some great characters, down to earth and relatable. I could see many characters strong enough to have their own story. The plot started slow and warmed up and held a twist I did not seeing coming, it had the perfect balance between sweet/steamy and suspense/drama.

If you enjoy an over the top romance, with leads who can do no wrong, a strong foodie element, and a touch of mystery, then dive into Meg Tilly's Solace Island, the first in a new series. In it, 2 people betrayed by those they loved, face danger together.

Review: SOLACE ISLAND by Meg Tilly https://wp.me/p3d0RZ-aWr
Publication Date: November 6, 2018
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Donna
Rated: 4.5 Stars

I truly enjoyed this book. It was a lovely blend of a contemporary romance and romantic suspense, set in a place I want to now live. Maggie and her sister are a hoot and their relationship pulled me in immediately. Granted I was a little disappointed with Maggie’s oblivious attitude when her troubles began, some of her actions were out of character with the situation. Other than that, I loved her. I liked that Luke’s wounded soul didn’t bog him down or the story. It was a part of him that filled out his character and gave him the depth to grab onto the reader. The two of them fit together and made a nice sexy romance. Now I just need to wait for book 2 in the series.

*Review copy provided by Penguin in exchange for an honest review.

~*~*~*~

Kindle https://amzn.to/2EtwL6q

I requested this eARC because I recognized the author as being an actress I was familiar with in the past. Also I found the synopsis very intriguing. I loved the setting for this book and the characters and the ways they interacted. I found some of the descriptives to be overused (imo). This book is romance and mystery but I guess I don't read a lot of adult romance because, damn it was steamy! There is very much adult content and wording in this book. I understand that this is part of a series and I am looking forward to the next one.

3.5 Stars

Maggie Harris is celebrating at her bachelorette party, when her fiancé and business partner, Brett, calls her to say he can’t go through with the wedding. After enduring the humiliation of cancelling a wedding at the last minute, along with all the other related complications, Maggie is astounded to find that Brett expects them to carry on their professional relationship as “business as usual.” Maggie, who has controlling interest, instead offers to sell out to Brett, advising him to obtain a business loan. Otherwise, she will simply sell her interest to an outside buyer. She then decides to take a three week vacation with her older sister, Eve, to Solace Island in the Pacific Northwest.

Luke Benson desperately wants to comfort the woman he sees on the ferry to Solace Island. She’s sobbing as if heartbroken, but he decides that she’s better left to her privacy. Luke came to Solace Island to recover after a tragic incident in his own life, which caused him an injury he’s still recovering from. His days as a special forces op, then CEO of a securities firm are firmly behind him.

It seems that Luke is destined to meet Maggie, as she gets lost and ends up blocking Luke’s driveway, which is not far from her rented home. The meeting, however, is not one of Maggie’s finer moments, but she gets a second chance when she encounters Luke at the Saturday Market. They plan to get together, and this time Luke majorly screws up. Seems like this couple is star-crossed before they even get together.

Eventually, Luke and Maggie manage to spend some time together and begin to really enjoy each other’s company. Then the first of several incidents start, and it’s clear that someone is out to injure or even kill Maggie. Luke’s protective instincts kick in, and he moves Maggie and Eve to his home for safety, and calls in reinforcements in the form of two of his comrades from special forces.

When Maggie is in Luke’s house, the steam between them really ramps up, and Maggie finds just what she has been missing in her lukewarm engagement. The danger ramps up, too, as professional assassins are now on the island, determined to end Maggie’s life. Will Luke’s skills be enough to protect her so that they can explore their fledgling romance?

Luke is all you could wish for in a hero. He’s funny, kind, protective, sexy, and sensitive. And. He. Bakes. Maggie comes off as somewhat naïve, even after experiencing how Brett treated her. She has a lot of unfortunate klutzy / awkward moments, but she still manages to appear endearing. However, when she knows that she is in serious danger, she commits what I consider a serious (“TSTL”) error, placing herself directly in her enemy’s hands.

I consider SOLACE ISLAND to be an enjoyable and hot romance, with a hero and heroine who have been badly burned before. The mystery started well into the book, which worked for me, and then had an interesting twist. I’m one of those readers who likes every loose end tied up neatly with a bow. There is one character, a child, who played a prominent part of the resolution. He obviously continues to be a part of Luke’s and Maggie’s life, but it’s not explained how. I think that this is important enough that it deserved to be fleshed out a bit more. Overall, SOLACE ISLAND is a satisfying read for those who enjoy a contemporary romance with a heavy dose of suspense.

Maggie was dumped the day before her wedding, so she retreats to Solace Island in the Pacific Northwest with her sister Eve. She doesn't need Eve trying to fix her up with their neighbor Luke, even if he is really handsome and the two click almost immediately. She absolutely doesn't need the black vehicle trying to run her down in the middle of town or the feeling that she's being followed, as well as discovering there's more to Luke than she thought.

Maggie is a young woman that immediately feels real and relatable. She goes through the betrayal and heartbreak in the first chapter and grieves the loss of a relationship she thought she had, as well as her own ideas and the sense of confidence she had about herself. Eve is a supportive sister, the kind everyone would want to have pulling them through a tough time. The novel progresses at a slow but steady pace, allowing us to get to know the sisters and explore the island as they do, including Maggie's meet-cute with Luke when she gets lost on her arrival to the island. Of course, there's chemistry right away, and they bond slowly; there isn't actual physical action between them for three-quarters of the novel because there's more focus on their friendship and getting to know each other first. I liked that about them, that they were able to bond and have their separate selves in addition to the budding romantic feelings they had.

I hadn't realized that Meg Tilly wrote novels until I saw this book. In addition to acting, she has written six prior novels to this one, and this is her first romance novel. The hints of suspense were woven into the novel from early on, making us think we know what's going on behind the scenes. It heightens the tension for the reader, knowing that there is a subtle menace while Maggie and Luke go about their day to day lives. I liked the twist in the story, as well as how everything was tied up neatly at the end. This book is listed as the start of a series taking place on Solace Island, and I would love to read the other stores that Meg sets in this town.

Dumped by Her Fiance, Maggie Finds a New Life

Maggie is preparing to marry Brett, her business partner. The wedding day is set and Maggie is out partying with her girl friends when Brett calls and breaks the engagement. Shocked and hurt, Maggie gets her revenge by forcing Brett to buy her out or she’ll sell to a competitor.

Maggie thinks she can hang out in the city and recover, but her sister Eve has a better idea. Solace Island is an excellent place to recover. The Rosemary and Time cottage is perfect. Maggie does feel more relaxed. Meeting her neighbor, Luke Benson, makes the island even more attractive. Life is looking up when Maggie experiences an accident that could have killed her. Even with Luke trying to keep her safe, things are frightening. But it’s unclear why someone is after her.

This book starts out as a typical romance: jilted girl meets hunky guy and they begin to get it together. However, about half way through the book the suspense builds. I didn’t care for the early part of the novel. There were amusing moments, but it was too stereotypical boy meets girl. The second half of the novel moved faster and the mystery of who was targeting Maggie got more interesting. I recommend this only if you like suspense heavily laced with romance.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

Charming, steamy, and gripping—this contemporary romantic suspense novel checked all of the boxes for a perfect weekend read!! This novel really has it all, from the loveable characters to the fantastic scenery to the mystery—I think fans of the contemporary romance genre will be thrilled with this book!

Taking a weekend getaway to Solace Island with Eve and Maggie was such a fun excursion. I’m a big fan of the Pacific Northwest, I went to college in Oregon. So I could envision this small charming coastal town quite vividly, and I loved it! I think other readers will be as charmed as I was!

About the Book

Maggie is at her bachelor party the night before her wedding when she finds herself on the phone with the groom-to-be and co-owner of her business. And Brett says the most shocking thing Maggie could imagine—he doesn’t want to go through with the wedding and it isn’t up for discussion. Dumped, furious, and heart-broken, Maggie’s sister Eve whisks her off on a retreat to Solace Island. It’s a place to lick her wounds and do some healing, and a place for Eve to escape the stressful Brooklyn apartment she shares with three roommates.

On her first night there, Maggie meets sexy neighbor Luke in a most unexpected way—trapped on a road in dense fog and unsure how to get to her rental property. When Eve arrives the next morning, she and Maggie run into Luke again at a bakery stand at the local market. Eve sees the sparks flying and fancies herself a matchmaker, determined to mend her sister’s broken heart.

But Luke has his own emotional baggage. Still, that doesn’t stop Maggie from warming his heart with her charm and baked goods. But just as Maggie starts to get comfortable in her new surroundings, a car tries to run her down in the middle of the street. If it weren't for Luke's extremely quick reflexes, Maggie could have been killed, leading her to wonder just who exactly Luke Benson really is...

With the secrets between them and an unknown threat stalking her heels, Luke will have to think fast to prove to Maggie that she can trust him with her life--and with her heart.

Reflection

Well let’s get the start to this novel out of the way, Brett is a grade-A schmuck and Maggie is adorably naïve and charming. I absolutely adored the relationship between Eve and Maggie. Each sister had her own personality to bring to this novel, something we don’t always get in a romance book. I found myself thinking that I’d love a follow up with Eve as the leading lady. Eve could potentially find love on Solace Island herself!!!

Maggie and Luke’s first meeting had me laughing out loud. It is adorable and fun, and I want readers to experience it for themselves so I won’t say anymore about the details! It is the epitome of a meet cute, with Maggie’s quirky personality shining through, and Luke’s guard slipping at the bequest of this charming woman.
And then the island! I loved it! Everything from the dense greenery, to the foggy coastline, to the charming town center market had me wanting to visit Solace Island. And though there is apparently a cougar on the island, Luke has assured us there are no bears! Sounds completely ideal, right?

Then we have the baked goods!!! This book could give you a carb overload just reading about it! But what I loved is that food, cooking, and baking were such a part of this story. I find myself craving every dish described! I felt the simplicity of that sort of life—where a good piece of fish, bread, or cheese can be so wholesome and pure. When it is local and organic, it’s easy to envision living without the fast food crazed lifestyle we can become used to!

Finally, we have the mystery! I will say this book falls heavier on the romance than the mystery, but not in a bad way at all! We really get to know the characters and their dynamics before we realize something else is afoot. And the mystery itself was suspenseful and fun! The reveal really did shock me and it was a really fun scene in the book! And finally, I absolutely ADORED the ending! It was just the perfect way to end this story!

Thank you to Berkley for our copies of this book to review! I read with the 6 book besties and we had such a fun time! This genre is a bit out there for us, but it made me realize why I need to branch out more often!

Solace Island is where Maggie and Luke go to get over their broken hearts in this cute romance.

Maggie is unceremoniously dumped by her fiance of five years the night of her bachelorette party. She gives him two weeks to buy her out of their business and leaves town. Maggie goes to Solace Island, off the Washington Coast, with her older sister, Eve. There she meets the enigmatic Luke, who also has his a broken romance in his past.

Solace Island is a good romance with a bit of a mystery. I recommend it to romance fans. However, the mystery seemed like an afterthought so I can’t recommend it to mystery fans. 3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher, Berkley, and NetGalley for an advance copy.