This was a great book. I think it’s the end to the series, if so it has a fantastic ending. I love Cate and Henry. The ending was very good. It’s a quick read. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this brilliant novella

kendra elliot and melinda leigh writing another series together and how brilliant do these two authors write...they somehow compliment each others writings....

a hit and run that turns into something else.....

the surprises dont stop in this novella and i have to tell you that you wont be able to put it down until you have finished it...no spoilers as this is a short story but well worth reading

brilliant piece of writing and i look forward to more from kendra elliot and melinda leigh in this series or any other series they decide to write together

4.5⭐

Bred in the Bone was an utterly compelling and un-put-down-able read. That kept me up far too late. Thanks to a story that was well written, suspenseful, and shocking to say the very least. As a major breakthrough occurs in a case that has featured as a story arc throughout the first three books. And with friends Tessa and Cate determined to get answers on what really did happen to best friend Samantha 20 years ago, I was completely hooked; and I would definitely recommend it to others.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Publishing for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is book 4 of the series. It is a very quick read (87 pages). It moves fast and not 1 but 2 mysteries are solved. I enjoyed the book. It has a small amount of romance. Interesting area now I want to go visit. 4 stars well worth a read. I think it reads pretty well as a stand alone.

The fourth and happily not the end of this series.
Taking turns writing these novellas, Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliott compliment each other’s style to fashion seamless stories set in the fictional Widow’s Island.
This is Kendra’s turn and Cate takes on a more prominent role. Deputy Tessa Black is her childhood friend, both grew up on the islands and went away. Tessa returned to support her Mum, Cate is on medical leave following an FBI assignment ended her her being shot and a colleague killed.
Each book is a story within itself, while the family connections, isolated island life and a cold case involving the disappearance of the girls childhood friend recur in each.
Cate and Tessa have found a new clue into Sam’s last few days 20 years earlier when the were all 14 years old. Before they can begin that investigation an islander has been killed in a hit and run accident.
I have learned to enjoy these crime thrillers with a heavy dose of romantic baggage. The older inhabitants take up knitting and social care; they are mainly women, men dying off has left a group of Widows. Maybe it is the sea air; a curse of sorts. Perhaps that is why the younger generation seem to be fostering relationships and all that stuff.
This is the most accomplished one, perhaps because it moves the story on significantly or the threat implied. I am comfortable with the characters, I love the premise of a closed community, the isolation and the sense belonging. They are covered with skill and thoughtfulness. Nothing seems trite or contrived; the cast of characters are believable and the investigations worthy of the crime genre.
I am sure this is a well received collection, enhancing the reputations of two accomplished authors and winning new fans. My male pride caves and lists my appreciation of the duo and this excellent series.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Bred in the Bone by Kendra Elliot that I read and reviewed.
I loved this book and how it tied together the Widow’s Island novellas and gave us the answers that we have been waiting for. I can willing admit that this book brought me to tears and I loved it. I won’t give any spoilers but if you have been reading this series this is the book you are waiting for.
Bred in the Bone gets five out of five stars from me.

Sometimes a case that has been cold for decades suddenly presents its solution and everything falls neatly into place. Of course as this is written by Kendra Elliot things are still not as simple as they seem!

With her friend, Tessa Black, Cate Wilde, an experienced FBI agent on medical leave from the Seattle office, begins to discover the truth of their best friend,  Samantha Bishop's, disappearance which has lain hidden for so long.

When a local man with a drink problem is found dead, the victim of an apparently random hit and run accident Cate and her boyfriend, local doctor and coroner Henry Powers follow up on some clues from the past which result in a turn in their case no one could have predicted.

Once again an excellent story is written by Kendra Elliot with a very satisfying plotline which ties up all the loose ends and leaves the reader with a feeling of justice being done,  What else could anyone want?

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the previous three novellas or who wants short stories which pack a punch as these four definitely do.

This is the 4th book in the Widows Island series. It starts out with a hit and run. Cate Wilde is a FBI agent on leave after last case went wrong. Cate and Tessa’s friend went missing 20 years ago now they have new evidence and have reopened the case. Leave it to Ms. Elliot to write a twisty shocking I never saw that coming ending.Everything she writes is super suspenseful and a can’t put it down read. Keep up the great work.

5* WOW, so much packed into a small, well-done tale.

Kendra Elliot has become a fave author in only a few books, and this is yet another great tale. I'm new to this series set on Widow's Island but I wasn't lost and didn't really need more of an intro to the main and side characters, so yes, it can be read as a standalone.

Rarely have I read a novella and found so much packed in, and a tale that not only stands on its own feet, but seems as if it was perfect as it was, without the need for expansion, additions, an epilogue or anything more. It packs a murder, a few suspects, a 'baddie' who was the least suspect baddie I could've imagined, victims, furry animals, a real baddie, a proper storyline and the start of a HEA for more than one character.

Of course, this is also no doubt excellent marketing material, as I now want to read more about the other characters, who satisfyingly, are in their 30s and not the 20-somethings of most tales.

ARC courtesy of Montlake Romance and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.

Wow! I am reeling after that ending! This novella series has been wonderful from the get go, but I was shocked how this novella progressed and ended. Kendra Elliot outdid herself because I don’t think I would have ever predicted that was going to happen.

Read this series!!!

This book was the beginning to a night of no sleep.. well worth missing a few hours of sleep! I've come to expect this with any of Melinda or Kendra's books, but again..well worth it.
I tried to put the book down, but I just couldn't do it. I wanted to make the book last, and couldn't do that either.
You really can't help but devour the novellas in this series, and this one was just as amazing as the rest.
Melinda and Kendra are two of my favourite authors, and the stories they come up with will have you flipping pages like a maniac.
Brilliant writing and they hook you right from the first page all the way to the last page.
I was lucky enough to have Whisper of Bones, and Bred in the Bone, so my review has to cover both, because one book moved seamlessly into the next one. No cliffhanger ending, but the two books flowed that easily I went from the first to the next.
Outstanding story!
Read them in order to enjoy the full experience.
Well deserving of 5 stars :)

REVIEW PROVIDED BY: Kelly
NUMBER OF HEARTS: 4 1/2
Cate Wilde and Tessa Black are determined to find out what happened to her childhood friend Sam. They found a new clue after 20 years. The next step is to speak to the land owner where Sam’s necklace was found. But before that they must find the driver of a hit-n-run accident that left a local dead.
Cate and Tessa thought that they were prepared to find the truth of Sam’s disappearance but they could never know the path that they would take to find that truth.

Bred in the Bone is the fourth novella in the Widow’s Island series that is written by Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot. If you haven’t read the first two novellas Close to the Bone and A Bone to Pick I would highly suggest you go get these and read them. You could pick up novella three and start her but the first two novellas give you the back story of Tessa & Cate. I am already looking forward to reading the next two installment in this series.


Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley & Montlake Romance in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

This is part of the Widows Island series but it could stand alone. FBI agent Carla Wilde is investigating a hit and run. The investigation takes her in an unexpected direction.

I have read and enjoyed this series. There is a big twist in this story that I didn’t expect. It is a novella that moves at a fast pace that will keep you turning the pages. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.