A Stranger's Game was an adrenaline-fueled romantic suspense. I enjoyed the Jekyll Island setting and could picture the scenery. The characters were likeable and heroic, and of course the little girl was precious. It was a guessing game who the bad guy was.
*I was given a copy of the book by Thomas Nelson Publishers and this is my honest opinion.
4.5 stars

I struggled getting into this book, but fans of this author will probably enjoy it. Even though it wasn't the book for me, I still recommend fans of romantic suspense to give it a try.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Murder mystery combined with a sweet love story.

Outstanding drama from Colleen Coble in her latest novel, A Stranger's Game. Victoria Bergstrom returns to Jekyll Island using a pseudo name, Torie Berg, in order to discover more about the death of closest friend, Lisbeth and possibly her mother's death some twenty years ago. Torie's aunt now runs the hotel where she once lived with her family. This time is she working undercover in the hotel's IT department to stay under her aunt's radar. But as she begins investigating, strange things begin to occur around the island. She teams up with Joe Abbott, part time security at the hotel, to figure out what and who is behind the strange occurrences.
Enjoyed the suspenseful mystery of this novel.
I received a complementary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A Stranger's Game by Colleen Coble is a phenomenal work of romantic suspense. This author is a master storyteller with heart-pounding suspense laced throughout. In this book, Torie returns to the hotel where she grew up as the child of the owner. But now she is undercover so she can look into the death of her best friend. But someone might just know who she is. Danger lurks everywhere she turns and Torie does not know who she can trust. I highly recommend this book. You won't be able to put this book down. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

This one started out great but didn’t hold my interest, I’m afraid. Loved the setting though, especially the turtle scene as it brought back memories of when we released baby turtles into the sea,

Collen Coble always sucks you into her novels with a great story but also with such great lovable characters. You want Tori to find out what happened to her best friend and you want her and Joe to fall in love and create a family for Hailey, Joe's daughter. Add in some wild plot to bring down the elite bankers and you have a great suspense filled story. The story takes place on Jekyll Island that sounds just like a place to vacation and watch those baby turtles make it to the ocean. Would highly recommend.
Thanks to @thomasnelson, #netgalley and @colleencoble for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Colleen Coble proves once again that she has new, suspenseful stories to tell! Tori returns to her hometown and hotel that she owns under disguised to find out what happened to her friend Lisbeth. Soon, it is apparent that someone does not want her solving the mystery and she needs to partner with Joe Abbott for safety and help. In true Coble fashion, they partner together for answers and for love.
A Strangler's Game is set in a beautiful setting and has a handful of suspects that makes the reader wonder who is behind the plots to kill our heroine. I am not a big fan of suspense novels that are popular, but Colleen Coble always gives a great mystery different from most.
I received a complimentary copy of this through Net Galley, but all opinions are my own.

This author is popular in certain reading circles and I’m sure A Stranger’s Game will be a big hit with Colleen Cable’s many fans. For me it was a little too predictable in style and focus, but I can’t deny there were some heart- pounding moments.
A young woman returns to Jekyll Island, Georgia, her childhood home to investigate the death of her best friend. She does not reveal her true identity or the purpose of her visit and oddly not even her aunt recognizes her. Although it strains credulity, she is able to pass herself off as a newly hired IT tech at a hotel where her father just happens to be the owner.
There are multiple suspects, red herrings and dangerous conspiracies which keep Tori’s and the reader guessing, but the one sure thing is the immediate attraction between handsome widower Joe Abbott and Tori both of whom, up to now, have deliberately stayed out of romantic entanglements.
There were several elements which prevented me from wholeheartedly embracing this romantic thriller. One is the mission of the publisher to present a Christian perspective which unfortunately was a little heavy handed. But harder to forgive was the poor writing. Imagine, if you will, the description of a wealthy man in the early pages of the first chapter. “His shoes,” the author tells us, “ ooze money.” I can’t get that picture out of my head. Another jarring note was the frequent inclusion of odors, scents, aromas, and fragrances. It might actually be a topic for a research paper on the author.
For readers who are not bothered by such concerns, this is sure to be an enjoyable read as Tori and Joe working in tandem solve the mystery and find true love.

I love this Christian romantic suspense mystery. As soon as I finished the first chapter, the story captivated my attention. Torie comes to the island to investigate her best friend's death. Torie is surprised to learn that her friend was investigating Torie's mother's death. Starting with her first night on the resort, Torie is being threaten. The widowed security chief Joe tries to keep Torie safe. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I love the main characters; Torie, Joe, and Joe's adorable daughter Hailey. I also love hearing about the loggerhead turtles nests and the seal lions that were trained for the navy.

From the first sentence I could not put this book down. Loved the suspense that kept me guessing and fully into this book. I enjoyed the developing romance amidst the conflict. Throw in the interesting turtle experiences and the Sea Lion training. I always look forward to an afternoon spent reading a Colleen Coble Novel!

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the Publisher and was under no obligation to post a favorable review.

A Stranger’s Game by Colleen Coble brings danger and suspense to Jekyll Island. Torie Bergstrom is an heiress to a hotel empire, but decides to go on her own undercover mission, returning to her hometown of Jekyll Island to find out what happened with her best friend’s death. She doesn’t buy that her friend committed suicide and hopes people will open up to her if she keeps her identity hidden. She meets Joe Abbott, and the two tackle the unfolding mysteries together. But danger hits them from all sides because someone knows who Torie really is and sends threatening messages for her to leave.

This story has the perfect balance of suspense and romance. I like how both Joe and Torie struggle to reconcile their pasts to move forward to a future relationship. Torie relates to Joe’s daughter, as they both lost their mothers in tragic circumstances. But the suspenseful elements make this a fast-paced story (I think any story with sharks in it is a must-read!) There’s danger practically on every page. Colleen Coble always has fantastic and intricate plot twists coupled with super-unique settings that leave readers breathless.

I love how the mystery in this story unfolds. This is a great story to kick off the new year for all suspense fans!

Overall Rating:
5 stars (I loved it, couldn’t put it down)

Suspense Rating:
5 stars (Non-stop edge-of-your-seat suspense from start to finish)

I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Tori Berg is back on Jekyll Island to solve the mystery of her friend's death and maybe heal some old wounds from the sudden death of her mother years ago. She arrives on Jekyll Island and a local guy who is training sea lions for the government captures her attention and will possibly help her solve the mysteries.

First, let me say I love Colleen Coble. I have read many of her books and adore her writing, her characters, her plot, but for me this one just didn't really work. I loved the overall plot as Tori was trying to solve the mystery, but it felt as though with each page something happened that went to the edge of fiction and felt too outlandish and maybe just a bit too much. I loved Tori as a character and wanted her to solve the mystery, but the things that happened while doing so just seemed to be over the top.

Even with my "frustrations" with this book, I will keep reading Colleen Coble. Her body of work is more than my less than stellar feelings on this one.

The Stranger’s Game
Colleen Coble
January 4, 2022

Victoria Bergstrom moved back to Jekyll Island near Georgia. She lived there with her family growing up living in the private apartment of The Jekyll Island Club Resort. She moved near Phoenix to work in the family hotel company, Bergstrom. While in Georgia however, she will be hiding under the name Torie Berg. She took the job as 2nd in command of IT. She was not thrilled about working under her new boss, Kyle Ballard. He is an odd duck that didn’t appreciate others' work. Regardless, she was trying to investigate the real story behind her best friend’s death while Lisbeth worked for the hotel. The police had ended the case, calling it a suicide. They had found her drowned body washed up on shore. Torie was sure there was more to the story, Lisbeth had never liked the water. She would never go near the ocean.
Coble writes a good suspense in her books. This particular one was slow at the start but hold on to your hats readers. Shortly after the first few chapters her story begins to build with Joe, Torie’s love interest as well as more character’s figuring into the hotel mystery. I was hooked by the end of Torie’s story. It’s an excellent journey.
A Stranger’s Game by Colleen Coble will be published by Thomas Nelson. I appreciate their allowing me to read and review this latest Coble novel via NetGalley. My thoughts on this book are my own but I do encourage readers to pick up The Stranger’s Game.

Fast moving story; wonderful characters! Great mystery. Love the Georgia connection! I always learn about something new in Colleen's books, and I love that. Who knew sea lions could do so much?
Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance e-copy! The opinions are all my own.

Colleen Coble is one of those authors whose books I will consistently pick up. Her talent as an author is laudable (Christmastime always brings out cool words like "laudable," doesn't it? :D), and this book is no exception on many levels. It's gripping (hard to put down, which made for a few late nights!), thrilling (to the point I was wondering why I read it in the dark sometimes, ha!--but I couldn't wait, could I?!), and always pointing back to Christ.

I was surprised (in a good way) at the depth of conversations Joe had with his daughter on some tough topics. Both of them had to deal with a lot of pain, and I admired how he didn't shy away from the situations or an object lesson for his daughter.

A few loose ends could have been tied up more neatly--the resolution was more quick than I would have liked, and it definitely had the "space" for it--I never felt like the book dragged on at any point. That's ultimately why I give it 3.5 stars (but a high 3.5!).

I loved the Jekyll Island setting; I've been to Georgia, albeit not there, before, and enjoyed reminiscing during the read. Well done!

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

When I began to read yet another beloved book by Colleen Coble, I knew I’d be once again, attached to my Kindle, not able to swipe the pages fast enough. It happens every time I read one of her books.

This story grabbed me from the very beginning as Victoria Bergstrom arrives on Jekyll Island where she lived for many of her early childhood years. She hadn’t been back for 18 years, not since she was 10 years old when her mother died in a tragic accident. Shortly after her death, her father, Anton Bergstrom, the owner of the Jekyll Island Club Resort hotel, took her, and moved to Arizona. Now, however, she’s back as Tori Berg, not wanting anyone to realize she’s a wealthy hotel heiress, the daughter of Anton Bergstrom. Torie’s Aunt Genevieve manages the hotel, however, since she hadn’t seen her since she was 10, she is hopeful her aunt won’t recognize her. Genevieve runs a tight ship and has a razor-sharp tongue. Torie determines it’s in her best interest to avoid her at all costs.

Torie’s very best friend from childhood and later her college roommate, Lisbeth, had died here. Torie comes back under the guise of a new employee to look into what she felt was a mysterious drowning death. Torie knew Lisbeth was extremely afraid of the ocean and would never even stick her toe in. Torie requested her Dad arrange her to stay in the same cottage Lisbeth lived in.

As this compelling story progresses, Torie experiences some unusual things in her cabin that indicates someone has come inside. Her neighbor, Joe, a widower with an 8-year-old daughter, Hailey, comes to her rescue a number of times. Joe works for the Navy, training Sea Lions to keep evildoers and criminals away.

There are a number of twists and turns, as well as a bit of romance in this intriguing, captivating story. There is a murder, kidnapping as well as frightening plans unfold that could injure or kill many people all at once. I could not put this book down until I read it straight through to the end. Absolutely loved this story, the characters, and the beautiful setting where it all took place. Colleen Coble has once again produced another incredible book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. All comments and opinions are my own.

Victoria Bergstrom returns to Jeckyl Island Georgia where her father owns a luxury hotel to investigate her best friend's death. Her death was ruled as self-inflicted but Victoria thinks her friend LIzbeth died as a result of foul play. In order to investigate she comes under an assumed name of Tori Berg which is just a shortened variation of her real name.

Collen Coble novels usually keep me up late in the night because they are suspenseful but this one fell a little short. Also I felt the romance between Tori and Joe Abbott was a little lacking. Granted there were a few suspenseful moments that kept me engaged but they were few and far between.

I was given an early release copy of this book via NetGalley. Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for allowing me to read this early! All opinions expressed here are my own.

Colleen Coble has written another terrific romantic suspense. Great plot and character development. This author always delivers a great book. Fans of romantic suspense will not be disappointed. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

If this is not on your TBR yet, it should be! Colleen Coble's upcoming novel is coming out on January 4th and it is a hit! In this story, we meet Torie as she goes back to a hotel/resort island she spent her childhood on because she is investigating her best friend's suspicious drowning and she finds a potential ally in a handsome mammal trainer, Joe.

I think this book had the perfect balance of romance and suspense. It felt exactly 50/50 which I usually like. It didn't feel like one tried to out-compete the other for attention which was nice.

Something I also like about new books is when the MC's have occupations that I have never read about before or heard about. Joe is a mammal trainer, but for the Navy (which is actually a real job!!!). I did not know the US Navy trains sea lions and dolphins against hostile swimmers, literally so cool.

There are definitely some eerie/creepy moments, but nothing too overwhelming or uncomfy. I also loved the faith aspect of this, it was super prominent.

I think Jekyll Island was set up really nicely and could picture the entire atmosphere of this resort town/island. Although, I have to say I am very much a 'seasonal reader', so if you are too I'd recommend holding this one to read in the summer time because it would fit perfectly with the season.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and kept me on the edge of my seat. My only complaint was that the ending was surprising and unexpected, but felt less suspenseful than other moments throughout the book did.


I was given an early release copy of this book via NetGalley. Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for allowing me to read this early! All opinions expressed here are my own.