Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Let's be real, if you've seen my videos or read my reviews before, you know Laura Griffin is one of my go-to authors for romantic suspense. I love her writing and I love her stories, and this was no different.

Sean is an undercover FBI agent and Leyla is a coffee shop owner (from previous books! We love seeing familiar faces!) who doesn't take shit from anyone. Their love story is fast paced and fun, and I enjoyed every bit of it!

You already know I'll read whatever she writes next.

Leyla finds one of her employees murdered body in the alley behind her coffee shop. Sean is an undercover FBI agent in town on an assignment. Leyla and Sean want to solve these cases, but they are also immediately attracted to one another.

Deep Tide is the fourth book in The Texas Murder Files series. While this book is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone.

There are two investigations happening in Deep Tide. The murder of Leyla’s employee and Sean’s case. Sean quickly believes the cases are related, and starts working with the detective on the murder case. This book is told using three points of view – Leyla, Sean, and Nicole. Nicole is the local detective. The setting is a small beach town in Texas.

A combination of mystery and romance. Deep Tide is a fun and suspenseful addition to this series.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have been happily reading Laura Griffin's series The Texas Murder Files. Deep Tide is the 4th in the series. The novels can be read in any order. There are different characters (some are related) and plots but they are bond by the Texas settings and each with a murder mystery. The genre is romantic suspense. Griffin's character development is excellent. You get to know the characters - they feel real. The novels are well-written and suspenseful with a bit of steamy romance. It is an entertaining read and I'm looking forward to the next in the series!

Fun beach read! This one isn't super memorable, but it was an entertaining read perfect for a summer suspense craving.

Leyla Breda is a local coffee shop and pastry shop owner. Her family is well known in Lost Beach, as her brother’s are police officers for the local PD. She is a hard worker and has intrigued Sean, an FBI officer working on a case nearby. The storyline is action packed and keeps your attention throughout!
Laura Griffin has done it again with this fast-paced murder mystery! Laura takes readers back to the expanding beach/vacation town of Lost Beach Texas and the Breda Family. A sizzling storyline and great beach read!

This was just ok for me. The characters never really connected for me, and the mfc seemed lost in the shuffle of other characters. I had no interest in finishing and really had to power through.

This is another exciting novel by Laura Griffin. Leyla Breda, a coffee shop owner who is also a caterer, meets Sean Moran, an FBI agent, at her brother’s wedding. Leyla is catering the event and in the wedding party; Sean is an old friend of Leyla’s brother.

When Leyla discovers that the cake has not arrived at the wedding venue on time, she returns to her shop to transport it herself. When Sean helps Layla carry in the cake, they are both highly aware of a strong attraction they have for each other. Sean wants to follow his instincts and have an affair. Leyla refuses because she never becomes involved with tourists and other short-time visitors.

However, Sean’s boss needs him for an undercover mission at Lost Beach. Thus, hey both agree that attending his friend’s wedding is the best way to accomplish it. When one of Leyla’s employees is murdered, her death and Sean’s secretive mission begin to slowly intertwine.

The emotions between Leyla and Sean are beautiful to watch. Neither of them has the time to form a relationship, and yet they do not want to have an affair because it will be harder when Sean leaves. However, they just can’t keep away from each other. It is heartwarming to see the respect, affection and adoration they have for each other.

The suspense and intrigue that takes place in this novel is captivating, riveting and non-stop. As Layla and Sean work together with other agents and police officers, their intelligence, independence and love for each other easily stand out to the readers.

This thriller will keep readers spellbound until the very end!

2.5/5 stars

this book was okay. there wasn't anything i hated about it, but there was also nothing i really loved about it. the mystery was interesting but ended up falling flat, the romance was cute but lacked chemistry and a solid foundation.

it took me over a month to read the book but i've also been in a reading slump so🤷‍♀️

didn't have the best experience reading this book but if it sounds interesting to you feel free to check it out!

thank you to berkley and netgalley for providing this arc!

It shouldn't be possible, but I swear this series keeps getting better and better...

Layla and Sean's story was *chef's kiss* perfect. I loved that as a lifetime resident of a vacation destination and the younger sister of two police detectives, Layla did not let Sean get away with a single thing. She knew better than to start anything with tourists, and she saw right through his "I'm just here for the fishing" BS from the start. (Including laying a trap for his fibbing butt right from the start. That one made me LOL with surprise and respect.)

Because of those two facts--he's temporary and in law enforcement to boot (and oh, yeah, there's a murder)--their romance is a bit of a slow burn. It's steeped in *longing* though, and their chemistry is OTT, so I for one didn't even mind much. (Though TBH I am one of those people who gets mildly annoyed when MCs actively on the run from baddies take a time out to get busy. I mean, I enjoy those scenes as much as the next person, but are they worth getting caught by homicidal maniacs? Surely we can find a more opportune time slot?)

I also loved that--despite her brothers' suspicions--Sean did his darnedest to keep Layla as far from his investigation as he could. It's not his fault that one of her employees turned up murdered outside her shop, and he told her to stay far, far away from his main suspect and his ginormous mansion. But hey, a growing businesswoman's gotta hustle, amirite? And if she accidentally finds some evidence along the way, is that really her fault? She was looking for the bathroom, honest... ;)

Fingers crossed that Ms Griffin has more coming from this series--another Rhoads sibling, maybe? I'm not ready to see these characters go just yet! Deep Tide is the 4th book in the series--Layla's brothers Joel ( Flight ) and Owen ( Midnight Dunes ) starred in books 2 and 3, and Joel's sister-in-law Bailey was in book 1 ( Hidden )--and though series readers will *love* seeing previous characters here (not to mention a brief glimpse of Joel and Miranda's wedding!) it could also work fine as a standalone. But why do that to yourself? Read them all ASAP!

Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Deep Tide is the fourth book in The Texas Murder Files series, but can easily be read as a standalone story. I will be reading the previous books in this series, as I was really pulled in to this story. Leyla Breda runs a coffee shop in the small beach town of Lost Beach, Texas. With two brothers on the police force, she is aware of the rising crime rate, but she never expected to find one of her employees murdered in the alley behind her shop. When a new law enforcement officer in town begins to circle her place of business, her instincts only sharpen, not aware that he is an undercover FBI agent working on a huge case involving several crime syndicates. He becomes intrigued with Leyla and eventually, they begin working together using her connections and his skills. Will they be albe to remain safe while investigating some serious crimes.

Leyla Breda is a great character. She is a hard worker, busy with a new business, a great boss, smart, but takes a few too many chances. She is attracted to Sean, but is not interested in a relationship. Sean is smart, protective, handsome and has an insta-crush on Leyla. He wants to pursue the attraction and when they end up getting together it is a bit steamy. I am not a big fan of insta-love, so that is why a bit of a lower rating. The characters are well developed, and the story has a fast paced, gripping plot that pulled me in. If you enjoy crime, police procedurals, FBI investigations, and hot romance, a fast pace, and a page-turning story, then pick up Deep Tide.

This latest installment in Ms. Griffin’s Texas Murder Files is a solid addition to the series. We see Leyla, sister to two previous heroes, get her happily ever after. And it’s with a fed. She never thought she’d go for a cop, since her brothers were on the force, but here she is, falling for an FBI agent (I would like to say that this series is an auto-read for me, so I went in without having read the blurb. I found out he was an undercover fed when Leyla did, and color me surprised!).

Sean Moran is on the island for his friend’s wedding, but meeting the beautiful Leyla, his friend’s sister, is the highlight of his day. Until there’s a murder behind her cafe. The murder may be connected to a case Sean is working on, but he can’t tell Leyla that. Nor can he tell her what his case actually is. He’s not just at her brother’s wedding as a guest, he’s there to spy on a certain tech billionaire who just moved to the island. And the wedding is a great excuse.

The murder investigation is going nowhere, and one thing I’ve enjoyed with this series is seeing the police department and how well everyone works together (or in some cases, how they don’t work well together). I like Nicole, the newest officer, who is given lead on this case. I like the way her coworkers are, and I like seeing the inner workings of the department on a small island with a burgeoning crime rate. It’s a good part of the series, and it helps tie the books together. Being that this is the fourth book in the series, I was excited for Nicole, and kind of hoping to see the beginnings of her romance (maybe hopefully for another book). I also liked seeing how well she and Sean worked together, especially considering that he’s a fed who can’t tell her anything.

While I usually enjoy getting multiple characters’ points of view, I really got annoyed with being in Nicole’s head so much. There was so much time spent with Nicole, that I feel it took away from the romance between Leyla and Sean. I also felt a lot of it could have been condensed.

That being said, I liked how Sean respected Leyla’s boundaries, and how he treated her. I think that Leyla is a strong heroine, and I liked seeing her insecurities peek out every now and then. It makes her feel more real. She’s very driven, and being that she’s a sister to two cops, sometimes I’d forget she wasn’t one too. She fits right in. I think that’s why the ending worked so well for me.

Sean and Leyla falling in love while each knows it’s supposed to be temporary is both exciting and thrilling. But can they make it work when Leyla lives on an island off the coast of Texas, and Sean lives in Washington D.C.?

This book can be read as a standalone, however you will see other previous couples. You won’t be lost, or confused though.

***ARC courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley

Really enjoyed this one, just like the other books in this series. I can always count on Laura to deliver romance, suspense and sizzle.

Laura Griffin is an auto-buy and read for me, if for no other reason than that her journalistic approach to writing suspense grabs me by the attention every time. That being said, I have enjoyed every story she’s told thus far and her fourth installment of the Texas Murder Files, DEEP TIDE, is no different.

This is a tale of intrigue and deception, where the picturesque community of Lost Beach hides the true nature of a dark soul – because who expects murder and mayhem in paradise? This book is a little more police procedural than romance, but all of the good twisty, angsty bits are still in place. It’s also a great standalone if you haven’t read the first three in the series.

*Read the full review at All About Romance: https://allaboutromance.com/book-review/deep-tide-by-laura-griffin/

Laura Griffin writes another heart pounding, suspenseful romance and I loved every minute of it. She is one of my favorite authors and I was excited to read her newest story, Deep Tide. I was immediately immersed into the small town of Lost Beach and I found myself quickly turning the pages to find out what would happen next.

Sean is an FBI special agent working on a case when he meets Leyla. She owns a cafe in town and is the little sister of a friend of Sean’s. Leyla is a no nonsense, take charge type of woman and she intrigues Sean. Even though Sean knows Leyla’s brother would not be happy to learn Sean is interested in his sister, Sean can’t seem to help his attraction to her.

This is a fast paced, intriguing story that held my interest and kept me up late at night, so I could find out what would happen next. I liked everything about this story, especially the two main characters, Sean and Leyla. They are believable and interesting and I was easily sucked into their life. While I enjoyed the suspense and mystery, I also enjoyed the romance slowly brewing between Sean and Leyla and all the chemistry flowing between them. I wasn’t sure how everything would turn out in the end, but I was hoping Sean and Leyla would find a way to be together, once they solved the mystery of the murdered young woman. I loved everything about this enthralling story and I’m sure you will too.

Leyla Breda, coffeeshop owner, is branching out into catering, even providing her services for her brother’s wedding. When the wedding cake isn’t delivered as arranged, Leyla heads back to the shop where the cake still remains and takes it to the wedding. The next morning discovers why the cake wasn’t delivered when she finds the body of her employee in the dark alley behind the shop. What would seem to be a robbery/murder becomes something else when FBI agent Sean Moran begins asking questions without providing any information himself in Deep Tide, the next page-turning romantic suspense in Laura Griffin’s Texas Murder Files series.

Each entry in this series just seems to get better. I have to admit that I am a fan of the suspense part, more than the romance so the fact that the steamy scenes were kept to a minimum was not a bad thing as it allowed for more focus on the mystery.

In Deep Tide, Nicole, a police detective, is almost as prominent as Leyla and Sean. I enjoyed her storyline and am interested to see what Griffin does with her in further entries–is her romance going to be with the serious journalist or another detective? This murder investigation is Nicole’s first. I liked her attitude and acknowledgement of all of the obstacles that she’s had to overcome in a male-oriented world.

The climax was gripping with a satisfying conclusion.

While it’s part of a series, it can be read as a standalone. Characters from the previous books do appear, but their jobs require them to participate so it’s not a case of too much with people you don’t care about.

I received a copy for an honest review.

I completely binge read all of Laura Griffin’s books late last year into 2023. I fell in love with her fast paced thrillers that also contained some romance to keep things interesting. Needless to say I had this one on my radar for months before it came out. I loved the other books in the series and was excited to see which characters from previous books would get their own story in this one. These books do not need to be read in order but you will see a few familiar characters making appearances thought out the series.

For example, this book features Layla Breda who owns a coffee shop in town and has two brothers who are also cops. The bothers have had their own stories in the series and we have met Layla in passing in other books, but there is nothing from the other books that would impact a new readers experience if they are new to this series. Griffin does an amazing job introducing new stories and bringing in new and old characters without spoiling any parts of other books. If you are a new reader and are worried about grabbing this book and being lost—have no fear you will be perfectly fine jumping around.

One of the things I love most about Griffin’s books is that you never know what you are going to get. Sometimes you might get a serial killer mystery, other times it might be organized crime, while others might include a military coverup. I always feel like I am getting something new and refreshing. I love the excitement that a new Griffin book brings and this one was no different!

Summary
With two brothers on the police force, Leyla Breda is well aware of the rising crime in her small beach town, but she never expected it to show up on her doorstep. When Leyla finds one of her employees murdered in the alley behind her coffee shop, she’s deeply shaken, and as a new law enforcement officer in town begins to circle her place of business, her instincts only sharpen.

Sean Moran is on an undercover assignment. The seaside community of Lost Beach may look like a picturesque postcard, but his team suspects it’s a point of intersection for several crime syndicates that the FBI has been investigating for years. Even so, when the brash and beautiful Leyla Breda starts bossing him around, he’s immediately intrigued. He knows her brothers want him to back off, but every time he sees her, he feels more of a spark.

Leyla’s connections in the local community and Sean’s skills allow them to go deeper into the case together than they would be able to go alone. But when a single crime spirals into something much darker, Sean’s carefully planned mission takes a deadly turn. (summary from Goodreads)

Review
To be honest, this wasn’t my favorite in the series. It wasn’t bad by any means, I still loved the twisty mystery and suspense. But when compared to some of the others in this series, it just wasn’t as strong. I think what did it for me was the chemistry between Sean and Layla. I didn’t quite get the same spark and. chemistry that I had from other books by Griffin. I felt more lust from Sean than any genuine feeling so I think that was a little disappointing. The mystery also didn’t pick up as much steam and momentum as some of the others until later on. Some of the other books in this series were really suspenseful (as are some of her other books in the Tracers series etc) and the main characters just had more chemistry but overall I liked the book and thought it satisfied my need for a solid and suspenseful mystery.

I feel like Griffin is one of those, can’t go wrong with authors. I never hesitate to pick up any of her books even if some are inevitably better than others. When you have been writing books for as long as Griffin has, some books will always be better than others but overall, I think all of her books are well researched, suspenseful, twisty, interesting and include a sexy romance. I love how she balances the romance with the mystery, neither distracts from the other. In this book I liked Sean and thought he was a sexy main character and I liked how he and Layla came together but I had a hard time feeling like their relationship was more than lust if that makes sense. Layla wasn’t my favorite main female character either. She seemed a little too ‘on the fence’ about Sean for my liking.

This mystery kept me guessing and once the suspense picked up, I was hooked and couldn’t wait to see how it all came together. One thing is for sure, I never feel bored with Griffin’s books. This book while maybe not as dark and twisty as some, was still good and I think it would be a great beach read and the mystery was suspenseful enough to keep me reading and interested. The books always feel like the move fast and I could easily finish one in a day. If you haven’t discovered Griffin yet you absolutely need to. I am a big big big fan and I cannot wait to see what her next book will be!

Book Info and Rating
Format 352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published April 25, 2023 by Berkley

ISBN 9780593546710 (ISBN10: 0593546717)

Free review copy provided by publisher, Berkley Books, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.

Rating: 3 stars

Genre: romantic suspense

This reads more like a straight mystery with a side of romance as opposed to a true romantic suspense. I enjoyed trying to put the pieces together of what was really going on…I guessed about half. A couple secondary characters inch their way forward and I’m hopeful we will see more of them in future installments.

Deep Tide by Laura Griffiths (WM/WW, FBI agent MC, small town) when her employee is murdered, Leyla gets caught up in an larger investigation that has brought Sean into town. CWs: murder, abductions, secrets.

I really enjoyed this book despite having not read the previous books in the series. It worked well as a standalone and I really liked that the romance and the case were not neatly tied up together but that they needed to work on their relationship after the adrenaline of the rescue was behind them!

"I can't concentrate when you do that!"
"I know!"

"If we spend more time together I'm worried we'll get too attached."
"Too late. I'm already attached."

FBI undercover agent Sean Moran knows all the right answers to caterer Leyla Breda's concerns about them together in the explicitly swoony mysterious Deep Tide by the queen of romantic suspense Laura Griffin.

I should preface this review that I am a huge fan of this author and have read/listened to almost all of her 36 books. Deep Tide is the fourth book in her latest series, The Texas Murder Files. Each book can be a stand alone but reading in order gives insight into what's happening with the fantastic side characters like newly promoted detective Nicole; who I hope gets her own romance suspense story...maybe with fellow detective Emmett?!

Deep Tide has Sean attending his friend Joel's wedding, while working undercover, in the seaside community Lost Beach. He falls for Joel's sister Leyla; dangerous since her overprotective brothers are cops too. When Leyla finds one of her employees murdered behind her coffee shop it sets off an investigation involving all branches of the law. Sean makes some major life decisions to keep Leyla safe after she infiltrates the home of the major bad guy.

This book series needs to be a Netflix TV show or Lifetime TV movie series. Listening to actress Teri Clark Linden perform these roles was like watching it rather than just listening to it. I alternated reading and listening and both were extremely enjoyable for my story loving heart. I deeply recommend this police procedural romance.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

*Books in The Texas Murder Files series in order: 1. Hidden 2.Flight 3. Midnight Dunes 4. Deep Tide

*This Review Is For Both The Book And Audiobook

The forth book in the series isn’t my favourite as I really didn’t feel any connection with the main characters and the love story. But generally still a pleasant read