I loved this romantic suspense novel. I loved Leyla and Sean. I hope that there will be more about Nicole in another book. This book has great romance and suspense. I did not want to put the book down. I loved all the twists and turns. I received a copy of the book from the publisher for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from Netgalley . This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I'm not sure how to feel about Deep Tide. The main characters seemed likeable enough. Leyla has her own bakery cafe and catering business. I love that. She has two brothers who are cops. She lives on a beautiful island near the ocean which is a small community. The opening is the oldest brother's wedding to one of the CSI techs in their police dept. Leyla is catering the wedding.

Sean is a friend of her brother's from police training and is here for the wedding. He is also here on business. He's in the FBI. They have an insta-attraction. They hardly seem to get much time together so it doesn't feel connected enough for me. We hardly learn much about Sean's case because he can't tell Leyla or anyone about it.

There are a LOT of characters in the police department, Leyla's family and then Sean and the FBI. I didn't get enough depth or connections with any of them. I feel like this is the start of a series except it is book 4 in the Texas Murder Files . It looks like I read book 1, Hidden, which is the sister of the bride and her police detective fiance's story. They don't live in this town like the characters in the next 3 books. Books 2 and 3 are the Leyla's two police brothers. I might have done better having read those books with all the characters.

There is also a murder mystery. Leyla is the one who discovered the body and the young woman worked for her. We get some of the investigation from the lead detective Nicole. She gets leads in a weird way and it connects a bit to Sean's work so they interface. Since Sean keeps everyone in the dark, the plot doesn't seem to go anywhere until the end.

I liked Deep Tide. I wanted to know who killed the young woman. But there were too many characters I didn't know well. Even the main couple didn't make me feel since I didn't really know much about them. When Sean took a few days off after the case wrapped which they spent together, it doesn't give us any of them together; it just jumps to when he leaves. I needed to see more time with them, talking to each other, not just kissing or having sex. I probably need to go back and read Flight and Midnight Dunes. That would help with the other characters but not the plot here.

Review: I really enjoyed reading this novel! The mystery/suspense portion was well written, and I liked the characters a lot. Overall, I would definitely recommend checking out this book!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

4 1/2 STARS!

Captivating and addictive! Laura Griffin is turning up the sass when she brings Leyla Breda to the forefront with the fourth book in her Texas Murder Files series. A crime quickly occurs that holds the reader's attention throughout while the chemistry between Leyla and the new cop hanging around town begins to intensify. I loved both the intrigue and the romance, the only thing missing for me was more interaction to showcase the sibling bond. I have whole-heartedly enjoyed this series!

Leyla is accomplished and witty, so getting to know both her business side as well as a deeper delve into her as a person was a satisfying addition to the series.

Sean is intriguing from the start and watching him development a relationship with Leyla is rewarding.

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone that enjoys a smalltown intrigue that wraps the town around the reader's heart just as much as the case captivates them.

Fourth in a series but I read it as a stand-alone bc I wasn’t aware and I had no major issues.
Layla owns a coffee shop & bakery in the seaside town of Lost Beach. Her brothers are both police officers on the local force. After attending her brothers wedding, she goes back to her shop only to find one of her employees body in the alley behind the shop. Sean Moran was a guest at her brothers wedding and sparks fly with Layla, but after the murder, gets super overprotective. Soon Leyla figures out he is FBI.
There is also the POV of Nicole, the lead detective in the case.
This was a mix of police procedures and romance and suspense. It felt a little stiff to me and I didn’t really connect with any of the characters.
Thanks to Berkley Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Beach Read Alert 🚨 || You'll want to throw this one in your bag this summer!

Thank you, Berkley Publishing, for the gifted copy of Deep Tide {partner}

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Format: 📖
Pub Date: 4.25.2023
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆.5

Laura Griffin's books have become such an essential read for me. There's just something about the combination of romance and suspense + police procedural that keeps 👏🏼 me 👏🏼hooked. I usually read on my Kindle before bed, but I won't let myself read Griffin's books before bed, or I will never sleep.

A few reviewers mentioned that they didn't love the female MC, Leyla. While I can see their points, her perspective is fresh for the series, and I didn't mind her. With some of Griffin's female MCs, I have been frustrated with their complete disrespect for following the rules, but Leyla didn't have that type of personality.

Usually, Griffin writes her books with some reasonably heavy romance mixed within the pages, but with Deep Tide, that wasn't the case. There was romance, I promise. But, she focused more on the police procedural aspect of the story (which worked for me). I loved reading along as the different characters tried to solve what had happened to the victim.

My only real complaint about Deep Tide is that the ending felt rushed, while the book's pacing was perfect. There wasn't a proper "epilogue," and I needed to know what happened to the bad guys 😆

📖 Could be read as a standalone
🕵🏽‍♀️ More suspense than romance
👌🏼 Well paced
🚔 Police procedural
🌊 Small beachside town

I recommend reading Deep Tide if you enjoy a little suspense with a side of romance during your summer reading!

This book felt like an episode of Law & Order or Chicago PD in the best way. There were likable characters, a fast-paced plot focused around a crime investigation, and a love interest with a little spice. I feel like you could settle in and binge this entire series and it would be exactly what you want if that’s what you are in the mood for. There were no major thriller type twists or graphic descriptions. Overall, I enjoyed it a lot! I can see why people love this series.

Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced reader’s copy!

I love that more and more books are defying set genres, but honestly romantic thriller is not one I thought I would ever read.

Now Deep Tide is technically part of a series – it’s a set of standalone books that all revolve around the same general area and has interconnected characters, and seems to center around the police force.

Cop romance is definitely not my jam, but Sean is FBI so we’ll give him a slight pass, but idk man.

I wanted to love this book, I’ve been getting more into both romance and thrillers lately so I thought it would be a perfect blending of my new interests, but something just didn’t fully sit with me. I think my expectations were just a bit off on this one, I expected a thriller with a romantic subplot, instead it’s a romance with a cozy thriller subplot.

Now I don’t know if cozy thriller is a thing, but that’s the best way I can come up with to describe it. Yes, there’s a Murder and some police work, but considering Sean was there low key workingon a big FBI op, he seemed to do very little actual work. Shit, Leyla in all her inappropriate snooping did more work than he did. (Truly tho I feel like Sean would be fired in real life for how much he let a civilian get involved in this OP just cuz he had a thing for her)

The actual thriller part of this novel was very anticlimactic and followed a very expected formula. The bad guys were clearly defined, and the ones that were still a mystery only were because they hadn’t been mentioned yet.

Also, macho cop bros, not my thing.

It was a fun, quick read, and I’m not sad I read this book, but it didn’t intrigue me enough to read the other books in the universe, especially if they all follow the same general formula.

(Side note, a few of the reviews I read mentioned how steamy this book is. I know everyone has different levels of what they consider smut/steamy reads, but in my opinion this book was very low on the spice scale. You have to have either multiple steamy scenes or one mind blowing one for me to consider it smut, this one fell a bit below that.)

Who do I think would like this book?

If you’re into low stake thrillers, instalove romances, or “right person, wrong time” romances, this is a book for you.

I do appreciate this book for its genre bending, and I love the idea of a small tourist town becoming a crime hot spot. Overall I enjoyed the book for what it was, but I don’t think I was the target audience this time around.

Leyla Breda runs the island coffee shop and catering services. Her two older brothers are local detectives who feel entitled to boss Leyla around especially after she becomes involved in a crime. When one of her employees ends up in the shop’s back-alley dead, Leyla understands first hand that crime is on the upswing in their formerly sleepy beach community. One brother is out of town while the other cannot work on the case because of the family connection so Layla mostly interacts with a newcomer in town.

Enter undercover FBI Special Agent Sean Moran whose own lengthy investigations and mission may be tied to the local incident. He and Leyla spark immediately not only over the investigation and his lack of honesty, but a physical attraction as well. Leyla wants to help with the investigation because this is her home town and her employee; however, Sean wants to keep her out it knowing danger lurks. A wealthy tech entrepreneur who built a mansion in the area looks to be involved in both the local and FBI case.

Leyla has a rule about not dating temporary residents because she knows nothing good will come of their eventual separation. Both she and Sean are essentially workaholics tied to their jobs with little time left for a personal life away from work. The more time they spend together, the less either one wants to say goodbye despite the obvious issues.

As with the previous books, another detective, Nicole Lawson has one of the main POVs as well. She is the youngest on the force working extra hard trying to prove herself to the department by solving this case even without a lot of assistance from the rarely forthcoming FBI, or police departments in San Antonio who are not offering much help. This story is the fourth installment in the Texas Murder Files; it is balanced more heavily towards suspense rather than the romance.

This romantic suspense title pairs coffee shop owner/caterer Leyla Breda with undercover FBI Agent Sean Moran. Leyla has just finished catering her police officer brother's wedding when she discovers the murdered body of one of her brewistas Amelia in the alley outside her beach shop.

Leyla and Sean met at the wedding. He's one of her brother's friends. They are attracted but she's made it a rule not to get involved with tourists. She has no desire for a short-term romance. It doesn't help that lying to her because he's part of an undercover mission.

While they are getting to know each other, Natalie Lswson, the youngest and only woman on the police force, is given charge of investigating the murder. She has to deal with some jealousy from other more experienced officers and her own self-doubts as she tries to figure out who murdered Amelia. It doesn't help that the murder may have ties to the undercover investigation and she keeps getting stone-walled by other agencies.

This was an engaging and action-packed thriller and romance. It is part of a series but stands alone well.

This is the fourth book in The Texas Murder Files Series, and it does not disappoint. It is fast paced, draws you in, perfect beach setting, and I am so jealous that the main character owns a coffee shop overlooking the water. I need to either move to Lost Beach or switch lives with Layla. Not all things are as sunny and perfect as you would imagine. This book can be read as part of the series or as a standalone.

As the population goes up, so does the crime rate. Layla never expected it to touch so close to home. When she finds one of her employees murdered at her coffee shop, she is utterly devastated and is determined to find out what happened to the young woman. Did I mention that her two brothers are police officers and the one man that has caught her eye is working for the FBI? Will these connections help Layla discover who is behind this murder and why? Or will it let loose a storm that there is no coming back from.

Laura Griffen always writes an enticing read that draws you in and does not let you down. Her characters are fun and relatable. She enjoys throwing in smoldering looks, which make deep desires come rushing to the surface. I can always do with sparks flying and spicey action when it comes to the romance department! Thank you to Laura Griffin and Berkley for my gifted copy of this thrill a minute book.

Deep Tide by Laura Griffin is the 4th book in her wonderful Texas Murder Files series. I am a huge fan of Laura Griffin, as she is one of the best at murder suspenseful mysteries, police procedurals and a bit of romance. We meet our heroine, Leyla Breda, who runs two shops in Lost Beach, The Island Beanery, a popular coffee and pastry shop on the island, and The Windjammer. Leyla is catering the wedding of her brother, Joel and Miranda (previous heroes), with help from her assistant, Sienna; and meets Sean Moran, an old friend of Joel. The following morning, with the happy couple away, she enters her coffee shop and to her dismay, finds the dead body of one of her employees.

Sean, our hero, is an FBI agent, who is also in town on a secret mission; though he finds himself very attracted to Leyla; who tries her best to not allow herself to fall for the handsome hunk. Leyla knows what its like to have two brothers on the police force, and even when she questions him, she gets no answers.
Nicole is a detective on the police force, and she is assigned to take the lead on the case of the murder at the coffee shop; especially with Joel away on his honeymoon, and Owen (previous hero with Macey), and neither of the brothers are allowed to participate in the murder mystery. Nicole does a good job in trying to find clues, and with help from her co-worker, Emmett, they manage to discover that the murder could very well be part of the secret mission Sean is on.

Sean knows there is an enemy in Long Beach, and he worries that Leyla during her catering, will put herself in danger. Leyla accepts a catering job for a wealthy Tech millionaire, and decides when she has a moment, to take a peek in his office, and snaps a picture of a map. Though, Sean was happy to have that information, her meddling was too dangerous; and Leyla continued to learn more about the victim possibly dating the millionaire. Sean’s skills allowed him to take Leyla’s information to dig further in this case.

In a short time, Sean and Leyla succumb to their feelings, with great chemistry between them. I also loved Nicole, who was doing an excellent job of getting clues, as she learns more during her investigations.
What follows is an exciting, intriguing, suspenseful thriller that kept me on the edge throughout, especially as we raced to the climax. The last half of the book was extremely tense, I could not put the book down. I do not want to give spoilers, so you need to read this book to discover what happens.

Deep Tide was another excellent mystery in this series, which to no surprise, was very well written by Laura Griffin. The last third of the book was very exciting, as Leyla finds herself in danger, and Sean, with help from the brothers, needs to find a way to save her.

Laura Griffin once again, gives us a fantastic exciting suspenseful mystery, with a great romantic couple and wonderful secondary characters. If you enjoy murder mysteries, police procedurals, lots of intense action, suspense, with a touch of romance, you should read this book. If you have never read Laura Griffin, it’s time to start now, as she is an amazing writer for romance suspense.

Great addition to the romantic suspense murder mystery.
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Focusing on police procedurals mainly, this author is killing it with her Texas Murder Files series. This story does share some secondary characters from other books, but the lead characters are new.

In Deep Tide we are treated to a steamy romance that blurs the lines a bit with the murder investigation. Griffin ties us up with crime, procedurals, FBI investigations, and hot romance that builds an engaging, fast pace, page-turning story.

The settings and descriptions are perfect and make you wish the setting was real. Character development is spot on and the story is realistic and well-paced. I love the intricacy of the plot. Griffin keeps you guessing with this one!

This book did not grab me as much as I typically see with her books. I cannot pinpoint what was missing, but I think it is due to the fact that Leyla was not a favorite leading character for me. Leyla is strong, but put herself at risk often and kept vacillating with Sean. That made it tough to connect completely with her, in my opinion.

Overall, Deep Tide is an awesome read. I am never disappointed by this author and cannot wait for what is to come!

This was the third book to involve a Breyda sibling but it can be read as stand alone. This book had the suspense and pacing that I expect with Griffin's books as well as a satisfying romance element.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Deep Tide by Laura Griffin that I read and reviewed.
This was the fourth book in the Murder Files series and the one that did not hold my attention out of all of them. I loved the main characters but I hated the people that were the ones that they were investigating for the murder. I just did not connect with the entire case in this book. For me there were to many people investigating and they just were going in too many directions.
Overall, this book was okay but not the best in the series so I am giving Deep Tide four out of five stars.

A couple of years ago, I read the first of this "Texas Murder Files" series, but somehow I missed the next two. Only one character - actually one I didn't much care for - is in this one, at least as far as my memory (and a peek at my review of that one) goes. I must say, though, that I was far happier to see that, insofar as a good story goes, the tide has turned for the better. While it comes off a little closer to a cozy mystery than I expected, I enjoyed it and yes, look forward to reading more about the main characters.

They would be Leyla Breda, who owns and operates two deli/catering firms in seaside Lost Beach, Texas, and FBI agent Sean Moran, who's in town from his D.C. base on an undercover assignment. Needless to say, romantic sparks fly despite the objections of her police-force brothers - but so does the action, which begins with Leyla's discovery of the body of one of her employees out behind her main shop. There's no immediately identifiable motive, and thus no discernible path to the killer.

Much of the story that follows centers on Sean's and Leyla's reasons for not getting together which which, truth be told, got really old really fast (one of the reasons the aforementioned cozies drive me nuts). The investigation, though, provides a welcome relief from the romantic waffling, and most readers no doubt will soon suspect the case Sean is working on and the woman's murder might be in some way connected (whether or not they are, of course, I won't tell). As the end nears, the action heats up, with at least one character's life on the line. All told, it's definitely worth reading, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy. Good job!

Unfortunately, i was so bored. I stopped reading at 22 %. This is solely on me. I need to mystery/ thrillers to hold my attention.

DEEP TIDE is the fourth book in the Texas Murder Files series. I really just love this series, but you can also read this one as a stand alone. I really enjoyed the fast-paced story line. We jump into the mystery immediately. One of Leyla's employees is found dead outside of her coffee shop. She is determined to figure out what happened, even though her brother, Police Officer Joel, and her new love interest, FBI agent Sean Moran, tell her to keep out of it. Sean and Leyla's romance was just the best! The sparks were flying even though Joel warned her to stay away from him, but of course she didn't. I think the story ended perfectly. I do wonder if this is the end of the series or if there will be another book. I highly recommend DEEP TIDE and the rest of this series. If you enjoy romantic suspense as much as I do, these books are for you!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be shared to my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

Deep Tide
Texas Murder Files #4
Laura Griffin

Deep Tide is a non-stop action-packed romantic suspense thriller and #4 in Laura Griffin’s Texas Murder Files series. Fans are taken back to the small Texas tourist town of Lost Beach where three of the novels are set and get a great check in with past characters. They also get a chilling new case staring Leyla Breda who fans will have met in previous novels and FBI agent Sean Moran. Leyla is an awesome star she’s strong, independent and has practice standing up to and holding her own with testosterone filled alpha males because of her two brothers and proves this to readers when dealing with Sean. Sean is also a first-rate character, he’s the iconic protector, a bit of a control freak plus he doesn’t like being questioned but is excellent at holding his tongue when needed and also excellent at dealing with his love interest’s protective older brothers. Fans of Laura will recognize and appreciate her attention to procedural details, her masterful storytelling and her cast of unforgettable characters. Fans of this series, this author or super romantic suspense novels will not be able to put this one down.

Local restaurateur/caterer Leyla Breda loves having her business(s) in her small costal tourist town of Lost Beach, Texas. She’s also used to cop talk at the dinner table because both of her brothers are members of the Lost Beach PD but she didn’t expect to be smack dab in the middle of a case when one of her employees is found murdered behind her coffee shop. She also didn’t expect to be so attracted to a certain aloof FBI agent who was in town to attend her brother’s wedding but is now nosing around the case.

FBI agent Sean Moran was in Lost Beach to attend a wedding but he’s staying because a local murder seems to be connected to a Mexican crime syndicate his multi-agency task force is closing in on. He certainly doesn’t need the added complication of being hot and bothered by a sexy caterer who also happens to be his friend’s baby sister, but sometimes fate kicks you in the butt.

Leyla owns a little coffee shop and is just starting her catering business. She has two brothers that are cops and one is a lawyer. She is catering her brother's wedding when she meets a handsome stranger. Sean is a FBI agent and is in town for a wedding and also a case. Leyla arrives at work and finds one of her employees dead. The police are investigating and Sean is sort of undercover but he has information that could help the case. A tech guru has a mansion there and is smuggling encrypted phones for drug dealers and other criminals. But when Leyla gets herself into trouble, will Sean be able to save her in time?

A little sex. Edge of your seat suspense. I don't know what else to say. I read it in one day because I couldn't put it down. I thought there were too many point of views. Still an excellent story.

* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for Netgalley *