A well written complex mystery with some twist and turns that captured my attention from page one. I just didn't know what would happen next. I definitely recommend.


Thank you, Bella Books, and NetGalley for this ARC copy.

Gwen Herron is missing. Her daughter Taylor and husband David have to place all their trust on Detective Aleena Shaw finding her. Taylor’s stress and tension exudes from the pages as she starts looking for her mother. They have always been very close, best friends as well as mother-daughter. Taylor cannot picture her life without her mom being present.

I was hooked into the story from the first sentence. The complex mystery is expertly written making both the detective and me work hard to try and solve it. Owen’s keen sense of balance gives us just enough romantic build up to match the rising tension.

Taylor and David gain our sympathy quickly as they fill out into three dimensional characters.
Detective Shaw remains a bit of a mystery even by the ending. There is a lot of backstory to Aleena that we never get to which is a shame. She is such an interesting character and I wanted to know more about her.

An Unraveling is one of the better mysteries that I have read this year. Intense, exciting and complex, just how I like my mysteries.

I received an advance review copy  from Bella Books through NetGalley.  I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I found An Unraveling to be a refreshingly unique story plot. I felt drawn in with the first paragraph. It seems I really enjoy a story written in first person. I honestly didn’t know where the mystery was heading and that makes for a good story for me. Plus, there were a few twists and turns that kept me guessing as I kept reading. Sure, I had my initial thoughts as to what happened, but they kept changing. So, nice going!
I wish the main characters could have been developed more deeply, but I also felt the point of the story was the mystery surrounding her mother. The dialogue was good, as was maintaining the writing in first person.
It isn’t that two people do not meet under unusual circumstances and have an immediate attraction, yet under very highly emotional situations new relationships can go either way. This story embodies one of those extremely emotional situations. The narration could have shown more in-depth insight into that development, though. And no, you know I do not give any spoilers, sorry. You’ll have to read it to see what I mean.
I’d recommend it if you love a good mystery, though. Just sayin’.

Gripping lesbian crime story, I had to keep reading to see how it turned out, contained within a family drama, that underpins the whole book. Some of Taylor, the main character's choices were puzzling, definitely adding to the action of the book. I would have liked to have more of Aleena's perspective, the book is very much written from Taylor's POV.
Content warning: There are a couple of violent scenes with nasty undertones of sexual violence, that could be triggering, which certainly keep you reading for a satisfactory resolution.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Everything is going great for Taylor Herron, she owns her own company, the family nursery growing and selling any and everything needed to make your home stand out. A few flower beds go a long way to dressing up anyone's yard. It’s where she grew up and when her mother decided it was time to retire she gladly handed it over to Taylor.
Now the unthinkable has happened, her Mom is missing, where she went and who if anyone she talked with might know where her mom is. Her Father, David, is distraught with worry. Both David and Taylor were questioned and now they had to do what they could to bring their loved one home.
Detective Aleena Shaw was working the case and when Taylor and Aleena meet they both feel the attraction but Aleena can’t get involved with anyone associated with the missing woman.
Ms Owens has done a great job of bringing the threads together, making this one of the books I couldn’t put down. Main characters Alenna and Taylor, along with the supporting cast make this a wonderful fast paced read. Very, very good.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bella Books

This is a story about Taylor Herron who works for her mother’s landscape/garden center. Taylor’s mother disappears at the start of the story and detective Aleena Shaw is assigned to the case. Taylor is heartbroken and turns into a hot mess over the disappearance. She finds her self attracted to detective Shaw. Shaw is drawn to Taylor too and tries to protect her on one hand and distance herself on the other hand trying to remain professional

Taylor begins to actively search for her mom and gets herself in all kinds of danger. Taylor’s dad is in poor health and he tries to help but is not able to do much.

The story had an ambitious plot and parts of it were pretty unbelievable in my view. But I kept reading to see the mystery solved. Both MCs were like able but the romance came too easy for me.

ARC received from NetGalley for an honest and voluntary review.

I like a good mystery especially if there are twists and turns. Taylor Herron's mother is missing and she is anxious and at her wits ends with worry. With the help of her friends and neighbors, a search begins. The Detective assigned to the case is Aleena Shaw. As the search for Taylor's mother continues, Aleena and Taylor grow close and there is attraction. Aleena tries to keep her distance and stay objective. I liked both Taylor and Aleena and the twists and turns the story takes. It kept me guessing who dunnit (well through part of the story). There was more unfolding of secrets and less romance which in my opinion, did not take away from the story.

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

taylors mom is missing, and detective shaw is in charge of the investigation

but why she is missing that is the question and its not long before items are found that belong to taylors mom... could she still be alive or are they searching for a dead body....

but weird things keep happening and could the truth be closer than they all think

not a bad storyline

Taylor’s mum, Gwen, disappears and the police come in to try and find out what has happened. So far so standard crime story. The slightly different spin here is that our focus is with Taylor and her father and friends. We don’t really know what is happening with the police investigation, much as the family wouldn’t know every twist and turn. Also every comment, every family secret is slowly and painfully revealed. In the middle of this, Taylor finds herself drawn to the officer in charge, Detective Aleena Shaw. Because of their personal feelings, their professional relationship becomes complicated.

Things become ever more complex when some of Gwen’s belongings are found, including a bloody shoe. And everyone mistrusts everyone and is looking over their shoulder. Taylor is attacked. Is it connected? Is it random? How can she keep the family business she operates with her mum, running while her mind is filled with fear.

This is a well written, tightly plotted novel. The characters are real, although there are a few minor missteps. The ancillary characters are excellent and I definitely want a best friend like Carly.

The ending is satisfying and explains the red herrings and missed steps. I’d read more by this author, for sure.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley

3.75⭐️
A mystery with some interesting twists and turns.

Taylor Herron's mother is missing, and she and her father are very worried. Aleena Shaw is the detective in charge. But that's not enough for Taylor, she can’t just sit still and wait, she has to do something. So, she and her friends organize their own search parties. Surprisingly, for once this doesn't result in any conflicts with the police, but is even supported by them.

It takes place in a small city and is entirely told from Taylor's POV. The longer the search for the mother goes on, the more family secrets and lies come to light. Will it destroy the relationship between parents and daughter or weld them together more?

Aleena is Taylor's only hope to find her mother and at the same time, she feels safe around her, with all that’s happening. The fact that she is also attractive doesn't bother her at all. Over the weeks the case lasts, they grow closer, though Aleena tries to keep the distance she needs to remain objective in the case.

Some twists and turns are surprising and Taylor has to take a beating. For a brief moment, I thought a bit much was packed into the story, but when all the connections are finally made clear, everything falls into place. The plot is interestingly knitted.

What I liked is that the relationship between Taylor and Aleena started slowly and really developed after the case was closed. This makes it more authentic and believable to me. And it was a nice and soothing part after all the lies and crimes.

Overall a good mix of mystery and romance.

ARC was provided by NetGalley and Bella Books in exchange for an honest review.

An Unraveling is a fast paced mystery thriller. It follows the story of Taylor Herron, who’s life is spiraling after the disappearance of her mother. Taylor finds strength in Detective Aleena Shaw as the two of them desperately try to solve the mystery together.

This book was a thoroughly enjoyable read. It was fast paced with some unexpected twists and a satisfying ending.

I was heavily invested in the case of Mrs Herron’s disappearance and enjoyed all of the twists and turns before the final reveal.

The romance was well written, I enjoyed seeing the bond between Taylor and Aleena grow as they worked together. I also enjoyed that the end of the book took time to show them after some time had passed.

I would love to read more from this author.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Bella Books for providing me with this arc.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Taylor learns her mother is missing her and her father are worried something happened to her. As Taylor her friends forms a search for her mother she meets detective Aleena Shaw who assigned her mother case. As Taylor puts herself into the investigation because she can’t just sit and wait she learns things about her parents that have her seeing them in a new light. Taylor and Aleena grow closer despite the fact Aleena is trying to keep her at a distance so it won’t cloud her judgment. This was a good read I like how the author set up different red herrings to keep you guessing but I’ve figure out who it’s was early on but my motive was wrong on the why.

Fast paced mystery. Told entirely from Taylor Herron’s POV beginning on the afternoon she learns that her mother is missing. Her parents are retired and Taylor is a landscape architect. She runs a large nursery she took over from her mother. Detective Aleena Shaw is working the case. Taylor goes from frustration to shock as new evidence and truths are discovered. The telling feels brisk and Taylor is almost clipped in tone. There isn’t a lot of extraneous details. You don’t know the city, state or even the season where things are occurring. I wasn’t shocked at the culprit but there are some twists and red herrings along the way. I liked that the main mystery is resolved leaving time to develop the romance. Often in these types of books the romance is thrown in as an after thought. This is the authors second book and first mystery. I’ve enjoyed both even though they are more drama filled than romance. Thank you to Bella Books and NetGalley for the ARC and I leaving an honest review.

An Ok story to read. It was a bit of a ‘whodunnit’/F/F romance. I felt it was a bit boring at the start but it picked up further in. The author threw in a couple of red herrings. I’d read a bit and think ‘oh yeah I know who it was’ then read on a bit further and think ‘no its not’. There was a slight twist at the end which, if you pay attention to what you’re reading you will pick up and the twist then not such a surprise. I would read more of this author’s books.