Gayle Roper

As someone who doesn’t usually read mystery stories, I’ve got to say, I enjoyed this thoroughly! It has just the right mix of mystery, romance, tragedy and recovery. The Christian characteristics are powerful, yet meld into the story very nicely. I’ve no doubt non-Christians could enjoy this book as much as I did.

I enjoyed getting to know the primary characters, and the secondary characters were introduced just enough to keep things rolling smoothly. I cared about what happened and was show more satisfied with how the story closed.

At a very young age, Carrie Carter had seen enough abuse, neglect, and ugliness in the world to last a lifetime. She finally gains the courage (and means) to escape, taking her little sister, Lindsay, in tow. They start a new life in Seaside, New Jersey, working at, and eventually owning, a successful café.

The regular café patrons are both charming and flawed, many of them reminding me of people I know. Whether willing participants or not – their lives become entangled by mystery, murder, loss, and love.

I can’t really say if the romance or the mystery played the biggest part of this story, but they were both equally developed and kept me interested to the very last page. If there was a sequel to this book I’d certainly read it. I’d label this book as an easy read, a compelling storyline, and a satisfying end! show less

A delightfully good story to end this wonderful series. Dori MacAllister finds herself returning to the charming town of Seaside after leaving bittersweet memories behind her 6 years ago when she moved to the West coast to start a new life. Pastor Paul Trevelyan is surprised to see her back, but also overjoyed with the possibilities of what this could mean for them both. Throw in a teenager, a brother and a charming lady police officer, and a church full of interesting folks, and you have show more yourself a fun ride with lots of excitement, laughs and learning to let go and let love and forgiveness take over. There was alot going on in this story and there is never a dull moment. Gayle Roper has such a good way of making all her characters full of charm and personality. There are problems, heartaches and danger; but she writes in such a way that you come away refreshed, knowing that working through tough times can be done and it always brings about happier endings than failing to resolve conflicts. A great ending to a great series of books! show less

The plot was excellent but the style of writing didn't match it - I read about these horrible things that had happened to the main characters but I didn't feel anything for them. This is the first book by Roper I've read and judging from this one, I won't seek out anymore.

I didn't like the fact that the author used her characters to speak disparagingly about social network sites, especially Twitter. I couldn't find her on Twitter, so if she is not using the site, how can she pass judgement show more on it like that?

I think Christian authors can get lazy in their writing - as long as they have a plot that includes crazy cults, they will continue to have readers that share their point of view. I wish they would work harder to write something that's emotionally satisfying.

**I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for writing this review. show less

Carrie Carter runs Carrie's Cafe with her sister, Lindsey, in Seaside, New Jersey. Greg Barnes is an ex-cop, now property manager, who comes into the cafe everyday to eat. He pretty much keeps to himself, still hurting from the loss of his wife and children three years ago. Carrie is very drawn to Greg but he doesn't seem to notice she exists. Then her dishwasher is found dead and her waitress disappears. Greg finds himself wanting to help her and in the process also notices how very show more attracted he is to her. Carrie has some real trust issues and Greg doesn't know if he can ever love again. Will they be able to confront their fears and find love or will it be too late?

This was a story that caught me by surprise. The cover and title led me to think this was a cozy-type mystery. But it was oh-so-much-more than that. It's written in a first person POV which I must admit is not my favorite viewpoint. However, I found myself really drawn into the story and caring about the characters. The main characters have moments of reflection which tell their background story. I felt like all the characters, villains included, were very well drawn and realistic. This author tackled the subjects of love, loss, child abuse, cults, murder, alcoholism, PTSD and second chances. The seriousness of the subjects was not at all what I expected when I began reading the book but it had a depth to it that really surprised me. The theme running throughout the story was 'there is a time for every purpose under heaven' and I think the author did a wonderful job playing that out. The story starts out at a somewhat slow pace but continues to build and culminates to an nail-biting conclusion. I have to add that though the story dealt with serious subjects there were plenty of humorous moments to break the tension. I thoroughly enjoyed Shadows on the Sand and would definitely recommend it to those who like a good romantic suspense. A thank you goes to the publisher and Librarything for providing this complimentary copy for my review. show less