Barbara Cool Lee

I love the characters in this series because they’ve often done wrong but find second chances in this small coastal California town. Roxy made a huge mistake her senior year of high school and got sent to prison for ten years. She’s served her time, is out and has come to live in her grandmother’s cottage. She also wants to reconnect with her daughter—but her ex, Alexander, the good guy she took for granted during her wild bad girl days, is having none of it. Then there’s also the show more matter of the two million dollars she had a hand in stealing from an armored car that night when she was seventeen—money that has never been found. What happened to it?

Lovely detailed descriptions. You can see the lovely California coast and feel the surf. I loved the examination of Roxy’s past and the difficulties of reentering life after time in prison. This mystery had a little of everything. Blackmail. Betrayal. Secrets. Redemption and forgiveness. I was surprised by some of the twists that came up as we neared the end… I thought I had predicted which way it was going to go and then the author took me by surprise!

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader. show less

Maggie McJasper is the ex-wife of a Hollywood mogul, being divorced all of two weeks. She has a large mansion on the beach -- but, unfortunately, no money to maintain it, so rents it to a friend who is a movie star, Reese Stevens. She also has her ex-husband and his new girlfriend living in another mansion next door. The girlfriend who broke up her marriage. Now Maggie is starting over, beginning with opening a bead shop. However, things are not all good in her life: she finds a dead body in show more a swimming pool, and from there everything seems to go downhill. Except, of course, for the big dog who's trying to move into her tiny home with her...

This is the first book in a new series, and I really would have liked to have given it five stars. Except I am so tired of protagonists who start over with no money and can barely pay their bills. She was married for ten years to a rich man and never fought for a better deal? What. A. Wimp. The book wouldn't have changed much if she'd gotten enough money to live on -- except she wouldn't be broke. I was hoping for better. I also sense that there might be a love triangle, or at least a love interest, and please, please, don't let it be the cop. It's always the cop they choose, and I am not giving up hope yet that this series might go in another direction.

But aside from this, the book was written well and I indeed did enjoy the plot line. I liked that Maggie wasn't a suspect (another thing that usually happens), and that Lt. Ibarra listened to what she had to say. Maggie is intelligent, attractive, and kind. These three things come through quite nicely.

The mystery was also done well, and gave us clues throughout the book, which Maggie turned over to the police as soon as she had them. That's also a plus. The book kept me interested throughout, wanting to know where the next clue would be and how everything would unfold. When it did, and the murderer was revealed, it was definitely a surprise. The ending was both sad and hopeful, and I will read the next in the series. Recommended show less

This had all the makings of a wonderful cozy mystery. A woman trying to escape after a bad man cheated her and wronged an innocent child. A picturesque little town on the coast. A cop with a painful past. Wonderful descriptions and great pacing, plus a quaint, quirky little cottage you just want to spend time in on the beach!

It turns out Camilla’s ex may have been even more dangerous than she initially believed, and as bad things begin happening in Pajaro Bay, Ryan must work to put the show more pieces together and figure out the history of her ex before he can get to her and adopted son Oliver. Great combination of romance, cozy, and police procedural. Good character backstories. Likeable side characters. Bonus points for seagulls and an amusement park. This is the first in a series and I downloaded it for free, and I definitely plan to check out more in the series.

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I really liked this romantic suspense. Barbara Cool Lee is a very illustrative writer making it easy to picture the events taking place. The book is a great read and definitely captures the reader in the story line, but that wouldn't work if she didn't have good characters. Ryan and Camilla are such likable individuals that you can't help but root for them. Camilla's ex stole her money, embezzled from her company making it look like she did it and left. But he didn't take his young son, show more Oliver. Ryan is the sheriff in the small town Camilla moved to. He tried to keep Camilla and Oliver safe which got trickier when he realized a serial killer was after them. I loved how protective Ryan was and felt bad that he was so hard on himself. The slow building of feelings between Camilla and Ryan was great in this sweet romance. I liked the small town where everybody knew what everybody else was doing - all the time. The surprising twist at the end made this book an even better read. show less