Marlene Bell

hank you to Marlene Bell for a copy of her book. This is book four in a series. I read book three but not one or two. In both of these books there is a significant amount of backstory that pops up so I would recommend that readers begin with book one.

Main character’s Annalisse Drury and her millionaire boyfriend, Alec Zavos are engaged but currently on the outs over a child that has entered their lives, purportedly Alec’s son. Needing a diversion, Annalisse heads to New Zealand after show more receiving an invite and a key to a cottage from a man who once worked for her missing mother. Annalisse hopes to track her mom and reunite with her. Alec sends along his friend, Bill Drake, as a bodyguard to keep her safe.

Not long after they arrive, Annalisse and Bill witness the death of man which has them butting heads with the local police chief. Within days, they hear of a second death in which they become entangled. Annalisse is determined to get to the bottom of both deaths.

Once again, the author whisks the reader off to an exotic location, this time New Zealand. I loved the setting of the sheep farm on which they stay. The writing is highly descriptive with lots of tidbits about sheep, the local geology and other unique features about the locale. Makes me want to add it to my bucket list of places to visit. I will say that at times, I found the writing a little convoluted and had to reread some sentences to get a clear meaning.

The pace of the story is fast and action packed. It is written in first person/ present tense so there is an immediacy to the narrative. The plot has plenty of twisty turns and there is an unexpected surprise waiting for the reader at the end!

I rate this book four stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ show less

I liked this fourth book the best of this series. I really liked the flow of this book better than the first three books. I loved Annalisse working with Bill in this story in New Zealand. I loved the descriptions of some of the land in New Zealand. I loved the twists and turns. I was surprised by the tragic ending but I really liked it. I received a copy of the book from the publisher for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.