Book Review: Shadows in the Sand by Gayle Roper

I tend to shy away from typical romance novels.  When I read this line from the back cover “While her heart does a happy snoopy dance at the sight of him, he never seems to notice her,” I thought to myself nope this isn’t a book I want to read.  But I kept reading the description.  “When Carrie’s dishwasher is killed and her young waitress disappears, Greg finds himself drawn into helping Carrie solve the mysteries.”  That did it.  This wasn’t going to be a typical romance.  It’s a mystery.  With some romance interwoven.

From the Publisher:She serves him breakfast at her café every morning … but he never seems to notice her.

Carrie Carter’s small café in Seaside, New Jersey, is populated with a motley crew of locals … although Carrie only has eyes for Greg Barnes. He’s recovering from a vicious crime that three years ago took the lives of his wife and children—and from the year he tried to drink his reality away. While her heart does a happy Snoopy dance at the sight of him, he never seems to notice her, to Carrie’s chagrin.

When Carrie’s dishwasher is killed and her young waitress disappears, Greg finds himself drawn into helping Carrie solve the mysteries … and into her life. But when Carrie’s own painful past becomes all to present, her carefully constructed world begins to sink.
Will the fragile relationship she’s built with Greg implode from the weight of the baggage they both carry?

My Thoughts:I love a good book.  I especially love a book that makes me smile.  This was a book that made me smile.  Recently, I came across a quote (attributed to Stephen King) "A successful novel should interrupt the reader’s life, make him or her miss appointments, skip meals, forget to walk the dog."   I would classify Shadows in the Sand by Gayle Roper and published by Multnomah Press as a successful novel.  I found myself so engrossed in the book that I wasn’t paying attention to my favorite tv show.  My family was happily watching the streaming screen and I had my nose buried in the book. I found the book to be an easy read and I finished it much faster than I planned.  I think I will look for more books in Ms. Roper’s Seaside Mystery Series.

I felt drawn into the coastal tourist NJ town right away.  The characters felt real.  Real people, real problems.  Though my life has been nothing like Carrie’s I could identify with the emotions she felt.  I could identify with her fears. 

I appreciated the style of writing.  This book mentions church, God, Jesus, praying etc but doesn’t preach at you.  Instead I felt the author portrayed her faith through the characters actions.  I saw love of Christ displayed in the characters as they interacted. 

If you like mysteries and you like romance (or in my case even if you don't generally like romance novels) you'll like this quick easy read.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for this review.