MERMAID MOON by Colleen Coble

Mallory Davis's mother died 15 years ago.  Feeling like she was the cause, Mallory left behind the home she loved as well as the man she loved and was going to marry, Kevin O'Connor, and has never returned.  Out of the blue, Mallory receives a distressing phone call from her father and with his last breath, tells her he loves her and instructs her to 'find mother'.  Believing that her father's death was no accident, Kevin (who is now a game warden and the local law in Downeast Maine) believes she's right and begins to look into it.   Things heat up when Mallory and her daughter Haylie are threatened.  As they begin putting the pieces together, both Kevin and Mallory are surprised by what they find and begin to realize there's a whole lot more to this situation than they ever anticipated.  Will they figure it out before it's too late.

Once again Colleen Coble delivers a well thought out, tightly written, and at times nail-biting, romantic suspense.  Right away you're pulled into the story and you don't want to put it down until you find out how it all turns out.  I was trying to unravel the mystery right along with Mallory and Kevin as it was most certainly a tangled web.  For those who have read The Inn at Ocean's Edge, you'll find Luke, Claire and Kate a part of this story which I thoroughly enjoyed.  You don't need to read that book for this book to make sense but it does give you the background of those characters.  The main theme of the story was second chances.  Sometimes we get stuck because of a mistake or mistakes we've made in the past when instead we should be growing through them and not allowing them to define our future.  That was a great reminder.  Kevin's father was a good example of what unforgiveness can turn into.  You'll understand when you read the story.  There was a little something at the end that I felt was unresolved but it wasn't anything that detracted from my reading experience.  I loved that this is also loosely connected with Denise Hunter's Summer Harbor series. That was great fun!  If you've never visited Maine, or even if you have, I would highly recommend taking a trip there via Mermaid Moon.  You'll enjoy the beautiful landscape, ride a boat, meet some great friends and, oh yea, solve a murder.

*This complimentary copy was provided by Thomas Nelson through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

A couple favorite quotes:

"Moonlight filtered through the bedroom curtains.  Mallory had tried to read awhile, but even the latest Denise Hunter romance couldn't keep her attention from wandering upstairs to where Kevin slept."

"The more we're hurt, the harder it is to get past it.  And it's even worse when that person has hurt someone you love."

For more information about this book or other books by Colleen Coble I encourage you to visit her website at colleencoble.com/