About the Book:

A contemporary novel with a strong suspense element from Oscar-nominated actress Meg Tilly set on a peaceful island village in the Pacific Northwest.

Dumped on the eve of her wedding and looking for a quiet place to lick her emotional wounds, Maggie Harris joins her sister on Solace Island, where she hopes to recover from the stunning betrayal. At first, Maggie resists Eve’s impassioned argument about relocating permanently so the sisters can open their own local bakery. What she definitely doesn’t need on her road to recovery are Eve’s efforts to fix her up with their mysterious and alluring neighbor, Luke Benson–even if he is incredibly handsome and desirable.

Just as Maggie starts to get comfortable in her new surroundings, a car tries to run her down in the middle of the street. If it weren’t for Luke’s extremely quick reflexes, Maggie could have been killed, leading her to wonder just who exactly Luke Benson really is…

Luke thought he’d left the violence of the high risk security world behind. But he can’t stand by while Maggie’s life is threatened. Luke will do anything to keep her safe–even moving Maggie and her sister into his house with its state-of-the-art security features. But with the secrets between them and an unknown threat stalking her heels, Luke will have to think fast to prove to Maggie that she can trust him with her life–and with her heart.

Click on title below for direct Amazon buy link:                                               Solace Island (Solace Island Series Book 1)

My Review:                       

Maggie Harris is celebrating at her bachelorette party, when her fiancé and business partner, Brett, calls her to say he can’t go through with the wedding.  After enduring the humiliation of cancelling a wedding at the last minute, along with all the other related complications, Maggie is astounded to find that Brett expects them to carry on their professional relationship as “business as usual.”  Maggie, who has controlling interest, instead offers to sell out to Brett, advising him to obtain a business loan.  Otherwise, she will simply sell her interest to an outside buyer.  She then decides to take a three week vacation with her older sister, Eve, to Solace Island in the Pacific Northwest.

Luke Benson desperately wants to comfort the woman he sees on the ferry to Solace Island.  She’s sobbing as if heartbroken, but he decides that she’s better left to her privacy.  Luke came to Solace Island to recover after a tragic incident in his own life, which caused him an injury he’s still recovering from.  His days as a special forces op, then CEO of a securities firm are firmly behind him.

It seems that Luke is destined to meet Maggie, as she gets lost and ends up blocking Luke’s driveway, which is not far from her rented home.  The meeting, however, is not one of Maggie’s finer moments, but she gets a second chance when she encounters Luke at the Saturday Market.  They plan to get together, and this time Luke majorly screws up.  Seems like this couple is star-crossed before they even get together.

Eventually, Luke and Maggie manage to spend some time together and begin to really enjoy each other’s company.  Then the first of several incidents start, and it’s clear that someone is out to injure or even kill Maggie.  Luke’s protective instincts kick in, and he moves Maggie and Eve to his home for safety, and calls in reinforcements in the form of two of his comrades from special forces.

When Maggie is in Luke’s house, the steam between them really ramps up, and Maggie finds just what she has been missing in her lukewarm engagement.  The danger ramps up, too, as professional assassins are now on the island, determined to end Maggie’s life.  Will Luke’s skills be enough to protect her so that they can explore their fledgling romance?

Luke is all you could wish for in a hero.  He’s funny, kind, protective, sexy, and sensitive.  And. He. Bakes.  Maggie comes off as somewhat naïve, even after experiencing how Brett treated her.  She has a lot of unfortunate klutzy / awkward moments, but she still manages to appear endearing.  However, when she knows that she is in serious danger, she commits what I consider a serious (“TSTL”) error, placing herself directly in her enemy’s hands.

I consider SOLACE ISLAND to be an enjoyable and hot romance, with a hero and heroine who have been badly burned before.  The mystery started well into the book, which worked for me, and then had an interesting twist.  I’m one of those readers who likes every loose end tied up neatly with a bow.  There is one character, a child, who played a prominent part of the resolution.  He obviously continues to be a part of Luke’s and Maggie’s life, but it’s not explained how.  I think that this is important enough that it deserved to be fleshed out a bit more.  Overall, SOLACE ISLAND is a satisfying read for those who enjoy a contemporary romance with a heavy dose of suspense.    ~Rose