Book Review: Twilight at Blueberry Barrens by Colleen Coble

I have read many of Colleen Coble’s Christian romance novels, but she truly shines when she writes suspense.  The Sunset Cove series has been creepy and twisted from the very beginning, but reaches new heights in the latest book, Twilight at Blueberry Barrens.  I love Ms. Coble’s writing style.  She doesn’t shy away from topics that are generally taboo in religious fiction.  That’s certainly the case here.

Kate Mason was sick and about to die when she found her long-lost twin, Claire.  Claire gave Kate her bone marrow and she’s healthy now, and maybe ready for some changes in her life.  Her mother and uncle are both in prison, and she’s looking for a fresh start.  Her families’ blueberry barrens aren’t doing well, so she decides to fix up her mother’s old house and rent it out for the summer.  Drake Newham has had custody of his two nieces since his brother and sister-in-law were killed a few months earlier.  When someone breaks into his Boston home, he decides to take the girls to Sunset Cove for a visit.  He hopes to be able to investigate his brother’s death more thoroughly while he’s there.  He rents Kate’s cottage, and also hires her to be his nieces’ nanny for the summer.  The two begin to develop feelings for one another, but someone doesn’t want that to happen.  Someone is peeping at women, and leaving scary messages for Claire and following Kate. When Kate’s uncle escapes from prison, he is the likely suspect.  But there is something more sinister lurking.  Is the person who killed Drake’s brother connected to Kate’s stalker?  Is Kate’s uncle responsible for breaking into Kate’s house?  When Kate is in danger, will Drake and Luke find her in time?

As someone who has read most of Ms. Coble’s suspense novels, I figured out very early on who the stalker was, but there was enough mystery and suspense left that I still loved this book.  I read it in less than a day, and absolutely could not put it down.  While I figured out the stalker, I could not guess who killed Heath and Melissa, and the answer did surprise me.  I also enjoyed the romance that developed between Kate and Drake, and her decision to be brave and give herself a chance to live.  It’s obvious that she had a lot of pain and heartache in her life, and was emotionally abused by her guilt-ridden mother.  It was great to see her begin to put all of that behind her and learn to live her own life. 

I loved the characters in this book.  I like that the author has further developed the relationship between Kate and Claire, showing how great it is that they found each other, but also some of the difficulties that arise in such situations.  I loved that Luke was so supportive of his new wife and her twin.  Kate is such a great character, too.  I loved when she took the iPads from the girls at the dinner before Drake had even hired her.  She was so feisty and pulled no punches with Drake or the girls.  I also loved the cameo appearance by a character from Denise Hunter’s Summer Harbor series, which is another of my favorites!

I LOVE this book, but also this whole series.  You will need to read the first two Sunset Cove books before this one to really understand the story.  Trust me, it’s worth your time to read them all!

Happy reading!

Lyndsie

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.  All opinions are my own.  Look for Twilight at Blueberry Barrens at your favorite bookseller on or around September 2o, 2016.