By The Book

Ambush by Colleen Coble was my book club’s selection this month. We love romantic suspense, so this one was a good choice. The setting was so much fun — a wild animal preserve located in coastal Alabama. Placing the action there set up a lot of dangerous situations for the main characters — animal attacks, severe weather — and kept them on their toes. There were also hostile sheriff’s deputies, revenge seekers, and a past undiscovered murderer that made me trust no one! While wildlife sanctuary owner Blake Lawson and veterinarian Paradise Alden are mostly on their own to discover just where the many threats are coming from, they also have a lot of past baggage to unpack. The chemistry is definitely there, but there are big ifs when it comes to a second chance romance for them. I had my suspicions of just whodunit, but the ending was mostly a surprise to me — that’s a plus. There was one thing that bugged me about this book that most readers won’t pick up on. My husband is a veterinarian and I worked as his bookkeeper for a long time, so I am very familiar with medical procedures and office protocol specific to veterinary practices. Coble missed the mark on a few things. While it took me out of the story for a bit, I was able to overlook it and get back to all the good suspense. While most of the characters have strong relationships with God in spite of the hardships they have faced, Paradise struggles with trusting God and extending forgiveness. Her growing faith is a good subplot to the book.

Ambush — great for readers of romantic suspense with a faith element. There are some loose threads left dangling at the end, setting up the next books in the series.

Recommended.

Audience: Adults.

(I borrowed this book from Kindle Unlimited. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Paradise Alden’s childhood in Nova Cambridge, Alabama, was idyllic until the night her parents were murdered. Since then, life has left her scarred. The abuse she suffered in the foster care system, her first love’s betrayal, and the jaguar attack that nearly destroyed her career have led to an unshakable distrust–in men, in God, and maybe in even in herself.

After fifteen years, returning to her hometown is a last resort to finding her life again. She’s hoping the wildlife refuge where she’s accepted a veterinarian job will be the perfect place to heal from her recent traumas and unlock her memories about the night her parents died. But the day she arrives at The Sanctuary, a body is discovered on the grounds. And soon, a series of deadly events threatens not only her future, but the man who, despite all odds, still makes her pulse stutter. Arson, a shooting, a break-in, and multiple instances of animals being freed from their enclosures all point back to him, but Paradise knows Blake Lawson isn’t responsible. Not the man who has been helping his mother manage The Sanctuary these past six months and care for his stepbrothers in the wake of their father’s death . . . even if his betrayal years ago cost her everything.

Someone dangerous is lurking beneath the town’s moss-draped trees, and Paradise refuses to let another murderer disappear into the shadows.

USA TODAY and Publishers Weekly bestselling author Colleen Coble has captivated readers with over 6 million books in print, earning #1 spots on Amazon. Her novels blend suspenseful plots, emotional depth, and faith-filled redemption that keep fans turning pages late into the night.

Colleen also teamed up with attorney Rick Acker. Together they launched the high-octane Tupelo Grove series which infused her signature coastal intrigue with Rick’s courtroom-sharp twists. Multiple high concept novels continue to flow from their fun and exciting collaboration including I Think I Was Murdered, a ripped-from-the-headlines AI suspense novel.

A passionate mentor to aspiring writers, Colleen has served on the American Christian Fiction Writers board for 20 years, helping foster a warm and supportive community. A life-long Hoosier, she and her husband recently moved to Arizona where she continues to spoil her grandchildren and craft stories in the sunshine.

Tags: Colleen Coble, romantic suspense fiction