Official Review: Severed Threads by Kaylin McFarren

[bluemel4]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Severed Threads" by Kaylin McFarren.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Severed Threads by Kaylin McFarren is the first in the Severed three-book series of romantic suspense novels. 

Rachel Lyons is stuck in a pattern of isolation and avoidance after the death of her father, who died under suspicious circumstances while searching for a mythical treasure ship. Rachel blames herself and Chase Cohen, her then lover and father’s salvaging partner, for his death. She buries herself in work approving grants for a foundation. When Professor Ying, her father’s colleague and friend, reaches out to her about a grant proposal concerning the same treasure her father was trying to find, Rachel feels torn about helping him getting it approved. Adding to the complication, Chase is the captain of the salvaging crew Professor Ying wants to use. Her hand is forced into finding a way to approve the grant when she finds out her brother is kidnapped and the ransom is a piece of the salvaging loot. Will Rachel be able to forgive Chase long enough to tolerate a working relationship? Can she save her brother? Will she lose everything?

The characters are all complex, raw, and damaged, with great backstories. I found myself invested emotionally in the outcome of their individual stories. Rachel is self-reliant, annoyingly stubborn, and distrustful. She is incredibly capable, which makes it easy to forget how truly fragile she is. Chase sees Rachel as the one that got away and desperately wants to win her back. He’s charming, well-rounded, and has a lot of secrets. The book is told in third person point of view with alternating characters narrating, which is done flawlessly. 

The writing is descriptive, character driven, and thoroughly edited. The story is woven in a way that leads the reader deeper into spiraling situations without questioning the twists and turns. The pacing is a fine balance between moments of pulse racing excitement and calm character developing moments. Severed Threads is edge of the seat reading.

There is obviously a lot of research that has gone into this book regarding salvaging, diving, and various other cultural information. It is refreshing that McFarren provides enough ship and diving terminology to feel authentic without alienating or boring the reader. 

The only criticism is that the dream sequences start without warning, which can be difficult to determine if a scene is reality or a dream. 

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed Rachel and Chase’s adventure and the side characters were well crafted. The writing was superb and the research appreciated. I recommend this book to romance and mystery lovers.

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Severed Threads
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[peprica21]

A well written review, thank you. This book sounds like it grabs you from the first page and doesn't let go. I need to add this to my reading list.

[bluemel4]

Thank you! I hope you enjoy it!

[Vickyoreo86]

This looks really good and that cover is beautiful! such a great review as well Thank you!

[bookowlie]

I always enjoy your thoughtful reviews. The book sounds like something I would enjoy, although the real vs dream sequences might be confusing.

[Silvermoon]

This is a book that I am interested in reading. It sounds like it is similar to a Clive Cussler novel, with the diving, lost treasure at the bottom of the ocean and the rivalries. Great Job on the review!

[Annelore Trujillo]

I love when the characters have strong back stories. It makes me feel like I can get to know them better. This sounds like an interesting story. I'll have to check it out. Great job on this review!

[tarafarah7]

I definitely added this to my want to read list! Your review sounded so good that I also followed the author on Amazon and found out that that this book is part of a series, so I added all of them to my Amazon wish list. I love mysteries! Thank you!

[Bruin Dez]

Thanks for the great review! I'm interested to know more about these characters. I'll have to check this one out.

[The Researcher]

Thank you for the review. Reading your review and the sample pages this is one good dose of a mystery that i will surely like to read

[melni]

Wow, your enthusiasm really rings through! I definitely want to read this book as well as the other two books in the series. The characters sound like they have really lived and experienced life, and although broken they are striving to put the pieces back together to carry on. I love a good mystery, romance, and who doesn't like the bling of treasure?
Great review and congrats to the author on a thrilling and engaging series!

[Heidi M Simone]

A wonderful and descriptive review, bluemel4! I've heard good things about this author, and I'm curious in giving one of her books a try. It's great to hear that the "characters are all complex, raw, and damaged, with great backstories." This is one of the qualities that makes a book soar - the quality of the characters.

Congratulations to the author for receiving such a fantastic review and for writing such a compelling story!

[LivreAmour217]

Great review! This sounds like an intense story! I'm not big on romance but I do like mysteries, so I might give this one a shot!

[ashley_claire]

I love mysteries and I've never read one involving treasure hunting before. I just downloaded this to my Kindle and I'm excited to start reading it soon. Thanks for the great review and congrats to the author!

[ananya92]

Great review! The book seems pretty involving and thrilling. Congratulations to the author for such a brilliant review