Review of Island Heat

[Laney K]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Island Heat" by Debby Grahl.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Island Heat by Debby Grahl is a steamy mix of romance and mystery. Suzanna, a bookstore owner, won a trip on a Who Done It cruise where she was paired up to solve the mystery with the handsome writer Austen. The two immediately hit it off, and they have an on-board romance. However, another woman, Haley, who holds power in the world of publishing, is determined to be with Austen as well. Will Suzanna and Austen make it work when the cruise is over? Will Haley have her way with Austen? All the answers lie within a copy of Island Heat.

The pacing of this book is its biggest strength, in my opinion. The cruise ship romance is not a new idea, but the combination of the mystery and suspense elements added a ticking clock to the experience and made it feel fresh and exciting. I thought that this combination added depth to the novel and kept it moving along. The frequent sex scenes added a nice counterbalance to that, as they slowed the pace, and this push-and-pull with the tempo kept me engaged.

I will say the characters did feel rather stagnant. I didn't see any major growth in them, which was a little disappointing. I thought that Suzanna had the potential for growth at the beginning. She felt trapped by her mother and was afraid of moving out. However, that plot point was not as relevant as I thought it was going to be. I thought the plot was more important than the characters in this book, so the lack of character development was not entirely disappointing or unexpected.

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. I am taking away a star due to the relatively flat characters. I would have liked to see a bit more development. However, the rest of the book was interesting enough to keep my attention. The themes of jealousy, revenge, and love drove the plot along. This book was also exceptionally well-edited. I didn't notice any errors in the book.

There is strong language and explicit content; this book is only suitable for adult audiences. If you are looking for a book that contains a whirlwind romance and a murder mystery, this is a good choice for you. The quick pacing makes it the perfect book to read in a day or two.

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Island Heat
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Fabbie Woods]

I love how detailed your review is and I believe that this a great book worth reading.