Summer Reads: The View from Rainshadow Bay by Colleen Coble

Thomas Nelson; 340 pages; $15.99; Amazon

I was bit under the weather last week with three canker sores, so I spent a lot time indoors resting. While I didn't have a whole lot of energy, I did have enough energy to do some much needed reading, which included The View from Rainshadow Bay by Colleen Coble. The book is part of the Lavender Tides series. The book has been sitting in my needs-to-be-reviewed pile for awhile now. Actually, I believe I had received the book back in January, but due to a few personal issues in my life, I haven't gotten back into reading until recently, so you'll be seeing more reviews on this blog soon.

Set in the small town of Lavender Tides, the home of four thousand residents, the novel centers on Shauna McDade, a helicopter pilot and widowed mother of one child, Alex. Her husband died in a climbing accident over a year ago and she's still mourning his death. 

Shockingly, Shauna's helicopter charter business partner, Clearance, is murdered in an explosion. Shortly before his death, he had given a package to Shauna with instructions to give it to his wife, Marilyn. While it seemed to be an accident at first glance, Zach Bannister, a firefighter, believes that foul play is at play here. After Marilyn is found murdered, it's obvious that Shauna and her son are now in danger. 

Final Thoughts

I've been a fan of Colleen Coble's writings for several years now, so of course I was looking forward to reading The View From Rainshadow Bay. Personally, I had a bit of trouble connecting to the characters. If I can connect with a character, then normally, I'll fly right through the pages. Here, it took be a bit longer to read the novel because I couldn't connect with the main characters. 

The author does a good job of setting up the main plot quickly, but I feel like she could have gave a more backstory and depth to the main character, Shauna, before introducing the murder mystery story. There should have been a few more chapters before Clearance's death. The dialogue is pretty decent for the all the characters and the descriptions throughout the novel were very detailed.

Overall, I was a little disappointed with the novel. I've always enjoyed Colleen Coble's characters, but I thought the characters were too by-the-book and didn't have enough depth for me to like them. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't dislike the novel. The murder mystery plot was definitely intriguing and I liked how the whole story played out in the end.

*Note : I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. All opinions are my own.