Island Secrets by R.T. Wolfe (Excerpt, review and GIVEAWAY) GFT

Island Secrets

by R.T. Wolfe

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BLURB:

When Zoe Clearwater learns that the skull she found in an underwater cave is her missing brother, she sells her scuba diving business, Sun Trips Touring, and dedicates herself to unravelling her brother's mysterious death.

Dane Corbin, the new owner of Sun Trips, is determined to prove to Zoe, now his employee, that he is not the womanizer he once was. But it'll take more than profit to turn Zoe's head.

Her investigation at a standstill, Zoe unearths letters from a secret lover among her brother's possessions, along with plane tickets, a promise to run away to safety, and the painful realization that she'll need Dane's help.

As mercurial clues plunge Zoe and Dane into a life-threatening pursuit and the truth burns brighter and brighter, Zoe recognizes she needs Dane as much as her brother's un-named lover needed him. But Dane will have to make it to safety, first.

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EXCERPT

"That's right, Zoe," he said sarcastically. "We wouldn't want to be caught, two people who work here, alone in the common break room."

Quick as hell, she elbowed him as she passed. How did he not see that coming?

"You can come, but I'm not driving out of the parking lot with you again."

"You can't be serious."

She gave him her look that said she could be.

"Ya know." He stepped closer, making her back up against a wall. "If people are talking, we could give them something to talk about." He meant it as a joke, but the scent of her filled his head and fogged his mind. He knew his eyes had dropped to her lips, but he couldn't seem to get them to move.

The slightest tremble ran through her defined shoulders before she pushed him away with both hands. "It's not funny. You don't hear them."

His employees? They did that? "Okay. I'll meet you at your parents' restaurant, buy you a bite to eat, then we can leave from there together."

"I don't have time to eat, but I'll meet you there. I want to say 'hey' to the shrimp. Chloe's been hanging at the restaurant since she's out of school for the summer."

He knew this, of course. Willow's daughter was a younger version of her mom. Long dark blonde hair, knobby knees. The cutest kindergarten graduate there was. "It's a date."

"If you call it a date, you're not coming."

He tried to listen, really he did. But a stray lock of her silky hair eluded the rest and covered her shoulder. Using the tips of his fingers, he ran them from her collarbone and over the shoulder that was just as silky as the hair. It was the third time since she'd docked that he noticed her shiver in the warm Florida air.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 R.T. was born and raised in the beautiful Midwest, the youngest of six ornery children. She married at a young age and began her family short after With three amazing small boys, life was a whirlwind of flipping houses and working two jobs in between swim lessons and Candyland. Now that her boys are nearly grown, R.T. spends much of her time on the road traveling from one sporting event to another serving as mom and cheerleader. She works to assist the several non-profit organizations that have supported her books and promote the work they do for those who cannot help themselves.

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The tour dates can be found here

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My review

4.25 out of 5 stars

Island Secrets by R.T. Wolfe is part of the ‘Island Escape’ series and centers around Zoe Clearwater, who is determined to expiate her guilt over the loss of her brother during his ill-advised solo dive.  Her two-year search culminates in a gruesome discovery that seems to prompt a series of violent episodes that escalate in danger.  Her reluctant acceptance of the help offered by her boss, Dane Corbin, is complicated by his refusal to accept that she is no longer an essential part of the business she has sold her share in, and his insistence on watching over her.  Both the investigation and their relationship heat up and become more complicated and their lives will change forever, if they live long enough.

This exciting romantic suspense story is a great start to the series.  I will say that I am glad that I didn’t read the blurb right before starting the story, or I would have been both frustrated and confused by what it stated.  There are great underlying elements, including glimpses of the hard work and regulations involved in conservation efforts aimed at assisting endangered sea turtles.  Zoe’s family is filled with memorable characters who provide both lighthearted interludes and emotional impact and I hope to see more of them in future stories.  I admit to being a little frustrated by the beginning of the story, as I thought her reaction was illogical since she was searching for a body, but the story picked up in momentum from that point and melded a nice combination of tension, danger and romance.  There are some threads that are left unanswered that are a little frustrating, plus an definite invitation to continue following the series to search for the answer which I suspect will involve an even bigger prize, but overall, this was a fun, engaging, and suspenseful story and I look forward to subsequent tales involving these folks and this picturesque setting.

A copy of this title was provided to me for my honest review