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From New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd comes a twisty emotional thriller about a woman’s perilous quest for revenge, perfect for fans of Sandra Brown, Jayne Ann Krentz, and Lisa Jewell.

Never whisper the truth. Never reveal the past.

In an isolated lighthouse on the California coast, Rowan Winterbourne lives a solitary life with only her secrets for company. For she has a mission that drives her—to avenge herself against Gregory Torval, the powerful drug and arms dealer who murdered her mother and vowed to eliminate everyone in her family.

Then Joe Grantham arrives at her door and, for the first time, Rowan lets her guard down—a dangerous mistake when he blackmails her to go with him to Torval's private island. There Torval’s decadent birthday celebration rages, and while Joe pursues his own agenda, she’ll provide the perfect distraction.

On Raptor Island, Torval’s will is law and Joe, the closest she has to an ally, is an enigma she can’t trust. One false move, one careless word, and Rowan will die. As dark truths are uncovered, one by one, Rowan recognizes her last chance for the revenge has come. But is it worth everything she must sacrifice to get out alive?"

Quoted material above is from the book's Amazon page. My main review is in the further comments section (below).

People who like thrillers, suspense, strong characters and /or a dash of romance.

The characters and the twists I didn't see coming.

That some of the terrible things that happened to people in this fiction book probably have happened to real people in life... maybe are happening right now.

Thank the Lord for my quiet life.

Like I was experiencing things along with Rowan / Helen. I think I literally held my breath at a few points in the book.

"About the author:
Christina Dodd

New and noteworthy!

EVERY SINGLE SECRET, a stand-alone full-length suspense.

Revenge is best served with sunscreen. — Amazon review

June 25, 2024: A DAUGHTER OF FAIR VERONA: a humorous historical update on the Romeo and Juliet story, "The ultimate fan fiction." — New York Times bestseller Jayne Ann Krentz

Christina Dodd is a New York Times bestselling author whose suspense, paranormal, historical, and mystery novels have been translated into 30 languages and sold more than 15 million copies in print. Praised for her “brilliantly etched characters, polished writing, and unexpected flashes of sharp humor that are pure Dodd” (Booklist), her award-winning books have landed on numerous Best of the Year lists and, much to her mother's delight, Dodd was once a clue in the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle. She lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest, where her 700 lavender plants share the yard with her husband’s various “Big Projects,” including a treehouse, zipline, and their very own Stonehenge.

Enter Christina’s worlds and join her mailing list for humor, book news and entertainment (yes, she’s the proud author with the infamous three-armed cover) at Christina's website and follow Christina on Amazon to receive notices about her upcoming and new releases. Her legions of fans know that when they pick up a Christina Dodd book, they'll find the story, "Wildly entertaining, wickedly witty!"

This section of quoted material above is from the book's Amazon page.

It was definitely interesting throughout and quite thrilling at points.

I loved Rowan / Helen's character and greatly enjoyed reading this book.

Note: Triggers included (I am not an expert on triggers so this may not be all of them): violence against children, violence, against women, extreme violence, slavery, rape, torture, an unusual euthanasia.


Once Rowan agreed to go with Joe, I found the book unputdownable (I know, it's not really a word, but you know what I mean by it ). Totally engrossing.

Before that... I think I started to read it the day I checked it out from the library and decided I'd rather read something else. Yesterday I finished an okay book and noticed this one was due back in ten days. So figured I'd better get to it, thinking I'd need all ten days.

Granted, if I hadn't been sick, it would have taken longer. But I found this book so exciting, I chose to read it rather than do anything online or anything else not necessary during my downtime. It was that good.

So, if you can handle the triggers mentioned above (and if not, I totally understand and respect that! I just don't recommend this book for you), and want a gripping thriller with a strong heroine, I recommend it.

There were some typos that I'm surprised a big publisher didn't catch, and a few things that were totally out there (not believable, even when drawn into the story), but there was a lot of intrigue and mystery and action and I found it, overall, to be a great story, as far as Rowan went and the action and her family.


And some of the side characters, good and evil, amazing! I especially loved BeBee (pronounced Bee-bay). And it was neat to see some characters from her previous Gothic series involved near the end (Rune and the Martha Stewart CA version, I forget her name already but I like her character).

And I loved the scene where Rowan returns the elderly lady's guest book. I forgot her name, but she was quite a likeable character. If there's a sequel, I hope she makes another appearance. She also had some interesting connections that furthered the story in a nice way.

Spoiler alert - the next section contains spoilers.

I absolutely loved how Rowan escaped from the island. I had imagined all kinds of ways to use that yellow suitcase, but as a hot air balloon? Nope. I was delighted by that surprise. Though her plan depended on requiring quite a lot of things that she couldn't have been assured to get. BeBee came to the rescue there. I guess she would have had to steal them without BeBee's help. Both Rowan and BeBee were totally resourceful in so many ways. I was really happy for BeBee's adventurous ending in the story and hope she gets her own book in the future.

My favorite setting point in this book was when BeBee and Rowan climbed to the top of Raptor Island and took in the view. It made me want to be there in person. I also loved Rowan's lighthouse home.

I'm glad I did this review right after finishing the book. Things haven't quite settled in my mind yet, but I know I'll start a new book tonight and then details will fade even more. What I will remember, was that it was great. And next time I start a Christina Dodd book. I should give it more than a page or two before switching to another book. She will deliver.

Happy reading!

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Created Apr 09, 2024 at 3:31pm • Submit your own review...