Alannah and Liam have a loving, idyllic marriage, and they play together in a successful Celtic band. When Alannah is four months pregnant with their child, Liam is tragically killed when his car unexpectedly explodes as he is driving away with his best friend, Jesse. Jesse survives but is badly injured, suffering from both severe burns and significant memory loss. Even as she mourns the loss of Liam, Alannah must deal with a vindictive father-in-law who is threatening to sue for custody of her and Liam's baby; a manager whom she marries in order to get her green card, who is not what he seems; and the strange and eerie happenings at the old Charleston plantation she moves into with her new husband.
This was the first book I've read by Colleen Coble, and I was not disappointed. It was a light and lovely mystery, with a lot of unanswered questions. What were Barry's real motives? What was up with with the strange noises in the night? Why did her new inlaws hate her so much? What was the significance of the alligator in the swamp? What had become of Alannah's mother and sister? Was Jesse really responsible for Liam's death? What were his intentions with Alannah and her band? The answers were slowly teased out (even as more questions were raised) and the slow burn of the pacing definitely kept me turning the pages.
My one complaint, if I had to make one, was that I found much of the dialogue a little odd and stilted. While that was likely simply because I was not used to some of the common Irish vernacular, I found it to be a distraction that I hadn't quite gotten over by the end of the book. Minor nitpick aside, this was a fun and intriguing story, and I would be interested to read more books by this author in the future.
*I received this book for free from Booklook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*
