Monday, August 6, 2018

Review + Tour GIVEAWAY: Darkwater Secrets by Robin Caroll


Darkwater Secrets blog tour

Welcome to the blog tour & giveaway for Darkwater Secrets by Robin Caroll, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

darkwater secrets Title: Darkwater Secrets
Author: Robin Caroll
Publisher: Gilead Publishing  
Release Date: July 17, 2018  
Genre: Inspirational Romantic Suspense  

A murder investigation uncovers sordid secrets and haunting mistakes...

The Darkwater Inn stands tall and proud in the French Quarter, the hub of New Orleans. Bourbon Street is bustling, and General Manager Adelaide Fountaine has her hands full with a hotel at capacity. She, along with everyone else, is shocked when a body is found: a hotel guest stabbed with a kitchen knife.

Detective Beau Savoie, Adelaide’s childhood friend, is on the case. As Beau digs into the victim’s past, he unearths a shocking connection between Adelaide and the murdered guest. Beau is hurt that his friend—the woman he’s quietly loved for years—kept the truth from him. To make matters worse, the stress of the investigation has sent Adelaide right into the comforting arms of her coworker Dimitri. But Beau can’t press Adelaide too hard . . . he’s keeping secrets of his own.

Can Adelaide and Beau afford to hide from the truth with a killer on the loose?  

PURCHASE: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | CBD | Book Depository



My Thoughts...

Darkwater Secrets by Robin Caroll is outstanding in every way, one of my favorite reads of the year. It’s a creative blend of romantic suspense, police procedural, and the character-driven novel, extremely well written from different viewpoints. I was completely hooked from the very first page and never wanted to put it down.

From characters to setting, the color of the French Quarter is reflected. There’s a certain mystique about New Orleans that I find fascinating, and Ms. Caroll beautifully conveyed the very essence of this area – its mood, architecture, food, and even the practice of voodoo.

The story revolves around three main characters – Beau, Adelaide, and Dimitri. All are well drawn and appealing. Adelaide is general manager of the Darkwater Inn, Dimitri a talented chef, and Beau leads the murder investigation. I’m not a fan of romantic triangles, but the author handles this in a way that captured me emotionally and I look forward to seeing how this element plays out in future stories.

Faith is also a quiet, but realistic theme that is easy for readers to connect with. Adelaide believes in God, but past experience has made her a non-follower. The age-old question of why a loving God would allow pain and suffering is explored in a thoughtful way. Another theme, as the title indicates, is the personal effects of burying past secrets.

Darkwater Secrets is an impressive novel. Romantic suspense isn’t my favorite genre, but the complexity, relational depth, and multilayering raises it to another level. I also enjoyed how the focus was on the murder investigation rather than suspense; in other words, it wasn’t too scary for me. The conclusion is satisfying, with the promise of much more to come. I am so eager for the next release in this series!

Highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book through Just Read Tours. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

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Gilead Publishing is hosting a Darkwater Secrets Mystery Party on Facebook August 14th from 7-9pm CST: https://www.facebook.com/events/220942041956118/

Co-hosts include: Colleen Coble, DiAnn Mills, Cara Putnam, Carrie Stuart Parks, and of course, Robin Caroll.

Giveaways open for 24 hours after the event, if you can't attend for all the action!




ABOUT THE AUTHOR

robin caroll

“I love boxing. I love Hallmark movies. I love fishing. I love scrapbooking. Nope, I’ve never fit into the boxes people have wanted to put me in.” ~Robin Caroll is definitely a contradiction, but one that beckons you to get to know her better.

Born and raised in Louisiana, Robin is a southerner through and through. Her passion has always been to tell stories to entertain others.

When she isn’t writing, Robin spends time with her husband of twenty-five-plus years, her three beautiful daughters and two handsome grandsons, and their character-filled pets at home—in the South, where else?

She serves the writing community as Executive Director/Conference Director for ACFW. Her twenty-five books have finaled/placed in such contests as the Carol Award, Holt Medallion, Daphne du Maurier, RT Reviewer’s Choice Award, Bookseller’s Best, and Book of the Year.

CONNECT WITH ROBIN: website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram


darkwater secrets blog giveaway

TOUR GIVEAWAY

Enter for your chance to win:
  • print copy of Darkwater Secrets
  • your own key to the Darkwater Inn
  • a soy-based, French Quarter candle
Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight August 6, 2018 and last through 11:59pm August 13, 2018. US only. Winners will be notified within a week of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.


Follow along at JustRead Tours for the full schedule & more chances to win!
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10 comments:

  1. Yay! i can't wait to read this one! thanks, Carole :)

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  2. Thank you for your wonderful review on "Darkwater Secrets" by Robin Caroll and for being part of the JustRead Tours blog tour. It just adds to my desire to read this book which sounds fascinating.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

    ReplyDelete
  3. This sounds like such a good book! Would love to win a copy!
    jtabalk(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Romantic suspense is not my most favorite genre, but you've convinced me that this is an outstanding book worth reading!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautiful cover.
    browninggloria@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Awww, thank you for your review!

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  7. I really liked the synopsis of the book and I especially like the French Quarter and New Orleans setting. Sounds like a great book.

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  8. Would enjoy reading a good mystery. Vivian Furbay jtandviv(at)q(dot)com

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  9. I'm excited to read Darkwater Secrets! Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete