About the Book
Book: Vanished Without a Trace
Author: Sarah Hamaker
Genre: Romantic Suspence
Release date: June 28, 2022
A missing person case. A new clue. And a fight for survival.
After nine years searching for his missing sister, attorney Henderson Parker uncovers a clue that leads him to Twin Oaks, Virginia—and podcaster Elle Updike investigating the case. Partnering with the journalist is the last thing Henderson wants, until mysterious thugs make multiple attacks on both their lives. Now they’ll have to trust each other…before the suspected kidnappers make them disappear for good.
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My Review:
I enjoyed this romantic suspense. Hamaker has provided readers with a plot that kept my interest and characters who drew my care. I liked the romance aspect, that Henderson and Elle are initially adversaries. That's because Henderson is looking for his long lost sister and Elle is preparing to make a living off of the situation. I like how they are forced to cooperate and romance develops, despite efforts to the contrary.
I liked Elle. She is an independent woman, willing to go off alone in the dark of night to find helpful information. Henderson was less engaging, not nearly as aggressive in the search. That is odd since he did take extended time off from his job to find his sister.
The ending was like a hopeless situation in those old westerns where the cavalry miraculously comes over this hill to the rescue. The final reveal had a nice twist but seemed a bit unreasonable. In the end, an enjoyable read with a well presented romance and a decent mystery.
My rating: 4/5 stars.
About the Author
Sarah Hamaker loves writing books “where the hero and heroine fall in love while running for their lives.” She’s written romantic suspense novels and nonfiction books, as well as stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul volumes. As a writers coach, her heart is encouraging writers. She’s a member of ACFW; ACFW Virginia Chapter; and Faith, Hope and Love, as well as the president of Capital Christian Writers Fellowship. Her podcast, “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” can be found wherever you listen to podcasts. Sarah lives in Virginia with her husband, four teenagers, a preschool foster child and three cats. Visit her online at sarahhamakerfiction.com.
More from Sarah
As a podcaster myself, I’ve listened to many true crime podcasts, such as “Up and Vanished” and “Accused,” so when I was thinking about the plot for Vanished Without a Trace, I decided to have my heroine be a true crime podcaster investigating cold missing persons cases. I also am fascinated by unsolved mysteries, probably because I love history, and have a strong sense of justice—I want those who commit crimes to be caught. Of course, as a Christian, I do rest in the assurance of God as the ultimate and only truly righteous Judge, but I do find myself rooting for cold cases to be solved and criminals brought to justice. Thus the book combines my two of my interests—cold cases and true crime.
Personally, I can’t imagine anything more difficult than to have a loved one go missing and never be found or heard from again. The uncertainty of their fate must weigh very heavily on the family members left behind. I wanted to capture some of that with Henderson’s strong desire to find his missing sister, Helena, and reunite her with their mother. He’s seen how much Helena’s absence has taken a toll on their mother’s health and mental well-being, and when he has a chance to chase down the first real lead in years, he jumps at it.
Elle’s motives are no less personal than Henderson’s—her own heart aches for these grieving families. Having distant parents, she wants to help families heal by discovering what happened to a loved one if possible. But Henderson doesn’t trust her motives and the two clash more often than not over her podcast.
I hope you enjoy seeing how Elle and Henderson learn to work together to find Helena…and perhaps, their own happy ending.
Blog Stops
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, July 25
Where Crisis & Christ Collide, July 25
Bizwings Blog, July 26
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 27
Through the Fire Blogs, July 27
Betti Mace, July 28
For the Love of Literature, July 28
Debbie's Dusty Deliberations, July 29
Pause for Tales, July 29
Texas Book-aholic, July 30
Inklings and notions, July 31
Genesis 5020, August 1
Bigreadersite, August 1
For Him and My Family, August 2
A Good Book and Cup of Tea, August 2
deb's Book Review, August 3
Livin’ Lit, August 3
Locks, Hooks and Books, August 4
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, August 5
Paula's Persuasion, August 5
Because I said so -- and other adventures in Parenting, August 6
Blogging With Carol, August 7
Mary Hake, August 7
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Sarah is giving away the grand prize package of a Vanished Without a Trace branded tote bag, Vanished Without a Trace pin, a print copy of the book, plus a $75 Amazon gift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/1ffe1/vanished-without-a-trace-celebration-tour-giveaway
(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)
15 comments:
Thank you for your review on "Vanished Without a Trace" by Sarah Hamaker and for being part of the Celebrate Lit blog tour.
Super excited about this book. LOVE the cover and thee use of the standing phone booth!
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Thank you for the review. Sounds like a good read.
My favorite genre. Thank you for your review -- looking forward to reading it.
Thanks for sharing your review. This sounds like an interesting romance suspense.
Thanks for having me on your blog today, and I hope your readers enjoyed a look at Vanished Without a Trace.
Thank you for a very nice review. I am excited to read this Love Inspired Suspense. Sounds very intriguing!
Cheryl Arcemont
teddi1961 (at) arcemont (dot) com
Type book sounds like a great read!
Sounds like an interesting book. I love the cover!
This sounds like a very intriguing read. Thank you for your review.
Sounds like a good book and I love the cover.
Congratulations on your release of Vanished Without a Trace, Sarah, your book sounds like a thrilling read that I will enjoy and I like the cover! Good luck with your book and the tour! Thanks for sharing it with me! Thanks, Avid Reader, for sharing your review! Have an awesome day!
Sounds like a good story. The title is perfect.
This sounds like a great suspense book to read, thank you for sharing
Thank you for sharing your review of Vanished Without a Trace, this sounds like a thrilling read and I am looking forward to it
Sounds likes a great read- excited to read soon!
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