Mermaid Moon by Colleen Coble

When Mallory receives a cryptic phone call from her father, she knows she has to go back to Mermaid Point. She left her hometown under such a cloud she hasn't been back for fifteen years. She doesn't look forward to seeing Kevin, the man whose heart she broke all those years ago.

When she arrives in the seaside town, Kevin, now the local game warden, is there to help unravel what happened to her father. Kevin agrees that her father's death was suspicious and the two set out to find the killer. Before the investigation goes very far Mallory receives threats on her life and her home back in Bangor is ransacked. She and Kevin uncover clues but they only lead to deeper mysteries surrounding her parents. The past clashes with the present as she tries to understand who she is and if it is possible to heal the deep hurts that stand between her and Kevin.

I like this novel which is a combination of romance, mystery, and a sort of adult coming of age story. Mallory had made a decision fifteen years ago that set her on a course away from her home town, her father, and Kevin. She had made a life for herself and her daughter after her husband had died. But it was a life in which she had protected herself from facing the past. It was interesting to see how she finally dealt with her past. That aspect of the novel was huge, as was her developing relationship with Kevin, so I would describe the novel as more character driven than plot or suspense driven. There is suspense here and there but it is almost like an add on, not the main thrust of the story line.

There are important themes of forgiveness and restoration that run through the novel. There is also the issue of adoption and what that means in understanding who you are. Family relationships and alienation are big issues too.

I recommend this novel to those who like a romance based on character and overcoming past misunderstandings and hurts.

This book is the second in the Sunset Cove series. Some of the characters from that novel appear in this one but it can easily be read on its own. You can read my review of the first in the series, The Inn At Ocean's Edge, here.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Colleen Coble is a USA Today bestselling author with more than three million books sold. You can find out more at http://www.colleencoble.com.

Thomas Nelson, 352 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Litfuse for the purpose of an independent and honest review.