Welcome Back, Booklovers! I continued my holiday reading with yet another Harlequin new release. This time I decided to pick up an Intrigue.
Mona Avery is an investigative reporter who has returned to her college town to cover the disappearance of a close friend. Detective Dillion Reed is assigned to the case but he's not happy to be working with her. He doesn't want his case to turn into media fodder for true crime lovers. Mona's attempts to leverage her connection to Olivia's family don't go as planned since the family outside of the mother don't want to cooperate.
Different than my other romantic suspense reads this year, Bayou Christmas Disappearance leans heavily into the suspense aspect. And this made for some heart-racing scenes. And then Mona's background as an investigative journalist was used well. She did this sit down interviews that were shocking and had me distressed. I don't listen to true crime podcasts but I could easily see this book appealing to those who do as they try to figure out who kidnapped Olivia.
And for my friends who aren't romance readers but want to start this is a good one too because the romance elements aren't that heavy. There's longing looks and thoughts throughout but the romance slow burns through the end.
This was also set during Christmastime and it had more mentions of the holiday season than other Intrigue titles I've read. I really liked the scenes early on in the local restaurant and at the inn. Those elements felt very cozy and they were a great way to see Mona and Dillion bond.
Over all I thought this was great suspense that hit the right beats and I recommend it if you're looking for something quick and thrilling. My people expecting a strong romance will be a disappointed because the romance is definitely on the lighter side.
Enjoyed the review.
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