Amber Beach
by Elizabeth LowellBook 1 of Donovan series
~ Goodreads ~
Rating: 3.5 Stars
See Also: End Series Review | Donovan series
Deadly secrets are buried on Amber Beach ...
Donovan International is a power to be reckoned with in the dazzling and cutthroat worldwide gem trade -- and is therefore a target for the murderous greed of unscrupulous competitors. Though a shrewd businesswoman, Honor Donovan has been effectively shut out of the dangerous family enterprise by the Donovan males -- until her favorite brother, Kyle, mysteriously vanishes along with a fortune in stolen amber.
Now, linking up with "fishing guide" Jake Mallory -- whose previous association with the Donovans has bred mistrust and suspicion -- Honor sets out for the Pacific Northwest in search of answers. But old wars and new politics have lured ruthless, high-stakes players from around the globe into a deadly game. And suddenly, elusive trust can be the only salvation -- and death the penalty for deceit -- if Honor and Jake hope to survive the perilous intrigues surrounding a breathtaking lost Czarist treasure known as the Amber Room ...
Donovan International is a power to be reckoned with in the dazzling and cutthroat worldwide gem trade -- and is therefore a target for the murderous greed of unscrupulous competitors. Though a shrewd businesswoman, Honor Donovan has been effectively shut out of the dangerous family enterprise by the Donovan males -- until her favorite brother, Kyle, mysteriously vanishes along with a fortune in stolen amber.
Now, linking up with "fishing guide" Jake Mallory -- whose previous association with the Donovans has bred mistrust and suspicion -- Honor sets out for the Pacific Northwest in search of answers. But old wars and new politics have lured ruthless, high-stakes players from around the globe into a deadly game. And suddenly, elusive trust can be the only salvation -- and death the penalty for deceit -- if Honor and Jake hope to survive the perilous intrigues surrounding a breathtaking lost Czarist treasure known as the Amber Room ...
Enjoyable as a typical romantic suspense, though a little on the lukewarm side. The narration goes on for quite some time about sailing and politics, but I let it roll off of me. I was particularly interested in the stuff of history and about the Amber Room as well as some detail and info about amber -- that was quite interesting. The romance was mopey at times, but the relationship between Jake and Honor was charming and fun; dialogue got quite witty at times and I appreciate Honor's sarcastic streak, especially when she's angry.
There was a line of dialogue exchange wherein I actually laughed out loud -- respect for the school of sarcasm.
The characters aren't all that great -- very standard stock romantic suspense characters. Really the only thing I liked about them was their penchant for witty dialogue which I do attribute to Elizabeth Lowell's writing style.
The ending was abrupt, but I'm not complaining, though the ultimate conclusion and mystery reveal was pretty predictable. The writing was smooth and extremely detailed, but not detailed to the point of overwhelming.
Overall, quite a good read. I look forward to finishing the rest of the series as well as checking out any other books by Elizabeth Lowell. Although hopefully we've covered enough boating, fishing, sailing and the like that we don't go into too much detail about it for the rest of the series.
This review was originally posted at Ani's Book Abyss / BookLikes in June 2014.
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