Close to the Bone by Kendra Elliot is the first book in the new romantic suspense Widow’s Island series. This series is all at novella length and penned by Kendra Elliot along with Melinda Leigh by alternating the books. This pair of authors have teamed up in the past for the romantic suspense Rogue River series of which a couple of the characters have moved over to this series but the books can be read and enjoyed separate from the Rogue River series.

This first book introduces FBI Special Agent Cate Wilde who has returned to the island after an injury to rest and recuperate. However Cate gets a call when a skeleton is found nearby and she is the only FBI close enough to cover the case quickly.

Cate teams up with her old friend now turned local deputy, Tessa Black. Cate and Tessa know that a local girl went missing recently and the remains could belong to her but they also know that twenty years ago a friend of theirs had also gone missing that was never found and this new case may be the break to knowing what happened all those years ago.

Close to the Bone was a great start to this romantic suspense series that even at the shorter length still contains all the elements of a good mystery to be solved. The characters and plot are fleshed out enough that one doesn’t feel the shorter length as you may with some novellas and gives just enough to get a reader hooked and ready to read the next in the series.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

A quick read, interesting novella. A story with many twists and turns in the case of two missing girls, the bones of one has been found, but which one? Intriguing story.

This first book in the series has me hooked. The storyline kept me captivated and the characters were so well defined that they jumped off the page.
If you're looking for a quick fast paced read, this is the book.

Close to the Bone is the first novella in a series written by Kendra Elliot and Melinda Leigh. I enjoyed the previous series they had written, so I was looking forward to reading this. This was a quick and enjoyable mystery read.

FBI Special agent Cate Wilde is back home on the island she grew up on, healing from a gunshot wound. She gets drawn into a mystery when bones are found on a nearby island. Working with Tessa, a childhood friend, and Henry, the new coroner, Cate puts clue together to solve the mystery. I really liked this .I liked the atmosphere in this book. The dreariness gave a feeling of creepiness. Also, the isolation of the island, made this a bit of a locked room mystery. Being a novella, the mystery was a little simple, but it worked to help set up the mystery that will be the overlying story in the rest of the series. This book was a great introduction to the characters and location of the story and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

First book by this author, but won’t be my last. Very well paced book, an easy quick read - only a couple of hours
Thanks to net galley for the free copy. Now on to the next one in the series

Close to the Bone may be a short story. But it certainly isn't lacking in interesting characters, mystery, and a great setting. That really pulls you in. And I loved that even though the crime is solved there is still a lot left open. Including the mysterious disappearance linked to Cate and Tessa's past and I'm really looking forward to finding out more about that as this series of novellas continues.

This short story is the first in the series and it sounds promising.
As always, Mrs. Elliot mixes suspense and personal relationships perfectly. This time the format does not allow the plot to have enough complexity, everything happens fast and with little development, although it is interesting. There is another parallel plot that remains unresolved and that, I guess, will develop throughout the series.
The romance is in its first stage, that of getting to know each other and spending time together. But surely the author will not disappoint. We will have to follow the series to see how it goes.

***

Este relato corto es el primero de la serie y promete.
Como siempre, la señora Elliot mezcla de maravilla el suspense y las relaciones personales. En esta ocasión el formato no permite que la trama tenga suficiente complejidad, todo pasa muy rápido y falta desarrollo, aunque es interesante. Existe otra trama paralela que queda sin resolver y que parece que se extenderá a lo largo de la serie.
El romance se queda en la primera etapa, esa de conocerse y pasar tiempo juntos. Pero seguro que la autora no defraudará. Habrá que seguir la serie para ver cómo se desarrolla.

Quick read. This novella has the same characters as the first novella. Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of this novella "Close to the Bone" by Kendra Elliot.

Cate is on disability leave while recuperating from a gunshot wound. She has come back to Widow's Island to stay with her Nana who raised her. Something about the island helps her heal as she enjoys the company of her grandmother and the memories of her childhood. When a skeleton is found and is determined to be that of a teenager, the FBI calls her back to action to help with the initial determinations of the case. Together with her longtime friend Tessa who is now the sheriff, they begin the investigation to solve and identify the mystery.

This is a great first book to this series. This promises to be an exciting series. As for romance, there is a new doctor in town and he sounds like he might be very interested in Cate!

I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I thank the publisher for sharing a copy with me.

I was pretty excited to the collaboration of these authors..I like Kendra Elliott and have been a fan of hers for years and then we have Melinda Leigh who takes the other part. in next book..Anyhoo it was exciting, suspenseful and you need to grab, we have FBI Agent Cate who is back in Widow's Island to recover from injury but does not stay down since she is back and joining a case that will have her joining her friend Deputy Tessa Black..Good my friends but I want you to grab so wont give you more details..Sorry..Enjoy!

Really enjoyed the book! My only complaint- I wish it was longer!!! Loved the story, characters and writing style. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and can't wait until Cate and Tessa start looking into what happened to their best friend.

FBI Special Agent Cate Wilde is back at her grandmother's home recuperating after being shot. Home is a remote island in the Pacific Northwest, which doesn't always have reliable ferry service to the mainland. Cate is supposed to be on medical leave, but gets called to help when skeletal remains are found on a nearby island. Cate has the help of Tessa Black, the local deputy and a childhood friend, and Henry Powers, new doctor on the island. Henry also happens to get the title of coroner for the island. The bones need to be identified. Only two teens, Becca and Samantha, have gone missing over the years. Samantha happens to be the best friend of Cate and Tessa. She disappeared nearly twenty years ago.

Can't wait for the next books in the series. This book centered more on Cate and getting to know her. I see a spark of romance starting between Cate and Henry. One of my favorite parts was when Cate was visiting Stan Irish's farm and the cheerful cows.

Definitely recommend this book!!

Thanks to NetGalley, Montlake Romance and the author, Kendra Elliot, for a free electronic ARC of this novel.

Short read, start of a new series. Good story interesting characters and setting. Lots of back stories. Very enjoyable read.

I am a huge fan of these crossover novellas from Kendra Elliot and Melinda Leigh. This is the first of four, which brings FBI agents Cate back to the island she grew up on, and also reunites her with her childhood best friend Tessa, now a sheriff's deputy. Bones are found on the island, and appear to be those of a teenage girl. Is it the daughter of the reclusive famous author who went missing two years ago? Or are they those of Cate and Tessa's childhood best friend, who went missing when they were teenagers. This is a fast paced mystery, with a larger mystery hanging over everything. I highly recommend this book, and can't wait for the rest of the series!

Here is the first book of the exciting new Widow’s Island Series, Close to the Bone by Kendra Elliot. This book is a novella, so it is a perfect sized read for these fall evenings. The story is set in a series of islands in the Pacific Northwest. FBI Special Agent Cate Wilde is taking some time off for medical leave, and is staying with the grandmother that raised her. She is 3 weeks into her medical leave, and she still has 3 weeks to go, but she’s called back to duty because skeletal remains have been found on a nearby island and due to weather conditions she is the FBI’s only agent that is close enough to start the case. She is promised that when the weather clears they will get another agent in to take over, but for now Cate is going to have to struggle through.

Cate is joined by her childhood friend, Tessa Black who is a local deputy. The hard part is, that Cate and Tessa had another friend in their group, Samantha, who disappeared when she was fourteen. In a similar case, just two years ago, Becca Conan disappeared in a similar manner and the FBI was not able to solve that case. These remains were found on the island that Becca’s famous father is living on. Who’s remains are they looking at, and how are they going to solve the mystery when their resources are limited. There is a new doctor on the island, and as he attends the burial site, he finds out that it is part of his job to be the local coroner as well. Do they have enough information to solve this case before the weather breaks?

Kendra Elliot has a true gift for bringing characters to life in her stories, and this book definitely carries on in the same fashion. As you get to know the various characters, you find out their backgrounds, family histories, and their strengths and weaknesses as the story unwinds. What is truly special about this first book in the Widow’s Island series, is that the location is also fleshed out to a great degree. Each island has its own characteristics and the names of the islands are telling as well. There is even talk about how some people belong on the islands and others do not. For example, the new doctor is frustrated when he finds out that the locals are playing with him about local rumors and silly pranks. But when he meets Cate’s grandmother as a patient, she asks him how he felt when he came to the island, and it makes him stop and think about how this might just be his new home.

With a combination of great mystery, characters, and pacific northwest charm, this book will keep you guessing until the end. Close to the Bone is a great read and a strong start to this new series. Book 2 will be coming out shortly and is written by Melinda Leigh, who has partnered with Kendra Elliot in the past with amazing results. I’m really looking forward to this new series!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Close to the Bone by Kendra Elliot that I read and reviewed.
This was this first novella for the Widow's Island series that is a collaboration between Elliot and Melinda Leigh. I really enjoyed this novella that kept me guessing and I felt it was a great introduction to the series.
I loved the budding relationship between Cate and Henry and can't wait to see where that goes. I am also very interested in Samantha's disappearance and I can't wait to see how Care and Tessa will solve it.
The case in this novella was also very well written. I was shocked with who the killer was and the reason why the acted.
Close to the Bone was an excellent fast read and it gets five out of five stars.

I am hooked on this new series. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC here is my honest review. Cate, an FBI agent, is back home on medical leave recovering from being shot on the job. . She's a strong and warm hearted woman who has mixed feelings about being back on the Island where her best friend dissapeared when they were fourteen. The story weaves a tale of murder, mystery and beginning love. When a body of a young girl is discovered Cate is called to work the scene. Could this be her long lost friend or another fourteen year old girl that dissapeared years ago. Cate and Tessa, who was the third girl to the best friends trio, is now the law on the small island and will help Cate discover the identity of the body and how she died and by whom. This story keeps you interested and you won't guess the end!

Awesome as always, You rock Kendra Elliot!! I love the new setting on Widow's Island and the new characters. These novella's are like a favorite treat. I don't know if I should savor it by reading it a few pages at a time, or just devour it knowing I won't have another installment anytime soon.

A wonderful story.
I volunteered to read and review an advanced readers copy of Close To The Bone , Widows Island novella 1 . This novella is a very interesting story . It's a very well written story line . The story was very intriguing and suspenseful from the very start . The main character FBI Special Agent Cate Wilde is home on a medical leave due to being shot during an investigation but due to circumstances beyond her control is pulled into an investigation of a crime on widows Island . She is United with her childhood best friend Tessa Black county deputy of the sheriffs office and new to the Island DR. Henry Powers . They all take part in the investigation .
This story is interesting , full of suspense and intrigue . It has fantastic characters . I really enjoyed reading this story and look forward to reading the next in this series . I highly recommend reading this story .

CLOSE TO THE BONE. Kendra Elliott
FBI agent Cate going over to the island, bones had been found. Technically she was on a six week leave, having been injured on the last job, but an agent was needed. Seeing Tessa and to be working with her, was a joy for both of them. Twenty years ago, a third girl in their circle, disappeared, and friendship, now lacking even after this much time, without her. . Was the bones hers, or another girl from two years ago. When confirmed, the two of them had to go back to that time, they were thirteen. What brought Becca to the hill top, and leaving coat. Good plot, and characters from both are also in this, that we want to know more about. Could be a romance coming for Cate.
The series is enjoyable, and always look for more by these two authors.
Given ARC by Net Galley and Montlake for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.

Close to the Bone is Widow's Island Novella Book 1. There are 4 novellas in this series. I love everything that Kendra Elliot writes. I always love her characters and the story lines. I just hate having to wait for the rest of the series. Using the term buried secrets always makes me want to read a book and this series is one that I can recommend to all mystery readers