Oh. My. Word! In The Killing Tide, Dani Pettrey introduces a new cast of characters, a new setting, and her personal brand of high octane, cannot-put-it-down, lose-sleep-over-it romantic suspense.

There is so much I loved about this book: a team of investigators that are a team and a family you want to be a part of, excellent information and insight into the Coast Guard Investigation Services, twists and turns that leave you white-knuckled, and swoon-worthy romance between at least two (with hints of more to come) characters.

And y’all, there is nothing more attractive than a man with a strong faith and a protective streak like Finn Walker.
As if all of that wasn’t enough: THAT ENDING! The one that had me immediately online and adding the next book to my TBR. Books like The Killing Tide are proof that Pettrey deserves a place at the top of my must-read romantic suspense authors list.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

I grabbed my sandals and headed to my favorite chair on the patio to dive into the newest book (and first in the series), The Killing Tide by Dani Pettrey. The patio was as close as I could get to the ocean at the time, but as I dove into the story, I started to feel like it was close enough for the time being.

The new series opens up with a Coast Guard officer being found dead and another one missing. With an intriguing start, we get to meet Finn Walker and Gabby Rowley. Their relationship is an interesting one, as Gabby is Finn's boss's sister.

While this book held the usual suspense I've come to expect from Pettrey, it didn't keep me captive the way her other books have. In defense of the author, the ARC version of the book I had didn't have section breaks, which made the story challenging to follow as one scene ran into another. While I tried not to let the formatting interfere with my enjoyment of this book, I'm sure it had some impact on the development of the story as it was a huge distraction.

Despite the formatting, I enjoyed the variety of characters and setting of this book. I'm chalking my struggle with feeling captivated by the story to the formatting because Pettrey is a talented author, and I've enjoyed many of her other books.

The Killing Tide gives me yet another reason why Dani Pettrey is among my favorite Romantic Suspense authors. This one is the beginning of her new series, Coastal Guardians. It starts off full of action filled suspense. I was left guessing what would happen next. It had so many twists and turns that I could never predicted. I loved the Finn and Harper duo. They made quite the team.
I highly recommend The Killing Tide. It gets five plus stars from me. I can not wait to get my hands on the second installment from the Coastal Guardians series and see what adventures the characters will get into.
I received this book from the publisher, but was not required to write a review. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

A new book, new series by one of my favorite authors!
I've been a huge fan of Dani Pettrey, from the day I first found her books. I couldn't wait to read this newest release.
I was a tiny bit disappointed. These characters did not quite cut it for me.
I loved the action, the mystery, and the suspense. All of that was quite in keeping with Dani Pettrey's earlier works.
But.
The Characters.
I've loved her earlier ones. I just couldn't quite decide about Gabby. (Did I like her or didn't I)
She was a reporter, and a rather annoying one at that.
The story begins when she and Finn had already had a relationship, so I wasn't given the opportunity to see them falling in love. The story tells a lot about them, but it doesn't really give the chance to get to know them as I would have preferred.
Gabby refuses to listen to what anyone tells her, she's determined to get her next story. I loved her determination, but hated how she consistently fought against her brother and anyone else trying to keep her safe.
The ending I found to be quite satisfying. The mystery was solved, completely in ways I did not expect, and I loved that.
Even though this is not my favorite book, I will still keep on reading Dani Pettrey's books as soon as they come out!
Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

The Killing Tide by Dani Pettrey is the first book in her new series. This is important to know because the book is introducing all of the characters. This may feel overwhelming and confusing at first. Also, Dani sets up the characters throughout this book for the next one in the series. So you will see several scenes with the secondary characters.

Gabby and Finn are the main characters in this story. Gabby is an investigative reporter and I really wanted to like her but never could. She was all the bad things you think of when you think of investigative reporters. She only thought of the story. She put people she supposedly cared about in danger to get her story. Gabby’s friend is pregnant and just lost her husband and Gabby is interviewing her for the story. Not to mention that the reason Gabby is in town is to hid out from a drug lord who wants to kill her. So running off from her security is just selfish and stupid.

Finn was great. I enjoyed his character and he could do much better than Gabby. He could find someone who loves him and puts him first. I liked how the author revealed Finn’s background.

I am super excited to read the next book in the series with Rissi. She is a character that I can really like. I am already intrigued to see if she who she will end up with. Also Emmy sounds like she is going to be a fun character.

There were several deaths in the beginning and the author made them personal to the team which I thought brought out more of the characters and feelings. The mystery was good and Dani was able to surprise me with the ending.

Although I never liked Gabby, this was a good book that I would recommend because you are going to want to read it for the series. I have loved all of Dani’s books and Gabby was an anomaly. If you don’t like Gabby as much as I did, feel free to speed read her sections 

I received this book from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review.
You can see my full review at More Than a Review dot com where I rate the level of sex, violence, language and drug/alcohol use in books.

This is the first in the Coastal Guardians series by Dani Pettrey. Gabby is on the run from a drug lord trying to kill her. She flees to her family’s home town and back into the arms of the man she left to fulfill her dream job. Can she handle being around him?

After one Coast Guard officer is killed, Coast Guard Investigative Service agent Finn Walker steps in to find the culprit only to wind up knee-deep into a deadly ring bent on evading capture, no matter the cost. To top everything off, the woman he fell in love with is back into his life after breaking his heart.

Together, Gabby and Finn race to find more disturbing evidence that implies the two cases could be linked. Can they face their feelings for each other before the ring takes them all out?

Dani Pettrey does it again. This adrenaline-laced plot kept me turning the pages to find out more. It captured me from the first chapter. The twists and turns make an intriguing story.

There were times when I got confused with all the characters, but I’m assuming other books in the series will tie them all together. I can’t wait for book two!

I give The Killing Tide five deep sea dives. It will leave the reader breathless!

*An e-copy was given to me from NetGalley for my honest opinion.

My Review of The Killing Tide by Dani Pettrey:
Every book by Dani Pettrey is worth reading. And the cover for this book is marvelous. And the blue/green of the water stands out so well against the white, this cover brings across the story so well.
I have waited so long for this book. But it was worth the wait! The characters were WONDERFUL! The book was so jaw-dropping good. I’d say it’s her best but I can’t, none of the couples beat Dead Drift and Luke and Kate in my opinion, though I loved Finn and Gabby. I read this all too fast, it was wonderful and I didn’t put my kindle down until I had read the last page . . . When I read Pettrey’s books I’m pulled into a suspense with themes of redemption and love. Finn, I must say was a spectacular guy and Gabby was strong without being too strong and I felt that her reasons for doing everything she had a point, unlike some of the strong female characters I’ve read about.
I do think the ending wound up a little too fast but it was all right and I love how Noah was so involved in the whole book I can not wait for the next book in this series, I also need to read the Alaskian Courage series which has been on my to-be read list for way too long.
I did feel like there was less spiritual content then I would like and it was a little more creepy when the bad guy was in it.

There is so much going on in this book:
Shootings
Explosions
Drownings
Hired hits
You get the picture. And while I love an action-packed book, this was almost too much. Every chapter had another incident. I was impressed how the author tied everything together but thought some of believability was not there - I would hope all of the above would bring in the FBI in real life, but that wasn't the case with this book.

There are hints of romantic connections throughout the book involving several couples, but given everything else going down, they aren't explored much, and that made sense to me.

Since this is an ARC, I know there are still edits to be made. But as a reader, it was very hard to follow at times, when the author switched from one character's thoughts (this is told in the third person), within the same chapter. At the very least, I hope there is some distinction made in the final copy so that the reader can identify the character has changed. I had to reread several sections because they didn't make sense.

Overall, I wasn't invested in any character in this book - there were just too many with too many different storylines. But I had to finish because I wanted to see how it all pulled together.

Upfront information: This is a Christian Fiction Romantic Suspense book that has some violence but most of it is "off-camera".

Finn Walker doesn't like to lose people close to him. Sometimes life as a CGIS agent doesn't allow him that luxury. Especially in a small town on a small team. Everyone becomes like family. When the woman who left him heartbroken returns because of a threat to her life, will he be able to focus on the cases before him or worry about protecting her?

This story encompassed many things that I enjoy reading about: US military members, law enforcement, and detective work. Ms. Pettrey's baseline stories are Christian based Romantic Suspense and she did a wonderful job of mixing all these elements together. I look forward to seeing what happens with the main characters and what adventurous case she'll have them on next.

I am grateful to NetGalley and Bethany House for providing an advance reader's copy of this book.

It’s always a disappointing thing when a book by one of your favorite authors doesn’t end up working for you. This was the case for me and The Killing Tide.

What I Liked

-I thought the actual mystery aspect of the story was well done. It was pretty well-paced and Pettrey did a good job of weaving together multiple cases.

-I liked the setting and that many of the main characters are in the Coast Guard. That’s something new I haven’t read a lot of before and I found it pretty interesting.

-I thought Pettrey did a good job with incorporating the characters’ faith in into the story. There wasn’t really any big lesson, it was just daily life and I liked that.

What Didn’t Work for Me

-Gabby drove me crazy for pretty much this whole book. The first time we meet her she narrowly escapes an attempt on her life and she ends up going to her brother so he and his Coast Guard friends can help protect her. But then she fights against the notion of needing to be protected the whole time and continually runs away from the people who are supposed to be watching her, which I just found really annoying and selfish. And her whole defense is that she needs to chase the story because God made her passionate about it and to ask her not to do it is wrong. Um, pretty sure that’s not how God works. She just really, really rubbed me the wrong way and pretty much ruined the book for me.

-The romance didn’t really work for me. We find out that prior to the events of this book, Gabby and Finn had started a relationship, which was cut short when Gabby moved away. They both already had strong feelings for each other when the story starts and so we miss all of the build up. I never really felt their chemistry when they’re reunited and so I never got invested in them as a couple.

-There are a lot of characters that are thrown out in the beginning. I had a really hard time keeping them straight. It took about half the book before I could start to tell them all apart. While I don’t have a problem with any of them, none of them really stood out to me as someone I would be excited to read about next.

-I think my biggest problem with the book, though, is the way that Gabby was involved in the official investigation. Let me preface this by saying Gabby is not in law enforcement, she is a reporter. Throughout the story Finn has her help him process a crime scene where there were multiple murders, she uses Coast Guard computers to do her own research on the case, she accompanies Finn while he is investigating leads and persons of interest, and she is part of debriefing sessions of multiple cases. And the reason for all this? She’s incorrigible and would just go out and investigate on her own if they didn’t include her, so might as well keep an eye on her. THIS IS NOT HOW LAW ENFORCEMENT WORKS. My brother is a police officer and I talked to him about some of these things and asked what would happen if he involved a civilian like this while working. He would be fired. I understand for the sake of fiction there are certain allowances made, but I feel this is just way too unbelievable. And this is a complaint I have about several books by this author.

Overall

Overall, The Killing Tide was just not for me. Even though the pace seemed steady and there was a lot of action, I found myself bored for most of the book. I found Gabby so unlikable that it made it hard to get through the story at times. However, everyone I know that has read this have all really loved it, so it might just be me and my mood. I do plan on reading more from Pettrey in the future and am hoping my experience with this book is just an anomaly.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 2.5 Stars

This is the first book in Dani Pettrey’s new Coastal Guardians series! I’ve been a big fan of her books since Submerged and was super excited for this one. I always love first books, with all the potential for new stories and new characters, and this one definitely met all my expectations and exceeded a few of them!
As usual, my favorite part of this book was the characters. Gabby and Finn are for sure on the list of favorite characters from Ms. Pettrey’s books, though I’m pretty confident most of the other characters on the team are going to fall into that category, too. Gabby is an investigative reporter, staying with her family after making an enemy who now wants her dead. To go with that, she’s stubborn, curious, determined, and kind. Finn, part of the Coast Guard Investigative Service, has some things in his past that haunt him, but that he doesn’t let that stop him from doing what’s right. I loved his integrity and loyalty to his friends. He’s also as stubborn if not more so than Gabby, and determined to keep her safe. I enjoyed watching them butt heads and learn to work together, but also become something more. I so enjoyed how the story didn’t solely focus on them as a couple, but came from multiple perspectives within the team. Sometimes the switching between characters’ thoughts was a little confusing for me, but not too bad, once I caught back up. The momentary confusion was definitely worth what it added to the story.
Can we talk about the mystery and suspense for a moment? It was definitely suspenseful - Ms. Pettrey is well known for keeping the tension running throughout the story and this one is definitely not an exception! I loved the mystery, too! I spent the entire story trying to guess “whodunit” and didn’t have a clue, which was great! I appreciate books that can stump and surprise me. My only bit of negative to that is something that happened in the end (I’m not going to spoil) seemed more than a little far fetched. But it wasn’t a big enough issue to ruin the story for me.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys mystery and suspense!

*My thanks to the author and publisher for my copy of this book! I was not required to write a review, positive or otherwise, and have not been compensated for it in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Killing Tide is a thrilling start to Dani Pettrey's new Coastal Guardians series. Fans of her previous books will enjoy this suspenseful, character driven, page turner of a novel that plunges readers right into the story from the very first pages.

Gabby Rowley is an investigative journalist who's recent role in the take down of a highly successful drug lord has put a price on her head. After an attempt on her life, her older brother Noah decides the best place for her is back home with her family around to protect her. Noah is a member of the Coast Guard Investigative Services special agent team, and decides the best plan of action is for Gabby to stay in his fellow team member Finn's guest house. Finn and Gabby have a history, and it ended with her choosing her career over him, and breaking his heart into pieces in the process. However, despite the unresolved feelings on both ends, Finn will stop at nothing to keep Gabby safe.

Finn and Noah's work with CGIS is often dangerous, and they're about to experience one of their most dangerous cases yet. A situation gone wrong at sea results in the death of two of their own, and suspicions are soon placed on those they never would thought they couldn't trust. As the case builds and builds, more and more players are revealed, and the enormous depths as to just how far this case truly extends have only begun to be revealed. As Finn and Noah struggle to solve the case, and bring those behind everything to justice, they also struggle to keep Gabby safe and sound, and out of the line of fire. They'll need faith, prayer and God's help more than ever before, to truly get to the bottom of just what they've gotten themselves into.

From start to finish, The Killing Tide is a roller coaster ride of a story, and showcases once again just how talented of an author Dani Pettrey is. The reader can always tell just how much research goes into each and every one of her stories, and I loved the fact that she chose to set her new series around the CGIS. As with each of her previous series, this one is highly character driven, and the reader is introduced to quite a few characters within the CGIS and their surrounding friends and family that will most likely play a roll in the consequential novels. I have to applaud the fact that with and every one of this author's books I've read, the faith element has been at the front and center, and I was very happy that this was the case here as well. It's always refreshing when a crime fighting team remembers to call on His help, and not depend on only their own devices.

I did have a couple of minor issues with this one that I do want to mention. As much as I love how character driven Dani Pettrey's novels are, this one tends to get a tad carried away with this, and there's quite a few characters and corresponding back stories introduced, many of which we're never truly explained. I'm hoping this is because they'll be explained in future novels. As well, I really found the writing jumped around a lot within this one, and while I never truly got confused, I think it would have been a bit more enjoyable if this had been minimized a bit. Also, while I loved many of the characters featured throughout; especially Finn, Noah, Caleb and Rissi, I was never really sold on Gabby's character by the end of the story. She makes some pretty bad decisions in the name of her career, putting both herself and others in danger in the process, and her selfishness kind of grated on my nerves. Thankfully it wasn't enough to ruin the story for me, but I have a feeling I'll enjoy the stories about the other characters more.

Overall though, I really enjoyed this one and thought it was a great start to her new series. I especially enjoyed the fact that the ending completely blew me away, and I'd actually thought I had a big piece of it pieced together, and am happy to admit that I was completely wrong. I highly recommend this to anyone who's been a fan of Dani's previous novels or any fans of Christian suspense.

Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐


Thanks so much to Bethany House for the opportunity to advance read this!



I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher (Bethany House) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not required to give a positive review.

This is my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it even though the MCs are basically on different sides. The Hero is a CGIS agent Finn Walker has to catch a killer. Our heroine Harper is there as an investigative reporter which sure does spicen things up. The writing is solid and the pace is goos. I recommend this book.

When I found out Dani was coming out with a new series Costal Guardians, I set my expectations high and I wasn’t disappointed.

This book had me hooked from the very first page and I couldn’t put it down. Turning each page in anticipation with what comes next.

We had previously met Noah in the Chesapeake Valor series and only caught a glimpse of what was to come, but here we get to learn more about him and his team. All of the members on the investigative team had their own strengths, but how they used those strengths within the team is what made it feel like they were family! I couldn’t help but fall in love with each of these new characters and I hope to get a book about each of them especially Noah.

I will admit I was a little nervous at first seeing as Finn and Gabby did have a history together, but the worry quickly passed as the story progressed. The way Dani was able to grow and build these characters individually and together given their history was absolutely brilliant.

My finally thought on The Killing Tide is that Dani delivers another amazing story filled with suspense, adventure and romance. The way she wrote this villain was uniquely twisted and something I didn’t see coming so, if you love investigative stories that have you on your toes than this is the book for you!

*I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers, these opinions are my own.*

I loved the Alaskan Courage series by Dani Pettrey, so I was thrilled to have the chance to read The Killing Tide before it hits the shelves. I must say, it does not disappoint! As always, Ms Pettrey creates characters that are immediate new friends for her readers. I was drawn into the plot and found it difficult to put this book down. (My only areas of criticism were: 1) the Blue Fire Reader app through which I was first trying to read The Killing Tide - after I switched back to my more friendly Kindle app, things went much more smoothly *I realize this wasn't a criticism of The Killing Tide*; and 2) I became very aware of a high usage of the word "brow" around chapter 50. My brain had a hard time getting over it.). All in all, I can't wait to see more from Dani Pettrey and specifically, more from the Coastal Guardians series!

I would give this book a solid 3.5 stars. I may enjoy it more if i read it once it comes out and is in paperback, but it was a bit hard to follow. I was a huge fan of Dani Pettrey’s Alaskan courage series and the Chesapeake Valor series however, this book was very hard to follow. There were a lot of characters that played a big role in this book, and i mean a lot. Too many that it was very hard to keep track of. The main story i thought was supposed to be about Finn and Gabby, but there were major parts about other characters and this made the book hard to follow. And it felt like there could have been a story before this book, about what happened to Gabby before she went to go live with her family and what happened with Fuentes. Dani did tie everything together at the end and the plot together made sense, but to me it felt a little forced. I loved Gabby’s drive and passion for her job and career, it was inspiring.

Overall, a solid read, but not one that I will probably keep on my shelf to read again. I enjoyed the bit of suspense that was there, but again, a little hard to follow. I like how the author explores different places and types of jobs and integrates that into her stories, i just think it would be a little more enjoyable to read without some of the extra fluff characters.

I love when a book's villain is not who I expect it to be. The ending of this book took me by complete surprise! With this being the first in a new series, there's a lot of new characters to meet and get to know but the action starts right with chapter 1 and doesn't stop until you've reached the end! You may even recognize one of the characters from the Chesapeake Valor series. It's always so much fun when a character spins off into a new series! I'm looking forward to the next in this series for sure!

With a series title of Coastal Guardians and the book title of The Killing Tide, it was a for sure add to my reading list. Dani Pettrey is an author I have read time and time again. She does a superb job of writing suspenseful romance and creating series where you learn about all of the characters lives. But with that said, The Killing Tide didn’t quite hit the same mark for me as some of her other series. The storyline follows Gabby (the main female character) as she goes back to her home town for safety after her life is threatened. Finn Walker, who works under her brother as a Coast Guard Investigator, is working on a horrible crime and the bodies keep piling up. Gabby and Finn have a rocky past, but he is in charge of keeping her safe. Meanwhile, she just can’t stop her investigative instincts as a reporter. She is consistently putting herself and others in dangerous positions to get the story.

First, let me state that the author does an excellent job of capturing your attention with intensity and suspense from the first chapters. But along with that you are introduced to many characters and scenes that you are trying to keep straight and figure out. So, while I did like that it started off with a bang (literally), it was confusing at times. Once you get further into the chapters, the story is easier to follow and keeps you on edge. You will want to read to the end and won’t be disappointed!

Most of the characters are easy to relate to and I do look forward to learning more about them in the next book. In this book, Gabby’s character was one that I just did not like. But I don’t think you should like every character in a book, even if they are the main character. It just makes you engage with the character in a different way. Her constant disregard for people and their safety was unnerving. She truly only cared about getting the story, no matter the cost. And her idea of being a friend was not my definition of friend. Her behavior goes against my grain, and although I didn’t like that in her character it was also a way to see things from a different perspective.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and the suspense. It may not be my favorite book by this author, but it’s worth a read.

*I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

When one Coast Guard officer is found dead and another goes missing, Coast Guard Investigative Service special agent Finn Walker faces his most dangerous crime yet. His only clues are what little evidence remains aboard the dead officer's boat, and the direction the clues point to will test Finn and the Guard to their limits.

When investigative reporter--and Finn's boss's sister--Gabby Rowley arrives, her unrelenting questions complicate an already volatile situation. Now that she's back, the tug on Finn's heart is strong, but with the risks she's taking for her next big story, he fears she might not live through it.

Thrown together by the heinous crime, Finn and Gabby can't ignore the sparks or judgments flying between them. But will they be able to see past their preconceptions long enough to track down an elusive killer, or will they become his next mark?

Another great book by Dani Pettrey. Gabby is running for her life from a mob hit. Finn has the perfect place for her. His guest house. The only problem is that he is still in love with her from when she stayed there several months ago. Gabby's brother is Finn's boss. They work for the Coast Guard Investigative Services. The team rotate watching Gabby while trying to solve a double murder of their Coast Guard team mates. The only problem is Gabby keeps trying to snick out and try to solve the crime herself.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes a great mystery.

I was given this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.

This was the first story by Dani Pettrey that I didn't finish the book and think it was awesome. It was good, don't get me wrong, but it's not one I would necessarily pick up to read again. 

The story started off well enough, but it made me wonder why Gabby who was under protection had no regard for any of her friends and family. She was determined to shoot off and do her own thing, her selfishness shined through. In turn, while I was interested in the story I wasn't keen on the way it happened.

The end was interesting in how the pieces were brought together, but even so there was so much death and sadness that it just didn't jive with me. I haven't given up on her as an author, however I probably won't be reading very many in this particular series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.