After reading the synopsis I was very excited to read this romantic thriller. However, for me, it was slow to develop and seemed to lack overall strength in the storyline and plot twist. A quick read, but not great.

This is an interesting book. I enjoyed all the history and storytelling. I never guessed the ending or the bad guys. Another great book by Heather Graham #TangledThreat #NetGalley

As a huge Heather Graham fans this one was a bit of a disappointment. the story drags a bit without a to of dialogue and too much description of past events.

The premise of the book is promising, the execution, not so much.

Except for some tedious re-telling of the same Gyselle story, the first part of the book kept me entertained. Unfortunately between the poor format the lackluster romance, and really the non-urgency of anyone to solve the crimes, the second half of the book was just a let down.

Hopefully the formatting issue was just the ARC I received and will be fixed when the book is released, but it made for some difficulty in understanding what was going on in some of the scenes. At one point, I think a whole section or even chapter was left out because the scene just didn’t make any kind of sense.

The romance between Brock and Maura was not believable. For them to have been estranged for 12 years and supposedly have animosity because of it, they fell into bed super quick, with nothing resolved other than “I did write you” and “Oh I guess my parents hid that from me.” It seems other people had to keep reminding everyone that they were “so in love”, because I couldn’t see it.

Again, there had to be a chapter or something missing, because the big reveal at the end, was out of nowhere. I had kinda figured out some of it, but the other part just seemed manufactured out of nowhere. Somehow, Maura just figured it out on her own, like an epiphany. And then they live Happily Ever After… in New York.

One good thing, I know A LOT about the state of Florida.

ARC received from NetGalley for an honest review.

A mystery/thriller about women who have gone missing in Florida. Could the missing women be related to a murder mystery from 12 years ago?
I found that the amount of characters in the story to be a bit overwhelming. Overall, a ok mystery/thriller with some romance thrown in.
I received this book from NetGallery in exchange for my true and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received an advance poorly-formatted ebook edition of this book from NetGalley. I do hope they are able to fix the messed-up formatting before releasing the book for general publication.

Other reviewers have referred to the allegedly haunted places mentioned in the story, but this book did not actually contain any bona fide other-worldly manifestations. So if a reader is looking for the paranormal, this might not be the best choice of reading material for them. The missing paranormal elements did not factor into my opinion of the book, because somewhere on the way to adulthood I lost any taste I might have once had for ghost stories.

Other reviewers have mentioned the teenage lovers torn apart 12 years in the past, and I found their almost instantaneous rekindling of their romance a bit unbelievable. There were just too many misunderstandings that needed to be ironed out first, in my opinion, before they, um, got busy, and they held the "why didn't you ever contact me" conversation far too late.

I did not actually guess who the killer was before the big reveal, but had narrowed down the list of suspects considerably by that time, because in time-honored murder mystery tradition, it's never the person that the protagonist suspects, so any time suspicion was thrown on a secondary character, I crossed that person off the murderer list.

I read through the book to the end, just to see how the author would resolve things, but I found it difficult to have any empathy for the characters. Others' mileage will certainly vary, though.

Tangled Threat is a book with a really cool premise and an execution that didn’t quite get there. I love the idea two people with history as teenagers brought back together by a crime with eerily similar circumstances as the one that initially tore them apart, especially when one of them is now an FBI agent. I will say that it was a very quick read, so that was enjoyable. My problem is that the leads in this book have little to no chemistry! Their first real conversation takes place almost halfway through the book, and that’s the only conversation that they have before falling back into bed together. They barely have any conversations after that too, instead they just discuss the murder mystery going on at the resort they’re staying at. We’re supposed to believe that they’re each other’s true love but we never see any way that they actually complement each other, just that they remember being in love. There’s just no romantic tension. The romance absolutely takes a backseat to the mystery, which also isn’t that interesting.

I would also say that a lot of the writing in this book is redundant. We’re told about the details of the murder case that this book revolves around in the very first chapter, and then we get to hear those same exact detail retold over and over again maybe six different times to other characters. I guess each time was supposed to add a little more information and detail, but god it was boring. Also boring were the several long passages where characters remind the reader that Florida is more than just beaches, but also only ever mention the same other things besides beaches. It was just very repetitive. The dialogue was also weirdly stiff in a lot of places, and many times characters say things that normal people would never phrase that way.

Finally, I think that the big twist in the very last section was delivered by the characters with less enthusiasm than they would have ordering a pizza. It felt very much like there was a specific major reveal planned and then they decided to throw another thing on top just because, and it read very flat. There just wasn’t that much emotion.

An eARC copy was provided to me in exchange for an honest review, and all thoughts are my own.

Synopsis:
Twelve years after a horrific murder, a killer reemerges on the secluded grounds of a vacation resort. Strangely enough, all the same payers are back in town, including Maura Antrim and Brock McGovern. A teenaged couple when the original murder happened, Maura (a renown videographer) and Brock (an FBI agent), are thrown back to together to with this new rash of crimes. They quickly find that all the denied emotions of the past have not faded. In a race to find two missing women and solve this decade long mystery, they reconnect to face the evil forces that initially tore their relationship apart.
 
Review:
I received this book as an ARC from the author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I selected this book as soon as I read through the synopsis. I recently finished my first book of this genre (romantic thriller), and I've been dying to find another. The cover also played a small part in this selection. I've always enjoyed a good serial killer or a police procedural crime novel. Therefore, both the police tape and the color scheme of the book cover drew me in. I was also dying to find out what incendiary mystery the handsome central figure had in his past. Maybe I'm the only one who would find a smoking secret in a red-yellow gradient; but hey! Where there are flames, there's fire… or something thereabouts.

Ms. Graham does an excellent job of providing local color and Floridian history. Her descriptive details made me feel like I was walking through many of the locales. Being a researcher by nature, this book drove me to an even deeper dive into the creepy history surrounding the state. I was tickled to find that many facts stated in the book were accurate! I can't wait to plan my trip to visit a few of my newfound scary spots. While environmental development helped in lending authenticity to this book, the character development brought it to life.

I felt connected to the characters and rooted (ok, sometimes jeered) for them throughout the book. This connectedness was partially formed and supported by the awesome character index at the start of the book. I say partially because the index just helped me to keep the characters sorted 12 years later. This is super important as the story hits the ground running and never slows. We meet the characters as their 12-year-old selves. Experience their excitement at just being kids, then their sadness as that is taken from them. Fast forward to the present day, and we meet the same individuals as young adults. I loved how even though they were the same at the core, they all displayed the growth they had experienced as part of their earlier shared trauma. The new characters were also handled with the same care and blended seamlessly into the narrative.

Although the plot wasn't filled with many twists, the main mystery of the book was wonderfully developed. I had no idea who the villain(s) were right up until the big reveal. The love story is a touching second chance tale, but there wasn't a moment where I wondered if the main characters would get together rather than when. No worries though, this enhances rather than detracts from the love theme in this book.

If you're in the market for a great thriller/crime story with elements of romance, this may be the book for you. Now, you may be wondering why a 3-heart and not a 4-heart rating. It saddens me to say that I almost put this book down early. The writing style is just not my cup of tea, short sentences, and many internal conversations made it difficult to follow. However, this was easily dismissed once I got into the meat of the story. I found that I liked the backbone and concept of the story. Baring that in mind, I'd advise all those who are wavering on completing this story to forge through. It's worth it!

I will review this on Amazon 8/20/2019

I have read several Heather Graham books in the past, so I kind of knew what to expect. I found the book to be well written, with a interesting plot. I loved that she brought back alot of people that had been together in the past when a incident occurred so it made you wonder of the outcome of this book. I really enjoyed Maura and Brock and the chemistry between them. I did find Angie to be sort of ditzy and not to my liking but other than that i enjoyed the book.

One Amazing Suspense .
I volunteered to read and review an advanced readers copy thru Netgallery of Tangled Threat .
I'll start by saying I truely believe this is one of the best stories I have read .
It's fantastic !
I was intrigued from the beginning the suspense and mystery keeps you on the edge of your seat . The story is interesting and Intense . Brock McGovern and girlfriend Maura Antrim as teenagers worked at Frampton Ranch And Resort together and discovered a coworkers body hanging from a tree . The murder and Brock was wrongfully accused pulled them apart . Years later they find themselves back at the resort her as a video producer and Special FBI agent there to find missing women and solve the crimes both cold and new . Along the way Brock and Maura may find a second chance . This story is well written, the characters are interesting and unique . This story will keep you guessing till the very end .
So full of twists and turns . All out a fabulous story .
I highly recommend taking the time to read . This is definitely Outstanding .

While the story was a good one, with a fabulous cast of well developed characters and a very engaging plot, the identity of the killer (at least ONE of them) was so insanely obvious and it frustrated me to no end that it wasn’t clear to the ones investigating the disappearances. Overall this was a great book, I just wish there were a few more plot twists to it that made it less predictable.

I really liked this book. I've been reading Heather Graham for many years, and this one really reminded me of some of her old Florida suspense books. I really liked Brock a lot, hopefully he'll pop up in Finnegan's!

This was a lot fun! It flew by and I really enjoyed the suspense element! Surprisingly this was my first Heather Graham novel and it won’t be my last! It was so suspenseful and though a bit predictable, I didn’t see the end coming and it left me breathless! The romance was really good as well and thought they had a lot of chemistry. I will say that it took a little while to get into the book even though I did read it quickly. Overall a fun story, especially for the fall!

Just finished reading Heather Graham's latest story. It's really a short story mystery and love story combined. The two main characters , Maura and Brock,reunite after 12 years and reestablish their relationship. Brock is an FBI agent called in to investigate a murder when he meets his old love Maura. She is filming short videos for a client at the Frampton Ranch and Resort and Brock is sent there to solve the murder case. The books is entertaining and perfect for summer . reading by a pool or at the beach.

Not a very compelling mystery. The romance was pretty dull as well. It felt like a college creative writing effort, which isn’t to say I could’ve done better, but then I’m not a writer or a publisher. Dull characters, not much development. Plot felt very formulaic. No urgency in finding the missing girls and the whole killing tree story being told again and again was lackluster.

The storyline was good, but I struggled a bit with the formatting. I am presuming that this was a very early edit of the book and that the formatting for Kindle will be corrected.

Does history repeat itself? Can a place be evil? Or cause evil to occur? Legend tells that a woman was killed at the History Tree, a sacred p[lace for local native American tribes in the area for hundreds of years. Maura Antrim is a young woman retelling the tale when the unthinkable happens...a woman is found hanged to death from the tree, just like in the legend. Whisked away by her parents she doesn't even get to say goodbye to her boyfriend Brock McGovern, who has been arrested for the murder.

Fast forward twelve years, and Brock is now an FBI agent, sent back to the resort where the History Tree stands to solve a series of missing person cases that revolve around the ranch. Maura is back too, as a videographer working for a writer of creepy tales. Will they reignite the love they shared all those years ago? Or will they fall victim to the curse of the tree?

Tangled Threat – Heather Graham

I was fortunate to receive this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review.

Brock McGovern and Maura Antrim were teenaged lovers as they worked together at a famed resort, the Frampton Ranch & Resort, in central Florida 12 years ago. Then one night, the body of a colleague was found hanging from the infamous ‘History Tree’, resulting in the misguided arrest of Brock, and Maura, whisked away from her parents, never heard from him again…till now.

Flash forward to the present day…Brock, long since exonerated, is now and up and coming FBI agent, who is being sent to Florida to investigate a rash of recent murders, all with ties somehow to the Frampton Ranch. Maura, now a video producer, is at the resort with a client who is filming highlight specials on the area history, the History Tree, and the ranch itself. Others who were present on that day long ago have also remained close by, resulting in a reunion of sorts as Brock arrives in town.

In predictable fashion, Brock and Maura eventually talk about the events of years ago, and resume their relationship, as Brock hunts for a killer. The protagonist is fairly easy to guess, and like most mid-sized Harlequin novels, the ending is a predictable & happy one!!

The book gives a lot of history into the St. Augustine and central Florida areas as part of the backstory, in and around the investigation of the murders, which, as a newer Florida resident, I found fascinating! In fact, I am eagerly planning a trip now to The Devil’s Millhopper, a park I had not known of before this book. I could not find a reference to the History Tree, although I did find another – the Senator Tree – which may have been loosely modified for this story – going to head there too!
All in all, quick, good beach read, especially if you happen to be vacationing in northeastern Florida!

I really love this author and have read most of her books. I was hooked on this book from page one. The characters were so good together. I really enjoyed the story line, it kept my attention. I really liked the suspense, it kept me turning the pages quickly. Another great read from this author.

This book is find for young adults; we are talking teenagers working at a resort in the middle of hill country in North Florida. There is a Hanging Tree on the property, where a story is told at night around a campfire; how a beautiful young girl was murdered after being accused of killing her married lover. Two teenagers, Maureen, and Brock were working the summer, a modern-day murdered woman is found at the end of the story. Twelve years later, another murder has taken place, the two young lovers meet up again, as though nothing has changed, pick up their love story. As I said this is a mild story, no in-depth character analysis of the people in the book.
What I don't understand is, there have been such gruesome real-life murders within two hours each way of where this takes place; I know because I live in North Florida! FAMU had a death of a band player, from excessive hazing, he died on the bus. FSU had Ted Bundy in the seventies, who got into a girls dorm, and brutally murdered them as they came home.
Then we had Danny Rollings who went to the University of Florida, in the early nineties, where he staged the young girls deaths, he wanted to outdo Ted Bundy! I was the same age as the young girls at FSU and was only thirty when the other happened in Gainesville.
There were plenty of real crimes to choose from.
I recommend for Young Adults! Thank you Netgalley!
carolintallahassee.com

Heather Graham is a fantastic author with great books. Her books have well developed characters and great storylines.