Anahera returns to Golden Cove in her home country of New Zealand to hide away. Her husband died seven months earlier and she was devastated. That is, until she returned home and found his pregnant mistress in her house. Trying to deal with his death, as well as his betrayal, was too much for her and she needed to get out of London and go home.

There are a lot of people in her hometown that she knows and grew up with as well as some newbies. There are also a lot of painful memories in this town for Anahera, but also some wonderful ones of her mother.

Unfortunately Anahera's quest for solitude is disrupted when a young woman goes missing. Anahera ends up helping the new constable, Will, in trying to locate the girl - along with the rest of the town. As Anahera and Will work together they become find an affinity between them. Their true focus, however, is on what happened to Miriama, and how her disappearance might have something to do with 3 female hikers that went missing 15 years earlier.

I absolutely love Nalini Singh’s romances so I was pretty excited when I realized that she had written this mystery. The main focus of this book is the disappearance of the girl and finding out exactly what happened to her, but Singh does manage to throw in a smidgen of romance, which I appreciated.

Singh does an great job with her character development, her descriptions of New Zealand and of course her writing. It definitely kept me reading and anxious to find out what was going to happen, but unfortunately I had figured out whodunnit pretty early in the book. I was surprised by some of the details but not by the culprit.

While I enjoyed the writing, the story didn’t blow me away. I liked that Anahera and Will were flawed people, and I was happy that they found each other - unfortunately they still kind of fell flat for me. I didn’t really connect with either one of them and that was disappointing.

Overall a decent read that’s well written.

Rating 3.5 out of 5

Such a good book. I love the setting, the characters and the mystery. This wasn't as heavy on the love story as some of the author's work. But I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Anahera returns to her home in New Zealand after her husband dies and when a local girl goes missing, she finds herself smack dab in the middle of it all. This book started off intriguingly but then kind of lost me when it turned into a romance of two wounded souls.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Great murder mystery with a very unexpected twist at the end.

Interesting read with enough plot twists to keep mystery/suspense readers happy. One of my favorite things is that it was set in New Zealand, an unfamiliar place to many, and gave readers a glimpse into a new setting. An enjoyable book with the right amount of character and world building.

This was simply an enjoyable book to read. It slowly drew you in, then picked up speed and began a wonderful series of twists and turns that didn’t slow down until the end of the book. Well written with a cast of characters who quickly became almost like old friends, with a a setting so vividly described you felt like you could see the dense foliage and hear the ocean’s roar and with a dark and disturbing mystery hanging over a tiny town, this is a book that does not disappoint.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

If you're a fan of Christina Dodd you will love this new venture by Nalini Singh. Atmospheric, it brings to life a small town on a New Zealand coast. Anahera and Will are vividly drawn characters that are brought together as they work to solve the disappearance of one of the town's residents. This is a story of a place and the people in it, how some things changed over the years, some stayed the same, and the secrets that were never meant to see the light of day. I was caught up in the story, of new revelations, of Anahera and Will helping each other through the darkness in their pasts. At times chilling, it's a mystery that centers on the characters and makes you wonder how well you know anyone.
I received an advanced reader's copy from the publisher and am voluntarily reviewing it.

Wow, that was quite a ride! I absolutely loved Will and Anahera, both so damaged and working through their demons. They did an amazing job carrying the story.
The setting is amazing and a character itself. The descriptions, language, and characters paint such a vivid picture you are right there in the moment.
And the story was so twisty it could double as a pretzel and had enough red herrings to make a sushi buffet. Great pacing. I read this in one sitting because I had to know what had happened. And the reveal was definitely worth it.

A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh is a suspense filled mystery with a touch of romance. Descriptive details focus on the environment and the Maori culture of New Zealand which was very enlightening. Unfortunately for me there was a disconnect from the characters especially Miriama which detracted from my enjoyment of the story. All in all a good read which Ms Singh fans will enjoy.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

A suspense novel by Nalini Singh. I admit I was unsure, suspense is not always my favorite read, but this is a fantastic book. I was brought right into the small town in New Zealand and was fascinated by the characters and story. There is a hint of romance, but that is not the main storyline. Trying to find a killer is this small New Zealand town, where everyone knows everyone else is. No spoilers, just read the book. You will be amazed and delighted. Highly recommended. The copy I read was an egalley from NetGalley.

A small town on the coast of New Zealand is the perfect spot for intrigue and murder juxtaposed with beautiful nature. Nalini Singh creates believable, damaged characters with interesting backstories. Complete with a bit of surprise ending (nothing too twisty), A Madness of Sunshine was an entertaining book.

**I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review of this book.

You can't go home again, but what if...? Everything is different but still the same, except for the secrets, and the missing girl. A delightfully suspenseful story, will have you on the edge of your seat.

A stunning thriller? I was already in when I read "Nalini Singh" and even more intrigued when I saw that it was a thriller! She's a master storyteller and A Madness of Sunshine was no exception. Vivid descriptions and characters who feel so real that they jump off the pages. With a hint of romance this thriller will keep you guessing till the end. Recommended!

Every once in a while I pick up a book with no particular expectations and find myself surprised and delighted by an excellent novel.. A Madness of Sunshine was one of those wonderful surprises. When Anahera returns to her home town on the wild western coast of New Zealand, she’s newly widowed and reeling from the pain of discovering more than she wanted to know about her dead husband. Expecting to find comfort in the familiar, she arrives in Golden Cove to discover that a young woman she knew years ago has gone missing. The new cop in town sees a possible connection to similar disappearances in years past. Anna brings an insider’s knowledge of the locals, Will brings his law enforcement skills and experiences; the mystery story unfolds and their relationship develops. It is romantic suspense at its best— well-written, well-developed characters, an unusual locale, excellent plot, and a feel for the local community. All this in service of a great suspense story and a romance that feels real. Nalini Singh, bring on the one!

I really, really enjoyed this one.
The characters had me hooked from the get go, with their interesting back stories, and depth. Great setting - small town New Zealand, which I know nothing about so it was a plunge into a new experience. The mystery kept me guessing till the end, with enough twists and nail biting to make me stay up late reading. I will definitely check out other books by Singh.

This story had an overall tenseness to it, but it was more sad. There were no twists and turns that were not predictable, including the ending. After reading this, I don't think I ever want to go to New Zealand... However, the story was well written and I like the authors voice. I will try her in the future.

This was a really good Thriller. Nalini did an excellent job with this new genre. Well done and I hope we get more to read like this from Nalini.

"Which way should she run today? . . . along the cliffs above the beach. . . along the beach? It was the light that decided her. . . [ the cliffs]. [She saw] a standing form in the distance. . . Her feet took her closer and closer. . ."

“Oh,” she said coming to a stop; startled."

“I didn’t expect to see you here.” [Miriama, A Madness of Sunshine]"

About the Author
Nalini Singh is a popular novelist within the science fiction sub-genre of paranormal romance and fantasy romance. She is known for her extremely popular Psy-Changling and the darker sexier Guild Hunter Series.
A Madness of Sunshine is her first stand-alone thriller and devoid of her usual steamy scenes and beyond-the-normal characters. She has issued a warning to her most ardent fans, “[This book] is not written as a romance suspense or romance;” a fact that drew me to read the book. The book will be published in December, 2019.

The setting. Golden Cove. A fictional town tucked in the bush on the West Coast of South Island, NZ. “[A] primal and untamed landscape [with] trees born of ancient seeds and the ferns huge and green”; each fighting for dominance before reaching the jagged cliffs overlooking the Tasman Sea and gorgeous beaches. A wild place where tragedy happened in the past when three visiting hikers disappeared into the bush without a trace over the summer. Present day, life has calmed and the disappearances of those three girls only a sad memory dragged out now and then.

The town recently received it first police officer, Will Gallagher; an exiled big city lawman with an award- winning career but a propensity for quick anger. A man, now seeking redemption.

A prodigal daughter leaves a highly successful music career in London to return to Golden Cove. Her husband’s sudden death and the discovery of his long-time infidelity the catalyst. She moves back into the run-down shack where she grew up. Annahera Rawiri hopes to live a life of solitude among the people she has always known and trusted.

Though the town’s population is small, it has the requisite mix of bad boys, rich landowners, dowdy housewives, and the community hub- Josie’s cafe. There in the cafe, among the daily crowd, works an achingly beautiful teenager, Miriama Tutaia, much beloved and the object of desire for every breathing male. A golden girl with a promising future in photograph.

Mirihama returns home after work and is unwilling to stay alone in the house with her slimy step-father. She changes into her running clothes and heads out on a little used hiking trail. . . and never returns.
The town is shaken to its roots. Is she injured? Or . . . reviving the old memories of the missing girls, has something evil invaded their isolated world again?

Will and Annahera, along with the residents of Golden Cove, join ranks to search for Mirihama. As the search is conducted, the atmosphere darkens. Annahera begins to see that time has changed her friends; some for the better and others for the worse. Will reveals himself to be a source of comfort and strength to all; and feared by those with something to hide.

Blogger’s Thoughts
A solid three-star effort. Fans expecting the author’s normal writing style might be a little let down. There are red herrings, plot twists, and a pinch of romance. The author took a chance on branching into a new genre. It is a good first try and hopefully will step-up in a future effort.

I love Nalini Singh’s paranormal books But this is her first romantic suspense book and I was hooked from the start. I read it in one night. I really liked the story line and the characters. There were lots of twists and turns and you do not know who did it till the end.

Nalini Singh writes such great characters and atmosphere. I love that this book was set in New Zealand and the characters reflected the place. The mystery was interesting and well written - you really didn't know who dun it until it was revealed! This new direction is one I will follow.