This is book three in the Widow’s Island series and can be read as a stand-alone. However, it does do the reader favor to read as a part of the series as all books are novellas. Melinda Leigh captures the reader’s attention from page one and holds onto it the entire way through. Her scene setting of the wintery small island and descriptive characterization only serves to build a suspenseful storyline. There are relationship aspects woven into the storyline between main characters, Tessa and Logan that play out more as emotional romance than physical. Overall, an enjoyable, quick read. 4 stars

Thank you to #NetGalley and #MontlakeRomance for this ARC. It was read and reviewed voluntarily by #wayward_readers - all thoughts and opinions are my own.

@AmazonPublishing

I really enjoy this series!! I just wish each book was longer. It's been a year since I read the first two books in the series and I had to remember what was going on, especially since the books timeline is only about a month. I forgot all about Tessa having a younger sister. Widow's Island has it's share of murders. The island seems like such a peaceful place to live, except for all the killers inhabiting the island!!! I really want to find out about Sam and the mystery behind her disappearance!!! I'm guessing everything about Sam will finally be revealed in book 6. This book centered around Tessa as she tries to solve the murder of a local contractor, who was not well liked by anyone, especially his current wife and ex-wife. I think Tessa really needs to protect herself from Killer Hen. She seems viscous!!!!! The part with the chicken just made me laugh.

Definitely recommend the book, especially if you enjoy short mysteries. I loved the story, characters and writing style. I'm looking forward to finally finding out the truth about Sam. Can't wait to read the next book in the series!!!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Montlake Romance through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The connected novellas about Widow's Island are wonderful. I look forward to every one. I know I'm getting a great police procedural book, subtle romantic tones and deep characters with a back story. Leigh writes about Tess, a deputy, and Logan, brother of Tess's best friend and park ranger. They are a great team solving murders and taking care of each other's personal issues. I would highly suggest reading in order to grasp the characters and follow the ladies as they try to solve the mystery of where their missing friend went. I received an early copy, review voluntarily written.

If your looking for a quick suspenseful book this novella from Melinda Leigh is perfect to read while waiting at the doctors office or just eating dinner . Just the right amount of suspense with great characters. This is a novella series so I highly recommend reading the whole series. Great book and a great author !! Keep those books coming Melinda Leigh . You don't disappoint!

Tessa Black is back in her hometown to care for her aging mother and her teenage sister. She is a new deputy in the town coming from a much bigger job as a detective in Seattle. When a body washes up on the beach, she uses her experience to find out what happened.

I love Melinda Leigh. And I love the novella series that she writes with Kendra Elliott and this one is no exception. I really enjoyed the whole story. There were so many ways that this could have gone and Melinda Leigh kept me guessing the whole time. I'm loving all of the characters and their development. I did feel like this one went really fast and that the ending was a bit rushed. But overall, really enjoyed this story and can't wait to move on to the next one!

3rd installment of Widow's Island- I do recommend reading the first two books in this series for a complete feel of these characters and the ongoing mystery; however, it is not required to enjoy this mystery.

First of all, Widow's Island seems about appropriate for the name of this series with the multiple deaths and widow's left behind. Secondly, Leigh's writing is very entertaining and mysterious that leaves you guessing with each clue "who done it". Finally, the added bonus of Tessa and Logan and they slow dance romance is sweet and light. Tessa deserves to be happy and find a good man with the stresses of her everyday life.

Whisper of Bones is Book 3 of the Widow's Island series. I do recommend reading these stories in order as the background story of Tessa's missing friend, Samantha, continues to heat up. Ms. Leigh's stories in this series focus on Tessa and Logan while Ms. Elliott's stories focus on Cate and Henry. Certainly an interesting and unique collaboration between 2 authors.

This has been a great suspense series with a touch of romance. Love watching the connection between Tessa and Logan even though this is a bit lighter on the romance side of things than I typically prefer.

I can't wait to see what's in store for Tessa and Logan next!

I received the ARC of Whiper of Bones from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my fair and honest review.

I haven't read any other books in the series but I didn't have any trouble following along with the storyline. This was a very easy and fast read. I enjoyed the characters and I could visualize the story from the authors words. I would certainly recommend this book to others.

Quick Engaging Read


Melinda Leigh's Whisper of Bones is the third novella in the Widow's Island series, which is set on a small island in the Pacific Northwest. Though I was unfamiliar with the series, I had little difficulty following the overarching story and got a good sense of Tessa and Logan, the two main characters in this installment. Like Bred in the Bone (Widow's Island #4), the novella contains two mysteries: a present-day murder and the disappearance of Deputy Sheriff Tessa Black's childhood friend, Samantha. Both murders help move the cold case forward but the books can also be read as stand-alone mysteries.

Novellas are deceptively hard to pull off—I'm often left feeling like the mystery resolves too quickly or the romance seems rushed. So it surprised me to find that Leigh does a good job in both respects. I'm a fan of procedurals, so I enjoyed Tessa's methodical (albeit rapid) journey from finding a body washed up on a nearby island to solving the murder. I also liked the tentative romance between Tessa and Logan, it's believable to the point that I found myself rooting for them by the final chapter. As a veteran, Logan is struggling to overcome his traumatic memories. Meanwhile, Tessa is trying to cope with her mother's dementia and her guilt over Samantha's probable death. She's also adjusting to the move from Seattle and to raising her teen-age stepsister. Despite these obstacles, Tessa and Logan have a history—and maybe a future.

I wavered about giving this a 4 and decided against it, mostly because the length precludes any in-depth character development and the plot is pretty basic. But it's a solid 3.5 stars. Leigh's writing is quite clean (as in straightforward—though this story is also PG-rated!). The secondary characters, though they are only sketched in, held my interest as well. Whisper of Bones is definitely worth an hour or two of your time and I will probably go back and read the other Tessa/Logan novella in the series.

Much thanks to Montlake Romance and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received Whisper of Bones from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Whisper of Bones is the third installment of the Widow's Island Novellas, by Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliott. The pair make for a powerhouse collaborative writing duo as both are compelling storytellers in their own right.

Whisper of Bones picks up the story of Deputy Tessa Black, formerly a detective with Seattle PD, who has returned to Pacific Northwest Widow's Island where she grew up to care for her half sister and her mother who is dealing with early onset dementia. Tessa is called out to a scene with a body of a local contractor who has washed up on a beach and it quickly becomes evident that he's been murdered. The victim was not a well-liked man and the list of potential suspects is long. In the course of solving the murder, Tessa uncovers new information that may answer long-standing questions about an unsolved case.

Due to ongoing storylines and callbacks to the previous novellas, I do not recommend reading this novella as a standalone story.

I loved the way the story ended up playing out, but it felt a bit slow in spots. I do love Melinda Leigh's writing style, though, and thoroughly enjoyed this novella as a quick read. I eagerly awaitng her next contribution to this series of novellas.

Book 3 in the Widow's Island collection of novellas.

Tessa Black has come home to her roots on Widow's Island,, but the homecoming has been fraught with murder and deceit. Now a body has been found. Washed up in the surf of neighboring Camilla's Island, Tessa realizes quickly that this was no boating accident, but is instead a murder.

Logan Wilde has also come home to Widow's Island, to heal from the trauma of his time in the military. Now a park ranger with Washington State, he is exploring a relationship with Tessa. Having multiple dead bodies appear isn't helping his psyche, But will Tessa be able to deal with his PTSD?

Working together, they slowly unravel a tangled knot of anger, lies, and violence that comes closer than comfortable to them both. The victim, Jason McCoy, has secrets that someone is willing to kill again to hide.

I have said it before, but I will continue to say it in my reviews. Melinda Leigh has such a wonderful way of developing characters and dialogue that you can truly get immersed in the story. Along with her partner in (writing)_ crime, Kendra Elliot, she weaves tales that will draw you in.

Knowing that this is book 3 in the series, I was curious to see how it worked as a standalone, and in my opinion it does. I really liked how the characters were introduced, the background information that was provided, and how the overarching story of a missing woman fits into the main case.

This is a straight light police procedural with subtle hints of romance. I really liked following the two main characters and seeing them work together as well as apart. If anything this story left me wanting more, which is good because I can dig into the series from the beginning to get the pieces I missed.

I liked the mystery but it felt very by the book, which was fine, but I typically enjoy a bit more character development. I think this felt short to me because this is a novella, so the character development happens in each piece, as opposed to throughout one full length book.

I am very excited to read book 4 and catching up with books 1 and 2 to see how everything fits together. This does stand alone well and works to introduce the reader to the world without needing to start from the beginning. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had been reading from the start, but I really liked the main characters and how the case was worked.

A great new addition to the Widow's Peak series. The third novella picks up just weeks after the last. We see mostly just Logan and Tessa, but all the usual characters make appearance. A short but satisfying read. Some mystery novellas feel rushed to me, but these never do. Ok out of order, but they are short. Read them in order!!

I love the remote island and its unique setting. Everyone knows everyone, and the local doctor is also the coroner. Of course, for big cases, they ship the body to the mainland for autopsy and often call in forensic teams from Seattle to assist.

While this novella is roughly one-hundred pages, the overall series arc and characters combined with different cases to solve give the stories plenty of meat. The romances are served as a side dish, and any sexy time are implied. It touches on family, friendship and addresses PTSD and Logan’s nightmares.

Full review to post @ Caffeinated Reviewer on November 1, 2019 Review will post to Amazon @ release. Review will cross-post to Goodreads and link shared to social media. It will be uplifted on Twitter for 120 days. Link to review for 11/1 provided.

Another nice addition to the Widow’s Island series! Even though it was a novella the mystery wrapped up nicely and I enjoyed more of Tessa and Logan’s continuing relationship. Thank you NetGalley.

This is a rocking good series! I love that each novella pulls out all the stops! Mystery, murder, romance, life of a single woman (Tessa) who has an aging parent with alzheimer's and a teenage sister. To top it off she is a Deputy on this small island and in a progressing romance with a Veteran Army ranger fighting ptsd. This is book 3, each can be read as a stand alone, but why deny your self the pleasure of book 1 and 2? Plus there is an ongoing mystery that runs through each book and we make a little progress. Enjoyable, fast reading, novella with a twist and surprise. Thank you Melinda Leigh, Montlake and NetGalley for the arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own unsolicited.

4.5⭐

Whisper of Bones, book three in the Widow's Island series was a great read. Not only because it is such a descriptive and engaging tale. But because it was well written, absorbing and enjoyable. Plus, I liked how well paced it was and that it had a great blend of mystery and suspense. Not to mention the ongoing story arc involving Tessa, Cate and their missing best friend Samantha. And I was utterly gripped for the hour or so, it took to read, and can't wait to dive into book four and find out what happens next. Especially now that they've found a big clue in Samantha's case.

Would happily recommend to others.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this brilliant book in the series

i am never a big fan of short stories but this author has a knack of pulling you in and keeping you wanting more

a body washes up and murder is suspected...on investigating the victim tessa finds there are numerous suspects, but who could be the killer..and can they identify that person before they strike again...

there are enough elements in this short story to keep you hooked and wanting more books to come in this series

brilliant, love this series

This is a very easy read. I loveLogan and Tessa!Tessa has had a rough life with her mom. Logan has had a rough time since returning from Afghanistan.it was fun following the clues and trying to guess who committed the murders. I look forward to reading book 4. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Whisper of the Bones is a short novella that Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot have written together using several different characters different points of views.

After finishing the book I had to go back and reread the first book. I was a little lost. The author crammed a lot of things into a short amount of pages an while sometimes it works this time I have to admit something was missing. The connection between the two lead characters in this book didn't seem connect. Male lead even brings up the amount of dead bodies that seem to be found on this small island since he came home. I get the idea the island is purging its self of the evil but something just doesn't quite flow as well as before.

Thank you to the Author Melinda Leigh and Netgalley for the advance copy of Whisper of Bones