Cover Image: Two Reasons to Run

Two Reasons to Run

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I've read several books by Colleen Coble and have enjoyed them all. Her books are easy to follow and very fast paced. Many times I had to stop reading and didn't want to. I highly recommend this book and anything else that she's written.

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This has two mysteries in one. The case of the mom is not solved and neither does the romance resolve. Right when you think they are about to commit something happens. I don't see how the main character can focus while trying to keep her son safe! So many plot twists, so good! I can't wait for book three!

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Two Reasons to Run by Colleen Coble was a great follow up to One Little Lie and I liked this one even more! Jane is back again as the Chief of Police for Pelican Harbor and still trying to deal with her father and Reid's lies. Unfortunately, she has more important things to think about, like who is following them and trying to get her to leave an investigation alone. There are lots of close calls and a lot of action, and I flew through it in just a few hours. I listened to the audio again and Devon O'Day narrates which she also did for One Little Lie. I love it when the same narrator is used for books in a series and I love the way O'Day reads these books. I highly recommend audio but reading it would be quick and enjoyable as well.

I think my favorite part about the Pelican Harbor series is that they are incredibly fast-paced with nonstop action. They make for perfect binge reads and obviously Two Reasons to Run is no exception. I also love so many of the characters, and the fact it warms your heart while also keeping you on your toes. I also find Jane's obsession with beignets adorable, and I love that the characters have little quirks like that which Coble continues to mention.

This is a Christian series, but it doesn't feel preachy at all and everything fits into the dialogue and text perfectly. If you are looking for a clean mystery series than look no further! I just noticed it is going to be a trilogy and I already can't wait to see how things will conclude, while also never wanting to leave Pelican Harbor.

Thank you to the publisher for my advance review copy via NetGalley. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

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The second book in this series is very good too! The mystery continues as to Jane and Reid's families, but they do find out some info in this book! Relationship complications add to the excitement!!
Just read it, already! After you read the first book, of course.

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In Two Reasons To Run, book two of The Pelican Harbor Series, author Colleen Coble transports the reader back to the Gulf Shores area of Pelican Harbor, Alabama, to catch up on the story of Police Chief Jane Hardy and Investigative Journalist Reid Dixon.

It has been four weeks since the town scandal and the revelation of the secret past between Jane and Reid. Jane is still reeling from the lies and life changing revelation that Reid's fifteen year old son Will is her long lost son. While building her relationship with Will and trying to figure out what relationship she'll have with Reid, Jane is still mad that her father has lied about their past and the whereabouts of her mother. To make matters worse, Keith McDonald, an oil rig platform employee is murdered over his finding out about a planned terrorist plot to sabotage the oil platform, and the person responsible will go to any cost to stop Jane from investigating, even threatening to harm her son Will.

With a terrorist on the loose, and a personal threat against their son, Jane and Reid join forces to find the person before the terrorist plot on the oil rig platform occurs and devastates the coastal area, while protecting their son, and battling personal family demons.

Author Colleen Coble weaves a fast-paced and suspenseful tale written in the third person narrative that follows Jane and Reid's investigative journey in search of the person who is threatening to sabotage the oil rig platform and hurt their son, while dealing with the lies and life changing revelations from the secret past that they once shared, including her own father's lies. The reader will be easily drawn into the continuation of this well written story with its richly descriptive plot and setting.

The author does a wonderful job of transporting the reader back to Pelican Harbor, as Jane and Reid's latest investigation unfolds. The drama and suspense is intense and will keep the reader engaged and guessing what will happen next until the surprising conclusion. But alas, the author teases the reader with a cliffhanger ending, as Jane and Reid's story continues in Three Missing Days, the third book in The Pelican Harbor Series.

Two Reasons To Run has enough drama, tension, action, flashbacks and clues from the past, a growing list of suspects, a hint of a romance, and unexpected twists and turns that will take the reader on one heck of a thrilling roller coaster ride.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours.

https://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2020/10/two-reasons-to-run-by-colleen-coble-vbt.html

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This is the second book in the Pelican Bay series, and although I had no difficulty understanding the plot or the relationships between the characters, I wish that I had read the first book already in order to get the back story in Jane and Reid’s relationship. That being said, this book definitely left me wanting more of their story, especially the interference that Lauren is threatening to their discovery of each other. I enjoyed how the plot was complicated and woven around various characters. My favorite character was Will, a young man with a practical head on his shoulders who wants the best for both of his parents, regardless of whether they stay together or not. Jane is a strong and fierce heroine while Reid is not as strong but is a real brainiac who figures things out and has passed this trait on to his son. All of the characters work together to attempt to stop an attack on an oil platform that will also threaten the Gulf. This is a winning series, with an intense and intriguing plot and characters that are realistic and relatable.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

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Another fantastic tale by Colleen Coble! I couldn’t put this one down and I cannot wait for the next installment. Ms. Coble is a master storyteller and this was a cleverly crafted plot. It had just the right amount of all elements: mystery, suspense, romance, and faith. I highly recommend!
Many thanks to Thomas Nelson Fiction and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Romantic suspense is this terrific subgenre that doesn't have enough authors. This novel is an excellent example of what the subgenre should be and I wish more authors would follow suit. Full or atmosphere, excellent story telling, gripping suspense, love, and characters you grow attached to all combine to make a grand story that makes you forget to cook dinner and grateful your husband slipped you a sandwich while reading.

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I am new to Colleen Coble and I must say I am very glad I picked her to read.

I'm not much for Christian fiction because usually I am very disappointed but not this time.

Jane Hardy the new police chief of her town has a tortured past and a difficult relationship with her former police chief father. She is flawed and vulnerable, having trouble reconciling with her past. While she has been reunited with her fifteen year old son, whom she believed was dead, that joy is confused by her relationship with his father. Throw in a murder and really good mystery it makes for a great story.

I like how Coble writes her characters with a faith that sustains them but they struggle with life and how to make it work with their beliefs. It makes for a real story and makes her characters very believable.

I will certainly be reading more in this series and her previous books.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the copy of the book.

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I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

**AUDIO VERSION**
Two Reasons to Run is a fast paced and gripping thriller by Colleen Coble with a touch of romance too.
This is the 2nd book in a series which I hadn't realised until I began to read it. I wish I had realised this as I would have read book 1 first.
Despite not having read the first book I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found the narrator did a fantastic job narrating it.

In Two Reasons to Run, a murder occurs with a worker on an oil rig which is uncovered to be a possible terrorist attack. Jane and a small group of others become entangled within the case and Jane and her ex along with their son are soon on the run from a killer who's hot on their heels.

The suspense is fantastic in this book and has you gripped from a few chapters in.

I look forward to book 3!

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Did this mean the alarm Keith raised was credible?

The author has once again written a book that kept me guessing all the way to the end. I managed to shorten a few nails in that time as well. Book 1 in the Pelican Harbor series laid some of the groundwork for this story, but one can certainly enjoy this one without that history. After all, non-stop action will keep you on the edge of your seat regardless.

Police Chief Jane Hardy is a master at solving crime - but will this one be too much for her? Blackmail, threats, kidnapping and murder are just a few of the incidents she must deal with all the while trying to find the perpetrator(s). Will those closest and most important to her escape unscathed?

This ARC was received through Thomas Nelson, HarperCollins Christian Publishing and NetGalley. The comments and impressions are my own and were in no way solicited.

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I looked forward to reading this newest book by Colleen Coble, and I am not disappointed! These characters are great, and I was glad to read more of the story of Jane, Reid, and Will. This pace of this story and all the action keeps the reader quickly turning pages. There’s a tread of faith that weaves throughout the story, and that’s an inspiring element of this book. Intriguing, suspenseful, and inspiring—-it’s an excellent example of how good Christian suspense fiction can be.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

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TWO REASONS TO RUN (Pelican Harbor Book #2) by Colleen Coble is the second action packed Christian romantic suspense/mystery in this trilogy series. The small coastal town of Pelican Bay’s Chief of Police Jane Hardy is a 5’2” strong, determined and justice driven spitfire who also happens to be a survivor of a cult. While the suspense/mystery is unique and solved in each book, Jane and all the main characters’ personal stories carry over and are a large part of the story. I feel the books in this trilogy should be read in order.

Chief of Police Jane Hardy is now firmly in control of her small-town police department after taking over from her retired father and surviving the scandal from “One Little Lie”. While she has been happily reunited with her fifteen-year-old son Will, who she believed dead, she is still coming to terms with the betrayal she feels from his father, Reid.

A local mother has reported her son missing when he does not return from the giant oil rig in the bay. She gives Jane an email from her son that suggests there is a terrorist plot against the oil rig and he believes he is in danger. But with no other leads and no body, Homeland Security drops the case.

Reid uses his job as a journalist/documentarian to gain access to the rig. He and Jane find the missing man dead and tied under the oil rig. As Jane and Will move forward in the investigation, they receive threats that if they continue, their son Will’s life in on the line.

I loved this book as much as the first which of course makes me anxious for the third. I believe this author does a great job of balancing an intriguing investigation, building suspense and dealing with all the characters’ personal lives in this small town which comes to life in her worldbuilding. Jane is a complex character dealing with her past in the cult, her development of her current spiritual beliefs and her relationship with Reid. All the secondary characters are fully fleshed and realistic. Though there is faith-based dialogue, it never felt out of character or like you are being preached at.

I highly recommend this Christian romantic suspense/mystery and author.

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Two Reasons to Run by Colleen Coble

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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Story Notes

Colleen Coble's newest story continues the one started in One Little Lie with lots of added mystery and danger.

This latest series by Colleen Coble gives a look at life and it's messiness. While we may think that people have it all together, often they have a good front and are struggling as much or more as us to make it all work. I loved this story that has flowed well from one book to another with pain, heartache, healing, forgiveness and love. Jane Hardy is still reeling from the discovery that her son she thought long dead is alive and lives here in her town. Never thinking to see him or her "husband" again, she has much to process and decide about where they go from here. But there is much more going on that just the happenings in Jane's personal life and a missing rig worker found dead is just the beginning. She and Reid will have to solve several mysteries if they are going to keep themselves and their son alive. If only they could figure out who is so willing to kill and what it is they want to prove. The mysteries of this book were very well done and really drew me in. Everything was carefully crafted to be revealed at just the right moment to give the best impact. I read the book fairly quickly because it was so seamlessly written. I love the faith journey that Jane is struggling with and how everyone around her is causing her to ask the good questions about who and what God is. I'm very much looking forward to the conclusion of this series to see what will finally happen with Jane, Will, Reid and Charles. I have a feeling it will be a fantastic ending with lots of good drama and mystery involved. I will certainly be recommending this book to others as I know they will enjoy it as well.

I received this temporary complimentary E-book from Thomas Nelson Fiction via NetGalley in order to provide a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

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Colleen Coble does it again with this suspenseful book. The progression of Reid & Jane’s relationship was well-paced and builds on the first book of this series. The pacing of the story itself was great and kept the suspense up but with some softer moments as well. The book kept me hooked and I can’t wait for the final installment of the series to see how Reid and Jane work through their trust issues and deal with the problem of Lauren as well as other continuing strands. Faith was woven in but not preachy and only came up a few times. Oftentimes it’s a father who has never seen their child and has to try to figure out how to parent an older child but in this book, it’s the opposite. Jane spent fifteen years thinking her son was dead and now that she knows he’s not, she is the one trying to figure out how to parent. It adds an interesting dynamic to the story.

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This one will get your blood pumping, your fists clenching, and your teeth gritting, as you read! The suspense is gripping, and the storyline compelling.

Pelican Harbor police chief Jane Hardy has been working with a skeleton crew since clearing the corrupted members of the police force. When a man dies on the Zeus oil platform, his emails to both an investigative journalist and his mother indicate that his death might not have been a simple fall off the platform. His emails suggest that, if he dies, they should assume he was murdered, killed for the information he has uncovered.

Reid Bechtol and his son, Will, have moved back to Pelican Harbor to be close to Jane, who is Will's mother. When Reid is contacted by a worker on the Zeus platform about a possible terrorist plot to blow up the platform and cause another Deep Water Horizon-type oil spill in the Gulf, he obtains permission to do a "documentary". In reality, he wants to talk to the man who contacted him. When he discovers the man is missing, and no one is looking for him, he is concerned. When Jane also shows up looking the same man, his concern changes to fear for the man's life. Can they protect their son when their investigation produces death threats?

As Reid and Jane work together, their bond to one another begins to strengthen. Will they be able to avert a disaster of epic proportions while still keeping their son safe?

This book was intense from page one, but fair warning, it is book 2 in a SERIES, so there is a cliffhanger at the end. I wish I had read book 1 first, as I felt like I was missing a lot of the backstory when I started this, and normally, if I know it's a series like this, I'll wait until all 3 are released and read straight through. If you're like me, Book 3 "Three Missing Days" is expected to publish in 2021. Personally, I'll be going back and reading "One Little Lie" to get caught up!

I love Colleen Coble as an author, and can definitely recommend this series, but readers will want to start with Book 1, before reading Two Reasons to Run. I still loved it, but it really should be read in series order.

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The strength and insecurities make Jane such a relatable character. She is used to being independent and in control just like so many of us. Her controlled world was turned upside down when she learned the child she thought was dead was alive and well living in her town. In this second installment of the series she faces even greater challenges as the police chief and as a mother. This story kept me guessing and I enjoyed watching the story unfold. Colleen Coble is a master storyteller.
I look forward to seeing how this series finishes. I do suggest reading the series in order. The author gives the basics of the backstory but to get the fullest read book one , you won't regret it! 
Disclaimer: I did receive this review copy from the publisher, but I was under no obligation to provide a review. All opinions expressed all my own.

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I don’t believe I read the first book in this series, and felt like I constantly was trying to figure out things that were talked about in this book as if I should know what was happening or what the background was.

Reid. This man would NEVER have gotten another chance with me. I can’t believe that the attitude in the book was forgive and forget. Forgive, yes, because we are commanded to do that. Trust him ever again? Forget? No and no.

Obviously, for me, the romance did NOT work. I wanted to tell the main character to kick his tail out the door and never let his shadow so much as darken the front step.

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Another Colleen Coble masterpiece! Book 2 in the series is just as fabulous as the first book. It is full of suspense, romance, and twists and turns to keep you guessing and turning the pages.

Jane and Reed have a lot of similarities to Bree and Kade in the Rock Harbor series. Jane is a strong female with a painful past. She has a strong sense of justice and drive to help others. She doesn’t trust easily especially when the trust has been broken. Reed realizes he hurt Jane deeply and struggles to find ways to overcome that to repair their relationship.

Reed stumbles into a murder while investigating a threat to the oil rig which propels him to work with Jane. As the danger heats up, Jane finds that she must work with Reed to solve this murder to protect their son Will from danger. Jane quickly finds she must also except help from her father in order to protect Will. But will working together on Will’s safety help heal those old wounds or create new ones?

This book takes you on a dangerous adventure with honest, raw feelings. It had hard to put down yet I didn’t want to see it end. Once again, we were left with a cliffhanger at the end of the book and I am anxiously awaiting book 3! I would love to see this series continue as did the Rock Harbor series.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

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This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2020/10/03/audio-two-reasons-to-run-by-colleen-coble/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

I'm really enjoying this <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/266320-pelican-harbor" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Pelican Harbor</strong></em></a> series which follows some people who left a cult 15 years ago.  Jane left with her father, Charles.  Reed left with his son, Will.   Jane is Chief of Police, following in her father's footsteps.  Reed is a photo journalist.  In the previous book, <strong>One Little Lie</strong>  Reed brought Will to town and eventually told Jane, Will was her son, who she had believed to be dead. The development of this world and its characters is progressing well.

Jane is a good person, and a strong and capable one.  I love seeing that in law enforcement where they follow evidence and good strategies to solve a case.  As a person, Jane is struggling with her father and Reed having lied to her, not knowing what happened to her mother, and working a case which may have dire consequences.

Reed knows he wants to spend more time with Jane.  He has the complication of his ex-wife Lauren.  And now in this case, Will is in danger.  I thought Will was sometimes TSTL, but the young do think they are invincible.

This case was incredibly dangerous. Jane and Reed were both very lucky and appropriately cautious. There were enough flawed characters that I did not guess the instigator of all the trouble.  I can't figure out what to think about Charles, Jane's father.  For his work experience and life experience, he seems to be a very poor judge of character and rather clueless at times.

I liked how Reed and Jane were able to get away on a mini vacation and also re-connect with family.  As difficult as some things are,  they seem to have their heads on straight about what is important.   I hope they will be able to work things out for a future.  I appreciate getting both Jane and Reed's points of view.   I look forward to more of their story in <strong>Three Missing Days,</strong> projected for April 2021, as many facets are still left unresolved.


<b>Excerpt:</b>

<blockquote>Was anyone watching?

Keith McDonald sat at the computer and glanced around the oil platform’s rec room, but the dozen or so workers were engrossed in watching the final game of a Ping-Pong match. He hesitated,
then hovered his cursor over the Send button. Clenching his teeth, he sent the emails. Maybe it was nothing, but if anyone could decipher the recording, it was Reid Dixon.

The back of his neck prickled, and Keith looked around again. The room felt stifling even with the AC cooling it from the May heat. He jumped up and headed for the door. He exited and darted into the shadows as two men strolled past. One was his suspect.

Keith stood on a grating suspended three thousand feet over the water and strained to hear past the noise of machinery. The scent of the sea enveloped him, and the stars glimmered on the water surrounding the oil platform that had been his home for two years now.

“Scheduled for late May—”

A clanging bell drowned out the rest of the man’s words.

“Devastation—”

The other fragment of conversation pumped up Keith’s heart rate. Were they talking about the sabotage he feared, or was he reading more into the words than were there? He couldn’t believe someone could be callous enough to sabotage the oil platform and destroy the coast on purpose. He’d seen firsthand the devastating effects from the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe. And what about the people living on the platform? Deepwater Horizon had killed eleven people and injured another seventeen.

He had to sound a warning and stop this, but he had no real evidence. If Reid Dixon blew him off, who would even listen? Maybe Homeland Security would pay attention, but who did he even call there? He could tell them about the pictures threatening Bonnie, but what did that prove? They might just say she had a stalker and he was chasing shadows.

He couldn’t say they were wrong.

He sidled along the railing, and the breeze lifted his hair. A boat bobbed in the waves far below, and in the moonlight, he spotted a diver aboard. Must be night diving the artificial reef created by the concrete supports below the platform. He’d done a bit of it himself over the years.

For an instant he wished he were gliding carefree through the waves without this crushing weight of conscience on his shoulders. When he was sixteen, life was so simple. School, girls, football, and good times. He’d gone to work at the platform when he was nineteen, after he’d decided college wasn’t for him.

It had been a safe place, a good place to work with fun companions and interesting work.

Until a few weeks ago when everything turned sinister and strange. He’d wanted to uncover more before he reported it, but every second he delayed could mean a stronger chance of an attack.

If an attack was coming. He still wasn’t sure, and he wanted a name or to identify the organization behind the threat. If there was a threat. Waffling back and forth had held him in place. Was this real, or was he reading something dangerous into something innocent?

Though he didn’t think he was overreacting.

He turned to head to his quarters. A bulky figure rushed him from the shadows and plowed into his chest, driving him back against the railing. The man grabbed Keith’s legs and tried to tip him over the edge. </blockquote>

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