It took me a while to get into the story and thought it dragged a bit but it made me keep reading to see if Tony’s death was murder or suicide
I felt sorry for Mia in the book with the town being cold with her

Thank you so much to @netgalley, escape publishing & Elisabeth Rose for this #gifted ARC in exchange for my honest review. This one was fun full blown mystery with a nice bit of romance. It takes place in Australia which was also a nice change of pace.

It all starts out in Taylor Bend with the apparent murder suicide of Mia's father and stepmother. Everyone in the small town was shocked to hear this as they were a happy couple no signs of any trouble. Soon after their deaths Mia begins to have this terrifying reoccurring dream that makes her feel like there's more to this story. So she heads to Taylor Bend to take care of her father's estate and to sell the house.

Arlo, the local reporter meets with Mia in order to publish a story to help her father's reputation. Mia confides in him about the dream and her suspicions and he has the same. They begin to dive deep into the story and unearth some horrifying things about the town and what actually happened to Tony and Glenda. Malicious attacks, terrible comments, and violence against Arlo and Mia begin to happen shortly after. Will this mystery be solved? Will Mia and Arlo fall in love? Will Mia ever see justice for her father?

This one was a quick read for me and I quite enjoyed it. I liked that there were many elements to this one not just a mystery or thriller or romance. I love when a book gives you multiple "genres." I would have liked to see A bit more of something, not really sure exactly what maybe a little bit of everything. But I did enjoy the romance aspect and the mystery aspect. This would be a 3.5⭐

Mia Petros lost her parents a few months ago. Since that time she has had a recurring nightmare which hints at their deaths were not due to murder-suicide at the hands of her father as the police decided. She's absolutely positive it was a double murder.

Mia is back in town to take care of her father's house ... possibly to sell the house. No matter what, she's determined to stay until she gets some answers. But who can she tell about her dreams ... without them thinking she's crazy?

Arlo McGuiness is the owner/editor of the town's newspaper. He's also an ex-investigative journalist. Learning that Mia is back in town, he takes the opportunity of interviewing her for a story concerning her father. He's not only intrigued by Mia, but by her story ... especially the mystery when she tells him of her dreams.

BOOK BLURB: His old, familiar urge to find the truth is awakened. But his probing engenders trouble--nasty comments are followed by malicious acts, and before long Arlo and Mia face escalating violence, their lives in danger.

The plot is tightly woven around deftly defined characters. The action is non-stop leading to a satisfactory conclusion. The balance of both romance and suspense are such that the writing does not overpower one over the other. Although 3rd in the series, it is easily read as a stand alone. Each of the books in this series features new characters, new stories ... no cliff hangers.

Many thanks to the author / Escape Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this Romantic Suspense. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

I feel bad giving such a terrible review, but I could barely read the first chapter. The writing was rushed and did nothing for the actual story. This was not for me.

Can a dream become reality? For Mia it's starting to look that way, the dream implies that what the police thought was a murder/suicide pact at the hands of her father turns out to actually be something different

I would like to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is book #3 in a series, and I hadn't realized that when I requested to read it. I don't usually like to come into a series in this way because often times it will cause some confusion with what is happening, what the histories are and the character traits that have already been developed. Having said that, though, I think the author did well in regards to all of those points, in that I didn't feel completely confused, but I do wonder if maybe I would have enjoyed the book more had I read the books in order.

This book is a mystery/romance, that feels more heavy on the mystery than romance, and I appreciate that. So often books categorized in this way are light on the mystery, or are more thriller than mystery. I plan to go back and find book 1 in this series and start from the beginning, and look forward to the next book by this author.

*ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review*
This is a hybrid mystery/ romance that’s heavy on the mystery and light on the romance.

The story centers around Arlo and Mia attempting to sleuth out what happened to Mia’s father and stepfather. Mias motives are a vague dream she had that honestly could have been deleted completely and it not effect the plot. Arlo is the local small town journalist looking for a story.

Both of the characters were bland and I couldn’t connect with them whatsoever. Just dry and unseasoned.

This I was a slow and mostly anticlimactic read for me. I found myself bored off and on throughout the story. Lots of unnecessary small talk dialogue. I liked the scenery in the novel it matched the mysterious vibe. As well as that it was an adults romance and without unnecessary angst. I love some angst but it’s not always necessary in books. Overall not one I would recommend.

Mia's father and step-mother recently died, their deaths were dubbed a murder-suicide and the case was closed. However, Mia keeps having a reoccurring dream that makes her think something and someone else were responsible for their deaths.

Arlo, a journalist in the same small town Mia's father's death took place. Has taken a liking to Mia and her father's story. Promising to find out the truth he puts himself and others in danger to get answers.

I felt that this read was more mystery than thriller. Minor occurrences keeps the reader wondering "who" but it wasn't an edge of your seat read for me. The romance between Arlo and Mia was quickly established but it was endearing and turned into more of a slow burn throughout the novel.
One of my dislikes-was the unveiling of the big mystery was not as heart stopping as I would have hoped. There was a lot of build up but no real impact.

The setting, of a small town with constant icy and dreary conditions helped set the scene for the novel and added to the novels mystery vibes. Overall, this was a cozy, mystery that was easy to follow.

This book is full-on mystery with a side of romance. Mia's father and step-mother died recently in an apparent murder suicide. They lived a very happy life in a small town in rural New South Wales, Australia. Their deaths, and the way they died, are shocking to the small town they lived in and everyone they knew. Shortly after their deaths Mia started having a recurring dream about their deaths - that lead her to believe maybe all was not as it seemed.

Arlo is a former investigative journalist who has moved to that same small town for a fresh start. He has embraced small-town life and has successfully started a newspaper there. When he encounters Mia while she is cleaning out her father's house, he also starts to wonder if the deaths were a murder suicide. As his investigation progresses, the danger to them both rises.

The setting and near constant icy rain and bleakness really sets the scene for the whole book. The romance between Mia and Arlo is warm and sweet - and comes on quickly but feels like a slow burn. Their relationship is definitely and adult one.

The only thing I didn't love - was that the resolution of the big mystery was kind of anticlimactic. I would have liked if it had more impact. But for the cozy mystery that this was - maybe that wasn't needed? Overall - a good read!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.