Colleen Coble is one of those authors that I know I'll get a solid story. I may not cry or feel strong emotions, but the writing is decent and the stories she tells are usually good, so she's a good choice when I need a palette cleanser.

This novel is no different. I liked the characters. The story kept me moving along. The writing's good. I found myself skimming through some of the book because there was a lot of description I just didn't feel that I needed. I did love Joe Abbott's job and found myself focusing on the parts that he was at work.

One thing about Colleen Coble is that the characters are always slightly religious. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. This time felt forced, like it was just there to push an agenda.

All in all, I liked this book. I didn't hate it. I didn't love it. I just liked it.

In this latest release, readers will enjoy a thrilling romantic suspense story. As usual, Mrs. Coble does an amazing job writing this book. If you enjoy suspense books, then this one will not disappoint. It has many twists and turns. This is a standalone novel. The main character of this book is Torie who is on a mission to discover what happened to her friend. Torie’s backstory is important to the details of this book. After her friend drowns, she heads back to the island to discover what could have happened to her. Obviously something was amiss. As she is investigating, she meets Joe and his daughter. The more she is around Joe, the more she wants to know him, but she also wonders if he had anything to do with her friend’s death. I highly recommend this book and know you will not be disappointed!
***I was given a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review. This is my honest opinion. Even though I received this copy free, I have purchased her books before.

Action packed and full of excitement.
This book has lots of mystery, suspense, and action.
But...it wasn't quite what I was expecting. Did I like it? Yes! Yes, I did. And I highly recommend it, but I can't say that it is my new favorite Colleen Coble novel.
Torie returns to beautiful Jekyll Island, where she's not been back to since she was 10 years old. (Why, you may wonder...just give it time, all will be revealed as you read... :) )
This island holds lots of memories for her. Some good, some not-so-good.
Her primary reason for the visit now is to investigate the death of her friend Lisbeth. It's been ruled accidental, but Torie knows Liz would never have gone out into the water like that. So, just what does that mean? And what exactly is going on?
As the story progresses, Torie's history is revealed, and we learn why this island is such a difficult place for her to be.
In addition to the mystery, there is also some romance mixed in. Torie meets Joe and his daughter Hailey, and is immediately drawn to them both...
There are plenty of twists and turns, and some of it was just a bit too predictable for me... but then, maybe that's just because I've read a few too many suspense novels!
This book is definitely one that you won't want to put down until you've finished the last page!
If you enjoy romantic suspense, I highly recommend this story.
Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Colleen Coble is a relatively new author for me, but is quickly becoming a favourite of mine. A Stranger's Game is her latest standalone novel, based around several suspicious deaths near a hotel on Jekyll Island.

Torie Bergestrom has returned to Georgia for the first time since she was a child. Jekyll Island used to be full of happy memories before tragedy struck. Now, she's coming back to investigate another tragic death--this time, her best friend. She knows Lisbeth was terrified of water and would never have gotten close enough to the ocean to have drowned. Something bigger is at play here, and her unofficial undercover investigation seems to be the only solution since local authorities don't seem to be interested in looking further into Lisbeth's death. Shortly after her arrival, she meets Joe Abbott and his young daughter. Joe and Hailey quickly become allies in her search. However, it quickly becomes clear that someone doesn't want her looking into things. And she just might become the next body.

I loved the setting for this novel with the ocean surrounding the beautiful island. As always, the suspense was top-notch and I never would have guessed who was behind the murders. I also loved that there was so much Scripture throughout the story, and that Joe had taught Hailey to memorize so many Bible passages. The sea lions were a super fun addition, and I enjoyed seeing how they were used to help the Navy. However, I felt like there were definitely a few holes in the plot, and struggled to connect with the main characters. Hailey was an exception. She reminded me a lot of my own eight-year-old daughter, and was definitely my favourite character. Some of the events at the end also felt a little unbelievable and far fetched.

I really hoped this would be a 5 star book for me, but ended up settling on 3 stars due to the factors mentioned above. I would still recommend reading this novel if you enjoy romantic suspense and can overlook a few plot holes.

*I received a complimentary copy of A Stranger's Game through the publisher and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. My positive review is not required.

Interesting and full of suspense:
Another great book by this talented author. There was danger and suspense but also plenty of emotion and a sweet romance to balance everything out. The pacing was excellent and I was eager to see how everything would turn out. The plot felt fresh and unique and I liked that I had no clue what was going to transpire next yet it wasn't overly complicated either. I enjoyed the coastal barrier island setting and especially discovering about the training of sea lions for military defense purposes.
I liked Joe and Torie together and their relationship felt natural and uncontrived. 8 year old Hailey was a nice addition to the story and I enjoyed the lightness and joy that she brought forward. There was also a wonderful reminder that although their is evil in the world and bad things happen, God is with us in these circumstances.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

I liked this book. Really enjoyed the characters and the plot was great. Will definitely be looking for more books by this author. I love how she tells a story

My feelings about this book are conflicted. On one hand, it was a really great, suspenseful mystery. On the other, there was an odd, positive emphasis on Greek and Roman mythology.

I thought the turtles were going to play a much larger role, so that aspect was disappointing.

The leading lady thought people using their First Amendment right to peacefully protest was “insane.” Whatever happened to being proud to be from the USA and knowing one’s rights and using them well and respectfully? The peaceful protesters in chapter one were apparently doing that, but the leading lady scoffed at them.

When a father panicked when his daughter vanished, the leading lady “chalked it up to an overly protective father.” Yet, two seconds later, she thought the girl’s disappearance was “none of her business, really, but she had to make sure the little girl was all right.” So she thought the dad was “overly protective” for worrying about his missing daughter, but a moment later she found herself concerned even though she hadn’t met the child yet. How does this contradiction make any sense?

The leading characters kept finding excuses to stay in the same cottage or house overnight. This felt sleazy and made me uncomfortable. It was not sticking to Bible-based moral standards, nor was it a good example for the man’s young, impressionable daughter to observe and learn from. Since the leading lady was involved in these low-moral decisions, I found it ironic that she would then accuse the leading man of having “no morals.”

At one point, a character was disappointed that her cover was blown—but she was the one who revealed her identity. I didn’t understand her train of thought on that, so her emotion was wasted on me.

The thing that bothered me most of all was that the leading lady encouraged a little girl to admire Greek and Roman mythological figures. She even touted them to be heroes to learn courage from. I’m not sure which myths she meant, because all the ones I’ve ever heard about are the devil’s way of twisting God’s truth into something completely convoluted. I had noticed a subtle mention of a mythological creature in a previous Coble book, but that one was neutral and basically only a cameo appearance. The mentions in this book were definitely in a positive light and had a lot more page time. This is a disheartening trend that’s creeping into her books now.

The core of this story was a really great mystery that was thick with good suspense and high-stakes action, but I had to wade through the aforementioned swamp to get to it.

The turtle hatchlings were amazing. I just wish there would have been a stronger presence of turtles in the remainder of the story. You know, past that first chapter.

The island was beautifully described and felt realistic. The setting, in and out of the water, came alive and was one of the best parts of the story. That was helped out by the spectacular sea lion scenes. I had never heard of Navy sea lions before, so this was a fascinating topic to explore. This part of the story was really well expressed and kept me riveted to the pages while the sea lions were upon them. I especially enjoyed the underwater scenes. These had me holding my breath!

I really enjoyed the mystery that Torie was trying to unravel and the troubles this journey threw in her face. This aspect provided many surprises and plot twists that kept me guessing most of the time. It was wonderful to see the layers peel back one by one until the big reveal. The suspense kept me on pins and needles throughout the story, even though I guessed one of the bad guys about a third of the way through.

Joe and Hailey were great together. Their father-daughter relationship was fun, and I liked that they began incorporating Torie into their close-knit group from pretty early on. Their runs for ice cream were so enjoyable!

I wish the negatives were fewer so that I could have enjoyed even more of this story.

Content: alcohol, crude sexual term, suicide mentioned often, mythology

A Stranger’s Game

by Colleen Coble

Torie Berg introduces herself at Jekyll Island Club Resort as their new IT specialist. In reality, as the daughter of the owner of a huge resort chain, she spent her early childhood there. After eighteen years she has returned to find out what happened to her best friend Lisbeth who recently died while tracking down leads on Torie's mother’s death.

Someone recognizes Torie and wants her to abandon her investigation. Who knows how far this creepy person will go in intimidating her and what their motive might be. Is it personal or does it have anything to do with the war games the Navy is conducting? Is Torie getting too close to the truth or does this involve the many important visitors the hotel is expecting for a major financial meeting?

Joe Abbott trains dolphins to intercept saboteurs and lives at the resort with his eight year old daughter Hailey in exchange for providing security. He is caught up in issues with the Navy when Simon, a dolphin he is training, catches a diver planting a bomb. As Torie’s neighbor on Jekyll Island, Joe becomes involved in protecting her from a mysterious stalker. He has not been interested in dating in the three years since his wife died, but he is attracted to Torie and she is drawn to his daughter Hailey as they share a sense of loss that both experienced in losing their mothers as children.

A Stranger’s Game is a fast-paced mystery that includes some psychological creepiness and suspense, but not enough for me to classify it as a thriller. It has a touch of clean romance, but the emphasis is on the plot. The Jekyll Island Club Resort setting is critical to the story. The characters are allowed to develop as the story progresses. The novel contains adventure and three major plot lines along with cross threads that give the book both color and cohesion. I did not guess the identity of the criminals behind the detailed plotting of various crimes or those who executed the plans. Well done! Colleen Coble has created a standalone that will send you looking for more of her books.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery, Christian Fiction, Romantic Suspense

Notes: Standalone

Publication: January 4, 2022—Thomas Nelson Fiction

Memorable Lines:

“It’s hard to understand even for adults. But evil things happen to all of us, honey. Hard things, bad things. We don’t understand and a lot of the time, we can’t understand because we aren’t God. When those times come—and they come to everyone—all we can do is trust that God loves us.”

“By its very nature, life involves loss. If we stop taking chances, stop living our lives, we might as well crawl in the grave and let someone kick the dirt over us. Real life is worth the risk.”

The reserve she’d donned all her life had made ruts through her soul, tracks she followed like a mule plodding a well-worn trail.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC for an honest review.
I have been to Jekyll Island, so that made this book more enjoyable for me. I could picture the places the author described. The story line was interesting and the characters were likable. As always, the language and love scenes were decent. You can count on Colleen to keep it clean. The marine aspect with the sea lions adds an interesting touch to the story.

We are offered a precocious young girl, that you will fall in love with, and a young woman who's mother and best friend have died, were they murdered? Also we are gifted with sea lions, these guys are special and they work for crabs and our government, keeping us safe, and trained by Joe , and now befriended by Torrie.
I have enjoyed many books by this author, and this one was a hit!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Torie Bergstrom is wealthy. Very, very wealthy. Her father is the owner of Jekyll Island Club Resort Hotel. Torie travels overseeing her father's high class hotels. Now, she has returned to Jekyll Island, her childhood home. Her father moved her away after the death of her mother.
Torie's had assisted her best friend in a job there. Torie was shocked when she learned of her friend's death. It was ruled a drowning, but Lisbeth was afraid of water and never went near the ocean. Never.
Now, Torie has returned to look into the death of her childhood friend. She returned as Tori Berg, not wanting anyone to realize her true identity. She feels she can look into Lisbeth's death under the guise of the new IT employee.
It quickly becomes apparent that someone doesn't like Torie nosing around. Has that someone discovered her true identity?
While this was a good story, there were a few things that just didn't add up. Possibly the biggest one was Torie's aunt who runs the hotel. While I realize Torie hadn't been back in 18 years, she looked like her mother, even wore her hair like her mother did, yet the aunt didn't recognize her.
Still, a great story. I recommend this one if you enjoy fast paced, heart racing Christian fiction.
I was given an advanced ecopy by the publisher, Thomas Nelson and Netgalley. I was under no obligation to leave a positive review.

This author is new to me I found her book at thrift store. I bought what they had. I have really enjoyed reading her books. The number one thing I love is she is a Christian write. So I know her books will always be clean. She also always writes a great suspenseful book! I loved this book! Just don’t read to late at night you may have a hard time sleeping! 😊

In A Stranger’s Game, Victoria Bergstrom has travelled to Jekyll Island to investigate the suspicious death of her best friend. The resort hotel on the island is owned by her father, Anton Bergstrom, but Victoria doesn’t want the employees to know who she really is, so she has assumed the identity of Torie Berg, the new IT hire, so she can dig for information without the staff hiding anything from her. But soon after her arrival creepy things start happening causing her to believe that similar things surely led to the untimely death of her friend. Luckily, Torie finds an ally and protector in Joe Abbott who works security for the resort and who also trains sea lions for the Navy. Can Torie and Joe find the clues that prove Torie’s friend was murdered before Torie suffers the same fate?

I enjoyed reading A Stranger’s Game. It was well-paced and full of action. Torie and Joe both have compelling backstories, so you can’t help rooting for them to be together. I always enjoy when there’s a little bit of history involved in the story, so I enjoyed learning a little bit about the history of the Federal Reserve. Overall, this story is exactly what I’ve come to expect from Colleen Coble — a clean romance with some element of faith, lots of action, and lots of drama. An enjoyable read.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A wealthy hotel heiress.

Even though Torie Bergstrom hasn’t been back to Georgia since she was ten, she’s happy to arrange a job for her best friend at one of the family properties on Jekyll Island.

A suspicious death.

But when Torie learns that her best friend has drowned, she knows it is more than a tragic accident: Lisbeth was terrified of water and wouldn’t have gone swimming by choice.

A fight for the truth.

Torie goes to the hotel under an alias, desperate to find answers. When she meets Joe Abbott and his daughter rescuing baby turtles, she finds a tentative ally.

The more Torie and Joe dig, the more elusive the truth seems. One thing is clear: someone will risk anything—even more murder—to keep their secrets buried.

Torie just can't believe that her friend drowned. She was terrified of water so how could she drown. She arranges to go to the hotel to get some answers. There she meets Joe and his daughter. Torie doesn't want anyone to know she is there to investigate her friends death. Her dad, the owner of the hotel, arrange for her to get and job in the IT department. Of course she solves the mystery, along with Joe's help. I enjoyed this book and recommend to all who like a good mystery.

I was given this book by Thomas Nelson Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.

Firstly, I love Colleen Coble’s writing style, usually. Her clean novels draw me in. Romantic suspense is her crown jewel and she does it well. I appreciate the “vanilla” goodness of her books. No foul language. No explicit content. The most we get is a couple of kisses and embraces between the love interests. I appreciate that.
This book however was a swing and a miss for me.
The first 150 or so pages had me intrigued and I even held my breath a time or two but sadly, it waned and got scattered and dull after that. Then it just completely sputtered out in my opinion and the plot got totally unbelievable. Ugh.
Oh, If I read the phrase “or more sinister” one more time, anytime soon, I’ll scream. My gracious. It just seemed that she was searching for ways to drag on the story to get another 100 pages into it or something.
I found myself annoyed with the rest of the book. Very disappointing.
————
If you don’t want spoilers, don’t read any further!
————
- If someone tells me they pushed my mother and that’s how she fell to her death, ummmm I’m not going to go walking on the beach or crawling into a treehouse on an adventure after. I’m calling the police or going straight to the police station. That was the weirdest part of this book. Then that part of the story is just swept under the rug? Ummm, naw. Unrealistic.
- The 8 year old child, Hailey, is kidnapped not once but 2 times? Oh and let’s not forget, there was that other time in the very beginning of the book that Joe lost track of her and that’s how fate just threw he and Torie together…… Good grief.
- Torie, the main character is a wilting flower one minute and screaming at her weirdo aunt with the God complex the next. Her character is all over the place.
- Trained seals for the Navy, Homeland Security and sarin gas……really? Come on. Must every present day book of fiction go in a political direction?
- Characters “darting poisonous glares” at one another over and over. (Major eye roll)

This book was just really too far fetched, political and fantasy driven in my opinion. Ick.

I was given an eARC (but after its publication date), from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I want to visit Jekyll Island!!!

18 years ago heiress Victoria “Torie” Bergstrom left home after her mother’s death. She returns home after best friends coincidental I mean accidential death. Tori drcides to go undercover to find out the truth. This book had tons of different storylines that somehow connected to one another. Normally I don’t like it when authors wove different storylines but in this book it worked. It took me only a couple of hours to read this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This story had so many things that I enjoy in a book. To name a few, it had an action-packed suspenseful plot, fabulous characters, romance, coastal southern setting, and a sea mammal sidekick that I just adored. This novel takes place at Jekyll Island where Torie goes to figure out what really happened to her best friend because she does not believe Lisbeth took her own life. While there, she meets Joe and his daughter Hailey. Joe trains sea lions for the Navy to detect intruders, I found that part so fascinating that our Navy uses sea mammals for this purpose.

It becomes obvious very quickly that someone does not want Torie digging up the truth. What begins is a very dangerous game to try to keep Torie from finding out what really happened to her best friend. There was plenty of action and danger for lovers of romantic suspense. At times, there seemed to be a lot going on in the book, but when all was revealed at the end of the book I was very surprised.

Colleen Coble's A Stranger's Game, is like a game of chess being played with an opponent who doesn't realize they're competing. It took me a while to settle in, finding I really needed to focus while reading to follow all the different directions and storylines that were surfacing. If I were to try to find a word to decsribe this story I would choose "random". So many different "random" things happen it was definitely a crazy adventure. As always, Coble does an excellent job of keeping readers guessing.
Torie Bergstrom goes undercover on Jekyll Island to her family's Club Resort to discover what really happened to her best friend Lisbeth. She lines up a job for Lisbeth at the Resort so she could look in to what really happened to Torie's mother (she never believed she killed herself). When Lisbeth turns up dead also, Torie is determined to get to the truth. Almost as soon as she arrives strange things begin to happen and she finds herself fast friends with hotel security, Joe Abbott and his spunky daughter Hailey. But can she trust him?
With all the crazy going on around her and around Joe will she ever figure out what's going on, or should she just give up and go back to Scotsdale? She wouldn't be able to live with herself if anything happened to sweet Hailey.
In this dramatic tale Coble draws readers in to the wonder of the life of sea turtles, security sea mammals, war games, and mysteries. I was enthralled by the use of sea mammals in tracking hostile swimmers and threats to national security. I really enjoyed getting to peak in on how these unique elements might be used today.
Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas Nelson, for the opportunity to review this book. All opinions are my own.

Colleen Coble is a well-known Christian author who is known for weaving mystery and romance together. In "A Stranger's Game," Torie heads to Jekyll Island to uncover what happened to her best friend who died suddenly. While her death was said to be a suicide, Torie knew that couldn't be true. Torie has to hide her true identity to keep herself safe. However, meeting and falling in love with Joe (and his daughter) makes it even harder to keep her distance. This was a quick book to read, and I enjoyed the romance and the family aspect. However, the mystery was a little hard to follow and I didn't understand the Navy portions.

Overall, this was a cute book and I enjoyed it. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

A Stanger's Game by Colleen Coble is a stand-alone suspense novel that incorporates family dynamics into its plot. Torie Bergstrom decides to go undercover at her family's hotel to investigate the mysterious death of her best friend. The circumstances of her best friend's death involve drowning, but her best friend was afraid of water and avoided swimming wherever possible. This book is perfect to introduce new readers to Coble and recommended for library collections.