Buried Bones was another amazing installment in the Widow's Island romantic suspense series.

When Deputy Tessa Black stumbles across a half-buried body while on a hike with her sister, her peaceful morning takes a dark turn. After the body is identified as a young college student working a summer job on the island, Tessa is shocked to discover no one on the island reported her missing. Working alongside her fiancé, park ranger Logan Wilde, Tessa begins to dig into Aurora's life to search for a dangerous killer.

Aurora's murder investigation proved to be quite an interesting case. Looking for a break from college, Aurora comes to the island to work for the summer before she needs to make a decision about her future. She ends up being murdered not long after she arrived on the island and it was several weeks before her body was found. New to the island, she slipped through the cracks which definitely made things harder for Tessa. With few connections to anyone on the island, Tessa has a hard time finding anyone who really knew Aurora or who she was involved with. There were a few possible suspects throughout the investigation and I liked how thorough Tessa was in her search. I did end up guessing who the killer was before the reveal, but I really enjoyed the confrontation with them when Tessa arrived to arrest them. The end of the book is quite suspenseful and overall I thought it was very well done.

I continue to really enjoy Tessa as a character. She has a lot on her plate personally which I feel she's handling very well. I liked that she knew when to accept help and didn't try to take on too much by doing everything herself. Her relationship with Logan is excellent and I really enjoy how comfortable they are with each other. Some of my favorite moments in the book was when the pair just got to be together which there aren't many of due to the fast pace of the investigation. The romance element in this book plays a slightly bigger role than some of the previous books in the series although I still feel this series would work well for readers who prefer a heavier suspense element.

Overall Buried Bones was a fantastic read and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series, The Lost Bones, soon. I highly recommend this series for readers of romantic suspense who prefer a focus on the suspense.

The seventh book in the Widows Island series brings us back to the island and its small community. This novella fits perfectly into the series: a quick and to the point read, centered around a murder case, but in the background the life of Tessa, Logan, Cate, Henry, Sam and all the other people we met in the previous books moves on.
You can read this as a standalone crime story, but it's also worth going back to the previous books and have an overall picture of the characters and their history.

Many thanks for NetGalley and Montlake for an Advance Reading Copy.

Atmosphere and characters combine into a gripping, well plotted mystery that readers discover themselves fully immersed in very easily. Well written novel which leaves me wanting more from the author. Will make its way under many a Christmas tree this year.

A quick read, but full of thrills and suspense. Tessa finds a body and working with Logan, she goes full speed to figure out the mystery. All the while, her sister is acting funny, which is really worrying Tessa.
I enjoyed reading this and love how well Tessa and Logan work together. They make such a wonderful team.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Buried Bones by Melinda Leigh that I read and reviewed.
This is this the seventh book in the Widow’s Island series and it is told from Tessa and Logan’s point. It picks up where other books about them have left off. They are still together and planning their wedding and working together to solve crime on Widow’s Island.
In this book Tessa and Logan are trying to solve the murder of a young woman who was left in the woods for so long that all they have are bones and a bracelet with her name on it go identify her. Also, the strange thing about the case is with her being missing for over a month no one has reported her disappearance which makes the people that she knew on the island suspects.
This novella was very fast moving with a number of suspects for the reader to look at. It also add more to Tessa and Logan’s story as well. For how fast moving it was it had a ton of action and information in it. This was definitely an excellent read!
I am giving Buried Bones five out of five stars!

Arrrrrgh I hate finding a great new series but then realise I've missed the first 6 books! Never mind, they are now on my extremely weight TBR list!

Widow’s Island is a little, out-of-the-way place. The last place you'd expect a murder but murders aplenty they have! Tessa is the only local cop with bog city experience, just as well, cos she literally stumbled over a body when out for a walk with her sister! When she calls in the troops they quickly realise that this may not be the insular murder they thought it was.

Aurora is an intriguing victim - she hasn't been the nicest person to her friend but that doesn't make her worthy of murder! I loved the way Logan and Tessa work together. There a team but when it comes to law enforcement SHE's most definitely in the lead. He doesn't try to make himself head honcho or exhibit toxic masculinity - just a sure, steady partner.

Absolutely loved it and can#t wait for book 8 (book 2 to me lol)

On a hike with her sister, Deputy Tessa Black finds the buried bones of a missing college student. With the help of her fiancé Logan, Tessa races to find the dangerous predator on Widow's Island.

This novella was the perfect way to spend the afternoon! There are several plausible suspects introduced in the story, which hooks you immediately. Despite its short length, the story moved at an appropriate pace, featured well-developed characters, and offered an unexpected twist or two. I enjoyed this glimpse into life on this quaint island.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for a digital copy to read and review. This voluntary review reflects my honest, unbiased opinion.

Willow Island time for Tessa and her half sister Patience walking the trails.
A shallow grave with a hand showing ended their walk.
Young twenty year old college student.
Place she was hired at for the summer only took young attractive girls
A girlfriend said there was always a boyfriend.
With father exchanged words when she stated wanting to be an actor.
One is drawn into the story when death comes unexceptionally and wonder what happened. Logan is a gem for Tessa, plans of wedding soon
A great series, great plot, great characters
Given ARC by Net Galley and Montlake for my voluntary review and my honest opinion. Releases October 19, 2021

Omgosh so good from beginning to end. I was hooked from 1st chapter. Very good plot and lots of suspense.

I am so glad that I had the opportunity to receive this from NetGalley. Because this book is number 7 in the series, I went back and started at the beginning. Novellas tend to sometimes seem rushed. However, this series packs a lot of action and intrigue into each and every story of the series. For Widow’s Island to be such a small community, there seems to be a lot going on there. Who would expect to run across a dead body in the woods while enjoying a peaceful morning hike? This discovery leads to the discovery of a dangerous predator who is hiding in plain sight in the community. What a great read and a wonderful series! I am looking forward to the next series, and honestly will hate to see it end. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

Buried Bones, by Melinda Leigh, is the 7th novella in the Widow's Island Novella series. It's one of those romantic suspense serials that keeps you coming back for more.
Deputy Tessa Black is back and this time she has stumblesd upon the almost buried body, of a young woman, in the forest, The quiet morning hike, that she was taking with her sister, has become a race to find a killer. The remains turn out to belong to Aurora Franklin, a young college student who’d come to Widow’s Island to work for the summer. Though she's been dead for several weeks, no one from the island has reported her missing.
There's a dangerous killer somewhere on the Island. Tessa and her fiancé, park ranger Logan Wilde, work to find the murderer before they can kill again.

Another great addition to the Widow’s Island series from my favorite duo. This is a fast paced novella and briefly glances some of the previous characters- so read the others first! I enjoyed the quick crime procession of a Murder and who killed Aurora. Excited to start Kendra’s! Thank you Melinda and NetGalley for the ARC

Melinda Leigh continues the storyline with the characters of Widows Island. You do not have to read the previous Novellas before this as it can be read stand-alone. However, I recommend you get them after, they are good reads and give you the history of the character.s
The story 'has it all, love, mystery, murder and lifetime friendships that we all wish we had. Deputy Tessa and Ranger Logan work together to solve the mystery of who killed a young girl on the island. They more than work together, they plan to marry soon, Tessa’s mother is suffering from advancing Dementia and only has moments of clarity. So the wedding must take place soon. If only she had time from crime solving. The cast of characters, living on the island contribute to the Interesting plot twists and connections to each other. It's a balance of love, friendships and solving crimes, while supporting each other. Thank you Melinda Leigh, NetGalley, and Montlake for allowing me to read this ARC. This is my honest opinion. I read all of Melinda's books.I like how she gives the reader mystery and great relationships. You can't go wrong reading her books they are also a great short beach read!

I received a complimentary copy of The Buried Bones from NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Good, short novel. An interesting mystery and a quick read.

Love this series. Widow's Island seems like a beautiful place to live, except it seems to have more murders than large cities for such a small island. Tessa definitely has job security, but they may need more officers. Cate was pretty much absent from this book and only made a very small appearance. Killer Hen was back with a vengeance and took out some revenge on Tessa for daring to enter the chicken coop. Love Logan and Tessa. He's always there for her and is great to have near you when bullets are flying. Can't wait for the wedding. Tessa and Patience discover a dead body while hiking and soon there are two likely suspects. I wasn't sure which one it was going to be since both men both had issues and neither would win any award for being a great person.

Definitely recommend the book, but you should to read the previous books in the series. It was a great mystery/thriller with a bit of romance. Can't wait to read the next books in the series. I'm sure there will be more murders to investigate. Look forward to reading more books by the author.

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

Thank you Montlake and Netgalley. I love this series. Its such a great short read. I love the story lines and how the authors write each story. Melinda Leigh has a special place in my heart because of these short books.

Widows Island where you can find family, love and murder! Thoroughly enjoy this novella series. I will read anything Melinda Leigh writes. Okay, not anything, if she writes a math book, sorry, not reading, not buying. These Novellas (this is book 7) can be read as a stand a lone, but you lose out on the depths we came to know the other characters in this series, they all are intertwined in some shape or form. You actually feel like you know them. This was pure entertainment, with suspense. Deputy Tessa is intelligent with strength and vulnerability. Logan, is a veteran who is truly Tessa's strength and is now a park ranger. So who murdered Aurora? And why is everyone hiding something? Thank you NetGalley, Montlake and Melinda Leigh for another great visit to Widows Island. I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions.

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. This author duo can do no wrong and I am straight addicted to this thriller and crime fighting that takes place any time a new book comes out - thank you! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Buried Bones – Melinda Leigh

#BuriedBones #NetGalley #Montlake
Thank you to @Netgalley, Montlake publishers and author Melinda Leigh for the ARC of this novella to review.

It was an easy read having never reat the Widow’s Island series before so after a brief back story on the main characters we were straight into the action!

A body discovered on a hike and stories not adding up? I. Was. Hooked.

A nice quick, easy read thriller with a little darkness thrown in.

3 stars.

A fast paced, edge of your seat suspense... add some romance and family health issues, and you feel like you're right in amongst the story.
Tessa and Logan are a great couple!
A well deserved 5 star read.