This is my third book by Coble, and I was not disappointed. This is a little bit of mystery, a little bit of thriller, and a little bit of romance. A very fast-paced chaste romance, which honestly is my biggest complaint. Not the chaste part, but the how fast everything happens aspect of the story. Yes, this couple is in their "later in life stage" (they are in their 30s) and need to settle down, but the book only has so long to get them together. Luckily, the plot isn't the romance but rather the murders. Torie makes her way back to her hometown after her best friend drowned. Her best friend, who was terrified of water and would never go into the ocean, drowned in the ocean. Torie knows something is up, so she tries to go in stealthily. The problem is her dad is the owner of the hotel Torie will be working for, and her aunt is the hotel manager. Luckily, she hasn't seen her aunt in 18 years, but she doesn't want anyone to know who she is. Along the way, she runs into Joe and his daughter, and they develop an instant connection. Joe lives close to another staff cabin and comes to the rescue when Torie keeps getting break-ins and threats. So, these two band together to discover who is trying to scare off Torie, who killed Torie's Bestie, and also Joe will train sea lions for the Navy.
So, I did a very brief Google on the training of sea lions for the Navy; they really did/do have an aquatic training program with the US Navy to train these mammals to find bombs and stuff underwater. Which is crazy. Also, this book is set at Jekyll Island (which I've never heard of) and uses a mix of truths and fictions, which is interesting. The author has a note to go into all of that at the end. The climax of this book is way over the top and ridiculous, but it also works. This was an entertaining short, and moderately paced thriller full of explosions, family drama, trauma bonding, and aquatic mammals. It is a Christian thriller too, so though it isn't heavy-handed in that aspect, it does have those Christian themes of God is there, here are bible verses, etc, almost in passing, but not the focal point of the story.
The narrator did a great job, as always. With more than one POV, I would prefer a narrator for each one. However, Hill did a wonderful job bringing the intense scenes and the other scenes to life.

A Strangers Game was a good mix of mystery and romance. This is the first book that I have read/listened to by Colleen Coble. I really enjoyed this thrilling book. It held my attention to the very end. Lovely book.

I liked that this was kind of like an Undercover Boss situation. Torie comes back to Georgia to figure out what happened to her best friend. She doesn’t want the people at the hotel that her family owns know who she is. Her relationship with Joe and his daughter really sucked me in to the story.

I was excited to see more of Colleen’s books available on NetGalley because I’ve been itching to read more of hers. I’ll never turn down a good romantic suspense.

I enjoyed Liz’s narration She really helped me connect to Torie.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for my copies of this book.

I really enjoyed listening to this book! I listened on 1.5 speed and it had me totally hooked. I loved Hailey the MMCs daughter. I enjoyed the mystery element to the book I think it carried more weight than the romance element.

First read with this author. I would try another book by her. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

This is my first read from Colleen. I really enjoyed this book. The mystery, twist and turns kept my interest. I could not put it down.

A well written story with enough intrigue to keep the reader’s interest. Coble’s descriptive writing creates detailed visuals for the reader/listener.
The narration of the audiobook is clear but unevenly paced. Some of the narrator’s voice portrayals are a little grating. Although I was not enamoured with the narrator’s voice, I did enjoy the story.
Thank You to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio, and Colleen Coble for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version of this ARC.

This was my first Colleen Coble and I really enjoyed it. This story was a good mix of a romance and mystery and it being clean was refreshing. So if you don’t like spice this is a good one for you. I enjoyed the audiobook and thought the narration was done really well.

The story begins with Torie, returning to her family's hotel in her hometown to work undercover as an IT specialist. She's really there to investigate her lifelong friend's death, which she believes was not accidental. She meets Joe and his daughter on the beach, rescuing baby turtles, and a spark ignites. When Torie begins to experience strange things that seem like a threat, Joe comes to her rescue. This book is a typical Colleen Coble gem--great mystery storyline, plus some romance and good life advice thrown in for good measure. A very enjoyable audiobook!

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio and NetGalley for providing an advance review copy of this audiobook. My opinions are my own.

A great book filled with action & fun. I enjoyed the characters, the plot & found it to be an enjoyable read (listen). Lots of good plot twists to keep you coming back for more. Well written.

Thank you to the author & Netgalley for this ARC read. All opinions are my own.

A Stranger’s Game by Colleen Coble was such a pleasure to read. Colleen Coble does a wonderful job creating these suspenseful stories that draw the reader in. I was on the edge of my seat for this whole story. I could not put it down.
I also got to listen to the audiobook for this and the narrator was good. She brought the story to life.

*I received a complimentary copy from the author and voluntarily chose to review it. All opinions are my own.

3.5

I picked up this audiobook from NetGalley that was provided by Thomas Nelson & Zonderman Fiction Audio.

I enjoyed the beginning of this Christian Romantic Suspense novel by Colleen Coble. The mystery of Torie's friend's death, Torie's determination to find the truth, meeting Joe, their budding relationship, and more questions than answers.

I would say about 80% or after some, I feel like we started veering off the path. I kind of got lost.
I will say I did not see the ending going in that direction, so I guess that's good. But at the same time, I had no clue about the ending. I just remember thinking "HUh? What? How'd we get here? Did I miss something?"

I listened to this book as an audiobook. The narrator was good for most parts but there were a few voices that sounded really fake or put on. It was easy to follow as an audiobook.

The most fascinating part of this book was learning about the navy training and using sea lions to look for divers, mines, and more. I had no idea this was a real thing. I looked it up online as I wanted to see if it was all true and it is!

There are a couple of mysteries that need to be solved and the author did a good job connecting it all together. I liked Tori and Joe. It was an interesting listen. I'd recommend it to mystery lovers.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me with a free audiobook. All opinions are my own.

I am really getting into actual audio books this year. I often listen to my kindle read aloud, but it is not the same. It is much more fun to listen to a narrator with emotion and different voices. The pacing and understanding is better too. In A Stranger's Game, Tori has returned to her old haunting ground to find the truth, not only about her best friends recent death on the island, but also about her mother's death years ago. The first people Tori meets are Joe and his young daughter and the three quickly form a trio, but neither Tori nor Joe are sure they can trust each other. As Tori experiences break ins, theft, and threats, she knows she is getting closer to the truth, but is it worth the risk.
Suspenseful and fast paced, this novel portrays vivid island settings, unique characters with quirky interactions and special appearances from animals such as sea turtles and sea lions. All this combines to create an enjoyable read, that I didn't want to end. I picked it up every chance I could to get to the satisfying conclusion.
I would recommend this book or audio book!

I really enjoyed this book. I appreciated the balance of thriller, romance, and Christianity. I think it can feel weird throwing in religion sometimes but it was handled well and without deviating from the story.

As for the narrator, I think she did great overall, though one of the male voices was a little funny to me.

Torie is back en Jekyll Island to find answers about her mother death almos two decades ago and the recent death of her best friend here too. Little does she knows that danger, twisted plot, a so much more is lurking in the beautiful island. But also a handsome men and his eigth year old daugther that will help her solve the mystery and open her heart to love. Liz Hill makes an excellent job with the narration of the audiobook. Thanks to NetGalley for the ALC. This is my honest review.

This is a review for the audio version of this book, and I have to say up front that I had a very difficult time following this story at the beginning, especially since I listened to it while driving and shopping. I had no idea what the relationship was between Torrie/Victoria/Genevive/Lisbeth/Lily until I re-listened to the first four chapters and then it began to make sense, sort of. That is part of the problem with an audio version: you can't easily pause to digest a point or go back to review it. I don't always catch everything the first time around. Some books make better audio versions than others. After I figured out who was who the story took off and ended up being a really good mystery.

Hotel heiress, Victoria Bergstrom, is on a mission to find who killed her best friend, Lisbeth. She takes a job as Torie Breg at her families Jeckell Island resort in order to find a killer. What she finds is a hot widowed father, Joe Abbott, and a cute eight-year-old daughter, Haley. Being undercover didn't last long for Torie and a sick cat and mouse game begins with someone at the resort.

Joe is a marine biologist working for the Navy training sea mammals. Simon, a seal lion, is his current project. He has his own set of problems when the Naval base hosts war games and the visit of a nuclear submarine. This has attracted the attention of terrorists.

My thanks to the Publisher and Author for providing a complimentary audio Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.

Colleen Coble is the QUEEN of romantic suspense! I appreciate that I can consistently pick up one of her books (or in this case, listen to the audiobook) and get a novel that grips me/pulls me in, gives me a great relationship with mysteries/thrills but none of the swearing or "spice" that I wouldn't want my kids to hear. While she is a Christian author, her books are also palatable to a non-Christian audience too. "A Stranger's Game" held my attention, although cheesy at times. This was a 3.5, rounded up to a 4 star read (listen) for me. *I received a complimentary audio ARC from the author/publishing company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

A Stranger’s Game is a suspenseful mix of mystery and romance that kept me hooked from the start. Torie is shocked after the sudden death of her best friend, who was working at one of Torie’s family’s hotels and secretly investigating the suspicious death of Torie’s mother. When the police call it a suicide, Torie doesn’t believe it because best her doesn’t swim or go near water.

To find the truth, she takes a job at the company under a different name, hoping to blend in and avoid special treatment. While undercover, she meets Joe and his daughter, and their growing bond adds warmth and depth to the story. As she digs deeper, the secrets pile up, and so do the dangers.

This book blends emotional stakes with fast-paced twists and a touch of romance. I really enjoyed Torie’s determination and heart. A solid read for fans of mystery with a personal edge.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A Stranger's Game by Colleen Coble kept me turning pages late into the night. The mix of mystery, romance, and danger was perfectly paced, and the coastal setting added an eerie, atmospheric touch. I was drawn into the characters’ emotional journeys and surprised by the twists. A gripping, heartfelt read.


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