I wish I could recall how I learned of this novel. All I know for certain is that I had added the book title to my wish-to-read book list which my husband and my Mother use to 'surprise' me with book bags for my birthday and for Christmas. Using the wish list I have a 'ready' list of novels to purchase when I've received an Amazon gift card or if I'm going to visit a location that sells used paperbacks.

There were moments when I thought I might abandon reading this novel but something kept drawing me to keep open to the storyline. As I do not provide spoilers within my reviews, I won't elaborate why reading this novel was at times difficult for me to continue - other than to say that the blurb shares - "Desperate to find his love, he (Colin Wyle) sought help from a mysterious source, forcing Colin to make the hardest choice of his life: commit a crime or lose her forever." Let me only comment that the "mysterious source" is not who I would have ever anticipated on my own prior to reading the novel.

Simply said, not everyone will enjoy this novel. I'm giving 3 stars for "liked it" rather than 2 stars for "It was ok" as I couldn't stop reading. I'd also like to credit the author's creativity - especially for a first novel- and an interesting portrayal of a subject that many of us shy away from discussion even with family and/or close friends. I doubt I would read another novel by this author but I'm glad I finished this novel. As someone once said, "Don't miss out on something that could be amazing, just because it could be difficult." I doubt the person was talking about reading but I think it's applicable to giving thought to reading "outside" of your comfort zone. Or as someone else once said, "Stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new things is the best way to grow." I believe that our lives as readers are also best when we continue to try new things. ( )

Let me say up front that I received an .epub version of this book as a free copy. I didn't have to review it but the author said a review would be appreciated. It has taken me several months to start it, but once started I found it a fast and very enjoyable read, at least initially.

I say initially, because the style gradually changes from a quite exciting and perfectly good thriller, to a supernatural thriller, and a bit preachy towards the end. It also doesn't have a satisfactory conclusion to the mystery as all the questions that a reader might have - for example the motivation of the "villains" and what ties them together - and a what questions are answered are done in a rather deus ex machina manner.

If you ignore these features however, and I acknowledge that they might just be irksome to me personally, it is still a very workable thriller and probably deserves 3 1/2 or possibly even 4 out of 5 rather than just 3. ( )

I enjoyed reading this book. The beginning had me wondering if it was a young adult book, and I was preparing for a not very enjoyable read but then the book settled into fifteen years later and became much more enjoyable. The theme is basically good versus evil and how evil may not be immediately obvious as being so. However, the book does not preach to us, and apart from the supernatural beings that encroach upon their lives, the characters live and act normally. There were some twists in the story that I did not expect. ( )

I have read several books from this author and really enjoyed them. This book I couldn't quite get into. The beginning starts with a group on a boat having a great time. Suddenly one of the girls disappears. Natalie just vanished without a trace. This was a beginning of a great mystery , or so I thought. Colin and his dad had fallen asleep and after waking up, realize Natalie has disappeared.

There is a police investigation and mysteriously Natalie is found being held hostage on a boat. So I was ready to find out why she was on this boat and who kidnapped her. For some reason the author takes up the story fifteen years later . Now I am totally confused. Why did the author skip over an intriguing plot and suddenly go into the future? The book becomeseven more stranger when Colin encounters a spirit named Crystal. I didn't quite understand where the book was heading and I must say I lost interest completely. I did finish the book, but I still don't know what the book was about. I feel like I was reading two different stories that somehow got put into one book by mistake. I usually enjoy reading books from this author , but this one was too confusing and the story was all over the place.

I received a copy of this book from LibraryThing for an honest review. ( )

I received this book free from the author on my Amazon Kindle. I have to say that at the beginning of the story I was hooked. I thought I was getting into a Suspense/Mystery novel. The story starts out about a girl named Natalie (from her perspective) partying on a lake with her boyfriend Colin and his Dad. She leaves their boat, when they both fall asleep expectantly, and goes off with some other friends without telling anyone where she is going. She ends up on a boat with strangers and starts to drink with them and goes missing for 3 days and that is the end of her narrative. Then the story fast forwarded to 15 years in the future and I got very confused. It switched to Colin's point of view. It almost started to sound like the book was an autobiography of a financial advisor who was over the top on details. (I know that some people enjoy a lot of detail and description in the reading, I am not one of them.) I kind of liked Colin's character in the beginning of the book, but the Colin 15 years later is a little pretentious and unlikable. He has been leading a life of luxury, thanks to the "voice" of "Christel" who guides him through life and work to be successful at both. Then the story takes another turn that completely confused me. We find out who/ what "Christel" is and then the story takes on a Supernatural/Sci-fi feel. The end is fully Religious. I also felt that Colin did not show enough emotion when his childhood best friend (Jamal) dies. Colin continues with his day, working, working out, having sex with his fiancée....etc. Where was the emotional connection needed to be shown for such a horrible day in someone's life?? I would have preferred a bit more emotion in the book and less description of everyday surroundings and the life and work of Colin. Maybe I just started out wrongfully thinking I knew what the book was going to be about and that is why I felt let down. I thought the story was going to be about a young girl, her disappearance and her rescue. And then the characters finding out years later that there was more than just one girl involved and the search to save them and bring the bad guys to justice. There was little things put into the story that left me going "huh?". I will not put them down here, as I do not wish to reveal spoilers that might ruin the story for others. I do know that I have friends who like books with LOTS of details and are religious, so I may recommend this book to them to read. ( )