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The Searchers #2
Blood Ties
The truth will set you free if it doesn't get you killed
Savannah Slade is not the person she thought she was. The reading of her "father's" will has led her to a world-shattering revelation: her sisters are not her blood kin—and she may be the heiress to a massive fortune. Her not-quite-fiancé Judd doesn't care where she came from—he only wants her by his side. But the primal need to uncover her past wins out, and Savannah trades the Montana ranges for Miami's moneyed oceanside enclaves.
The wealthy and powerful Stoss family is less than overjoyed to find that Gerald Stoss's daughter has emerged from the past. But theirs is a clan seldom troubled by... inconveniences. They've always had the means to eradicate any blemish on their perfect lives. One more won't make a difference.
Savannah Slade is not the person she thought she was. The reading of her "father's" will has led her to a world-shattering revelation: her sisters are not her blood kin—and she may be the heiress to a massive fortune. Her not-quite-fiancé Judd doesn't care where she came from—he only wants her by his side. But the primal need to uncover her past wins out, and Savannah trades the Montana ranges for Miami's moneyed oceanside enclaves.
The wealthy and powerful Stoss family is less than overjoyed to find that Gerald Stoss's daughter has emerged from the past. But theirs is a clan seldom troubled by... inconveniences. They've always had the means to eradicate any blemish on their perfect lives. One more won't make a difference.
361 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 31, 2011
121 people are currently reading
623 people want to read
About the author
Sharon Sala
279 books2,300 followersBiography
Sharon Sala is a Native Oklahoman and still lives within a two hour drive of where she was born.
First published in 1991, she is a New York Times/USA Today, best-selling author with a 135 plus books published in seven different genres, including Romantic suspense, Mystery, Young Adult, Western, Fiction, Women’s Fiction and Non-Fiction.
Industry Awards include:
Eight-time RITA finalist. (Romance Industry award)
The Janet Dailey Award.
Five-time Career Achievement winner from RT Magazine.
Five time winner of the National Reader’s Choice Award.
Five time winner of the Colorado Romance Writer’s Award of Excellence.
Heart of Excellence Award.,
Booksellers Best Award.
Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award RITA, presented by RWA.
Centennial Award from RWA for recognition of her 100th published novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
March 13, 2021
Blood Ties
by Sharon Sala is a romantic suspense story which is more suspense than romance. It is the second book in The Searchers series, but can easily be read as a standalone novel.
Savannah Slade gets a shock when her father’s will is read. She and her sisters are not blood kin and the man that raised them is not their biological father. In fact, Savannah may be an heiress. But things are not simple when the powerful Stoss family finds out that Gerald Stoss’s daughter has arrived in Miami. Will Savannah claim her rightful inheritance? Will she even survive to make the claim?
It was easy to connect with Savannah. She has a warm personality but she wasn’t the strongest protagonist. She does have depth, but she also has fallacies that lend her authenticity. The secondary characters have varying depths, but each was sufficient for their role.
While the writing flowed smoothly, I wasn’t fully engrossed in the story line until about 40% of the way into the book. Before that, it felt slow. However, after that point, things picked up and I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the book. The stereotyped antagonist was known early on in the book, so the actions and suspense are what kept me turning to pages.
Overall, this book was suspenseful, fast-paced in the last half of the book, and entertaining. If you enjoy romantic suspense, then this may be the series for you.
This is the ninth book that I have read by this author in multiple series and they have all been solid reads. She brings great characters, entertaining story lines, action and romance together in her novels.
I purchased a copy of this novel at a friends of the library book sale. This is my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and are not biased in any way.
Savannah Slade gets a shock when her father’s will is read. She and her sisters are not blood kin and the man that raised them is not their biological father. In fact, Savannah may be an heiress. But things are not simple when the powerful Stoss family finds out that Gerald Stoss’s daughter has arrived in Miami. Will Savannah claim her rightful inheritance? Will she even survive to make the claim?
It was easy to connect with Savannah. She has a warm personality but she wasn’t the strongest protagonist. She does have depth, but she also has fallacies that lend her authenticity. The secondary characters have varying depths, but each was sufficient for their role.
While the writing flowed smoothly, I wasn’t fully engrossed in the story line until about 40% of the way into the book. Before that, it felt slow. However, after that point, things picked up and I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the book. The stereotyped antagonist was known early on in the book, so the actions and suspense are what kept me turning to pages.
Overall, this book was suspenseful, fast-paced in the last half of the book, and entertaining. If you enjoy romantic suspense, then this may be the series for you.
This is the ninth book that I have read by this author in multiple series and they have all been solid reads. She brings great characters, entertaining story lines, action and romance together in her novels.
I purchased a copy of this novel at a friends of the library book sale. This is my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and are not biased in any way.
October 29, 2021
Really entertaining series. ;)
May 22, 2011
I know that Borders, where I work, will put this in the romance section with the rest of Sharon Sala’s books. This was a good book but it wasn’t a romance. I might have scored it higher than 3 stars if I hadn’t been expecting a romance. Like Ms. Sala’s last series, it’s the second in a trilogy where all the books run concurrently. Savannah has come to Miami to claim her inheritance and bring her birth father’s murderer to justice. You know from the beginning who the murderer is and the story follows Savannah as she attempts to bring him/them to justice.
The plot is fairly tight and the writing is fast paced and exciting as far as the suspense goes. The romance element might as well not be there. She has an almost fiance when the books starts and they totally love each other and that doesn’t change throughout the story. Savannah is well developed as a character. The hero, if you can call Judd that, because really he’s just a supporting character and they spend very little time together, is not at all well developed. In fact, near the end of the book we find out his age and I thought really? I totally had no clue and it was something that made you wonder how their relationship came about in the first place. You don’t know how they met, how they got together, what they had in common, etc.
So, not a romance.
The secondary characters are well drawn. Even the villians are multi dimensional, not just over the top caricatures. That was particularly enjoyable for me. I enjoyed it as suspense, but would have been disappointed had I picked this up in the romance section of the bookstore looking for a love story. I will however, definitely read the next one in the series as I always enjoy Ms. Sala’s writing style.
This book was provided for me free from netGalley and the publisher (Harlequin) for review.
The plot is fairly tight and the writing is fast paced and exciting as far as the suspense goes. The romance element might as well not be there. She has an almost fiance when the books starts and they totally love each other and that doesn’t change throughout the story. Savannah is well developed as a character. The hero, if you can call Judd that, because really he’s just a supporting character and they spend very little time together, is not at all well developed. In fact, near the end of the book we find out his age and I thought really? I totally had no clue and it was something that made you wonder how their relationship came about in the first place. You don’t know how they met, how they got together, what they had in common, etc.
So, not a romance.
The secondary characters are well drawn. Even the villians are multi dimensional, not just over the top caricatures. That was particularly enjoyable for me. I enjoyed it as suspense, but would have been disappointed had I picked this up in the romance section of the bookstore looking for a love story. I will however, definitely read the next one in the series as I always enjoy Ms. Sala’s writing style.
This book was provided for me free from netGalley and the publisher (Harlequin) for review.
December 3, 2020
2.25 stars.
Same as the last one except this one lacked the tension between the MCs since they were already together from the first chapter. I've come to except overly dramatic plots with lots of summarizing between the characters to have everyone caught up on all the to-dos.
Safe, no OP drama,no information about either MC's past and unfortunately, lots of murders (some of nice characters).
Same as the last one except this one lacked the tension between the MCs since they were already together from the first chapter. I've come to except overly dramatic plots with lots of summarizing between the characters to have everyone caught up on all the to-dos.
Safe, no OP drama,no information about either MC's past and unfortunately, lots of murders (some of nice characters).
January 26, 2020
Wow. This book was so intense. Savannah is thrown into everything from the very beginning, and while she wants to be strong enough to do this on her own, she’s also strong enough to accept help from the people in her life. I stayed up late reading and then had to wake up early just to finish it. Such a good book!
June 14, 2011
Blood Ties is the second in the Searchers Trilogy
It’s bad enough to loose your father, but when he dies and you find you lost your whole family and your whole life is suddenly a lie, that’s a lot to take, but that’s exactly what happens to the Slade Sisters when they attend the reading of the man they thought was their father’s will. Years ago while he was still a traveling Evangelist minister Andrew Slade took in three helpless little girls all from mothers who were in deep trouble.
Savannah Slade is devastated by the news that Andrew isn’t her father, but more than that she finds out in a journal that Andrew left that while her birth mother was dying of cancer her life was threatened by the family of her father, the same family that had her father killed. Savannah decides they’ve gotten away with murder long enough so to avenge the death of her father and the threatening of her mother she decides to take on one of the most influential and wealthiest family in Southern Florida. She leaves behind her almost fiancé Judd, but when the chips are down she’ll find out who her friends are, who are her foes and who is real family regardless of Blood Ties.
Sharon Sala brings us this second in her trilogy with a bigger than life story line and larger than life characters, but she does it with amazing believability by making the characters very three dimensional, very likeable and hate-able in equal degrees. Her dialogue is easy to read, and very descriptive and as she takes us from the wilds of Montana to the bustle of Miami the narrative has fluent movement and her audience will find it hard not to finish this in one setting especially when from the middle on the action takes it up to the highest level. Her characters are all indispensable, unforgettable and immensely important to the tale from the one liners all the way to our stars. Her heroine Savannah is tough and yet fragile and Ms. Sala portrays her to a tee. Her hero Judd is a perfect match for Savannah and plays his part perfectly too. The romance is sweet, but it’s the love scenes that burn up the pages so expect to turn down the air conditioning, sit under the fan and put plenty of ice in that Southern Sweat Tea.
I love trilogies and if you do too this should definitely go on your to buy list, you get the stand a lone quality novel with the added benefit of knowing that you can re-visit these characters through all three. If you like the rock-em sock-em romantic suspense believe me when I say this one will raise your heart rate and your pulse, keep you on the edge of your seat and scared to death. It’s a must buy for a great summer read.
It’s bad enough to loose your father, but when he dies and you find you lost your whole family and your whole life is suddenly a lie, that’s a lot to take, but that’s exactly what happens to the Slade Sisters when they attend the reading of the man they thought was their father’s will. Years ago while he was still a traveling Evangelist minister Andrew Slade took in three helpless little girls all from mothers who were in deep trouble.
Savannah Slade is devastated by the news that Andrew isn’t her father, but more than that she finds out in a journal that Andrew left that while her birth mother was dying of cancer her life was threatened by the family of her father, the same family that had her father killed. Savannah decides they’ve gotten away with murder long enough so to avenge the death of her father and the threatening of her mother she decides to take on one of the most influential and wealthiest family in Southern Florida. She leaves behind her almost fiancé Judd, but when the chips are down she’ll find out who her friends are, who are her foes and who is real family regardless of Blood Ties.
Sharon Sala brings us this second in her trilogy with a bigger than life story line and larger than life characters, but she does it with amazing believability by making the characters very three dimensional, very likeable and hate-able in equal degrees. Her dialogue is easy to read, and very descriptive and as she takes us from the wilds of Montana to the bustle of Miami the narrative has fluent movement and her audience will find it hard not to finish this in one setting especially when from the middle on the action takes it up to the highest level. Her characters are all indispensable, unforgettable and immensely important to the tale from the one liners all the way to our stars. Her heroine Savannah is tough and yet fragile and Ms. Sala portrays her to a tee. Her hero Judd is a perfect match for Savannah and plays his part perfectly too. The romance is sweet, but it’s the love scenes that burn up the pages so expect to turn down the air conditioning, sit under the fan and put plenty of ice in that Southern Sweat Tea.
I love trilogies and if you do too this should definitely go on your to buy list, you get the stand a lone quality novel with the added benefit of knowing that you can re-visit these characters through all three. If you like the rock-em sock-em romantic suspense believe me when I say this one will raise your heart rate and your pulse, keep you on the edge of your seat and scared to death. It’s a must buy for a great summer read.
May 22, 2024
**MINOR SPOILERS**
This book is the second book in the Searchers trilogy. It can be read as a standalone. The trilogy is about three girls who were adopted by a traveling preacher. Each had been born to a woman in danger and given to the preacher to care for. When the preacher dies, he tells the girls, now women, the truth about their history. The premise of the trilogy was a bit far fetched. The books happen concurrently and there are references to the events of one of the other books in this one.
This book is about the youngest of the three women, Savannah. Her birth father was the son of a wealthy family. He was killed by his brother so that the brother could get his inheritance. The brother found out the birth mother was dying of cancer and decided not to kill Savannah as he assumed she would get lost in foster care. The main villain of the book, Joseph, was one dimensional. His cousins, Elaine and Michael, were a little better, but were certainly greedy. What happened with Joseph’s son was possible but unlikely.
Savannah lives in Montana and takes off for Miami to try to find out more about what happened. Almost immediately, the story felt overly dramatic. The author jumps into what Savannah is feeling after she finds out about her history and after her adoptive father dies, so it is natural for some drama to exist but I did not think it was well written. I did think the writing style improved later in the book, but I still thought the book was overly dramatic in several places.
There is a romantic component to the book but it is not a large part of the story. Savannah has a boyfriend in Montana. Early in the book, they simply talk on the phone. Later in the book, he comes to Miami to join her.
Improbably, Savannah happens to get a hotel room right next to someone who triggers a boat explosion. Later, she is helpful by passing along the things she sees to the police, though she does not realize at first what she saw.
The dialogue sometimes reads like a descriptive paragraph. People do not speak that way. For example, “Your reaction to my accusation…should have sparked a little curiosity and a desire on your part to revisit the report on Gerald Stoss’s death.”
At one point, Savannah is hidden in a home in the Everglades and the author mentions several times that the home is only accessible by air. There needed to be an explanation for why it could not have been reached by boat.
The Point of View (POV) of the story changes. Most of the story is told from Savannah’s perspective, but there are a few times the story involves someone else’s POV and sometimes that changed from paragraph to paragraph.
I do not plan to continue reading this series or this author.
This book is the second book in the Searchers trilogy. It can be read as a standalone. The trilogy is about three girls who were adopted by a traveling preacher. Each had been born to a woman in danger and given to the preacher to care for. When the preacher dies, he tells the girls, now women, the truth about their history. The premise of the trilogy was a bit far fetched. The books happen concurrently and there are references to the events of one of the other books in this one.
This book is about the youngest of the three women, Savannah. Her birth father was the son of a wealthy family. He was killed by his brother so that the brother could get his inheritance. The brother found out the birth mother was dying of cancer and decided not to kill Savannah as he assumed she would get lost in foster care. The main villain of the book, Joseph, was one dimensional. His cousins, Elaine and Michael, were a little better, but were certainly greedy. What happened with Joseph’s son was possible but unlikely.
Savannah lives in Montana and takes off for Miami to try to find out more about what happened. Almost immediately, the story felt overly dramatic. The author jumps into what Savannah is feeling after she finds out about her history and after her adoptive father dies, so it is natural for some drama to exist but I did not think it was well written. I did think the writing style improved later in the book, but I still thought the book was overly dramatic in several places.
There is a romantic component to the book but it is not a large part of the story. Savannah has a boyfriend in Montana. Early in the book, they simply talk on the phone. Later in the book, he comes to Miami to join her.
Improbably, Savannah happens to get a hotel room right next to someone who triggers a boat explosion. Later, she is helpful by passing along the things she sees to the police, though she does not realize at first what she saw.
The dialogue sometimes reads like a descriptive paragraph. People do not speak that way. For example, “Your reaction to my accusation…should have sparked a little curiosity and a desire on your part to revisit the report on Gerald Stoss’s death.”
At one point, Savannah is hidden in a home in the Everglades and the author mentions several times that the home is only accessible by air. There needed to be an explanation for why it could not have been reached by boat.
The Point of View (POV) of the story changes. Most of the story is told from Savannah’s perspective, but there are a few times the story involves someone else’s POV and sometimes that changed from paragraph to paragraph.
I do not plan to continue reading this series or this author.
May 16, 2018
At first I had a hard time reading this book because I kept thinking why would I put myself in danger when I know my dead father was killed by his brother. However I soon fell under the spell of Sharon Sala's writing and couldn't put the book down.
Savannah Slade finds out after her father died that she wasn't really his daughter but her mother had given her to him to care for. She reads the information he has left for her and decides to find out what really happened with her real parents. Lots of stuff happens! In the end, she has a huge corporation to run and is married to her true love.
Savannah Slade finds out after her father died that she wasn't really his daughter but her mother had given her to him to care for. She reads the information he has left for her and decides to find out what really happened with her real parents. Lots of stuff happens! In the end, she has a huge corporation to run and is married to her true love.
February 12, 2020
Three sisters are in search of their pasts In this trilogy.
Book 2:
The female was feisty, fun, brave but not stupid.
The male was strong in the best ways.
The mystery was fine, not great but very entertaining.
The secondary characters were very well written and very likable. I worried about them as much as the MCs.
Their Romance was tasteful and hotter then the previous book.
The action was on point.
This writer is better than brain bleach but don’t dig too hard. Just read and enjoy.
Book 2:
The female was feisty, fun, brave but not stupid.
The male was strong in the best ways.
The mystery was fine, not great but very entertaining.
The secondary characters were very well written and very likable. I worried about them as much as the MCs.
Their Romance was tasteful and hotter then the previous book.
The action was on point.
This writer is better than brain bleach but don’t dig too hard. Just read and enjoy.
June 22, 2017
Savannah Slade is not the person she thought she was. The reading of her "father's" will has led her to a world-shattering revelation: her sisters are not her blood kin—and she may be the heiress to a massive fortune. Her not-quite-fiancé Judd doesn't care where she came from—he only wants her by his side. But the primal need to uncover her past wins out, and Savannah trades the Montana ranges for Miami's moneyed oceanside enclaves.
September 14, 2025
The book started out slow. At about 30% the action picked up. The book was more of a suspense book instead of romance. However, that was okay with me.
There were a lot of inconsistencies throughout the book. Among those, at one point Elaine and Michael were called siblings of Joseph, when, in fact they were cousins. Michael said he was Joseph's heir. No, Tony, Joseph's son, was the heir. There were a lot of these kind of mistakes.
This was a good read.
There were a lot of inconsistencies throughout the book. Among those, at one point Elaine and Michael were called siblings of Joseph, when, in fact they were cousins. Michael said he was Joseph's heir. No, Tony, Joseph's son, was the heir. There were a lot of these kind of mistakes.
This was a good read.
July 18, 2017
Another slower paced read. Very good story. but it was as if Ms. Sala Copied-and-Pasted the story from the first book to the second one and just changed names and locations. Still very good though! I love the sound of sweet, sweet revenge!
October 27, 2017
Not a mystery because we know the killer from the start. Not quite a romance, because they are already in love and about to commit. But lots of suspense, fabulous characters in Thomas Jefferson and Whitehead, and interesting family dynamics with the Stoss family. A great re-read.
December 14, 2017
For such a smart lawyer Jefferson sure had some serious oversights. A car with a stuck accelerator might easily dealt with by slipping it into neutral or turning off the ignition. Except for a few glaring such missteps a fairly enjoyable read. Not dissimilar to Blood Stains.
July 21, 2020
"Family" comes with baggage
In this second book in this series, our heroine realizes that not only "family" comes with baggage but that you can't choose the members of your blood relations.
In this second book in this series, our heroine realizes that not only "family" comes with baggage but that you can't choose the members of your blood relations.
March 24, 2021
Wow. Not very good. Not really a romance. The thriller plot varied little from the first book in the series. Savannah didn't seem to mourn her dead father at all. Really doubt I'll work up the enthusiasm to read the third in the series.
July 20, 2023
Great mystery with suspense and romance that is book two of the Searchers series. The love of money is the root of all evil and if you don’t believe this, ask Savannah Slade who is on her quest to solve her father’s murder. Great book with twist and turns.
October 24, 2023
Blood Ties was packed full of action from the first chapter, making it hard to put down. I read until my eyes hurt. Between the nonstop action was characters you cared deeply about. You will not regret choosing this book
June 7, 2017
This is the second book in the Searcher's trilogy, but the first one I read. You can never go wrong with Sharon Sala; romantic suspense at it's best!
August 16, 2019
Solid, well-written suspense. After the reading of a will, each woman goes her separate way seeking answers. This is Savannah's story. I think this is my favorite series so far by this author.
February 8, 2020
People,do yourself a favor & read this series! I have one more to go & don’t want it to end! Bravo Sharon Sala Bravo
February 26, 2020
Wonderful book! I love this series! I highly recommend.
April 13, 2021
I love these books. Romance and a mystery at the same time!
December 9, 2022
Excellent read
Totally loved the second story. All the characters were awesome. I can't wait to read Holly's story. Loved it, loved it, loved it!!!!
Totally loved the second story. All the characters were awesome. I can't wait to read Holly's story. Loved it, loved it, loved it!!!!
March 9, 2023
Loved this book. Hard to sit this one down.
July 15, 2023
Suspenseful and action packed
Read
July 17, 2024Sharon Sala is one of my favorite authors. I was not disappointed at all with BLOOD TIES! It exceeded all my expectations! I loved it! Action packed and just the right love scenes!
November 4, 2024
Great book, money is the root of all evil!
November 5, 2024
A little slow at first but then it took off. Read it in two days.
November 8, 2024
EXCELLENT
Blood Ties was an excellent read. As in the other Sharon Sala books, her characters are real and believable. The dialogue is smooth, and the story is strong.
Blood Ties was an excellent read. As in the other Sharon Sala books, her characters are real and believable. The dialogue is smooth, and the story is strong.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews