Leaving Lavender Tides

Lavender Tides #1.5

by Colleen Coble

Shauna and Zach’s dream honeymoon—turned nightmare.

Having narrowly avoided tragedy in their hometown of Lavender Tides, Washington, Shauna and Zach Bannister are finally on a honeymoon cruise through the Hawaiian islands. Lost in the glow of their newfound love, they eagerly anticipate basking in the warmth of the lush tropics.

But soon the newlyweds begin receiving mysterious threats. After Zach survives two attempts on his life – staged as freak accidents – Shauna ominously receives flowers from a stranger.

The lovers become unwitting detectives in an urgent pursuit to discover the identity of their murderous stalker.

Set against the spectacular Hawaiian landscape, Colleen Coble’s lightning-paced novella is a haunting journey into a world as remote and hidden as it is beautiful, as spellbinding as it is wondrous.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Suspense, Christian, Audiobook

160 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2018

About the author

USAToday bestselling author Colleen Coble lives with her husband, Dave, in Arizona. She is the author of dozens of novels including the Rock Harbor Series, the Aloha Reef Series, the Mercy Falls Series, the Hope Beach Series, the Lonestar Series and two Women of Faith fiction selections, Alaska Twilight and Midnight Sea. She has more than 6 million books in print.

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this little gem of a story. After not liking the first book in the series, I wasn't sure if I would like the series at all, but I loved this short, intense mystery. I ran across it on the sale table at Barnes and Noble today and simply couldn't resist the colorful cover and the delightful small hardback size—exactly the darling sort of small book I love to have on my shelves. I read it in less than an hour, since it's short, while trying to wind down from a stressful day.

The mystery is easy to follow and the clues only make sense in retrospect, a perfect combo in my book. It was delightful to see Zach and Shauna as a married couple, and I would love the have another short book or two like this that features them.

[Emma.catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but oh so good…

I have a love/hate relationship with .5/half-way/inbetween books as I love getting more insight into the characters I have previously loved but they always leave me wanting more because they are rarely longer than 150-180 pages.

I was glad to see Coble brought back my favourite characters from the first in the series and nowhere better to pick up than on their honeymoon in Hawaii! I absolutely adored the backdrop, as they cruised around the Hawaiian islands.

But of course - It is a mystery so it’s not quite the serene relaxing Hawaiian getaway they had planned…making it all the more intriguing for us, the readers.

Multiple mysterious threats and staged incidents later, Shauna and Zach begin to get suspicious that they are being targeted in some way…and they might just be on to something.

There is A LOT squashed into this 140 pager which makes it all the more exciting and fast paced. It’s a one sitting book for sure!

[Christine Indorf · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun way to end this series. The author does this with each of her series, She writes a 200 page book to finish the whole series and this was fun. This book followed the 1st book main characters and their adventures on their honeymoon. I love these smaller books to wrap up her series. The storyline was a little far fetched but all in all a fun read!!

[Andrea Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was much better than the previous book in the series. There were plenty of twists in this tiny book, and a great story was told in only 160 pages. I liked that it was a honeymoon story that did not get overly sensualized. Definitely a job well done on that front. The joy of a honeymoon was well expressed, but the bedroom scenes were kept off the pages, for which I was so grateful.

Content: mentions of a demigod, Hinduism, and reincarnation

[Laur · Rating 3 out of 5]

The storyline was so far-fetched, it became completely unbelievable with life threatening, harrowing situations, one after another.

Leaving Lavender Tides had a good mystery and suspense plot. Colleen Coble delivers both in spades.

3.5 Stars

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast, quick, summer read...second in series. On to the next!

[Mayda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shauna and Zack are honeymooning in Hawaii, and someone is trying to kill Zach. What seemed at first like accidents proves to be something more sinister. Colleen Coble has written a suspenseful tale that uses the beautiful and idyllic setting of Hawaii as its backdrop. Though short, readers will enjoy every word of this well written tale.

[Kav · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only Colleen Coble can turn a honeymoon into a nail-biting stalker nightmare! This novella-length suspense is a classic page-turner. And my voice is hoarse from hollering warnings to the lovestruck honeymooners. "Nooooo, turn baaaacckkk!" and "Stop -- don't go off aloooonnne!" Alas, Shauna and Zach are so besotted they didn't pay me any mind. Nerve-wracking scene after never-wracking scene turn honeymoon bliss into harrowing peril. Phew! It's a fast and furious race to the very end!

Loved the Hawaii setting and the unexpected cameos from Coble's Aloha Reef series. This novella comes right after the first book in the Lavender Tides series, and though I think it can be read as a standalone, I think you'll appreciate it more if you've already met 'Cowboy' and 'Fly Girl' in The View from Rainshadow Bay.

[Karen R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, a lot packed into this novella! This sequel to A View from Rainshadow Bay finds the newlywed couple in peril as a series of events turns their romantic honeymoon trip into a nightmare. Plenty of action-filled scenes and moments of suspense made this a quick read.
I liked how some characters from the author's Hawaiian series popped up to help, and clues about Shauna's missing siblings are dropped in, leading the story towards the next book.
A perfect escape read! Look forward to the next book in the series.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short uplifting Hawaii honeymoon adventure Christian novella. A great bedtime read.

[Jeanette]

No review to plot or rating overall. As short as this is I just couldn't finish it. The writing is grade school level at best and syrupy to menacing without a pause to know the characters in the first place in between the shifts. They are done in audibles to sell and remind me of a kind of modern day Dickens done in melodramatic episodes with cliff hangers at the ends. (That's how he wrote much of his stuff for weekly partial suspense. And sorry, I am not a Dickens fan.) Despite just a tiny read in length or effort- time is just too precious. I was asked to advise if this should go on a display. I'm going to pass on the opinion too. These are not for me.

[Tgordon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea.

[Deena Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed listening to this fast-paced suspense. Colleen Coble never disappoints. The only disappointment was I thought it was a novel, but it was over in two hours. Not even as long as a novella. That said, it carried me through preparing a pot of chili and making two desserts for a party!

[Aerykah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars for the audiobook... 3.5 for the story.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great novella! I enjoyed this continuation of Zach and Shauna's story so much! So glad to check this novella out through my library's Overdrive collection.

[(Katie) Paperbacks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I read this novella in less than 3 hours. It was so good I couldn't put it down. Gripping from the first chapter, and filled with mystery, romance and intrigue.

[Bekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short, sweet, and yet suspenseful novella by Colleen Coble that I greatly enjoyed.

What I Liked: I listened to the audio book version of this in a day and as I was readying the second novel in the Lavender Tides series, I felt that it was a good reminder of what happened in the first book as it had been a while since I had read The View from Rainshadow Bay.

The action kept me on the edge of my seat, but this sweet novella had a nice pace to it that I greatly enjoyed it. It was nice to get reacquainted with Shauna and Zach.

What I Didn’t Like: There really wasn’t anything that I disliked.

I give this book 4/5 stars for another enjoyable story by Coble.

[Linda Smatzny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a super short paperback. It is the story of Shauna and Zack on their honeymoon in Hawaii. The cruise is not going well as Zack keeps having accidents befall him. The book took less than an hour to read.

[Melmo2610 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting and quick read. The Banisters are on their honeymoon after thwarting danger previously. They are hoping for a calm and peaceful honeymoon, unfortunately their honeymoon turns out to be anything but when they are targeted by a villain. This short read was full of danger and catch your breath moments. A must read if you enjoyed their earlier story.

[Laura Napier · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s a whole lot of suspense and mystery packed in this short novella. Colleen did a fantastic job. I can’t wait to read more about Shawna’s siblings in the next two books.

[Emily Boyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish they could’ve just enjoyed their honeymoon😂

[Cat B The Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leaving Lavender Tides was a splendid setup for Colleen Coble's up coming book The House on Saltwater Point. It fills in some gaps that were missing in between the books that you didn't know were missing until you read the book. It is a nice short read about Shauna and Zach on their dream honeymoon which turns into a nightmare. It keeps you guess that is for sure!

[Loraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riveting suspense from start to finish for this action-packed novella. I usually don't care for novellas as there is not enough depth to the plots, but Coble did a bang up job with this one. Featuring Zach Bannister and Shauna on their honeymoon cruise in Hawaii, you couldn't ask for a better setting for this wonderful suspense. Definitely not the honeymoon Zach and Shauna imagined. Now I can't wait to read the last book in the series, Secrets at Cedar Cabin which releases on Jan 19, and hope to find out about Shauna's lost brother and sister.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, some of this feels quite far-fetched. But it's a short story, a novella, about a honeymoon of unexpected events; it's squeaky clean and Christian-leaning without being overbearing. It isn't this author's most solid writing, and my biggest complaint was that I didn't do my research and learn that this is actually part of a series. Silly me. But now I have other books to look forward to, so there's that.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story, but then again there’s only been one Colleen Coble book I didn’t enjoy.

Shauna and Zach are a great couple, even if trouble seems to follow them. I did get an idea before the end who the bad guy was, but still very enjoyable.

My only complaint is that this book happens before book 2 of the series but released after book 2. Not sure why, but it was still enjoyable!

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the first two books in this series and want to read the third book. This is 1.5 and came out after the second book. I'm not a fan of the ".5" books in any series - this is no execption...just okay.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honeymoon in Hawaii but a madman is after Shauna .. repeated attempts on Zach’s life.
Advanced the plot a bit ..S’s brother Connor .. is investigator for Coast Guard .. now named Grayson.
Not really a satisfying read for me….

[Robin Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute little quick read with a slash of suspense! Perfect little romance novella!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another awesome read! I love how Colleen used the story to link her Lavender Tides series together with her Hope Beach series!

[Sarita · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a short, fast pace suspense story true in Colleen Coble fashion.