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Love and Danger in St. Claire #1
Glazed Suspicion
After escaping a life marred by crime, Nicole Appleton flees to small town Saint Claire and starts a business of her own. She still craves forgiveness and maybe a family, but could anyone love her once they discover she sugar-coated her past? When sheriff’s deputy, Josh Bennet, arrives on the scene of a break-in at the local doughnut shop, he finds evidence incriminating his not-so-secret-crush. Is the fair beauty being framed or is she the mastermind trafficking drugs through his hometown? When things turn deadly, Josh must discover who the real villain is before it’s too late. And he’s praying that it’s not her.
263 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2019
18 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Allison Pearl
6 books296 followersAuthor of Cozy Whodunits, Romantic Suspense Novels, and Bookish Blog Posts
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 22, 2019
This is my first read from author Allison Pearl, and it shows great promise. I found myself rooting for her characters and felt the developing relationship between the two main characters, Nikki and Josh, was done well.
The pace of the book was fast, with moments that continued to surprise. I did feel a bit for the female protagonist, as she seemed to never be able to enjoy peace throughout the book. She walked through so many accidents/fires/abductions that I almost wished someone else would have to overcome what she did!
With this being a first novel, I found a few things that should be considered if I were to offer any criticism at all. Those things include: repetitious descriptors ("the oval, green painted wood table at her left" Is the table that important?), issues with timing (a few references to the years when something happened adjusted from 2 years to 3 years) and the fact that it seemed the only thing holding the two characters back from entering into a relationship (during most of the book) was the fact that Nikki didn't embrace Josh's deep relationship with God the same way. To that end, I would say that everyone's faith journey is different. Just because it was easy for Josh to believe and have faith in God the way he did, his life was very opposite to the way Nikki grew up and experienced God. However (spoiler ahead), that didn't seem to matter by the end of the book. I would've like to see this particular part ironed up or at least addressed a bit more fully prior to the characters getting engaged at the finale. I understand that stress/trauma can affect how close people can become in a crisis, but can it handle marriage on such ground? Just my two cents.
"Glazed Suspicion" had a great group of characters that each held their own unique stories. I think if some of those parts left unsaid can be unearthed and elaborated on a bit more, it would have been a solid 5 star book for me. I hope that the series continues, because I want to know more about what happened in the past (and perhaps, the future) with Lizzy and Kody.
I was an early reader, thanks to Anaiah Press and all opinions are my own.
The pace of the book was fast, with moments that continued to surprise. I did feel a bit for the female protagonist, as she seemed to never be able to enjoy peace throughout the book. She walked through so many accidents/fires/abductions that I almost wished someone else would have to overcome what she did!
With this being a first novel, I found a few things that should be considered if I were to offer any criticism at all. Those things include: repetitious descriptors ("the oval, green painted wood table at her left" Is the table that important?), issues with timing (a few references to the years when something happened adjusted from 2 years to 3 years) and the fact that it seemed the only thing holding the two characters back from entering into a relationship (during most of the book) was the fact that Nikki didn't embrace Josh's deep relationship with God the same way. To that end, I would say that everyone's faith journey is different. Just because it was easy for Josh to believe and have faith in God the way he did, his life was very opposite to the way Nikki grew up and experienced God. However (spoiler ahead), that didn't seem to matter by the end of the book. I would've like to see this particular part ironed up or at least addressed a bit more fully prior to the characters getting engaged at the finale. I understand that stress/trauma can affect how close people can become in a crisis, but can it handle marriage on such ground? Just my two cents.
"Glazed Suspicion" had a great group of characters that each held their own unique stories. I think if some of those parts left unsaid can be unearthed and elaborated on a bit more, it would have been a solid 5 star book for me. I hope that the series continues, because I want to know more about what happened in the past (and perhaps, the future) with Lizzy and Kody.
I was an early reader, thanks to Anaiah Press and all opinions are my own.
August 24, 2019
Well written and entertaining.
July 29, 2019
Excellent! The protagonists were great! It was hard to figure out "who done it" until near the end! I kept changing from one character to another that I suspected! It is hard to believe this is Allison Pearl's debut novel. I look forward to the next book. I definitely recommend Glazed Suspicion to anyone who enjoys Christian suspense!
April 29, 2020
Short, sweet and to the point. No one should have to go through what Nikki went through, it was quite a lot for a short amount of time. I figured out the bad guy about half-way through the book. If you like mystery/suspense books you will enjoy this one.
March 24, 2020
Sweet & Intriguing
I enjoyed this fun read. The characters were easy to follow and were well-developed, the plot was good, and I like the author's writing style.
I enjoyed this fun read. The characters were easy to follow and were well-developed, the plot was good, and I like the author's writing style.
July 20, 2022
I started this series in the wrong order, so I decided to go back and read it from the beginning, as the delicious donuts on the front continued to call to me from my TBR list.
Josh and Nikki are absolutely adorable together, having the will they/won’t they vibe almost throughout the entire novel, though it was clear these two were made for each other from the very beginning. My heart went out to Nikki, who is dealing with a lot of internal struggles, as well as all of the cataclysms she has to endure at the hands of an unknown assailant, and my heart truly went out to her.
For the most part Josh is an absolute dream but I did struggle with him pushing his feelings for Nikki aside because she was not in the same place in her faith as he was. I agree that being equally yoked is very important, but we all are on different journeys, and I feel that shouldn’t have kept him from telling her how he felt. It was something about that whole situation that niggled at me the whole time I was reading.
I also grew tired of the repetition, so much so that by the time I reached the end I was a little bored, especially when it ended just how I predicted. I had continued to hope for a surprise to pop out somewhere, but sadly none came, which was disappointing as I had hoped for a little more oomph. Despite there being quite a few suspenseful situations, it wasn’t enough to keep me fully engaged.
What really made Glazed Suspicion a good read for me were the supporting characters. I am a sucker for a good, small town that is full of people that truly care about their own, coming together as a community to support the greater good. There’s just something about that sense of support that always tugs my heartstrings every single time, and was one of my favorite parts of this novel.
For being a debut novel I was immensely impressed, and can see great things for Allison Pearl. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series to hopefully get answers to a few questions that were left unanswered.
Josh and Nikki are absolutely adorable together, having the will they/won’t they vibe almost throughout the entire novel, though it was clear these two were made for each other from the very beginning. My heart went out to Nikki, who is dealing with a lot of internal struggles, as well as all of the cataclysms she has to endure at the hands of an unknown assailant, and my heart truly went out to her.
For the most part Josh is an absolute dream but I did struggle with him pushing his feelings for Nikki aside because she was not in the same place in her faith as he was. I agree that being equally yoked is very important, but we all are on different journeys, and I feel that shouldn’t have kept him from telling her how he felt. It was something about that whole situation that niggled at me the whole time I was reading.
I also grew tired of the repetition, so much so that by the time I reached the end I was a little bored, especially when it ended just how I predicted. I had continued to hope for a surprise to pop out somewhere, but sadly none came, which was disappointing as I had hoped for a little more oomph. Despite there being quite a few suspenseful situations, it wasn’t enough to keep me fully engaged.
What really made Glazed Suspicion a good read for me were the supporting characters. I am a sucker for a good, small town that is full of people that truly care about their own, coming together as a community to support the greater good. There’s just something about that sense of support that always tugs my heartstrings every single time, and was one of my favorite parts of this novel.
For being a debut novel I was immensely impressed, and can see great things for Allison Pearl. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series to hopefully get answers to a few questions that were left unanswered.
December 10, 2019
🍩What a sweet romantic suspense! If you enjoy Elizabeth Goddard, Lisa Harris, Nancy Mehl, and/or Angela Ruth Strong, you'll like Allison Pearl's writing style. I'm so glad I purchased book #1 and now I'm ready for #2—Dunked in Trouble.
4.5 stars
4.5 stars
May 21, 2021
Excellent book!
I really enjoyed this story! So well written with lots of suspense, a great plot, a subtle but powerful Christian message, and satisfying chemistry between Nikki and Josh.
I really enjoyed this story! So well written with lots of suspense, a great plot, a subtle but powerful Christian message, and satisfying chemistry between Nikki and Josh.
June 29, 2025
What a fun start to a series. Loved the dangerous stalker vibe and the layered mystery. Nice blend of angst with light touches of humour. An exciting, edge-of-your seat kind of read right to the twisty turny end.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews