Sometimes love comes soft as a whisper, at the time when we least expect it …
There’s only one thing standing in the way of Effie Romeo’s success as an interior designer at the famed Oliver Hotel—Talon Chasing, the manager.
Not only is Talon dangerously handsome with his crooked smile and adorable dimple, but he also happens to be the oldest son of one of the wealthiest families on the East Coast. The more Effie tries to evade Talon, the harder he pursues her.
Effie is reluctant to get involved with Talon because of their work relationship and also because of the whispers of suspicion surrounding his ex-wife’s disappearance. The closer Effie gets to Talon, the more she starts to question his innocence.
A series of strange occurrences at the hotel make Effie fear that she might be the next to disappear.
Chasing Whispers will draw you in from the first page with its mystery and intrigue. The matters of the heart will leave a promise of hope that will stay with you long after the last page has been turned.
Welcome to Honeysuckle Island. A place where secrets abound. A place to find love, family, and belonging. A place to call home.
Jennifer loves reading and writing clean romance. She believes that happily ever after is not just for stories. Jennifer enjoys interior design, rollerblading, clogging, jogging, and chocolate. In Jennifer’s opinion there are few ills that can’t be solved with a warm brownie and scoop of vanilla-bean ice cream. Jennifer grew up in rural Alabama and loved living in a town where “everybody knows everybody.” Her love for writing began as a young teenager when she wrote stories for her high school English teacher to critique. Jennifer has a BA in English and Social Sciences from Brigham Young University Hawaii where she served as Miss BYU Hawaii. Before becoming an author, she worked as the owner and editor of a monthly newspaper named The Senior Times. She now lives in the Rocky Mountains with her family and spends her time writing and doing all of the wonderful things that make up the life of a busy wife and mother.
I love a book with a good plot, great characters and added suspense! This book by Jennifer Youngblood has all of that. And more. I loved every bit of it.
The story starts out with Lina Chasing. It’s her birthday and her mother in law throws her a large party. But…there’s something off with Lina. And her mother-in-law obviously does not like her. I loved how the author uses this first scene to set up the plot of the book. Lina disappears, leaving her ex-husband and the hero of the book, Talon Chasing, the suspect in her disappearance.
Effie is our heroine. She comes to Honeysuckle Island to renovate the hotel that Talon’s grandfather built. Little did she know the trouble she was getting herself into. I loved Effie. She is kind and sweet to those around her. Except Talon. I really loved the scene where they met, but didn’t realize they met. It made me laugh.
I liked Talon too. Even though the reader is unsure of how he fits into Lina’s disappearance. He seemed to be a genuinely good guy.
This is one of those books I didn’t want to put down. I loved the suspense of it all. It’s so good! I can’t wait for the next one by this author.
I was sent an e-copy of Chasing Whispers as a gift from the author. All opinions are my own.
I was so sad to see the Romeo family come to an end and was absolutely delighted to see this new series infuse that beloved family within its pages. I love a good romantic suspense and Youngblood has perfected the craft with this one.
Effie is out on her own with a major design client and that first meet cute was hilariously adorable! Talon is charming and lovable, but he's got mysteries enshrouding him and his family. The vibe was creepy, yet sweet; terrifying, yet romantic; chilling, yet fun. I flew through the pages and enjoyed it all. The formula was magnificent and I didn't see some of the twists and turns coming, which reminded me of a frightful roller coaster that shan't be named that always leaves me shaking in my shoes, yet wanting to go again.
This series is off to a great start and I'm eagerly awaiting more of Honeysuckle Island and it's too-close-for-comfort residents.
Content: mild+ moments of peril/fear; mild romance; mild religion
*I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.*
Oh my word! Talk about a great suspense and mystery within the pages of this book! If you haven't picked it up yet, do it!
This is book one and the seventh book in the series just released with another one announced. I'm ready to dive into the second book and discover more about Honeysuckle Island!
I love Jennifer Youngblood's writing. Especially her ability to create these worlds and families and keep them all interconnected throughout the series. I always become invested in the characters and families. So I'm one happy reader that there are several more books for my to enjoy!
First, I recommend readers keep a character log as you read. Why? If my own log is accurate, there were 58 members of the cast of characters. Without a character log, you may find it difficult to keep the characters straight as you read. I am also pleased to note that, with this review, I have now reviewed 31 stories by Jennifer Youngblood and awarded 5-Stars each time.
This offering represents clean romance at its best – with a bit of intrigue thrown in for good measure. Ms. Youngblood captured my interest from the start and kept me involved all the way to the end. In fact, I was so involved that, if there were editorial errors, I didn’t see any. She even concluded this story by leaving me thinking, “I wonder what happened to…” thus creating a great set-up for the next book in the series. If you enjoy clean romance, you will have difficulty finding an author more capable of satisfying your appetite than Jennifer Youngblood. Five-Stars.
This book was so hard to put down. When I wasn’t reading it I was thinking or dreaming about it. I could wait to get back to it. You will fall in love with swear Effie she is so genuine. If you like a fast past book with romance, suspense and family. You will love this book! I can’t wait to read the second one. This was my first book by Jennifer Youngblood and it won’t be my last. This book was well written and very clean. It was just a great book all around!
Effie has lots of ideas and plans to update the hotel on Honeysuckle Island. When Talon's dog jumped on Effie just before she was to meet with her powerful client, Effie thought he was rude. At her meeting with the client, Effie find out that she not only has to work with Talon, but that he is her client's son. Talon finds Effie very attractive and wants to get to know her better. Even though Effie finds Talon equally attractive, Effie would like to keep things professional. She is also concerned about the rumors that Talon murdered his missing wife. I received a free copy of this ebook from the author. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. This is the start of a terrific connected series. This book is enjoyable as a standalone, but the book ends with a clue to a mystery that will lead into the next book. I love this romantic suspense book that I didn't want to put down. I can't wait to read the next book in this series.
Took some getting used to, first clean romance i have read in a while haha. But it was an easy read, i loved the characters and am curious about the Chasing and Romeo family. 3,75 stars for me
Usually from the start of a book I can tell how well I’m going to like it. I like for a story to grab me and pull me into the world the author has created. This book did that in two ways. One is the suspense and intrigue from the prologue that dates back a year before present day. It puts you on edge and has you guessing about so many different things. Then the story picks up with the spicy yet still sweet Effie, who we all fell in love with during the Romeo book series. Right off the bat her eagerness and hopefully attitude towards her new job just pulls you in. Plus the initial explosive interactions with Talon just had me turning page after page as if I didn’t have to work that day! So hard to put this story down. There was so much intrigue and twists I loved it!
The book ends in a happily together moment but the mysteries continue on with the next in the series. I’m not one for big cliff hanger endings so I’m glad that the main characters, Talon and Effie, did have a resolution at the end even if the other threads of the mystery will still be unraveling through the series.
This story will grab you at the beginning, leaving you dying to know what happened and how the mystery will unravel.
I liked the two main characters. Both Talon and Effie have more depth to them than first meets the eye, and the romance was toe-curling sweet but also clean. I didn’t expect the Christian elements to the book, and while they were nonexistent during the first part, they became more and more apparent as the story unfolded.
There was some good suspense towards the end, and while this story resolved itself, there are unanswered questions that leave you hanging and ready to read the next book in the series!
This book was so good! What a great way to start a series! Jennifer Youngblood has done it again. She is so awesome at suspense. I loved her twists and turns and I loved her use of foreshadowing. It was a great book, as a Kindle unlimited reader this will be one I buy!
I have no idea how this got so many good reviews. The writing was juvenile and sappy and the story predictable. No one ever just laughs in this book - rather laughter gurgles in their throats. Would not recommend to anyone over 10 years old.
I liked the suspense part about the ex-wife, and I appreciated that overall it was clean and the editing was good with no typos. I also appreciated the attempt, however meager, to sprinkle Christian themes throughout. They were quick and superficial mentions of prayer and/or faith, so I'm not sure why some reviewers were SO put off by the Christian themes, because they were weak overall.
The book had a definite Harlequin-esque feel that I didn't care for. With silly character names like Talon, Forge, Cash, Knox, Nova, and Josette, it was hard to take the book seriously. There wasn't a single character in the book that I liked.
The main characters constantly ogling each other's physical attributes with blushes and swoons, skin tinging and zinging every time one of them accidentally grazed the other with their hand made them feel like immature teenagers rather than mature adults. And, oh my WORD, I was sick to death of reading about laughter bubbling/tickling/shaking from people's throats. If it was in there once, it was in there a hundred times. This was an annoying repetition that the author should have caught in self-editing, but the professional editor surely should have pointed it out. After a while, it became very *eye roll*.
There was also one instance where the main female character fluttered her eyelashes that were so long that they "touched her high cheekbones." Maybe I'm just not up on women's trends, but I've never seen a person whose eyelashes were so long that they touched their cheeks. It's just a weird thing to write, especially by a woman author who should know better.
I'm usually pretty easy on books I read, but sheesh, this one was hard to get through and couldn't end soon enough. If you like over-the-top Harlequin-style romance novels, you might like this one.
Jennifer Youngblood’s Chasing Whispers combines suspense with romance in this Christian-themed novel. Situated on the fictional Honeysuckle Island, readers are quickly drawn into a baffling mystery involving those associated with the Oliver Hotel.
Effie, a young interior designer and the protagonist in the story arrives with skills and optimism. Both are challenged by dark circumstances. The wife of the hotel’s manager, Lina Chasing, has disappeared and is feared dead. The principal suspect is her husband, Talon Chasing, and he is the person with whom Effie must work closely. Questions abound because nothing is as it seems. When Talon develops a friendship with Effie, rumors proliferate and suspicions mount.
Though I found this story to be slow-moving, the pace picked up midway and kept me focused. The two main characters, Effie and Talon, are well-developed, likable, and relatable. Their professional relationship predictably evolves into a romantic interest, and with this development, the story comes alive.
I love this book! Effie Smith is the youngest daughter of Knox Romeo from the Romeo series. She finishes interior design school and lands a dream job of renovating a hotel on Honeysuckle Island. On her way to the interview, a dog jumps up on her spilling a strawberry sundae all over her white pants and trendy blouse. The owner is very apologetic but Effie is furious that her perfect outfit for her interview has been ruined. It doesn't help that the owner is a very handsome man to whom Effie feels immediately attracted. After chewing him out, she heads to the hotel for her interview after changing her clothes into something much less suitable. When the manager is late and joins the meeting, it is Talon Chasing, the owners' oldest son and owner of the errant dog. The plot moves swiftly and the romance is sweet but volatile. I can't wait to read the other books in the series.
Talon is suspected by many including the sheriff of killing his ex-wife Lina. Her body has not been found but she disappeared without a trace. One of the sheriff’s deputies disappeared at the same time. Talon maintains that he is innocent, he doesn’t know what happened to her but he is guilty of keeping a secret.
Effie comes to Honeysuckle Island to renovate The Oliver, the hotel owned by Talon’s family. Her sole goal is to establish herself as an interior decorator and impress her boss. But fate and a dog named Sugar have other plans.
This is an excellent read with plenty of suspense plus a crusty old grandmother that keeps folks walking on egg shells.
I do prefer books to reach a solid conclusion without needing to buy the next book but I enjoyed this book and will be reading more by the author.
The writing was simple and lacked depth as well as emotional intelligence and connection. If it was high school student in creative writing I’d be impressed but apparently this a published author. I found myself irritated and finished the book out of stubbornness and not for any desire to see how it ended. I should be reimbursed for reading this. Lastly some reviews classified a Christian novel- which I could care less one way or the other. But the main character talks to a pastor and there are a few references to God. The Christian classification is deceitful and a sham. Obvious to say I have no desire to continue the series or anything else by this author.
This was a great romance/mystery. When Talon and Effie meet itvdoes not go over well, she is not happy with his dog or him. When she finds out they will be working together she is flabbergasted. What is even worse is that he is rich and a flirt. Though she tries to remain aloof he wins her over. But with the family against them, jealous woman and his missing ex-wife things are very complicated. When strange and threatening things start taking place they must figure out who is behind it before someone gets hurt or worse. Though it has a cliffhanger it only makes you anxious for the next story and glad that the series goes on.
I had a very hard time rating this book. I normally start a book and pretty much read straight thru within a day or so. This lasted me a good week. I admit it was a busy week, but most are. I was probably 80% thru this before it really grabbed me. On the other hand there were many possible suspects but no given. All of a sudden you knew the book was going to have you by the throat. I took a break at that moment and came back when I knew I would be without interruptions. Sure enough I was glad it was not dark it was intense! So end of the book, so I thought, ready for HEA,. All of a sudden new developments and ends on a cliff hanger.
What a terrific way to tie up one series and lead into a new one. I fell in love with Honeysuckle Island with all of it's charm and mystery. I felt like I was right there with the characters enjoying the fragrant flowers and beautiful beach. Effie and Talon are terrific together. I love her spunk and his persistence. The suspense kept me quickly turning the pages looking forward to more. Youngblood found a good balance between resolving this story and leading the reader into the next story. Now I can't wait for the next story to be released!
If you loved the Romeo family you will love this new series by Jennifer Youngblood. This installment picks up with Effie a few years after she is united with the family. Effie has become an interior designer. She is charged with the updating of the hotel where Talon is the manager. The book starts off fast and moves right along with suspense and intrigue. Definitely pick up a copy to read.
Effie is an interior designer. She gets a chance of a lifetime to redecorate and renovate an historic hotel on a beautiful island. The owner's are classically rich and super opinionated about how they want things done. Can she work with Madelyn Chasing? What about her son, Talon, with the mysterious past? Come along for a fantastic ride filled with mystery, suspense, romance, and good clean island fun! Happy Reading!
The first chapter seemed a bit wordy and not very cohesive. My first reading of this author, Jennifer Youngblood. Luckily I stuck with it, there after the book was well written, intriguing. It had romance, mystery, well-fleshed out characters, the readers learn to love or hate. The challenge is to see if we can figure out some of the plots, before exposed.. That was fun. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series.
Jennifer Youngblood combines suspense with romance on Honeysuckle Island. Effie has been hired to renovate the Oliver Hotel. The day Effie lands on the island to meet Madeleine, who is the owner of the hotel, she meets up with disaster. What mystery surrounds the manager of the hotel, Talon? Did he actually murder his ex wife as the tabloids and some local people say? Such a well written novel with vivid characterizations.
This was an o.k. romance with a mystery and some suspense but I had to take off a star due to Christian references which are not for me. This is the start of a series I won't be reading. I admire anyone who can actually write and I don't like to criticize as I read a lot but have neither the desire nor talent to write. I wish I had known about the sprinkling of religion, wouldn't have read this.
OH BOY, I loved this book and I wished that I could have shaken some sense into Talon for his being so stupid when let Lina, his ex-wife take two hundred and fifty thousand dollars when told him another lie, I guess that the money was a drop in the bucket for him! My heart broke for Effie as she had to face that her mom was dead, but before she died, she told her who her dad was, and they had an affair, but he went back to his wife and his kids. I HOPE THAT THERE IS A SEQUEL!
While I enjoyed the book immensely, it contained many syrupy descriptions that were used repeatedly throughout the book pertaining to the “sizzling” that they this contained too Much felt every time they touched. I am a hopeless romantic who is well acquainted with the feelings that go along with young love, but this contained too much and took away from the mystery and suspense of the story.
An implausible storyline has a brand new graduate designer, restoring a well known hotel all on her own. This book tries too hard to be something that it’s not. It should be a short story as the entire storyline it’s obvious. The grammar is imperfect at times, and in my opinion, most of the names are stretch towards wanting to be distinguished. Instead, they just end up, sounding unrealistic and improbable.
So good!! I love the continuation of the Romeo family!! Effie and Talon are so sweet! I love the "chance" meeting with Cujo and the intrigue of Lina. This was so well written, but I wouldn't expect anything less from a Jennifer Youngblood novel. I received an advanced copy of this book from the author, but I am voluntarily sharing my honest opinion of a great book.