GOLD

Blue-Link #4

by Maureen A. Miller

Dig deep enough and you will strike danger.

From USA TODAY bestselling author, Maureen A. Miller, comes this standalone romantic thriller in Alaska.

It was the middle of January in Southeastern Alaska. Sara Eckert anticipated at least another two months of vacancy in her remote bed & breakfast. Until he showed up. A man not interested in hiking, fishing, or hunting. So, why was he there?

Two miners have gone missing. Their disappearance has been ruled accidental. To the firm that sent them to Alaska, that answer is unacceptable. Luke Reis has been dispatched to learn more. Gaining access to the remote wilderness isn't so simple, though. He'll have to enlist the owner of the Marmot Hideaway to help get him started.

As Luke and Sara dig deeper into the disappearance of the miners, they edge closer to passion. But the abandoned network of underground mines may stake the ultimate claim…their lives.

Genres: Romance

277 pages, Paperback

Published October 27, 2020

About the author

USA TODAY bestselling author Maureen A. Miller worked in the software industry for fifteen years. She crawled around plant floors in a hard hat and safety glasses, hooking up computers to behemoth manufacturing machines. The job required extensive travel. The best form of escapism during those lengthy airport layovers became writing.

Maureen’s first novel, Widow's TALE, earned her a Golden Heart nomination in Romantic Suspense. After that, she became hooked on the genre. As hooked as she was, childhood fantasies still danced around in her head––little voices calling for her to write the young adult science fiction BEYOND series. To her, it was still romantic suspense…just on another planet!

Maureen is a wife. A mother of a crazy Corgi. A lover of mozzarella. And she truly believes there is a portal to outer space somewhere in her house.

Reviews

[Susan Roncevich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gold is an action packed mystery that had me captivated from the beginning of the book. There is lots of drama, intrigue and romance in this story.

I loved how as the story begins, we get a visual picture of Alaska and its scenic beauty. Sara Eckert has relocated to Alaska to start her life over. She left a past of hurt, disappointment and rejection. Sara avoided emotional attachments when she came to Alaska. She bought a Bed and Breakfast which was her source of income. The action begins when Luke Reis comes to stay at her Bed and Breakfast during the off season. She usually has no renters at that time of the year as the weather is getting colder and the days shorter. Luke was a former Navy Seal and is now the head of security for the company, BLUE-LINK. He has come to find two employees that he had sent to check out the Kryterion Mine that their client is interested in purchasing. The men are missing and Sara joins Luke as he investigates the land around the mines. She has to transport him by boat and her mission is to be his guide and keep him safe. There is a lot of adventure and in the meantime, the attraction continues to grow, although they both fight it.

Sara and Luke have had things in their past that made them afraid of commitment. As they begin to fall in love, they push each other away. They know that they have no future and falling in love and leaving each other will only cause them pain.

I highly recommend this book. It is a story that I found hard to put down. I want to thank Maureen A. Miller for the adventure. It was a great story! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just superb. Good writing, interesting characters, engaging plot.

Two men are missing. Luke is sent to find them. He's one of those characters authors seem to love. You know, the former SEAL turned security, spy, whatever. Sara had a bad romance experience. She moves as far as she can, changes careers, goes almost off the grid to avoid the pain. Both of them have sworn off love. That's the romance plot. Nothing really unique. But the mystery piece, that's what sets this book apart. Turns out the missing men work for a company investigating a big mining operation for a prospective new owner. Jake is sent to find them and stays at Sara's B&B. It's the off-season, so Sara is suspicious. Eventually, the two team up to investigate suspicious activity. Now this, while it might be far-fetched, is what sets this book apart. Great suspense, a bit of MacGuyver creativity and we've got a really great read on our hands.

I look forward to more books by this author.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Penelope · Rating 4 out of 5]

MY RATING GUIDE: Rounded to 4 Stars. This is a fairly new-to-me author. I am enjoying her books, particularly because there are less (nearly none) sexcapades & more action/adventure/mystery content than many other books (& authors) today. I find it a refreshing change.

1= dnf/What was that?; 2= Nope, not for me; 3= This was okay/fairly good & might or might not read it again; 3.5= I ENJOYED THIS & might read it again; 4= I LIKED IT A LOT & would read it again; 5= I Loved this; it was great! & most likely will read again (I SELDOM give 5 Stars).

Luke Reis is a former Navy SEAL, now employed and working for his former military boss at Blue Link, an international investigative company, as their head Security Specialist. Luke has been sent to the Juneau, Alaska area to search for 2 colleagues, miners, from Blue Link who, on a mission, disappeared without a trace 4days earlier. Luke suspects fowl play.
Sara Eckert moved to Juneau 4 years earlier and set herself up as a hiking-fishing guide, Bed & Breakfast owner. Luke Reis has booked a week’s stay during her Off season with a request to see the coastal area. Not long after his arrival, it becomes apparent that someone doesn’t appreciate Luke poking around.

Comments ~
1) Published in 2020, BLUE LINK: GOLD is book 4 in Maureen A Miller’s 5 book Blue Link series. Although I have enjoyed other books by Miller (Jungle of Deceit, Jungle Agenda, Widow’s Tale/Gothic tones, Endless Night/Gothic tones), I haven’t yet read the previous books in this series but will be checking out bk1 next. BLUE LINK: GOLD can be read as a standalone book. Although characters from book 1 are featured, their role is minimal.
2) Danger/Proximity is one of my favorite tropes. I especially like remote settings with water and/or jungle hazards. Couple it with strong characters who fight to the last breath, pooling their strengths in the face of adversity and I am in for the ride! GOLD includes such scenes (the ruined mine) and I was pulled in from the very first pages. It read quickly because I wanted to see what would happen next.
3) I recommend BLUE LINK: GOLD to readers who enjoy:
> Action/Adventure or Suspense Romance novels with settings in wild and remote places.
> Novels with minimal relationship angst.
> Plenty of action.
> Strong male and female characters.
> Slow Burn Romances with HEAs & minimal/no sexcapades.
> Quick reading fiction (possible to complete in a day).

Suitable for most YA readers (See below).

READER CAUTIONS ~
PROFANITY - Yes. Infrequent use of strong language.
VIOLENCE - PG/PG-13. Yes. But not particularly dark or graphic.
SEXUAL SITUATIONS - No intimacy scenes.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the Blue-Link series and was pleased when Book 4 was published. The story takes place in Alaska, where a woman moved to get away from a broken romance. She bought a Bed ‘N Breakfast and started a new life. She had a ‘friend’ Tim but there was no romance there. Usually her guests were doing the summer but this guest arrived just before winter began. He was her only guest. She knew from the time she picked him up in her boat that he was different and that he had a reason for coming at this time of year. Turns out he was there to investigate two missing Australian miners who had come to check out the local mine before the company they worked for. When they went missing, the company sent an investigator to investigate what happened. Of course, the investigator turned out to be the love interest for the owner. It is a great book and the Alaskan wilderness is described as though you are there. Ms. Miller has a gift with words and she brings the reader along easily. I hope there is a Book 5 soon.

[Amber Cassidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I procrastinated starting this book for a really long time- mostly because the the cover picture was not very intriguing and the name a bit bleh. But I was riveted from the moment I started reading.
Sara had grit and spoke her mind and Luke was an interesting character, both had great personality on the page and the landscape and setting were very clearly detailed. The fact that this took place in and around a mine in Alaska made for a different setting than other books I've read that were set in Alaska.
The plot was strong and the challenges that Luke and Sara overcame to resolve it were not bizarre or outlandish, in fact it was almost too lifelike. All of which made this book five stars ( in my opinion).
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[CoffeeTimeRomance andMore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I delighted in this story and it was good clean romance. If you read a lot, especially in certain genres, you can mostly figure out aspects as you read that help you almost solve the mystery before the author reveals all. Surprisingly, this did not happen for me in this book. The mystery had more layers and a couple of twists that were unexpected in a good way. I was rooting for Sara and Luke and Poopy (this is not a typo) the dog was the unsung hero of the story.
Vicki
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More
Full Review @ Coffee Time Romance & More

[Margaret Yelton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be a very good read, it was action packed and kept me turning the pages. I enjoyed the chemistry between Sara and Luke, they book seem to have issues that make it hard to connect with others. I would certainly read more books by this author and would recommend it to others. I received a copy of the ebook from Book Sirens and was under no obligation to leave a favorable review, all opinions expressed here are my own.

[Sammye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an action packed mystery/romance. I enjoyed reading about the wilderness of Alaska. The storyline was well developed and I liked Luke and Sara. They had a great connection that led to a sweet, passionate love. This is the first book that I’ve read by this author. I, definitely, will look for more. This honest review is based on a free copy from BookSirens

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was good, the plot was thrilling and kept you on your toes. Two men go missing and another one comes to find out what happened to them. Luke ends up at Sara’s B&B and ends up getting her involved with his problem. A good murder mystery. My favourite character is Monty Cloud and Poopy the dog. I would recommend this book. I received an Arc and the views and opinions are my own.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This certainly was an action packed and exciting book. I haven’t read very many books by Maureen Miller, but this is one that will keep your light on late into the night. It was really easy to get sucked into the characters and plot and I’m a big fan of romantic suspense books.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Altho I thought the last 20% of the book could and should have been more concise, this was a good read about two men missing in a mining area of Alaska, and about a young woman who ran a B&B in a somewhat remote region near the mine.

Main characters: Sara and Luke, the man sent to find the two missing men

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

For me, it started out strong then fizzled out as the romance plot got rolling. I thought the setting and set-up were good, though.