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Trinity Harbor #3

Along Came Trouble

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Sheriff Tucker Spencer has seen some action...but finding an almost-naked woman asleep in his bed leaves him speechless. Especially because this same woman, Mary Elizabeth, broke Tucker's heart six years ago by marrying a charismatic Virginia politician, a man who's just been found shot dead.

Mary Elizabeth needs Tucker's help. Needs him, period. But along with her return comes all the town gossip about their reunion romance. Even his father, who can't manage his own love life, is determined to impart his wisdom regarding theirs.

Tucker's not listening to any of it. He just needs to clear Mary Elizabeth's name. But in the end, he'll confront a mystery even more confusing than murder: how the heart makes room for forgiveness and a new start.

400 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 22, 2002

396 people are currently reading
1187 people want to read

About the author

Sherryl Woods

555 books4,524 followers
With two other careers to her credit before becoming a novelist and four states in which she's lived for extended periods of time, Sherryl Woods has collected friends and memories, along with way too much unnecessary junk.

"The friends are the only things I've brought with me through the years that really matter," she says. "I could probably live without one more chintz teacup, another tin-litho sandpail or another snowglobe, but I need those friends."

The theme of enduring friendships and families is always central to Sherryl's books, including her latest Chesapeake Shores series — THE INN AT EAGLE POINT, FLOWERS ON MAIN and HARBOR LIGHTS.

Author of more than 100 romance and mystery novels, Sherryl Woods grew up in Virginia. Over the years she had lived in Ohio and Florida, as well as California. Currently she divides her time between Key Biscayne, Florida and Colonial Beach, Virginia, the small, river-front town where she spent her childhood summers.

A graduate of Ohio State University School of Journalism, Sherryl spent more than ten years as a journalist, most of them as a television critic for newspapers in Ohio and Florida. For several years she also coordinated a motivational program for the more than 8,000 employees at the University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Medical Center.

Her first book, RESTORING LOVE, was published in 1982 by Dell Candlelight Ecstasy under the pseudonym of Suzanne Sherrill. Her second book, SAND CASTLES, under the pseudonym of Alexandra Kirk, was published later that same year by Bantam. She began using her own name when she moved to the Second Chance at Love line at Berkley Publishing. In 1986, she began writing full-time and also began her long career at Silhouette Books with the Desire title NOT AT EIGHT, DARLING, set in the world of television which she covered for so many years.

In addition to her more than 75 romances for Silhouette Desire and Special Edition, she has written thirteen mysteries — nine in the Amanda Roberts series and four in the Molly DeWitt series.

When she's not writing or reading, Sherryl loves to garden, though she's not at her best on a riding lawn mower. She also loves tennis, theater, and ballet, even though her top spin has long since vanished, she's never set foot on a stage, and she's way too uncoordinated to dance. She also loves baseball and claims anyone who's ever seen Kevin Costner in "Bull Durham" can understand why.

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5 stars
800 (36%)
4 stars
756 (34%)
3 stars
486 (22%)
2 stars
104 (4%)
1 star
32 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
Profile Image for Jess.
1,541 reviews100 followers
September 3, 2010
A nice ending to the trilogy, but I really disliked the main character Liz. She was a spoiled brat. She wanted what SHE wanted and didn't care who she hurt in the process. The backstory, she was with Tucker when they were younger and everyone expected them to get married, so what does Liz do? She leaves him for someone who would "make more of himself". Flash forward a few years, something happens to Liz so she goes running to Tucker to help her. And she doesn't care that he might lose his job/reputation in the process.

I really disliked her. Other than that, I still liked the story, but obviously I couldn't enjoy it as much as the others since I kept wishing another woman would waltz into the story and beat the daylights out of Liz.
Profile Image for Reni.
400 reviews
May 2, 2018
I tried, I really did but Liz annoyed the living daylights out of me and that made me want to throw the book, so much so I didn't enjoy the story and I kept wishing she would disappear and someone else take her place. Tucker was a sap for keeping her around. Kinda spoilt the end of the trilogy. Shame, but there you go.
912 reviews
May 3, 2023
For any romance novel, the readers need to connect to the characters and care for their stakes and be invested in their HEA. Here the h is a blue blooded, rich woman who was in love with H who is a local boy throughout their high school days and beyond and then meets someone who is rich and political. She betrays the H and marries her husband and within month catches him cheating and continues to support him politically and forgives him. When she asks for a divorce, her husband threatens her and she comes back to find him murdered and runs back to her old boyfriend who is a sheriff. She continues to protect her husband's reputation despite being the primary suspect in his murder.

All this before Chapter 5, she doesn't come across as relatable, just another political wife thinking about public opinion. I like men who forgive but I don't like those who forget betrayals and move on with people who have already betrayed more than once. To me, the h coming running back to H is another form of betrayal as she is the suspect, its not going to help H's career to have any kind of connections to h. Thanks to h's selfishness if this book was keeping it real, h essentially not just cost H his love life but also his career all the while keeping her late husband's intact.

What a woman and what a chump. I don't care whether or not they get married and if they did, the plan should include self delusions as the h didn't love H enough to marry him and had the dead buy been half way decent she would have moved on to someone else rather than trying to recapture something with the only trustworthy guy she ever met in her life.
Profile Image for Jane.
1,214 reviews4 followers
June 2, 2017
Another great read by Sherryl Woods. This is the final Trinity Harbor book. Although they are all inter-connected; each can be read as a standalone. This is Tucker's story. He is the sheriff of Trinity Harbor. He was left behind heartbroken by his childhood sweetheart, Mary Elizabeth, six years ago. Now she has returned and come to him as her husband, Larry, has been murdered. She knows everyone is going to think she did it as they had a very loud and public argument the night before. But no one knew that she was leaving him and wanted a divorce.

Mary Elizabeth is hoping that Tucker will believe her that she didn't kill Larry and help her find out who really did it. She and Tucker still have feelings for each other that they are keeping hidden. This is a sweet second chance romance with a bit of suspense blended in. If you are a Sherryl Woods fan you won't want to miss this one.

Profile Image for Vanessa-Ann Dowsett.
472 reviews17 followers
May 28, 2019
In my opinion this book is the best of the trilogy. It begins with the main character Mary Elizabeth husband being brutally murdered in the family home. The suspicion immediately falls upon the wife who says that she had returned home after a trip to find her husband dead. She seeks help from her childhood sweetheart Sheriff Ticket Spencer. Tucker decides to take leave of absence to help Liz to find the murderer, who ever it might be. He leaves his deputy to do the same in the official capacity of the Sheriffs office. So many things occur in this story and features all the characters from the first two weeks in the series so it was nice to see them again. This book, by far, is the strongest and I was wrong footed as far as the perpetrator, so Sherryl had written a very good yarn. No spoilers from me as always but I recommend this Trinity harbour trilogy beginning with About that Man then Ask Anyone and this book.
Profile Image for Gwen S..
836 reviews15 followers
June 15, 2023
Liz and Tucker's Renewed Love Saga! 3.55***** Spoiler Alert

Tucker, the last of King's kids to be married was embroiled with his former high school lover, now murder suspect, Liz Chandler, the murdered senator, Larry's wife/ owner of Sean's inheritance. Regaining the trust from Daisy, King, and Tucker was a monumental hurdle for Liz to accomplish only to realize that Arlene, Ken Willis' wife, was the latest lover and murderer of Larry, and not Cynthia. Rescuing herself, Liz and Tucker got married before King and Frances. HEA for all and the Youth Center was on its way to reality.
This was one of SWoods better penned novels in this series. Condoms should be mentioned as it was not revealed if Liz was checked for STIs and HIV with her cheating husband Larry. A Fair-Read!

06/12/23- 06/14/23. COVID-19 Summer '23
Profile Image for Nikki.
1,417 reviews12 followers
April 28, 2020
The last book in this trilogy about the Spencer family in Trinity Harbour, this book is about Tucker, the local Sheriff and King, the Father of them all.

Mary Elizabeth broke Tucker's heart when she married Larry, when she finds Larry dead she flees to Tucker for help. No one in the family is happy about the turn of events, knowing how Tucker was last time, no one wants to see his heart broken a second time, but he can't see her cope with this alone, and he knows she can't have done it, could she?

Then there it's King and his relationship with Frances, can her get her back and do the right thing?

This book ties the story up nicely, the whole series is worth a read.
272 reviews
February 19, 2021
I didn’t finish this book. I barely started it. It’s the third in a series but it had too many unbelievable things happen to do anything but annoy me.

The sheriff comes home to find a woman sleeping in his bed. It is an ex lover who just found her murdered husband. Instead of calling the police she goes to the sheriff’s home, lets herself in and goes to sleep???

The sheriff, knowing it is a conflict of interest, recuses himself and turns the investigation over to his brother-in-law??? Really???

I tried but that was too much, even for me. I get that they can’t all be masterpieces but life is too short to read crappy books. On to the next one.
Profile Image for Beth.
919 reviews
June 20, 2022
Rather formulaic romance with a dash of murder mystery stirred in rounded up to a 2.5. I was curious about this author as I had never read one of her books, but I know she penned the Chesapeake Shores books that have been serialized by Hallmark. I found her writing rather simplistic, without nuances of emotional connection between characters. The characters seem to have two emotions: love and hate. This novel features a sprawling family lead by an overbearing, grouchy patriarch who still feels the need to insert himself into his children's lives and bend them to his will. An almost DNF as I knew Tucker and Liz would end up at the altar, but wanted to know who the blasted murderer was.
Profile Image for Marcia  Haskell.
632 reviews11 followers
November 11, 2018
Can the past be recaptured after betrayal

Liz left her best friend/fiancé for another man. Now she is in trouble, her husband has been murdered and she needs her former BF, current Sheriff Tucker Spenser to help her find the killer. To make matters worse, Tucker’s sister and father hate her for hurting him.

A return to Trinity Harbor and familiar, nosy, know-it-all population. I enjoy the people the setting and the role reversals of Sherryl Wood’s characters. Fun to read. Like visiting with old friends.
646 reviews1 follower
Read
August 12, 2019
Good finish to the series unless Ms. Woods decides to give us a peak into the lives after marriage.
Liz left Tucker several years ago for man that her Grandfather picked for her thinking she was in love with him but, he was cheating on her all along. After she tells him she wants a divorce, she goes to her home at Swan Lake and finds him dead. She runs to Tucker for help and the story get real interesting after that.
Would love to read about King and Francis's wedding and how this family grows together.
Profile Image for MJ.
35 reviews
August 7, 2017
I'd forgotten to load my basket of books when I left home, so I read the first two books in this trilogy.
As she did in the other books, the author wrote about characters who were likable and believable and their conflicts were equally believable and easy to follow.

Note: As with the first two novels, I gave this three stars for adequate plot and character development, but could give five stars for being what I wanted at the moment.
1,161 reviews26 followers
January 24, 2022
Sit back for a fun read of romance and a who done it. Sheriff Tucker Spencer loved his job and when he gets home one night he finds Mary Elizabeth in his bed. The same Mary Elizabeth who married another man while breaking his heart. Mary Elizabeth needs Tucker's help in finding out who had killed her husband and why. Many things come to light and will Tucker and Mary Elizabeth find what they had lost
Profile Image for Vickie.
1,591 reviews4 followers
June 11, 2017
This was a good ending to this trilogy. I really liked Tucker Spencer in all three books but the lead female in this one, Liz Chandler, was a lot less likeable. I liked the humor but too many parts of the mystery/suspense were too predictable. It was a great audiobook for riding in the car!

Go Cards! L1C4!!
6,219 reviews83 followers
March 31, 2018
Tucker's and King's stories. Tucker comes home to find the woman who broke his heart asleep in his bed. He finds out she is the one he ran to when she discovered her husband murdered in the library. Despite his father's and sister's objections he agrees to help her.

King upset that his son might have his heart broken again finds his own romantic stumbling blocks.
1,516 reviews2 followers
December 29, 2018
Sheriff Tucker Spencer comes home to find Mary Elizabeth asleep in his bed. She had broken Tucker's heart 6 years ago when she up and married Larry, a charismatic Virginia Politician. He has been found shot to death in her home. A good story, but a little far fetched when it comes to Tucker's family.
Profile Image for Jessica.
313 reviews9 followers
December 1, 2020
Full disclosure, I found this book on the communal bookshelf in the laundry room of the condo we are vacationing in on Maui. I needed something light and mindless to pull me back from the amazing Sanderson book I just finished. It is good for that.
I also found a handful of Harlequins that I'm burning through because they are hilarious.
62 reviews
December 8, 2017
Fantastic ending to a great trilogy. I really enjoyed both Tucker and Mary Elizabeth as individual characters. I adored their love story. Sometimes your past can very well still be your present and your future. Lovely read. ❤
937 reviews13 followers
February 12, 2018
Ideally liked the strong family bond with the Spencer's. Some thought Mary Elizabeth was a spoiled brat, but I saw the main character as a strong woman who knew she made a mistake. The clues to the murder were well hidden. I like that.
Profile Image for Paula White.
666 reviews17 followers
May 27, 2018
The third and finale book in the Trinity Harbor Series. I smiled my way through the family dynamics and romance, even though this novel revolves around a murder. Once again a reminder that there are a few risqué parts some readers may want to skip.
1,130 reviews
September 29, 2018
Third book in a feel good trilogy (but there is room for more if Woods so desired) by Sheryl Woods. If you liked the first two at all, you had to find out what happened to the third King Spencer offspring. Read them in order.
Profile Image for Amy Leigh.
552 reviews2 followers
January 18, 2019
Not a thrilling murder mystery, but a decent enough romance with a murder mystery thrown in for intrigue. Mary Elizabeth and Tucker are likeable characters, and their complicated past history keeps the romance from moving too quickly. A good quick read.
Profile Image for Carol.
959 reviews40 followers
August 22, 2019
This was a somewhat disappointing finish to the trilogy. I never really warmed up to Liz and I thought her relationship with Tucker was resolved much too easily. Not a bad read, but a let down after the previous two books.
680 reviews2 followers
September 22, 2021
Loved the first two books in the Trinity Harbor series. So sad that the last book in the trilogy was a DNF for me. None of the previous upbeat or funny situations in this plot. Tucker came across as weak and frankly stupid; and, his love interest Liz was spoiled, self-centered, and annoying.
Profile Image for Lemino Bookworm.
291 reviews1 follower
March 13, 2023
Cute

A sweet book, a feel good murder mystery if you can believe it... Relaxed reading before bed time. Excellent narration. I wish more Cheryl Woods' books were available in "read and listen" on Kindle unlimited.
Profile Image for Kathy.
1,050 reviews5 followers
July 7, 2023
Enjoyable Read!

I enjoyed reading this book. The characters are engaging and amazing the connection is undeniable throughout the pages. The storyline flowed easily throughout the pages. A must read!
Profile Image for Tanya.
452 reviews
December 15, 2023
Well this book was the last book of a trilogy...so you know I missed a few things. Bit overall I could figure it all out. I just hate that I missed the first two books. Oh well, overall the story was a good one.
Profile Image for Cynthia Miller.
237 reviews
June 8, 2017
Captured my attention from the start...kept me guessing throughout the book. Loved this series!
Profile Image for Andrea Finley.
248 reviews4 followers
June 13, 2017
Really hard to swallow this story line and I didn't particularly care for the heroine. An ok end to the trilogy.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews

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