Book Review: Shadows of the Past by Patricia Bradley

Taylor Martin’s father disappeared when she was eight. He left for a trip and never came back. It’s haunted her all her life and affected her ability to trust other men and even God. She won’t relinquish control over her life.

Nick Sinclair saw his wife die of a gunshot wound suffered during a mugging. Though his attraction to Taylor bodes well for his recovery from grief, her occupation as a profiler means risking the loss of another love, and he refuses to do that.

I recently joined the Revell Reads program, which is why I’ve been reviewing so much of the publisher’s fiction lately (and will continue to do so). Each month they allow me to choose books from a list they send, hoping I’ll review them here.

I thought long and hard about choosing Shadows of the Past the first book in the Logan Point series by Patricia Bradley. It’s a debut novel and I knew nothing about the author. In the end, I decided to try it. Am I ever glad I did! It sucked me in from the first page and wooed me all the way to the end. 

The current events in Taylor’s life trigger her involvement with Nick, a writer, and his brother Scott, a young alcoholic. Taylor believes Scott is a stalker—at the very least. Nick defends him at every turn, even when he has his own doubts about his brother’s innocence.  

Don’t expect anything particularly unique about the plot in this story—a grieving widower attracted to a woman in danger. Like most romantic suspense, the formula is pretty predictable, and it’s not hard to guess who is after her. It’s the character relationships, the sweet tea and country porch setting, and the execution that kept me turning pages. 

The author has done a good job in setting the stage for at least two more books (they usually run in three). I’m looking forward to the second book in the series due out next fall.

In the meantime, if you’re looking for something that moves quickly with lots of twists and turns along the way, consider giving Shadows of the Past a read. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: This book came to me free from the publisher, Revell, with the hope that I would mention it on this blog. There was no requirement for me to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed above are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.