WOW. I went into this book completely blind, and I could not be happier. One day, while walking the aisles of Barnes & Noble, I saw this book on a table and couldn’t resist picking it up. From the cover alone, it had me intrigued. Sav R. Miller and Emily McIntire are authors I have not read before, but I knew I would love to give them a try. They did not disappoint with this novel. Be Still My Heart is a dark romance with hints of mystery and crime. We follow Lincoln and Sloane throughout the story with their budding romance, as well as following the crimes that take place on Skelm Island. Lincoln is the owner of a lobster business, lives alone with his dog, and fits the grumpy role perfectly. So, when Detective Sloane comes to the island and starts searching around, asking questions, and placing herself right in the center of his life, he is not too happy. Sloane is a very strong-willed detective who will do whatever it takes to find the person responsible for the murders happening on this small island. Lincoln just so happens to be her number one suspect from the start; the problem with that…. he also happens to be the main focus of her thoughts for other reasons as well.

While solving these murders, more secrets begin to unravel. Is there more to Detective Sloane than meets the eye? Lincoln finds himself questioning things that he thought were left buried in the past.

While this book is a romance, I found myself wrapped up in the mystery/crime aspect of the story more. Between the story and the fast-paced writing, I devoured this book in three days. Nothing feels left unanswered in the book or left open for interpretation. The details in the book all feel necessary to the plot and keep you interested. When I read a book, I want it to be detailed, but I don’t want it to feel excessive, and I want the details to be directly related to the plot. Be Still My Heart did exactly that for me. This book felt like a mixture of The Mindfuck Series by S.T. Abby and Does It Hurt by H.D. Carlton. If you are a fan of either of those books, I would highly recommend Be Still My Heart.

This was written by our contributing writer, Hannah Martin.