Book Review: Never Let Go by Elizabeth Goddard

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Synopsis of the book:

Forensic genealogist Willow Anderson is following in her late grandfather’s footsteps in her quest for answers about a baby abducted from a hospital more than twenty years ago. When someone makes an attempt on Willow’s life to keep her from discovering the truth, help will come from an unexpected source.

Ex-FBI agent – and Willow’s ex-flame – Austin McKade readily offers to protect the woman he never should have let get away. Together they’ll follow where the clues lead them, even if it means Austin must face the past he’s spent much of his life trying to forget – and put Willow’s tender heart at risk.

My review:

Good suspense but the romance was not balanced. I have mixed emotions about this story. The prologue was riveting but I could not connect to Willow and Austin’s romance.

Since romantic suspense is one of my favorite genres, I was really looking forward to reading this one. The cover is awesome, the story premise is very intriguing, and I loved the introduction of forensic genealogy which I didn’t even know was an actual career.

Willow over-analyzed everything so there was a lot of introspection which pulled me out of the story. I wanted her to be a stronger woman than she came across as. I also really wanted to like Austin, but he had too many tragedies in his background. I think perhaps one would have been enough to drive his internal conflict.

About half way through the suspense picked up so Willow and Austin spent more time trying to solve the mystery instead of thinking about their relationship. That was when I got pulled in the story.

I think romantic suspense is a very difficult genre to write. For it to work well, the suspense and the romance must be pretty equally balanced. Unfortunately, the balance seemed to be off on this one.

What I enjoyed most about this book: 

The suspense in the second half of the book and Austin’s brother Heath. I really liked his character.

What I didn’t like about this book:

Too much introspection from the main characters.

My rating:  3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Would I recommend this book to others? Possibly. After seeing all of the four and five star reviews, I know that this story hits the right chord for some romantic suspense fans. The suspense was good so others might feel differently than I did.

Note: I received this book complimentary as a participant of the Revell Blog Tour. I was not required to give a positive review. All of the opinions I have expressed her are my own.

Where can I learn more about this author and their books?

Elizabeth Goddard, author website

Elizabeth Goddard, Revell page

-Loraine Nunley