Tuesday, April 01, 2014

Review: Safe Harbour by Helene Young

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publication Date: 26th March 2014
Pages: 340
Book Source: Penguin Aust & NetGalley

Synopsis: When Darcy Fletcher drags a handsome sailor from a stricken yacht, she finds herself drawn into his mysterious world. Having saved his life, can she now rescue him from his dark past? Or will that endanger all she holds most dear? 

Noah, keeper of the peace and guardian of the Banksia Cove secrets, can’t tell Darcy the real reason this stranger has washed up on their shores. If she understood the links between him and her own dysfunctional family, he’d lose her love for good. 

As they take refuge in an old whaling station for the night, only one thing is certain – by morning, no one will be the same again. Lies will surface. Hearts will break, and not all will find safe harbour. 

My Thoughts: 
I fell in love with Helene Young's writing with Half Moon Bay so I was excited to get my hands on Safe Harbour ... yowsers, what an unputdownable stay-up-all-night-nail-biter. 

Safe Harbour is set in Banksia Cove, a small town on the Queensland coast not far from Bundaberg. I've spent some time in the Bundaberg/Bargara area  and Helene pens not only the setting, but the characters, convincingly.  

It's a story of long-held secrets and dark pasts, drugs in sports, marine rescue, cover-ups and corruption. When Darcy Fletcher and Noah Moreton rescue a yachtsman in wild seas they're completely unaware of a far more dangerous storm about to be unleashed.  

There's a whole lot going on in Safe Harbour, it's a complex, multifaceted plot but character development isn't sacrificed for plot advancement. So, not only do you really get to know the main characters and care about what happens to them, you do it with your heart in your mouth.     

I warmed to Darcy immediately and I might have crushed a bit on local police officer Noah ... the chemistry between Noah and Darcy is undeniable, I swear if they hadn't got it together I would have slapped some sense into them. I loved Rosie, the aboriginal woman who was practically a second mother to Darcy. Rosie's connection to the land, her family and the whales was truly special and beautifully written.   

Recommend: In a heartbeat. Suspense keeps the pages turning but it's the relationships you remember. 


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16 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks Shelleyrae, now to get to Helene's Border Watch series :)

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  2. Lovely review Teddyree…I agree with Julie, this book does sound delish! I also love the name Noah so that's a drawcard in itself.

    I noticed that Helene Young is one of the speakers at ARRC 2015 so maybe we really do need to save those pennies.

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    1. I love the name Noah too Karen. Helene will be a great keynote speaker. I was looking at accommodation and it's a fantastic offer for delegates at the convention ... we should absolutely go LOL

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  3. Cool, I have not heard of this before now

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    1. You're such a supporter of Australian writers B ... I think you'd like Helene's books!

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    1. Yup ... go on Mary, you know you want to lol

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  5. Looks so good. Off to add it to my goodreads list :)

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    1. Knowing your reading taste Stacy, I think you'd love Helene Young's books!

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  6. This sounds good, I love romantic suspense.

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  7. Yes definitely sounds good, I will have to look it up. Hmm and I love the name Noah, I once taught a gorgeous kid named Noah!

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  8. I have only recently read my first Helene Young. Really liked it.

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  9. A good romance mixed with a bit of suspense sounds like a book you just get lost int.

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