Carrie Schmidt's Reviews > Ambush

If Colleen Coble writes it, I’ll read it… she’s that good at crafting riveting romantic suspense with layered characters I really come to care about. So needless to say, picking up Ambush was a must for me. Bonus points because it starts a new series, and double bonus points because it’s set near some of her other series so we get to hang out with familiar fave characters as well as the new ones!

There’s something about wild animals and severe weather that make suspense novels feel even more ominous, raising the stakes and keeping me braced for the next shoe to drop, and Ambush brings both of those elements to the mix. I loved that it’s set on a wildlife refuge in Alabama, complete with lions and tigers and bears (oh my!) and hyenas and foxes and panthers and hippos and a host of other creatures. Adding to that amped-up tension that comes with the mere presence of these potentially-dangerous animals is Paradise’s past big-cat-related trauma (I really felt her battle with fear, particularly in a couple of key scenes) and the fact that someone is trying to sabotage The Sanctuary and is willing to kill to do so. Throw in the unpredictability of Alabama’s unsettled weather patterns, and Paradise’s romantic history with Blake Lawson, and you need to be prepared that you’ll likely have to remind yourself to breathe more than once.

That said, I also appreciated how Coble achieves a great balance of acknowledging the wild nature of the animals at The Sanctuary and the need to always keep that danger in mind, while still giving them loads of fun personality, particularly in their interactions with Blake’s family and Paradise. Coble also finds this balance in conveying Paradise’s very valid fears and, in contrast, emphasizing the peace of God (and the courage it provides) that’s available to her when she asks. The scenes that bring this into focus are so well-written and were really touching to this former anxiety girl who empathized with Paradise’s journey. And I could talk for hours about how much I loved the subplot involving the ripple effects of Paradise’s following the nudging of God toward a difficult side character.

Bottom Line: Ambush by Colleen Coble grabbed my interest from word one and not only held it through the whole story but also has me champing at the bit to see how the arc involving the murder of Paradise’s parents – and the secrets she uncovers in this book – will play out over the course of this new series. I loved everything about this story, from Blake & Paradise’s relationship (and all its complex layers from the past) to the well-crafted, edge of your seat suspense plot, Blake’s endearing little brothers & their big-hearted mom, the unique setting, and the moving notes of grace. It was also fun to get to hang out with familiar faces from a couple of her other series, though this reads just fine as a standalone if you haven’t read her Pelican Harbor or Tupelo Grove (written with Rick Acker) series yet. I can’t wait for the second book – November can’t get here fast enough!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

first reviewed at Reading Is My SuperPower