Scan barcode
amandajmontes's review against another edition
4.0
This story had a good balance of suspense, romance, and mystery to keep me intrigued. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.
lexee9's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this story. It pulled me in from beginning to end as we watch Grant and Ellie try and unravel who killed Lee and Kate and is still after a file and the kids. This story was written well and had a great flow that kept the reader engaged. I loved getting to know the secondary characters as well and am excited for the rest of the books in the series.
booklovinmamas's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I’m glad to be back in my Romantic Suspense era this year (2024) and glad to be back reading one of my favorite author’s books, Melinda Leigh. I first read Hour of Need back in 2015 and had a hard time putting it down. I decided I needed to revisit Scarlett Falls since this was one of my favorite series from Melinda.
Storyline: Melinda has you on the case to find out what happened to Grant Barrett’s brother and sister-in-law, who were murdered unexpectedly, leaving behind two young children. Grant’s serving in the military overseas when he gets the call to return home, and he never expected his little brother to be unalived, let alone someone murder him and his wife. When someone attempts to kidnap his niece, nephew, and their babysitter, he knows what happened to his brother; Lee wasn’t random. The FMC, Ellie Ross, knew Lee Barrett and their wife and was devasted by the news of what happened to them, especially since she lived next to them and her daughter used to babysit their kids. She ends up needing Grant’s help because someone is after her, and it has everything to do with Grant’s brother and a case he was working on at the law firm.
Thoughts: This was my second time reading this book, and it still gives me goosebumps after rereading it. It touches on some hard topics, and not just solving who murdered Grant’s family. The case that Grant’s brother was working on was a tough one. As a mother of two daughters, this was a tough one to read, especially when it came to the bullying and what happened to a young teenage girl. When it came to the main storyline and figuring out what truly happened to Lee Barrett and his wife, it was a shocker to see everything weave together and find out who was truly behind everything. It’s definitely a story that had me thinking and may have me up at night.
The characters she writes are always different, unique, and sometimes even relatable. I connected instantly with Ellie because she’s a mother who is very protective of her family. I understood her hesitation in not asking for help when she obviously needed it. Grant was a character I related to when it came to the military and having to make hard decisions when it came to serving or taking care of the children. (The military chain of command sometimes doesn’t care if children are involved.)
I love that Melinda gives us several POVs in the third person, where you are solving the story with the characters but also feeling what the characters are going through. I’m used to reading the first POV in Contemporary Romances, but I also enjoy the third POV, especially when it’s a Romantic Suspense. Melinda also gives you the antagonist POV, which you don’t figure out later who it is, and sometimes she doesn’t give you a POV for a reason because she wants to leave it as a surprise.
I gave this book five stars back in 2015, and after rereading it, it still gets five stars. I wish I could give it more. I’m onto Hannah Barrett’s story next, who was introduced in this book.
Would I recommend this book/series? Yes. If you are looking for a Romantic Suspense story that takes you on a rollercoaster of a ride, then this book/series is for you.
rae_carr21's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful!
A complete and total emotional roller coaster, but I loved every minute of it. The flow of the chapters switching characters really gave the reader the whole story. The plot line was thick with mystery and romance. It had me on the edge of my seat more than once. Totally would read again! Cannot wait for the second book!
A complete and total emotional roller coaster, but I loved every minute of it. The flow of the chapters switching characters really gave the reader the whole story. The plot line was thick with mystery and romance. It had me on the edge of my seat more than once. Totally would read again! Cannot wait for the second book!
chelelynn's review against another edition
3.0
Easy read
Nothing earth-shattering here but good enough to hold my interest. The ending wrapped up a little too quickly but was surprising nonetheless...not one that I had figured out from the get-go.
Nothing earth-shattering here but good enough to hold my interest. The ending wrapped up a little too quickly but was surprising nonetheless...not one that I had figured out from the get-go.
book4merk's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
whiskeyinthejar's review against another edition
2.0
First off, be prepared, this is 95% murder/mystery and 5% romance. Adjust expectations accordingly.
The writing was really good with good characters, the beginning was interesting and engaging, middle slow and dragged out without a lot of story movement, and the ending was full of about 20pgs rushing to explain/reveal the murder/mystery twists and turns as if the author only had 5 seconds to relay the information. The romance aspect was forced, tagged on, and pretty non-existent; this is what I usually show up for so I was kind of disappointed.
The writing was really good with good characters, the beginning was interesting and engaging, middle slow and dragged out without a lot of story movement, and the ending was full of about 20pgs rushing to explain/reveal the murder/mystery twists and turns as if the author only had 5 seconds to relay the information. The romance aspect was forced, tagged on, and pretty non-existent; this is what I usually show up for so I was kind of disappointed.
ymiranda's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 Stars.
Solid romantic suspense, but it was a little slow at times.
Solid romantic suspense, but it was a little slow at times.
wealie's review against another edition
5.0
5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 - Excellent first installment in a romance suspense trilogy - good plot, realistic, but relatable characters with positive depictions of masculine and feminine behaviours and interactions between the sexes.
I really enjoyed this book it had a gripping plot that pulled at my heartstrings, had me emotionally invested in the well-being of the central characters and totally relating to the behaviours and choices they made throughout the story. The characters were very believable, their heartbreaking moments of development effortlessly drove the plot and never felt like they were shoehorned in for plot development.
I was heartened to see positive depictions of masculinity and femininity - I've had a few too many bad examples of this lately that have made my feminist blood boil. So, [b:Hour of Need|22730870|Hour of Need (Scarlet Falls, #1)|Melinda Leigh|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1413326189s/22730870.jpg|42266918] was like a cleansing balm to the soul. It's also proof it is possible to write strong virile men and strong independent women who can support and lean on each other without falling into outmoded, unrealistic and unhealthy tropes of ditzy child-women and toxic masculinity macho men character archetypes.
I mostly listened to the novel on audible and the narration by [a:Cris Dukehart|5776099|Cris Dukehart|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1339312685p2/5776099.jpg] was spot on, an engaging, but not intrusive style, which kept me rooted in the story without really hearing the voice.
I liked this book so much I went and bought the two sequels on kindle and audible.
I really enjoyed this book it had a gripping plot that pulled at my heartstrings, had me emotionally invested in the well-being of the central characters and totally relating to the behaviours and choices they made throughout the story. The characters were very believable, their heartbreaking moments of development effortlessly drove the plot and never felt like they were shoehorned in for plot development.
I was heartened to see positive depictions of masculinity and femininity - I've had a few too many bad examples of this lately that have made my feminist blood boil. So, [b:Hour of Need|22730870|Hour of Need (Scarlet Falls, #1)|Melinda Leigh|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1413326189s/22730870.jpg|42266918] was like a cleansing balm to the soul. It's also proof it is possible to write strong virile men and strong independent women who can support and lean on each other without falling into outmoded, unrealistic and unhealthy tropes of ditzy child-women and toxic masculinity macho men character archetypes.
I mostly listened to the novel on audible and the narration by [a:Cris Dukehart|5776099|Cris Dukehart|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1339312685p2/5776099.jpg] was spot on, an engaging, but not intrusive style, which kept me rooted in the story without really hearing the voice.
I liked this book so much I went and bought the two sequels on kindle and audible.
patambro's review against another edition
5.0
Un libro magnifico. Una historia tan actual y creíble. Si bien es ficción, es tan plausible que parece una historia sacada de la vida real. Grant es un hombre hecho y derecho. Y así como tiene su parte dura, tiene la calidez y ternura que te hace enamorar. No es un libro romántico. Pero en el fondo, uno termina queriendo que aunque sea una parte del mismo te llene de esperanza.