Blog Tour ★ Review of Before He Vanished
Saturday 7 March 2020
Winchester, Tennessee #6
Published 1 March 2020
by Harlequin Intrigue
His disappearance changed her life forever.
Twenty-five years ago, Halle Lane’s best friend vanished from their Tennessee town. When a childhood photo brings Liam Hart to Winchester, Halle is certain the man is the same child who vanished. Now Liam seeks out Halle to help him investigate the circumstances of his mysterious past. Can Liam and Halle uncover the truth before a killer buries all traces of the boy Halle loved—and the man he may have become—forever?
Discover more spine-tingling suspense in the Winchester, Tennessee Thriller series:
In Self Defense
The Dark Woods
The Stranger Next Door
The Safest Lies
Witness Protection Widow
From Harlequin Intrigue: Seek thrills. Solve crimes. Justice served.
Before we start out, I’m getting this out of the way because I will forget to do it if I don’t. I got a review copy from the publisher so I could do my read and review thing. In other words. Per FTC guidelines so I won’t get fined, I’m telling you, the reader, that I got a free book to read from the publisher so I could review it! This doesn’t influence me in any manner because I am an opinionated woman who doesn’t know how to not speak her mind. But I don’t feel like paying the government money for not mentioning the free book thing, so here we are, stuck in this never-ending cycle of having to mention this. I got a free book to read from the publisher so I could talk about whether I liked it or not. Shocking, I know.
We’re returning to Winchester, Tennessee once again today with Before He Vanished and I am actually pretty excited to tell you that Debra Webb delivers two of my favourite tropes to me on a silver platter and I enjoyed every page of it! I’m talking about best friends to lovers and traumatic forgotten childhoods. Oh, my gods, that sounds so bad, but honestly, it’s a “samesies” relatable thing, I swear. Halle Lane and Andy Clark were best friends attached at the hip their entire childhood until Andy disappeared one day when they were seven. Twenty-five years later, Halle is an investigative reporter at the Winchester Gazette and takes the opportunity to launch an investigative series of articles on the anniversary of her friend’s disappearance. And somebody (I love mysterious somebodies) sends her article to Liam Hart in Napa, California. Liam and his sister, Claire, are both surprised to see little Liam’s face in an article about a missing kid from Tennessee twenty-five years ago. Liam’s steadfast that it’s a joke, but Claire’s more open to the idea and suggests he go to Tennessee. I like Claires. They’re always so astute. I need a Claire in my life, please.
The thing that really rubbed. Halle and Liam vacillate between their past and present relationships, Halle likens Liam to Andy every time you turn a page, understandably, but I do wonder if the romance is between Halle and Liam or Halle and Andy. Yes, they're the same guy, but does she love adult Liam because he's Andy and she never got to see that childhood first love thing through or not? I don't really see that explored in the book. The same goes for Liam. Halle was Andy's #1 everything, and twenty-five years later, he has her in his face again and is he Andy or is he Liam? Does he like Halle or did Andy and he's just seeing it through? And this really bothered me, okay?
Before He Vanished was a joy to read in that Webb spins the story in a way that you expect and then she hits you from behind with another twist and you sit there trying to figure out how you got there. I know I said in my previous Winchester review that I was a bit disappointed in the ending, but this time, Webb tied my ends up nice and neat for me, and she gave me cute childhood memories to boot! Before He Vanished has low-heat romance and a couple murders to be solved, oodles of intrigue, and just a splash predictability.
Now, as per usual, I have content warnings for you! If you feel that forewarned is forearmed, all you need to do is click the reveal button and you have the content and trigger warnings. As always, please practise care in your readings if any of these might be problematic for you, and if you have any questions about them, please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about them, I'll try my best to remember the details if I can't look them up! Please note that these warnings do contain spoiler materials.
Overall, I’m going to be giving Before He Vanished 4 stars and just 1 flame for heat. I’ve enjoyed finding Winchester, Tennessee and I’ve actually bought the The Undertaker’s Daughter series to read in my down-time so I’m obviously recommending this to y’all. This book is available wherever Harlequin romances are sold, so go check it out for yourself.
We’re returning to Winchester, Tennessee once again today with Before He Vanished and I am actually pretty excited to tell you that Debra Webb delivers two of my favourite tropes to me on a silver platter and I enjoyed every page of it! I’m talking about best friends to lovers and traumatic forgotten childhoods. Oh, my gods, that sounds so bad, but honestly, it’s a “samesies” relatable thing, I swear. Halle Lane and Andy Clark were best friends attached at the hip their entire childhood until Andy disappeared one day when they were seven. Twenty-five years later, Halle is an investigative reporter at the Winchester Gazette and takes the opportunity to launch an investigative series of articles on the anniversary of her friend’s disappearance. And somebody (I love mysterious somebodies) sends her article to Liam Hart in Napa, California. Liam and his sister, Claire, are both surprised to see little Liam’s face in an article about a missing kid from Tennessee twenty-five years ago. Liam’s steadfast that it’s a joke, but Claire’s more open to the idea and suggests he go to Tennessee. I like Claires. They’re always so astute. I need a Claire in my life, please.
The thing that really rubbed. Halle and Liam vacillate between their past and present relationships, Halle likens Liam to Andy every time you turn a page, understandably, but I do wonder if the romance is between Halle and Liam or Halle and Andy. Yes, they're the same guy, but does she love adult Liam because he's Andy and she never got to see that childhood first love thing through or not? I don't really see that explored in the book. The same goes for Liam. Halle was Andy's #1 everything, and twenty-five years later, he has her in his face again and is he Andy or is he Liam? Does he like Halle or did Andy and he's just seeing it through? And this really bothered me, okay?
Before He Vanished was a joy to read in that Webb spins the story in a way that you expect and then she hits you from behind with another twist and you sit there trying to figure out how you got there. I know I said in my previous Winchester review that I was a bit disappointed in the ending, but this time, Webb tied my ends up nice and neat for me, and she gave me cute childhood memories to boot! Before He Vanished has low-heat romance and a couple murders to be solved, oodles of intrigue, and just a splash predictability.
Now, as per usual, I have content warnings for you! If you feel that forewarned is forearmed, all you need to do is click the reveal button and you have the content and trigger warnings. As always, please practise care in your readings if any of these might be problematic for you, and if you have any questions about them, please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about them, I'll try my best to remember the details if I can't look them up! Please note that these warnings do contain spoiler materials.
Overall, I’m going to be giving Before He Vanished 4 stars and just 1 flame for heat. I’ve enjoyed finding Winchester, Tennessee and I’ve actually bought the The Undertaker’s Daughter series to read in my down-time so I’m obviously recommending this to y’all. This book is available wherever Harlequin romances are sold, so go check it out for yourself.
DEBRA WEBB is the USA Today bestselling author of more than 150 novels, including reader favorites the Faces of Evil, the Colby Agency and the Shades of Death series. She is the recipient of the prestigious Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for Romantic Suspense as well as numerous Reviewers Choice Awards. In 2012 Debra was honored as the first recipient of the esteemed L. A. Banks Warrior Woman Award for her courage, strength, and grace in the face of adversity. Recently Debra was awarded the distinguished Centennial Award for having achieved publication of her 100th novel. With this award Debra joined the ranks of a handful of authors like Nora Roberts and Carole Mortimer.
With more than four million books sold in numerous languages and countries, Debra’s love of storytelling goes back to her childhood when her mother bought her an old typewriter in a tag sale. Born in Alabama, Debra grew up on a farm and spent every available hour exploring the world around her and creating her stories. She wrote her first story at age nine and her first romance at thirteen. It wasn’t until she spent three years working for the Commanding General of the US Army in Berlin behind the Iron Curtain and a five-year stint in NASA’s Shuttle Program that she realized her true calling. A collision course between suspense and romance was set. Since then she has expanded her work into some of the darkest places the human psyche dares to go. Visit Debra at www.debrawebb.com.
Social Media include::
With more than four million books sold in numerous languages and countries, Debra’s love of storytelling goes back to her childhood when her mother bought her an old typewriter in a tag sale. Born in Alabama, Debra grew up on a farm and spent every available hour exploring the world around her and creating her stories. She wrote her first story at age nine and her first romance at thirteen. It wasn’t until she spent three years working for the Commanding General of the US Army in Berlin behind the Iron Curtain and a five-year stint in NASA’s Shuttle Program that she realized her true calling. A collision course between suspense and romance was set. Since then she has expanded her work into some of the darkest places the human psyche dares to go. Visit Debra at www.debrawebb.com.
Social Media include::
Guess who had to go to the after-hours care clinic last night and have glass removed from her hand because she dropped the blender that is apparently not plastic and whilst picking up the pieces and making sure the dogs maintained their stays outside of the kitchen and away from the glass, she rammed a nice chonk of glass in her hand? Yeah, me. I'm a smart cookie, honest. I also weirded the doc out because he's digging glass out of my hand without an anaesthetic of any sort and he kept asking if I was okay or if I needed a break. Nah, bruh. I'm good. And that's on messed up pain receptors because of past trauma and side effects of Aimovig.
In keeping with this review, today's post is dedicated to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. If you're of a mind and the means to donate to this worthy cause, I defintely won't stop you.
In keeping with this review, today's post is dedicated to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. If you're of a mind and the means to donate to this worthy cause, I defintely won't stop you.
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