Shadows on the Sand by Gayle Roper * A Review

ABOUT SHADOWS ON THE SAND
She serves him breakfast at her cafe every morning … but he never seems to notice her.
Carrie Carter’s small cafe in Seaside, New Jersey, is populated with a motley crew of locals … although Carrie only has eyes for Greg Barnes. He’s recovering from a vicious crime that three years ago took the lives of his wife and children—and from the year he tried to drink his reality away. While her heart does a happy Snoopy dance at the sight of him, he never seems to notice her, to Carrie’s chagrin.
When Carrie’s dishwasher is killed and her young waitress disappears, Greg finds himself drawn into helping Carrie solve the mysteries … and into her life. But when Carrie’s own painful past becomes all to present, her carefully constructed world begins to sink.
Will the fragile relationship she’s built with Greg implode from the weight of the baggage they both carry?

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Multnomah Books (July 19, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1601420846
ISBN-13: 978-1601420848
Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gayle the Writer: Gayle is the award winning author of more than forty books. She has been a Christy finalist three times for her novels Spring Rain, Summer Shadows, and Winter Winds.
Her novel Autumn Dreams won the prestigious Romance Writers of America's RITA Award for Best Inspirational Romance. Summer Shadows was voted the Inspirational Readers Choice Contest Book of the Year (tied with fellow author Brandilyn Collins).
Gayle has won the Holt Medallion three times for The Decision, Caught in a Bind, and Autumn Dreams. The Decision won the Reviewers Choice Award, and Gayle has also won the Award of Excellence for Spring Rain and the Golden Quill for Summer Shadows and Winter Winds. Romantic Times Book Report gave Gayle the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Her Amhearst mystery series, Caught in the Middle, Caught in the Act, and Caught in a Bind, originally published by Zondervan, was reprinted in 2007 by Love Inspired Suspense with a fourth original title added, Caught Redhanded. Another original single title, See No Evil, was also released. Caught in the Middle has been optioned for film.
A Woman and her Emotions, an updated and expanded version of Gayle's title Balancing Your Emotions, also saw release in 2007. Gayle's other nonfiction title, Riding the Waves, has been called the "thinking woman's book on contentment".
2008 sees the release of Fatal Deduction (Waterbrook Multnomah) in May. Publishers Weekly states, "Roper's dialogue and character development are spot-on, which is no small feat, considering that Libby's world is peopled by everyone from elderly patricians to two-bit gangsters…This novel is a pleasure from start to finish."

Gayle the Teacher:  For her work in training Christian writers Gayle has won special recognition from Mount Hermon CWC, St. Davids CWC, Florida CWC, and Greater Philadelphia CWC. She directed St. Davids for five years and Sandy Cove CWC for six. She has taught with Christian Leaders, Authors and Speakers Services (CLASS), serving for several years as their writer in residence.
Gayle enjoys speaking at women's events across the nation and loves sharing the powerful truths of Scripture with humor and practicality.
When she's not writing, or teaching at conferences, Gayle enjoys reading, gardening, and eating out.
http://www.gayleroper.com/home.html

MY REVIEW
  Another author I haven’t read any of her books before. She is new to me and I really loved this book.
  Right off I really liked/sympathized with one of the main characters Carrie. She is full of spunk, but also tender, but acts tough. It is hard for her to trust people after the way her mother brought her and her younger sister up.
   It was very easy to get involved in this story and it was hard to put down. I couldn’t wait to read it, but didn’t want it to end.
  This book Shadows on the Sand is full of love, patience, suspense and forgiveness. Each of the main characters had something happen in their past that they need to let go of and move on in life. In each other they find how they can do that.
  Also a cult is after two of Carrie’s employees, but she doesn’t know this. It’s sad how things like this happen and no one knows what is going on.
  In this whole book people are dealing with love, loss and forgiveness. Each person deals with things differently.
  I really love the setting of this book. It’s called Seaside, New Jersey and just sounds like a place you would love to live or vacation at. Carrie’s café sounds so very special, warm and inviting. Just a place you would love to visit and share with a friend.
 I highly recommend Shadows on the Sand. You will love it.

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Thanks to WaterBrookMultnomah for providing this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255