Review – Blood Ties by Sharon Sala

Publisher: MIRA
Publish Date: Out Now!
How I got this book: NetGalley

The truth will set you free – if it doesn’t get you killed

 

Savannah Slade is not the person she thought she was. The reading of her “father’s” will has led her to a world-shattering revelation: her sisters are not her blood kin—and she may be the heiress to a massive fortune. Her not-quite-fiancé Judd doesn’t care where she came from—he only wants her by his side. But the primal need to uncover her past wins out, and Savannah trades the Montana ranges for Miami’s moneyed oceanside enclaves.

The wealthy and powerful Stoss family is less than overjoyed to find that Gerald Stoss’s daughter has emerged from the past. But theirs is a clan seldom troubled by…inconveniences. They’ve always had the means to eradicate any blemish on their perfect lives. One more won’t make a difference.
*Blurb from Goodreads*

I’ve never read anything by Sala before, and I have to say I really enjoyed her writing. I was a little worried going in, because I saw a review that said the person didn’t feel this book should have been categorized as a romance novel. I’m not a huge fan of mystery style books without a bit of romance in them, so I was leery. But ultimately very happy.

Savannah’s father has just died and dropped a bomb on her and her sisters: they are all not his biological children, and were taken under his wing when their mothers claimed their lives were in danger. Savannah found out that her father was from a wealthy family, and after being murdered by his own twin, Savannah’s mother gave her up, trying to keep her out of danger.

Savannah heads out to Miami to try and get some justice for her father. Along the way she finds herself involved in a murder, finds relatives she never expected to find, and ends up being hunted. She worries that she wont be able to see justice in time, but with the help of her attorney, an ex-CIA agent, and her cowboy boyfriend, she just might be able to stay alive long enough.

This story was different from other romantic suspense books that I’ve read lately in that we know who the big bad is from the beginning on the story. Savannah KNOWS her father’s twin killed him, so most of the book isn’t focused much on the mystery of whodunit, but more so on the uncovering the entire truth, while working to avoid the threats against her life.

I really liked Savannah’s character. She was a strong willed, determined and fierce woman wrapped up in a tiny package. I admired her tenacity in everything she did, and although I thought she was wrong to try and do EVERYTHING on her own, I was happy with the way she asked for help when she got to a place she knew she couldn’t navigate on her own. That to me made her a flawed but lovable character.

The cast of supporting characters, namely her boyfriend Judd, her attorney Thomas Jefferson and the ex-CIA agent Whiteside were so fun as well. I loved that they were all alpha badasses in their ow separate ways. Jefferson was so intelligent and manipulative in handling her case in the best way possible. Whiteside, although an older guy, was still in his prime, kicking ass and taking names when it mattered most. And Judd… sigh… He was strong enough to let Savannah go and take care of her own business, but protective and loving enough to stand behind and in front of her when she needed him most.

Although the romance is not as prevalent in this book as other suspense books, mainly because through the first third or so Judd is back in Montana while Savannah tries to go at it alone in Miami, you can still feel the love between them. I enjoyed their nightly phone calls to say “I love you and goodnight.” It felt real and I think that is what I related to most.

The way the whole overall story was resolved was great. Sala threw some twists and turns into it, but overall I really liked the way everything played out and justice was served in the end. I think I’m definitely going to have to check out the other books in this series.

All in all, I give Blood Ties a B