I've discovered the Christian fiction of Colleen Coble and I had a hard time putting the book down... in fact I didn't and finished reading “Tidewater Inn” in one day. The beginning, a kidnapping, who wouldn't want to find out the who, what and why of that? Though as the reader continues reading the story has many more mysteries to learn the truth. The author does a nice job of combining mystery, suspense, and the constant struggle to live up to Christian choices in dealing with family and others.As much as I like to think that I usually know who is “the bad guy”, I missed guessing right on this one. There were no clues telling the identity, though several clues pointing to others.Truly an enjoyable read. The locale of Outer Banks had me thinking of warm weather... a great thing after a long, snowy Midwestern Winter. The positive reviews I read definitely hooked me into wanting to read the Hope Beach series. I was very excited to find Christian fiction that has it all: romance, mystery, suspense, God and deeper meaning, so I jumped right in to read them in order with "Tidewater Inn" first. Every summer I seem to gravitate towards outer banks situated stories and this series fit the bill. As an interior designer I found Tidewater Inn to interest me and wouldn't have minded hearing a little more about Libby's work as an historical architectual restorer. I think that Libby had an incredible amount of obstacles and conflict to work out that she wouldn't have succeeded in doing without having been a Christian. She was often treated about as badly as someone could be treated while going through an incredibly difficult time. With God's help and the example of her father, whom she only got to know by what others said about him, she emerged victorious and even made friends with her enemies, the plot implying that her own behavior infuenced them to become Christians.I was impressed that the plot was so intricately woven. That takes a writer with a bright mind that can handle a lot of detail to bring it all together by the end. However, I thought that there were so many tenacles to the plot with so many characters, that I would have enjoyed it better and it could have been more powerful if the plot had been somewhat less detailed and the characters and God element had been more developed. I have written a series myself that has yet to be published and I know how easy it is to be caught up in the work of weaving together the chronology of the plot, that it can become all consuming and that is maybe what I felt here. That the characters and depth lacked a little. I love to know what characters look like, their unique personality traits and see into their thinking. In fact great character development is what makes us really care about the outcome of the plot. We fall in love with the characters.To me these are the things that can make a good book into a great book, leaving us impacted, even changed by what we've read. All that being said, I read this straight though, not wanting to put it down, and went right to the next book "Rosemary Cottage".
What do You think about Tidewater Inn (2012)?
I loved that this was a God centered mystery that wasn't going to keep me awake at night.
—WDuncan0525
i an ok book. moves to slow. likable people. but i will not be reading rest of series
—GetReady4Zday
