Jun 29

Giveaway & Review: Bold of Heart

About the Book

Book: Bold of Heart

Author: Susan K. Beatty

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release date: May 28, 2024

A reporter, a rich man, and a chaplain walk into a mystery…

Tamzin Murray has three goals: Follow Jesus. Control her no-filter mouth. And no romance. When her friend offers her a job as a reporter on the South Pacific Suamalie Islands, she jumps at the chance for a fresh start. But when she’s forced to meet the handsome, wealthy investor, she not only finds herself involved in a love triangle, but also a dangerous mystery.

When Wentworth “Sully” Sullivan’s yacht is sabotaged, he did not expect to fall for the reporter covering his story. Especially since his experience with women has mostly been with gold-diggers.

Émile Durand is too shy to date, but when he meets his sister’s new coworker, he can’t help his attraction to her. And the more he helps her out of scrapes, the further he falls in love with her.

As the mystery becomes more dangerous, and the more their hearts get entangled, how will Tamzin, Sully, and Émile get out of the messes they’ve put themselves into?

Take a trip to the Suamalie Islands where palm trees sway, the sand and sea pulse with life, and the people will steal your heart.

Click here to get your copy!

My Review

5 stars

Susan K. Beatty hooked me from the opening lines in this clean, inspirational love triangle romantic suspense.

I loved the way the author handled the love triangle between Tamzin, Emile, and Sully. She kept me rooting for each man well into the story.

The who-done-it suspense was well-crafted. I enjoyed trying to figure out the mystery while watching Tamzin’s relationship with Sully and Emile unfold. Each character played an important role in uncovering the culprit.

As a reporter, Tamzin is used to taking charge of a situation and asking invasive questions. Yet, she doubts if her candor would be welcome in a relationship. Her love interest helps smooth out some of it, while cherishing her for who she is.

Readers who enjoy dynamic, well-rounded characters and inspirational suspense with clean romance will enjoy this must-read page-turner.

Romance: Handholding and light attraction. Very clean and suitable for teenaged readers too.

Faith: Each character prayed looking for guidance in relationships and protection.

I requested and received an advanced copy of this book courtesy of the publisher through Celebrate Lit Tours. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own.

About the Author

Susan K. Beatty is in her third career—from journalist to homeschool tech writer to her life-long dream of becoming a novelist. She is proof you can start a new writing career late in life. Susan released her first published fiction in September 2019, and now an awarding winner author, this is her third novel, with several novelettes and short stories to her credit. She is passionate about finding courage through faith and grit. Susan lives with her husband of forty-nine years in Southern California. Add children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to the mix and she has little time for her favorite hobbies of reading, watching classic movies, British crime dramas, and traveling.

More from Susan

I love to follow my characters from struggling with a character flaw (or two or three) to victory, even if it isn’t complete. Yet. It blesses me when I see the characters becoming bold and courageous through following Christ and with the support of those around them.

Yes, I know I’m talking as if they do this without my help as the author. And, in some respects, that would almost be true. I may have an idea what the character is going to say or do next, but often what appears on my computer monitor is not what I expected. Yes, as if they had a mind of their own.

Such is the case with my three main characters in Bold of Heart. I had planned that Tamzin would fall for one character, only to have her go for the other one. Then there was of who was Sully’s bad guy. Again, I thought was going to be one character until another character shot to the forefront. And Émile? I didn’t expect him to be so bold. It would be a spoiler if I gave more detail here. (Do you hear Simon Legree-like laughing here?)

I’ve known a couple people who just have no filter on their mouths, but still good-hearted, well-meaning folks. Thus, Tamzin’s major character flaw. Getting her to the Suamalie Islands, and away from her prime example, her mother, for a fresh start, gives Tamzin a chance to work on softening her remarks.

How can a hospital chaplain be shy? Well, that is Émile’s issue. Actually, he’s only shy outside of the hospital room. Near women.

I’ve never been wealthy, and don’t expect to be, so I had to imagine how our millionaire Sully could be wary of dating. It didn’t help he’d already been through an unpleasant experience after his wife passed away.

Love triangles are a familiar Christian romance trope, but to keep it from getting sticky, I threw in some mystery and suspense. It was a bonus that the experiences helped the characters develop their bold hearts.