Twilight at Blueberry barrens by Colleen Coble - a twisty, complex mystery

In the final Sunset Cove novel, Kate Mason is trying to earn enough to survive after a disastrous blueberry season, so she rents out the cottage on her land to a man with his two nieces. Dissatisfied with the local law enforcement's explanation of his brother and sister-in-law's death, Drake Newham is staying in Sunset Cove to try to uncover more about their murders, and he needs a nanny to keep an eye on his nieces. Kate fits the bill perfectly, until her uncle escapes from jail and it appears a stalker is following her. In spite of the danger, Kate and Drake have growing feelings for each other, but will they survive long enough to act on them?

Though not as suspenseful as some other novels by this author, the mystery was characteristically twisty and complex. And with a stalker, it's sufficiently creepy. There was really only one person I thought the stalker could be--and it turns out I was right--but it was not without severely doubting myself several times, thanks to the complexity of the villainy in the story. I can appreciate an author who messes with my mind like that.

I enjoyed that Kate got her own story--she's had a rough life, and is impressively well centered in spite of it. It wasn't my favorite of the three Sunset Cove novels, but it fit well with the others in the series.

I had a sudden revelation while reading this novel (which many others likely caught onto long ago in the series): the Sunset Cove novels overlap Denise Hunter's Summer Harbor series both in setting and characters! It was a fun surprise that two authors are sharing a setting and characters, but each with their own twist. Sheriff Colton sounded so familiar, and now I know why!

Thank you Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing an e-book to review; I was not required to make the review positive, and all opinions are my own.

Sunset Cove
1. The Inn at Ocean's Edge
2. Mermaid Moon
3. Twilight at Blueberry Barrens

Summer Harbor by Denise Hunter
1. Falling Like Snowflakes
2. The Goodbye Bride
3. Just a Kiss