Adult Review – Seashells Tell No Tales – contemporary romance
Guide to Categories : Adult Review – review of books for adults – may or may not be appropriate for a school library
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About the Book
Book: Seashells Tell No Tales
Author: Amanda Tru
Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 27, 2024
A tropical island tale of danger, secrets, love, and seashells that won’t reveal any of it.
Faith Marlowe made a promise to her dying brother. Unfortunately that promise involves helping an injured and embittered Army Ranger vet, Gideon Sundquist (Sunny).
Sunny doesn’t want help. He lost both his legs in a black ops mission he can’t breathe a word about. Now he’s exiled on an island in the middle of the South Pacific, hiding from the world.
Both Faith and Sunny have secrets to keep. If Sunny finds out who Faith is, Faith will lose her only chance to keep her promise. If Faith finds out the truth of Sunny’s mission, it will put both of their lives at risk.
On a beautiful, remote island in the Pacific, Faith will try to teach Sunny to live again. But if the tales of their secrets are told, neither will see the sun rise in the Suamalie Islands again.
Beach reads aren’t just for summer anymore.
Click here to get your copy!
My Adult Review
Tru, Amanda. Seashells Tell No Tales. 2024.
Suamalie Islands year 2 book 1
Seashells Tell No Tales introduces new characters to the series and revisits a couple characters from previous books, but you do not need to read the previous books in the Suamalie Islands series to enjoy this title by Amanda Tru.
Faith and her brothers each have different fathers, and different last names. Faith has never been particularly close to her oldest brother. Her other brother, Will, was her hero.
Faith is carrying a burden. Sunny (Gideon) is carrying a secret. They come together because of a promise Faith made to her dying brother Will. She cannot get any answers about his death – WHY?
Seashells Tell No Tales is full of military intrigue as well as building of trust (and knowing who to trust). Will Faith trust the right people? Will Sunny ever be able to trust anyone again?
Amanda Tru has created a lot of tension in this story – it really could be considered a suspense novel. Dundee comes back as a minor character – helping Faith and Sunny find their paths while continuing to run her adventure business.
Seashells Tell No Tales is written for the adult audience. Because of the violence and characters getting shot it is not your typical sweet contemporary romance. I think that K-12 Christian school librarians need to read it for themselves to make their own decisions about including it in their library.
I received a complimentary copy of Seashells Tell no Tales. This is my honest review.
About the Author – Amanda Tru
Amanda Tru is a best-selling author of over thirty Christian fiction books. She writes page-turning fiction to inspire real-life stories. In her own real story, she sheds her super-hero writing cape to be mommy to four kids in a small Idaho town.
More from Amanda Tru
I believe that the best fiction contains a seed of truth. After all, sometimes life breathes emotions that can never be faked and tells stories no imagination can paint. Seashells Tell No Tales is a fantastic story of romance, heartache, family, and friendship with a splash of humor and suspense. In some ways, it is a fresh take on the classic Beauty and the Beast motif. But what may be most surprising is that the original idea for the plot is based on a true story.
My father-in-law was in the army when he was a young man. He never served in war combat, but his memories still reveal that it was a life-changing experience for him. One day, he told us a story about another soldier he befriended in basic training. Though his military story didn’t carry the thill and danger of some military tales, its impact on him was profound, so much so that over fifty years later, his voice shook with tears as he told it.
It was a tale of a paradigm shift when he realized that someone who was different did not intend to be different, but very much wished to not be weighed down with the lot life had assigned him. The other young man did not want to be as he was. My father-in-law’s response to his fellow soldier spoke of understanding, friendship, and a life-altering perspective that still resonates in his actions today.
And it’s a message that should inspire us all.
As often happens, when I hear a story that touches me, I mentally file it away. It bubbles up in my memory ever so often and eventually, an idea may form around it. The foundation Seashells Tell No Tales is the true-life encounter my father-in-law had in basic training. Sunny’s flashback scene at the beginning of the book is as identical as I could make it to what my father-in-law described. I used my imagination to fill in the details of the circumstances surrounding the event, but the conversation, the emotions, and the actions are all real.
In turn, that event forms the basis of a friendship that defines the rest of the book. Also real to life, friendships are not fairy-tales; they are messy. In some ways, Sunny’s life may have been better had he never taken the time to offer friendship to an outcast, but in every way that matters, Sunny—like all of us—is a better human for experiencing the trials of life we’d never choose for ourselves.
Yes, Seashells Tell No Tales is very much a fiction story. But I believe the truth in it adds a profound dimension. As you read it, feel free to laugh at the humor, white-knuckle your way through the suspense, feel your heart flutter with the romance, be touched by the themes of family and friendship—but I also want you to shut the last page of the book inspired.
May we all offer friendship to those on the sidelines of life. And may we recognize our own faces in theirs. Through our love for others, may we realize that we truly are exactly who we are meant to be.
Blog Stops
She Lives To Read, March 16
Devoted To Hope, March 17
Locks, Hooks and Books, March 18
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, March 19
Texas Book-aholic, March 20
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 21
Sylvan Reads, March 22
Karen Baney Reviews, March 23
Inspired by fiction, March 23
Life, Love, Writing, March 24
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 25
Blogging With Carol, March 26
For Him and My Family, March 27
Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, March 28 (Author Interview)
The Lofty Pages, March 28
Holly’s Book Corner, March 29
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Amanda is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/2a7ac/seashells-tell-no-tales-celebration-tour-giveaway
Read more Adult Review posts.
Sounds like a book I will enjoy.
Thank you for sharing your review of Seashells Tell No Tales, it sounds like a story that I will enjoy reading
This sounds like a great romantic suspense story in a beautiful setting.
Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!
Happy to do so.