Never Let Go by Elizabeth Goddard
Sarah Grace's Rating: 3 out of 5 bookmarks

Elizabeth Goddard is the author of numerous titles for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense line, as well as several titles for Barbour Books, including the 2011 Carol Award-winning The Camera Never Lies. Never Let Go is the first in her new Uncommon Justice series, published by Revell.

Book Synopsis, courtesy of Revell:

Forensic genealogist Willow Anderson is following in her late grandfather's footsteps in her quest for answers about a baby abducted from a hospital more than twenty years ago. When someone makes an attempt on Willow's life to keep her from discovering the truth, help will come from an unexpected source.
Ex-FBI agent--and Willow's ex-flame--Austin McKade readily offers to protect the woman he never should have let get away. Together they'll follow where the clues lead them, even if it means Austin must face the past he's spent much of his life trying to forget--and put Willow's tender heart at risk.

Both the description and the cover immediately grabbed me when I first saw this book. Forensic genealogy and a cold case? I’m in. Our main characters, Willow Anderson and Austin McKade, both have emotion-packed backgrounds, and when they find themselves thrown together once again, they are forced to face their pasts. While I personally struggled to relate to the characters and understand their decisions, they are nonetheless soundly developed characters. Frankly, I enjoyed the secondary cast of characters more than the main ones. Heath McKade, Charlie Clemmons, and even John Houser are incredibly complex characters that I greatly enjoyed reading about.

Alternate Cover for Large Print Edition

Goddard certainly knows how to develop a plot that keeps you on your toes! With numerous twists and turns, and loads of action and suspense, Never Let Go will keep you reading late into the night to reach the final outcome. Just when I thought things were starting to resolve, they only got worse. I lost count of the number of plot twists.

Goddard’s writing style is very laid back and casual, and while I can’t say I enjoyed it overmuch, I think others would. I was also somewhat confused as to the villain's motive. I feel like that was revealed too quickly at the end, and therefore wasn't thoroughly fleshed out. My other main complaint would be the romance and the amount of romantic tension. Unfortunately, I found myself more annoyed with it instead of rooting for the characters, but that’s just based on my personal preference for romance.

Overall, if you are looking for a book with loads of action, suspense, and romance, this is definitely one to check out! I am looking forward to reading Heath’s story in Always Look Twice come October 2019!