Blurb
Arriving home from a short holiday in Dingle, Lily Crossways makes a staggering discovery – on one of her photos taken on 'Inch' beach, a woman's desperate face is staring directly at her. Yet Lily knows she was alone that day on the beach.
Who is she, is she even real, and why has she appeared to Lily?
Unable to let the woman go, Lily makes the uncharacteristic decision to leave behind her safe world in England and return to Dingle to try and find her. Her search eventually leads her to cafe owner David Carson, this woman's brother, who hasn't seen his 'missing' sister in five years.
Lily must now convince him to trust in her, taking bold steps to prove herself to him, and together track down his sister before it’s too late.
Yet are either prepared for the hidden secrets they are about to uncover in their earnest desire to find her, and the impact it will have on those they love?
When I was contacted by the author, Marie Jones and read the above blurb for her book Into The Shadows, I knew that it was something I wanted to read. I like books that have an air of mystery in them and this one didn't disappoint.
Protagonist Lily can be described as a control freak. She goes through her day-to-day life with her head down, trying to avoid confrontation but never really experiencing life due to her shyness. When she returns from a short break in Dingle she's looking through her photographs and as she's flicking through them she's stunned to see a woman staring straight at her in one of them. The reason she's so shocked is that Lily is convinced that she was the only person on Inch beach that particular day.
No matter how hard Lily tries to put the image out of her head, she just can't shake the feeling that there's a reason behind why this woman chose to appear to Lily and that the mysterious woman is silently asking for her help. Lily decides that she needs to throw caution to the wind and heads back to Dingle armed with the picture of her mystery lady in search of answers.
After a few false starts Lily shows the photo to cafe owner David, whose sister disappeared five years ago. Thinking that it's an elaborate hoax, David is angry and demands answers that Lily doesn't have but she manages to convince him that she has no reason to lie to him and so the two of them set out to try and solve the mystery.
I really enjoyed reading this book and thanks to the author's wonderful descriptions of Dingle and Inch beach it's a place I want to visit. Into The Shadows is beautifully written with just the right mix of romance and mystery to enable the story to flow nicely and the little touch of supernatural kept me guessing. I found Lily to be an endearing character and I liked the way she talked to herself, which was a lovely way to give the reader a glimpse into what's going on in her head so that you can understand her insecurities.
This is the perfect book for reading snuggled up on your sofa or in your favourite chair, with a big mug of hot chocolate and maybe even a few biscuits, while you let yourself be transported to the picturesque Emerald Isle by this talented author.
If you'd like to find out more about Marie Jones or connect with her, you can use the links below:
Website
With kind thanks to author Marie Jones for the review copy.
I recently read this too and definitely enjoyed the Dingle setting.
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