Searching for Shadows

Redwood Coast Rescue, Book 5

By: Tonya Burrows

Narrated by: Stephen Borne

Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

She’s trapped by fear.

Veronica Martens once soared boldly through life as an Air Force pilot until a brutal assault shattered her spirit. Now, she’s a prisoner in her own home, paralyzed by agoraphobia and haunted by the ghosts of her past. She’s lost her wings, independence, and will to live.

He thrives on terror.

Horror writer Connelly Davis needs to recharge his creative batteries, so when Veronica’s father asks him to bring her back from her self-imposed exile, he packs up his laptop and leaves the city for Steam Valley, California–the home of his most famous monster, The Shadow Stalker. Surely, he’ll find inspiration in the mist-shrouded redwoods as he helps his childhood best friend.

A dog who has known nothing but fear.

Despite Veronica’s reluctance to see him, Connelly is determined to rescue the unbreakable girl he once knew–the girl he secretly loved. He bands together with Redwood Coast Rescue and their newest troubled K9, Rebel, to help Veronica find her strength again. But there’s just one problem—Veronica never wants to leave her house, and Rebel refuses to stay put.

Will the boy next door bring her back to life, or will the shadows consume them all?

As Connelly fights writer’s block, he delves deeper into the mysteries surrounding the town and discovers a chilling connection between a string of recent murders and his newest book. And if real life continues to follow fiction, Veronica will be the killer’s next target…

Searching for Shadows is the fifth book in the Redwood Coast Rescue romantic suspense series by Tonya Burrows, but can be enjoyed as a standalone. If you’re a fan of slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance mixed with heart-racing suspense and the unwavering loyalty of a K9 protector, you won’t want to miss this gripping addition to the series.

©2024 Tonya Burrows (P)2024 Tonya Burrows

Red Coast Rescue Book 5!!

So exciting, and romantic, and all-around edge-of-your-seat suspense!

Most characters found within have some past injury/episode and are dealing with it through therapy and dogs. We focus on Veronica, who cannot leave her house, not even to step on the front porch. Her best friend from childhood Connelly has moved to be near her, but she is angry with him.

Connelly writes horror stories, and suddenly life imitates art, in a terrible way. We have a fierce Doberman Rebel and a fluffy papillon Alfie who are key to the story.

Emotional, gripping, found family, small town, and the perfect setup to the next story in the series - can’t wait!!

Update: Read this and listened to the audio - it's a wonderful dual narration.

***** I am voluntarily leaving my honest review of this book *****

Psychological Thriller

This audiobook was gripping, fast-paced, action-packed, with twists and turns. Narrator Stphen Borne was awesome!

Connelly & Vee with Rebel and Alfie

Listener received this title for free

Great interconnected series addition! It was faced paced. Great main characters. Can’t wait to read/listen to Cal’s story. Sawyer and Zelda too!

Never Give Up

Did I start this one before the others I had downloaded? Yes, yes, I did. I can't get enough of this series and characters. I had to know what was going to happen with Veronica and Connelly. I was not disappointed at all. I knew that Veronica had been through some very traumatic events and was struggling but she had a strong spirit. Connelly dealt with his fears a little differently that others because he wrote books about them in order to purge it out of his system. Connelly and Veronica were childhood best friends who had a lot of catching up to do. I don’t want to give away any of their story but I couldn’t stop listening. There is so much to unpack from this book with my book besties! If you’ve been waiting for the shadow stalker reveal then you’ll definitely want to get this one. I enjoy a good series so I would suggest starting from the beginning but I think you would still enjoy it as a standalone but you’d just miss a lot of the background/build up on the mystery/suspense aspect plot.

omg!

I loved this! Its such a captivating story, it doesn't get boring or dull at all. the audio book is well narrated and just love it.

I received an advanced copy of the book and am voluntarily leaving a review

Excellent slow burn friends to lovers romantic suspense

There is a lot of suspense and intrigue in this slow burn friends to lovers romantic suspense. In this amazing story we get to know Veronica, Connelly, Rebel, Alfie and finally learn the identity of the Shadow Stalker. Rebel and Alfie are adorable and add a lot to the story. Stephen Borne was absolutely phenomenal in his portrayal of each and every character. It was a pleasure listening to him bringing this book to life. I received this audiobook for free upon my request. I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased review.

Veronica and Connelly must confront...

Veronica, once bold, fearless, and loyal, has been left traumatized, a mere shadow of her former self, following a horrific event. Connelly, burdened with regret and pain from witnessing his friend's struggle, is resolute in helping her carve a new path. The story intricately deals with their painful, conflicted, and complex emotions. Both Veronica and Connelly must confront a myriad of challenges, not least the attraction and love between them. Moreover, Veronica has caught the dangerous interest of a twisted individual. Although I haven't read all the books in the series, this book stands strong on its own. I plan to go back and read the series in sequence. The narration was complimented the story.

Another great dog tail.

The brutal honesty of how Veronica was treated by the Air Force brought me to tears. Unfortunately the treatment of active duty Military Sexual Trauma (MST), female or male, continues to be abominable in spite of so called reforms. Any complaint can be career ending. I’m a disabled Air Force veteran. I’ve seen it happen. More to follow.

The story is well weaved and captivating

Veronica has been a staple character since the beginning of the series, with a horrific trauma we did not know the details of, but knew enough to bleed for her. Since Connelly was introduced, I knew he was the missing piece to bring her back into the light and the land of the living. I enjoyed that this story was not just present time-Veronica and Con have a long history that had a major trajectory change to overcome. And the pups-that is always one of my favorite parts of this series and they always play such a major part in the healing process of these characters. The convoluted villains always keep you on your toes, providing danger, action, and edge of your seat suspense galore. I was getting a tad impatient waiting to see if my suspicions were correct as to the villain, but the story is well weaved and captivating. And jeeze--that last heart stopping portion of the story-whew. A well deserved HEA was delivered. Narration was terrific and I am anxious to listen to the next in the series.

Friends to Lovers excitement.

This Book 5 is Connely and Veronica's story. He writes horror novels. They were childhood best friends but have been apart now for years while he went into the military. She won't leave her home since being sexually abused by 3 "friends." She won't even see Conn. There is a serial killer out there that is copying Connely's horror books. Their story is such a good entertaining read/listen.

I was gifted an Audible version of this book from the author through Story Origin. I will give Stephen Borne 4 stars. His rough, scratchy voice needs getting use to. His female voices are very good. I wish he'd put more excitement and feeling into his performance. The story certainly warrants it.