Book Review: Severed Threads by Kaylin McFarren

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Blurb:

“Believing herself responsible for her father’s fatal diving accident, Rachel Lyons has withdrawn from the world and assumed a safe position at a foundation office. When called upon by a museum director to assist her former love interest with the recovery of a cursed relic from a sunken Chinese merchant ship, she has no intention of co-operating – until her brother is kidnapped by a drug-dealing gangster. In order to save him and gain control over her life, Rachel must not only overcome her greatest fears, but also relive the circumstances that lead to her father’s death”

Summary:

Rachel Lyons lost her father Sam in a diving accident and the first chapter of this book serves as a prologue, providing the reader with a much needed backstory to both Sam Lyons’ demise and the ensuing adventure. We are also introduced to Chase Cohen, who features as our hero.

From the second chapter onwards, we are navigated back to the present where we find that Rachel, a former marine biologist, has totally withdrawn from the diving world and is now gainfully employed at The Warren Nash Foundation. Anything to do with diving troubles her, so it is with trepidation that we see her going to meet with Dr Ying, a Museum director and old friend of her father who has, after doing a large amount of research, requested a grant from the foundation to find the Wanli II – the Ming Dynasty Emperor’s lost dragon ship – the same ship that led to her father’s death. She soon realises she’s been manipulated when, after delivering the bad news of the unsuccessful grant to Professor Ying, Chase Cohen, the owner of Trident Adventures, makes his appearance at the meeting.

Chase brings back painful memories, memories which she has no desire to dissect. Having been in a relationship with him when her father died, she’s never forgiven him for the short scribbled note he left her before leaving town as well as the fact that he never attended her father’s funeral.

At first, Rachel refuses to be a part of the quest that Chase is on, but when her brother, Devon, is kidnapped by a drug-lord and his cohorts, she puts her carefully built-up life and financial prosperity on the line to save him.

For Rachel, this will be a voyage of re-discovery of the underwater world she left behind and possibly a chance at finally laying to rest some painful memories – for Chase, an opportunity for redemption.

My Thoughts:

I found this to be an action-packed, satisfying and informative read, with a lot of technical aspects relating to boats, underwater archaeology and scuba diving which makes me feel that Kaylin McFarren has done her research well. The characters are well-developed and the scorching chemistry between the two protagonists will leave you wanting to dive into the cool waters of the ocean. Ms McFarren has a way of allowing her reader to connect with the emotions of her characters, of which there are plenty, but perhaps the most constant of which are guilt and betrayal. Ms McFarren has done well with the easy way in which she keeps her reader involved, from her flowing dialogue to the remarkable way in which she makes use of sensory and external environmental descriptions. She quite capably managed to keep me turning the pages in anticipation of the outcome and, just when I thought I had the plot nailed, out rolled another surprise.

If you are looking for a fast-paced romantic suspense novel with dramatic adventure, action, intrigue and a hint of the paranormal all coming together to form the backbone of a story with multiple plot lines which intertwine and lead you to a very fulfilling conclusion, then “Severed Threads” is for you.

This is the first book in the “Threads” series by Kaylin McFarren and I thank both Creative Edge Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this great book.

A Bit about the Author (taken from her website):

Linda Yoshida, aka Kaylin McFarren, is a rare bird indeed. Not a migratory sort, she prefers to hug the West Coast and keep family within visiting range. Although she has virtually been around the world, she was born in California, relocated with her family to Washington and nested with her husband in Oregon. In addition to playing an active role in his business endeavours, she has been involved in all aspects of their three daughters’ lives – taxi duties, cheerleading coaching, script rehearsals and relationship counselling, to name but a few. Now she enjoys spending undisciplined time with her two young grandsons and hopes to have many more.

Kaylin is a member of RWA, Rose City Romance Writers and Willamette Writers. She received her AA in Literature at Highline Community College, which originally sparked her passion for writing. In her free time, she also enjoys giving back to the community through participation and support of various charitable and educational organisations in the Pacific Northwest.

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