Book Review: Solace Island by Meg Tilly
By patgalca
@patgalca (18181)
Orangeville, Ontario
May 17, 2021 9:07pm CST
[/i]Just as Maggie Harris starts to get comfortable with the slower rhythm of her new life on remote Solace Island, a car tries to run her down in the street. If it weren't for the lethal reflexes of her deliciously mysterious neighbor, Maggie could have been killed, leading her to wonder just who exactly Luke Benson really is...[i]
[/i]Luke thought he'd left the violence of the high-risk security world behind, but when Maggie's life is threatened, he discovers he will do anything to keep her safe - even moving her and her sister into his house with its state-of-the-art security features. But with secrets between them and an unknown menace stalking her heels, Luke will have to think fast to prove to Maggie that she can trust him with her life - and with her heart.[i]
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This is book 1 of the Solace Island series of novels - Cliff's Edge, and Hidden Cove are the follow-up books. Her newest book coming out this summer, Runaway Heiress, is said to be part of the series. I did not read the books in order and I don't think you have to. They can be read as standalone as each story tells a different character's story.
I am loving these stories. Meg Tilly, best remembered for her roles in The Big Chill movie and Bomb Girls television show, has turned author and does it well. Her stories are never boring or slow. They are exciting and full of all the feels. These romantic suspense stories do not disappoint.
Solace Island is romantic, full of suspense and excitement, fast moving and not trashy. It has all the feels. These books are really worth picking up. You may not be able to put them down until your finished reading, but they're not overly lengthy (285 pages).
3 people like this
2 responses
@moirai (2836)
• Philippines
18 Aug 21
Hello again! 
So I've just finished this book. And I agree that it would be good turned into a tv movie.
I wonder if being an actress somehow influenced how Meg Tilly writes. I take it she was an actress first before becoming an author, right?
I mean, I wonder if as she was writing, she was envisioning the scenes as live-action sequences... Or perhaps that's really how writers write, regardless of whether they have a background in acting or not. 
Anyway, I got the impression from the early chapters that they play like scenes in a movie.
***SPOILER WARNING*** to anyone reading this response. I may inadvertently mention something spoilery below so please be warned. 
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...
...
I made the mistake of reading a few comments as I was downloading the book, and someone mentioned a surprise villain. I don't know if that was what made me think of certain characters mentioned in the early chapters, or the fact that I've watched enough movies to know that something seemingly trivial shown in the beginning of a story can turn out to be important in the end. 
One scene that I found a bit frustrating, though, is the one leading to the climax of the story, where the girl goes off to help the lost boy... I get that the guy was busy, but why would she go off on her own, and why would her sister let her? 
Overall, I think it was fine. I just got disoriented at times because the point of view shifted very quickly between the girl's pov and the guy's pov within chapters sometimes, that I had to stop every now and then to read back a few paragraphs to check which it was. 
But maybe I'm just not used to reading books anymore. It's been a while.
Off to the second book then.
So I've just finished this book. And I agree that it would be good turned into a tv movie.
I wonder if being an actress somehow influenced how Meg Tilly writes. I take it she was an actress first before becoming an author, right?
I mean, I wonder if as she was writing, she was envisioning the scenes as live-action sequences... Or perhaps that's really how writers write, regardless of whether they have a background in acting or not.
Anyway, I got the impression from the early chapters that they play like scenes in a movie.
***SPOILER WARNING*** to anyone reading this response. I may inadvertently mention something spoilery below so please be warned.
...
...
...
I made the mistake of reading a few comments as I was downloading the book, and someone mentioned a surprise villain. I don't know if that was what made me think of certain characters mentioned in the early chapters, or the fact that I've watched enough movies to know that something seemingly trivial shown in the beginning of a story can turn out to be important in the end.
One scene that I found a bit frustrating, though, is the one leading to the climax of the story, where the girl goes off to help the lost boy... I get that the guy was busy, but why would she go off on her own, and why would her sister let her?
Overall, I think it was fine. I just got disoriented at times because the point of view shifted very quickly between the girl's pov and the guy's pov within chapters sometimes, that I had to stop every now and then to read back a few paragraphs to check which it was. But maybe I'm just not used to reading books anymore. It's been a while.
Off to the second book then. 1 person likes this
@patgalca (18181)
• Orangeville, Ontario
20 Aug 21
I'm glad you have picked up her books to read. Meg was an actress first but her acting teacher told her she would be a writer. Meg didn't believe/agree with that. But here she is. You should check out her Cozy Tea Time series of youtube videos she started last year (they're only 15 minutes long or so). She is the sweetest thing which makes it hard to believe she writes some of the stuff she does.
As a writer myself I can tell you that when I write I talk my scenes out loud as if they are movies in my head. I am sure Meg and many authors do the same thing.
As for the surprise villain, there seems to be more than one in suspense novels. I think this is so you will be left guessing... thinking it's this person when it is really another person, or they are somehow working together. As a writer you can't give away the villain. To make a really good story you have to keep the reader guessing. Therein lies the twists and turns.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (73473)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
18 May 21
Thank you for the review, I t does wound like an interesting book, I have not heard about these before and will check them out online,
1 person likes this
