Nikki traveled to Hawaii to do a report on a famous Swiss pastry chef living there named Ruggiero Delémont. She and him end up falling in love with him and becoming Mrs. Delémont. Soon, another assignment calls her to spend three weeks in France, her home country. Ruggiero can’t come with her due to work, and so he has to send her off by herself.
After safely arriving, Nikki finds herself in a dangerous situation, and wakes up in a hospital with no memory of even her name.
Ruggerio hasn’t received any notice from Nikki, and he doesn’t know if she even arrived safely in France. He is determined to find the love of his life, even though something, or someone, always seems to get in his way.
Having this mystery novel in double POV was possibly the best decision that this author could have made. Being able to see what was happening to Nikki, and then flashing back to what Ruggerio was going through gave the book an in-depth feel. I was able to see how confused Nikki was as she tried to remember who she was, and how frantic Ruggerio was to get back to his wife. The character development in this novel was great as Nikki has to basically re-learn her identity, and Ruggerio has to learn how to work with the technology that his wife uses all the time to try and find her.
This was also a very suspenseful mystery novel. Readers get the sense of time “running out” as Ruggerio tries to find his wife, and the trail keeps leading to nothing. I was also confused in Nikki’s part, and I kept trying to match things that she saw to what Ruggerio was seeing. This made for a very engaging plot.
The world-building of this novel was very in-depth, and the scenery of France was beautiful. I felt as if I was back there, going to restaurants in the streets. The only thing that was missing for me was the street crepes, but that’s beside the point. It was very accurate!
The novel was well-paced, and there wasn’t a dull moment. I hate mystery novels that have dry spots constantly throughout the story, but this one definitely didn’t have any. There were also no editing errors or ends that weren’t all tied up. It was simply a pleasant read throughout!
My favorite character was Nikki. Even though she seemed rather gullible in her state of amnesia, she seemed legit when she did have her memory. I would definitely like to read more about her and Ruggerio. Disappointing that this is a standalone novel! However, I would definitely read more by S.K. Derban after this.
This novel is advertised as being Christian, but I would still recommend this novel even if you aren’t religious. The story was great either way. If you are Christian, as I am, it definitely adds a special touch that other mystery novels don’t always have. I loved how neither of them gave up their faith, even as they struggled to find each other.
I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes mystery novels, Christian romance novels, or thrillers.
I received a copy of this book and this is my voluntary review.
Overall Rating: 5/5
