Review: “Light in the Dark” by Kate McWilliams

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Steam: 🔥🔥🔥

Release Date: February 15th, 2022

Add to Goodreads | Amazon.in (Available in KU)

CW/TW: mentions of death, blackmail, threats and violence

A woman in search of a place to belong.
A man finally getting his second chance.
And a lingering secret that threatens to change everything…

Alex Benning has never known a true home. After inheriting her beloved aunt’s cottage in the small coastal town of Moon Harbor, Maine, she finally gets a chance to start over and leave the life of solitude behind. But she never expects to find herself face to face with her first love—the first man to ever break her heart.

Sam Waters stopped looking for love a long time ago. With a job he enjoys and people he cares about, he’s finally learned to be content with things just as they are. Until the one who got away comes back into his life and makes him crave more. The flame between Alex and Sam reignites and the sparks between them are brighter than ever.

But as Alex settles into her new home, she begins to uncover the truth about her family and the tragedy that changed her life all those years ago. With more questions than answers, Alex and Sam set out to discover what really happened. And the closer they get, the closer danger lurks.

Will Alex be able to survive the unravelling of old family secrets before it’s too late? Before she loses Sam forever?

I absolutely devoured Kate McWilliams’ debut as soon as it landed on my Kindle and I loved the suspense element that I didn’t see coming! This small town, second chance romance is a great debut and an easy and captivating read.

When Alex returns to the small town of Moon Harbor, Maine after the death of her aunt, she not only makes a new friend, she reconnects with old ones and finds herself caught up in some small town drama. And for Sam, having Alex back is both a blessing and a curse, because he’s kept to himself for so long and he’s happy with it. Except, Alex is the girl that got away and this time, Sam isn’t going to let her slip through his fingers.

I really liked both Alex and Sam as characters—they’ve been through so much individually and they’ve overcome it to become the people they are now, and they’re so much more than just two people who once loved each other as well. I did go into the book thinking that there would be some angst and some irritation at seeing each other considering how they parted ways, so it was interesting to see a really civil reunion on the surface even if it didn’t feel the same way on the inside. I wish we’d gotten more of their teenage summer romance as well, because it would have been nice to see how much of each other they had and lost in that short amount of time.

When it came to their romantic relationship, it took me a while to really connect to them as a couple. They’re hot together, there’s no doubt about that, but I wasn’t sold on them as a couple for a while. I liked the friendship they were rebuilding and I liked that they didn’t hate each other as most couples who were together once and are not together any longer, but I (personally) would have liked a little more push and pull. And let me tell you, I’m not kidding when I say they’re HOT together, because the steam in this book is amazing!

Underlying the romance and the friendships, there was a really interesting suspense plot that I totally didn’t unravel right almost till the end. I liked how Kate built up the suspense and kept me guessing at every turn. With enough people angry with certain characters, the bad guy could have been anyone! And I appreciated that my first and second guesses were wrong, but my third guess was totally on the mark.

Light in the Dark was a quick and fun read, with a great found family situation that I’m such a big fan of and a bearded hot man who is great with his hands and all the friendships a person can enjoy. I’m also hoping that this is the beginning of a series, because after meeting Sara, Theo, Ellie and Rafael; I am ready for more stories. Plus, I desperately want to return to Moon Harbor and see what else this small town has in store for me!

Thanks to Kate McWilliams for generously providing me with an advance copy. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.