Tropical Target

Who knew wedding photography could be so hazardous to your health? Haley sure didn’t. She was just trying to earn a decent living, and next thing you know, her life is upside down and clearly in jeopardy!

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About the Book

Book: Tropical Target

Author: Jennifer Pierce

Genre: Christian Contemporary Suspense

Release Date: September 26, 2023

Being accused of murdering a client isn’t good for business.

Tropical islands are popular for destination weddings. But Le Cadeau Île won’t be a popular destination for long if Detective Noa Tanielu can’t find out who is responsible for a ring of thefts occurring during weddings. When the thefts escalate to the murder of a bridezilla, the most likely suspect is the new wedding photographer.

Wedding photographer Haley Marsh moved to the island to nurse her broken heart and start over after being dumped two days before her wedding. When she’s moved from the suspect list to the target list, a little white lie leads to a fake engagement. With Haley’s connections to the wedding business, it’s clear the key to solving this case lies in keeping up the charade.

Noa and Haley must navigate the investigation and Noa’s mother’s attempts to make the engagement all too real…if they survive that is.

Take a trip to the Suamalie Islands where palm trees sway, the sand and sea pulse with life, and the people will steal your heart.

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts:

Read this in one sitting. Of course, I was on a plane, but the kids were occupied, so I could go cover to cover almost uninterrupted!

I do not envy Haley! She had a lot on her plate, even before being suspected of murder. Trying to get a new business off the ground in a new (expensive) location, and shouldering guilt over something that was really not her fault.

And now she’s got a target on her back. The layers of involuntary difficulties on top of those challenges she actually signed up for would break many people. But Haley would rather help break the case.

And Noa reluctantly lets her, because he knows she’s got the best chance of putting the pieces together.

I really like their chemistry, and the way they work together, even though their acquaintance didn’t start off on the right foot. They genuinely care about the other’s wellbeing, even when it means putting themselves at risk. Well before anything romantic might appear.

The aspect of family/church family looking out for each other is just how it’s supposed to be, and that makes me smile!

And speaking of smiles, this quote brought on a full grin and a laugh:

“Her pulse kicked up. Why was her body having this reaction? This was a fake engagement, and she hated love. She was bitter. She needed her heart to remember that.”

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit, and chose to review it here. All thoughts are my own.

About the Author

Jennifer Pierce currently lives in Arkansas with her husband and two children. Her debut novel, Hidden Danger, is a 2019 Selah Award winner, and her second novel, Expecting Danger is a 2019 Selah award finalist. Her third novel, Deadly Connection released on October 20, 2020. Giving Grace, a contemporary romance Christmas novella released on November 13, 2020. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and River Valley Writers.

More from Jennifer

I am so excited to be writing for the Suamalie Island series. Writing books set on tropical islands is so much fun. I knew going into Tropical Target that I wanted Noa to be a detective, but I wasn’t so sure on what type of occupation Haley needed. What was something that she could do for both the tourists and those that made the islands their home?

Then I remembered when my grandmother died, one of my aunts took all her photos and scanned them into the computer and made CDs and gave them to the rest of the family. I thought that would be a fantastic job for Haley. She could be a photographer who shoots destination weddings and special events for tourists and locals, and she could also travel the islands and make keepsakes for the locals. I expanded it even further to allow her to make copies of some of the photographs and sell them to tourists as authentic photographs of the islands. So, that’s how Seas the Moment was created.

The next thing I had to figure out was how to make Noa and Haley’s paths cross. What better way than for him to accuse her of murder? I wanted to pit the two of them against each other but then force them to work together. Kind of an enemies to more fake engagement trope.

Once those things were in place it was just a matter of weaving the story together. There’s suspense, romance, faith, and a few witty comebacks in the mix. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.