Always Look Twice (2019)

About the Book

Book: Always Look Twice

Series: Uncommon Justice #2

Author: Elizabeth Goddard

Publisher: Revell

Genre: Romantic Suspense

While photographing the Grand Tetons, Harper Reynolds unwittingly captures a murder on film. But when she loses the camera fleeing the scene, can she and rancher Heath McKade find the camera and solve the murder before the killer makes her his next victim?

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My Thoughts

I’m just going to lay it out there — I’m not a Romantic Suspense fan. Typically, this genre is not my cup of tea. It’s not because I don’t like romance or suspense, it’s because it’s always been a hit or miss genre for me. I find that some authors write romantic suspense amazingly, and some do not. Always Look Twice by Elizabeth Goddard is a novel I both appreciated and enjoyed, but also struggled with.

What I appreciated and enjoyed:

• I love Heath and Harper, the hero and heroine of this novel. I found them to be unique and relatable. On the one hand, they are strong, capable, intelligent characters who I knew could solve the murder mystery and every other conflict thrown at them. But I really appreciate their flaws and weaknesses. It is their flaws and weaknesses that made both Heath and Harper relatable to me.
• There is a moment in the story where Emily, Harper’s sister, tells Harper, “When we were still living in Jackson Hole … we’d see Grand Teton all the time especially if we had to drive into town. That mountain is so big, and as a kid anyway, it made me think of God. And I used to think if I was that mountain, nothing could move me or scare me. Nothing could hurt me. Now I think I’m finally getting it. God is like that mountain for us and we can hold on to Him.” I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!! What a great perspective change for me. I often pray to God that He grant me His strength as if He’s the ultimate charger. If I plug into God in prayer, He will fill me up for the day with all the strength I need and I’ll be able to handle everything that comes my way. But this implies that I leave the mountain after I’m done charging. Emily’s revelation implies that I stay connected to God by bringing Him with me throughout my day. This tiny little story in the middle of the book is my most favorite thing about this novel. I LOVE when an author shows me a Jesus Truth is a whole new way.
• I really loved the first 1/4 and the last 1/4 of this novel. The beginning and end of this book are intense, and in these pages, I could not put the book down. I was completely engaged.

What I struggled with:

• My number one issue with the Romantic Suspense genre is that often authors do way more telling than showing in their narratives. When I pick up a Romantic Suspense novel, I want to become Sherlock Holmes. I want twists and turns and shocking moments I didn’t see coming. I want clues! I want foreshadow. And, I want to be stumped a little. With Always Look Twice, I had things figured out rather quickly. With so much telling, not showing, I felt the suspense lost its edge and it became simple for me to know where things were going next. I didn’t get to be Sherlock Holmes while reading this book.
• The middle 50% of this book became slow, and I lost some interest in the novel.

Even with my two struggles, there is a lot that I found appealing about Always Look Twice, and I fully recommend it, just to fans of the Romantic Suspense genre. In fact, fans of this genre are giving rave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. If you are a Romantic Suspense fan, then this is the book for you.

I received an eBook copy of this book from the publishers, Revell, via NetGalley in order to review. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.