Small town suspense is the core for this four part series from Kendra Elliot and Melinda Leigh. Each take a different sister and tell their story with the back drop being of the deaths of a couple of kids that looks to be from a new drug that could be being manufactured and distributed from one of their own in the small town of Solitude, Oregon.

Kendra has Stevie Taylor who just recently comes back to Solitude after the death of her father who had been the Police Chief. Stevie left home at 18 and went to Los Angeles where she eventually was on the LAPD. After seeing her fare share of horrible things and after recently going home for her father’s funeral she decides she’s missed the small town life and her family and comes back to be a patrol officer on their small police force.

As this is just the first part we get good background on Stevie’s family and quite a few of the residents in Solitude and it doesn’t take long for Stevie or the reader to see something foul is going on in the town. At the end we are left with more questions than answers but the stage is set for the future books where hopefully we will get the answers to what is really going on.
( )

A decent first book. It's a little slow going and left a little bit of a cliffhanger at the end. The book has the feel of a mini show series, where you get glimpses of the full story, but you know that there is still plenty left to discover. Good character development. ( )

Stevie and Zane

Small Oregon town, new police chief, tight-knit family, a teen dead from a bad drug. As we get to know Stevie and Zane we also see their growing attraction. No cliff hanger and no HEA in this novella that sets up the series. ( )

Really enjoyed this first book in a new series and am looking forward to reading the next! Need to find out what's going to happen next. I received a copy of this ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. ( )

Originally posted at The Bookaholic Cat

On Her Father's Grave is the first book in the Rogue River series by Kendra Elliot. Kendra Elliot and Melinda Leigh will alternate to write this series.

If I’m honest I didn’t know what to expect from On Her Father’s Grave. I wanted to read a good short story and took a chance with this one. I was glad I did because it paid off.

After the death of her father Stevie Taylor realized the life she was living was not the life she wanted, working as a LAPD cop was rewarding but it took its toll on her and she was more than ready for a change. It took her some years to come to that conclusion, but it was time to come back home, to the quiet and tranquil town of Solitude, Oregon. To her luck, Solitude’s police department was short one officer and offered her the job.
Stevie misses her father terribly, but she’s enjoying her mother, her siblings, and the slow pace of a small-town’s life, or at least she was enjoying it until the mysterious death of a teenager.
Zane Duncan’s first case as the new police chief of Solitude couldn’t be a saddest case than the death of a teen. All points to a new drug, a drug they need to get out of the streets before it snags more victims. At least he has the support of the new experienced police officer, Stevie Taylor. The only problem is that she’s not only good at her job, she’s also very attractive and he can’t stop thinking about her.

Compelling characters, intriguing mystery, a small dose of romance and enough action to keep you glued to the pages make of On Her Father’s Grave an impossible to put down book.

Mrs. Elliot does an excellent job packing a lot of good elements in this novella. I liked how some questions were answered and others were left open to be developed in further installment in this series.

Next installment in this series, Gone to Her Grave, will be written by Melinda Leigh, it’ll be release on October 21st and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

If you like novellas and romantic suspense this is a book you need to read. ( )