A good murder/mystery (with a bit of romance thrown in) by Gerri Hill. A "whodunnit" with, it transpires, connections to previous murders in a different city. It's not an Agatha Christie type "whodunnit" but a good overall story.

Detective Harley Shepherd has escaped the violent crime in San Antonio and has moved to the small Texas fishing village of Rockport in an effort to put the past behind her. Lauren Voss has been back in Rockport for three years after splitting with her ex, Leah, in San Diego. Lauren is running her grandmother's Heron Bay Resort in Rockport and is absorbed in the work with no time to date or make friends. One day Lauren discovers the resort's clubhouse has been vandalized and a message written in blood has been left on a mirror. Detective Harley Shepherd is sent to investigate the case and she meets Lauren. Their initial meeting is tenuous at best, with Lauren disturbed that the message is intended for her, and at the same time put off by Harley's Hawaiian shirts and her cocky attitude. When a headless body is later found floating in the bay tied to resort's fishing pier and some other violent acts occur in the small town, Harley works to protect Lauren from a killer.

This was a well balanced book between the romance and the mystery. Without really dating, both Harley and Lauren got the opportunity (albeit in a difficult way) to get to know each other well in a short period of time. Over the course of a couple of months, Harley learned about why Lauren left San Diego for Rockport, why she initially reminded Lauren of her ex, and Lauren learned an in depth account of what happened to Harley and her partner in San Antonio. This made them fight for each other when the killer approached. I recommend this book to other readers. Gerri Hill never disappoints. 4.25 stars

I received an ARC from Bella Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lauren is running her grandma’s resort and Hayley is working on a small police force after following her boss from the big city to this town. Both have left behind memories and hope to forget and learn to live again. Their first meeting doesn’t go well, but as more incidents happen they begin to discover the positives in each other.
Goodreads

Red Tide at Heron Bay is a well balanced mystery/romance. Harley Shepherd is living in a small fishing village on the Texas coast. She is a police detective who needed to get away from the big city and is enjoying the laid back lifestyle. She is called in to investigate a vandalism. Lauren Voss runs the Heron Bay Resort which is owned by her grandmother. She is put off by the cocky, Hawaiian shirt wearing Harley, when she arrives to investigate. The vandalism wouldn't be alarming except for a message written in blood.

Both Harley and Lauren are in their early 30s and very single for differing reasons. A lot of attention is given to their thoughts and emotions. I absolutely love the colorful Hawaiian shirts. Something that could have been a stereotype actually has deeper symbolism to Harley. And for Lauren, her change of attitude towards them is a sign of her growing affection. The warmth between the two is felt as they become friends. I think the playfulness in the relationship keeps the mystery from feeling too dark. There is some steaminess and I wish there was a little more.

The mystery part of the book is solid. The tension builds as the threats become more pointed. I like that Harley works with her department. The police work is fairly routine like running background checks and waiting for labs. That doesn't seem exciting but felt accurate for a small town PD. I would say the book is almost 50/50 in time is spent on the romance vs. the mystery.

I was genuinely thrilled to get the latest book from Geri Hill. I've been blazing through her many books during the last several months. This is for anyone who enjoys mysteries with a sapphic romance. And of course this is for fans of Gerri Hill. Thank you to NetGalley and Bella Books for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 stars. Having read most of Hill’s books I can easily say I’m a fan and especially her mystery/paranormal romances are my favorites, so yes, I was happy with this new release. While I don’t think this is one of Hill’s best mystery books out there I enjoyed reading it. It’s a solid read with likeable characters and an interesting mystery.

The story is told as usual in third person with POVs of the mains, Harley and Lauren. Both MCs have escaped to the small town of Rockport for different reasons. Lauren broke up with her ex and returned to her safe haven, the Heron Bay Resort, that is owned by her grandmother and now managed by Lauren. Here she drowns herself in work in order not to think about her private life, let alone think about dating. Harley needed to get away from the big city and all the violence she saw there as a homicide detective. She’s happy dealing with small crimes in Rockport until a case of vandalism and a floating body near the Heron Bay Resort stirs things up.

Hill is a master in writing good characters and this book is no exception, I liked both characters, but especially Harley with her Hawaiian shirts moved me. At the start of the book I thought I was going to get a cocky detective, but she turned out to be so different from what I expected and I like being surprised like that. She’s still dealing with some things that made her leave the big city and she was actually far more vulnerable and insecure (and not afraid to show it) than I first believed her to be. A truly genuine and believable person and I was rooting for her and Lauren. Together they had good chemistry, not really in a “sparks flying” kind of way, but gentle and it went well with the mystery.

The mystery part was solid with all puzzle pieces falling together and some good suspense moments, but it started a bit slow (the mystery really takes off after 50%) and to be honest it did not keep me on the edge of my seat as some of Hill’s previous mysteries did. I think this was because there were no major plot twists. It still easily kept my interest though.
I did have some questions about the killer’s actions, the why was very clear to me, but the way they go about it didn’t seem to fit the killer’s profile. I guess I’m nitpicking now and I’ve just read too many crime books…..

In summary, both the romance and the mystery were a pleasure to read and I think fans of mystery romance books will enjoy this, recommend!