Fiona has received a plum of a job. She is do an archeological survey of Ruby Island. It is in the Caribbean and owned by Jude, a former archeologists. She will be there two months. She gets a call saying Dean will be arriving soon. Dean is a photographer and was stranded with Fiona nine months ago. When Dean arrives, someone sabotages the helicopter they come in on. They make it to the island and Dean is just as surprised to see Fiona. But that’s not the only accident to happen because someone wants the secrets the islands have to stay secret.

Now I love Rachel Grant’s books but this one was extremely hard to get into. Secrets. Heartache. There was lots of stuff I had no clue what was being said. Now at the end you will want Kleenex’s nearby. I’m so sorry this probably makes no sense but I can’t describe it.

* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for NetGalley *

As a follow up to Dangerous Ground, I was really excited to read the continuing story of archaeologist Fiona Carver and nature photographer Dean Slater as they visited Ruby Island in the Caribbean to explore previous inhabitants documenting the island’s history and current fauna. Unfortunately, the plot became very routine half-way through the book with the ending very clear at that point. These characters deserved better. Hopefully if there is a next book, these characters will be featured in a stronger story.

This is the second book in this series and having not read the first book i think this would have been easier if I had. A bit of a slow starter but an okay read overall.

This is the second book in this series. This book started off slow and I almost did not finish it. The ending was a lot better

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. It's the second book in the series and as I haven't read the first one I often couldn't keep up as the previous book and what happend is mentioned every now and then. But you get the story of the book without the first book read. Anyway, half was through the book, I was wondering, when finaly something ist going to happen and almost gave up. But then it finally did happen and a lot of it. I definitely didn't expect the story to develop as it did, but it's been a rollercoaster. Fiona and Dean are very much in love with each other, it's just Dean doesn't do relationships. A very emotional and very archaeologically themed story that has you hooked - even if you have to read quite a while to get to the good part

Fiona watches as the helicopter gets ready to land carrying Dean. She is on the dream job but had no idea when she took the job that the man she silently loves is coming here too. The helicopter suddenly crashes but due to excellent piloting skills, all escape serious injury. The crash site is mysteriously cleared by the next day.
Fiona and Dean have a history. Dean has his own history that prevents him from having serious relationships with women. All this takes place in the fictional setting of Ruby Island. A place of beauty close to Dominica. It is leased by a shipping magnate that Fiona knew in an earlier time. Unlike Dean, he wants a relationship with Fiona.
The setting of this book is perfect. The mystery and romance unfold at a slow pace but it keeps the reader's interest. The characters are interesting and all have their stories. The heroine has a great deal to overcome and many obstacles are placed in the way by love interests and other things going on in and around Ruby Island. If you like romance, mystery, and the beauty of a tropical island you will enjoy this book. Thanks to #CrashSite#NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Four stars for the romance, two for the suspense. After Dangerous ground, I needed Dean and Fiona to have their happy ending, now! That’s why I read the ARC in NetGalley. Archaeologist Fiona Carver seizes the opportunity to do a private job on a Caribbean island. Unbeknownst to Fiona, Dean Slater is also hired. This is a ‘second chance at love’ romance. Fiona really likes this rich and handsome wildlife photographer with his blue-blue eyes and amazing body, but he does not want a relationship. They have not seen each other for nearly a year. Now they are together in this Caribbean job and their physical and emotional attraction sparks. Of course, they can only have a happy ending if Dean changes his mind –and the baddies let them live.
Their relationship is what I liked the most. And I found quite absorbing the final part of the book, with a lot of action, and very clever thinking on the part of Fiona.
It is one of those novels that I call ‘catenary type’: strong at the beginning and at the end, but tracing a downward curve from the beginning to the middle, and then going up from that midpoint. The setting and the few historical references were not very interesting for me. And the suspense was not very gripping until the last quarter of the book. It's not one of those novels full of surprises or twists and turns.
I think it can be read as a standalone, but it’s much better if you read both novels of the series.

If you call this book a suspense-thriller-adventure, then ‘Crash Site’ is a superlative addition to the Fiona Carver series. Just like its predecessor, it’s a tale of survival and heart-pounding action as things—par for the course—start to go wrong one after the other like stacked dominoes falling with the slightest touch. Rachel Grant’s intelligent, descriptive writing shines when it comes to putting together her research and her academic experience into a tight, adventure-driven plot with enough intrigue and twists and turns to keep your eyes glued to the page.

But call this a romance and the cracks start to show up early when it comes to the dance Fiona and Dean do this far down the line. In the first book, Dean’s constant insistence on living life ‘to the fullest’ for self-preservation purposes continues here right up to the last page, his grating (and perhaps cowardly) commitment issues contrasting sharply to Fiona’s helpless pining and inability to pull away from a man who doesn’t want a relationship enough after his last great heartbreak a decade ago.

Fiona’s strength and compassion would easily endear Grant’s female readers; on the other hand, Dean’s own uncertainty about his willingness to fight for anything more with Fiona, while understandable, turned frustratingly irksome by the end, compounded by a so-called abrupt change of heart that never quite materialises convincingly.

With this rushed ending and not much of a hint as to how they might move forward, Fiona/Dean together as a couple raises more questions than answers: is there more in this series that Grant intends to build on? Is Dean ever going to be the one who finally steps up emotionally to help validate the romantic aspect of the story? Or is the end of Dean’s and Fiona’s uneven character growth as protagonists of the series? Will Dylan get his own story?

While ‘Crash Site’ doesn’t end in too much of a cliffhanger, its conclusion—from a suspense-thriller perspective, is a satisfying one: questions answered, the loopholes closed and the bad guys dealt with…though not without some regretful collateral damage. But as a book classified as romantic suspense, its emotional, romantic ending is more muted and more disappointing than what I’d hoped to read.

*ARC by the publisher via Netgalley

Another winner! I loved this book and the way that Dean and Fi were brought back together. It was a great springboard to an engaging book which, in addition to the fascinating history, was a mystery. I learned some history that our standard history books ignore, while also being totally engrossed in the mystery of just what was happening on the island and who really was the bad guy.

Within the mystery, was the continuing romantic push/pull between Fi and Dean. In addition to rooting for them to solve the mystery and survive the attempt, I found myself invested in their story and wanting them to get their HEA ending.

I love this author's books and have her on my must read authors' list. If you enjoy an engaging mystery with a bit of romance, you will love this book. While this is part of a series, this is a stand alone novel, however, it's so good that you really owe it to yourself to read the series.

There’s broader themes like a commentary on life and death and recurring tropes such as things in decay, old creepy houses, hauntings, etc. But it’s a lot of moodiness and trying to capture certain emotions instead of any specific plot or character requirements. I think that’s why so much of the genre is set in the past, because it’s hard to effectively pull off a haunted midcentury modern condo decorated with a chevron rug and ‘inspirational’ wall art.

This was a delight to read, really. It was very thought provoking and had me worry about so many of the characters including the main. The setting was pretty brutal to read about but I think that was the beauty of this book in itself. There was a lot going on and a lot that needed to be covered and in the end it just worked really well and came full circle so credit to the author for all that was written inside. I cannot wait to see what other books will come out from this author and anything else. 5 out of 5 stars!