Look, I love Christine Feehan. I've listened to her books while folding approximately 47,000 tiny socks and scrubbing mystery substances off kitchen floors. She's my go-to for paranormal romance comfort reads. So when I saw this thriller-romance hybrid, I was excited. And then I was... confused. And then I was kind of annoyed. And THEN I was weirdly invested despite myself.
Here's my complaint: this book can't decide what it wants to be when it grows up. Is it a suspenseful thriller about a woman with psychic premonitions hunting a killer? Is it a steamy romance between Stella and her impossibly perfect handyman Sam? Is it a cozy found-family story about resort life in the Sierra Nevadas? Yes. It's all of those things. Sometimes in the same chapter. Sometimes in the same paragraph.
When Your Handyman Is Suspiciously Perfect
Sam is... a lot. He's the kind of romance hero who notices everything, anticipates every need, has mysterious skills that conveniently appear when required, and speaks in this calm, steady way that's either incredibly romantic or slightly unnerving depending on your mood. Alyssa Bresnahan gives him this measured, controlled delivery that works—you can hear the restraint in his voice, the sense that there's more beneath the surface. But after 15 hours, I wanted to shake him and say "Just be NORMAL for five minutes, my dude."
Stella, on the other hand, I genuinely liked. A woman with a traumatic past who's built a quiet life running a mountain resort, trying to ignore the fact that she has visions of murders before they happen? That's a premise I can work with. Bresnahan does well with her emotional moments—there's a rawness to Stella's fear that felt genuine, especially during the suspense sequences.
The Pacing Problem (Or: Why Is This 15 Hours Long?)
This book survived approximately 47 pauses—nap interruptions, snack emergencies, one memorable incident where Lucas decided to "help" Sophie down the stairs—and I could mostly follow the plot when I came back. Mostly. The issue isn't complexity, it's that Feehan takes her time. A LOT of time. We spend chapters on resort logistics, friend group dynamics, and relationship building that could have been trimmed by at least three hours.
Don't get me wrong—some of that slow burn works. The romance between Stella and Sam builds believably, and the friend group feels like real people with real relationships. But when you're trying to finish a book during nap times that may or may not happen (Sophie's been on a sleep strike lately, send help), the pacing becomes an issue. I wanted the thriller parts to be THRILLING, not interrupted by extended discussions about fishing trips.
The Good Stuff (Because There Is Good Stuff)
When Feehan leans into the suspense, it's genuinely tense. Stella's premonitions are creepy in the best way—flashes of violence that she can't quite piece together, the horrible knowledge that someone she cares about is going to die and she can't prove it to anyone. Bresnahan's delivery during these sequences had me gripping my steering wheel during pickup line. (The other moms probably thought I was having a moment. I was.)
The romance, while slow, has real heat when it finally gets there. If you're looking for that same slow-burn intensity with serious emotional payoff, Redeeming Love delivers it in spades. Fair warning: there's explicit content that made me very grateful for my car-in-the-garage listening sessions. Not something I needed playing through the Bluetooth while making PB&Js.
And the setting? The Sierra Nevada mountain resort comes alive. I could picture the lake, the cabins, the small-town atmosphere where everyone knows everyone's business. It's the kind of place I fantasize about escaping to when all three kids are crying simultaneously.
Who's Going to Love This (And Who Should Skip)
If you're a Feehan fan who loves her character-building and slow-burn romances, you'll probably enjoy this even with its flaws. If you're expecting a tight, fast-paced thriller, you're going to be frustrated. This is romance with thriller elements, not the other way around. After Ever Happy has that same romance-first priority, though with way more angst and way less murder.
Perfect for multitasking moms who can commit to a longer listen and don't mind pausing frequently. Skip it if you need something you can finish in a week of normal listening windows—this one took me almost two weeks, and I'm not slow.
The Mom-in-the-Minivan Bottom Line
Not groundbreaking, but sometimes you don't need groundbreaking. I wanted it to be tighter, wanted the thriller to thrill more consistently, wanted Sam to be slightly less perfect. But I finished it, I mostly enjoyed it, and I didn't ugly-cry at school pickup. The ending is satisfying in that romance-novel way where everything works out and the bad guy gets what's coming. Sometimes that's exactly what you need.
Worth a credit? Honestly, I'd wait for a sale or use a streaming service. It's a solid comfort read with some genuinely good moments, but the length and pacing issues keep it from being a must-buy. Bresnahan does good work with what she's given—her emotional delivery in the suspense and romantic scenes carries some of the slower sections.
My book club would probably have opinions about this one. If I ever have time for book club again.
