An Emotional Scottish Island Romantic Suspense Filled with Second Chances, Years of Pining, and Dangerous Secrets
Release date: October 29, 2026
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Synopsis:
For years I’ve been secretly in love with my brother’s best friend. Forde Dallas is the most commitment-phobic man I know and when our mutual attraction destroyed our friendship, I left for six months in hopes of putting some distance between us.
When I return home to our small Scottish island, Forde has undergone a transformation I’m not ready to believe in. Suddenly he wants to settle down and is determined to win back my love and trust.
However, I’m preoccupied with the suspicion that one of my ex’s might be the man the police are hunting for in relation to horrifying crimes. For weeks I’ve been piecing together the puzzle that leads to him. When Forde stumbles across me in the middle of a dangerous mission to uncover the truth, we’re forced together by a chance of fate.
As we’re thrown into the shocking realization I may have solved a national man hunt, someone lurking in the shadows starts targeting us both.
Determined to live my life despite everything I’m facing, the one thing I’m not prepared for is Forde’s persistence. He’s there, supporting me, protecting me, and setting my world on fire with his passion. Even though we share a complicated history, I can’t help but want to explore the searing connection that’s existed between us for years.
But just when I think Forde and I have finally found something real together, we’ll have to face our biggest fight yet. Because someone hiding among us doesn’t believe we deserve our happily ever after…
Review:
Samantha Young has such a gift for writing romances that are equal parts emotional, passionate, and suspenseful, and Midnight Mooring is exactly the kind of book I’ve come to expect from her! Complicated characters, years of unresolved feelings, fantastic tension, and just enough danger to keep me on edge. I loved this one!
Cammie and Forde have been dancing around their feelings for each other since they were kids, and the history between them adds so much to their story. The yearning! The pining! The push and pull! There’s nothing quite like two people who have loved each other for years but can’t seem to get out of their own way. Cammie is such a little spitfire, and I absolutely adored her. She’s sassy, strong-willed, and not about to make things easy for Forde. And Forde? Oh, that complicated man! He’s made mistakes, he’s got his issues, but watching him genuinely try to become the man Cammie deserves was so satisfying. I loved seeing him fight for her and for the future he finally realizes he wants.
And of course, it wouldn’t be a Samantha Young romantic suspense without some serious danger! The suspense was fantastic, with a mystery that added another layer of intensity to an already emotional story. I love how Young can make me completely invested in a couple’s relationship while simultaneously keeping me worried about what might happen next. The balance between romance and suspense was so well done.
I actually did a combination of Kindle reading and listening, but the audiobook absolutely won out! Zara Hampton-Brown and John Hartley were so good together. Zara is always fantastic, especially when it comes to conveying the complicated emotions Samantha Young’s stories require. She brings so much heart to her performances, and Cammie was no exception. John was a new-to-me narrator, but he completely won me over as Forde! He captured all those complicated layers of a man struggling with his past while trying so hard to be better. Their performances made an already emotional story even more immersive.
Emotional, exciting, romantic, and packed with longing, Midnight Mooring delivered everything I wanted. Samantha Young continues to be one of those authors I can count on for characters who feel real, relationships worth rooting for, and suspense that keeps me turning the pages. Such a satisfying read!
Perfect for Readers Who Love
•Brother’s best friend romances with years of unresolved feelings
•Complicated, protective heroes determined to prove they’ve changed
•Sassy, strong willed heroines who don’t fall easily
•Second chance romance packed with yearning, pining, and sizzling chemistry
•Small Scottish island settings with close-knit communities
•Romantic suspense featuring dangerous secrets and shocking twists
•Emotional, character driven love stories with plenty of passion
•Immersive dual narrated audiobooks that bring every emotion to life
Overall rating: 4.5/5
Thanks to the author and Must Love Audio for the review copy.
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