#sara ackerman

From Goodreads:

Taylor Jenkins Reid meets 100 Foot Wave in this dazzling new romance by USA TODAY bestselling author Sara Ackerman. 'Iwa Young’s life is high in the Maui rainforest. As a field biologist, she’s happiest in company with trees and birds and waterfalls. When a developer arrives with plans for a so-called "eco resort" in the middle of a forest full of endangered species, 'Iwa puts all her energy into the fight to protect it. But a chance encounter threatens to distract her. His name is Dane Parsons, and he’s a big-wave surfer from California. 'Iwa has a few unbreakable rules, and at the top of her list: never date a surfer. Dane Parsons is part of an underground group of big-wave riders, and his connection to the ocean runs deep. When he meets 'Iwa, he can’t get her out of his mind. But 'Iwa wants nothing to do with Dane until he offers to help protect her beloved forest and waterfall. Always on the hunt for the ultimate ride, Dane suddenly glimpses something even greater, but just out of reach. In this thunderous love story, we travel deep into the Maui rainforest and hop across the globe from Hawai'i to California to Portugal, chasing waves the size of nine-story buildings—where the unthinkable is always just one breath away.

Heard It in a Love Song by Tracey Garvis Graves - romance

Lights on the Sea by Miguel Reina - adventure, magical realism

REVIEW

The Codebreaker’s Secret by Sara Ackerman

 Dual timelines with strong intelligent young women in both eras, and two men that show up in both stories – one a good man and the other evil. How the two stories are linked, and murders solved while we learn of the romances, murders, wars, and more are the basis of this book. I found myself skimming quickly through the parts that were of less interest to me wanting to find out about the juicier parts I was more interested in and also found that though everything wrapped up nicely in the end, I was wishing that one couple had their happily ever after earlier and wishing that I felt more connected and invested in the two couples that were the romance portion of the story.

 What I liked:

* Isabelle “Izzy” Cooper: codebreaker, cryptanalyst, in the US Navy, brilliant, strong, close to her older brother killed during the WWII Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, pivotal persona in both eras of the story

* Luana “Lu” Freitas: journalist, from Hawaii, probably dyslexic, misunderstood by her father, found a safe haven as a child with Auntie H, looking for a big story

* Matteo Russi: main characters in the 40’s and 60’s, Air Force pilot, photographer, journalist, war veteran, survivor, has PTSD, complex, and damaged by war

* Walt: Izzy’s brother, there for his sister, bigger than life, a good son, brother, man, pilot, and friend

* The setting of Hawaii – lovely place I visited when I was sixteen

* The idea for the story

* That the story has both WWII and the Vietnam War in the background of the book

* The spies, codebreaking, war elements

* The socializing and friend making that took place in both eras

 What I didn’t like:

* Who and what I was meant not to like: spies, killers, difficulties war can create

 Did I enjoy this book? For the most part

Would I read more by this author? It would depend on the topic, but probably

 Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin-Mira for the ARC – This is my honest review.

 3-4 Stars

       BLURB