Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we are going to be discussing Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. This book had it all – suspense, romance, and a riveting whodoneit. It was, at times, painfully sad but I enjoyed every moment of this three hundred page powerhouse. Before we begin our chat, I will be placing a trigger warning on Wild Dark Shore for natural disasters, animal cruelty, general violence, and sexual assault. Now, let’s get to it:

Dominic Salt lives and works on remote Shearwater Island with his three children, Orly, Fen, and Raff. Dom is the caretaker to this island that is home to wondrous animals like seals, albatrosses, and penguins as well as a seed bank should the world ever fall into a time when plants would need to be restored. Once a bustling place with scientists and researchers is now left to the Salt family. Everyone else has fled the island or vanished and it is up to them to maintain the seed bank until they are scheduled for extraction. They have their tasks and routines down to a science until it goes haywire when a woman washes up on shore.

Despite her hatred of the water, Rowan must get to Shearwater Island for someone she wants back desperately. She hires a boat and a captain and sets sail into rough waters. Then, catastrophe strikes when a major storm hits, destroying the boat and sending Rowan into the sea. By some miracle, she is rescued by Fen who mans the beach at Shearwater. She is barely conscious, badly injured, and is nursed back to health by the Salt family with a lot of help from the youngest, Orly, who refuses to leave her side.

After Rowan returns to the land of the living, she can’t help but shake the feeling that the Salt family is lying to her. They tell her that all sources of communication have been destroyed, they are the only people on the island, and Rowan must stay until their extraction date. As the days continue and Rowan recovers, she finds that she cannot stay still with idle hands for weeks. While she investigates her cause, she begins to grow a fondness for the family through their shared labor, living quarters, and experiences. She might even be growing fond of the patriarch, Dom.

Of course, feelings are always subject to change and as her love for the Salt family blooms, she begins to uncover their lies. There is no way off the island. No way to reach anyone and Rowan is stranded and in probable danger. Were these lies meant to cover something sinister? Or were they to protect Rowan from a hard truth? Read Wild Dark Shore to find out!

I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I began reading Wild Dark Shore. This is the first book by Charlotte McConaghy that I have read and I suspect it won’t be my last because this book was excellent. Wild Dark Shore flip flopped between Dom, Rowan, Orly, Fen, and Raff with chapters that were short and sweet. It was no secret that the Salts were hiding a secret and each point of view came together to paint a clear picture. It kept me turning the pages SO quickly and I also liked that I didn’t figure out the grand reveal completely. While this was a family based plot with a delicious “Will they, won’t they?”, this was still a novel of suspense through and through. It was a welcome change of pace from my usual thrillers and I have to say that the make you blush sex scene was a nice touch too! 😀

The cast of characters in Wild Dark Shore has zero complaints from me because I honestly loved them all. I adored Orly and his passion for nature. I related to Fen as she healed from trauma. I rooted for Raff as he battled his anger. And although I didn’t know the lie keeping Dom and Rowan at arm’s length, I was pulling for their relationship every step of the way. These characters were expertly crafted and the book was beautifully written. From McConaghy’s vivid descriptions, it felt like I was right there on Shearwater too. I marveled at its splendor as Rowan took it all in with fresh eyes. I mourned for the losses the island experienced. I kept my hopes up that this broken woman and family would find peace in any way they could salvage. And I closed this book feeling sad but immensely satisfied by this profound read.

Overall I am going to award Wild Dark Shore with the coveted ten out of ten stars. I can’t put into words how fantastic this book was. You are just going to have to trust me and read it for yourself!

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah