Originally Published: 10-23-2020
Somewhere Only We Know is the 8th book in the Callaways Series by Barbara Freethy.
This is the last book in the first half of the series and the last of the brothers, this one being the oldest!
Book Details
This is Burke’s story!! He’s the oldest of the Callaway clan!
Somewhere Only We Know is a complex romance that’s both a contemporary and suspense novel.
Throughout the series, Burke has always been this stoic and put off character. As the oldest of this large family, he’s the one that has had to set the standard high for the whole family.
Maddie Heller is a brand new character. She went to high school with some of the Callaways. And her and Burke have run into each other in weird places in the 10+ years since.
So while they didn’t really have a relationship, they did notice each other and knew who they each were!
I found a very similar book cover, two actually. Both shown here with the years published.
You’ll find this book to be a full length novel with no cliff hanger. There’s a problem to solve that they work together to solve.
And yes there’s also story loops for future stories and pieces from previous characters so that we know how they are doing.
And while this is a romance, the mystery is the bigger part of the plot.
So the story is about Burke and the death of the fiancée, Leanne.
But the story is also about Maddie Heller. She’s come back to San Francisco after traveling all around the world. Her luck has completely run out.
Burke and Maddie literally run into each other at a memorial service for his late fiancée.
Burke is a “always in control” personality and Maddie is a “go with the flow” type. But as they spend time together, they find that they balance.
Just like the other books in this series, there’re some details in the sexy scenes.
Book Summary
Burke and Maddie weren’t high school sweethearts but they did know each other, interacted with each other.
You’ll find that the story is kinda a second chance story but also a opposites attract type as well.
When Burke and Maddie were in high school, they had a distant type of relationship, somebody they knew from a afar, but didn’t really associate with. He was her tutor for a minute and that didn’t go well.
Burke’s a take charge personality. He’s always done things by the book, been the type to make and keep plans and follows the rules.
Maddie’s impulsive and spontaneous and lived like a nomad for many years after high school.
She comes back to San Fran because that’s her home and she needs to basically lick her wounds. Her ex not only took all of her money, he’s also hounding her for more. And to top that off, her landlord takes off too making it that she has no place to stay.
And of course, Burke was there to not only help her but to give her a place to stay.
It’s while she’s staying with him that she teaches him to loosen up and he shows her that having plans can be a good thing.
So while they’re opposites, they’re also compatible.
They compliment each other and are actually perfect for each other.
And together, they solve both of their problems.
Burke is forced to face the situation with his fiancée. He finds out that her death is a lot more complicated than he first thought. And he has to actually open up to be able to solve it.
Maddie’s ex is hounding her for more money as he’s in bed with a loan shark and wants more money to make him go away. They find out that he’s taken money from more than just Maddie.
Maddie also has turn to others for help just like Burke.
So while the characters are polar opposites, they’re actually facing basically the same.
And that makes the story interesting and predictable.
And what they find out is actually surprising and …. wow! Something you’d totally not expect. A antagonist that was not expected, nor anticipated.
It kinda felt like the ending came out of left field, with no clues whatsoever to it. But it not only solved the unexpected death of his former fiancee but it also solved the current issue that was happening in the story.
And then of course, it does end happily ever after, just like any romance should.
They do commit together but no wedding. Their wedding happens in book 10/2, Take Me Home, of the Callaway Cousins!
But first, you need to check out book 9/1, If I didn’t Know Better, where we get the first of the cousins!
Conclusion
This story was fast-paced and exciting. And really, the first where there’s an actual mystery that’s separate from the love story.
You can actually read how Freethy gets better at writing as this series continues. And that’s always a good thing. I enjoy an author that puts time into learning and gaining skills as they write their books.
Burke’s story takes us into an investigative type of story where they have to come up with clues as to what happened to his fiancée.
And then it follows the same pattern of romance story!
I enjoyed this story. It was nice to finally see that Burke got his own story and also how to see how the other characters are doing. Freethy is good at creating scenes and events that incorporate all the past characters, enabling us to be able to “see” how everyone is doing.
So this story is a great ending to a fun and entertaining series and definitely worth reading!
