About the Book

Book: Seashells Tell No Tales

Author: Amanda Tru

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

Release Date: February 27, 2024

A tropical island tale of danger, secrets, love, and seashells that won’t reveal any of it.

Faith Marlowe made a promise to her dying brother. Unfortunately that promise involves helping an injured and embittered Army Ranger vet, Gideon Sundquist (Sunny).

Sunny doesn’t want help. He lost both his legs in a black ops mission he can’t breathe a word about. Now he’s exiled on an island in the middle of the South Pacific, hiding from the world.

Both Faith and Sunny have secrets to keep. If Sunny finds out who Faith is, Faith will lose her only chance to keep her promise. If Faith finds out the truth of Sunny’s mission, it will put both of their lives at risk.

On a beautiful, remote island in the Pacific, Faith will try to teach Sunny to live again. But if the tales of their secrets are told, neither will see the sun rise in the Suamalie Islands again.

Beach reads aren’t just for summer anymore.

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About the Author

Amanda Tru is a best-selling author of over thirty Christian fiction books. She writes page-turning fiction to inspire real-life stories. In her own real story, she sheds her super-hero writing cape to be mommy to four kids in a small Idaho town.

More from Amanda

I believe that the best fiction contains a seed of truth. After all, sometimes life breathes emotions that can never be faked and tells stories no imagination can paint. Seashells Tell No Tales is a fantastic story of romance, heartache, family, and friendship with a splash of humor and suspense. In some ways, it is a fresh take on the classic Beauty and the Beast motif. But what may be most surprising is that the original idea for the plot is based on a true story.

My father-in-law was in the army when he was a young man. He never served in war combat, but his memories still reveal that it was a life-changing experience for him. One day, he told us a story about another soldier he befriended in basic training. Though his military story didn’t carry the thill and danger of some military tales, its impact on him was profound, so much so that over fifty years later, his voice shook with tears as he told it.

It was a tale of a paradigm shift when he realized that someone who was different did not intend to be different, but very much wished to not be weighed down with the lot life had assigned him. The other young man did not want to be as he was. My father-in-law’s response to his fellow soldier spoke of understanding, friendship, and a life-altering perspective that still resonates in his actions today.

And it’s a message that should inspire us all.

As often happens, when I hear a story that touches me, I mentally file it away. It bubbles up in my memory ever so often and eventually, an idea may form around it. The foundation Seashells Tell No Tales is the true-life encounter my father-in-law had in basic training. Sunny’s flashback scene at the beginning of the book is as identical as I could make it to what my father-in-law described. I used my imagination to fill in the details of the circumstances surrounding the event, but the conversation, the emotions, and the actions are all real.

In turn, that event forms the basis of a friendship that defines the rest of the book. Also real to life, friendships are not fairy-tales; they are messy. In some ways, Sunny’s life may have been better had he never taken the time to offer friendship to an outcast, but in every way that matters, Sunny—like all of us—is a better human for experiencing the trials of life we’d never choose for ourselves.

Yes, Seashells Tell No Tales is very much a fiction story. But I believe the truth in it adds a profound dimension. As you read it, feel free to laugh at the humor, white-knuckle your way through the suspense, feel your heart flutter with the romance, be touched by the themes of family and friendship—but I also want you to shut the last page of the book inspired.

May we all offer friendship to those on the sidelines of life. And may we recognize our own faces in theirs. Through our love for others, may we realize that we truly are exactly who we are meant to be.

MY REVIEW

What an exciting story with military secrets, a nurse trying to fulfill her brother’s last wish and a man who lost both legs in a secret military operation. Sunny and Faith’s first encounter is met with animosity and spit wads. Yes I said spit wads. That sure got Faith’s attention. Here she is coming to take care of Sunny and he has this attitude that is horrible.

The author creates a story that delivers an intense scenes of trusting God and healing others in need. Why is Sunny hiding on a remote island? That question will be answered but the drama draws us in as we witness both Sunny and Faith with secrets that could be dangerous for both of them. I love suspense stories and this one has all the makings of a movie. I can picture the opening scene as Sunny opens the door in a wheelchair and Faith standing there waiting to be asked in. Their dynamics are vast in emotions but I loved how they start to slowly come to accept each other.

I was very intrigued about the connection to Sunny and Faith’s brother Will. They were involved in something very secretive with the black ops but for some reason people are keeping that mission quiet. Sunny lost both legs but why was he sent away to an island and left basically alone? Oh the story is so good that I didn’t want it to end. Has Sunny lost who he once was? Maybe Faith has been sent there to also help him find his way back to God?

I absolutely love how the author tied the title of the book into the story. Seashells hear many things but they never divulge information. Sunny wants to be free from the secret he has kept for so long and with Faith you can tell he is feeling more confident about himself. Just her presence has given him a reason to live. Faith reminds Sunny that “the truth shall set you free.”

The author really knows how to write a story that not only gives you a heart ponding adventure but a look at how God can turn a life around. I will never forget this story because Sunny and Faith are what represents trust and hope for a better future.

“Too often, people assumed that if they were following God’s will, the road was smooth, and you got to do what you wanted.”

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.