Solace
Christel Gibbins
Riverside House Publishing (2025)
ISBN: 979-8993024905
Reviewed by Ashley Hooker for Reader Views (07/2026)
Solace by Christel Gibbins is one of those books that will surprise you with each turn of the page.
Elizabeth is a nursing student on the cusp of graduation. She has an excellent group of friends and has not really considered dating a priority. In her apartment complex, everything is quiet, and the neighbors are friends until something happens. Elizabeth begins receiving threats and her life is turned upside down. She meets a guy named Nolan, who then becomes her friend and protector. Elizabeth, Nolan, and her friends will face the dangers head-on and possibly open Elizabeth’s heart to budding love.
The author covers much terrain in Solace. She begins with themes of friendship, feelings of accomplishment, and new beginnings. Elizabeth and her friends are in the final stretch of nursing school. Their friendship is a priority, and their bonds are strong. Each day they meet to share thoughts and receive encouragement. Gibbins also explores the themes of fear and uncertainty. Elizabeth meets Nolan and is not sure where their friendship is headed. The threats she begins receiving create an upheaval in what to this point seemed like an on-track life.
Gibbins has a way of evoking different emotions with each page you read. Elizabeth’s experience with the neighbor gives you an uneasy feeling, and then her dates with Nolan make you warm and fuzzy inside. Romantic scenes are like a slow burn. Readers cannot help but anticipate what feelings will come over them with each turn of the page.
Solace will surprise readers. It is not just a book about a group of friends experiencing all the things young people do. Readers will discover layers of intensity and danger one might not expect. There will be moments when the story moves slowly, allowing for a deeper knowledge of the characters and the situations they find themselves in.
Christel Gibbins’ Solace is a heartwarming story that leaves readers understanding that sometimes love and friendship can overcome even the scariest moments of your life. It is a book that fans of wholesome with a dash of thriller novels will want to consider as their next read.
At a Glance: A contemporary romantic suspense novel about a nursing student whose peaceful life is shattered by anonymous threats, forcing her to rely on newfound friendships and an unexpected protector. A clean, slow-burn romance with themes of loyalty, courage, and personal growth.
Best for Readers Who Enjoy: contemporary romantic suspense, clean romance, slow-burn love story, books about strong friendships, protective hero, college-age protagonists, wholesome thriller, emotional character-driven fiction, overcoming fear, inspirational romance