Chasing the Wind by Pamela Binnings Ewen

Amalise is just coming back to work after the nightmare of her husband dying and the events that happened before that(see my review of Dancing on Glass). As a second year lawyer she is put on a real estate case that will take all of her time and energy.

When Amalise finds that the plan is to destroy a section of the city in order to put in a future casino and resort she has qualms about the morality of the decision. Sworn to secrecy Amalise makes the mistake of meeting a family that lives in the section slated to be destroyed. Meeting the family that has taken in foster children, Amalise falls in love with a little boy named Luke. Nobody knows where Luke is from, he hasn't spoken since arriving. Luke and Amalise seem to bond instantly which pushes Amalise to execute a daring plan that may compromise her future as a lawyer. 

In the meantime Jude has discovered that he is in love with his lifelong friend Amalise. But she thinks that he is in love with her co-worker Rebecca. When Amalise explores her own feelings she realizes that there has always been only one man for her, Jude. One misunderstanding after another keeps them from discovering their true feelings for each other for a time.

I enjoyed the continuation of Amalise's story and to see how she has healed. I thought that the story read like a John Grisham book with all of the technical lawyer speak which I enjoyed very much. I also enjoyed the flashbacks to how Luke came to the United States. Even though I liked the story very well I didn't feel like it affected me as much as Dancing on Glass did. Pamela Binnings Ewen is a very good story teller that knows how to keep the reader turning the pages.

Weekend Report

The Weekend Report is hosted by Melanie at Christian Bookshelf Reviews. It is a chance to wrap up our week in reading. Head on over to Melanie's blog to check out her Weekend Report!

WHAT I'M CURRENTLY READING:

 I downloaded this from NetGalley this week. I'm not sure if this is considered a sequel or not, but Amalise Catoir from Dancing on Glass is also in this book. I just started it so haven't gotten a feel for it yet.

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:

WHAT I THINK I'LL READ SOON:

Whatever is on my Kindle. We are going on vacation. So there might not be a lot of reading going on while we are gone. We will be visiting family so we will be busy busy.

How about you? How was your week in reading? What about vacation plans? Do you get to get away from it all with a good book while on vacation?

The Scent of Rain by Kristin Billerbeck

Daphne Sweeten has a "nose" for perfume, but when she is left alone at the alter that gift disappears along with all of her dreams. Hopeful that her condition is just temporary Daphne starts her new job as a "nose" for Gibraltar Products in Dayton, Ohio.

Jesse left his job at Procter & Gamble to work at Gibraltar in hopes that he would have more time with his son Ben. He knows that the company does not have funds or the need for a "nose" but it seems his boss has set out to cause him to fail in his career and this is another step in that direction.

Both wounded from relationships, Daphne from a man that she still seems to love and Jesse who's wife passed away, deny to themselves and each other that there is any attraction between them. If that is so then why do they feel the need to protect each other?

This was a cute story that I enjoyed very much. I liked that Daphne didn't wallow in despair over being left at the alter. Even as she questioned what God's plan for her was she continued to move forward. She also didn't let a co-worker named Kinsey get away with snide comments, which added a little snap to the story and dialog! I also liked Jesse's character. Trying to raise his son and be a good father, yet the demands of his work seem to cause him to be absent more than he liked. From the minute he sets eyes on Daphne his heart is a gonner! This was the first time I've read anything by this author and I don't think it will be my last!

I received my copy from Thomas Nelson Publishers through Booksneeze.

The Chase by DiAnn Mills

Kariss Walker is an author working on her next book. She has determined to switch from writing books for women to writing suspense novels. Kariss has decided to write a work of fiction based on the unsolved death of a little girl. In order to learn how her characters should behave she has come to the FBI to gain incite into how they solve a case.

Special Agent Tigo Harris is assigned to help Kariss with her research. Tigo is in the middle of a case involving members of the Arroyo gang, a group of gun smugglers.

Kariss  has a knack for getting right into the thick of things. Before long she is on the Arroyo's hit list. Tigo urges her to leave town but Kariss is determined to help find another missing child.

This was a great suspense novel that kept me turning the pages until the exciting end. I liked the way Kariss managed to win Tigo over eventually. Kariss and her strong-headedness frustrated me a couple of times. After the gang is after her she still goes off by herself and gets into trouble. I thought the ending was wrapped up a bit too quickly. I felt like I was reading along and the suspense was building and then all of the sudden it was over. I felt like saying "wait a minute, what just happened?" This is the first book in the Crime Scene Houston series. The next book The Survivor comes out in March 2013.

I received my copy from ALA in January 2012. 

Dying To Know You by Aidan Chambers

Karl is dyslexic so he hates to write. He also doesn't know how to express himself very well. When Karl's girlfriend Fiorella asks him to answer some questions she has by writing out his answers Karl turns to Fiorella's favorite author for help.

Not only is this author helping Karl with searching out his inner most feelings, but Karl is helping the author by once again giving him a reason and will to write after his wife's death.

Karl and the author develop a friendship that manages to withstand many ups and downs as they both explore who they are. They relate with each other in that the author can see that he and Karl have many of the same character qualities. Karl is brooding and moody and insecure, the author can see many of the same qualities in himself. He helps Karl deal with those emotions throughout the book.

The story was written from the authors point of view.We never know what the authors name is. I enjoyed how much he helped Karl discover himself. He helped Karl through depression and other emotions by offering wise advice or just listening when Karl had something to say. In return Karl gave the author a reason to start writing again after the death of his wife. There were a few sexual situations, but nothing graphic. There was also a bit of language. I think this was a story of healing both for Karl and for the author that befriended him.

 

I received my ARC copy at ALA in January of 2012.

In Harm's Way by Irene Hannon

When Rachel Sutton finds a Raggedy Ann Doll encased in a snow bank her first inclination is to just leave it there. Worried that some little girl will be missing it though she decides to chip it out of the snow and leave it in a prominent place for someone to find. When she touches the doll emotions course through her bringing a sense of terror. Rachel has never felt this way before and is afraid to approach the authorities knowing that she will be opening herself up to ridicule. 

Not being able to ignore the feeling though Rachel brings the doll to the FBI. She meets special agent Nick Bradley to tell her story to. Nick’s first inclination is to dismiss Rachel’s claims. When he comes across a picture of a missing baby girl with the Raggedy Ann Doll in the picture he has to believe that for some reason Rachel and the doll have a connection.

As Rachel and Nick begin to develop feelings for each other there is still a kidnapper out there not wanting to be discovered. The kidnapper will do anything to keep law enforcement from discovering the missing baby. That includes eliminating anyone that may reveal who that person is. 

I liked the story and I loved the characters of Rachel and Nick. Irene Hannon writes a good suspense novel. The problem with this one is that the suspense didn’t really get moving until the final chapters of the book. I felt the majority of the book was spent exploring Rachel and Nick’s relationship. Which I didn’t mind, I thought they were a great match for each other. And despite the lack of suspense at the beginning I still was invested in the story and kept turning the pages to see how everything turned out. The ending of the book definitely did not lack in suspense! It kept me on the edge of my seat and totally stressed until the ending! This was the last book in the Heroes of Quantico series. Irene Hannon’s next series is The Guardians of Justice series. The third book in that series comes out in August 2012. I’ll need to read the first two in that series to catch up!

Weekend Report

The Weekend Report is hosted by Melanie at Christian Bookshelf Reviews. It is a chance to wrap up the week with what you have read and what you are going to read soon. Head over to her blog and check it out!

WHAT I'M CURRENTLY READING:

 I'm on page 242 of 326-almost finished. I'm enjoying this book but am finding that it is more about the characters relationship than the mystery or suspense surrounding it. Finally at the end of the book the suspense is picking up.
UPDATE: I finished reading this this morning(Saturday). I haven't started a new one yet.

WHAT I'VE READ THIS WEEK:

The 3rd book in the Rot & Ruin series. Oh so good!

Brandilyn Collins writes a good suspense novel.

Not bad. Although I think I would have benefited from reading the first book in the series before jumping into this novel.

WHAT I MAY READ NEXT:

 Or I might find something on my Kindle to read. OR I might find a YA book to delve into. I guess it just depends on what I am in the mood for when I finish my latest book. I may not be doing a lot of reading this week and next. Summer plans are picking up for me.

How about you? What is on your shelf or in your hands to read?

The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters

This is the first book in a planned trilogy. Hank Palace is a Detective for the police department. When an asteroid named 2011GV is discovered to soon hit earth many suicides around the world occur. When Hank is called out to investigate a body found at the local McDonalds he is sure that it is just another suicide. For some reason Hank has a feeling that this time it is not a suicide, but a murder. He starts an investigation even though the coroner rules suicide and his co-workers think he is crazy to pursue the death given the fact that the asteroid will hit in 6 months.

The more Hank investigates the more he is sure that the death was a murder. From his life being in danger to being directed down trails leading to nowhere Hank is determined to find justice for his victim even though there is no hope for the planet once the asteroid hits.

I liked Hanks character and the fact that he plodded along in a world that has given up hope and people’s work ethics have ceased to exist. Even with family problems of his own (his sister is married to a loser that is thrown in the brig for breaking into a military establishment), Hank is determined to see justice prevail. I thought this was a good start to the trilogy and am looking forward to the next books  to hopefully find out what Hanks sister is up to and also to find how devastating the asteroid will be(even though I am sensing some kind of government cover-up is going on). 

BOOK TRAILER:  

Thanks to the publishers at Quirk Books for my copy to review.

Flesh & Bone by Jonathan Maberry

Benny, Nix, Lilah and Chong are still searching for the jet that they saw fly over them. They are beginning to think they were seeing things since they have not found it.

As always things are not easy in the Rot & Ruin. Some of the zoms seem to be evolving into a more faster breed, and some seem to be developing the ability to dodge obstacles. As if being chased around by zoms isn't bad enough, there is a religious cult now after the group. They call themselves Reapers and see their job as releasing all sinners into the darkness of death.

Relationships are strained also in this installment of the series. Benny seems to think that he needs to be just like his brother Tom. The weight of that responsibility has him hearing Tom's voice inside his head. Benny begins to wonder if he is going crazy. Benny isn't the only one that Tom has left an impression on. Throughout their ordeal in the Ruin each one at sometime or other remembers different lessons that Tom taught them about being "Warrior Smart". Those lessons help them each through their difficult journey as they become separated and encounter the new type of zoms and the crazy cult members on their search for a jet that they don't know exists anymore.

From the first page until the last page was turned Flesh & Bone was filled with one action scene after another! But not only do Benny, Nix, Lilah and Chong encounter zoms and cult followers, they also have to deal with their feelings for each other and their grief of losing Tom. So Flesh & Bone is not just filled with action, it is also filled with emotional roller coasters. I felt like I was there with each character as they fought an enemy or as they cried tears of grief or struggled within themselves for who they are becoming. Flesh & Bone managed to be just as good as Rot & Ruin and Dust & Decay without becoming stale or repetitive. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series! I have to find out how it all ends!

I borrowed this ARC from a friend. The published book comes out in September of 2012.

Happy 4th of July!

I keep thinking that it is the weekend and I should be preparing my Weekend Report! I was feeling pretty bad because I haven't finished a book this week yet! Whew! I still have a couple more days. But I have grandbabies so maybe I won't finish a book. Hope everyone has had a safe and fun 4th of July!