Nowhere to Run by Amy Wallace

Ashley Walters is a police officer. She and her fiancé Patrick will be getting married soon. The only thing standing in their way is Ashley’s stalker. He has been stalking Ashley for 12 years. She didn’t know of him before, but now there is an urgency in him since he knows that Ashley should be his wife and not Patrick’s. 

When Ashley’s stalker puts the people that she loves in danger she decides to take the advice of her boss and disappear. Ashley and her best friend Margo go to the Mennonite and Amish country to be hidden by friends. Ashley doesn’t want to hide though. She wants to draw out the stalker and end her nightmare. She doesn’t want to put her friends and family in any more danger.

Not only is Ashley struggling with the fact that she has a stalker, but she is also struggling with not being able to sense God’s presence in her life. She is feeling abandoned by Him and struggling with her anger at God for not answering her prayers. Her life is in turmoil and danger and she feels that she can only rely on herself to fix the situation. 

This is the second book in the Place of Refuge series. Having not read the first book I felt like I was coming into the middle of a story, but I caught up quickly with what had gone on before. I really liked the suspense of the novel, but found myself getting a bit frustrated with the spiritual aspect of the story. This is where maybe reading the first book in the series may have helped as I might have understood a bit better where Ashley was coming from if I had the background from the first book. Ashley is definitely a strong female character but sometimes I thought she was a bit too impulsive and foolhardy. For the most part it was entertaining and kept me reading through to the end to find out how it all turned out.

A Passion Redeemed by Julie Lessman

Charity O'Connor has decided that Mitch Dennehey is the only man for her. He stirs her passion and she stirs his. But Mitch is still in love with Charity's sister Faith. He wants nothing to do with Charity knowing in his heart that he could never trust her. Mitch sets out to forget both O'Connor women and court Kathleen, one of the sweetest women he knows next to Faith. She has always loved him and Mitch knows that given time he will come to love her as well.

Charity hatches a plan with Mitch's enemy Rigan in order to make Mitch jealous. Mitch warns Charity to stay away from Rigan, but wounded by Mitch's rejection Charity runs right into the arms of danger.

Afraid for Charity's safety Mitch agrees to take her home to Boston and her family. Mitch once again struggles with his attraction to this woman who stirs his passions with both anger and lust. Charity is determined to use every means possible to get Mitch to marry her even if she has to lie and use her feminine allure to get him.

The second book in The Daughters of Boston series focuses mainly on Charity although we do get a glimpse of the rest of the O'Connor family throughout. I struggled in A Passion Most Pure to figure out what drove Charity to be the way she was. In A Passion Redeemed we learn more of her background and what events led to her insecurities and need for attention. Charity is definitely a picture of a wounded soul in need of redemption. I came to understand her character better and even came to like her!  Julie Lessman has a way of drawing the reader into her stories. I found myself experiencing all kinds of emotions as I read A Passion Redeemed. I would get angry and exasperated at Charity and Mitch. I found myself getting teary at a tender moment of forgiveness and love displayed. And of course enough romance to make your heart melt! Looking forward to the next book A Passion Denied.

Submerged by Dani Pettrey

Bailey returns to Yancey, Alaska for her Aunt's funeral. Yancey holds too many memories for Bailey. She was known to her classmates as "Easy Lay Bay." That was many years ago and since then Bailey has come into relationship with Christ and turned her life around. Not only is Bailey mourning her Aunt when she returns to Yancey, she also runs the risk of meeting her former boyfriend Cole whom she hurt terribly when she was young.

Cole and his family run an outfitting store in Yancey. Having become a Christian years before, Cole has no desire to condemn Bailey for her behavior. Determined to be friendly but not let his heart be touched by her again, Cole and his family befriend Bailey while she is in Yancey for her Aunt's funeral.

When a couple of dead bodies are found the police and Cole seek help from Bailey when they find a picture of an icon that they cannot identify. Bailey is further drawn into the mystery when it is determined the plane that her aunt was on was sabotaged. Bailey is willing to help Cole and the police with the mystery, but determined to hold her heart in check knowing that she is not worthy of gaining Cole's love once again.

Submerged was a great romantic suspense novel! There were several characters that I really enjoyed and am looking forward to learning more about in the next book Shattered. There was a secondary romance going on that I must find out how it plays out! Submerged was not just filled with suspense, but also dealt with Bailey's feelings of unworthiness to God and to the people around her. Even though she had become a Christian she still had feelings of unworthiness that she never truly dealt with until she was with Cole once again. This is Dani Pettrey's debut novel and I can say I'm looking forward to future novels!

Today, September 23, 2012, Submerged is being discussed on Melanie's blog at Christian Bookshelf Reviews , if you have read it head over there to join in the discussion. Everyone is welcome!

Weekend Report

The Weekend Report is hosted by Melanie at Christian Bookshelf Reviews. It is where we get a chance to wrap up our week in reading and set new goals for the next week.

WHAT I'M CURRENTLY READING:

I'm just about 30% into this book. A good murder mystery so far.

WHAT I READ LAST WEEK:

Both entertaining reads.

WHAT I PLAN TO READ SOON:

hmmm, a Julie Lessman read-a-thon it looks like! I might squeeze a YA novel in there somewhere since I am getting behind on those.

What are you reading? What do you have to read in your To Be Read pile?
 
 

The Trouble With Cowboys by Denise Hunter

After watching a series of cowboys walk out of their mothers life both Annie and Sierra are determined to never marry a cowboy. Annie is especially determined to stay away from her neighbor Dylan. She sees him as a man who will flirt with any woman he encounters. She is determined not to be one of his conquests. Annie sees John the banker as safe and reliable. The only problem is he doesn't make her heart race when he kisses her. Dylan has had his heart broken once before. He has closed off his heart to love. What he didn't count on was how Annie would make him feel.

When Dylan's horse starts to go blind Dylan requests Annie's help in training the horse to adapt to his blindness. In return for her services she requests that Dylan help her with her new advice column "Ask Annie." Thinking that Dylan has much  more experience in the love category than she does, Annie believes he can offer better advice than she could. The only problem is they rarely agree on a course of action for the lovelorn!

I enjoyed The Trouble with Cowboys. There was just the right amount of romance and faith mixed together to make the story interesting. I felt for Annie as things started to spiral out of her control. When she had to learn to give her sister to God's care instead of trusting in herself, I think that all parents could relate with that as we have watched our children grow up and experience life lessons that we would prefer to shield them from. Cowboy romances are hard to resist, throw in a character like Dylan and you won't want to put the book down until the very end.

To Write A Wrong by Robin Caroll

The second book in the Justice Seekers series focuses mainly on Riley Baxter’s story.

Riley is a writer who needs a good story to help boost her journalistic career. While testifying at a parole hearing for the man that killed her parents she meets Peggy and her two children Jasmine and Mikey. Riley is drawn to them because of the poverty they have been forced into when Peggy’s husband was put in prison. Riley decides that their story would be a great human interest story and also a story that will hopefully get her career back on track.

Peggy insists that her husband is innocent of the crime he was convicted of. On the night of a museum robbery his daughter swears that he was home with the family. During the course of her investigation Riley becomes convinced of Armand’s innocence as well. Once Riley starts investigating she puts the real culprit at risk of being discovered. He cannot allow that to happen and is determined to snuff Riley out to stop anyone from finding out who he really is. 

Along with the suspense of this novel there is also a bit of romance. Hayden and Riley have an instant attraction for each other. Which I’m happy about because in the first book of the series, Injustice For All, Hayden’s best friend Remington falls in love with FBI agent Rafe Baxter. I was looking forward to seeing if Hayden ever found the love of his life since I really liked his character in the first book. Not only is Riley faced with danger, but she is also confronted with her unforgiveness of the man who killed her parents. When he comes up for parole she and Rafe beg the parole board to not allow him parole. She still misses her parents and believes that he should rot in prison for the rest of his life. 

I think To Write A Wrong has the perfect blend of suspense, romance and depth of human feelings which made for a great read. The third book of the Justice Seekers series will focus on Maddie Baxter’s story. I will be looking forward to reading it when it comes out.

I downloaded my copy from NetGalley, this review is my honest opinion of the book. 

Flesh & Bone by Jonathan Maberry

I read this back in July as an ARC borrowed from a friend. But my "real" copy arrived in the mail yesterday(September 13, 2012) and I was excited to get it!! Here is my review re-posted from July:

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!

Weekend Report

The Weekend Report is hosted by Melanie at Christian Bookshelf Reviews. It is where we get a chance to wrap up our week in reading, brag on how much we have read, or make excuses for how much we didn't read! Mine tend mostly to the how much I didn't read lately. Christmas is coming up and I've been sitting in front of the TV crocheting. Here goes this weeks report:

WHAT I'VE READ THIS WEEK:

Technically I finished this the week before this, but on Friday, and since I didn't do a Weekend Report last weekend I'm adding it here. I really am liking this series!

The sequel to Kiss of Night!!! Loved it even more than Kiss of Night, even though the romance between the main characters was pretty much non-existent, I loved the secondary story...

The sequel to Swipe...I think this one was better than the first!

WHAT I'M CURRENTLY READING:

I'm not sure what to think of this one yet. I'm not even 50 pages into it. I'm hoping that it gets better or I might give up on it. Except it was one I chose from the publisher to review. I hate to give up on a review book.

WHAT I WILL CHOOSE FROM NEXT TO READ:

 Chosen from NetGalley to review.

The book that got the most votes to read from September's book discussion. I've been seeing good things about it so I look forward to reading it.

How has your reading week gone? What are you currently reading?

Sneak by Evan Angler

It has been a month since Logan has escaped his marking. DOME has been clearing out all of the Markless in an attempt to find Logan. He's managed to stay one step ahead of them so far. Logan is making his way to Beacon where he hopes to find Acheron, a prison that may not exist, and to find his sister who may not even be alive.

Mr. Arbitor is being demoted because of the antics of his daughter Erin. Breaking into DOME, stealing equipment and maybe helping a Markless escape causes Mr. Arbitor's boss to send him back to Beacon. Exactly what Erin wanted to happen. Reunited with her mom, Erin was hoping that they could be a family once again. Also realizing that she can once again help Logan, Erin sets out to find him and Acheron in Beacon.

Using an Underground Network to help get them to Beacon, The Dust also make their way there to help Logan. Finding Acheron is not an easy task and breaking someone out of it could prove even more difficult.

One of the complaints I had about SWIPE(the first book in the series) was that we didn't really get the background of how this dystopian world came about. In SNEAK there is a note from the author filling in some background which was very helpful. While the SWIPE series is marketed as a Christian series I found very little evidence of that in either book. Logan does get his hands on a Bible in SNEAK, but really there is very little said about it. I think that the series becomes more "preachy" about the government role in our lives rather than a religious role. That is very understandable considering that the series takes place in an apocalyptic world that has become "all inclusive." Which really means that the government wants total control.  I really enjoyed SNEAK, and look forward to the next installment of the SWIPE series.

Swipe by Evan Angler

The Mark allows you to buy food, go to concerts, get a job and be a productive member in a unified country. Everyone gets The Mark on their 13^th birthday. There is nothing to fear in getting The Mark. At least that is what everyone tells Logan. But Logan’s sister Lily never returned from getting her Mark. Logan’s family was told that sometimes the process doesn’t agree with a person. Since that time Logan has felt like he is being watched. 

Erin and her father move to Spokie from Beacon City. Erin doesn’t know what her father’s job entails; just that it is “government work”. Erin meets Logan at school and they soon become friends. Logan tells her his fear that he is being followed and watched. Soon the two of them are hot on the trail of the notorious group known as The Dust. The Dust is a group of Markless people that are outcasts of society. The government is looking for their leader named Peck. 

Logan and Erin cannot figure out why Peck is after him. They just know that there have been kidnappings going on of certain unmarked people and that Logan may be the next victim. 

Swipe was a fast read and I found it interesting. I found though that there were parts that were a little bit confusing. Either I missed how The Mark was put into place or it wasn’t stated. And there is a lot of mystery surrounding DOME which I hope will be more understood in the next book.  I’m looking forward to reading Sneak to find out what happens next. 

A Duke's Promise by Jamie Carie

Alexandria and Gabriel are now married. Facing her wedding night with trepidation Alexandria still does not know if she was violated by John, her former fiancé.  Not a good way to start a marriage.

Gabriel has made Alexandria a promise to help her find her parents. The Featherstone’s are treasure hunters and have been missing for over a year now. With many people wanting what the Featherstone’s are seeking, life is very dangerous for Alexandria. 

Gabriel is still afflicted with his hearing problem. He seems to lose it when he is seasick or at high altitudes, which doesn’t help him when he and Alexandria hire an aeronaut to take them in her hot air balloon to Italy. His hearing is also exacerbated by the floating colors he sees. 

An evil Duke has taken the Featherstone’s captive. He has threatened to abuse Alexandria if they do not hand over the manuscript that they have been seeking. The manuscript supposedly contains the plans for a weapon that could be devastating for the countries that do not have it. Will Alex and Gabriel be able to find the Featherstone’s before this manuscript gets into the wrong hands?

I have to say I was disappointed in this last installment of The Forgotten Castles trilogy. The beginning scene of Gabriel and Alexandria’s wedding night was on the border of too much. Really the scene needed to stop at the bedroom door. I did enjoy all of the action that took place. The romance between Gabriel and Alexandria was special, but again the borderline sex scenes were a bit uncomfortable. I also had a problem with Gabriel’s seeing colors. It sounded too much of aura’s and the whole “new age” way of thinking. The ending with the big reveal of what the great weapon was not very satisfying and a bit over the top as far as the spiritual realm goes.  I would have liked it better if the author had concentrated more on Alexandria’s relationship with her parents. There needed to be more resolution in that relationship. So yes, there was excitement in the story that keeps a person on the edge of their seat, but there were also scenes that I thought the author took too far.