Category Archives: Revell Publishers

Deadly Target by Elizabeth Goddard – Too Many Twists and Turns, Not Believable

Posted in Action, Deadly Target, Elizabeth Goddard, NetGalley, Revell Publishers, Romance, Suspense by

Deadly Target is Elizabeth Goddard’s second book in the Rocky Mountain Courage series.  I looked forward to reading it because I’ve enjoyed Elizabeth’s novels in the past. 

Erin Larson is a criminal psychologist and crime podcaster.  Erin and her friend are kayaking on Puget Sound when out-of-nowhere, a large yacht is speeding towards them and tries to mow them down.  They narrowly escape by abandoning their kayaks.  After being rescued Erin, receives a phone call from her former boyfriend, Detective Nathan Campbell, in Montana.  She is filled with dread as he tells her that her mom tried to commit suicide and is in the hospital.  This is just the beginning of the action in chapter one.  The rest of the book is filled with twists and turns, attempts to kill either Erin or Nathan and their family members and others caught in the crossfire.  It stretched from Washington to Montana and Boston.

Deadly Target is action-packed and filled with many twists and turns.  Nearly everyone was suspect and couldn’t be trusted.  It took me a while to get into the story because the tension continued to build and build and build with multiple incidents.  I didn’t connect with the character Erin because I found her off-putting.  I liked Nathan but didn’t understand what he saw in Erin. 

As much as I wanted to like Deadly Target, I didn’t enjoy it.  The story had too many twists and turns and too many characters.  It was hard to follow, and stretched the imagination.  The plotline with its endless action just wasn’t believable, especially towards the end.  Added to those negatives, the main character wasn’t very likable.  That’s why I don’t recommend Deadly Target by Elizabeth Goddard.

I would like to thank Revell Publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of Deadly Target by Elizabeth Goddard.  I was under no obligation to give a favorable review. 

Obsession by Patricia Bradley – Mixed Feelings

Posted in Book Review, Mystery, Obsession, Patricia Bradley, Revell, Revell Publishers, Suspense by

Obsession by Patricia Bradley is the second book in the Natchez Trace Park Rangers series.  I’ve read a couple of books by Patricia and looked forward to this book because of the interesting setting.  

Emma Winters works as a Natchez Trace park ranger and historian.  She is overseeing a project to document and preserve the graves of the slaves who had been buried on this historical site.  As Emma is getting ready to head home, her day’s about to get a whole lot longer when someone takes a couple of shots at her.  Called in to help investigate is her former fiancé Sam Ryker who also works as a park ranger.  While things didn’t end well between them, Sam wants to find the person who is targeting Emma and get out before any feelings between them are revived.

I struggled a bit with the novel.  I wasn’t too keen on the main character, Emma, she wasn’t a very likable character.  She was the independent woman who was also the helpless stubborn female who didn’t want help.  Parts of the story seemed rather contrived to keep Emma and Sam in regular contact.  There wasn’t a lot about faith in this book.  I think the story would have been richer if that aspect of the characters’ lives had been developed.  There were three people in the book that struggled with unforgiveness, Emma, Sam, and Sam’s sister Jenny.  I would like to have seen at least one of them have a biblical perspective and understanding of forgiveness.  Sam did work his way through the unforgiveness he had been harboring.

Something I can’t stand in books is when a character does something really stupid and illogical which puts them at risk and in harm’s way, which Emma did towards the end of the book.  When that happens, I stop caring about the character because I feel manipulated and it’s not logical. 

The character Sam was likable, but I didn’t understand why he continued to be drawn to Emma.  Emma’s continued to blame Sam, and herself, for her brother’s disappearance ten years earlier.  That got old really quick!  She blamed others instead of recognizing her brother’s own personal responsibility for his life choices and the risks he took. 

I liked the character Sheriff Nate Rawling and hope to see him in future books in this series.  He seemed to respect and trust the team that he was working with and was there to work alongside them.  The Natchez Trace park setting was interesting. 

There were a few elements and characters I liked in Obsession, but they were overshadowed by a character and parts of the storyline I didn’t care for. 

I would like to thank Revell Publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of Obsession by Patricia Bradley.  I was under no obligation to give a favorable review.

Standoff by Patricia Bradley – Mixed – interesting setting, likeable characters, but too many characters and dragged a bit.

Posted in Book Review, Mystery, Natchez Trace Park Rangers, NetGalley, Patricia Bradley, Revell Publishers, Standoff by

I love mysteries so I was excited to read Patricia Bradley’s newest book Standoff, the first book in the Natchez Trace Park Rangers series.

Standoff is about the rather brutal and ugly business of moving illegal drugs through Natchez Trace National Parkway a corridor that runs from Natchez, MS to Nashville, TN.

Brooke Danvers was looking forward to riding along with her dad District Law Enforcement Ranger, John Danvers.  She has followed in her father’s footsteps and will soon be sworn in as a LE Ranger despite her parent’s concerns.  When John gets a call, plans change and Brooke will have to wait another day.  Only that won’t be happening when John is found dead at Emerald Mound later that night.  His death is ruled a suicide, but Brooke does not believe it and will stop at nothing to find out who brutally murdered her dad.  Old ex-friend and neighbor Luke Fereday is back in Natchez working as an undercover park ranger trying to infiltrate the drug ring.  Not only is he working to stop the flow of illegal drugs, but he too wants to find John’s murderer.

Standoff has a whole of stuff going on.  There are a lot of characters introduced early on in the story, law enforcement, drug dealers, potential bad guys, family, friends. and neighbors.  It was kind of hard to keep all the characters straight.  It would have been helpful to have a key at the front of the book with a list of characters and a brief description.  The first part of the book seemed to dragged, but about midway through the story picked up moved at a faster clip.  The number of characters could have been trimmed down some.

There were a number of things that seemed off or not quite believable.  It seemed odd that Brooke’s mother would leave town so quickly after the death of her husband.  It didn’t seem plausible that Luke could pass off being in town to visit his grandmother because his behavior and weird hours would raise suspicion.  He just happened to show up wherever Brooke was at way too many times.  The scene where Brooke makes a discovery seemed contrived.

I liked the main characters, Brooke and Luke.  My favorite character was Luke’s grandmother Daisy.  The action scenes, especially toward the end were well written and easy to visualize.  I like the setting of the Natchez Trace law enforcement.  I think the series has some good potential.  I will read future books in this series.  I appreciated that the book was clean, not filled with vulgar language or sexual immorality.

I would like to thank Revell Publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of Standoff by Patricia Bradley.  I was under no obligation to give a favorable review.

 

Hidden Peril by Irene Hannon – Intrigue, Suspense and Romance

Posted in Book Review, Christian Faith, Christian Fiction, Hidden Peril, Intrigue, Irene Hannon, ISIS, NetGalley, Revell Publishers, Romance, Suspense by

When given the opportunity to read Irene Hannon’s newest book, Hidden Peril, I jumped at the chance.  She’s quickly become one of my favorite writers.  This is the second book in the Code of Honor series and characters Kristin, Colin and Rick continue on this in this book with Kristin as the main focus.

Hidden Peril is a gripping and suspenseful mystery, but it’s a little different because terrorism is part of the plot.  When you see stories on the news about ISIS and terrorism you don’t think it’s going to impact your everyday life.  But what if it did?

Kristin Dane is not your ordinary woman.  After graduating college, she served in the Peace Corp in Ethiopia for two years.  When she returned home, she still had a vision to try and make a difference for good in the lives of people who live in war-torn countries.  When Luke Carter meets Kristin at the wedding of a mutual friend, he probably didn’t anticipate encountering her again, especially in his role as police detective.  Luke’s path intersects with this intriguing and beautiful woman when one of Kristin’s employees is found dead.  Is the death of a monk 10,000 miles away in Syria possibly connected?

One of my favorite things about Irene’s writing are the characters.  They are good, decent, nice people that you’d like to know.  They grow, change and heal the brokenness in their lives.  In this book, you see wonderful examples of committed friendship between Kristin, Colin and Rick.

Hidden Peril was very suspenseful and kept me guessing to the end.  Though I suspected who the bad guy was, I didn’t know how that would be revealed and what would happen to the people at the end of the story.

I greatly appreciate that Irene Hannon is able to write good books, with interesting likable characters and intriguing situations without resorting to filthy language, or immoral sexual situations.  I appreciate how she weaves the Christian faith into the character’s lives.

If you like intrigue, mystery and romance, be sure to read Hidden Peril by Irene Hannon.  It’s another great read by a wonderful author.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Revell Publishers for the opportunity to read Hidden Peril in exchange for an honest review.  I was under no obligation to give a favorable review.