Tag: suspense

Categories
Book Reviews Book Series Books

Reading Sequels AGES After The First Book

Estimated Reading Time: 8min

Okay, sometimes I admit that I am not good at reading series in order. For the most part even when a book is AMAZING it can be difficult for me to jump back into the character’s world and continued plot.

So, I decided to rapid fire (kind of) sequels to some of the series that I had started… let’s go!

Glass Sword by Veronica Aveyard

aveyard

1.5 years after the first book (Red Queen)

A lot darker than the first.
Little to no hope throughout was a theme. Dark emotions, dark choices, refusal to let go and revenge and darkness the guiding force in pretty much all characters.
Powers are interesting, and it makes the fighting great. Just wish the characters were a little more likeable and a little less of a combined whine and bloodthirsty mess.

Grab the book Here

True Valor by Dee Henderson

henderson

1.5 years after reading the first (True Valor)

No overarching plot, mostly mini stories of characters who have a slow burn style relationship over mostly letters on multiple deployments. I think I got it all in that sentence.

While I didn’t mind the characters and the mini stories were pretty interesting, I am a plot person and there wasn’t one. The blurb made it seem to be something we could latch onto but it took most of the book to get there and it was really anti climactic.

While I could appreciate the military stuff for a while, without a plot to anchor it, I lost interest fast. There are definitely things to like in here, but it just wasn’t my pacing or style enough to enjoy it.

Grab the book Here

The Calling by Rachelle Dekker

10 months after reading the first (The Choosing)

Fear is the real enemy to freedom.. that’s what this book focussed on.
After the first book, this one was disappointing. The danger didn’t feel as extreme, I don’t like time gaps, and I wasn’t as connected to Remko as I was with Carrington in the first book.
The ending was…. Conflicting. I know why it was written that way, but I don’t quite buy it. I also hate that the next book has a HUGE time jump (two decades).
The lessons were great, and deep understanding was good. For me, it just wasn’t enough to raise my rating like the first book did.

Grab the book Here

Mystery of the Silver Coins by Lois Walfrid Johnson (Viking Quest)

11 months after reading the first (Raiders From The Sea)

Boring. I was so bored.
First book we had some action pushing things forward, but this was just a few different POVs of running through the forest and avoiding the people chasing you. I was bored.
Not a huge historical fiction person and this period with Vikings and stuff is not my fav either. I lied these books as a kid, but I can’t really remember why.
A little sad that I didn’t enjoy it but it was quick and the first book was better.

Grab the book Here

Local Artist by Paul Trembling

1 year after reading the first (Local Poet)

DNF halfway with a skip to the end.
HUGE and very serious trigger warnings:
Suicide (graphic), pedophelia, child abuse, murder/death, injury detail, violence.
I jumped to the end curious to know the solution before planning to continue but had already slugged through a graphic suicide description, so was already on edge. When I read some of the ending I didn’t even finish, and put it aside disgusted. Honestly, good job by the author for making me so uncomfortable and icky feeling that I couldn’t even read it, but I was officially done at this point.

Grab the book Here

pillars of fire by Laurice E. Molinari

13 months after reading the first (Vero Rising)

The first book was really a regular kid figuring out he was a guardian angel in training, and what such a different life and calling really looked like. Exploring all the amazing spiritual things he had no idea had been around him the whole time.
This second one continues his “training” (even though the teachers he encounters don’t actually teach them anything and basically leave him and his fellow trainees flapping in the wind) but it didn’t have the same feel. There was still a fascinating story, filled with amazing beings that you only read about in pages of scripture, but there was also a lack of growth for me. These angels were left to basically figure everything out themselves, a massive hurdle is placed in front of our main character and yet, there is almost no support that we see in most of the pages. The draw to these stories is the same as book 1, but the follow through felt weaker. Like we aren’t given as much information as we should have been. I still enjoyed the ride, don’t get me wrong, but some of this was so frustrating that I got pulled out of the story.

Grab the book Here

sparrow by mandy fender

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3.5 years after reading the first (Defier:The Girl Who Stood)

Ummmm, how do I say all the things I want to..? I’m just going to info dump it all in this review I suppose.

I still maintain that this story had so much potential! It was a while since I’d read the first so it took me a while to remember everyone, but once I did… oh boy.

I like the character of Lennox, her journey at the Sparrow compound learning everything would have easily fit into the first book. I don’t know what exactly our third book climax is leading towards, except for one very obvious plot point.

Our villain didn’t feel deserved. I don’t understand how this one guy is the “big bad” at all. He’s basically a bully with money.. how is that a superior villain? It’s not.

The writing, I finally realised, is a big problem for me. There are VERY well written sequences – particularly within the action that goes on – but most of this book reads like it was written by an absolute novice writer. Phrases that are amateur at best are littered throughout this book. I’ve read great writers and not so great, and I’m sad to say this one falls in the category of writing that just isn’t good. It needed severe work before it was published in my opinion. It’s not even writing style that I’m objecting to, it just reads like a first draft, which is not what you want.

The parts where we all of a sudden talk very seriously about God were so out of place, I didn’t know what to do with them. It wasn’t weaved in nicely, it was slammed in the middle of a scene and shoved down your throat. Like I said in my review of the first book, I love Christian fiction but his wasn’t hitting over the line for me.

The general plot of this second book was pretty interesting, but it was wrapped up in so much poor writing and cliche lines that it was almost impossible to keep track of a thread that kept me engaged.

I’m so disappointed in these comments because again… it has so much POTENTIAL to be an amazing story. So much. It just didn’t make it through the pages. If this had gone through maybe another four or five draft passes, heavy content editing and revisions, it could have been great.

Grab the book Here

Well, that was certainly interesting. Mostly, it was easy to recall where things had left off, but some of those were harder to pick up after reading (especially when it had been quite a while since the first one was read!).

I’m sure there are more, but hopefully I can keep going with the series above so I can flip the page on the stories above!

See You in the Adventures
Christy Grace

Categories
Book vs Movie Books Featured Bookish Movie/Pop Culture

Bullet Train: Why the Adaptation Leaned Into Chaos More Than Story

Estimated Reading Time 7min

i read a book that i didn’t ever really see myself finding if it weren’t for the film that came out, and guess what – the BOOK was way better!

So, why was the book so much better than the film? i’m going to tell you but first i must warn you, this post WILL contain spoilers (though i won’t give everything away), so if you don’t want that – hop out of this post now and watch the movie/read the book, then come back.

alrighty, let’s get started then. Firstly, what is this story even about? assasins on a train is the easiest way to explain, but let’s go just a little deeper.

The Father/Prince:

A father whose young child is in a coma in hospital boards a train to kill the teenager who was responsible. when he sees his moment, the teenager surprises him and ties him up, instead playing mind games with him the entire trip.

a teenager who’s brain works differently than most, and who has discovered how to manipulate people for the sake of it – just to see what happens. throwing a kid off a roof just because he was annoyed at how the father had ruined his plans to torture a kid by electro shocking his dog in front of him.

this pair has an interesting past and story as it progresses. while the prince was the absolute WORST person aboard this train (and that’s a train full of professional killers), the father managed to let him push him around for the hope that his son would survive the train ride.

their dynamic was…. interesting. while i found it interesting to be inside the mind of a complete psychopath with literally no empathy, remorse or the answer to the question of why it’s wrong to kill, i often found myself frustrated with his POV.

the movie managed to gender swap this role, and have the “prince” not only be a girl, but also related to the big bad – a russian race swap – which i found to be unnecessary. there were a few other characters which easily could have been swapped if they so desired, but i also didn’t think it was necessary full stop.

Ladybug:

My actual favourite character (minus Lemon, but i’ll get to him in a bit). the most unlucky “bad guy” i’ve ever read about but i found myself rooting for him and hoping that above all, he would be the one to make it out of this ridiculous train alive.

only when stuff really hit the fan did this guy zero in and get cat like reflexes. a great adaptor to situations, hilariously just wanting to get off this dang train and hired to steal a suitcase which contained lots of money. Ladybug was a great character who was always trying to call Maria (his handler) and get help, or information.

Fruit:

Lemon and Tangerine. twins, but not twins. a killing team that tried to rescue a mob boss’ son, and were also carrying the briefcase full of money. the briefcase that becomes very popular on board.

Lemon loves Thomas the Tank Engine, and talks about it constantly. he is a brutal killing machine, but has an odd kid like obsession with trains. he was sloppy, but kind of endearing. i liked Lemon a lot.

Tangerine was a bit smarter, and always quoting obscure literary fiction. he was also a brutal killing machine, but had a soft spot for Lemon (though he would never admit that to anyone). these guys try to figure out who killed the boss’ kid, and who stole the briefcase while also trying to stay alive.

The Hornet:

a hardly heard of killer that seems to make their way on board the train and swiftly kill while they’re there. Without giving away too much, there is a limit to what i can really say. i will say though, the movie swapped her out with someone i really disliked. i found the character they chose to make her into was brash, annoying, and just not at all the right choice of change in personality.

The Big Bad:

A mob boss to the extreme. certainly not a white russian in the book, and definitely scary enough without the change. he seems to have a hand in practically everything and is a dangerous person – until this book however.

The Others:

The wolf is another assassin which gets a very short viewing, the man on the train who just seems to be someone you can talk easily to but has a tragedy in his own past – and manages to give a good answer to why it’s bad to kill people, and a few others along the way. they were there, advanced the plot but never felt unnecessary or annoying. just the right amount, just the right interaction.

The book itself was an intricate and delicately weaved story. it spent just enough time with characters to engage you, and connected everything beautifully. there was limited gore, only a handful of cuss words, and majority of the story was really focussed on the inner workings of the characters minds. following psychopaths and crazed killers was actually quite interesting.

The movie on the other hand, seemed to “American-ify” the whole story. it became clunky, cluttered, focussed instead on added and unnecessary gore, loads more cuss words, changed fight scenes for no other reason than i can assume an attempt to have different choreography in those moments. it changed HUGE character arcs (like with Lemon) and also completely changed the ending. not to mention changing the “big bad” into a white Russian stereoptye.

when i compare the two, it becomes clear that even though Brad Pitt was hilarious, and it was cool to see so many celebs cameos and moments that were somewhat interesting (falling out of a moving train and the bullet train crashing was NOT part of the original plot, but it did give a good showing for the visual medium), this was the no winning piece for me.

the book held such beautiful grace and sophistication. even though we were following killers as they basically pick each other off for lots of misunderstandings and greed, it was still a study of how these people thought. how they reacted, how they saw the world, and how the story drew connections that couldn’t be expressed in any other way rather than a book.

have you watched the movie? have you read the book? have you done both like me? share your own thoughts in the comments.

See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace

Categories
Book Challenges Book Reviews Books Genre Reading

Reading the Old Suspense Books from my collection

Estimated Reading Time: 4min

recently, i discovered every time i buy a new book (or several, as the case may be), i often forget and ignore the books that have been there the longest. So, in order to right this horrible wrong, i have committed to reading the OLDEST books that have been sitting there the longest.

in this post, i’m reading the CHRISTIAN CRIME/SUSPENSE books that have been there so long, they’re growing mildew. Here are the results:

Dark Deception by Nancy Mehl

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A intense, trigger inducing, convoluted mess.
It was such a convoluted and unnecessarily confusing plot. So many names, aliases, and killers… really? Just… really?
Trigger warnings were child abuse, assault and suicide. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have read it at all.
Too dark for me, and I skimmed most of it because I just couldn’t wait to find out the killer (or killers as the case was on this book) was for sure (which I guessed at least the big baddie).
Yeah, a big no from me.

Grab the book Here

The Last Plea Bargain by Randy Singer

I’ve marked this book as read, but in full transparency after the first 100 pages I skipped to the end.
I found this book irritating. The writing was good, but the content wasn’t for me.
Taking out my opinion on the death penalty, the storyline’s of people on death row, dying slowly, twisted and convoluted plots – it was all just a bit much. Content wise, I just couldn’t connect with anyone or anything.

Grab the book Here

No One to Trust by Lynette Eason

Normally I like Lynette, but this book wasn’t it for me.
I hated all the characters – nobody was likeable and everybody was annoying, ridiculous or dumb.
The dialogue was cheesy and the plot felt clunky and uninspired.
I really like a bunch of her other stuff, but this one felt lacklustre.

Grab the book Here

Seconds to Live by Susan Sleeman

Pretty solid middle of the road book for me.
Characters overreacted about personal issues, put in place larger than life solutions to criminal danger, and save the day… standard.
I will say, I noticed – particularly at the beginning – the writer of this book seemed to voice to the reader that she knew what she was talking about, so even if it seems over the top – you, as the reader, are wrong. That was irritating.
Explaining complex technological babble doesn’t have to come across as patronising, and I found those scenes done my characters who were either ignorant about tech, frustrated they had to spell it out, or dismissive of those around them who didn’t understand. This made me, as the reader, feel stupid if I wondered what something meant. Not ideal.
Nice job at threading the characters faith in an organic way and the friends to lovers – meeting from online to IRL was nice to watch unfold.

Grab the book Here

End of the Roadie by Elizabeth Flynn

I made it to page 50 of this book before giving up. i wasn’t interested, it wasn’t hooking me

in and i just couldn’t subject myself to trying to slog through this one. the only thing that kept me engaged was the musical element, but even that failed to get me over even the halfway mark. the writing was somewhat dull and felt uninspired. it felt like every other crime book out there, and there wasn’t an interesting enough hook for me to keep me interested.

Grab the book Here

Well, those are the books i got through, have you read any of those? if you want to know more about them, now that i have provided colour commentary on them, you can click on the titles for the link to Goodreads and hear all about it.

See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace

Categories
Book Challenges Book Reviews Books Booktok/Booktube

Rock, Paper, Scissors | First Alice Feeney Attempt

Estimated Reading Time: 3min

Alright we are back with another “attempt” to read a popular author that I hear about all the time, but had never actually read.

Rock Paper Scissors

feeney

So, this one was difficult. I picked up a book that was a thriller, and that is seemingly what I got.. but when I want a thriller mixed with fantasy/supernatural potential, that’s usually what I would pick up. I didn’t like that this one semi-combined those two things together, and that was a BIG reason why I never made it to the end of this story. Let me clarify though, as a thriller only this one was pretty interesting. It had all the potential, but without the creepy element – that I thought was unnecessary.

Firstly, I think Alice is a good writer. I liked her writing, the style it was in, and the choices that I looked up spoilers and as I read along to see the various elements in her writing. The characters were interesting, and gave off those unreliable narrator vibes. Something that I have a 50/50 mind about, but Alice did a great job making them interesting and relatable.

While I did look up the twists and ultimately the ending, I will say that if I had continued the book I would have been satisfied with how the plot went and twisted into an interesting pretzel. I don’t know about the characters choices and moral centres, but I can say it was a nice assortment of twists.

The reason I decided to stop reading at around chapter 27 (almost halfway) was the overall creepy vibe that I don’t personally go for. EASILY, this book could have done without it. I understand it to an extent, but I also totally can see how it would have been fine without. It still would have been a very good thriller. Of course, writers can tell stories however they want, so Alice’s choice to include that element is totally valid. Personally though, it was that reason that made me give up on the characters and their story and reading the ending online instead.

Grab the book Here

Really minimal reasons for giving this one up, and if I had to rate based on my half read and knowing the rest of the plot, I would give it a 3.5 stars. It was good – and if you don’t mind creepy, this is one worth checking out.

See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace

Categories
Books Life

Solution for School Holiday Boredom?

School Holidays have started (in Australia at least), and I have a fun little list of suggestions to make it interesting… for you, not the kids.

Everyone needs food – food is fuel. It’s a great excuse to Get Out of the House… Yeah, you could take your kids along, but while they are busy playing games, watching movies or hopefully reading a book (if they like Suspense/Thriller books, they can always read KIDNAPPED Entanglement – link below) you can escape. Going to get “food” even if that just means milk that is half empty will give you a reason to take a leisurely stroll down the aisles of the supermarket.

Grandparents. Those are always handy. They can take the kids off your hands, and out of your hair, while also giving them time to see their grand-babies… this one only works if you have those at the ready – not counting ones who live in other states or countries, or who aren’t around anymore. Still, it’s nice to have a bit of a break.

KIDNAPPED Entanglement is a Christian Suspense book about a kidnapping, escape and a rescue. The best part is (apart from amazing adventure… if I do say so myself), for the school holidays the paperback is on sale for a pitiful $2.99!! So, yeah.. click the link below to grab that one! Or if you prefer ebook, it is only $1.99 – link also below.

KIDNAPPED Entanglement Paperback

KIDNAPPED Entanglement eBook

Day trips. This one will only be helpful if you are also at home with the kids, or on Saturdays or days off. There are plenty of places you can go and things you can do that either cost money, or not. Going to the Botanic Gardens closest to you and playing a scavenger hunt to take photos of different things on phones. Maybe you could head to the beach if the weather is good enough. Then there’s places like the museums or art galleries, events that LOTS of places run specifically for holidays.

Well, hopefully you can enjoy the school holidays whether you are home with your children or at work. Either way, grab KIDNAPPED Entanglement and enjoy…

See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace

Categories
Authors Book Advice Books

List of my Top 5 Authors

Estimated Reading Time: 5min

Everyone likes different books and authors, and there are many (many, many, many) places you can go to get recommendations. Booktube, Booktok, Instagram, Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon… just so many more – and that didn’t include blogs like mine.

So, I decided to jump on board and share the top FIVE authors that I LOVE and will never shut up about if we are debating who is a great author… here they are!

Ted Dekker

Ted Dekker is almost the ultimate in terms of Fantasy or Dark Crime, and you’re looking for it to hold a hopeful note thread throughout. With probably his most notable works being the Circle world, Ted manages to twist your brain into a pretzel with his incredible worlds, interesting characters, and almost philosophical ideas. By the end of a Dekker book, you’ll find yourself not only with heart pounding after an incredible adventure, but your brain melting with new world views that you HAVE to explore – or you’ll explode. Okay, so I might be overselling it just a little BUT Dekker has a way of dragging you into a new world and leaving with the desire to keep going back for more every time!

Bethany Turner

Almost to the opposite end of the spectrum, Bethany Turner is a hilarious, heart warming and dig in deep to root out the feels Contemporary Romance author. She has a way of bringing very serious, very real situations and adding humour that has me almost rolling on the floor and coughing for five minutes because I laughed too hard. Not even exaggerating. She is absolutely hilarious, cuts right to the heart and leaves you with ALL the feels and hugging your book to your chest, wishing there was another story to keep reading.

Brandon Sanderson

Brandon is a widely known name in the Fantasy community, and actually just all over the place really. While I’ve only actually read the Reckoner series, I LOVE his writing. I Love his style, and every time he talks about his work and how he does what he does, his passion for writing and telling stories shines through. An absolute legend, and an author that will ALWAYS be worth reading.

Dee Henderson

Okay, this one is a specialty type of author – Dee Henderson is a Romantic Suspense writer of Christian Fiction. Her early works include the O’Malley series, which follows a family of orphaned adults (who adopted themselves when nobody else would) who all work in very serious and high stakes jobs. The stories are edge of your seat worthy, and the romances are beautiful – especially in the midst of danger and family drama. Dee started writing a lot more slow paced books as she kept on, so if you like fast paced, stick with the early works. If you dig that slow burn, you can check out later ones like Taken.

Ally Carter

Again, another change of tone and pace – a Young Adult writer who creates adventurous and suspension of disbelief teenagers. The Gallagher Girl’s series follow a teenage spy school for girls, while the Heist Society series follows teenage thieves… yeah it’s that kind of world for Ally, and we’re all just living in it. These books may be written for teens, but dang if they aren’t fun and easy to get through. I love her writing, and if you want something to dive into without ripping off your skin with worry, this would be it.

Well, those are my top five authors that I would recommend any day of the week. Of course there are so many amazing stories, and incredible writers who bring those to life. It’s impossible to choose just five – and that’s what makes reading such an amazing experience. Every time you find a new cast of characters to love, and add authors onto your list of favs (Like Marie Lu’s Legend series!) you get to put another notch on the belt!

Who are your fav authors? Let me know in the comments so that I can celebrate them with you!

See You in the Adventures
Christy Grace

Categories
Book Reviews Book Series Books

The O’Malley Series Review | Dee Henderson

Estimated Reading Time: 7min

Fellow readers out there, was there ever a series or author that pulled you into the reading world for the first time? The book or author that made you realise there was more to your life than just living it, and instead a world – or several – that you could escape to? Well, Dee Henderson and her O’Malley series was that for me!

In order to pay proper tribute to the series that started my love of reading and story telling, I would have to re-read the entire series and give proper reviews. While I have yet to do that, with all the other amazing books I have on my shelves waiting to be cracked open as well, I am going to share about why I loved this series to the best of my fragmented memory. So buckle up, because it’s probably going to be rough and a little all over the place!

The O’Malley Overview

This is a seven book (with an eight novella) series that follows seven adult siblings. The catch, is that none of them are biologically related. They found each other in the orphanage when they were kids and adopted each other as a family, and the bonds are as strong as if they WERE biologically related. It is a beautiful relationship, and throughout the series they are brought together in a tragically centric event within their little family.

All of the characters have insanely dangerous or difficult jobs – there’s a hostage negotiator, firefighter, paramedic, children’s trauma therapist, forensic pathologist and more. So each book has crazy stuff going down, and a pinch of romance thrown in as you go along the line of family members.

Danger In The Shadows: The Prequel

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This story follows Sara, an author who is in hiding after a killer targeted her when she was younger. Still on the loose, she is terrified each time he finds her and is determined to end their twisted relationship – one way or the other. When she meets a very public figure and starts falling for him, her world gets complicated and she tries to navigate the fear, love and reclaiming her life.

This book was really intense. The suspenseful elements were beautifully done and the romance was sweet, with Adam handling someone dealing with trauma and anxiety on another level pretty well. I didn’t start with the prequel when I read the O’Malley series, and came back to it after a few of the books when I realised it existed, but it is really good.

Grab the book Here

The Negotiator: Book 1

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Kate O’Malley is a hostage negotiator who has learned to rely on her, and her alone. Her job is dangerous, and someone has started to send her black roses – even blaming a large attack on her as well. When she is assigned Dave – an FBI agent who is trying to protect and help her investigate – she balances being herself, while also navigating what it would look like to love someone and let herself be loved.

Kate’s book was the first O’Malley we get to meet. She was fiercely independent and not afraid to put herself into dangerous situations to save others. When Dave comes into her world (the brother of Sara’s – see above Prequel), it challenges everything she thought about herself, about God and about life. This is also the first book we are introduced to the family dynamic, and big tragedy that spans the series.

Grab the book Here

The Guardian: Book 2

henderson

Marcus O’Malley is the oldest, and as a US Marshall is used to guarding people, but can he guard his own heart? After being assigned to the witness of a federal Judge’s murder, he must help Shari to stay out of an assassins crosshairs while also out of his own heart – doesn’t he?

I love those “Big Brother” characters. The ones that want to protect everyone, damn the cost to themselves! There’s something about a protective man that speaks to my heart, and Marcus was such a great character. Again, romantic suspense wouldn’t be complete without the romance, and while falling for your protectee is not advisable, it was beautiful to watch. Shari isn’t the ‘sit on her butt’ type of woman, and it makes a fun push-pull relationship between them.

Grab the book Here

The Truth Seeker: Book 3

henderson

Lisa O’Malley is a forensic pathologist who understands death all too well. When her cases intersect with US Marshall Quinn’s case of a missing girl, they find themselves facing a killer who wants the mystery buried deep. While the O’Malley tragedy continues to devastate the family, finding love and faith in the midst of death is what just might save Lisa, and the missing woman.

I really enjoyed Lisa’s story. Those TV shows like Rizzoli and Isles where you see the cop side and the forensic side are always great to watch, and this reminded me of that. I think Lisa was one of the toughest characters when it came to coming to the idea of faith. Science and God 100% combine but for some, it’s a difficult concept to marry up together. Her journey felt like one of the most rewarding.

Grab the book Here

The Protector: Book 4

henderson

Jack O’Malley is a firefighter who has run into an arsonists path. With a former fighter having seen who it is, Cassie had already been sidelined and is now fighting through to decipher if the arsonist is someone she knows. The relationship will grow as Jack tries to protect her, and Cassie tries to figure out what she saw before it’s too late.

I LOVED the relationship between Jack and Cassie. With some remaining difficulties after being caught in a fire, Cassie deals with things that are difficult for some to imagine. Jack understands elements of her life and trauma, and it was such a great progression of the two characters as a huge change is about to occur in the O’Malley clan.

Grab the book Here

The Healer: Book 5

henderson

Rachel O’Malley is a trauma psychologist specialising in helping children, and while her family faces a huge disaster of their own, a flood hits the town. Covering up a murder, the weapon results in another tragedy – a school shooting. While Rachel tries to make sense of it all, firefighting captain Cole works through it with her while falling deeper in love with her.

This was probably the book that was one of the most emotional, the one that fit the most events into one book, but also one of the most important. Being able to touch on various things we have seen come to a head in this book, it’s one of the saddest in the bunch. HUGE change, and big stories lead to a great read.

Grab the book Here

The Rescuer: Book 6

henderson

Stephen O’Malley is a paramedic who is running from it all. The pressure of his job, grief in his own life, and love that he doesn’t want to face. Meghan is blind, but SURE that someone is walking through her house and turns to Stephen to help her. With a tornado, kidnapping and search to save the one’s he loves, Stephen runs until he can’t anymore

One of the hardest things to be, is the last one standing. We’ve seen the O’Malley’s in their journey’s finding love, finding God and finding a way through the family tragedy. Now Stephen has to deal with it all in a different way than those that came before. It was the last full book, and everything gets tied up into a place that ends with your heart reeling after the rollercoaster.

Grab the book Here

Jennifer: The “Cry-Your-Eyes-Out” Final Novella

henderson

If you don’t want any spoilers – DO NOT READ THIS PART!

Jennifer O’Malley has been diagnosed with cancer, and wants the last things she does to save her family. She knows what the news will do to her family and her own faith, and as she meets a fellow Doctor and love of her life, she tries to navigate what all of that will look like in the few months she has left.

This was it. The cry your eyes out book where you see the start of Jennifer’s cancer journey. When we hear about it in The Negotiator, Jen has already come to terms, and starts to let her family in on the secret. But she also has Jesus to bring hope into the difficult season. Seeing how she initially dealt with it all was a beautiful tribute to the incredible woman that changed her families lives.

Grab the book Here

So, there you have it. If you wanted to know why the series as a whole captured my attention, heart and teenage brain, here is the overview…

Each book had an exciting character, with adventure that was dangerous and thrilling. It had heart and romance that felt real, and laced with issues that they both had to overcome. With the added family difficulty looming, Dee Henderson wrote a story about family, love and adventure.

What book, series or author first got you into reading? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

See You in the Adventures
Christy Grace

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Kidnapped Entanglement Life

KIDNAPPED Entanglement is MOVING to Facebook!

I’m SO EXCITED that KIDNAPPED Entanglement is finding a new home! 

KIDNAPPED Entanglement is still going to be sold in all the normal places – like Amazon and Koorong online – but now to get a SIGNED copy direct from the author, you’ll find KIDNAPPED on Facebook

>>>Get a copy of my ebook KIDNAPPED Entanglement >>>here

I can’t wait for the book to be on Facebook, and sold for only $10!! And don’t worry, 10% of all sales still go to A21 to fight human trafficking and modern day slavery.

If you want to read my book, head to the link >>>here for the KIDNAPPED Entanglement eBook, OR get the paperback direct from me for the cheapest price!

See you there as of February 1st 2022…

See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace