Silenced, Dani Pettrey

This review is part of a book review program with Bethany House. The Bethany House book review program is simple; I request a book from the links they send me via email, then after I've read it I write a review on this blog post and a retailer's site (such as Amazon, B&N, etc.) If this sounds like something that interests you, you can get more information and/or sign up here.

When Kayden McKenna discovers a dead climber during a day of rock climbing, she immediately suspects foul play. And when the case is turned over to the town's already overburdened sheriff, he turns to former investigator Jake Westin. With his past finally revealed, Jake thinks he's ready to take on a new case, especially if it will keep him close to Kayden.

But it seems the killer knows they're on the right track and strange things start happening again in Yancey, Alaska. For Jake, this brings back fears that his world will once again put the ones he loves in danger. But things have only just gotten started and the path to the truth leads them to a truth far worse than either could ever imagine. 

So despite my less-than-stellar review of Dani Pettrey's last book, I really liked this one. It hooked me from the beginning and kept my interest piqued. The characters were believable and the dialogue was better. 

Pettrey's voice still shines through in her work (I love it, so thank goodness for that!) and I'd recommend this book to anyone that likes a good puzzle, mystery, thriller, etc. On a 1-10 low/high scale, I'd rate this book about a 7.

Stranded, Dani Pettrey

This review is part of a book review program with Bethany House. The Bethany House book review program is simple; I request a book from the links they send me via email, then I read the book they send and write a review on this blog and a retailer's site (ex: Amazon, B&N.com, etc.). If this sounds like something that interests you, you can get more information and/or sign up here: http://www.bakerpublishinggroup.com/bethanyhouse/bookreviewers.

Stranded is the third book in Dani Pettrey's Alaskan Courage series (I've reviewed the other two books here [Submerged, Shattered] if you want to read those reviews too). Following the theme of the series, Stranded is a story filled with mystery, suspense, and a liberal dash of clean romantic interests between the main characters.

The story begins on a cruise ship when Darcy St. James (the nosy reporter that Gage McKenna distrusted so much in the previous books) is looking for her ex-investigative journalist partner who has uncovered a huge plot and needs Darcy's help. But Abby is nowhere to be found, which is especially troubling after someone calls "man overboard" and then Abby never shows up at her undercover job, something Abby would never do unless she's in trouble.

Darcy is intent on getting to the bottom of whatever Abby was involved with and finding her friend. But running into Gage McKenna on the ship never crossed her to-do list. Gage, hired by the cruise line to lead adventure excursions for the guests, thought that guiding tourists around his beloved Alaska was the perfect way to get pesky Darcy out of his thoughts. But when he learns that things are not exactly what they seem on the ship, he gets involved - just the thing he did not want.

With things heating up and some deeper plot running under the surface of the whole trip, Darcy and Gage are finding out that there's way more going on than a first glance will ever show.

Ok, so I have to admit that I haven't finished the book yet. Not because I've been putting it off (which I kind of have lately), but more because I got a little bit bored with it. The characters are interesting, not as fleshed out as I normally prefer them (see my comments in the Submerged and Shattered reviews, a lot of the same stuff is going on as in the first two books). Though Pettrey is definitely growing as a writer and there is a bit more depth to each character than in her previous books, it still feels like there's something missing for me in the character development.

As for the mystery, it's interesting and I definitely want to find out what the huge plot is and where Abby is, but it seems like the pace is dragging. I'm about half-way through the book and am sorely tempted to not finish just because things slowed down too much. I don't expect a lot of action and adventure in all my stories, but it would be nice to have a pace that carries me along naturally rather than trying to bog through all the mire created by Gage and Darcy's clashing.

As to that, there is a certain tension to Gage and Darcy that I both love and instantly dislike. Perhaps that's how it should be, though. Pettrey is going in directions with the romantic interest that just seem slightly flat to me as a reader. Though the tension is better than her first two books, I'm still not buying it completely. I want something a bit more believable in the characters' love story - I'm not exactly sure how to describe what needs to happen to make that more believable, but I just know that she's so close to getting it right.

But then, I'm just a reader with obvious opinions that you can either take or leave on this page and never look at again.

Pettrey's compelling voice is still present in tho book and I'm glad she didn't lose that (some multi-published authors do, sadly). Overall, and given that I'm only half-way through the book, I'd rate this (on a 1-10 low/high scale) at about a 6. I would still recommend that anyone who hasn't read Pettrey pick up this series. And if you like a good puzzle, you'll love the puzzles Pettrey creates with a refreshing view toward plots that take place in Alaska.

Shattered, Dani Pettrey

This review is part of a book review program with Bethany House. The Bethany House book review program is simple: I request a book from the links they send via email, then I read the book they send and write a review on this blog and a retailer’s site (such as Amazon). If this sounds like something that interests you, you can get more information and/or sign up here: www.bethanyhouse.com/bookreviewers.

Shattered is the second book of the Alaskan Courage Series, and the sequel to Submerged, which I reviewed last year. Like Submerged, Shattered is a story of mystery and suspense with a side order of (clean) romance. 

When Piper McKenna's brother, Reef, is charged with murder, she is determined to prove his innocence. Enter the love interest; Deputy Landon Grainger has been a part of the McKenna family forever. But when all evidence points to Reef, Piper can't understand why Landon doesn't believe in her brother's innocence. Charging off into the wilderness of Alaska and Canada, as well as the California coast, Piper and Landon launch their own investigation into what actually happened to cause a murder. But with so many things unsaid between them, how will Piper and Landon work together? And as the web of intrigue thickens and twists in a tangled knot, is it love or disaster that's brewing?

I have very mixed emotions about this book. I loved the intrigue and how many tangled threads were woven into the plot. I also loved the characters and how different they all were and how all of them together somehow make a wonderful, loving family. But the characters' reactions to certain events in the book were sometimes awkward or stifled, and the love story was sweet - but was it too sweet? 

But the plot was the true driving point of the whole book. With so many twists, turns, and near dead-ends, I never would have guessed the ending. Pettrey's voice is still fresh and new. Her perspective is focused and she's amazingly detailed. Despite a few things I may have overanalyzed (again), I didn't want to put the book down.

So, enough said - I loved it. Overall, I would recommend this book and anything else Pettrey writes. She's fresh, distinctive, and has some major talent that I can't wait to see develop even more. If you want a good read, this is definitely the book for you.

Submerged, Dani Pettrey

For those of you that are new to my blog, welcome! This particular book review post is part of a book review program with Bethany House. The Bethany House book review program is simple: I request a book from the links they send via email, then I read the book they send and write a review on this blog and a retailer’s site (such as Amazon). If this sounds like something that interests you, you can get more information and/or sign up here: www.bethanyhouse.com/bookreviewers

Submerged is a story of mystery and suspense, with a little bit of romance thrown into the mix. Bailey, the main character, returns to her hometown in Alaska after her aunt's tragic plane crash for her funeral. But Bailey's past - and her past actions - hurt more than she dares show the small town of Yancey, Alaska. Running into an old love and discovering that her aunt's plane crash was no accident definitely spice up the intriguing tale Pettrey unveils. But when Bailey's expertise in Russian history and artifacts forces her to stay and help solve a theft/murder scheme, will she crack under the pressure, or will things finally turn out right?

I don’t normally read mysteries/thrillers, so this was a different experience for me. I do have to say that, while I didn’t really buy into a lot of the romance aspect of the novel (which is more familiar to me), the plot was very thrilling. Not, by any means, and edge-of-your-seat thriller, but a pleasantly mild, interest-inducing, twistedly delicious road that kept me reading just so I could find out who the mystery person at the end really was.

There were several aspects that I felt could have been worked on to make the storyline more believable/appealing. Let’s stick with believable, though, since novelists generally don’t write just to appeal to every single reader.

Aspects that could have been more believable:

Relationships – not just romantic, but generally speaking. The depth that we see doesn’t go very far, which isn’t always necessary in a novel, but in this case I feel it could have been a bit deeper – or at the very least could have involved a little more conflict than loosely one-sided from bailey's perspective. Relationships are messy – not all the time, but for the most part there is more tension running through even casual relationships (which Pettrey covers with the main character, but for the most part leaves that tension only at her doorstep and discludes others).

Romantic involvement – it was very shallow. While most romances are characterized by heavy, heavy, dirty, sweaty, etc., etc., not all of them have to be to be good, so put that out of your mind right now that that’s what I 'm trying to say. What I mean is that while most relationships may be very chaste-looking on the outside, there is more on the inside that is important to portray/mention. The romantic involvement of the two main characters in Submerged scrapes by on the shallow side, not allowing the reader to see the real attraction (attraction is more than just physical: characteristics and traits they admire, small things they do for each other, etc., all count as attraction). The author tries and makes a valiant effort, but unfortunately I’m not sure she actually got it right.

Since most of the unbelievable elements of the story (for me, at least) hinged on those two elements, I’ll leave off with that part and move on to the better stuff:

Mystery – I never would have guessed at the direction the novel took in the end, never would have guessed who the killer was. (I won’t ruin it for those who might be interested in reading this, don’t worry.) It was intriguing and absoluetly-can’t-put-it-down good. Point for Pettrey.

Plot – Complicated, a little twisted, and ultimately great! I loved trying to keep up with the plot as it went on, and it kept me off-balance enough that I didn't get bored with it. While I can generally know where the story will go near the end of any book I read, I have to say that there were definitely elements that surprised me. Point 2 for Pettrey.

A compelling story and voice – Pettrey's voice is fresh and new. Her perspective is focused and she's amazingly detailed. Despite a few things I may have overanalyzed, I couldn't put the book down and couldn't wait to pick it back up when I was absolutely forced to put it aside for a few hours.

Overall, I would recommend this book and anything else Pettrey writes. She's fresh, distinctive, and has some major talent that I can't wait to see develop even more. If you want a good read, this is definitely the book for you.