Rutabaga's Reads 2018: Part 6

If you’ve perused my blog at all, you’ll notice – especially in the most recent years – that I read a lot of Christian/inspirational fiction. Most of them I have the opportunity to read thanks to the publishers. Those in this compilation are NOT books that I was expected to review.  They are novels which I purchased. All opinions continue to be my own.

Blind Spot (Oct. 3, 2017) by Dani Pettrey.

*This is the third in a series.*

There is a threat coming to American soil. The when is unclear, but FBI agent Declan Grey is working overtime to get ahead of the threat. He is certain something is going to go down in Baltimore, but tracking leads will also take him to Houston. While one major kingpin is behind bars, it appears that he worked closely with another whom they are trying desperately to track down. Declan is getting closer, but it isn’t without the help of a mysterious someone thought lost years ago and a woman he’s inexplicably fallen in love with.

            New to the FBI team is Tanner Shaw. Thanks to her tireless work with sex-trafficking victims at one organization and fighting “for the rights of the marginalized and oppressed” at another, she has landed with the Baltimore-based team as a crisis counselor. This means she works closely with Declan, giving them ample opportunity to follow through on leads, be put in harm’s way more than once and butt heads. She’ll realize she, too, loves him.

            Their other friends – Griffin, Finley, Parker, Avery and Kate – have come into an investigation that became alarmingly critical when someone they knew was murdered. They will undoubtedly solve the staged-suicide-homicide and then, surely, they’ll join the fray racing to stop the “wrath” that is purportedly coming.

            Pettrey writes so well, which makes my reader self very happy. Her story is to embark on a harrowing and gripping ride with strong, charismatic characters whose personal faith bases guide and strengthen them. All of Pettrey’s characters have distinct qualities, though they have their similarities, too (independent, resilient). I feel I’ve got to say, though, that I wish Pettrey would include a lead character one of these days – or in the next series – that features a diverse character, preferably Asian (only because I am). The intensity and action start in the Prologue and do not slow down until the book ends. Looking at the protagonists, it’s easy to see them as good and the antagonists as bad; they are love and the bad are hate. Love will conquer, for “Love defied logic, defied hatred, defied division.”

            Book One: Cold Shot (did not review)

            Book Two: Still Life

Out of the Ashes (Jan. 2, 2018) by Tracie Peterson & Kimberley Woodhouse.

*This is the second in a series.*

Sometimes, all one can do is rise like a phoenix out of the ashes, even though it won’t be easy. Jean-Michel (29 years) and Collette (19 years) Langelier are mourning the death of their father. Jean-Michel was driven to serve in the French army, and now he cannot escape the nightmare-inducing horrors of the Druze Revolt. He can’t escape in his sleep, nor his waking hours, as his leg is a constant physical reminder of what happened to him and of those he couldn’t save. Meanwhile, Collette yearns for adventure, and with Jean-Michel now looking after her, they take up an invitation to go to Alaska’s Curry Hotel at the foot of Denali. Collette is learning the hard way how selfish she has been, only thinking of herself and not of the pain of anyone else, especially her brother’s.

            There is a main reason Jean-Michel accepted the invitation, and it involves Katherine Harrison Demarchis (25 years). A young widow, she does not mourn her late senator husband. Instead, she is relieved, but she has much healing ahead of her as well. To trust any man now seems impossible. Unbeknownst to her, the Curry Hotel has a certain Frenchman in attendance for the summer, the very one from her past whom she still loves. Both have been broken by different faces of violence. Can they heal together, and, in so doing, rediscover the bond once shared?

            With Jean-Michel, Katherine and even Collette in their own wounded places, it’s intriguing and encouraging to watch them grow in faith in this story of hope and healing. The authors include a character battling through PTSD and another trying to heal from past domestic abuse. Seeking the Lord helped their characters immensely, which is not the route everyone in those situations would go to, but considering that this is an inspirational, historical fiction novel, this route worked wonders for their characters. I think it’s commendable that the authors went those routes with, not one, but two, characters, to tell us that any stigma that anyone may harbor toward either PTSD or domestic abuse is unfounded. Sometimes I thought the multiple-character perspectives were too many, but I still enjoyed this story. It’s heartfelt, but not without trial and tribulation. A bit busy, but I rooted for the new characters, even “that Scotsman” in Chef Daniel Ferguson. It was pleasant having familiar characters from the first book in this second in The Heart of Alaska series. I look forward to greeting them all again in the next book!

            Favorite quote: “But you mustn’t let worries over what might be steal the joy of what is. Life is full of both beauty and danger, and we must give attention to both, but we should never let worry steal our focus. Otherwise, we see neither the beauty nor the danger and suffer because of it.” – John Ivanoff to Collette Langelier (p. 107)

            Book One: In the Shadow of Denali

The Proving (Sept. 5, 2017) by Beverly Lewis.

*This is a standalone novel.*

Five years ago, Amanda “Mandy” Dienner was prompted by her mother to leave her home. She did and has been an Englischer ever since. But her mother has unexpectedly passed away, and so the now 23-year-old returns to her childhood home. In returning to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, she returns to the family she left behind, including her twin sister, Arie Mae. Once so close, Mandy turned away from her upon her sister’s betrayal. She needs to successfully run the Amish B&B for one year. There is handsome widower Karl Lantz and his adorable son, Yonnie, but why establish a relationship when she’ll be an Englischer again in a year’s time?

            25-year-old Catrina “Trina” Sutton finally needs a break. Although it’s been a year, she continues to heal after her fiancé was killed by a drunk driver. Possessing a point-blank personality, Trina has difficultly doing anything on a whim, but she signs up for a mystery trip. Instead of a sunny beach, she finds herself at The Butterfly Meadows Amish Bed-and-Breakfast during a snowstorm, where she meets regular guest Gavin O’Connor. He’s annoying and argumentative, yet she hasn’t scared him off. Could he be interested … in her?

            While I enjoyed this novel, I felt there was a different dynamic at play. The main characters, Mandy and Trina, are both refreshingly different than other main characters. Despite both characters having a strong faith base, Mandy struggles greatly with grudge-holding, and Trina has a demanding personality and she’s blunt to boot (the term “control freak” has been whispered behind her back). Although Mandy was never baptized into the Amish church, I noticed that the Amish neighborhood, including many of her own relatives, still seemed to shun her. While I know this is not an uncommon practice, I found it bothersome. They value church and family relationships, but only within the confines of what has been deemed okay? So, for those who do not conform, it is okay to be judgmental? Healing of all kinds is present in this story, as is the openness to love, and not just in the romantic sense.