Wednesday, February 25, 2015

My Review: Sabotaged

 
I just love this cover!  All of Dani's books look amazing!  I love the extra details woven across it and the colors are gorgeous!  Though I do have to say that it's even better in person (sorry, have to brag a bit). :)
 
Description:
Finally Returned Home, Reef McKeena
Finds His Beloved Alaska Facing Its Greatest Threat

Growing up, goody-two-shoes Kirra Jacobs and troublemaker Reef McKenna were always at odds. Now, working together as search-and-rescue for Alaska's arduous Iditarod race, a growing attraction seems to be forcing aside old arguments. Then Reef catches Kirra sneaking from camp in the middle of the night.

Kirra's uncle, a musher in the race, has disappeared. Kirra and Reef quickly track the man, but what they discover is harrowing: Frank's daughter has been kidnapped. Kirra and Reef, along with the entire McKenna family, are thrown into a race to stop a shadowy villain who is not only threatening a girl's life--but appears willing to unleash one of the largest disasters Alaska has ever seen
.

About the Author:
Dani Pettrey is a wife, home-schooling mom, and the author of the bestselling romantic suspense novels Silenced, Stranded, Shattered, and Submerged, winner of the 2013 Holt Medallion for First Novel and the Colorado Romance Writers 2013 Award of Excellence. She and her husband reside in Maryland with their two teenage daughters. She can be found online
at
www.danipettrey.com.

My Review: 4.5 stars
Great finale, though I’m sorry to see it end!
Sabotaged is the fifth and final book in Dani Pettrey’s Alaskan Courage series. In it we finally get to read Reef’s story and find out what happens with him and Kirra. I’ve really enjoyed the previous books in the series, so I knew this one would be great, too.

Dani is definitely a master storyteller. From the first page I was pulled into the story until I could almost feel the biting cold and sense the tension as they fight the clock and try to get ahead of the villains. Her writing is very smooth and flows quite well, though there was a time or two when I had to read a sentence over again to make sense of it, though that could be blamed on my own distraction. I loved all of the descriptions and details that brought Alaska to life and also explained police procedure and the reasoning they used to decide their next step.

I did find it a little odd that they seemed to know so well procedure and tactics, but then considering the previous books, that made sense. There were a couple times that it seemed a bit improbable, but it is fiction, so I don’t expect it to be entirely realistic. While the plots don’t intertwine, I definitely recommend reading the other books first, if you can. They help set the story and give you a chance to get to know all of the characters better.
I really fell in love with Kirra Jacobs in this book. I liked her from Kayden’s book, Silenced, but we get to know her so much better here and she really comes to life and jumps off the page. We finally begin to understand the pain she carries and why she pushes Reef away. She is so realistic and seemed like a friend, someone I would know. Her pain is palpable that I found myself wanting to cry for her. She asks questions of God and searches for answers, despite her past. I actually felt like what happened to her was glossed over a bit, but at the same time, I can understand the author not wanting to bog down the story too much.

Reef McKenna has been the “black sheep” of the family, the one who doesn’t seem to belong. I’ve been anticipating his book since we met him, because I wanted to see him find his place. It didn’t take much to tell he was hurting, but he’s finally figured out Who to turn to. His focus has shifted to God and he’s doing his best to turn his life around. I loved getting to know this new Reef, the one who chases after God and doesn’t run when things get hard.

I also loved the spiritual side of the story. Some may consider it preachy, but I loved the focus on God. The characters turn to Him and pray quite a bit, though it’s more of a running dialogue with Him. Dani doesn’t flinch from the hard questions, but rather takes the time to examine them and find an answer, even if it isn’t the easy one.
Though I’m sorry to say “goodbye” to the characters, this book had a wonderful ending. I generally want to cry at the end of a series, but something about this one just left me smiling. I loved the one last look into their lives and the hope of a bright future for them.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishing for my honest review, which I have given. I was not required to write a positive review and have not been compensated for it in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.


Thank you so much for taking the time to read my review!  I hope you enjoyed it and will consider coming by again!  I am going to be trying out some different review styles in the next couple weeks, since I realized I'm one of the few reviewers that break down the characters a bit.  Do you like that in my reviews?  Would you rather I skip over that and just let you know if I liked them or not?  Comments welcome!

If you're interested in checking out the book some more, maybe getting other opinions or purchasing a copy, here are some links to get you started.

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Christian Book

Hope you have a lovely day! :)

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