(Image from author's official website)

When a Navy SEAL battling PTSD kidnaps his former squad mate, Detective Claire Michaels insists on handling the hostage negotiations.  Her brother died while fighting in Afghanistan—she won't let more soldiers die.  Not on her turf.  What Claire doesn't realize is how much more complex the situation is than it seems.  One of Osama bin Laden's top dogs is behind the kidnapping and he's as deranged as his late boss. It's not just the soldiers that need saving, but the entire country.  If Claire and her team can't catch the maniacal terrorist before it's too late, there's no telling what could happen.  

Rafe Kelly never expected to run into his old enemy, Bez Ruhallah, in his hometown of Hartford, Connecticut.  But it's happened and, now, the madman has Rafe's brother hidden away in some unknown corner of Afghanistan.  If Rafe doesn't bring a secret encryption key to Bez Ruhallah in three days, his brother will die.  And the country he's worked so hard to protect will, once again, be vulnerable to attack by a power-hungry al-Qaeda operative.  Rafe doesn't want to involve Claire—who's obviously dealing with her own issues—in such a dangerous mission, but he's not sure who else he can trust.  Can he and the pretty detective really match wits with a man like Bez Ruhallah?  Or will they, along with Rafe's brother and every other American, become victims of the terrorist's wrath? 

I should make it clear right up front that romantic suspense really isn't my thing.  Outside of Whitney Award judging, I don't read it.  At all.  But, when Lexi over at The Book Bug offered a copy of Julie Coulter Bellon's new novel, All Fall Down, for review, I wavered.  The novel's plot sounded engrossing enough to keep me interested.  And it was, more or less.  Enough bombs exploded throughout the novel that I never really got bored.  Still, the characters never developed into anything more than empty cliches, the plot seemed very far-fetched, the insta-love romance bugged, and the poor copyediting kept pulling me out of the story.  The writing itself was better than I expected it to be, but considering all my other issues with the book, I just couldn't give All Fall Down anything higher than a C.  It's entertaining, sure, I just wanted more substance, more polish, more development.  Since I say this exact thing every time I read a book of this kind, I should probably face the facts—romantic suspense is not my genre.  Never has been, never will be.  Lesson learned.   

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other romantic suspense novels by LDS authors, although no specific titles are coming to mind.)

Grade:  C

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG for violence and mild sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of All Fall Down from Julie Coulter Bellon via Latter Day Books Blog Tours.  

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

After being bounced from foster family to foster family for sixteen years, Bron Jones barely knows the meaning of the word home.  Until he gets to St. George, Utah, where he meets Mike and Olivia Hernandez, his new foster parents.  The couple, who own a cattle ranch that seems to be as down-to-earth as they are, wants to adopt Bron.  He only sees one problem with the arrangement:  Olivia.  Bron's mom-to-be is certifiable.  There's no other way to explain her panic upon being approached by some random guys in Best Buy.  And then there's the car chase, the weird weapons Olivia has hidden in her glove compartment, and the woman's absolute refusal to consult the police.  Olivia's insane, that's the only conclusion that makes sense.

When Olivia finally tells Bron the truth, he's convinced—she needs to be locked in a padded cell.  Except that her words make a weird kind of sense.  Olivia explains that she and Bron are different than other people.  In fact, they're not people at all.  They're Aels, supernatural creatures with special abilities.  Bron's powers are especially rare, so rare that the Aels' ancient enemies will stop at nothing to control them (hence the confrontation at Best Buy).  While the Draghouls hunt for him, Bron has to do his best to stay under the radar—not an easy task when you're a guitar prodigy attending an elite performing arts academy.  

Trying to understand who—and what—he is is only part of the conflicts Bron faces in his new home.  He's got several girls falling all over him, an angry classmate who's eager to put him in his place, and a mysterious past that holds important clues to his present situation.  Survival will require everything Bron's got—and more.

Since I had a monster cold while reading Nightingale, a new YA novel by adult sci fi/fantasy author David Farland, I lugged the book with me to the doctor's office when I went to beg for death antibiotics.  Because she somehow missed the fact that my throat hurt every time I opened my mouth to breathe, let alone talk, the doctor asked me what the book was about.  When I told her it concerned a teenager who discovers he's a paranormal creature of some kind, the doctor rolled her eyes and said, "Ugh, another one of those?"  I laughed (even though it hurt) because that pretty much summed up my thoughts on Nightingale.  Not only is the story unoriginal, but it's also plotless, melodramatic and just not very well-written or edited.  It zigzagged all over the place, making the whole thing feel unfocused.  Then, there's Bron.  Our hero is sympathetic to a point, but his macho attitude and constant lusting after anything female (including his foster mother—eeeewww!) make him difficult to like.  Bottom line on this one?  If I hadn't agreed to review this book for a virtual tour (with a company I'd already bailed on once), I wouldn't have read past the first chapter.  

Now, this may be another case of me just plain getting it wrong because Nightingale has actually won a number of awards (whether this is for the print version or the enhanced e-version I'm not sure).  It also gets great reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Goodreads.  Just not from me.  Oh well.

(Readalikes:  Reminded me of Twilight and every other teenager-finds-out-he/she-is-a-werewolf/pixie/angel/mermaid/paranormal creature of choice type book)

Grade:  D

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG-13 for language (no F-bombs), violence and sexual innuendo

To the FTC, wit:h love:  I received a finished hardcover copy of Nightingale from East India Press via Rachelle Christensen's blog tour company.  Thank you!        

      

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

All 10-year-old Sasha Zaichik wants is to be a hero like his father.  A loyal Communist, the older man works for State Security (the secret police), hunting down spies and traitors.  Sasha longs to prove his own worthiness to Comrade Stalin by joining the Young Soviet Pioneers.  He has only one more day to wait—then his father, a true Party hero, will tie a red scarf around his neck with all his classmates watching.  It's a big step, one that will show everyone he's ready to serve his country, just like his father.

Sasha's hopes and dreams are dashed when State Security comes for one of its own.  Sasha can't understand why the police would take his father away, he only knows they have.  With no one to care for him, Sasha will be sent to an orphanage.  Even worse, he'll be known as the child of a traitor, a status that will prevent him from being accepted into the Young Soviet Pioneers.  There's only one thing to do—Sasha must tell Comrade Stalin that he's made a horrible mistake.  Sasha's father needs to be freed from prison!

Turns out, raising your voice is not an easy thing to do in a Communist country, where the smallest dissent may be seen as outright rebellion.  Sasha's finding out the hard way that it's easier to remain silent, compliant, even if it means that others will be punished.  He wants to be an honorable Communist, but what will it cost him?  And is he willing to pay such a very high price?  

Breaking Stalin's Nose, a middle grade novel written and illustrated by Eugene Velchin, a Russian-born writer whose father survived the Great Terror, describes an era not often explored in children's literature.  In fact, I've never read a kid's book about life during Stalin's reign.  Maybe there's a reason for that—even though Breaking Stalin's Nose is ultimately hopeful, it's a dark book on a difficult subject.  Young readers will be drawn to Sasha, no doubt, as his adventures are risky, life-and-death endeavors.  Children may miss Velchin's subtle irony, but in the end, they'll get the point:  Industrial progress isn't worth the sacrifice of a person's—or a people's—integrity.  Although this one didn't blow me away, it definitely made me think.  If it does the same for younger readers, then I say it's done its job, even if it didn't win my eternal book love.       

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:  B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG for subject matter that might be disturbing to younger children (prison camps, executions, etc.)

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find 

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Other New Yorkers might be excited about spending a summer in sunny California—not 11-year-old Delphine Gaither.  She'd rather stay home in Brooklyn with her father and Big Ma.  Delphine hardly knows the mother who abandoned her four years ago; she can't fathom why she's being forced to spend a whole summer with the woman.  At least she'll have her little sisters for company.  Except the combined forces of 7-year-old Fern and 9-year-old Vonetta are enough to make even sane people crazy—and, as far as Delphine remembers, her mom's already a little loopy.  Maybe more than a little.

It's clear from the get-go that Cecile Johnson has no interest in getting to know her daughters.  She doesn't play with them, cook for them, talk to them or care a whit about what they do all day.  Finding their way in this strange, new world is hard enough—how are Delphine and her sisters supposed to get their mother's attention?  And what is Cecile up to anyway?  There's got to be a reason she's hiding from the Black Panthers.  As the summer rolls on, Delphine will make discoveries that will change what she knows about her family and, more importantly, about herself.

One Crazy Summer, an award-winning middle grade novel by Rita Williams-Garcia, is difficult to describe because, although it's long on personality, it's a little short on plot.  The story, which takes place in 1968, talks about racism, revolution, and civil rights, although its real focus is on family.  Delphine, Fern and Vonetta are a formidable trio—they're sympathetic, funny, and lovable.  Sisters in every sense of the word.  Although I wasn't as swept away by this story as I wanted to be, I did love the Gaither girls.  My favorite part of this book may, in fact, be the cover (of the paperback version).  Illustrated by the enormously talented Frank Morrison, it bring the sisters to vivid life, perfectly capturing the spunk that makes them the best and most memorable part of One Crazy Summer.   

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't really think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:  B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG for subject matter that may be disturbing to younger readers (racism, parental abandonment/neglect, etc.)

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of One Crazy Summer from the Scholastic book fair at my kids' elementary school with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.