Shifting Sands by Kathi Oram Peterson

 

All Gloryanna Griffin needs is a full-ride scholarship to finish her master’s degree in marine biology in order to pursue her dream of saving the ocean. However, to be a serious contender for the money, she needs to publish in a prestigious magazine. A research dive off the Olympic Peninsula is a dangerous proposition but one that just might give her article the impact it needs. But when she’s swept into an underwater vortex, she realizes her life may be the price she pays instead.

When she awakens on the rocky beach—miraculously alive—the first person she sees is the handsome stranger who saved her. Over the years, Jonathan Dawson has saved countless lives from the perils of the ocean. But until now, no one has ever seen him. Nearly eighty years ago, he died on this same beach, and his spirit has been tied to the spot ever since. Now Gloryanna and Jonathan are irrevocably linked as they are plunged into a decades’ old mystery that promises answers to the past and keys to the future. But they soon discover that some secrets may be better left undisturbed.

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I have read so many books by this author (maybe all of them!) and this is the first one that features a ghost as a main character!  Yup, you heard that right.  This author is known for her mystery/suspense novels but this time she has thrown in a bit of the paranormal and I really liked it!  That sure changed things up!

Jonathan is a ghost.  A steady, unwavering, dependable ghost.  Still protecting the stretch of beach he did in life.  His dog is there too and good thing he was because he literally saved Gloryanna a handful of times all by himself.  

Gloryanna is a ocean loving student diver.  Resilient and smart.  She slowly but surely came to love her ghost, Jonathan.  It was a lovely process.  A ghost, a dog and a diver.  

I loved the whole mystery and how everything started connecting together with the characters and the plot.  The ending was great!  The last bit of the book really turns up a notch so I was reading really quickly!  So fun.

Content:  peril, violence, death.  Kissing.

- I received a complimentary copy of this book.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Bloodline by Kathi Oram Peterson + $25 and Book Giveaway!

France, 1371. The old Queen of France lies on her deathbed with a secret she will take to her grave: there is one true heir to the throne, one who would have the power to ally France and Scotland. But after her death, all that will be left are a few shreds of evidence revealing the stunning identity of her successor.

Flight attendant Skye Armstrong has heard the voice of warning before, and as she’s returning home from London, she recognizes the feeling of dread that accompanies her sixth sense. Walking from the airport terminal to get to her car, she pauses in the middle of the road. Her hesitation gives a Good Samaritan the split second he needs to pull her out of the path of a speeding car, saving her life. But her misfortunes are just beginning. When she arrives home, she discovers that Auntie Marjorie has been kidnapped, and cryptic instructions have been left behind: Skye must retrieve the contents of a safe deposit box and deliver it to the captors . . . No police. Her feelings of dread return.

What Skye discovers in the bank box is baffling: a single page. The ancient document is certainly valuable, and with no time to lose, she goes to the rendezvous to discover the next step. A cell phone rings beneath a park bench. She answers the call, and on the screen is a picture of Auntie, unconscious. Now the kidnapper demands Skye find two more pages or her aunt will die.

What secrets are hidden within the illuminated pages, and who believes they are worth killing for? And what role does the Good Samaritan play in all of it?

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This light suspense has a definite historical feel to it.  In fact, it's loaded with history from France to Scotland.  Sometimes this became a bit tedious to me and I skimmed because it was so much information just sort of dumped- in a conversational way, but still.

I liked the "on the run" feel to the book.  Danger was constant and always right behind Skye and lots of times it was right on top of her, coming from several different sources.  It felt like the bad guys were everywhere.  And they were!  There were a couple twists I didn't see coming, a couple I did.  That's the way I like it- knowing some things, but not everything.

I didn't really connect emotionally with the characters or feel of their emotional connections to each other, so from that standpoint the story fell a bit flat for me, but overall this was a good story.  I like the concept and the idea of it.  I wonder if there will be another book?  It felt a bit open ended to me.  I would read the next book.

3/5 stars

Content:  mild violence, mild peril

- I received a complimentary copy of this book.  All opinions expressed are my own.

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A Familiar Fear by Kathi Oram Peterson + Win This Book!

Ex-FBI agent Riley Scott lives each day with the scars of her former career. After the murder of her husband and the recent attempt on her own life by the Russian mafia, her heart is irrevocably broken. Agate Island seems like the perfect place to begin building a new future for herself and her teenage son, yet even before the ferry docks at their new home, Riley realizes there will be no escape for her. There, on the boat, is mafia boss Maksimillian Petruso—the man who took everything from her. The man she killed.

Matthew Taggart knows who Riley is and understands her reaction to his resemblance to Maksimillian Petruso. But Matthew is nothing like his estranged criminal father. So far, he has been able to hide from that evil world. However, he's afraid Riley's appearance on the island may lead his family's mafia connections to his doorstep. After all, she is the agent who took down his father.

Matthew needs to leave town. Fast. Unfortunately, when the family wants to find him, there is nowhere he can hide. Now he and Riley are thrown together in a dangerous connection, and learning to trust each other is their only hope of survival.

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This kind of suspense book is perfect for me.  I'm a lightweight when it comes to suspense- I just can't read things that get me too worked up or scared.  Kathi Oram Peterson writes suspense I can handle.  I wouldn't say this was my favorite of her books but it was good- gripping me from the first moments and keeping a steady pace of action and suspense all the way to the end.

I thought the author did a great job of weaving together the past back story with the present.  It flowed well.  The kids were a great addition to the story line and helped the main character, Riley, feel more human.

Content:  some violence, kissing, some talk of God and praying but nothing religion specific or preachy.

- I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions expressed are my own.

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Breach of Trust by Kathi Oram Peterson + $25 Giveaway

Lieutenant Commander Cooper Lane has so much to live for. With a loving husband and beautiful baby girl waiting for her back home, she is anxious to finish her mission in Afghanistan and return to her family. But in a split second, her world shatters. Her helicopter is going down in that hostile country, and there will be no survivors. Four Years Later . . . On a covert mission in an Afghan village, Navy SEAL Axe Talbot finds something no one ever expected: Lieutenant Cooper Lane—alive. Cooper survived the crash that killed her team and has been hiding behind enemy lines for four years. It’s the woman he’s been looking for and dreaming about for so long. After her rescue, Cooper is not sure she can survive the reality waiting for her back home—when she disappeared and was pronounced dead, her husband married her best friend. Cooper is lost, but her troubles are just beginning. In one horror-filled moment, her former husband is murdered before her eyes, and Cooper becomes the prime suspect. Now she must embark on one last mission to clear her name. And there are only two people she trusts to help her: her father and Axe, the SEAL who rescued her. Cooper and Axe take off, and together the makeshift team uncovers a trail of mysterious deaths that leads to unimaginable danger.

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I really loved reading this book!  It grabbed my interest from the very beginning and just didn't let up.

We get to know Cooper and Axe through current circumstances as well as flashbacks.  The flashbacks really help us understand the struggle and the bonding these two went through.

If I could summarize Cooper's life in one sentence it would be:  What a mess.  Honestly, What.  A.  Mess.  Her helicopter goes down in Afghanistan and everyone in her crew dies leaving her the lone survivor hiding in a remote village.  Little does she know that in the four years since as she has tried to just survive, back home she has been declared dead and her husband has married another to help raise their daughter that doesn't even know her.  See?  It's a mess.  But that's not all.  Cooper is suffering from PSD, her husband is killed and then she realizes that someone is trying to kill her.  But the local sheriff thinks Cooper is the killer.  Oy.  Axe shows up and he and Cooper are off on mission to discover what is really going on.  It's a crazy ride!

In my mind I kept thinking, "how much can one woman take?!"  I still wonder but at least Cooper had Axe and her father on her side.  They were her rocks and the steadying influence when her whole world was crashing down.  I loved them both.

This book has a bit of everything.  Suspense, danger, drama, action.  It was really good.  I read through this book so quickly because I just didn't want to put it down.  Yay!  I love when that happens.

Content:  No swearing or sexual scenes.  Some kissing, some violence.  There is some mention of the LDS religion and some talk of praying and God but nothing overly preachy.

- I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.  I was under no obligation to review and all opinions expressed are my own. 

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Star Struck by Kathi Oram Peterson

Mercedes Grant is known to the world as Stormy Ryan, action hero. Her movie-star status has led to some unpleasant interactions in the past, and even a few stalkers, but none has ever come close enough to her to seem dangerous—until now. When she receives a death threat on her personal cell phone, she is understandably shaken. Seizing the opportunity to take some time away from the limelight while the police investigate the phone call, Mercedes escapes to her remote cabin near Idaho’s Snake River. She knows it is the perfect place to lie low, but she doesn’t realize how low she’ll actually feel once she arrives. After days of suffering from a cold she just can’t shake, Mercedes visits the town physician, Luke Parker. The handsome doctor, a fan of the stunning celebrity, performs the necessary tests and is devastated at the unexpected diagnosis he must give her. Mercedes is sick—really sick. He knows she can handle crazy fans, but the news he has to give is another story. As Mercedes struggles to come to terms with her new future, she relies on Luke’s support. But neither imagines the disease is not the only danger Mercedes is facing—because just out of view, someone is watching her and is determined to make good on their threat.

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If you are in the mood for a light romantic suspense, this book will fit the bill perfectly.  Kathi Oram Peterson is known for her place in this genre in the LDS fiction world.

Mercedes is a famous movie star with a serious stalker.  She decides to take some time to get away and see if the police can catch the person.  Her remote cabin seems like the perfect place to hide out.  But, things don't go exactly as Mercedes hopes.  She gets sick and things start happening that she can't just explain away.

Luke is easy to like.  Down to earth, a bit heart sore but kind and generous.  Mercedes is different.  I didn't like how she always wanted to put everything off.  Every conversation, every confrontation.  It was hard to connect with her.  I didn't really get her connection to Luke.  The attraction between the characters- the spark- wasn't there.

I loved how every character was suspicious at some point.  Even though I nailed the real bad guy early on, it was fun to wonder and think everyone had a motive.  There was lots of drama swirling around everywhere.

This is an LDS fiction book and there are some religious elements.  Clean.

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