Book Review: Lights Out by Natalie Walters

CIA analyst Brynn Taylor developed a new program to combat terrorism, and she invited members of foreign intelligence agencies to America to foster cooperation between countries. Now one of them, Egyptian spy Remon Riad, is missing.

Jack Hudson has been working for the Strategic Neutralization and Protection Agency (SNAP) for almost nine years and takes the lead in hunting down the missing spy. But he isn't at all pleased to find out Brynn is involved. It's hard to trust a woman who's already betrayed you.

Every lead they follow draws them dangerously deeper into an international plot. Kidnapping, murder, explosions, poisoning--the terrorists will do anything to accomplish their goal of causing a digital blackout that will blind a strategic US military communications center and throw the world into chaos.

Can Brynn surrender control to a man who doesn't trust her? And can Jack ever get over what she did to him? The fate of the world—and their hearts—hangs in the balance.

Series: The SNAP Agency, Book #1

My rating:

Mmkay. *deep breath* That was what I call a letdown.

I enjoyed Brynn! A lot! I loved her get-it-done attitude and the way she wasn't afraid to work at her goals. Though I may not be as driven as she is, I live around people that are, and I sooo understood her shock when everyone took a weekend break. (Was I a bit shocked too? Um, yes. Still not sure if I agreed with them, but Jack made a good point, so I couldn't exactly argue.)

I really liked Jack. His sense of responsibility. His struggle to overcome past feelings and move forward. I loved his happy-go-lucky attitude (though not nearly as happy-go-lucky as Kekoa) and the way he jumped into everything with a positive attitude.

The suspense was epiiiiic. Like, all of the bad dudes and how they tied in to the plot confused me a liiiiitle bit, but other than that, it kept me on my toes. (well...not literally. But ya get my drift.) I especially loved it when Brynn teamed up with Lyla; they made a formidable duo. And Lyla was one of those characters that amused me and annoyed me at the same time, but I adored her for it anyway.

And her + Garcia? Classic. Iconic. Poor dude got majorly friend zoned, but I loved his attitude. (Now that I think about it, there really wasn't anyone on the team that I didn't like.)

And shall I talk about the InjURiEs?? People got poisoned. Shot. Bones broke. Ended up in the hospital. It was great. (wow, Kate, love the priorities there)(also I feel like every time a book involves injuries, I have to make some sort of crack about my priorities)

So. What didn't I like? Um...well...y'all know I'm not a romance fan. If something is categorized as romantic suspense, I expect there to be romance, and I expect there to be suspense. I expect people to do their jobs, and then explore a relationship. What I don't expect is for people to be walking into a potential ambush, guns at the ready, unable to stop thinking about kissing the person next to them. And every moment in between. Really, y'all. It was just...too much. Sparks were flying every which way c o n s t a n t l y, and when one moment they refused to trust each other, the next moment it's "LeT mE KIsS YoU" (can you tell I'm not a fan of enemies to lovers?)

And then the spiritual aspect. Brynn and Jack are Christians. But, as often happens, they kinda walked out on God due to their jobs, past hurts, etc. and then realize that they need to fix that. Fine. I'm okay with that. But the fact that they just kinda mention it in passing and then there's never really any conclusion to that? Like...it would have been better not to mention it at all, I think, than to just gloss over it and give the impression that the mention of God and faith is only because the publisher is Christian.

Someone is going to love this book and learn from it and have it touch them. I just am not that person.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher for promotional purposes. All thoughts are my own.

 What makes or breaks a book for you? If you've read Lights Out, what were your thoughts? Oh, and happy Thanksgiving!

Book Review: Unknown by Vanessa Hall

He knew there was a cost. He just didn’t know how great it’d be.

Gabriel Kelly returned to Russia for one reason—to bury his parents. After ten years in the United States, he hadn’t expected to return to his childhood home in the face of tragedy. However, after short days in Moscow, he begins to consider if the same call that cost his parents’ lives is now upon him.

Sofia Rykova’s dreams finally came true when she became a principal soloist with the Bolshoi Ballet. One night, though, an old crush walks back into her life, making her wonder if there is more to life than ballet. Gabe Kelly is just as she remembered, just as she longed for—yet religion stands between them.

Unknown to Gabe and Sofia, danger lurks closer than either would have guessed. The deaths of Gabe’s parents grow more suspicious by the day, and Gabe and Sofia are drawn into the midst of a plot neither can escape. Will obedience to God’s call—in spite of their fears and desires—result in a price too steep to bear? 

Series: Grace Sufficient, book #1

My rating:

So, I have conflicted feelings over this one. On one hand, it's well-written and I enjoyed the narration, it has an excellent message, and is super, super clean. On the other hand...I'm waffling between 3 and 4 stars for various reasons (yes, it was well-written, but it also seemed to kinda drag on a bit). (I'll decide after, I write up the review, haha) Prepare for a long review, y'all. *sheepish grin* Let's dive in, shall we?

We start with Gabe Kelly, an American that grew up in Russia with his missionary parents, moved back to America for school and to start his career, but then has to go back to Russia after his parents' sudden and tragic deaths. He wasn't your typical lost-his-parents-and-blamed-God-so-he-walked-away-from-his-faith kinda guy; actually, he admirably stuck to his faith, despite the tears and the days that he felt like he couldn't handle the heartbreak. Gabe was really, really sweet, and I really liked his character. But, he was also...perfect. Perfect characters are kinda my pet peeve, y'all *hesitant smile* and while I did like Gabe, he was just...ever the gentlemen but never flawed. And that just kinda bugged me a bit.

Enter stage right: Sophia Rykov, ballerina (Get it? Stage right? Ballerina? *cackles*). Not a christian, But an old friend of Gabe's that never quite got over her childhood crush. Cute, right? (It was cute.) I've never personally had any experience with ballet, but I actually loved reading about it and the pointe shoes (you know those tiny elements in books that you like reading about because they're just sooooo satisfying for absolutely no apparent reason? Pointe shoes, y'all). And I could practically feel the sweat glistening on my forehead as she pirouetted her way through Romeo and Juliet with Evgeny (I actually really liked that dude). Her ankle injury also just really added to it, as it was well done and wasn't glossed over like so many injuries in fiction.

Speaking of injuries, I can't say too much without giving spoilers away, buuuut there was also another major injury in the book that I feel, though I'm definitely no medical expert, was also well-done. A gunshot wound that immobilized the victim's arm, caused nerve damage, and essentially rendered the arm useless. I really, really, really appreciated the fact that the author didn't suddenly have him back to full health within a week, or having him use the arm with superhuman-like strength when danger lurked. The dude was mortal and couldn't a whole lot without needing a break and I just...yes. The injuries were superb (wow, look, my priorities are incredible).

As far as characters go, I'd say that Daniil was my favorite. I loved his protective heart and his addiction to exercise (I'm not as committed as he is, but I could still relate and appreciate it). Such an epic dude. I also loved Sergei and Ana, and, of course, who could forget Gregor? The grumpy old codger is lovable, what can we say?

Sophia and Gabe together made a sweet couple, but obviously, it couldn't work because she wasn't a christian. This is a point brought up several times by Gabe and while I appreciated his struggle with his attraction toward her while holding back because he knew that they could never be together as long as she wasn't a christian...I also felt like it maybe should've been done a little be differently. I'm not just saying this because of personal preference; Gabe was strongly attracted to Sophie, but as he wasn't at first sure whether or not she shared his faith, he held back. And then when he found out for sure that she didn't, he first was disappointed, but then it was later stated that he didn't just want her to convert so he could have a relationship with her, but more importantly because she was a sinner that needed Jesus. And while I know that it wasn't intended to be an afterthought, it kinda seemed presented as one, honestly.

So, anyway, shall we talk about the message? I did like how clearly and concisely the salvation message was put...but (there's always a 'but', isn't there?) the book was...kinda preachy. This isn't generally something I'd dock points for (don't get me wrong—I'm all for a strong message), but honestly, it was hard for me to get through some of it because, even though I've grown up around and am used to all the lingo used (hello, baptist here), it was...a lot. And it kinda made me feel disconnected to the story and characters. I felt like the message could've been mixed in better, and I think it's partly because of this that it took me two months to read it. (granted, this was definitely not the only reason it took me that long—I just didn't do a whole lot of reading over the past couple of months—buuuut it partially contributed.)

And, lastly, I'll talk about the suspense. It wasn't a mystery; as a reader, you'll know very quickly who the villain is. But I thought it was extremely well done in how oblivious the characters were; they weren't just ignorant of what was in front of their noses—there was genuinely just nothing to point to the culprit. He was very careful in his methods, and while there were a couple of things that could've clued in our protagonists, since they had no reason to believe he was the bad guy, there was no reason for them to think anything of it. So tthat was done really well. And y'all already know that I loved all the injuries. (That climax toward the end? Superb. Slightly drawn-out, but still superb. Definitely had me hooked.)

So. After typing all of that up (and editing it to make it shorter...sorry, guys, didn't work very well *cough*), I'll land on three stars. This book is perfect for people that love a super clean Christian romance with a good dose of suspense and a very strong message, just not totally my thing. I'm definitely planning to try more from this author in the future, though!

*I received an e-copy of this book from the author for promotional purposes. All thoughts are my own.

Will I ever learn to write short reviews? Maybe. Probably not.