Book Reviews

Death Takes A Ride
by Lorena McCourtney
Rating: 3.5/5
Release Date: July 1, 2014
Book 3 of the Cate Kincaid Files
Revell – Fiction Mystery

Cate Kincaid is an assistant private investigator that is just waiting to obtain her official license, but trouble always seems to find her first. After offering to give a friend a ride to a ladies’ event at her church, Cate finds herself smack dab in the middle of a robbery, shooting, and death. When a gunman shoots his business partner, Halliday had no choice but to shoot the gunman in self-defense, right? A simple case or so it seems. Cate unwillingly gets herself entangled in the investigation and must determine who is after the owners of H&B and why they would want to hurt them.

I chose to review this book because it sounded interested. It is not a heart-stopping, fast-paced thriller of a mystery but it has charm and a slower pace that slowly seduces the reader. (If that makes sense.) I was able to set the book down at first, but once I got into the story more and became more invested in the characters, I had to finish it. The mystery is ever unfolding and feels more authentic with all of the dead ends and disappointment. The main character, Cate Kincaid, is charming but not as captivating as other characters I’ve read. I’ve also never read any of the other books in the series, so maybe there was more character descriptions and development in them. As for plot, I was not able to guess the bad guy which is why I enjoyed it. I definitely caught the hints about the ending regarding Cate and Mitch. Although it took a while for me to get into this book, I’d still consider reading the first two books to get more information regarding the relationship between Cate and Mitch. All in all, definitely a light mystery that’s perfect for summer reading.

I received this book for free from Revell but was not required to give a positive review.

Raptor 6
by Ronie Kendig
Rating: 4/5
The Quiet Professionals series

Estranged from the only family he has left, Captain Dean Watters considers his Special Forces elite team his only family. When 10 secret military computers go missing, his mission is reacquire the stolen tech. If he fails and the enemy is able to crack the code to access the computers, millions of Americans lives will be at risk.

In Afghanistan as a missionary, Zahrah Zarrick is determined to give every girl (and boy) a fighting chance by teaching them English. She finds herself unknowingly entangled in a dangerous game with the Taliban. When she disappears without a trace, Captain Watters and his team must find a way to save the retired general’s daughter before it is too late. Can Dean get over his fears of captivity and torture to save the woman who has stolen his heart?

I am a big fan of Ronie Kendig. Her military experience as an army brat and her extensive research make for an authentic and exciting read. She creates characters that are real and likable. Although the story seemed a little confusing at first (especially with the Kindle formatting), I was still able to pick it up and devour the text. I wanted to get to know the characters and how they came to be. I wanted more, so I’m glad that this is just the beginning of the series. There were definitely some threats that weren’t resolved by the end of this book, so I look forward to the next book. However, I feel there could have been more development with the main characters and their backgrounds but maybe that will happen some more in the next book?

This is definitely another exciting, military mystery read from Ronie Kendig!

I received this book for free from NetGalley but was not required to give a positive review.