Two New Great Summer Reads

It doesn’t happen often, but on August 6, 2019, two of my favorite authors are releasing new books. I generally like to dedicate a blog post to just one author, but in this particular post I’m highlighting the two new books.

First is Dani Pettrey’s The Killing Tide. It’s packed with suspense, intrigue, and romance – a trifecta of reading pleasure. I never guessed who the ring leader of the bad guys was, which either means I’m obtuse or Pettrey knows how to write a mystery. I’m going with the latter. The two key characters, Finn Walker and Gabby Rowley, are the type of people you’d like to have as friends, and Finn’s love for Gabby makes a girl feel all squishy inside. If you don't love him there's something wrong with you. As for Gabby, she’s a tougher nut to crack, but I totally got her and the drive she had to excel at her career. It may be I identified to much with that aspect of her character because I was constantly saying, “Choose Finn. The career isn’t important.” Of course, this is a romance so there's a happily ever after, still the getting there is engaging. You’ll have a hard time putting it down. It has a strong Christian element, which is typically found in Pettrey’s books. While I like it, I know some people find this problematic. If you are one of those people, I’ll say I don’t think it’s preachy in any way. And, it’s such a relief to pick up a book that you know from the beginning isn’t going to have foul language and gratuitous sex scenes. It is a bit violent. The bad guys are bad. But, it’s not graphic by any stretch of the imagination. It’s a great read and gets five stars.

Now for book two. Lisa Harris is another great romantic suspense writer and Deadly Intentions is a perfect example of how well she does it. This story involves a virus that people are willing to kill for. Maybe I have too much conspiracy theory in me, but I found this experiment gone awry aspect exceptionally intriguing and very believable. I was pulled in because I could see something like this actually happening. About mid-way through the novel, you know who some of the bad guys are, and so from that point the good guys are trying to bring the bag guys to justice. But there’s a traitor that isn’t revealed until the end. I never guessed this one either. So, kudos to Harris for keeping this well-hidden. Josh Solomon is the hunky hero and Caitlyn Lindsey, is the plucky heroine. They go well together and you can’t help but root for them as they try to outrun the bad guys. And, as with any good romance, you want them to end up together. Like Pettrey, Harris is a Christian writer so you’ll find elements of faith in this book too. Again she doesn’t shove the religion down your throat, but it’s there. Deadly Intentions is definitely worth the time to read. It, too, is a five-star novel.

Have you read either book? What did you think?