My Review - Sins of the Past

5 out of 5 stars

What better way to be introduced to three great romance/suspense writers.  Dee Henderson, Dani Pettrey, and Lynette Eason are leaders in the field of Christian/romance/suspense.

First, Dee Henderson with MISSING-

Though I wouldn’t say this is Henderson’s best work; it was still enjoyable to read.

Wyoming police chief, John Graham, is called to Chicago because his elderly mother had disappeared from her retirement home. Teamed with Lt. Sharon Noble, they try to piece together his mother’s last steps before she disappeared. Though this doesn’t seem like the proper setting for a budding romance, both John and Sharon quickly develop feelings for each other. With the intention of keeping their relationship professional, they choose to set aside their personal feelings until the disappearance of John’s mom is solved.

The setting aside of their personal feelings is what makes this story less romance, and more police procedure. I get easily frustrated with romance novels that keep the love interests at arms-length for most of the story. However, because of their professions, I was willing to put those frustrations aside. Like I said, not Henderson’s best story, but with the constraints of a novella, I still feel she made it worth my wild.

Next, Dani Pettrey with SHADOWED-

As always, Dani immediately throws her main characters together in order to ignite a spark—a spark that simmers throughout the book.

Libby Jennings is an open-water swimmer and is in Alaska for a competition. While there, she decides to do some whale watching and ends up being the only passenger on the excursion led Ben McKenna. When Ben and Libby recover a body from the water, Libby immediately recognizes the deceased as Kat Stanic, one of her fellow competitors and former college roommate. However, Kat abruptly left Berkeley, and though she still competed against Libby, she fused to have any interaction with her. With Kat dead, Libby can’t help but wonder if Kat was involved in some sort of spy game or espionage. Needing answers for herself, Libby inserts herself into the investigation, alongside Ben. While they hunt down clues, their attraction grows.

Dani Pettrey’s characters are always so charismatic and full of adventure.  Her females are strong and self-reliant, and her males are the epitome of rough-around-the-edges hero material.  Ms. Pettrey’s Alaskan Courage series is on my favorites list, and the great thing about SHADOWED, is it’s link to that same series.   I would’ve bought SINS OF THE PAST for this installment alone.

Finally, Lynette Eason with BLACKOUT-

Macy Adams is living with a nightmare she can’t remember. Someone is stalking her because of her involvement in a robbery gone bad when she was a teenager. The problem is, she can’t remember the events of that night. However, someone is convinced Macy knows more than what she’s telling, and that she stashed the cache from the robbery. Chad Latham, is not only Macy’s next-door neighbor, but he happens to be a cop. When it becomes clear someone is stalking Macy, Chad steps in, not just because he’s a detective, but because his attraction for Macy has gnawed at him for two years. He always felt she kept him at arms-length, now he knows why. His hope is to find the person who’s threatening her, and with any luck, tear down the walls she’s erected around herself.

This is another amazing story from Lynette Eason. Action grabs you from the first page and gives the reader little time to catch their breath. A stressed-out heroine, and a patient cop—a great combination. The situation Macy got herself into as a teen was a tad far-reaching, but hey, that’s why we call it fiction. It didn't detract from the overall story.

Thanks ladies for a great read. My only complaint . . . I would’ve rather the stories be full-length because the novellas read too fast.