Caught in the Crosshairs by Natalie Walters was tense from the jump. I really liked that the leading lady’s allegiance was called into question. That’Caught in the Crosshairs by Natalie Walters was tense from the jump. I really liked that the leading lady’s allegiance was called into question. That’s an angle I hardly ever see in Christian fiction, so it felt refreshing and kept me flipping pages. I also enjoyed the fact that the leading man was chivalrous. That is something muchly needed in today’s society, and I’m glad this book put it on display.
The scar burning situation was odd. I have a few scars, and none of them ever burned after they healed. Maybe others have more experience with this sort of thing, but it just rubbed me the wrong way. It seemed more like the leading lady’s memories were what seared her, but the pain was attributed to a scar. It just came off weird to me.
And why did the leading characters ogle each other when they were supposed to be doing their jobs? That’s always so awkward to me. As were the physical reactions that stood out enough for me to jot a note about them as I was reading.
The leading man, who was a Secret Service agent tasked with protecting the VP’s son, seemed hyper-focused on EmilThis was a difficult novella for me.
The leading man, who was a Secret Service agent tasked with protecting the VP’s son, seemed hyper-focused on Emily to the detriment of his job. He also called his coworkers “yahoos,” which was highly unprofessional. He also called Emily “baby” long before the relationship felt stable and established. The term was also way overused throughout.
Emily was sweet but quite pampered, so the way she easily accepted the camping trip seemed out of character, particularly since she said early on that there was no way she’d ever go camping. I expected her to throw a fit or complain or something, but she simply slipped into the outdoorsman role instead. She also seemed to ask the questions of the situation that Liam, the Secret Service agent, ought to have been asking. Their roles seemed quite reversed at times. And how dare she tell a teenager that he was toasting marshmallows wrong! There is no wrong way to toast marshmallows, as far as I’m aware, and it was just plain rude to degrade the kid in such a fashion.
Mason was quite spoiled and bratty at first, but his character had the best arc of the entire story. He gained so much maturity through the misadventure he went through. His growth was the highlight of the story for me.
Lynette Eason’s On the Run was exactly the story Daria and Ryker deserved. Such a sweet romance for those two lovable characters from other stories. TLynette Eason’s On the Run was exactly the story Daria and Ryker deserved. Such a sweet romance for those two lovable characters from other stories. The suspense was great, especially because both Daria and Ryker had to use their specialized skills to escape the danger that chased them. I loved the adventure and twists that peppered this story. The characters were strong and interesting, and the plot was well thought out and delivered superbly. This novella once again proved why Lynette Eason is my favorite suspense author.
This story sucked me in right away and didn’t let me go until it was over. I loved that it was focused on a sister’s love and tender care for her brotThis story sucked me in right away and didn’t let me go until it was over. I loved that it was focused on a sister’s love and tender care for her brother, who couldn’t stand up for himself when no one sought the truth of his dire situation. I loved her determination to prove him innocent of murder. Beyond that, I loved the shocker of a twist. I never saw it coming, yet the clues were there. What talent!
Content: “solicitation” mentioned, alcohol, tattoos, skimpy clothing, focus on physical features (such as cleavage), sexual innuendo and sensuality between teens...more
Amnesia is a favorite trope of mine. I loved how is involved a missing baby and a slowly returning memory this time.
SSo much to love about this book!
Amnesia is a favorite trope of mine. I loved how is involved a missing baby and a slowly returning memory this time.
Suspense is a favorite genre of mine. I loved how the stakes kept rising throughout the story. It was also great to see this genre set in late-autumn Montana. Fantastic choice!
The leading characters and their romance were fantastic. I was hooked until the very end.
The only setbacks (which were very minor) were that one, the quick rundown of fellow K-9 team members was too fast to absorb and held major spoilers for the previous books and two, that one baddie was obvious to me (but the others were complete surprises, which was great fun).
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book. These are my honest thoughts.
The premise for this one sounded like an Indiana Jones typeFTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book. These are my honest thoughts.
The premise for this one sounded like an Indiana Jones type story, which is right up my alley. A hunt among New York City’s elite’s collections of ancient Egyptian artifacts was scrumptious to my way of thinking.
The father-daughter dysfunction was well played. Their family dynamics kept me interested on the personal side of things.
A cop and an Egyptologist—what an intriguing combination! I enjoyed the sweet second-chance romance aspect of this story just as much as how the leading characters’ careers played into the unfolding of the mystery.
I’m a sucker for a good organized crime story, which was a big reason why I chose to read this book. That it visited Little Italy in New York City was definitely a bonus. The complex web of criminals and crimes was superbly written. This aspect kept me turning pages when other portions fell short.
The faith thread was weak and felt much like an afterthought to the main story.
Historical facts were significantly altered. Dr. Breasted was in Egypt rather than Chicago. The author asked in the author note for us readers to forgive her for intentionally altering a major historical fact for convenience’s sake. Maybe the book would have been better suited to the “altered history” genre, as the expectation there is that historical facts would be changed significantly.
Because of the canceling of historical facts, I won’t be continuing this series.
This was an intriguing kidnapping mystery. I especially enjoyed the creepy, Criminal Minds-esque tone surrounding the cruel, evil psychopath.
UnfortunaThis was an intriguing kidnapping mystery. I especially enjoyed the creepy, Criminal Minds-esque tone surrounding the cruel, evil psychopath.
Unfortunately, this book was packed with horrible language, always unnecessary, as well as lots of crude talk about women’s bodies. Because of those things, I will not be continuing the series.
Content: expletives (excessive), sexual perversion, profanity (excessive), tobacco, alcohol, crude talk, sexual innuendo, graphic violence ...more
This book was a complete struggle for me. The only things I liked were that the baddie had a perfect alibi and that there was much more depth to his sThis book was a complete struggle for me. The only things I liked were that the baddie had a perfect alibi and that there was much more depth to his story than first met the eye. Everything else felt contrived, bullyish, over-the-top, and too easily solved.
There was at least one factual error. This book stated that “most forest fires were the result of lightning strikes.” However, the “Wildfire Causes and Evaluation” page of the United States’ National Park Service website clearly states, “Nearly 85 percent of wildland fires are caused by humans.”
There were inconsistencies and inaccuracies throughout, including calling a sundress “formal.”
It was disappointing to see how prejudiced and jump-to-conclusions the authority figures were in this book. I certainly wouldn’t want to visit this fictional town even if I could, because the authority figures were so prejudiced against the leading lady that they failed to properly conduct their investigations, which forced her to solve her case herself.
The story was circuitous and repetitive.
Most new facts were revealed via dialogue rather than seeing the things take place. This was exhausting and probably explains why it took me half a month to read this short novel.
“Well, maybe I can just believe it for you.” Yeah… that’s not at all how faith works. Faith must be personal, according to the Holy Bible, instead of by proxy.
There were some outlandish and illogical plot twists and decisions made by the characters. One such choice was leaving a crawling-with-cops safe location. No small-town killer would attack in those circumstances, so the smartest thing, the most logical thing, would be to stay put. Yet they left.
The faith thread was nearly non-existent. Other than the abovementioned line, which wasn’t accurate to Bible-taught faith, there was a last-second plea but nothing substantial. This was also disappointing, as I like a solid faith thread in Love Inspired suspense books.
On a positive note, there weren’t any content issues that I noticed. ...more
What a ride! This book was tense and held high stakes as well as twists galore that kept me guessing until the very end. I loved the shocking climax aWhat a ride! This book was tense and held high stakes as well as twists galore that kept me guessing until the very end. I loved the shocking climax and the final scene. There was such a fantastic use of secrets in this story that it felt like an old whodunit rather than a suspense/thriller at times. I loved that! The search dog was used the perfect amount: more than once but not so much that the searches took over the plot. Great touch! The characters were well developed and had good motivations throughout. The second-chance romance was superb and had the right touch of regret and anger before shifting into reliance because of desperation, friendship, and eventually romance. Lacey and Creed were wonderful and realistic. Their problems were vivid and urgent throughout, and it was easy to root for them or fear for them, by turn, because they were such lovable folks. The dog was special and well included.
This is a book five, so I recommend reading the books in order. In the early chapters, it was hard to keep track of the various couples mentioned because I hadn’t experienced their romances yet. So coming into the series cold-turkey at book five was not a smart idea; it left me a bit lost, though Mrs. Eason did a fantastic job of giving identifying markers as to their relationships to the leads of the current story.
This book contained a cat named Crouton. How cute is that?! Definitely a highlight.
Beyond that, this story was gut-wrenching and highly emotional—justThis book contained a cat named Crouton. How cute is that?! Definitely a highlight.
Beyond that, this story was gut-wrenching and highly emotional—just my sort of story. It revolved around the disappearance of a childhood friend. Turned out, it was a cold missing persons case. It was completely fascinating, as I hadn’t seen this sort of mystery delivered in the time-slip fashion before. The way the mystery unfolded felt like a psychological thriller at times, which was definitely up my alley. I’d love a lot more stories like this one in the Christian-fiction market.
Detective Masters’s humor was charming.
One minor blip: I found it odd that it was claimed that an iPhone had to use AirPods. Maybe the newer ones are like that, but I’ve known some iPhones to be compatible with wired headphones. The newness of the phone was not established that I saw, so I was confused by this inconsistency with my reality.
I wept my way through the climax and finale. Buckets and buckets of tears, y’all. This book was so good. I’m adding it to my reread list for when I’m craving a reread of a favorite story, that’s for sure.
If it weren’t for the creepy, evil vibes surrounding psychic/medium-type experiences, I probably would have loved this story. As it was, though, the eIf it weren’t for the creepy, evil vibes surrounding psychic/medium-type experiences, I probably would have loved this story. As it was, though, the evil vibes clung hard and creeped me out the whole time I was reading this book. I’m glad to have done with it now.
It was also weird that several people in the FBI were concerned about germs on a piece of evidence and suggested the guy “toss it” into the garbage. Say what?! Germs are typically on all of their evidence. I have no clue why these people were such germaphobes in the type of work they’re in.
The kidnapping thread was superbly written. I rather enjoyed seeing how that portion unfolded. That was the thread that saved this book from being only a single-star read for me. The reunion angle helped too.
Content: replacement expletives, one profanity, a couple of expletives...more
My favorite story in this collection was Lynette Eason’s On the Run. It was exactly the story Daria and Ryker deserved. Such a sweet romance for thoseMy favorite story in this collection was Lynette Eason’s On the Run. It was exactly the story Daria and Ryker deserved. Such a sweet romance for those two lovable characters from other stories. The suspense was great, especially because both Daria and Ryker had to use their specialized skills to escape the danger that chased them. I loved the adventure and twists that peppered this story. The characters were strong and interesting, and the plot was well thought out and delivered superbly. This novella once again proved why Lynette Eason is my favorite suspense author.
Deadly Objective by Lynn H. Blackburn was my least favorite of the trio of stories in this collection. The leading man, who was a Secret Service agent tasked with protecting the VP’s son, seemed hyper-focused on Emily to the detriment of his job. He also called his coworkers “yahoos,” which was highly unprofessional. He also called Emily “baby” long before the relationship felt stable and established. The term was also way overused throughout. Emily was sweet but quite pampered, so the way she easily accepted the camping trip seemed out of character, particularly since she said early on that there was no way she’d ever go camping. I expected her to throw a fit or complain or something, but she simply slipped into the outdoorsman role instead. She also seemed to ask the questions of the situation that Liam, the Secret Service agent, ought to have been asking. Their roles seemed quite reversed at times. And how dare she tell a teenager that he was toasting marshmallows wrong! There is no wrong way to toast marshmallows, as far as I’m aware, and it was just plain rude to degrade the kid in such a fashion. Mason was quite spoiled and bratty at first, but his character had the best arc of the entire story. He gained so much maturity through the misadventure he went through. His growth was the highlight of the story for me.
Caught in the Crosshairs by Natalie Walters was tense from the jump. I really liked that the leading lady’s allegiance was called into question. That’s an angle I hardly ever see in Christian fiction, so it felt refreshing and kept me flipping pages. I also enjoyed the fact that the leading man was chivalrous. That is something muchly needed in today’s society, and I’m glad this book put it on display. The scar burning situation was odd. I have a few scars, and none of them ever burned after they healed. Maybe others have more experience with this sort of thing, but it just rubbed me the wrong way. It seemed more like the leading lady’s memories were what seared her, but the pain was attributed to a scar. It just came off weird to me. And why did the leading characters ogle each other when they were supposed to be doing their jobs? That’s always so awkward to me. As were the physical reactions that stood out enough for me to jot a note about them as I was reading.
Content: On the Run: tattoos Deadly Objective: crude nickname, crude sexual terms, replacement expletives, vaping, replacement profanity Caught in the Crosshairs: alcohol, tobacco, drugs, replacement profanity, tattoos, unwed pregnancy mentioned, marital affairs
Ratings: On the Run: 5 stars Deadly Objective: 2 stars Caught in the Crosshairs: 3 stars...more
This was a good finale to the Lavender Tides series, but I liked that it connected to the Rock Harbor series too. I usually don’t like it when series This was a good finale to the Lavender Tides series, but I liked that it connected to the Rock Harbor series too. I usually don’t like it when series interact and overlap, but this one felt like a good connection that made decent sense to me.
Featuring sex trafficking, this is not an easy read. However, it’s an important one. Sexual abuse and exploitation are all too real these days, and it’s good that authors like Colleen Coble are exposing this terrible business that makes billions of dollars per year.
The romance was mostly good, but I did not appreciate the fact that the leads purposely chose to stay in the same house overnight, though they were not married. There were plenty of other options to keep morals at the forefront, but those were not chosen. This, of course, caused the characters to be tempted, and they were driven by hormones and got more physical in this scene than any other. This book would have been rated higher than three stars if this issue had been handled differently.
I adored the geriatric nurse angle of this story. That’s something that isn’t often featured in books I read, and it made for an interesting career choice for Bailey. It provided some great plot points for the story too, so this aspect definitely played a big role within the storyline.
There was a great brother-sister angle too. I won’t say much about it, because I think it’s better discovered as the story unfolds, but I found this part of the story to be one of my favorites.
The sibling search involving Shauna, which also connects the full series, was amazing in this one, as it was in the previous books. I have greatly enjoyed her journey to find her siblings, and I found satisfaction in how this all wrapped up.
Content: bigamy, derogatory terms, tobacco, sex trafficking, marital affairs mentioned, drugs, Hindu and Buddhist cultures mentioned, mythology mentioned, leads stayed together overnight without being married, alcohol ...more
Pretty great addition to the series. The search for Shauna’s siblings continued, and I was delighted to see the turn of events. It was fun to see somePretty great addition to the series. The search for Shauna’s siblings continued, and I was delighted to see the turn of events. It was fun to see some Asian connections in this one. I particularly liked that there was a Korean character. The romance wasn’t great for me in the first third, as it was manipulative and antagonistic, but it grew on me well in the back two thirds.
A veterinarian I’ve had experience with in the past told me that it’s tricky to know which gender kittens are, that it’s not as simple as checking its underside. This book made it look super simple, by just flipping the kitten upside down, but that isn’t at all what my real-life experience and research have shown me about young kittens.
I’m eager to see the continued sibling search in book three.
This book would have easily been four stars if not for one thing: the leads platonically lived together prior to marriage, and this was heavily emphasThis book would have easily been four stars if not for one thing: the leads platonically lived together prior to marriage, and this was heavily emphasized throughout the entire book. Also, there was a child involved, so this would teach him that it’s okay to live with a girl prior to marriage. I am not okay with this message.
While some details (nearly-black hair, hair “product”) quickly became redundant, most of this story was quite enjoyable to me. I loved that it featured two pilots, one of a helicopter and the other of an airplane. I loved that there was a little boy to be concerned about. I loved that it was an action-packed thrilled with a mystery to solve. I loved that it was full of twists that I never saw coming. I loved that it had a character in default of payments for something, which was completely realistic but isn’t often featured in books I read.
Content: skimpy clothing, alcohol, alcoholism, replacement profanity, platonically living together before marriage (heavy emphasis), sexual phrase...more
The cover of this book is one of Lynette Eason’s best to date. The yellow tone is gorgeous, and I love that tree-packed landscape too.
A hostage negotiThe cover of this book is one of Lynette Eason’s best to date. The yellow tone is gorgeous, and I love that tree-packed landscape too.
A hostage negotiator was featured, and that job, when well written, is a huge magnet that draws me in. This one was spectacularly done. I especially enjoyed how many times the negotiation came up throughout the novel. It did not feel glossed over in the least; instead, it was presented in a way that made it feel like the author had personally experienced such events. That’s the sign of a great writer, if you ask me.
While this book was packed with action and suspense, there were some sweet moments that allowed me to catch my breath too. The sock-tossing scenes were entertaining, and the moments between the sisters were some of my favorite of the calmed-down scenes.
As with most, if not all, of Mrs. Eason’s previous books, this one was family oriented. The leading lady was the guardian of her little sister, which is a familial experience not typically highlighted in Christian fiction. It was handled so well here that the bar has been moved higher for those sibling-guardian books that will be written from here on out.
School shootings were featured but not in the typical way. One was in memory form, while the other was not a mass shooting event but rather more targeted. It was interesting to see this take on this type of social tragedy, because it presented very personal cases of what it can look like to see cries for help before these sorts of events happen as well as different ways in which they may be resolved.
It was fantastic to see how Dottie dealt with a bully during a crisis. I can’t really say more than that without spoiling anything, but my heart melted and tears gushed to the surface so that I had to blink fast and hard to be able to continue reading. That moment near the end of the book was a prime example of how a caring heart can make a huge difference in the lives of those around us.
The insanity one character was immersed in was so well written that it gave me chills and made me check my own mind after reading certain scenes. I loved how exquisitely this character was written, and this added a richness to the story in a different sort of way. It was perfect for this book’s plot and definitely made it one to remember.
There was one point of view that felt completely random. However, I felt like that was on purpose even as I was confused by it, because Mrs. Eason doesn’t do random. She always has a design in play, and I knew that would be the case here. I’m so glad I reserved judgment until the end, because when I figured out the connection on the page before the final chapter, my brain exploded and every moment of foreshadowing flashed through my mind. I kept thinking, “You foreshadowed it here… and there… and again here!” I loved that moment! This is a book I will read again with the intent to study how Mrs. Eason so exquisitely layered in the foreshadowing so that I didn’t see that big revelation coming. Hopefully this is something I can learn to apply in my own writing as well, because it was something I really enjoyed about this book.
I can hardly wait for the next two books in the Extreme Measures series!
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book. These are my honest thoughts.
Murder mystery with group amnesia? I was totally in for thaFTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book. These are my honest thoughts.
Murder mystery with group amnesia? I was totally in for that premise. I liked that the story brought together a group of former friends that had fallen apart after a summer none of them could fully remember.
I didn’t like the trashy nature of certain events. This was very much a Hollywood B-movie teenage drama.
It’s too bad the carnal desires of the teens were featured rather than more intelligent and emotional connections.
Content: tobacco, crude sexual terms, profanity, alcohol, replacement expletives, teen vaping, teen drinking and drunkenness, teen partying, crude “jokes,” expletives, replacement profanity, tarot phrase, crude dance move mentioned, drugs mentioned, comment about needing a cold shower, gambling mentioned, marital affairs, skimpy clothing (including swimwear), dirty magazines mentioned ...more
This book was even better than the first one in the series. Little Ava was completely precious. I liked that the author exposed one way that child traThis book was even better than the first one in the series. Little Ava was completely precious. I liked that the author exposed one way that child trafficking takes place. Such heartbreak! The battle to uncover enough evidence against dirty cops has been interesting to follow in this series. This felt realistic on many fronts, but I especially appreciated that the author emphasized that there are still good cops on the force too.
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book. These are my honest thoughts.
This book started off with the potential to become my new fFTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book. These are my honest thoughts.
This book started off with the potential to become my new favorite Eason book. The action was fast-paced and came often, which made for a great suspense formula. The characters were intriguing, which added richness to the story being told. The settings were very well used, which increased the depth of the tale. Overall, this was a fantastic series finale, capping off one of the best series Mrs. Eason has produced to date.
A few things bugged me enough to drop a star. The predictability level was pretty high for me. I figured out all but two major plot points long before the reveals. I still enjoyed said plot points, but I would have had increased enjoyment had I been shocked or surprised by more than two of them. There were a couple of plot holes that didn’t mesh well for me. Since Ava had been trained on puzzles of all sorts throughout her childhood and was described as a computer genius who was able to hack a facial recognition software program at age fifteen, it was unrealistic that it would take her and a bunch of friends a couple of weeks to finish a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. From my own experience, and I am not a genius by any stretch of the imagination, a 1,000 piece puzzle is doable in 1-2 days. I have no clue why it took Ava and company so long except that the timing had to be just so for the plot to work, which, of course, felt very contrived. As for the hacker skills, why did she give up on discovering a certain password after only two or three failed attempts? Why didn’t she put her skills to good use? She had time to do that if she had time to work on a puzzle. That whole thread did not work for me at all. Another thing that failed to impress me was that a certain somebody completely ignored the fact that he could have figured out one of his marks had children via birth, school, and military records, which wouldn’t have been difficult for him to discover since he was “meticulous” about research. It would have been super easy for him to have found out about the children, but that paper trail was completely omitted from the story.
All that being said, I definitely was riveted by this story. I kept flying through the chapters because they were written so well (other than the aforementioned holes). I especially enjoyed the scenes featuring a drone, a cane, and a yacht. The antagonist was truly creepy and evil. I was grateful he didn’t have me in his crosshairs! I liked that the torture he did was mostly off-screen and only hinted at. My imagination drew up enough images to creep me out. I certainly did not need on-screen graphic violence that would only serve to be crass and grant nightmares to the reader. The author definitely knew when and how to create the vibe without pushing past the limit.
The mirror scene reminded me of Jurassic Park. That was pretty epic.
Daria Nevsky was back! Oh, how she was highlighted! I can hardly wait for the novella Ryker and she will be getting, according to Lynette Eason’s latest newsletter. I cannot tell you how stoked I am for that. She’s one of my favorite Eason characters of all time, as is Ryker, and I am super excited that they’re pairing up.
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book. These are my honest thoughts.
Life Flight kicks off the Extreme Measures series in superbFTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book. These are my honest thoughts.
Life Flight kicks off the Extreme Measures series in superb, hang-on-to-your-hat fashion. With a plethora of twists I didn’t see coming and a creepy villain who belongs on Criminal Minds, this book kept me on the edge of my seat and flipping pages at a furious pace. One of my friends told me the shockers kept coming in this one, and having that proven true was spectacular. Sometimes Eason’s baddies are predictable to me (though I still love all the books of hers that I’ve ever read), but this one… oh man, were these baddies twisted and surprising, and, yes, the shockers kept coming until the very end.
It was really fun to have an EMS helicopter pilot who loved doing renovation work on her house as the main character. Penny Carlton was hardworking and smart as a whip, but she had moments of fear and weakness too. She was a great role model for readers, because of this complexity that made her totally realistic.
Holton Satterfield, the leading man, was a gentleman throughout, but I loved that he showed his instinct to protect the women he cared about, whether girlfriend or sister. Once again, we have a great role model. This guy displayed real masculinity that every guy ought to try to emulate. He was brave, courageous, not afraid to admit when he was wrong (though there was a battle of his will on that at first, which is natural and was well written), and chivalrous. This type of man is exactly what the world needs right now.
I wish I could talk about the twists, but that would spoil the story for other readers. Suffice to say that my jaw dropped on more than one occasion. My mind was blown on at least three of the plot twists, and that delighted me to no end. It’s yet to be known if this Extreme Measures series will surpass the Women of Justice trilogy as my favorite Eason series so far, but it has a greater chance of taking that top slot than all the series in between—and there have been quite a few great ones.
High stakes were present from page one, but they skyrocketed with each new turn of the journey. Closing the book when I had to work one of my jobs was difficult. This is the exact type of story I love reading, and I’m glad there are going to be more installments soon. Not soon enough for my taste, but I understand it takes time to write a novel. The next book, Crossfire, just rocketed to the top of my most-anticipated list.
My favorite thing about this book, as with all other Eason novels, is that the author showed how God overcomes the evil of the world. Evil may have its day, but it doesn’t win in the end; God does. That was such a beautiful thing to see unfold, and it’s true in real life too. This exquisite thread was a joy to witness.
The way that family and friends were woven in for both Penny and Holton was lovely. I enjoyed the high stakes involved with these interesting connections. I can hardly wait to see how similar things are done for Penny’s friends as well. I hope their backgrounds prove to be just as wonderful and complicated and heartbreaking as Holton’s and Penny’s were. Yet another reason I can hardly wait for the next book to arrive!