TITLE:  Life Flight (Extreme Measures #1)
AUTHOR:  Lynette Eason
DATE: 2022
PUBLISHER: Revell
STARS: *****

From the back cover:
EMS helicopter pilot Penny Carlton is used to high stress situations, but being forced to land on a mountain in a raging storm with a critical patient--and a serial killer on the loose--tests her skills and her nerve to the limit. She survives with FBI Special Agent Holt Satterfield's help. But she's not out of the woods yet.

In the ensuing days, Penny finds herself under attack. And when news reaches Holt that he may not have gotten his man after all, it will take all he and Penny have to catch a killer--before he catches one of them.

My review:
Talk about an attention-grabbing opening line: Today was not going to be the day they died – not if she had anything to say about it. If that didn’t grab you, you must be some kind of stoic. It got my attention and raised my heart rate, and I was hooked.

Penny makes a fantastic heroine with her courage, determination, humor and carefully hidden secrets. Holt is her perfect foil and also has a secret he’s afraid to share. Brave enough to confront a serial killer, his fear of rejection makes him relatable. Holt and Penny’s relationship plays a major role in this story, and their often witty banter in the midst of high tension makes Life Flight an extra special read.

Faith is not preached but is shown in their interactions, and the strong moral code of both teams makes me want to read more of what I assume will be a series.
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Tension continues to ramp up through this story, culminating in a heart-pounding climax and satisfying ending. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Life Flight and award it five stars. I was given a copy of the book by the publisher. 

After last year’s confusion and aimlessness concerning writing and life in general, I needed a focus word for 2022. My request was less an ordered prayer and more a continuous, “Please show me, Lord.”
​
At last I heard – not verbally, but clearly – the word Engage.

Really? “What do you mean, Lord?”

I didn’t hear an answer, just an impression that I should think about it. When I searched online for a definition, a few meanings popped out at me (from MerriamWebster.com):

to offer (something, such as one's life or word) as backing to a cause or aim: to expose to risk for the attainment or support of some end
to interlock with: MESH
to deal with especially at length
to pledge oneself: PROMISE
to enter into conflict or battle

Okay, the last one makes me uncomfortable, but we’ll talk about it in a bit. The picture I got from these definitions is a connection, but more than a simple touch. To connect is like a wave or fist bump, while to engage is like a hug. Closer, longer, with greater intent.

I’d gotten into the habit of scrolling through Facebook, the only social media I use, and simply hitting Like, Love, or Wow icons in response to posts. That’s a fist bump or maybe even a long-distance wave.

God opened my eyes to realize how much it means to me when I post something and get comments, whether positive or negative, showing that someone actually read and reacted to things I considered important enough to share. “Do unto others” fits here, and I’m trying.

Engagement often means a pledge, as in the third meaning – and hopefully not the fourth! But it does fit with the first, also, as one offers his life for the one he loves. Sound familiar? Jesus Christ showed us what engagement means at its core: sacrificial love.

Sometimes, however, we are called to fight. When evil wants to rule us, we must engage in battle, not in our own power but by the Spirit of God.

That brings me to my final thought-offering. As I meditated on Engage, I heard an echo of my long-ago driving lessons: “Don’t forget to engage the parking brake.” Yes, there are times when we need to hit full stop. We lived in a hillside town when I was learning to drive, and the parking brake was needed to prevent the car from sliding down the hill.

In the same way, pride, temptations and fears want us to slide down the steep slope to doubts and despair. Then it’s time to engage the parking brake.

In this first month of 2022, the year ahead beckons. I have no idea what God has planned, but as I seek to engage according to His leading, it’s bound to be an adventure!

This statement is trustworthy; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and beneficial for people. (Titus 3:8, NASB)

Be quick to abstain from senseless traditions and legends, but instead be engaged in the training of truth that brings righteousness. (1 Timothy 4:7, TPT)
(READY, SET…ENGAGE!
After last year’s confusion and aimlessness concerning writing and life, I needed a focus word for 2022. My request was less a prayer and more a continuous, “Please show me, Lord.”
This went on for several weeks, until last week I heard – not verbally, but clearly – the word Engage.
Really? “What do you mean, Lord?”
I didn’t hear an answer, just an impression that I should think about it. When I searched online for a definition, a few meanings popped out at me (from MerriamWebster.com):
to offer (something, such as one's life or word) as backing to a cause or aim: to expose to risk for the attainment or support of some end
to interlock with: MESH
to deal with especially at length
to pledge oneself: PROMISE
to enter into conflict or battle
Okay, the last one makes me uncomfortable, but we’ll talk about it in a bit. The picture I got from these definitions is a connection, but more than a simple touch. To connect is like a wave or fist bump, while to engage is like a hug. Closer, longer, with greater intent.
I’d gotten into the habit of scrolling through Facebook, the only social media I use, and simply hitting Like, Love, or Wow icons in response to posts. That’s a fist bump or maybe even a long-distance wave.
God opened my eyes to realize how much it means to me when I post something and get comments, whether positive or negative, showing that someone actually read and reacted to things I considered important enough to share. “Do unto others” fits here, and I’m trying.
Engagement often means a pledge, as in the third meaning – and hopefully not the fourth! But it does fit with the first, also, as one offers his life for the one he loves. Sound familiar? Jesus Christ showed us what engagement means at its core: sacrificial love.
Sometimes, however, we are called to fight. When evil w
 
 
 
 
 
 

TITLE:  Sunrise (Sky King Ranch Book 1
AUTHOR:  Susan May Warren
DATE: 2022
PUBLISHER: Revell
STARS: ***1/2

From the back cover:
Pilot Dodge Kingston has always been the heir to Sky King Ranch. But after a terrible family fight, he left to become a pararescue jumper. A decade later, he's headed home to the destiny that awaits him.

That's not all that's waiting for Dodge. His childhood best friend and former flame, Echo Yazzie, is a true Alaskan--a homesteader, dogsledder, and research guide for the DNR. Most of all, she's living a life Dodge knows could get her killed. One of these days she's going to get lost in the woods again, and his worst fear is that he won't be there to find her.

When one of Echo's fellow researchers goes missing, Echo sets out to find her, despite a blizzard, a rogue grizzly haunting the woods, and the biting cold. Plus, there's more than just the regular dangers of the Alaskan forests stalking her . . .

Will Dodge be able to find her in time? And if he does, is there still room for him in her heart?
 
My review:
Sunrise is a book I’d looked forward to reading. Alaska has always intrigued me, and romantic suspense novels draw me in. And for the most part, I did enjoy this story. After struggling to get into the scenes, the pace picked up, the plot thickened, and I was hooked.

The abundant angst shown by Dodge and Echo as they tip-toed around their past relationship became irritating to me after a while. The unanswered questions did intrigue me, especially when a new point of view was introduced more than halfway through the book.

Action abounded, fast and dangerous, as befits a suspense novel. As the end neared, I looked forward to the reward expected from investing several hours: a satisfying ending that answered any unanswered questions. But no. Not one but two cliff-hangers closed the book, and I felt cheated (and more than a little miffed).
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That tactic damages my trust in the author, so instead of the four stars I’d intended to give Sunrise, I can only award it three and a half. I was given a copy of this book by the publisher. All opinions are mine alone.