Dead Drift by Dani Pettrey

About the Book
Burning debris littering the ground . . . smoke pluming in the acrid air . . . this is just the beginning if he fails.
Seven years ago, operative Luke Gallagher vanished to become part of an elite team set on capturing a deadly terrorist. When Luke returns to face those he left behind, their help becomes his only hope of stopping his target's latest threat of an attack that would shake America to its core.
Private investigator Kate Maxwell never stopped loving or looking for Luke after he disappeared. But she also never imagined he left her or his life by choice. Now he's back, and together they must unravel a twisting thread of secrets, lies, and betrayal, all while on the brink of a biological disaster.

Will they and their love survive, or will Luke and Kate become the terrorist's next mark?

My Thoughts
Finally!! I’ve been waiting to find out what happened to Luke since the very beginning of this series and now the mystery is finally solved!
Everything came to a head in this book, the last in the series. Not only did we get the culmination of Luke’s seven year hunt for the terrorist Ebeid, but the case of Griff’s sister Jenna’s murder also was wrapped up. To be honest I was a little more invested in finding Jenna’s killer but I loved how the author worked on both cases simultaneously. I was on the edge of my seat for most of this book, just trying to figure out how everything would piece together, and hoping the team found the answers in time!
I really liked Luke. He had walked away from his entire life in the name of protecting his country. And even though he’d done some things he wasn’t proud of, his love for Kate kept him grounded and gave him something to hold onto. I also loved that he kept his faith in God, it wasn’t always the strongest but through all that he’d gone through he never turned his back.
Kate was awesome! She never gave up hope that Luke was alive somewhere, constantly searching for him. She was understandably hurt when she realized he’d left willingly, but she didn’t let the hurt close her heart off completely and slowly let herself start trusting Luke again.
If ever there were people meant to be together it was these two. They endured 7 years of separation but through everything they never faltered in their love for each other, and I was so happy to see them together again finally!
We got to see a little more of the other members of the group’s stories as well. I loved watching Griffin and Finley find justice for Jenna, and seeing Declan and Tanner’s relationship grow. Parker and Avery were in the story a bit as well and I’m not gonna lie, the one Parker scene made me choke up.

Overall this was a satisfying conclusion to an amazing series! Can’t wait to see what this author has next for us!

Meet the Author
Dani Pettrey is the bestselling author of the Chesapeake Valor series and the Alaskan Courage series and winner of the 2014 Daphne du Maurier Award for Inspirational Novel, the 2014 Christian Retailing's Best Award for Suspense, and the 2013 Holt Medallion for First Novel. She and her husband reside in the D.C. Metro area. She can be found online at www.danipettrey.com.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

Loving Grace by April Smith

About the Book
Grace Summer lands herself in a melon load of trouble when she becomes torn between the boy of her dreams and the boy almost next door. As the newly crowned Watermelon Queen, she is thrust into the spotlight, meets the dreamy Warren Hartley, and continues trying to get over an accident that rocked her world. Mix in working with Beau Baron who Grace happens to fight with just about as much as breathing and the metaphorical sparks fly.

Like most things in life, Grace must learn to take the good with the bad. While the good is the handsome and fun Warren Hartley, the bad is Beau Baron—or at least being around his annoying and rude self way more than she would like. For Beau, Grace is nothing more than aggravating and an irritating reminder from the night of the accident. Tensions soar as Grace and Beau fight to love themselves and maybe, just maybe, each other.

My Thoughts
This was a fun, quick, YA read that I enjoyed more than I anticipated.
I love watermelon quite a lot but I never knew there was such a thing as a Watermelon Queen but you learn something new everyday.
Grace was a fun heroine, she knew how to be poised and sophisticated but also wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty and have fun. The only thing that bugged me about her was the way she just fell for the first guy who showed her any attention, completely ignoring the warnings and advice from those she trusted.
The whole Baron family was great. I loved how they took care of Grace like she was their own and the teasing between the boys and Grace made me smile a lot.
Beau didn’t always handle things the best way but that’s to be expected of a teenage boy and his heart was in the right place.
The whole “Watermelon Queen” experience was definitely unique and entertaining.

Overall this was a short enjoyable read that is perfect to pick up this summer.

Meet the Author
April Smith grew up spending summers working on her best friend's family watermelon farm and she was one of those watermelon queens she writes about. She has her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and a Master s Degree in the Art of Teaching.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.