Over the Edge, by Brandilyn Collins

In Brandilyn Collin's newest suspense book, Over the Edge: A Novel she gives the reader a very close look at Lyme Disease.  Collins has personal experience with the dreaded, and often misunderstood, disease.  She uses her own experience and the huge medical debates concerning treatments and diagnosis to write a great book.

Dr. Brock McNeil, a leading researcher and professor for Lyme, has always insisted that Chronic Lyme Disease does not exist.  One man wants to change his mind by making Dr. McNeil's wife, Janessa, suffer through Lyme.  He enters their home during the night and places an infected tick upon Janessa.  Since she doesn't know she needs treatment, by time she has symptoms, they are intense.  She cannot care for her daughter or herself.

Yet, the man who infected Janessa demands that she convince her husband that Chronic Lyme is real.  The only problem is that his ego is too big...and he has too much at stake within his career.  He thinks Janessa has made up all of her symptoms to save their marriage.

The information Brandilyn Collins included about Lyme, including how few actually get the bull's eye rash, was amazing.  (Think about it...without that rash, many infected Lyme patients go too long without diagnosis, and then need intensive therapy...and without it become a Chronic Lyme patient.)  She really packed a lot of information into this suspense book.

Over the Edge had my attention, though I did "figure it out" very early on.  Despite being able to guess the villain, there was still plenty of unanswered questions and good suspense to keep my attention.  I was excited to complete the book.  If you know of anyone who has Lyme Disease, I would definitely recommend reading this book to better understand all the problems someone with Lyme may face, but I enjoyed it without having any Lyme patient in mind though I just learned my cousin's young son was just diagnosed.

Thank you, B&H Publishing for sending me Over the Edge for review purposes.

No Safe Haven, by K & K Woodhouse

This past weekend I finished reading No Safe Haven by Kimberley and Kayla R. Woodhouse.  I really loved this book, though I must say the first few pages I wondered if I would get into it.  At page 35 I reminded myself that I needed to give it 50 pages (my self-imposed rule), especially since I had seen several great reviews for this book.

Widow Jenna and daughter Andie's small airplane is sabotaged, and it goes down on a mountain in Alaska.  Their one passenger, Cole, says he is trying to save them, but they just are not sure if he is trustworthy.  Jenna's leg is seriously injured and develops infection, which at their altitude is even more dangerous.  Andie has a very rare, but very life-threatening condition that does not allow her body to regulate its own temperature-when you are braving the elements in Alaska, it's even more dangerous.

The suspense builds in No Safe Haven as the reader understands the dire need of the situation.  The fact that no one will be finding them except the people looking for them-to kill them- and they don't even know it.

Kimberley and Kayla R. Woodhouse, a mother-daughter team, used Kayla's own nerve disorder that prevents her from regulating body temperature and sensing pain to make this book very real and the suspense very real.  I really enjoyed this book.  The only thing that was predictable was the bit of romance that developed.

I found the twelve year old, Andie's faith to be incredibly bold-yet realistic.  This book has a clear message of God's love for the worst of us while providing a very good suspense novel!

Thank you, B&H Publishing for providing me with a copy for review purposes!

When Did We Lose Harriet? (Review)

 When Did We Lose Harriet? is a book whose title intrigued me from the beginning.  I was excited to choose this book for a fun review.  Suspense is great fun for me, and I do like cozy mysteries.

A teenager named Harriet has been missing for weeks, but no one seems to care.  Though she lives with her aunt and uncle, they have not even reported her missing.  The teens and staff at the teen center where she hangs out seem to be thankful she is gone.

When MacLaren (also known as Mac, Clara, and mistakenly called Laura by some who don't listen) visits Montgomery, Alabama, she finds something that needs to be returned to Harriet.  This begins her long and thorough search for Harriet.

No one misses Harriet.  No one seems to really care that she is missing.  It's sad really, but author Patricia Sprinkle fabricates a realistic tale of why this lonely girl is not missed.  Repeatedly while reading, I was just so moved and saddened at how realistic this story of an unloved girl who went missing.

One thing I really liked about the book was the cross-racial relationship that developed between MacLaren and Josheba.  They became very close...and yet neither had had a black/white good friend before-just acquaintances.    I thought their relationship was written about with tact and honesty.

I wish I could only say good things about this book, but the n-word was used.  Just once, but still.  Other than that, When Did We Lose Harriet? was a fabulous book, and if you like a bit of mystery, I highly recommend it!  I can't wait to read more of Patricia Sprinkle and MacLaren Yearbough Mysteries.

Thank you, Zondervan, for providing the book for review purposes.