Friday, February 27, 2015

Sabotaged by Dani Pettrey - Book Review

Sabotaged Cover

My copy of Sabotaged by Dani Pettrey arrived a couple of weeks ago and I intentionally put away in a cabinet.

Why?

Because I knew once I started reading it, I’d probably read it in one sitting. 

If the tiny tyrants who live here hadn’t wanted supper at a reasonable hour, I would have done just that. As it was, I knocked it out in one very enjoyable afternoon/evening of reading.

Sabotaged is the fifth and final (sob!) installment in the Alaskan Courage series which follows the adventures and romances of the McKenna siblings. I’ve been looking forward to this story since I read the first book in the series, Submerged

Why?

Because in Submerged, Reef McKenna is still the wandering, black sheep of the family, and I so wanted to see what would happen when he finally came home. 

The books in the Alaskan Courage series can be read as stand-alone novels, but I don’t recommend it. Especially for Sabotaged. We’ve learned a lot about Reef McKenna throughout the previous books, and when Sabotaged opens, he is not the man he was in Submerged. His character arc takes place over the course of the entire series, so if you just read Sabotaged, it might seem a little flat. 

Another reason for reading the previous books in the series first is that Reef’s relationship with Kirra Jacobs really begins in book four, Silenced, and if you haven’t read that, the romance in Sabotaged could seem to be a bit rushed. Not that it bothered me. :-) I liked it just fine. 

Dani Pettrey
As Sabotaged opens, Reef and Kirra have been teamed up on the search-and-rescue team supporting the Iditarod. But when Kirra’s uncle disappears, they quickly find themselves racing to save Kirra’s cousin, Meg, in time to prevent a massive disaster to the Alaskan environment and economy. 

Here’s why I liked Sabotaged:
  • The story is fast paced with several story lines that are interesting, but wind up being dead ends for the characters. I could feel the frustration as the characters realized they’d been wasting time chasing down the wrong leads. 
  • Kirra’s story is one that will resonate with far too many women, and I applaud Dani Pettrey for tackling a subject that is often swept under the rug. 
  • I loved the behind the scenes glimpses into the Iditarod—a race that has always fascinated me. 
  • I also loved the way all the McKenna’s are involved in the search for Meg. It was so fun to see some of my favorite characters in action again.
  • The Epilogue wrapped up the series with a nice glimpse into all five of the McKenna’s families. 


There wasn’t really anything that I didn’t like. 

As I mentioned before, the speed of the romance and the character arc might have bothered me if I’d read this as a stand alone, but in the context of the series, they made perfect sense. 

Sabotaged is a great read for anyone who enjoys Inspirational Romantic Suspense. The Alaskan setting and the McKenna family dynamics help the Alaskan Courage series stand out from other books in the genre. 
Highly recommended!


2 comments:

Amanda Dykes said...

Lynn, what a fantastic review! I can so relate to needing to lock a book away until that delicious chunk of uninterrupted reading time comes. Thank you for sharing your wonderful thoughts on Sabotaged! ~Amanda

Dani Pettrey said...

Lynn,

Thank you so much for reading Sabotaged and taking the time to write such a thoughtful and thought-provoking review. Appreciate you :)
Best,
Dani