Backwoods

by Jill Sorenson

Book 4 of Aftershock

I've been enjoying Jill Sorenson's Aftershock series for the past three books, and while they aren't necessarily my favorite reads, they are exciting and attention-hooking, to the point that the books become un-put-down-able.  Sorenson always jumps right into the action, with an earthquake burying San Diego in the first book, a plane crash and a loose killer in the second, and a kidnapping of the main characters into the harsh California badlands in the third.

Backwoods felt kind of tame and mellow in comparison.  Though to be fair, we DO get a glimpse of what's to come when Abby keeps dropping news article mentions about missing young girls and a dead body or two in the area she and her daughter and company will be hiking around.

And to be totally honest, I get that you shouldn't wrap yourself in a bubble just because some bad things happen in life, but shouldn't we also be a bit more cautious if young girls keep going missing in the same area within a certain time frame.  I'm no advocate of coincidences, honestly, and so that just screams SERIAL KILLER RAPIST to me.  But then again, I've maybe read one two many crime thrillers, and grew up with a very paranoid mother who makes sure to lock the doors all the time and calls you regularly when you're out with friends just to make sure you're not lying in a ditch somewhere.

Anyway, logic aside, that was only one of the reasons I didn't find Backwoods as enjoyable as the other three Aftershock books.  To be totally honest, our entire crew of characters is just a walking TSTL team waiting to happen, and that's only because they are letting a socially and sexually unaware eighteen year old girl lead them.  I'm not saying that eighteen year old girls aren't capable of leading a group into the wilderness for a nice few days of hiking--obviously Brooke knows what she's doing and can organize a mean hiking expedition with the best of them.

But when she stopped to talk to two strangers, completely ignorant of the leering looks one of them was giving her, and then proceeded to tell said strangers where she and crew were heading... Well, girl you might as well just throw yourself into their arms and ask to be kidnapped if you're going to outline your entire trip, including bathroom breaks to people you don't know.

Once again...  A lot of young women have gone missing in this area.  If Abby weren't so paranoid, and if Nathan hadn't cut Brooke's conversation off, I'm not sure Brooke would have made it very far in her hiking endeavors.

Anyway...

The book actually starts off pretty slow with a lot of family drama that seriously feels like a dysfunctional family soap.  Nathan's wife Lydia cheated on him with Abby's husband; Abby walked in on her husband Ray going at it with Lydia.  Now their two respective kids seem to be fighting an intense case of teenage hormones for each other... and then Abby and Nathan end up getting it on.  Later on, we even find out that Ray cheated on Lydia and another divorce is in the works.

Meanwhile, our group spends their time trying to keep the peace while hiking around in the wilderness--a trip that is supposed to take at least three days with no contact with the outside world.  Meanwhile, a lot of young women have gone missing from this location... Have I already mentioned that?

And Brooke is all, "Stop being so paranoid, Mom.  Nothing is going to happen."

Famous last words.

Backwoods had a promising premise.  I just wish I could scrounge up enough care for the characters to like this book more.  The rest of the book really was pretty exciting and intense.  And as per Jill Sorenson standards, the story was fast-paced; I rolled through it pretty quickly.

The characters, mainly, were the most frustrating and I had trouble relating with them.  In fact, I don't even think I was able to like any of the characters, which, while isn't a first for me, is not exactly a very common thing.  Sometimes, there's at least one or two characters I can find some like for.  Unfortunately, Backwoods is not one of those books.

So... probably if not for the fact that the book was written well and the story was not bad, I probably would have given this book a much lower rating.  Call me biased--I DO like Jill Sorenson and her books, and the Aftershock series is an overall enjoyable one.


***

Booklikes-opoly

Roll #7:
This book takes place in California.

Page Count:  378
Cash Award:  $3.00

Updated Bank Balance:  $39.00

See Also:  Freebie Roll Activities

Island Peril

by Jill Sorenson

Aftershock #3.5 (novella)

Island Peril was a fast-paced, yet fluffy short novella.  Truth be told, there really isn't much to this particular story aside from an insta-lust romance, a lot of talk about geophysics, a random side plot with drug smugglers... and that's about it.

Ella and Paul are practically the only two people in this entire book, with Ella's sister Abby, and Abby's daughter Brooke, making a brief appearance--I understand that Abby will be front and center in the fourth Aftershock book, Backwoods.

We don't even really see the drug smugglers, though the couple gets chased by them.

The descriptions of the island were nice...

There really wasn't much story to this novella, really.  And Ella and Paul's short romance feels like a mere teaser, though I'm not sure we'll get to see much of them in Backwoods.

Overall, an okay way to pass an hour or so of time, but not a novella I'd go back to anytime, as it seemed kind of pointless, outside of introducing Abby and Brooke, as well as telling a fluffy romance.

Badlands

by Jill Sorenson

Book 3 of Aftershock

I think I enjoyed Badlands a lot more than I'd expected to (more on that later).  The entire book is so intense and fast-paced, and it is entirely possible that it is my favorite of the Aftershock books so far... though Freefall was also one I loved, so I really can't decide.

And the characters were so great!  I especially love the fact that we're building onto Owen's character from previous books, as well as the relationship between Penny and Owen from a known history between them.


The Story:
After the events of the San Diego earthquake (Aftershock), Owen Jackson and Penny Sandoval still remain friends, their relationship growing stronger and their feelings deeper as the years go by.  But Owen holds himself back, feeling the differences of their social standings.  In order to get his life moving forward, he agrees to take a position on Jorge Sandoval's personal security team with the condition that he distance himself from Penny.  In return, the politician has offered him a letter of recommendation to help further his career, helping him find a spot with the Los Angeles Fire Department.

But everything changes when Penny is targeted by kidnappers who want to ransom her for money as well as force her father to drop out of the running as a presidential candidate.  In the chaos, however, the kidnappers end up grabbing Penny's young son, Cruz, as well as Owen.  They take the three hostages into the California badlands as part of their ransom plans, but what they hadn't counted on was Penny's escape as well as Owen's determination to keep Penny and Cruz safe.

Whether held captive, or trekking through the unforgiving heat of the desert, Owen vows to guard Penny and her son with his life; even if the person he's fighting against is his own brother.


My Thoughts:
I wasn't sure if I was going to like Badlands since I had a hard time relating to Penny in the first Aftershock book.  She had come off as spoiled, entitled, and prejudiced.  But I suppose that with the San Diego earthquake being years behind us, and Penny being allowed time to grow up, she has come out of the entire ordeal a much more mature person.

Raising a son and gaining acceptance from her super conservative father for getting pregnant out of wedlock has added to Penny's character growth since we last saw her two books prior.  Also, according to the vaguely mentioned timeline, a few years have passed since the San Diego earthquake that brought Penny and Owen into each others' lives.

To be honest, I really love the person Penny is in this book, and I really love how she loves and accepts Owen with all her heart.  Owen has certainly been through a lot of tough times, from a rough childhood with an abusive father and elder brother, to a hardening new outlook in life when he ended up in prison.  I love that Owen doesn't give himself any excuses for the decisions he made before he ended up in prison, and he also doesn't give himself any excuses for the decisions he made while in prison.

He's accepted that that has been his life up to that point, and is making steps to turn his life around and make everything work out somehow.  His ambitions are admirable, and his humble personality is kind of sweet as well.

Both characters are great together; both developing as the story progresses into even better people.

Because despite the fact that I love the person Penny is in the beginning of the book, I love that she recognizes and admits how readily she allowed her father to control her life simply because he not only didn't toss her and her son out, but also gave them everything they needed to live a comfortable life.  I love that she also doesn't give herself any excuses when it was time to stand up to her father.

Setting character dynamics aside--and there are a lot of character dynamics in this book--I very much enjoyed the entire suspenseful progression, following Owen, Penny, and Cruz as they make their way through the Badlands.  This story just keeps moving forward without a chance to stop for breath, and when all is said and done, we just kind of drift to an end in a well-outlined way.

If there is one thing I would point out, it would be the logic hole in the kidnappers hauling Owen along for the ride in the scheme.  Though I suppose, in a way, Owen's brother had been expecting him to turn around and help them with the kidnapping and ransom?  I suppose I would have been a little less forgiving if that reason hadn't been presented, since it seems highly foolish to kidnap the targeted rich girl and her bodyguard as well.

Anyway...

I loved this book, nonetheless, and I'm glad that I finally had a chance to get to it.  And in spite of how much I really disliked some of the characters, it occurs to me that they didn't take away from my enjoyment of Badlands, and in fact, kind of enhanced my satisfaction.

Jill Sorenson writes in a way that is real and down-to-earth, gritty and intense, and just keeps you hooked from the beginning until the end, with characters that are not the usual, larger-than-life romance novel types.

Scenes of Peril
by Jill Sorenson

Aftershock #2.5 (novella)

**Also part of the Passion and Peril anthology

I only read the novella, Scenes of Peril by Jill Sorenson from this anthology, which also includes a novella by Suzanne Brockmann.  I may or may not return and read Scenes of Passion at some point, once I figure out whether the novella is part of a series or not.

Anyway...

I was looking forward to Scenes of Peril, both because I like Jill Sorenson's work, and also because I love the "Snowed In" plot device.  They're always so much fun depending on the circumstances--for added romantic tension, for a murder mystery, etc....

Scenes of Peril was a fast-paced and exciting book, and I've always appreciated Sorenson's attention to detail to the grittier, more down-to-earth aspects of her books.  And while Scenes of Peril was enjoyable in its own right, I felt like a lot of the book felt a little forced.  Overlooking the insta-love situation, since this is a romance novella, first and foremost, I also found the activities between Colin and Paige during their, what seemed like one single day of entrapment by snow in her cabin kind of awkward.  The whole photo shoot as a means to display sexual objectifying of a human being was an interesting thought... but it actually felt kind of tacky in its execution.

And the conflict felt like it involved a lot more angst than it really merited.  The reason for their argument at the end felt a bit overdone.  And I don't know how I feel about the ending suspenseful twist.

Nonetheless, for anyone looking for a quick, easy, and entertaining novella to pass a couple hours, Scenes of Peril isn't a bad choice.  I will admit that I was hoping for more of a "Snowed In" experience than just a day of bad weather...

Off the Rails - Jill Sorenson

Off the Rails is the second book in the Border Patrol Series by Jill Sorenson, and in my opinion you really should read the first book Caught in the Act that way you have the backstory of how Ian and Maria met and what happened while they were together before the beginning of this book....which I unfortunately hadn't. That being said I was able to follow along without a problem but I think having the back story would have given me more as far as the characters relationship and the chemistry between them.

Most of this book took place while riding on "La Bestia" which is a freight train that travels along the coast of Mexico from its southernmost border with Guatemala north to the United States boarder. It was risky and things don't go as easy as either one had hoped it would.

 

I liked the chemistry between Maria and Ian and again I think I would have felt more connected to them if I had read the first book, that being said I do plan on going back and reading Caught in the Act at some point in the not to distant future.

 

 

***I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book that I requested from Random House Publishing Group - Loveswept through Netgalley*** https://www.netgalley.com/