Book Blurb:
Moving across the country isn’t Hunter’s ideal start to her Junior year of high school. She has no friends to hang out with, no beaches to lounge on, and she’s living just a few miles from the secluded hiking trail where her father died when she was a baby.
Living in Wyoming isn’t all bad, though, thanks to Logan, the handsome veterinary assistant at the animal clinic where she lands an after school job. And he seems just as interested in her as she is in him.
As Hunter begins to settle into her new home, she learns more about the circumstances surrounding her father’s tragic death, and it may not have been the accident everyone believes. The truth lies in the woods bordering her grandfather's ranch, and Hunter might be the next victim.
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Read on for a snippet from the book:
----The ride back from town to the ranch seemed longer than usual, and Grandpa’s truck puttered along slower and slower. Though, this was my first time driving home from the school, so maybe that had something to do with it. I was about halfway home when smoke, or maybe steam, twisted up from under the hood, whirling by outside my open window as I drove through it. Yeah, that was just what I needed. I had barely enough time to pull over to the side of the road before the old truck died completely.
I hopped out and moved to pop the hood. Heat seared my hand the second my skin touched the metal. I drew my hand back with a hiss and shook it, trying to shake away the pain. I returned to the cab for my phone and was just about to dial when a black SUV pulled up and parked behind the truck. I stepped back, wary. My concern was made all the stronger by the fact that I couldn’t see through the vehicle’s thick tinting.
It felt like a hundred years passed before the driver’s door opened. A second later, astrikingly tall, blond man stepped out and turned my way. It was Chris, the guy who’d come into Hank’s my first day. Creepy Chris.
“Need some help young lady?”
“I’m okay, I have help on the way.” Or I would, as soon as I called someone.
“Are you sure? I don’t mind giving you a ride to your Grandfather’s ranch.”
Something about this guy really made me uncomfortable. How did he know where Ilived? I wasn’t about to get in that car with him. “No thanks, really.” Chris looked like he wanted to say something else, maybe try again to convince me to go with him, but a small white pickup stopped on the shoulder behind his SUV.
Logan practically leapt from the truck. “Hunter! What happened? Are you okay?”
I took full advantage of his arrival. “My help just arrived.”
Chris gave a short nod as he turned and got back into his vehicle. He was back on theroad and driving away before Logan reached my side.
I turned my attention to Logan. “Boy, am I glad to see you. Thanks for stopping. Something’s wrong with Grandpa’s truck.”
He lifted the hood and bent to look under it. “Looks like a broken hose. And, it looks like I got here just in time. That guy is not someone you really want to get too friendly with.”
“Yeah, he creeps me out. He came in to Happy Hank’s a couple of days ago. Aliciacalled him Chris and was all happy to see him. She didn’t introduce us, but he knows who I am. Or where I live anyway...”
The thought sent a shiver down my spine.
Logan stopped fiddling under the hood. “Well, we’ll have to leave the truck here until I can get a new hose. C’mon, I’ll give you a lift home and come back for the truck.”
I followed Logan to his pickup and climbed in. “I’m sure glad you happened by when you did. I really didn’t want to be at the mercy of that man. There’s something abouthim that I don’t trust.”
“So, who is this Chris guy anyway? Why is it a good idea to stay away from him?”
Logan spent a moment in concentration, like he couldn’t quite find the words to answer me. Then he sighed and faced me. “I just don’t like him. He’s kinda strange. He has a large ranch or commune or whatever you want to call it on the other side of your grandfather’s. They keep to themselves for the most part. You never really see many of the people from out there around town. Every now and then Chris will come in for supplies, or a couple of the guys will show up looking for odd jobs to do or help out at the mercantile.”
A couple of minutes later, we turned down the drive to Grandpa’s. Logan parked out front and, as I unbuckled my seatbelt, he turned to face me. “Want to take a trip over to the reservation with me this weekend?”
What did that have to do with Creepy Chris? It seemed Logan was done talking about Chris. But I did like the idea of spending more time with him. “Sure,” I answered, hoping my voice sounded casual.
He shot a broad grin my way. “Great, how about Sunday? I am usually at church until about noon. How about I pick you up around one? I’ll have you home before dinner.”
“Sounds great.” I opened my door and climbed down from the truck.
“Cool, I’ll get your truck all fixed up and drop it off in a little bit.
“Thanks!” I smiled and shut the door. I lifted my hand in a small wave as Logan drove back down the driveway. ----
My Review:
3 Out Of 5 Stars
Genre: Survival, Mystery--
Hunter and her mother move to Wyoming to her Grandfather's ranch after her mother loses her job. Hunter is not excited about the change but has no choice really. When she sees a help wanted sign in the window of the Veterinarian office, she is excited at the chance to work with animals. There is also the attractive boy Logan that she keeps running into as well as a few new friends from school that help make the transition easier for Hunter. Unfortunately, it seems like Hunter is having her fair share of bad luck and accidents, which feels like it may be on purpose.
I am like the government in the respect that I like church and state (aka the books I read) to be separate from each other. I personally always try to avoid reading a fiction novel with religious themes or undertones for a lot of reasons that I won't get into. Well, color me shocked when I started reading this book to discover that it is not a teen paranormal story, but instead a book about good people doing the right things with God on their side will facing off against a corrupt man and his cult. Err, yeah. The only paranormal present was The Holy Ghost, if you get my drift. That being said, the book was not bad in any way and was well written with consistent characters, but it was in no way for me nor would I have read it if I had known how strongly religious it was. I think the perfect audience for the book would be young teen girls or older teens who like religious fiction.
The book also had hints of Native American culture which I absolutely love. There were symbols, visions and dreams and I ate them up, but they were just a teaser because none of the concepts were fully developed. I thought Gus had the potential to be a big character and maybe fight some evil of his own, but his role was under played in the story.
The book wrapped up the plot and even had an epilogue so I am very certain that it is a stand-alone title which is nice in a world of trilogies. There were a few things that I personally could have used more information on, but the book had enough to go on. Overall this was a very sweet book (if a tad unrealistic-especially the treatment at the hands of the cult) with a simple romance (no angst here) that I could see a younger audience really enjoying.
I received this title through YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.
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Author Bio:
Renee Donne is a native Floridian with a penchant for writing books with a western theme. In her head, she's a world traveler and an amateur chef. In real life, she's a hometown girl with an affinity for fine wine and good friends. Her favorite place to write is sitting on her veranda, overlooking the beach.
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