Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

Looking for a quick and thrilling read this summer? Give Still Missing by Chevy Stevens a try.

Annie O'Sullivan has a fulfilling life - she is a successful real estate agent, has wonderful friends and adores her boyfriend. She owns a beautiful Victorian home on Vancouver Island which she shares with her loyal dog. Life as she knows it is changed forever when she is abducted from a real estate open house that she is hosting. When she comes to, she discovers she is being held in a tiny cabin that is completely closed off from the rest of the world. Her captor, whom she refers to as, "The Freak," is creepily in control, from the clothes she wears to when she uses the bathroom. His expectations of Annie as his submissive "wife" are quietly terrifying and cringe-inducing. Annie is a fighter, however, and soon learns to read The Freak in an effort to not only stay alive, but also try and get an edge on him.

The book opens with Annie's first meeting with her therapist after the abduction, so right away it is clear that she has survived her ordeal. Told through a series of conversations with her therapist, her story draws the reader in, as she shares her shocking and heartbreaking experiences with The Freak. As she struggles to rebuild her life post-trauma, she also deals with some additional loose ends of her case that result in a stunning conclusion, yet hopeful conclusion. I highly recommend this book!

Rereading Old Favorites

Have you ever had the experience of reading a book, absolutely loving it, then returning later to read it again, and wonder what you were thinking the first time around? Happily, I did not have that experience with the book, Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen.

One of the selections for this month's Bookies Book Club, Water for Elephants is a romantic story full of intrigue, danger, and circus characters...and who can resist a circus? Told in the form of flashbacks, 90 year old Jacob Jankowski, now a resident of an assisted living facility, recalls his unlikely stint as a vet for a traveling circus during the summer of 1931.

Reeling following the unexpected deaths of his family, Jacob is unable to complete his final exams to obtain his ivy league veterinarian degree and decides to hop a train to escape the nightmare his life had become. As luck would have it, the train he just happened to catch was the Benzini Bros. circus train, and they were thrilled to have a young almost-vet willing to join their crew. Jacob is quickly indoctrinated into the circus, and is soon liked and trusted by both the performers and the working men - no easy feat. When he meets the beautiful Marlena, who just happens to be married to his sometimes charming, sometimes scary boss, he is lost. Rosie the elephant eventually joins the menagerie and Jacob falls for her as well. When the circus owner's unethical practices come back to haunt him, Jacob's life suddenly turns in a whole new direction.

This book is an engrossing and beautifully told story. Gruen has done her research and captures the feel of the traveling circus marvelously. The characters, including Rosie the elephant are multi-dimensional and real. My absolute favorite thing about this book, however is the ending - without including any spoilers, let's just say that I am a sucker for a happy ending, no matter how twisted that might be. A wonderful read that is also being made into a movie of the same title, starring Robert Pattinson as Jacob and Reese Witherspoon as Marlena. It's hard to imagine the movie living up to the book, but I am willing to give it a shot!

Fancy Pants by Cathy Marie Hake

Set in the 1890's, this story features Lady Sydney Hathwell, who travels from England to America to meet a potential groom. Lady Sydney quickly decides they are not suited to each other. Mr. Hume doesn't care though so Lady Sydney decides to go and meet her American Uncle. The only problem is that when she contacts him, Uncle Fuller mistakenly thinks Sydney is a nephew.

What's a girl with no other options to do? Put on a pair of britches and travel out west to her Uncle's ranch. Some people see right through her masquerade. Some don't which leads to some great adventures, seeing life through the eyes of an almost "man", since Sydney is not quite 18.

This Christian fiction mixes just the right amount of humor, romance and adventure to satisfy a wide variety of readers.

All Over the Map by Laura Fraser

Wow, I can see by the topic of books I've been reading that I am due for a vacation! My latest is titled, All Over the Map, written by Laura Fraser. She authored an earlier book called, An Italian Affair, which I would recommend reading prior to this one, but it's certainly not mandatory. In the earlier book, Fraser details her post-divorce relationship with a Paris professor, providing the reader a window into her broken heart and slowly-healing self image. It is a lovely little book.

Her latest autobiographical tale begins as she awaits the professor's company in Mexico on yet another romantic travel adventure. When he arrives, he shares some news with her that will end their relationship as she knows it. She leaves Mexico with renewed determination to find love, companionship and security. She undertakes this new mission the only way she knows how - by succumbing to her desire to travel, explore new places and meet new people.

It is on one of these adventures that she unexpectedly becomes a victim - something that shatters her confidence and steals the magic of travel from her. Will she ever be able to recover her love of travel and the nerve to wander on her own? Will she find the love and/or home she is searching for? Fraser is a gifted writer with a wonderful sense of humor. This book is great for any one who seeks love, adventure, and dreams of far off places. Think Eat, Pray, Love but way less self-absorption. Also check out Fraser's website at: http://www.laurafraser.com/

The Kindness of Strangers

For those of you armchair travelers out there, this is a lovely little book of vignettes, each by a different writer, detailing their widespread and varied travel stories. The vast majority of them are tales of, well, the kindness of strangers.

One of my favorite aspects of traveling to new places is the shared human experiences that occur. It is easy to recognize differences with other cultures; however put me in that culture, and, every time, I am reminded that we have more in common than I could ever imagine. This book is a celebration of interactions, of generosity, and of love. It is especially inspiring to read at a time when more and more polarizing events seem to be taking place in our current affairs. For anyone who dreams of connecting with others and visiting distant lands, this book is a quick but satisfying read.

Play Dead by Ryan Brown

Texas high school football meets zombies in this fun and fast-paced debut from Ryan Brown (son of best-selling author Sandra.)

Cole Logan is not your typical high school quarterback - with a reputation as a bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks, he is known to test the limits of his coach. When he is brutally attacked by members of the rival team the morning of the big game, he fights for the right to still play. When the coach refuses, Cole walks out on his team. When a stunt perpetrated by the rivals goes horribly wrong, the entire team and coaching staff perishes, except for the head coach. Cole, who witnessed the accident and attempted to rescue his teammates, feels responsible and, along with the coach's pretty and smart daughter, seeks revenge.

While neither zombies nor football are something I would normally seek to read about, I really enjoyed this book. The dialogue is snappy, the plot is outrageous, the bad guys are just so, so bad, there is a romantic sideline, and the whole book is just funny. For those looking for a quick, light and fun read for the summer and who are not bothered by the undead, sexual situations or crude language, this just might fit the bill.

Bulletproof Mascara by Bethany Maines

In Maines' debut novel, she dreams of a marvelous world where cosmetics giant Carrie Mae not only employs women to sell makeup, but also operates a top-secret arm that works undercover to empower and fight for women's rights around the world. Not only do they hand pick women for this duty, they also outfit them with the most fabulous accessories: poisonous breath spray; blush brush knives; and, tracking device earrings, to name a few.

Nikki Lanier, educated as a linguist but struggling to find gainful employment, falls into the Carrie Mae company at the prodding of her overly-involved mother, and is quickly recruited by one of the upper management of the top-secret portion of the company. Lacking a better option, she undergoes rigorous training in preparation for her first mission - locating and rescuing a missing activist in Thailand. Teamed with an older and much more experienced partner, Nikki is thrown into the world of human trafficking and soon is not sure who she can trust. While the ending of the book is a bit clunky between characters, gadgets and plot, overall this is an entertaining twist on the chick lit genre.