Book Review: Wolfsbane + GIVEAWAY

Ladies and gentlemen, I now present you with my book review for my most anticipated book release of 2011.  This book is #3 in the Discarded Heroes series, by Ronie Kendig, and if you recall my review of book #2, Digitalis, you know that there was quite the expectation that this one needed to live up to.  So, let's get on with it, shall we?

Wolfsbane

by Ronie Kendig

Published July 2011

Barbour Publishing, Inc.

320 pages

ISBN: 1602607842

Fiction

From the Publisher:
Embark upon a danger-laden mission within the pages of Ronie Kendig's riveting Wolfsbane. Demolitions expert Danielle Roark thought escaping from a brutal Venezuelan general was a challenge. Now she's charged with espionage and returned to the jungle where a new nightmare begins. Will Dani survive or become just another political pawn destined to be lost forever? Former Green Beret Canyon Metcalfe is disgusted with the suits on Capitol Hill. Still wrestling with the memories of a mission gone bad, he and Nightshade launch a mission to find Dani. Can Canyon rescue Dani, armed with nothing but raw courage?

My Review:
Wow!  That seems to be what I say whenever I finish one of Ronie Kendig's books.  I'm not even sure where to begin this one...but simply put: this book ROCKED my world!  Ronie continues to amaze me with her depth of characters and plot, her heartfelt writing and her ever present message of faith.  She just keeps getting better and better.

In the previous books, Canyon is known as "the quiet and easy-going one", yet there were so many things that caught me by surprise in this book as we get to know him.  My favorite scene is when the Nightshade team has returned from their failed mission.  Canyon is in the hospital and he realizes that Dani isn’t with them.  He’s struggling to overcome his addiction, he’s riddled with guilt and he basically goes crazy.  He starts a fight with Max (never a good idea) and breaks down in tears with the weight of the world on his shoulders.  The emotion in this book was off the charts!  Ronie has a talent for making her heroes SO, SO flawed and SO real, yet in the end, they always realize that God is in control and loves them. 

Ronie possesses the unique skill of capturing the readers attention and provided a vivid background.  I adore how she can transport the reader from a family get-together in the backyard, to being stuck in a Hummer during a mudslide in Venezula, to a secluded hotel room and even to a tense court room hearing.   I really feel like I’m there and apart of the story.  Plus, probably what I loved most about this book is that her characters deal with “real” issues and make “real” mistakes.  This isn’t your typical walk-in-the-park,  boy-meets-girl/they-fall-in-love, Christian Fiction.  This book brings up suicide, sex slavery, addiction and premarital sex.  That's raising the bar, and Ronie nailed it!

After Digitalis, I didn’t think this would happen…but Wolfsbane is my new favorite of the series!  I highly recommend it.  Go out and buy this book now.  Or if you live near me, come over and I’ll let you borrow it!  January 2012 cannot get here quick enough and I can’t even being to imagine how awesome Firethorn is going to be.  Many thanks to Ronie Kendig for providing me with a signed copy of this book (I won a giveaway!  Whoop, whoop!)  Sara’s Rating: 6 out of 5 stars…yea, this one was that good too!

The GIVEAWAY:

I was extremely lucky to win the whole Discarded Heroes series by Ronie Kendig; however, I already owned copies of Nightshade and Digitalis, so....I've decided to give them away!!  I’ll be randomly selecting one lucky reader to win these two fabulous books.  Here's what you need to do!

To enter (main entry) -

Leave a comment telling me why you love Ronie Kendig's books or if you haven't read any yet, why you are looking forward to reading them. Don't forget to include your email address!

For ONE bonus entry - Head over to Twitter and tweet the following statement:

"@saraboff is giving away copies of @roniekendig's Nightshade & Digitalis and I want to win!  http://goo.gl/2Sras”

Then, leave a comment telling me you’ve done so.

For ONE more bonus entry -

Head over to Ronie's website, RonieKendig.com, and leave a comment telling me what your favorite thing about it is!  It could be anything - the blog, the font, her bio - anything.  I personally like the different page titles, but let me know what you think is cool.

Good luck!

**Contest closes for entries July 16, 2011, 11:59pm PST. Winner will be chosen using random.org on July 17 and notified via the email address left in their comment. If I do not hear back from the winner after 48 hours, another name will be drawn....cause if you snooze, you lose!

Book Review: Digitalis

Remember back in August when I said that I would be occasionally reviewing books?  Well, here is another one and I foresee more in the near future!  This book is #2 in the Discarded Heroes series, by Ronie Kendig.  If you decide to read it, I’d strongly recommend that you read the first book, Nightshade, beforehand, so that you know the background of the characters (plus, because it too was just a great book!).  Now, without further ado…

Digitalis

by Ronie Kendig

Published January 2011

Barbour Publishing, Inc.

320 pages

ISBN: 1602607834

Fiction

From the Publisher:

Former Marine sniper Colton "Cowboy" Neeley is recovering from a life of bad choices. Piper Blum, daughter of dissident Yakov Rosenblum, is in hiding--from life and the assassins gunning for her family. When she begs Colton to help extract her father from Israel, Colton petitions the group Nightshade to consider the mission. The team agrees, and soon they're deep six--straight into the Holy Land for a snatch-n-grab of Yakov. Will Colton and Piper make the treacherous trek out of hostile territory and into safety with their love--and lives--intact?

My Review:

Wow!  I fell in love with the men of Nightshade in the first book of this series and I was really looking forward to reading about the hunky cowboy's, Colton Neely, story. This book did not disappoint at all. It was everything I thought it would be and more. Action, suspense, drama, romance. I loved, loved, loved it.

In the first book, Colton seems to have everything in control, as he helps Max overcome his anger and PTSD. However, within the first few pages of this book, we learn that Cowboy has struggles of his own that he's keeping locked up inside. He's dealing with the death of his sister, raising his little daughter, being a member of Nightshade, all while having debilitating flashbacks. This book was intense. At times, I found myself a bit shocked at Cowboy's behavior towards the team and to Piper. But I loved how the Nightshade team rallied back and supported Cowboy to no end and how Piper didn't let his actions overshadow their love for each other.

Ronie Kendig has an excellent writing style and as with her other books, I found myself instantly sucked into the story. I love how when reading her books, I feel like I'm actually there either underwater in an ocean dive, in the jungle with the Nightshade team, or hiding in a vacant house in Israel. There is so much action and intensity in her books that before I know it, it is late at night and I'm over 150 pages into the book! Plus, Kendig always has a natural way of incorporating the love of God for her flawed heroes, and of us, within all her books.

I'd highly recommend this book! I cannot wait for the other books in this series and to get to know the other members of Nightshade. I was able to read this book through the wonderful website, NetGalley.com.  Sara’s Rating: 6 out of 5 stars…yea, it was that good!