terrorism | Susan Baganz

Mom has been busy getting the garden in and wouldn’t log me on so I could post a review of her very own book! As a dog it’s hard for me to type in the password to her laptop.

Mom told me that her author friend, Loree Lough had posted this photo (on the right here) on Facebook and stated that it looked like the cover of a romance novel. Mom thought Loree should write it but then opted to make the attempt herself.

Whitney’s Vow is the end result. A romantic suspense which is a newer genre for mom although most of her Gothic Regencies have those elements as well as some of her contemporary romances. Her publisher gave it a different cover which I think looks great.

Let me tell you a little about Whitney’s Vow. First of all Whitney was raised in a more affluent household but going to a public college cut her off from the purse strings of her parents and there she met Blake Anderson. They began their marriage on a beach along with four other friends from college.

Fast forward seven years and Whitney stays home at Rebel Falls Ranch in Montana, manages to make quilts, read books, garden and ride horses. Oh, and she’s a crack shot as well. Blake, however, is often gone for stretches of time doing some kind of undercover military operations with his team. Whitney is clueless about those operations, much less the actual day to day of running the ranch or their finances.

All of that comes to a head when she is informed that Blake is dead and that their beloved ranch is being forclosed on. The only way out is with an arranged marriage set up by her father. Whitney doesn’t want to remarry. She’s desolate…and vulnerable.

Blake is not dead and returns home just in time to stop the wedding and together they begin to unravel the lies and deception that brought them to that point. Whitney learns a lot about the ranch, and her husband’s military operations and undergoes a torturous journey to their happily ever after. Whitney becomes a part of the solution instead of a victim and I am happy to state she gets a dog too! (My favorite part!). Of course I’m biased and think you should read this book…but I will warn you, you might not be able to put it down! I give it five bones, because I’m a dog and that’s how I role!

Spatzle Baganz, book reviewer for the silygoos blog because that’s how we roll.

I was thrilled when Diann Mills asked me if I would be willing to review her book, Firewall, put out by Tyndale House Publishers. Not a bad gig when you get a complimentary copy.

I’ve loved Diann’s writings and her romantic suspenses have caused me to lose sleep more than once in the past. Firewall was no different in that regard. At 400 pages, I read it in less than 24 hours.

Taryn is a genious who makes her living designing software that passes through the highest security clearances with the U.S. Government and features many levels of incription to protect against hackers. Hence the name of the book, Firewall.

Taryn had never really dated but had strong morals. Swept off her feet with a whirlwind romance, she marries and a day later her husband and her are about to embark on their honeymoon when a terrorist bomb almost kills her at the airport.

Special Agent Grayson Hall is after whoever bombed the airport and killed countless people. Top of his list is Taryn Young and her supposed husband who has suddenly gone missing. Now is job is to keep Taryn alive while the FBI tries to unravel jsut what is happening and determine if it is a precuror of worse to come.

Grayson suspects Russia and a tie between the software controling oil temperatures that Taryn designed. Is she working for the wrong side or can she be trusted.

On the run and desperate to prove her innocence, Taryn prays and senses God’s leading to confide in Grayson. As they unravel the growing threats and repeated attempts against them, she seeks to find the threat through the spiderweb of leads that will keep more people from dying.

Grayson begins to believe in Taryn’s innocence and has to find a way to use her to help the FBI solve the case while keeping her alive. Not an easy task to do as the introverted software developer has a bit of sass and tendency to take risks when he least expects it. This geek has a bevy of hidden surprises as well that didn’t show up in his reports on her.

This story is eerily echoing some of the themes goign on today in the U.S. with tensions with Russia and the threat of terrorist attacks. Throw in complicated technology, a few double crosses, a three year old little girl held hostage and a blooming love and you have a story that is as impossible to put down as it would be for me to even think of designing a firewall.

I loved this story and the characters and the depth of complexity Diann weaves in along with the challenges of faith under life or death circumstances.