#NorthofNowhere – Rosepoint Publishing

Rosepoint Reviews – May Recap – Early Taste of Summer!

Rosepoint Reviews - May Recap

May presented us with an unintended two-week break from the blog. While we were planning our trip to Texas, I had scheduled ahead as much as I could and took my old laptop to fill in spots I normally posted. Last time I used the laptop, it was extremely slow, huffing and puffing, sounding like it was preparing for take-off. I guess it did as I was not able to get into the administration of the blog.

Luckenbach TX We met up with our old Navy buddies of 54 years, first in Hot Springs, Arkansas, then to their home in the upper eastern part of Texas, portions known as “the Hill country.” OMG, so beautiful! Not the Texas of my memory at all. Green hills, monster oaks hundreds of years old, wildflowers everywhere. And so much to see and do! Fantastic hosts, Ted and Kitra packed in a full schedule and we enjoyed great food and in Luckenbach, a downhome country band. So much fun! (We missed Waylon and Willie though.)

May then obviously took a hit with reading and reviewing only ten books. (As always, links below are to my reviews that include purchase info.)

Rosepoint Publishing May Reviews

Closer by Sea by Peter Chafe (CE review)
Snapshot by Don Keith and George Wallace (CE review)
When the Moon is Low by Nadia Hashimi
Washington by Ron Chernow (audiobook)
Hidden Beneath by Barbara Ross
North of Nowhere by Allison Brennan (CE review)
Flop Dead Gorgeous by David Rosenfelt
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn (audiobook)
A Line in the Sand by Kevin Powers (CE review)
Lock ‘N’ Load by Tee O’Fannon

These included historical fiction, cozy mystery, literary fiction, and (gasp!) romantic suspense! Sayyy what?!

Favorite Book of the Month

While I greatly enjoyed Flop Dead Gorgeous (the author always a favorite) and I gave it five stars partly owing to the surprise in conclusion, we’ll have to give Snapshot, a CE review the nod for May.

Book of the Month for May—Snapshot.

Blogger Post

I did little blog-hopping in May but always appreciate the thoughtful and varied posts of Carla at Carla Loves to Read. I thoroughly enjoy her reviews, meme posts, and am dazzled by her signature graphics. If you haven’t found her yet, now is the time.

My Reading Challenges page… I have 60 books of a goal of 145 in Goodreads (one book ahead of schedule) and holding a 98% feedback ratio in NetGalley. Behind on the others again but hope to have the page and challenges caught up shortly.

With the crash of a laptop used only for out-of-town trips now, I began a search for a cheap replacement, and after seeing Kitra’s Kindle Fire (she also reads—a LOT) and the extent of its capabilities, I began thinking in terms of a tablet. During our motorcycling years, we learned to travel with just a trunk and saddlebags that fit on the back of the bikes. We have traditionally traveled light. I needed something light.

I looked at laptops, the size, and the price. Goodness! Then the tablets: I liked the size, the weight, and the price. However, they just won’t do Photoshop—hoping I can get by with Canva. Also, having old equipment and old versions of Word—which I paid for years ago and have managed to use in successive PC’s, have now discovered it’s subscription only—except for those tablets 10.1” and below.

It’s been a bear figuring out how to get the tablet, an Android (Samsung) set up to my liking. I need a class for this! I finally figured out how to get Office Word on it. But it won’t open a document without asking for an upgrade to Office 365—the subscription. Has anyone tried to download and use a free version of Word on a tablet?

The year is going too fast! Welcome to new subscribers and thank you, as always, to those who read and comment. I love hearing from you!

North of Nowhere: A Thriller by Allison Brennan – #BookReview – #crimethrillers

Book Blurb:

New York Times bestseller Allison Brennan’s latest standalone is an unputdownable race to the dramatic finish.

After five years in hiding from their murderous father, the day Kristen and Ryan McIntyre have been dreading has arrived: Boyd McIntyre, head of a Los Angeles crime family, has at last tracked his kids to a small Montana town and is minutes away from kidnapping them. They barely escape in a small plane, but gunfire hits the fuel line. The pilot, a man who has been raising them as his own, manages to crash land in the middle of the Montana wilderness. The siblings hike deep into the woods, searching desperately for safety—unaware of the severity of the approaching storm.

Boyd’s sister Ruby left Los Angeles for the Army years ago, cutting off contact in order to help keep her niece and nephew safe and free from the horrors of the McIntyre clan. So when she gets an emergency call that the plane has gone down with the kids inside, she drops everything to try save them.

As the storm builds, Ruby isn’t the only person looking for them. Boyd has hired an expert tracker to find and bring them home. And rancher Nick Lorenzo, who knows these mountains better than anyone and doesn’t understand why the kids are running, is on their trail too.

But there is a greater threat to Kristen and Ryan out there. More volatile than the incoming blizzard, more dangerous than the family they ran from or the natural predators they could encounter. Who finds them first could determine if they live or die. . .

His Review:

How dare Tony take Kristen and Ryan in his plane and attempt to get to Ennis, Montana! Their father, Boyd Mc Intyre, is not someone to be trifled with. Tony is trying to protect the children from their father and particularly their grandmother, who is a woman with no discernable sympathy or soul.

As Tony is taxiing the plane for takeoff a sharpshooter hits him but he is determined to rescue the two children. Then a second shot goes through the aircraft and lodges in Tony’s chest. Gravely wounded he crash lands the plane in Lost Lake. Wounded and unable to help the sixteen and ten-year-olds, they become his rescuers.

Boyd sets out to recover his two kids. The description of the difficulties and terrain is a breathtaking visual of the lovely Montana mountains. Kristen, the oldest, tries her best to save Tony!

This story explores the corruption and lawlessness of the very wealthy and their families. Boyd has no compunction about removing anyone who gets in his way. There is always a lot going on—numerous characters.

The conclusion to the story illuminates the thinking of absurdly rich people with no morals. I was both exasperated and aghast at the cruelty exhibited by this ludicrously rich family. 4 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Disaster Fiction, Military Thrillers, Crime Thrillers
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ASIN: B0B9KX9185
Publication Date: August 8, 2023
Print Length: 368 pages
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Allison Brennan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award winning author of three dozen thrillers and numerous short stories. She was nominated for Best Paperback Original Thriller by International Thriller Writers, had multiple nominations and two Daphne du Maurier Awards, and is a five-time RITA finalist for Best Romantic Suspense. Allison believes life is too short to be bored, so she had five kids and spends all her non-writing time as a sports spectator, chauffeur, and short-order cook for her munchkins. She has a dog, two cats, and three chickens. Allison and her family live in northern California.