Renegade

Renegade by Mel Odom

Odom follows Deployed with Renegade. We pick up a few months later and follow Private Pike. He's in Witness Protection trying to bring justice for the death of his only friend. He's a tough case though. He's a Marine Reservist and isn't easy to get along with. The marshals have frustrated him with their procrastination on bringing Petey's death to a close. He holds himself aloof from everyone because history proves they won't care for him in the long run.

Until a young boy named Hector begins to weave his way in through the few cracks that Pike has. Pike begins a tough battle within himself as he slowly begins to care for Hector, a few fellow Marines, and the occasional person who appears in his life.  It's easier to shut  his emotions down, but shutting down his emotions creates a monster.

Orders to Afghanistan separate him from Hector only to bring him in direct contact with Bekah Shaw. When Pike finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, he determines to shut himself down for good. The problem is that Bekah won't let him close that door.

I really enjoyed the story, but I liked the analogy that Odom drew even more. Without losing his story or getting preachy, Odom points out bluntly that you can't have it both ways. You have to choose to care or choose to not care. You can't live forever in a state of flux. Caring leaves you susceptible but it also renders great rewards.

As with Deployed, there are still loose ends in Renegade. I'm  hoping we return to Bekah, Pike, and Shaw down the road.

Dead Lawyers Tell No Tales

Dead Lawyers Tell No Tales by Randy Singer

This was the first book I ready by Singer. It won't be the last. First his title sounds like something out of Pirates of the Caribbean. Second his main character is a former quarterback.  Touchdown!

Landon Reed has discovered a new version of himself. A former high-ranked college quarterback he fell from his  pedestal when it was discovered he'd been part of a point shaving scheme. After two years in jail he is released. First he marries his longtime girlfriend and mother of his daughter. Second he buckles in to earn his degree as a defense lawyer.

As he struggles to make his way without being that guy who shaved points, Harry McNaughton comes along and gives him an opportunity. Harry is unconventional at best, but he knows how to win. Landon is pumped to learn from Harry. That is until other lawyers in the firm are killed. Including Harry. As Landon takes on one of Harry's high profile cases, he realizes he may have stepped onto a field he wasn't ready for.

Singer ties together this story with precision. I was worried the legalese would bulk it up and weigh it down, but I was fascinated through the entire story.  Can't wait to read more!

Grave Consequences

Grave Consequences by Lisa T. Bergren

Bregren picks up where she left off in Glamorous Illusions with Grave Consequences. Cora Diehl is adjusting to life on a Grand Tour as Cora Diehl Kensington. Her life went from being a farmer's daughter with a couple of dresses and a hope of becoming a teacher to a life where she wears multiple dresses a day and being courted by a French nobleman.

Danger still haunts their steps even as they leave France. Cora's heart is torn between her growing feelings for the forbidden Will and the charming Pierre. As Cora fights to reclaim her identity despite new found blood lines, adventures await in foreign lands.

I found Grave Consequences to be a bit too long. A personal dislike of mine is that Cora's portion of the story was written in first person while Will's was written in third. It was a distraction and not one that I found easily overcome. While the meat of the story was engaging and entertaining, the completed work needed to be cleaned up.

I'll read the third in the series just to see how it ends. I'm not jumping to purchase more of Bergren's books though.