Into the Fire (Undaunted Courage #1) by Irene Hannon

ISBN: 9780800741884
Paperback | $18.99 US

My thoughts: Such an interesting book to read as it lets the reader peek into the intense and challenging world of fire investigators who look deeply into the bits and pieces left behind consuming fires and then decide if the fire is intentionally set by an arsonist or not. Then once it is determined that perhaps an arsonist is responsible, they find the criminal and see that the laws of the justice system take care of the misdeeds.

As Bri begins her new job, she inherits the left overs of a retiree who was captivated by a series of cold cases in the hot world of arson crimes. Nagging thoughts of connection between a series of fires unproven as arson but that might be arson by the same arsonist snag Bri's attention as well.

A series of events, mishaps, and relationships have Bri going deeper and deeper and unknowingly into the world of an arsonist and murderer with deep relationship mental issues.

A Royal Christmas: A Christmas Novella by Melody Carlson

My thoughts:  I found A Royal Christmas to be a bit of fairy tale story of a modern college student whose life of living in a stinking apartment as a financially struggling law student whose life is given a complete turn around as she becomes queen to a small principality. A rags to riches tale that includes friendship, classy castle life, Christmas fun, budding romance, and dastardly intrigue. 

The story moves quickly and in a couple weeks time our "Cinderella" is crowned queen to succeed her deceased father who was the reigning king. What's interesting is her mother and the king never married as the then-reigning-king didn't approve of an American for his son. Also interesting is that an American who has nearly finished law school should take upon themselves the role as a new queen of another country. This raises international law and citizenship issues. But then, this is, of course, a "fairy tale" type of story.

Countdown (Extreme Measures #4) by Lynette Eason

ISBN: 9780800737368
Revell Books | $17.99 paperback

My thoughts:  I always look forward to reading new books by Lynette Eason. In the Extreme Measures series, we met a contingent of characters whose lives are interwoven in their daily activities as well as in that of solving crime and saving lives. In Countdown the story of Raina gets told and it wraps up the series.

Raina has had a complicated and tainted life. She currently is living a fast paced life working as an Advanced EMS team member. Her sordid past involves a horrific life experience with a "love" who beat her senseless and left her to die. The result was that she had to develop new identities in an effort to escape the clutches of this past partner who sought to kill her.