Review ~ Stranded by Dani Pettrey

Hello, Friends! I have a fantastic book for you today! This is Stranded by Dani Pettrey,* and it is the third book in her Alaskan Courage series. If you haven't read the previous two, its ok, but I highly recommend doing so because they are so fantastic. The cover alone is breathtaking. Just look:

The back is even more beautiful, but I'm not tech savvy enough to figure out how to show it to you. :( Seriously, whoever did the cover photos and design, my hat goes off to you! It makes me want to just dive right in to that frigid water - or at least take an Alaskan cruise so I can see it in person!

Summary: Darcy St. James gets an urgent call from her old undercover reporting partner, Abby. Abby is on an Alaskan Cruise working undercover and something has gone terribly wrong. She needs Darcy's help, but doesn't have time to explain. Using her cover as an adventure writer, Darcy gets hired on to give good publicity to the cruise line and go on the excursions with the passengers to help boost the trips with her interviews and first person accounts. Once she arrives, Darcy discovers three things. First, Abby is missing and no one seems to care. Second, someone fell overboard the night before, but no one will talk about it, and Darcy believes it may have been Abby. Third, Gage McKenna and the rest of the family have been hired on to run the excursions on this cruise, meaning Darcy will be stuck with him the rest of her trip. As Darcy learns more about Abby's disappearance, patterns start to appear, and the mystery gets even more intense. Meanwhile, Darcy and Gage seem tossed together at every turn. As they explore the outer regions of Alaska, the two of them must fight their mutual attraction while also trying to find out what happened to Abby and solve the mystery she risked everything to uncover.

What I loved: Did I mention the cover yet? Ok moving on. I loved Darcy and Gage and their story. I also loved FINALLY getting to learn the truth about Jake, and watching Kayden have to eat her words. Sometimes, I want to smack that girl, but only sometimes - I can't wait for their story, which I hope is next. The mystery itself was fantastic! The suspense kept me hanging on late into the night! Great plot, though I did kinda figure out the what pretty quickly...but I also watch too many cop shows, so that may have just been me. :) I also loved the scenery and it makes me both excited and terrified to possibly go visit Alaska on a cruise. As long as I stay away from railings, I'll be fine...oh and no kayaking either.

What I didn't care for: I didn't like how much Darcy had to lie to keep her cover, and that she did some really stupid stuff to keep it - like leading on a fellow crew member, and going to all these secluded places with him on the chance she might get info. Come on, be smart!


What does this mean for us?: I love the importance Ms. Pettrey gives faith. Darcy was terrified to go anywhere near water, and yet she knew she had to do whatever it took to keep her cover and save her friend.


****SPOILER ALERT****



Human Trafficking is on the rise worldwide, and is something we need to be very aware of. Ladies, don't do stupid stuff like going off with some guy you just met, especially in a place you are not familiar with. Just because he seems nice, or appears to be crew/authority, doesn't mean he/she is. Travel in pairs, and be on guard. Use common sense. If you wish to get involved in stopping human trafficking and bringing these evil people to justice, a really great organization is the International Justice Mission  visit their website at www.ijm.org 



*****END SPOILER ALERT****



One of the best parts of this book application wise, is the reminder that we are not responsible for someone else's salvation. Darcy feels guilty that Abby is not saved, and that she may die not knowing Jesus. Darcy blames herself for not sharing enough times. This is wrong. We are not responsible for someone else's salvation. We are responsible, however, for sharing the Gospel with them in a way they will understand, and that does not compromise the truth, and for living in a way that glorifies Christ. Salvation is up to the Holy Spirit and the person themselves. We can pray our hearts out for them, but we must not fall into the trap of false guilt and pride, thinking we are responsible for their salvation. I've struggled with this many times, and the reminder was a good one. :)

I also love that she quotes 2 Corinthians 1 - the God of all comfort passage. Paul is writing to the believers in Corinth, encouraging them to stay strong no matter what their circumstance, and to turn to God in every situation. Why? Because. God will bring people into our lives to comfort us who have already been there, and once we make it through, he will bring people to us that are still struggling who need encouragement. Basically, its a pay it forward type of thing. God comforts us, and brings people along to walk with us through our trials so that we can walk wither others when they need it. Pretty awesome, right? The point is: we are never alone. No matter what we are going through, we are NEVER alone. There will always be someone else suffering in the same manner we are. So go find that person and get each other through it! Or remember, that God will use this situation in your life someday.

In my life, I have definitely experienced this passage first hand. Born blind with cataracts, I had to have my lenses removed in both eyes at 6 months old, causing damage to my eyes including glaucoma. When I was 21, I randomly started losing peripheral vision in both eyes. They thought I had tumors on my optic nerves. Turns out, it was a benign one on my pituitary gland that had leaked and caused the vision loss. The vision loss stopped, thankfully, but it was really scary at the time. I was terrified of losing my vision, of the possibility of surgery, and the fear of being alone with no one understanding what I was going through. God got me through it and brought many people along side me to encourage me. The crazy part? Since then I have met at least half a dozen people who have had nearly the EXACT SAME THING HAPPEN to them! How CRAZY is that?! Some have fared better than I, others have lost their eyesight completely, or had to deal with cancer on top of it. They still fought on though, and sought God out. The best part is, God used them to encourage me, and me to encourage them - a reminder that we are never alone, and Jesus will get us through everything in our lives, good and bad. I hope this encourages you, and if you've ever had a time when God has used a really bad situation to help you and others, I'd love to hear about it! If you need prayer or encouragement for something you are going through right now, let me know that too! :) You can comment here, or if you want it to be kept private, my email is sarahbearbenson+blog [at] gmail   Hope this helps!


This book is fantastic! It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time! I REALLY want to go on an Alaskan Cruise now. If you enjoy suspense, mystery, fantastic scenery, and a bit of romance, this book is for you!

Happy Readings!

Sarah



*I received an early copy of the book from the publisher, Bethany House, in exchange for my honest review.