Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Book Review: When a Heart Stops by Lynette Eason

When a Heart Stops by Lynette Eason
Publisher: Revell
Publish Date: October 1, 2012
Paperback, 340 pages 
Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Christian
 ISBN: 978-0800720070
Deadly Reunions #2





My Review:
Wow, I thought When the Smoke Clears was a pulse-pounding novel, When a Heart Stops definitely took it up a notch.  Case in point, I was able to read about half of this book coming home from a Boy Scout trip with two boy scouts and two other parents in the same SUV and no head phones.  Granted the boys were watching a movie and well-behaved, but lots was going on around me. When a Heart Stops held my attention fast so that the miles just went by quick and I could not wait to see how it would end. 

We've met Serena before in When the Smoke Clears (and I believe cameo in earlier books as well), she's the ME and friend of Alexia and Jillian the trio that make up this series of books.  But if you are just tuning in this book reads fine as a stand-alone.  I still would recommend reading When the Smoke Clears just because it's an excellent book and it does give background into what it going on in the over-arcing plot of the trilogy.  Back to Serena.  I really like her.  She's strong, independent and dealing with a lot at the start of this book, but I like how she just doesn't fall apart.  Ms. Eason makes her heroines strong, yet believable.  They come to rely on their men when they need to, but they don't "need" their men to survive.  It's a delicate balance and she manages to keep it.  And Dominic is amazing, a strong yet gentle man, but he'll do what it takes to protect Serena and those around her.  The characters are great.  I needed a little bit of a refresher when I started the book, and then it all started coming back to me, the various characters, bad guys and the plot. 

When a Heart Stops is a continuation of the first book which wrapped up in a way and didn't in a way.  The plot continues on with Serena, Dominic, Hunter and others on the hunt for a serial killer.  And what is someone after that Serena has?  All great plot devices to keep the reader interested and the plot moving.  The suspense along with the romance (the sparks do fly between these two) really work in this book.  I found myself turning page after page wondering what curveball Ms. Eason would throw at me next.  And they kept coming right up to the last page.

When a Heart Stops comes to a rather tidy conclusion for a book in a trilogy but there are of course unanswered questions and a cliffhanger left for the third and final book.  I an anxiously awaiting the third book to find out the answers to all the questions posed in the first two and more about the mysterious Jillian.  If you enjoy romantic suspense, then this trilogy is for you and the first and second books are both wonderful.  The momentum of the first book does not abate or stop in the second book, it keeps right on moving leaving you ready to tackle the third book as soon as Revell releases it!


My Rating: 5.0/5.0

Available October 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.



About the Book:
Spunky and outgoing, nothing much bothers medical examiner Serena Hopkins--except for the thought of falling in love again. But when a serial killer is picking off her former classmates, Serena's life becomes intertwined with her old high school crush, FBI agent Dominic Allen. Is the secret she's keeping putting her next on the killer's hit list? Can she trust Dominic with the truth before it's too late? 

Intense, emotional, and fast-paced, "When a Heart Stops" will have readers up late as they race to the finish to find out what happens


About the Author (from Goodreads.com): 
Lynette Eason grew up in Greenville, SC. She graduated from the University of South Carolina, Columbia, and then obtained her masters in education from Converse College. Author of eight inspirational romantic suspense books, she is also a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA). In 1996, Lynette married "the boy next door" and now she and her husband and their two children make their home in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

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FTC Information: I received this book from the Revell (the publisher) for an honest review.