Bookshelf Friday - Stranded by Dani Pettrey AND a Giveaway!

All right, first thing's first! We've got a book to give away! Last Friday I reviewed Jody Hedlund's Rebellious Heart with a chance to win an autographed copy. I used a random picker online to enter everyone's name and the winner is...

TIMOTHY DOTSON!

Timothy, your wife is going to give you a huge hug:) So sweet to enter with a chance to win for her. Congrats to you both! I'll send your name and email to Jody and she'll contact you. Thanks for stopping by Steps:)

And now for today's Bookshelf Friday...

Well, if you've been around here long it's no surprise to you that Romantic Suspense is my favorite genre, and I love a series. So when Bethany Publishers announced Dani Pettrey's Alaskan Courage Series a little over a year ago, I was beyond excited, but a bit trepidatious too. My forever favorite grouping is Dee Henderson's O'Malley series and through the years I've hoped to find something similar but never quite did. Oh, I found several books I fell in love with, but nothing that mixed suspense, page-turning thrills, and a family that you saw across all the pages. You get to know them a little more with each book and even when one couple's story is finished, you still get to see where life takes them--even if they're on the backstage.

Knee deep into Book Three of the Alaskan Courage Series I knew I didn't need to look any longer. These books would find a place on my bookshelf right next to Dee Henderson's. Oh who am I kidding? I knew it after book one. Which makes me all the more excited for each book to arrive. Here's a little blurb on Stranded:

Darcy St. James returns to Alaska to join a journalist friend undercover on the trail of a big story. But when Darcy arrives, she finds her friend has disappeared. Troubled by the cruise ship's vague explanation, Darcy uses her cover as a travel reporter to investigate further.

The last person Gage McKenna expects to see during his summer aboard a cruise ship leading adventure excursions is Darcy. And in typical Darcy fashion, she's digging up more trouble.

He'd love to just forget her--but something won't let him. And he can't help but worry about her as they are heading into more remote regions of Alaska and eventually into foreign waters. Something sinister is going on, and the deeper they push, the more Gage fears they've only discovered the tip of the iceberg.

Was it a little coincidental that Darcy and Gage happened to end up on the same ship? Sure. But I've got to be honest, I was willing to go with it because the story itself and the relationship between the two was page-turning. I knew after book two that Darcy and Gage would be thrown together again, and the plot worked for both of their jobs, so all was well:) And I cannot wait for Book Four, Silenced. It's the story I think I've been waiting for all along, which is yet another aspect I really like about Dani's books--the backstory set-ups for the next couple. This time was no different.

If you haven't read any of the books in this series, you can definitely start here. However, I'd highly recommend reading from the beginning--you'll want to go back anyway because you'll fall in love with these characters!

You can purchase Stranded here, but for one lucky friend, I'll be sending you a copy! All you have to do is leave me a comment and your email address. You must be entered by Wednesday 9/18 at midnight. I'll announce the winner on next Friday's Bookshelf.

As for my rating, I happily give Stranded 5 out of 5 stars. And if you want to get to know Dani better, or learn more about her books, she has an amazing website here with pictures and bios of her characters. Seriously cool and you should check it out:)

Have a great weekend everyone!

If you'd like to see a break-down of what my stars equal, check out my page My Ratings System to the right there. And a big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ecopy of this book in exchange for my honest review.