Presumed Dead

I loved this! Now, honestly, the secret of the mystery isn't a huge secret, and I'd rate the reveal of the scoundrel at about a 3 because I did guess it really early on, somewhere around 30%. But these intensely colorful characters deserve a 5 for their personalities, and also because I kept expecting the old trope of “I hate you because of something silly!” to spring out of nowhere, and these two really acted like adults instead...hooray. I loved Preston's chivalry and his willingness to risk his life more than once to be sure Holly is safe. Also, a full 5 for setting; I wanted to find out if this book was set in California or Nevada for the purposes of a 50 states challenge (It's set on Lake Tahoe but does not specify the state), and when I checked the map, the locations are all right there! (In California, if any of you wonder.) I love it when authors use real locations for their books.

What impressed me most, though, was the amount of Christianity in this book. These two characters both take God seriously and encourage each other with prayers and trusting God. It wasn't ramrodded in to make a point; it is organic to the development of both Preston and Holly.

The one thing I really wanted to see was the parents showing up, but I suppose we can't have everything in a book with a limited word count!

I'll definitely be looking for more by this author.