Review (ARC) ~ Inside By Brenda Novak

Inside
Author ~ Brenda Novak
Publisher ~ Mira
Pages ~ 400
Publication Date ~ June 28, 2011
Source ~ NetGalley

About the book ~ 

Dangerous to know...

Virgil Skinner served fourteen years for a murder he didn’t commit. He’s finally been exonerated, but he can’t escape the gang he joined in order to survive. They’ll do anything to keep him from telling what he knows. And if they can’t get to Virgil they’ll go after his sister and her kids.

The California Department of Corrections needs someone to infiltrate another gang, one that’s taking control of the state’s most notorious supermax. Virgil agrees to do it under an alias—in exchange for his sister’s protection.

Chief Deputy Warden Peyton Adams is opposed to having Virgil in her prison. How will she protect him if things go bad? Besides, she’s far too attracted to him; she might even be falling in love with him. That makes her all the more desperate to keep him safe—and it gives him someone else to lose.

My thoughts ~ 

Peyton Adams steps into a world filled with drugs, violence, gangs, and mayhem every single day as Deputy Chief Warden of the Pelican Bay Prison. And she loves it. But she knows that things aren’t perfect and that changes need to be made. She strongly believes that she is going to be the one to make those changes, especially the perception that Pelican Bay is one of the headquarters for gang violence. Peyton has a vested interest in implementing changes in the prison system. Years ago, just a few weeks shy of his release date, her father was stabbed to death in prison. It was a murder that should never have happened. Since then, she has made it her mission to correct what is wrong with the prison system.

Gangs in prison are like snow in February; you know it exists, yet you hope they’ll disappear. These gangs rule with an iron fist, they take no prisoners (no pun intended), and they are extremely violent. Two of the largest gangs at Pelican Bay are The Neustra Family and Hell’s Fury. Hell’s Fury is rumored to be behind the hit on a judge. The only way to bring down this gang is to try and put someone in the inside. 

Rick Wallace, an associate director with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has his eyes on the big prize, the top job. And he doesn’t particularly care who he steps on to get there. He has devised a plan, Operation Inside, where he will put, (what prisons officials believe to be) an undercover operative into the system in order to ferret out the person who ordered the hit on the judge. Peyton is far from thrilled with this plan, but Rick doesn’t care all that much what she thinks. He knows that the success of this operation will bring the accolades he believes he so rightfully deserves. 

Simeon Bennett (real name Virgil Skinner) is the man that Rick Wallace is placing inside Peyton’s prison. Believed to be an operative of Department 6 (see the Hired Gun series), he himself was in a prison many years ago, and Rick feels he has the “prisoner mentality” needed to infiltrate Hell’s Fury. But when Peyton doesn’t buy his cover story, she does some digging and finds out that Virgil has just spent the past 14 years in a prison for a murder he didn’t commit. However, he did commit certain acts that could keep him in prison if he doesn’t help Rick out. He is also is hoping that this job will help him break free of his ties to the gang, The Crew, that he had to join when he was incarcerated in order to keep himself protected and safe. Since The Crew hasn’t heard from Virgil since his release, they firmly believe he is going to turn on them and begin to hunt him down so that they can take him out before he spills their secrets. What they don’t realize is that even though he is working with the DOC, and despises being part of a gang, he still sees them as family. Family would never turn on family. Now Virgil must do whatever it takes to keep his real family (sister, Laurel, niece, Mia, and nephew, Jake) alive and away from the deadly clutches of The Crew.

From the second that Peyton and Virgil meet the attraction is white hot. You can feel the pheromones coming off their skin. There is no denying the desire they feel for each other. But a prisoner/warden relationship, no matter what the circumstances the prisoner is incarcerated for, is a major no-no. Additionally, is the challenge that they come from two different worlds, and once this case is over he will disappear into the Witness Protection Program with his sister and her family, and she will still be the Deputy Chief Warden. But as the preparations for him to enter the prison get under way the death toll also rises and the stakes get higher, and Virgil and Peyton can no longer fight their attraction to one another. The soon realize they must work together, both inside and outside the prison walls, in order to save themselves and those they love. 

I LOVED Inside. It has the perfect combination of drama, intensity, love, mystery, and sex. The characters are likeable, and you’ll find yourself cheering for them right from the start. Despite only knowing each other for such a short time, Peyton and Virgil will have you rooting for them to get together, to find each other, and to give into their passion. If you’re the type that finds the whole meet, fall-in-love, and be-together-forever in a three-day-time-period impossible, than this book is not for you. But if you’re a fan of the intense, white-hot, know-from-the-second-you-meet-someone passion that is true to the romantic suspense genre, than make sure to pick up a copy of Inside, because this book defines it to a T.

 

Click the title to pre-order your copy TODAY ~ Inside

About the author ~ 

It was a shocking experience that jump-started Brenda Novak’s bestselling author career.

“I caught my day-care provider drugging my children with cough syrup and Tylenol to get them to sleep while I was away,” Brenda says. “It was then that I decided that I needed to do something from home.”

However, writing was the last profession she expected to undertake. In fact, Brenda swears she didn’t have a creative bone in her body. In school, math and science were her best subjects, and when it came time to pick a major in college, she chose business.
Abandoning her academic scholarship to Brigham Young University at the age of 20 in order to get married and start a family, Brenda dabbled in commercial real estate, then became a loan officer. 

“When I first got the idea to become a novelist, it took me five years to teach myself the craft and finish my first book,” Brenda admits. “I learned how to write by reading what others have written. The best advice for any would-be author: read, read, read….”

Brenda sold her first book, and the rest is history. Many of her novels have won or placed in contests such as the National Reader's Choice, the Bookseller's Best, the Write Touch, the Award of Excellence and the Beacon Award for Published Authors. 

Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are the proud parents of five children—three girls and two boys. She juggles her writing career with her children’s softball and soccer games, field trips, carpool runs and homework sessions.

When she’s not spending time with her family or writing, Brenda is usually working on her annual fundraiser for diabetes research—an on-line auction held at her website May 1st – May 31st. Her youngest son, Thad, has diabetes, and Brenda is determined to help him and others like him. She also enjoys traveling, watching sporting events and biking--she rides an amazing 20 miles every day!

Visit Brenda at her website

Find Brenda on Facebook

Follow Brenda on Twitter

Click HERE to sign up for her newsletter

Brenda's Other Books ~

Review ~ A Turn In The Road by Debbie Macomber

A Turn in the Road (Blossom Street)
Author ~ Debbie Macomber
Publisher ~ Mira
Pages ~ 336 pgs
Publication date ~ April 26, 2011

About the book ~

In the middle of the year, in the middle of her life, Bethanne Hamlin takes a road trip with her daughter, Annie, and her former mother-in-law, Ruth. They’re driving to Florida for Ruth’s 50th high-school reunion. A longtime widow, Ruth would like to reconnect with Royce, the love of her teenage life. She’s heard he’s alone, too...and, well, she’s curious. Maybe even hopeful. Bethanne herself needs time to reflect, to ponder a decision she has to make. Her ex-husband, Grant — her children’s father — wants to reconcile now that his second marriage has failed. Bethanne’s considering it.... Meanwhile, Annie’s out to prove to her onetime boyfriend that she can live a brilliant life without him! So there they are, three women driving across America. They have their maps and their directions — but even the best-planned journey can take you to a turn in the road. Or lead you to an unexpected encounter — like the day Bethanne meets a man named Max who really is a hero on a Harley. That’s when Bethanne’s decision becomes a lot harder. Because Grant wants her back, but now there’s Max.... From Seattle’s Blossom Street to the other end of the country, this is a trip that could change three women’s lives.

My thoughts ~

When we first met Bethanne Hamlin she had just been separated from her husband Grant and was looking for a way to support herself, her son, Andrew, and her daughter, Annie (see A Good Yarn). It’s now six years later and life seems to have fallen completely in place for Bethanne. Her Parties store is a success, and she and her children are happy. The only thing that appears to be upsetting her apple cart is her ex-husband’s new-found desire to right his wrongs and get back together with her. Bethanne isn’t sure she can move on from the past, if she can forgive and forget, if she can love him like she used to, or if she even wants to. The pressure Bethanne is getting from her daughter for them to reunite isn’t helping at all.

Ruth is Bethanne’s former mother-in-law. Despite the divorce they have continued to maintain their friendship. While Ruth’s life has been both happy and fulfilling, she does have some regrets. But now, years later, she is given the chance to make things right. Her only hope is that after all these years, it’s not too late.

Annie is young, vibrant, smart, driven, head-over-heels in love, and determined to get her mother and father back together. She appears to have it all. She is getting her MBA, she works with her mom, and just knows that her boyfriend Vance is about to propose. Life could not get any better. But then Vance drops a bomb on her and life isn’t so perfect anymore.

Ruth has decided to go to her 50th high school reunion – in Florida. Which everyone thinks is wonderful. It will give her a chance to see some old friends and hopefully make amends. However, no one is happy when she announces that she is planning on driving from Seattle to the reunion – by herself! Everyone agrees that a woman Ruth’s age should not drive cross-country on her own, it’s just not safe. So Bethanne makes the spontaneous decision to go with her. The road trip will give her the time she needs to think about where she wants her relationship with Grant to go, if anywhere. And Annie, feeling dejected, decides to tag along too.

The three women set off together on what will hopefully be the trip of a lifetime. Grandmother, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter spending precious time together. Since Ruth intended to go alone originally, her route was pretty well laid out already. Plans are quickly changed in order for the woman to both explore parts of the family history and have a little fun (hello Vegas!) Then a chance encounter in a diner has Bethanne’s whole world spinning. The second she locks eyes with Max, the rough and tumble biker, she knows there is something undeniable between them. Something she has never felt before, not even with Grant. But she’s just passing through and knows there never will, nor could there be, anything between them. Then they meet again and the feelings Bethanne has for him are just as intense. And she knows he’s feeling the same way. However, it’s quite obvious that her mother-in-law and daughter do not approve of this budding relationship. Especially since they want Bethanne and Grant to reunite.

A Turn in the Road is the story of three generations of women at a crossroads in their lives. Each one must take the road that will bring them to the place they want to be, the place that will bring them the happiness they so richly deserve. Can Ruth be forgiven for her past sin? Can Annie let go of a past love and make room in her heart for a new one? Will Bethanne choose between what is safe and familiar, or what she knows in her heart is her destiny?A Turn in the Road is touted as a “Blossom Street” book due to the fact that the main character is a part of the original books. As much as I enjoyed this book, and I fully understand the meaning behind the road trip, I wish it would have (or maybe future books will) taken us back to Blossom Street – literally. I would love to know, in more depth, how all of the other Blossom Street residents are doing, instead of the little snippets we get at the beginning of the book when Bethanne stops by A Good Yarn to pick up some yarn. The writing is strong, the story flows smoothly, and the characters could very well be your own mother, sister, or daughter. This is a beautiful story of good times spent with family, forgiveness, faith, and finding the love of your life no matter what age you are.

About the author ~

With more than 130 million copies of her books in print, Debbie Macomber is one of the world’s most popular authors. In July 2007 Debbie threw out the first pitch in a Seattle Mariners game at Safeco Field. The prolific author lives in Washington state and winters in Florida with her husband. When not writing, she enjoys knitting, traveling with Wayne and putting on Grandma Camps for her grandchildren, for whom she has built a four-star tree house behind her home in Port Orchard. 

Visit Debbie at her website 

            Like Debbie on Facebook 

Other books in the Blossom Street series ~

FTC full disclosure ~ I received this book from NetGalley