Bethany House Review-Submerged by Dani Pettrey

Afternoon y'all! I broke a promise to myself... When I read Dani Pettrey's book Sabotoged (my first book of hers that I'd read), I promised myself I would never read one of her books again. WHOA!    Don't get too fired up...let me finish! What I actually promised myself is that I wouldn't read another of her mysteries at NIGHT. Yep. I did it anyways. Needless to say, I was a little jumpy last night after finishing Submerged at a slightly crazy time to read a suspense. 

• “The impossible missions are the only ones which succeed.” – Jacques Cousteau

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*Summary*

Cole Mckenna is still shocked that the beloved aunt of one of his closest friends in high school was in the plane crash he was just called onto the scene to rescue. When he arrives at the hospital to find out she died, he has one thought. Bailey. More precisely, the woman he loved in high school that broke his heart and then left. When Bailey returns and more crimes are committed will they find the killer before it's too late? Can Bailey and Cole work together? And can Cole keep his family safe from the monsters determined to kill for unknown reasons? 

Bailey Craig has returned to the one place she thought she never wanted to go back to. Home to Yancey, Alaska. Missing her aunt more then ever, Bailey does her best to dispel the sadness within...and stay far away from Cole Mckenna and his family. When a string of crimes that seem to have involved her aunt begin to happen, Bailey and Cole are forced to work together. Bailey can never forgive herself for what she did to Cole all those years ago...she doesn't believe God or Cole can either. When one near fatal choice puts them all in danger, Bailey most of all, will she finally understand that she's been forgiven by God...and by Cole? Or will it be too late?

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*I loved*

When I read Sabotaged,the last book in Dani's series, the second I saw the book I knew I wanted to read it. Why? The cover was stunning. Not the reason. Book blurb intriguing. Not the reason. Set in Alaska. The exact reason. Why do I care so much about the place? First, it's different then anything I've read. For a debut author, Dani was stepping out on a limb with this chilly setting and she knocked it out of the park. Honestly though? It was the perfect place because I have a great aunt that lives in Alaska. We're not that close. I've only met her a handful of times...but it was a way of "connecting" with her. My aunt has sled dogs and Aurora was a husky. From everything my aunt's told me, Dani did an incredible job with the setting. Another reason this book was awesome...I love Susan May Warren's Christiansen Family series. Let me guess...you want to know why. I love series that have a story or book for each sibling. You get to know all the characters in depth and it always seems to become my ultimate favorite when it's a "siblings series". Dani's is no exception to this rule. I read all kinds of fiction books, including books from only one person's point of view but I must say, my favorite books are usually ones with multiple point of views. Even though this first book, Submerged was supposed to be "Cole and Bailey's story", Dani including the pov from Landon and Piper, and even the killer. It really made the story amazing and I know for a fact this isn't the last we'll see of Cole and Bailey either...it is only the beginning and after this book, you'll thank God that there are four books to follow!

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*You may not like*

Now the hard part...as some of you may know if you've read some of my reviews, I have a really hard time with criticism. I have a hard time receiving it and sometimes I think I have an even harder time giving it out. Unfortunately, that is a part of reviewing that is necessary for the reader and author. That said, I'll mention the only thing I saw that some may find disappointing. There isn't nearly as much about Cole and Bailey's relationship as one might hope. As others may have mentioned, I was almost more excited for Landon and Piper's story and even Kayden and Jake's story then I was into Bailey and Cole's story. Fortunately, this is Dani's first novel EVER and she has four more books in this series to remedy that.

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*My Rating*

I give Submerged...

5 stars!!

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*My overall thoughts*

Submerged by Dani Pettrey is an amazing debut novel by a fabulous new suspense author. Submerged is the first book in the Alaskan Courage series and is full of life, adventure, love, and the most amazing characters you'll ever meet! Completely deserving of five stars and I can't wait to read more of Dani Pettrey!

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 *Where to get it*

Amazon

Christianbook

Barnes & Noble

Deepershopping

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*About the Author*

Did you know Dani is…

• A consummate world traveler: Africa, South America, Australia—been there, done that.
• A die-hard thrill seeker: heli-skiing, cave diving, storm kayaking—if it’s extreme, she’s there.
• A bullet-dodging, high-speed-car-chasing, treasure-hunting adventurer.
• An antiquities theft investigator, FBI agent, archaeologist, forensic anthropologist, and a detective who tracks down justice for a living.

Okay, not really, but her characters are. And, that’s why she loves the passion God has placed in her for telling stories.

In real life, Dani Pettrey is a wife, homeschooling mom and author. She feels blessed to write inspirational romantic suspense because it incorporates so many things she loves–the thrill of adventure, nail-biting suspense, the deepening of one’s faith and plenty of romance. She’s a huge fan of dark chocolate, is always in search of the best iced mocha and her dream is to one day own a little cottage on a remote stretch of beach. She and her husband reside in Maryland, where they enjoy time with their two daughters, son-in-law, and super adorable grandson.

Just in case you’re curious…The real Dani does love traveling. She’s been to some amazing places (Greece, Hawaii, the Keys) and there are many more she hopes to visit in the future.

And while she’s not quite up to sky-diving, cave diving or heli-skiing (too high, too enclosed, too cold!) she and her family love hiking, canoeing, wave jumping and a ton of other outdoor adventures a little further down on the risk scale.

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*Extra(s)and Sidenotes*

Fun Facts:

❆ The state of Rhode Island could fitt into Alaska 425 times. 

❆ Dog mushing is the official state sport. 

❆ The state motto is “North to the Future.”

❆ The four-spot skimmer dragonfly is the official state insect. 

❆ Nearly one-third of Alaska lies within the Arctic Circle. 

❆ The state’s coastline extends over 6,000 miles. 

❆ 17 out of the 20 highest peaks in the United States are located in Alaska. 

❆ The record high temperature in Alaska was 100 degrees Fahrenheit at Fort Yukon in 1915; the record low temperature was -80 degrees Fahrenheit at Prospect Creek Camp in 1971. 

❆ The Alaskan state flag was designed in 1926 by a 13-year-old named Bennie Benson. 

❆ There are more than 3,000 rivers and 3 million lakes in Alaska.

Meet the Characters:

Side note:

 Oh yeah! Did I mention what I've been listening to while I've been writing this? No? I've been listening to Cole & Bailey's awesome wedding soundtrack created by Dani Pettrey herself! Head on over to her blog to listen to a select 4 songs from their wedding! So far, Dani has the most awesome blog I've seen from any author!

Have a great weekend!

Happy Reading,

Nicki