Stranded by Dani Pettrey

This is the third in the Alaska Courage series. See my review of Submerged here and Shattered here. It would be best to read the first two novels in the series to really gain the full enjoyment of this one.

Darcy is the focus of this novel as she returns to Alaska. She had been asked to help her friend Abby investigating dark happenings on an Alaska cruise line. Before Abby can tell Darcy what she is investigating Abby goes missing. That happens the day someone is reported as having fallen overboard. The cruise personnel say Abby quit and left the boat but Darcy wonders if there has been foul play. And how can she find out what she is supposed to be investigating?

Old relationships are renewed when Gage McKenna comes on board to direct the off boat kayak and camping excursions his family has been contracted to supply. There is some tension between Gage and Darcy that keeps coming to the surface as the two combine forces to find out what happened to Abby. But there is a growing attraction between the two also.

This is another good novel from Pettrey. The story of the McKenna family continues but this time in a different setting of a cruise ship. It is fun to see the interaction of the family members as their personalities continue to be developed. We learn more about the puzzling Jake too. And there is loads of action in this novel. (I had no idea how many people are lost off of cruise ships each year!) The ending is very suspenseful.

A couple of things I felt made this less than a perfect novel. I knew who one of the bad guys was early on (Pettrey did a good job of making me dislike this person right away) and I was disappointed that Gage and Darcy did not figure that out. While it heightened the suspense at the end, even Gage admits how stupid he and Darcy were to trust this person. Also, I missed descriptions of the majestic scenery of Alaska, since most of the action takes place inside the cruise ship.

Dani Pettrey and her husband live in Maryland with their teenage daughters. You can find out more about her at www.DaniPettrey.com.

Bethany House Publishers, 352 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.