Taste of Danger by Alexa Verde

Title: Taste of Danger
Author: Alexa Verde (http://www.alexaverde.com)
Series: Secrets of Rios Azules, #2 (can definitely be a stand-alone)
Genre: Christian adventure romance
Age-Range: young adult/adult
Setting: Rios Azules, a small town in Texas, USA
Publisher: Alexa Verde
Source: author (for honest review)
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Content: 2/5. Some violence. Nothing too graphic. Some intense action scenes. Okay for teens; some parental guidance for tweens (maybe).

Taste of Danger by Alexa Verde

Small-town librarian Soledad Sokolova has three days to find a hidden Russian treasure — or she and her father will die. Out of options, she turns for help to a hunky stranger, private investigator James O’Hara. But she knows better than to let a ladies’ man break her heart for the second time. Bound by his word to Soledad’s father, James is ready to protect her at all costs. However, once betrayed, he’s reluctant to fall in love again. Will James and Soledad escape danger and find treasures of faith, love, and hope?

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Admittedly, I did not start this book thinking I was gonna love it.

I started it thinking, “I don’t really love this kind of book, but I’m going to read it anyway.”

WHY DO I ALWAYS DO THAT?!?!?! I know why. Because I add books to my to-be-read list months before I read them. By the time I read them, I’ve forgotten everything I read about them which made me think, ‘I want to read this book.’ So I pick it up (well … pick my Kindle up) and start the book thinking, “Huh. From the cover this doesn’t look like the kind of book I’d enjoy. Therefore, it’s not the kind of book I’m going to enjoy!”

Keyword: cover

Keyword: judgmental

Keyphrase: idiot me

And now when I look at the cover, I think how pretty it is and wonder why I ever thought it contained a book I didn’t want to read. Probably because it was late when I started it or something like that. *shrugs*

Anyway … just so you know, it was an awesome book and I was deeply impressed.

Let’s start with the plot.

I admit I would have liked it to go a little slower at the very beginning. I would have liked a little more background, a little more ‘calm before the storm,’ but first of all that’s just my personal preference and secondly because it’s the second book in the series. So … I don’t think that’s really a problem at all. I just wanted to bring it up. Because … I am, after all, discussing my impressions here, aren’t I?

After that, the plot took off at a nice, even pace. This was an adventure novel, and those can so often go waaaay to fast, but this one didn’t. It was exciting and adventurous, but it never left me unsure about what was happening.

It was cool to learn about Russian history, folklore, customs, etc. I really enjoyed that.

Let me just say that I found the clues and the way Soledad figured them out absolutely  fascinating! That was my favorite part. 🙂

Soledad was so sweet, and I totally felt for her (although I’m not the kind of person to doubt myself … no, not at any time, never!). It was cool to see her slowly realize that she’s God’s child and therefore AWESOME!

James was really cool. He was another one of those dashing knight’s-in-shining-armor, but he wasn’t cliché at all! Weird, right?! How did Ms. Verde manage it, may I ask? I sure can’t. All my knights seem cliché to me.

There were a lot of supporting characters who were well-developed and fun. Of course, the book mainly focused on James and Soledad, so there wasn’t a ton about them.

I think the balance between action, dialogue, and description was good. To be honest, I didn’t really notice the writing all that much, being super busy trying to save Soledad’s father. 😛 Which is good, right? That I was so immersed that I forgot to be judgmental? Which is … incredible, knowing me. 😉

One negative: I found the Christian content to be a little unbelievable. Okay, maybe not unbelievable, but … Soledad was a bit of an Elsie Dinsmore. It bugged me some. Not much, but a little.

Overall, a fast-paced, action-packed story with an adorable romance, a meaningful Christian theme, and a mystery you can’t wait to solve.

~Kellyn Roth