A Book Review: {When the Smoke Clears} by Lynette Eason/Revell Blog Tour

About the book: After a brush with death due to equipment failure, smokejumper Alexia Allen is ordered to take time off while the incident is under investigation. She makes a last-minute decision to recuperate at her mother's home and attend her high school reunion. Yet trouble seems to be following her, and within hours of arriving home she is confronted with murder, arson--and a handsome detective.

But the conflicts ahead are nothing compared to the ghosts of her past. As she struggles to accept and forgive her family's past, she must also decide if the secret she's been guarding for the last ten years must finally come to light.

Chock-full of the suspense and romantic tension you've come to expect from Lynette Eason, When the Smoke Clears is the explosive first book in the Deadly Reunions series.


My Review:  With this being the first book I've read by Lynette Eason, I wasn't sure what to expect, other than I'd read GREAT reviews of her other books.  Let me start off by saying, Lynette Eason has a new fan!  Wow!  This book grabbed me from the start, and kept me on the edge of my seat to the very end -- heart pounding, sweaty palms, and all! The story was fast-paced with never a dull moment in sight!  When the Smoke Clears is book one in the Deadly Reunions series, and is filled with non-stop action and suspense!  It's not very often that I will sit and read for over 4 hours straight, until 3 in the morning --- but I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN!

The story is very well written, and has many layers to it.  It's not just about murders, arson, and crime scene investigations -- there's a heart-warming love story, plus the added dimension of faith and forgiveness that I enjoyed.  Alexia Allen is a non-believer at the beginning of the story, and everywhere she turns, God seems to keep showing up.  Her family members and close friends keep pointing her to Him, and it's nice to see how this plays out for her throughout the story.

I regularly read historical Christian fiction, but I'm moving romantic suspense and Lynette Eason to the top of my list!  I highly recommend this book, and give it a full five stars!  Now, I'm anxiously awaiting When a Heart Stops, book two in the Deadly Reunions series, which is scheduled to release October 2012!  I can't wait!

**Thank you to Revell Publishers for providing me with a copy of this book for review, in exchange for my honest opinion.**
**Available February 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.**