Always Time To Die by Elizabeth Lowell

From Barnes and Noble:

"The powerful Quintrell family of New Mexico has spent decades in the public eye. Now the recent death of the clan's patriarch, a former U.S. senator, has placed his son, Governor Josh Quintrell, squarely in the spotlight as he prepares his run for the highest political office in the land. It is not a good time to be rattling skeletons in the family's closets.

Researching personal histories isn't just Carolina "Carly" May's profession, it's her passion. When the governor's eccentric Aunt Winifred invites Carly into the Quintrells' private Taos compound to compile a genealogical record of the illustrious residents, she can hardly believe her good luck. But digging into the past is raising troubling questions about the would-be president's private life, his late father and catatonic mother, and the grisly street crime that left his notorious drug-addicted sister dead. And it soon becomes frighteningly apparent that the motivation of the dotty old woman who hired Carly might be something more akin to revenge -- and that someone is determined to remove the inquisitive genealogist from the picture by any means necessary.
As a dark world of twisted passions and depraved crimes slowly opens up before Carly, she realizes that there is no one whom she dares to trust -- perhaps least of all Dan Duran, a dangerous and haunted mystery man who's somehow tied to the Quintrells' past. But she will need an ally to survive the terrible secrets a father carried to the grave and an even more devastating evil that lurks among the living -- because following the bloodlines of the wealthy and power-hungry can be a bloody business ... and some dead secrets can kill. "

I like Elizabeth Lowell. I usually can't wait for her to come out with another book. Most of them are connected in some way but you don't have to really read them in any order. I feel like I can generally see an author progressing with each new book. Sometimes it's a good progression, sometimes not. This is an older book by Lowell and it was good, but not nearly as good as her newer ones.
I like it when things progress that way. I see it oddly as a child that has grown when I see an author getting better with each passing book.
I like how Lowell lets you meet the characters. All their good and bad. Their impatience and grumpiness. Every little thing.
This was a fast paced book that gave me plenty of suspense and romance. I liked it. Not my favorite ever, but it was good.



The Rescuer by Dee Henderson

From Barnes and Noble:

"Stephen O'Malley is a paramedic who has been rescuing people all his life. His friend Meghan is in trouble: Stolen jewels are turning up in interesting places, and she's in the middle of it. Stephen is about to run into a night he will never forget—a kidnapping, a tornado, and a race to rescue the woman he loves.
Introducing the O'Malleys, an inspirational group of seven, all abandoned or orphaned as teens, who have made the choice to become a loyal and committed family. They have chosen their own surname, O'Malley, and have stood by each other through moments of joy and heartache. Their stories are told in CBA best-selling, inspirational romantic suspense novels that rock your heart and restore strength and hope to your spirit.  "

What a great conclusion to a good, feel good series.
Henderson did a great job rounding out the series and finishing it all off. I would like to see Tom later, but overall this ending was great.
I loved that Meghan had a few moments of pity and tiredness (like we all would) but she bucked up and moved on.
I love that Stephan got settled and found what he was looking for.
I loved that it was Kate that had a baby.
I had a great time reading this series, Henderson did a great job with it.

The Healer by Dee Henderson

From Barnes and Noble:

"Rachel O'Malley works disasters for a living. Her specialty? Helping children through trauma. When a school shooting rips through her community, she finds herself dealing with more than just grief among the children she is trying to help. One of them saw the shooting, and the gun is still missing.

Introducing the O'Malleys, an inspirational group of seven, all abandoned or orphaned as teens, who have made the choice to become a loyal and committed family. They have chosen their own surname, O'Malley, and have stood by each other through moments of joy and heartache. Their stories are told in CBA best-selling, inspirational romantic suspense novels that rock your heart and restore strength and hope to your spirit.  "


What a great book. It did justice to the folks we've met so far.
I was very impressed with alot of things that Henderson tackled in this one. She tackled school violence and children's trauma. She also handled someone being overwhelmed by their job even though they are good at it.
I can't spout off statistics but I know that burnout's in fire fighters and ems are fairly short. I can't say I know alot about Red Cross psychologist, but I could imagine they are much the same.
I loved watching Cole and Rachel come together. It was such a sweet and easy development.
It was sad that Jennifer died, but the way she handled it was beautiful.
This book was a very bittersweet thing. 

The Protector by Dee Henderson

From Barnes and Noble:

"Jack O'Malley is a fireman who is fearless when it comes to facing an inferno. But when an arsonist begins targeting his district, his shift, his friends, Jack faces the ultimate challenge: protecting the lady who saw the arsonist before she pays an even higher price.

Introducing the O'Malleys, an inspirational group of seven, all abandoned or orphaned as teens, who have made the choice to become a loyal and committed family. They have chosen their own surname, O'Malley, and have stood by each other through moments of joy and heartache. Their stories are told in CBA best-selling, inspirational romantic suspense novels that rock your heart and restore strength and hope to your spirit.  "


I like books with firefighters. They are a group of people like none other. Henderson has done a great job of grasping how the fire industry works. She did a great job of getting the general feel that you feel around the fire family.
I had been looking forward to meeting Jack. I totally get the person that most people don't take very seriously. He uses his humor to defuse situations that would normally be painful or stressful.
I liked Cassie alot. She is just getting over the physical part of a fire accident. She's been struggling with the emotional part too. But whereas Jack struggles with faith, Cassie does not.
As she has been doing this series, Henderson has tackled with different reasons why the character's don't believe. Instead of just going with a generic "I don't believe," she has had these characters struggle with specific reasons behind their lack of belief. I really like that.
Yes, it's fiction. But I learn alot from fiction. I take some small piece with me from every book I read. These books have been full of scripture and real like instances that I feel like I've learned from.
I feel like after reading them I am a better witness. I can better answer questions because of them.

Truth Seeker by Dee Henderson

From Barnes and Noble:

"Women are turning up dead, and Lisa O'Malley has a habit of walking into crime scenes, curious. She's a forensic pathologist, and mysteries are her domain. U.S. marshall Quinn Diamond has found loving her is easier than keeping her safe. Lisa's found the killer, and now she's missing too.

Introducing the O'Malleys, an inspirational group of seven, all abandoned or orphaned as teens, who have made the choice to become a loyal and committed family. They have chosen their own surname, O'Malley, and have stood by each other through moments of joy and heartache. Their stories are told in CBA best-selling, inspirational romantic suspense novels that rock your heart and restore strength and hope to your spirit."

Oh good! We got back to getting to know the nitty gritty of a person. I feel like Lisa's story meant more somehow, because we caught a glimpse into her past to see just how far she had come.
We also got to know what makes Quinn tick. Seeing his patience and steadiness was great. I liked getting to know him a bit better.
These two were perfect for each other. It's always awesome to see two people that get each other so well.
It was good to see the O'Malley's coming together so much for Lisa. She had a hang up about people leaving her, so the O'Malley's work extra hard to make her see that they love her. That had the ability to be annoying, but it wasn't.



The Guardian by Dee Henderson

From Barnes and Noble:

"A federal judge has been murdered. There is only one witness, and an assassin wants her dead. U.S. Marshall Marcus O'Malley thought he knew the risks of the assignment . . . but he was wrong.

Introducing the O'Malleys, an inspirational group of seven, all abandoned or orphaned as teens, who have made the choice to become a loyal and committed family. They have chosen their own surname, O'Malley, and have stood by each other through moments of joy and heartache. Their stories are told in CBA best-selling, inspirational romantic suspense novels that rock your heart and restore strength and hope to your spirit. "

I walk away from this book wishing that I had gotten to know both Marcus and Shari better.
Shari had some insecurities that I thought she would completely overcome in this book that really weren't touched on. We saw her moving in the right direction, but no definative change.
I expected alot more from Marcus. I expected to know him much better. I thought that I would see into his past a bit. He's the dark and mysterious one of the O'Malley's so I thought that we would find him to be a super strong guy with this incredible past. That could be, but we just don't know.
I liked that Dave had a pretty strong presence and Quinn as well.
I really feel like that in order to really appreciate all that's going on in the character's lives now, we need to know alot more about the past.
I can't say that I'm totally disgusted or anything, but I am a wee bit disappointed that I didn't really get to know these people.

The Negotiator by Dee Henderson

From Barnes and Noble:

"FBI agent Dave Richman from Danger in the Shadows is back. He's about to meet Kate O'Malley, and his life will never be the same. She's a hostage negotiator. He protects people. He's about to find out that falling in love with a hostage negotiator is one thing, but keeping her safe is another!

Introducing the O'Malleys, an inspirational group of seven, all abandoned or orphaned as teens, who have made the choice to become a loyal and committed family. They have chosen their own surname, O'Malley, and have stood by each other through moments of joy and heartache. Their stories are told in CBA best-selling, inspirational romantic suspense novels that rock your heart and restore strength and hope to your spirit.  "

So this is the official start of the O'Malley series. I'm really glad that she tackled a non-believing main character so early in the series. I really liked Dave from Danger in the Shadows and am really glad to see him so soon. I wished we had seen Sara and Adam a little more, but they did at least show up.
I loved getting to know the O'Malley's and how they made their family.
Most of the time in christian fiction they non-believer is not a nice person. They are the bad guy or at the very least a snotty person. I'm really glad that Henderson choose this whole clan of people that are overcoming their dark past, but are good people, to be non-believers.
I like Dave alot. I like Kate and Marcus (as they were the most visible in this book). I'm excited that I'll be meeting the rest of the family and hopefully will hear a bit more from Dave and Kate.