New giveaway! Enter for a chance to win Shattered Silence by Margaret Daley (with review)

About the book:

A serial killer is targeting illegal aliens in southern Texas. Texas Ranger Cody Jackson is paired with a local police officer, Liliana Rodriguez, to investigate the murders. While the case brings Cody and Liliana ever closer, the tension between Americans and Mexican Americans heightens. As Cody and Liliana race to discover who is behind the murders and bring peace to the area, what they uncover isn t what they expected. Will Cody and Liliana s faith and love be strong enough to survive the storm of violence?

My review:

Shattered Silence is a relevant novel for people living close to the Mexican border. Though I live in Arizona, one can see the border fence at night from my front porch, so I know what it's like to wonder what those helicopters mean when a bunch fly overhead at night. A lot of stuff happens that I'm sure we only know a little bit about. Anyway, this novel is set in Texas. There is just something about those Texas Rangers that seems sexy to me (and I'm sure I'm not the only one.)

The hero in this story was intriguing and very likable. The fact that he wanted to be a good father to his teenage son gave his character some depth. The heroine was spunky, but at the same time very real and guarded because of childhood abuse. She was strong, but not in a way that seemed forced or created for the story to make her seem tough. Liliana's characterization made her feel real enough to be an actual person, even though she's fictional. I wanted her to find love and be able to trust a man knowing that all of the men in her life had been violent before she met the handsome Texas Ranger.

There were a lot of subplots through this story, but they tied together nicely. They all had to do with violence of one type or another. From a serial killer, to bullies at schools and domestic violence in her sister's family, there wasn't a slow moment in this book. One thing I noticed -- and liked -- was how the author ended a lot of scenes with a cliff-hanger. It was cool the way the author did it. Like the snake was about the strike, then a scene break happened and she went on to another person's point of view, which began in an entirely different area and/or scene of the story. It almost made me want to hum... da da da dum dum... like in the TV series, Dragnet.

If you like suspenseful romantic tales that keep you reading, and ones that have a lot of plot twists, you'll enjoy this book. It had some vivid scenes and deep emotion that held my interest. And the romance was...sigh worthy. Great story!

Shattered Silence was published by Abingdon Press and released in Sept. 2012.

Now for the question... What are your thoughts about the dangers of living so close to the Mexican border?