Ashburn by Julia Erickson

Note

I’m posting this review of Ashburn today because Shantelle Hannu (as part of her Author Gems blog series in which she interviews and spotlights various authors and books) is having an interview/giveaway with author Julia Erickson this week, so go check it out! 🙂

Giveaway

GO HERE (or, y’know, to Shantelle’s blogpost where it’s featured. ;)) for the Rafflecopter giveaway to win e-book copies of Ashburn and Diamond! It’s open all week, from today (August 22) until August 28. Hop to it! ^_^

Hidden Gems: Authors You Need to Discover is a weekly blog event being held every Monday from August 1 to November 21, 2016, by Shantelle @ A Writer’s Heart, featuring author interviews, book spotlights, and book giveaways.

Be sure to check it out and follow her lovely blog so you don’t miss any of the delightful posts! ^_^

Title: Ashburn (I.C.E. Agency, #1)

Author: Julia Erickson

I don’t usually read agent-y type books… which is something I should stop saying since this is actually the third agent-y type book I’ve read in the last month or so. XD But still, the point is that contemporary isn’t usually my thing. But I decided to check it out on the recommendation of a friend (thanks, Shantelle!) and was so excited to get to borrow it from another friend (thanks, Sarah!). I really enjoyed this one. 🙂

I loved the characters in this book, and especially how the point of view switches back and forth between Bryce and Cara. Bryce and Cara! Great characters. They’re so sweet together (the growing romance was so adorable), and I absolutely LOVE the bickering dialog between them — it was the best. 😀 So much fun. Also, the Rapunzel thing was funny. XD …Long golden hair. You’ll have to read it to find out. 😉

Bryce is the best, by the way. He’s just such a great character. Definitely a favorite. 🙂 Also, I positively NEED a pair of his agent-y sunglasses! Those would be super handy to have. *thumbs-up* Cara was nice too. And like I said, they’re so CUTE together and I adore their fun conversations — they’re just such a blast to read. ^_^

There was a Christian thread going through the story, which was nice. Also it’s one of the few books I’ve read which was about homeschool graduates. Both Bryce and Cara were homeschooled, which was neat. 🙂 I didn’t really have much in common with them, despite that, but still neat. 😛 The book is also quite clean, for those wondering about that.

Some of the plot seemed to get a little lost in the background at some points so in a way a lot of it wasn’t totally wrapped up (but it didn’t matter by the end, I guess), and I didn’t always agree with the way some things were handled (also, to be honest, the elaborateness of the ending honestly freaked me out, but I’m probably alone there. XD), and other than that I just enjoyed the ride.

Oh! And one of the most cool things of all about this book (you know, aside from the characters and the sweet romance and the banter) was the international chase and mystery and adventure! We travel all over with Bryce and Cara — Georgia to Venice to Paris to Germany… it was awesome to be immersed in all those countries and just gave it an international-spy-thriller feel… which I suppose is exactly what it is. 😉

So! A Christian romance spy suspense fun adventure with just the right mix of humor, dialog, romance, and edge-of-your-seat action, it was overall a very fun read for me, and I definitely recommend it if you’d like something kind of light and agent-y to read! 🙂

From Goodreads:

Cara Stephenson, a talented graphic designer at Silver Strand Technologies, never thought she’d see her childhood best friend again… but when he suddenly reenters her life ten years later, he’s a completely different man. What is he hiding, and why should she trust him?

Bryce Reynolds is a man on a mission- a top-secret one at that! He never dreamed the girl down the street would one day become his link to the destruction of Ravenmeister, Inc.- a front for black-market arms and ammunition. Will he crumble underneath the burden of all his secrets?

When the hunt for a missing technology developer in possession of a priceless prototype drags Cara and Bryce on a high-adrenaline ride through the streets of Paris, Venice, and Munich, they must work together to find what they’re looking for… and survive the trip!

{Goodreads} • {Amazon}

Genre/Category: Christian / Mystery / Thriller / Suspense / Romance

Age Group: I suppose it’s “technically” Adult since the characters are in their twenties, but it’s clean and would likely be most enjoyed by teens. 🙂

Published: 2014

Pages: 319 pages (paperback)

Series?: Book 1 of the I.C.E. Agency Series, followed by Diamond.

When Read: July 11 – 16, 2016

Favorite Character: Bryce A.K.A. Ashburn because he’s the best. ❤

Source: Borrowed from a friend.

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Thanks for reading!

Dream away in those pages . . .

~ The Page Dreamer

 

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