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I am taking a blogging break for a little while. I am in the process of getting all of my challenges for 2011 picked out so you'll see a bunch of those posts.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Last Snow review and Giveaway!


Last Snow
Eric Van Lustbader
416 pages

Rating:



* I was sent this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Synopsis:

Jack McClure, Special Advisor and closest friend to the new President of the United States, interprets the world very differently from the rest of us. It’s his greatest liability, and his greatest asset.


An American senator, supposedly on a political trip to the Ukraine, turns up dead on the island of Capri. When the President asks him to find out how and why, Jack sets out from Moscow across Eastern Europe, following a perilous trail of diplomats, criminals, and corrupt politicians. Thrust into the midst of a global jigsaw puzzle, Jack’s unique dyslexic mind allows him to put together the pieces that others can’t even see.


Still unreconciled to the recent death of his daughter and the dissolution of his marriage, Jack takes on a personal mission along with his official one: keeping safe from harm his two unlikely, unexpected, and incompatible companions—Annika Dementieva, a rogue Russian FSB agent, and Alli Carson, the President’s daughter. As he struggles to keep both young women safe and unearth the answers he seeks, hunted by everyone from the Russian mafia to the Ukrainian police to his own NSA, Jack learns just how far up the American and Russian political ladders corruption and treachery has reached.


In the vein of Eric Van Lustbader’s latest bestselling Jason Bourne novels, Lustbader takes us on an international adventure in this powerful page-turner that will keep you reading through the night.


Review:

Last Snow is the follow up to First Daughter. Eric Van Lustbader is an author I hadn't heard of until I was approached to read and review this book on my blog. I'm glad that I was approached because I found another "new to me" author that I really like a lot. Usually, I have found sequels to have that "sophomore curse" that is so NOT the case with this book. I actually think that the sequel is BETTER than the first book. Because I think that the synopsis for this book does an excellent job of laying out the ground work for this book I am going to do what I did in my review of the First Daughter and tell you what I liked about the book. Why I think it doesn't suffer from the "sophomore curse."
1. Last Snow picks up right where First Daughter left off. I thought that there was an easy flow from one book to the other, so I was able to make a smooth transition between the two books. There are some series that I can not say that about but this is one that I most certainly can!
2. I'm not one for roller coasters usually, but this is one roller coaster that I most definitely glad I got on! All the twists and turns were great! I think (in my opinion anyway) that they were better than the first book. I was pretty much in a constant state of "who done it." I LOVE books where the "bad guy" isn't obvious.
3. I loved the "girl fights" between Annika and Alli....While Jack is trying to mediate AND keep them all alive. Sometimes it had to "suck" to be Jack. That's A LOT to put on one person!
4. Last Snow was VERY fast paced! I had a VERY hard time putting it down once I started reading it.
I guess my only "issue" with the book was the prologue. At first I wasn't sure who's perspective it was written from but once I was a couple pages into chapter 1 it became oh-so-clear to me who's perspective it was written from. Overall, I highly recommend reading both Last Snow AND First Daughter. Definite page turners....I hope that there will be more books in the Jack McClure series!
Giveaway rules!
1. Fill out the form.
2. Leave me a comment that you filled out the form.
3. Contest will go until March 25 @ 11:59 pm CST.
4. Winner will be drawn randomly.
Optional Entries
1. Tweet
2. Blog Post
3. Blog Follower
4. Sidebar post





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22 comments:

Unknown said...

Hey Jamie, just letting you know that I filled out the form, please enter me in the contest. Thank you! :-)

Marjorie/cenya2 said...

I filled out the form and would really like to
win this book. Being Ukranian I enjoy books
with history.

Barb said...

Filled out the form! Thanks for entering me into the contest!

Unknown said...

Filled out the form! Thanks for the opportunity to win-

-CYM

Tales of Whimsy said...

Cooool :)
(not an entry)

Unknown said...

Just filled out the form! Thanks for the contest!

Hannah said...

I did fill out the form, but I actually have a regular comment too. Well...it's a question, really.

I'm sure since this book is the second in a series it is best read with the first book, but would it make sense if it were read alone?

KMichelleC87 said...

Thanks for the contest. I filled out the form.

brokenteepee said...

Thanks! I filled out the form

Misusedinnocence said...

I filled out the form. :)

Esme said...

Thanks for this-filled out the form.

CallMeKayla said...

I filled out the form!

holdenj said...

Filled out the very easy form! I'm looking forward to reading this and liked the review.

Anonymous said...

thanks for this contest!!

angie said...

I filled out the form and tweeted:)

Unknown said...

I filled out the form.
bstilwell12 at comcast dot net

MarionG said...

Hi I filled out the form. I love Van Lustbader and have read all his martial arts/ninja novels.
polo-puppy-fluffy at hotmail dot com

Wings said...

hi!!!

awesome contest!!!

just dropping by to say that im all entered :D

Linda Kish said...

I filled out the form

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

I filled out the form and I am a follower.

Eileen
Wiseowlreviews(at)aol(dot)com

Julie said...

Hi I filled out the storm-sounds like a fantastic read :)

aunteegem@yahoo.com

mandala said...

Filled out the form. Thanks for the chance :)

mandalarctic(at)gmail(dot)com