Shipwreck Island by S.A. Bodeen

Sarah is very angry with her father. Her mother has been dead for six years.  It has been just the two of them- -her father and herself-- against the world.  Now he has met and married Yvonna and moved her two sons Nacho and Marco into their luxurious California home from Texas.

“Tears welled up in Sarah’s eyes, and her throat felt thick. She whirled around striding away from their gate. How could he do that? How could he trust a virtual stranger like that? She’d read about these kinds of things happening, people meeting people online, marrying them, then stealing all their money.”

Her father and Yvonna decide to change their plans for a honeymoon to instead include Sarah, Marco, and Nacho.  It will be an exotic trip to Fiji.  They will sail among the islands and get to know each other as a family blended together.

When the ship Moonlight from Ends of the Earth Luxury Cruises turns out to be a ship in need of repair, both Marco and Sarah goad her father and Yvonna to continue with the excursion in the hopes that it will break up their parents’ month old marriage so their own lives can return to normal.

No one counted on a terrible sudden storm and the death of the ship’s captain!

Will the family “blend together” under the stress of this catastrophe? Will they survive Shipwreck Island?

Read Shipwreck Island to find out! There will definitely be a sequel to this book!

Surrounded by Sharks by Michael

Davey’s family has taken a vacation to Aszure Island in the Florida Keys.  His parents need this vacation to relax as well as to reflect on their import business which hasn’t been doing well.

Davey, in typical thirteen-age fashion, finds the island “boring.” When he decides to leave the hotel room he is sharing with his mom and dad and younger brother Brandon early in the morning before anyone else is awake, it is to find some solitude to read.

When his family awakens to find Davey’s bed empty, they begin to search the hotel, island, dock area to no avail.

What they don’t realize is that Davey has waded into the water where an undertow and riptide current have taken him out to sea.

Davey’s trial at sea begins.  When he sees a blue shark in the water beneath him, he tries many different ideas to deter an attack which becomes more imminent as two black-tipped sharks and a huge tiger shark also circle around him.

How will his family figure out what has happened to their son? 

Will help arrive in time to save Davey?

Read Surrounded by Sharks to find out!

First Descent

Looking closely at the cover of this book entitled First Descent, the reader sees a kayaker through the scope of a high powered rifle in what appears to be a rainforest or jungle. This cover couldn’t have been a better choice to encapsulate this high paced adventure story.

Seventeen-year-old Rex lives with his mother and grandfather in Milltown, Alberta in Canada. He has trained relentlessly to become a world class kayaker. His goal is to complete the descent of a river in Columbia, South America that his grandpa had attempted in his younger days.

 When his grandpa decides to sponsor him on the trip, Rex is thrilled! The area where he will be attempting the descent is very remote. The Tourism Board of Columbia has said it is a safe area for travelers to explore or his gramps and mom would never have allowed Rex to travel there.

Rex will have to depend on others. His Spanish is sparse. He will need trained kayaking companions and a local guide as well as an outfitter from whom to rent equipment.

The reality of the political turmoil in Columbia near the El Furioso River is quite different from reports that the tourism board shared. There are paramilitary forces fighting guerrilla forces. The indigenous peoples are being threatened daily. The soldiers of Columbia are not able to control the area.

Will Rex be able to trust the indigenous girl named Myriam Calambás who is guiding him? Will Rex’s kayaking companions stay the course when the going on the river becomes more challenging? Will the guerrilla forces in the region seek out this white skinned boy? Is the El Furioso a deadly river? Read this adventure story to find out!