Untraceable by S.R. Johannes

Book Blurb:

16 year old Grace has lived in the Smokies all her life, patrolling with her forest ranger father who taught her about wildlife, tracking, and wilderness survival.

When her dad goes missing on a routine patrol, Grace refuses to believe he’s dead and fights the town authorities, tribal officials, and nature to find him.

One day, while out tracking clues, Grace is rescued from danger by Mo, a hot guy with an intoxicating accent and a secret. As her feelings between him and her ex-boyfriend get muddled, Grace travels deep into the wilderness to escape and find her father.

Along the way, Grace learns terrible secrets that sever relationships and lives. Soon she’s enmeshed in a web of conspiracy, deception, and murder. And it’s going to take a lot more than a compass and a motorcycle (named Lucifer) for this kick-butting heroine to save everything she loves.

My Review:
4 STARS

Before I begin to write all the wonderful things about this book I wanted to start by saying, I absolutely LOVE the cover!! Isn’t it beautiful?! I think it’s gorgeous and now after reading the story, I realize it is a great image of what the story is about.

Untraceable is a thriller! We have young, stubborn and determined Grace who is consumed with figuring out what happened to her dad. Everyone in town, including the sheriff and Grace’s mom are insisting that her dad died drowning and that there is no reason to keep searching for him. Grace will not believe he is gone and repeatedly goes to the woods searching for him. What she discovers while she is there is more dangerous than bears and rushing rivers!

This is the first time I have read a young adult thriller. Most young adult books that I’ve read and enjoyed have been paranormal for the most part. Untraceable was unique and creative and I loved every minute of it!

I really enjoyed Grace! She is such a strong, stubborn girl and although I questioned some of her decisions, I understood her point of view and related to her! She is so determined to uncover the mystery of her dad that she is obsessed in a major way. Her obsession nearly costs her all her relationships and her life.

Oh….we can’t forget to talk about mysterious Mo. Grace meets Mo in the woods and there is so much mystery surrounding him that it was extremely exciting. He is hot, has an English accent and seems to be just a really nice guy! Loved him!

The whole plot was fascinating. The more that was discovered about what was going on in the woods and in the town, the more frustrated I became with it. I wasn’t frustrated with the story, but I was frustrated at the situation in the story. The author creates this realistic portrait of the evil going on and it gave me chills!!

The ending was surprising and completely unpredictable which made it that much better! We are left with lots of questions and I will be grabbing the 2nd book up as soon as I can. I highly recommend Untraceable to those that love a good fast-paced suspense with a bit of romance!

Content: Clean romance, some passionate kissing but that's it!

Thank you to S.R. Johannes for providing me a free copy of Untraceable in exchange for my honest review and opinion. All opinions are my own.

About S.R. Johannes:

When Shelli was younger, she spent all her time outdoors, hiking, camping and living the Girl Scout Way.

Somewhere along the way, she got away from nature and earned an MBA in Marketing, kicking off an 18-year marketing career in Corporate America.

Eventually, Shelli traded in her expensive suits, high heels, and corporate lingo for a family, flip-flops, and her love of writing. She started her own marketing & communications business, www.bilaninc.com, where she worked with Spanx, Goody Hair Products, Chick Filet, and the Boys & Girls Club of America.

In addition to juggling nap schedules and client meetings, Shelli focuses on her writing. She is a frequent speaker on marketing and book publicity at SCBWI conferences across the U.S, and runs a popular book marketing blog, Market My Words (www.faeriality.blogspot.com).

In her spare time (yeah right!) and if the kids allow (yeah right!), Shelli obsesses over movies, reads children’s books (over and over), and still dreams of sleeping in on the weekends. But most importantly, she is finally getting back to her roots by running her own Girl Scout Troop in Atlanta, helping girls get back to nature.

She currently lives in Atlanta with her dog (Charley), British-accented husband, and the huge imaginations of their little prince and princess that someday will change the world.