{"id":541,"date":"2009-10-30T10:14:00","date_gmt":"2009-10-30T10:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/2009\/10\/last-breath-by-brandilyn-and-amberly-collins.html"},"modified":"2009-10-30T10:14:00","modified_gmt":"2009-10-30T10:14:00","slug":"last-breath-by-brandilyn-and-amberly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/2009\/10\/last-breath-by-brandilyn-and-amberly\/","title":{"rendered":"Last Breath By Brandilyn And Amberly Collins"},"content":{"rendered":"

I finished this novel last night and it was an entertaining read. I didn’t think it was as scary as the prequel<\/a> since there was no dead body in the beginning. But, there were unique aspects of the story that’ll make you keep turning the pages.
1. There’s a sweet love story that takes place in the nineties with Rayne and her boyfriend (Shaley’s dad)
2. Gang warfare is an unusual element that gives this story a suspenseful edge.<\/p>\n

When Shaley’s mom is injured, Shaley is beside herself with worry. The paparazzi continue to hound the star and her daughter, and Shaley feels like her life is spinning out of control. All she wants to do is go home and relax, try and return to a life of semi-normalcy. However, she’s in the hospital with her injured superstar-singer mother, Rayne. After an eager photographer causes Rayne’s accident, she’s stunned because she can’t finish her tour and is forced to recuperate in the hospital.<\/p>\n

Shaley still wonders about the message whispered in her ear right before the killer in the first book dies…Did her father really send a killer on the Rayne tour? Will her mother now give her details about the father Shaley’s never known?<\/p>\n

This book shows that sometimes turmoil happens in our lives, forcing us to think about God and to turn to Him during those difficult moments.<\/p>\n

~Cecelia Dowdy~<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/a>It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour<\/a><\/span><\/strong> book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Today’s Wild Card author is: <\/strong><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Brandilyn & Amberly Collins<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

and the book:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Last Breath (Rayne Series #2)<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Zondervan; 1 edition (October 1, 2009) <\/p>\n

***Special thanks to Lindsey Rodarmer of ZONDERKIDZ for sending me a review copy.***<\/p>\n

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

\"\"id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332569789708437570\"<\/a>
Brandilyn and Amberly Collins are a mother\/daughter team from northern California. Brandilyn is a bestselling novelist, known for her trademarked “Seatbelt Suspense”. Amberly is a college student in southern California. She and her mom love attending concerts together. <\/p>\n

Visit the author’s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here’s a video about the first book in the Rayne Series:<\/p>\n

<\/param><\/param><\/param><\/object><\/p>\n

Product Details:<\/p>\n

List Price: $9.99
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Zondervan; 1 edition (October 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310715407
ISBN-13: 978-0310715405 <\/p>\n

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:<\/span> <\/strong>
<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397493309757602946\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Your father sent me.<\/p>\n

The last words of a dying man, whispered in my ear. <\/p>\n

Were they true? What did they mean?<\/p>\n

Your father sent me. The stunning claim drilled through my head, louder than the crowd\u2019s screams.<\/p>\n

Guitars blasted the last chord of Rayne\u2019s hit song, Ever Alone, as Mom\u2019s voice echoed through the Pepsi Center in Denver. The heavy drum beat thumped in my chest. With a final smash of cymbals the rock song ended. Multicolored laser lights swept the stadium, signaling the thirty-minute intermission.<\/p>\n

Wild shrieks from thousands of fans rang in my ears.<\/p>\n

I rose from my chair backstage. Tiredly, I smiled at the famous Rayne O\u2019Connor as she strode toward me on high red heels. In the lights her sequined top shimmered and her blonde hair shone. She walked with confidence and grace, the picture of a rock star\u2014until she stepped from her fans\u2019 sight. Then her posture slumped, weariness creasing her beautiful face. Mom\u2019s intense blue eyes usually glimmered with the excitement of performing, but now I saw only the wash of grief and exhaustion. How she\u2019d managed to perform tonight, I\u2019d never know. Except that she\u2019s strong. A real fighter.<\/p>\n

Me? I had to keep fighting too, even if my legs still trembled and I\u2019d probably have nightmares for weeks. <\/p>\n

Your father sent me. <\/p>\n

I had to find out what those words meant.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a very brave young lady,\u201d a Denver detective had told me just a few hours ago. I didn\u2019t feel brave then or now.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou okay, Shaley?\u201d Mom had to shout over the screams as she hugged me.<\/p>\n

I nodded against her shoulder, hanging on tightly until she pulled back. <\/p>\n

The crowd\u2019s applause died down. A heavy hum of voices and footsteps filtered from the stadium as thousands of people headed for concessions and bathrooms during the break.<\/p>\n

Kim, the band\u2019s keyboard player and alto to my mom\u2019s lead vocals, stopped to lay a darkly tanned hand on my head. A strand of her bleached white-blonde hair was stuck to the gloss on her pink lips. She brushed it away. \u201cYou\u2019re an amazing sixteen-year-old.\u201d <\/p>\n

I shrugged, embarrassed. \u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mick and Wendell, Mom\u2019s two remaining bodyguards, approached without a word. I gave a self-conscious smile to Wendell, and he nodded back, sadness flicking across his face. His deep-set eyes were clouded, and the long scar across his chin seemed harder, more shiny. At five-eleven, Wendell is short for a bodyguard but every bit as muscled. Tonight his two-inch black hair, usually gelled straight up, stuck out in various directions. He hadn\u2019t bothered to fix it since the life and death chase he was involved in just a few hours ago. Seeing that messed-up hair sent a stab through me. Wendell was usually so finicky about it. <\/p>\n

Mick, Mom\u2019s main personal bodyguard, folded his huge arms and stood back, waiting. Mick is in his forties, ex-military and tall, with a thick neck and block-shaped head. I\u2019ve rarely seen emotion on his face, but I saw glimpses of it now. He and Wendell had been good friends with Bruce, Mom\u2019s third bodyguard. <\/p>\n

Bruce had been killed hours ago. Shot. <\/p>\n

And he\u2019d been trying to guard me.<\/p>\n

My vision blurred. I blinked hard and looked at the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on.\u201d Mom nudged my arm. \u201cWe\u2019re all meeting in my dressing room.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mick and Bruce flanked her as she walked away.<\/p>\n

Usually we don\u2019t have to be so careful backstage. It\u2019s a heavily guarded area anyway. But tonight nothing was the same.<\/p>\n

Kim and I followed Mom down a long hall to her dressing room. Morrey, Kim\u2019s boyfriend and Rayne\u2019s drummer, caught up with us. He put a tattoo-covered arm around Kim, her head only reaching his shoulders. Morrey looked at me and winked, but I saw no happiness in it. <\/p>\n

Ross Blanke, the band\u2019s tour production manager, hustled up alongside us, trailed by Stan, lead guitarist, and Rich, Rayne\u2019s bass player. \u201cHey.\u201d Ross put a pudgy hand on Mom\u2019s shoulder. \u201cYou\u2019re doing great.\u201d He waved an arm, indicating everyone. \u201cAll of you, you\u2019re just doing great.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou do what you have to,\u201d Stan said grimly. His black face shone with sweat.<\/p>\n

Narrowing single file, we trudged into the dressing room. Mick and Wendell took up places on each side of the door. <\/p>\n

Marshall, the makeup and hair stylist, started handing out water bottles. In his thirties, Marshall has buggy eyes and curly dark hair. His fingers are long and narrow, deft with his makeup tools. But until two days ago, he\u2019d been second to Mom\u2019s main stylist, Tom.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks.\u201d I took a bottle from Marshall and tried to smile. Didn\u2019t work. Just looking at him sent pangs of grief through me, because his presence reminded me of Tom\u2019s absence. <\/p>\n

Tom, my closest friend on tour, had been murdered two days ago.<\/p>\n

Mom, Ross, Rich and I sank down on the blue couch\u2014one of the furniture pieces Mom requested in every dressing room. Denver\u2019s version was extra large, with a high back and overstuffed arms. To our left stood a table with plenty of catered food, but no one was hungry. I\u2019d hardly eaten in the last day and a half and knew I should have something. But no way, not now.<\/p>\n

Maybe after the concert.<\/p>\n

Stan, Morrey and Kim drew up chairs to form a haphazard circle.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right.\u201d Ross sat with his short, fat legs apart, hands on his jeaned thighs. The huge diamond ring on his right hand was skewed to one side. He straightened it with his pinky finger. \u201cI\u2019ve checked outside past the guarded area. The zoo\u2019s double what it usually is. The news has already hit and every reporter and his brother are waiting for us. Some paparazzi are already there, and others have probably hopped planes and will show up by the time we leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is Cat here? I shuddered at the thought of the slinky, effeminate photographer who\u2019d bothered us so much in the last two days. He\u2019d even pulled a fire alarm in our San Jose hotel the night before just to force us out of our rooms. Now by police order he wasn\u2019t supposed to get within five hundred feet of us. I doubted he\u2019d care.<\/p>\n

My eyes burned, and my muscles felt like water. Little food, no sleep, and plenty of shock. Bad combination. I slumped down in the couch and laid my head back. <\/p>\n

Ross ran a hand through his scraggly brown hair. \u201cNow at intermission folks out there\u201d\u2014he jabbed a thumb toward the arena\u2014\u201care gonna start hearing things. Rayne, you might want to say a little something when you get back on stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mom sighed, as if wondering where she\u2019d find the energy to do the second half of the concert. \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n

I squeezed her knee. If only the two of us could hide from the world for a week or two. <\/p>\n

Make that a whole year.<\/p>\n

Rich frowned as he moved his shaved head from one side to the other, stretching his neck muscles. His piercing gray eyes landed on me, and his face softened. I looked away.<\/p>\n

Everyone was so caring and concerned about me. I was grateful for that. Really, I was. But it\u2019s a little hard to know you\u2019ve been the cause of three deaths. Under all their smiles, did the band members blame me?<\/p>\n

Ross scratched his hanging jowl. \u201cWe got extra coverage from Denver police at the hotel tonight. Tomorrow we\u2019re supposed to head out for Albuquerque. It\u2019s close enough for Vance to drive the main bus without a switch-off driver, and the next two venues are close enough as well. But that\u2019s just logistics. We\u2019ve all been through a lot. Question is\u2014can you all keep performing?\u201d He looked around, eyebrows raised. <\/p>\n

\u201cMan.\u201d Morrey shook back his shoulder-length black hair. \u201cIf three deaths in two days isn\u2019t enough to make us quit \u2026\u201d His full lips pressed. <\/p>\n

I glanced hopefully at Mom. Yeah, let\u2019s go home! I could sleep in my own bed, hide from the paparazzi and reporters, hang out with Brittany, my best friend\u2014who was supposed to be here with me right now. <\/p>\n

But canceling concerts would mean losing a lot of money. The Rayne tour was supposed to continue another four weeks.<\/p>\n

Mom hunched forward, elbows on her knees and one hand to her cheek. Her long red fingernails matched the color of her lips. \u201cI almost lost my daughter tonight.\u201d Her voice was tight. \u201cI don\u2019t care if I never tour again\u2014Shaley\u2019s got to be protected, that\u2019s the number one thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

I want you protected too, Mom.<\/p>\n

\u201cI agree with that a hundred percent,\u201d Morrey said, \u201cbut at least the threat to Shaley is gone now that Jerry\u2019s dead.<\/p>\n

Jerry, one of our bus drivers\u2014and a man I\u2019d thought was my friend\u2014killed Tom and Bruce, and then came after me earlier that night. A cop ended up shooting him.<\/p>\n

Kim spread her hands. \u201cI don\u2019t know what to say. I\u2019m still reeling. We\u2019ve barely had time to talk about any of this tonight before getting on stage. I feel like my mind\u2019s gonna explode. And Tom \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

She teared up, and that made me cry. Kim had been like a mother to Tom. Crazy, funny Tom. It was just so hard to believe he was gone.<\/p>\n

I wiped my eyes and looked at my lap.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyway.\u201d Kim steadied her voice. \u201cIt\u2019s so much to deal with. I don\u2019t know how we\u2019re going to keep up this pace for another month.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mom looked at Ross. \u201cWe can\u2019t keep going very long with only Vance to drive the main bus.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ross nodded. \u201cUntil Thursday. I\u2019d have to replace him by then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith who?\u201d Mom\u2019s voice edged.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. I\u2019ll have to jump on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t just \u2018jump on it.\u2019 We need time to thoroughly check the new driver out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRayne.\u201d Ross threw her a look. \u201cI did check Jerry out. Completely. He had a false ID, remember? That\u2019s what the police said. I couldn\u2019t have known that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou might have known if you\u2019d checked harder.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ross\u2019s face flushed. \u201cI did\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo you didn\u2019t! Or if you did it wasn\u2019t good enough!\u201d Mom pushed to her feet and paced a few steps. \u201cSomething\u2019s mighty wrong if we can\u2019t even find out a guy\u2019s a convicted felon!\u201d <\/p>\n

What? I stiffened. \u201cHow do you know that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Mom waved a hand in the air. \u201cThe police told me just before we left the hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019d huddled in the manager\u2019s office after the policeman killed Jerry.<\/p>\n

I stared at Mom. \u201cWhen was he in jail?\u201d<\/p>\n

Mom threw a hard look at Ross. \u201cHe\u2019d barely gotten out when we hired him.\u201d <\/p>\n

Heat flushed through my veins. I snapped my gaze toward the floor, Jerry\u2019s last words ringing in my head. <\/p>\n

Your father sent me.<\/p>\n

How could my father have sent Jerry if he was in jail?<\/p>\n

\u201cRayne,\u201d Ross snapped, \u201cI\u2019ve told you I\u2019m sorry a dozen times\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry isn\u2019t enough!\u201d Mom whirled on him. \u201cMy daughter was taken hostage. She could have been killed!\u201d<\/p>\n

Rich jumped up and put his arms around her. \u201cCome on, Rayne, it\u2019s okay now.\u201d<\/p>\n

She leaned against him, eyes closed. The anger on her face melted into exhaustion. \u201cIt\u2019s not okay.\u201d Mom shook her head. \u201cTom\u2019s dead, Bruce is dead. And Shaley\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Her words broke off. Mom pulled away from Rich and hurried back to the couch. She sank down next to me, a hand on my knee. \u201cShaley, you\u2019re the one who\u2019s been through the most. What do you want to do?\u201d<\/p>\n

My throat nearly swelled shut. Go home! I wanted to yell. But I couldn\u2019t. It wouldn\u2019t be fair. This wasn\u2019t my tour. I didn\u2019t have to pay the bills. <\/p>\n

I glanced around at all the band members. Morrey was holding Kim\u2019s hand. Stan and Rich watched me, waiting. A canceled tour wouldn\u2019t just affect them. Rayne had three back-up singers, one of them Carly, who\u2019d been such a help to me. Plus all the techs and roadies. They\u2019d all lose money.<\/p>\n

Wait\u2014maybe Mom would let me go home and stay with Brittany. Now that Tom\u2019s and Bruce\u2019s killer was dead \u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cShaley?\u201d Mom tapped my leg.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t \u2026 I can\u2019t stop the tour.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ross exhaled. \u201cRayne?\u201d<\/p>\n

Mom looked at the wall clock and pushed to her feet. \u201cWe can\u2019t decide this now. It\u2019s only fifteen minutes before we have to be back on stage. I still need to change.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stan stood. \u201cI say we figure on doing Albuquerque, and then we can decide about the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, me too.\u201d Rich got up, along with everyone else. I could see the business-like attitude settle on all their faces, including Mom\u2019s. Soon they had to perform again. Every other concern must be pushed aside. In the entertainment world the saying was true: the show must go on.<\/p>\n

Within a minute everyone had left except Mom, Marshall and me. Mom threw herself into a chair by the bright mirrors so Marshall could adjust her makeup. When he left she changed into a steel blue top and skinny-legged black pants.<\/p>\n

I sat numbly on the couch, four words running through my mind. Words, I sensed, that would change my life. <\/p>\n

Your father sent me.<\/p>\n

Mom didn\u2019t know what Jerry had whispered to me as he died. I needed to tell her. <\/p>\n

But how? Like me, she was running on empty. It would be one more shock, another scare. I wasn\u2019t sure she could take anymore and still perform.<\/p>\n

Had Jerry told me the truth? Had the father I\u2019d never known\u2014the man my mother refused to talk about\u2014purposely sent a killer to join our tour?<\/p>\n

I needed to know. I needed to find out. Because if it was true\u2014the danger was far from over.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I finished this novel last night and it was an entertaining read. I didn’t think it was as scary as the prequel since there was no dead body in the beginning. But, there were unique aspects of the story that’ll make you keep turning the pages.1. There’s a sweet love story that takes place in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[68,38,19,48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-brandilyn-collins","category-first-wild-card-blog-tour","category-mystery-and-suspense-titles","category-ya-title"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paovYP-8J","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=541"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/541\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}