All Fall Down by Julie Coulter Bellon – Blog Tour – Combined Review

Nov 152012

All Fall Down

Author: Julie Coulter Bellon

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing

Published: September 2012

Paperback/Kindle; 225 pages

ISBN13: 9781479264858

Genre: Romantic Suspense/International Intrigue

FTC FYI: Received a PDF copy in exchange for an honest review

Reviewed by: Mindy and Shanda

***Julie is holding a giveaway with several different prizes. See details below on how to enter!***

Backcover Summary:

Ring around the rosy, a pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes we all fall down . . .

That simple rhyme turns negotiator Claire Michaels’ current hostage situation into an international incident. Claire just wants to help get everyone out safely, but as the crisis escalates she realizes she’s dealing with an al-Qaeda operative who has the means to become another bin Laden—with the potential to attack America. Claire has her own personal reasons for wanting to stop al-Qaeda, but time is slipping away as negotiations break down. Can she overcome her scars of the past in order to get the hostage out alive and possibly stop an assault on U.S. national security?

Navy SEAL Rafe Kelly is on leave to recover from a knee injury he suffered during his tour in Afghanistan and he doesn’t expect to be fighting terrorists on his home turf. But when he is taken hostage and his brother is kidnapped, Rafe teams up with a hostage negotiator in order to stay alive and get his brother back. The terrorist is always one step ahead of them, however, and the situation quickly turns from desperate to deadly. Will Rafe be able to save himself and his country without anyone he loves getting caught in the crossfire?

Mindy’s Review

Julie Bellon has written an awesome book with the perfect amount of suspense, mixed with romantic tension and great chemistry between the main characters. I was taken immediately into the story, and only out of sheer fatigue would I stop reading. I read this really fast, so luckily I only had to wait one night in between. I loved the point of view changes. Chapters would end with such great cliffhangers, but the next chapter was a different character. I really enjoy that “author trick” as I call it, and it kept me reading, and reading, and reading …

I really liked the main characters. I love a strong female lead, with a touch of vulnerability. Claire was perfect for that role. She was smart and knew her job well, but when it came to Rafe, she developed a soft spot. Rafe was great too. By the end of this book, he is put through the ringer. I kept thinking, what else can happen to this poor guy. They both were great characters and written well.

4 out of 5 stars. From now on, I will be forever creeped out by the nursery rhyme, “Ring Around the Rosy.”

Shanda’s Review

All Fall Down is a quick moving story with suspense, betrayal, action and a bit of romance. Julie doesn’t wait to throw the reader right into the action.

The opening hostage scene on the roof was intense. For me it was the most suspenseful part of the story. I really liked both Claire and Rafe. They go through so much and I wondered if they were ever going to catch a break. I saw one twist coming, but I wasn’t sure how it would play out. One of my favorite parts was the first time Rafe meets Clair’s father.

Those who like clean and suspenseful international intrigue, especially fans of Julie Bellon’s other books, will enjoy All Fall Down.

During the blog tour, Julie is offering both the paperback and Kindle versions of All Fall Down at a discounted price.

Giveaway Details (from blog tour host The Book Bug)

Julie is generously offering 7, yes 7 awesome giveaways for the tour!! (I want to win them myself!) That means you have 7 chances at winning! (Pretty good odds, huh?!)

The prizes include:

(2) “Book Lovers'” baskets which include a copy of All Fall Down, a hand tied lap blanket, Julie’s favorite hot chocolate mix, and a copy of Janice Sperry’s Christmas novella, The Candy Cane Queen

(3) Print copies of All Fall Down

(2) Ebook copies of All Fall Down

To enter to win these prizes, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form provided. (Each tour stop will have the same Rafflecopter form).

Open from November 12 to December 7. Must be 13+ years of age to enter. US mailing addresses only.

Earn entries by doing any/all of the following:

-Leaving a blog post comment

-Liking Julie’s Facebook page

-Following Julie on Twitter

-Becoming a fan of Julie on Goodreads

-Tweeting about the giveaway (once per day)

-Subscribing to Julie’s blog

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