Running From Strangers by C.C. Harrison

I picked up this book since one of the reviews said this author would appeal to fans of Nora Roberts' Romantic Suspense novels. There are some key characteristics to the two authors. Both authors develop their characters to be more than two dimensional stereotypes. Nora Roberts develops her secondary characters more. C.C. Harrison develops the secondary characters a little, but you are left wondering what their motivations might be. Well, this is with the exception of one female "villian" - she is developed fully and I would have liked to have read more about her.
One of my issues with this novel was that I felt as if the novel was originally a lot longer than the 301 pages it turns out to be. There are some parts where it seems there is not enough background, or something in the main characters' lives happened that affects the story.. but the reader doesn't get to read it. My uneducated guess is that perhaps the author was told to cut the story; well-known authors' readers might welcome 400 pages. Newer authors do not have the luxury.
Anyway, I did enjoy this novel and I would read another one by her... provided it was longer. The suspense had a good pace; the storyline was believable; and I did like the main characters. There is a lot to the storyline as far as corruption, bribery, somewhat violent action (not gory, not too descriptive). The "bad things" that the enemy is doing are bad, but that too is not in grisly detail, which I appreciate. Sometimes Allie Hudson (female main character) annoyed me because I wanted her to be more forthcoming with the male lead.
I would recommend it, I would read it again, and I will definitely take a look at her next title.

Not Becoming My Mother

Not Becoming My Mother & other things she taught me along the way by Ruth Reichl

Many have said at one time or another “I don’t want to be like my mother.” But have we ever really investigated who our mothers really were or are? What they dreamed about or the battles that they fought?

On what would have been her mother’s 100th birthday, Reichl embarks on a painful, but yet eye-opening journey into who her mother really was. Through reading her mother's diaries and letters, Reichl can see her mother's sacrifices and struggles and all the lessons she hoped her daughter would learn from her life.

Readers may walk away asking themselves "did/do I really know my mother and what did I learn from her? An engaging quick read, two thumbs up!