Book Review: Touching the Clouds by Bonnie Leon

About the book:

She went looking for adventure . . . and found more than she bargained for.
Kate Evans is an adventurous and independent young woman with a pioneering spirit. When she leaves her home in Washington State to follow her dream of being an Alaskan bush pilot, she knows it will be an uphill battle. But she never expected it to be quite like this. As the lone woman in a man's world, she finds that contending with people's expectations is almost as treacherous as navigating the wild arctic storms.
When she crosses paths with a mysterious man living alone in the forbidding wilderness, she faces a new challenge. Can Kate break through the walls he has put up around his heart? And will fear keep her from realizing her dreams?
Book 1 in the Alaskan Skies series, Touching the Clouds will draw readers in with raw emotion and suspense, all against the stunning backdrop of the Alaskan wilds.
My thoughts:
I really enjoyed this new book by Bonnie Leon. It had a plot that was different from anything else I've ever read that featured a female pilot working in Alaska. Pretty dangerous stuff, there! I liked the flow of the story where there was always something happening with Kate, whether it was something to do with her flying or with her private life. She was a very strong, determined character who wouldn't let anyone give her an answer of "no" because she's a woman.

I have to confess that while I didn't go into this book thinking there would be a romance, I really wanted something to happen in that area. For pretty much the entire length of the book, Kate has her choice of 3 different guys--one of them being a fiance that she left back home in Washington. I knew all along who she would choose, but the sequence of events that led up to it were a bit rushed and not mentioned until the very end of the book.

I also didn't really like how each person's past held them back. Kate blamed herself for the death of a very close friend, and Paul blamed himself for the death of someone very dear to him. While I understood grief needed to play a role in the story, it seemed to go on and on, and then bam!...at the end, everything's all rosy. That paired with the romance side of the story was just a little off, I guess.

In spite of all that, I'm really hoping that the next book in the series explores Kate's new relationship and whether she'll continue to fly. I'm also anxious to find out if Lily finds a special someone. Touching the Clouds gets a rating of 3.5 stars from me.

**Thanks to Revell for providing a copy to review.

Available July 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.