Giveaway & Review: Wings of Fear by Helene Young

16 Jan 2012 20 Comments

by shelleyrae @ Book'd Out in Australian Reading, ★★★★1/2, Chicklit & Romance, Fiction, Giveaways, Reviewed by Request, The Australian Women Writers Challenge 2012, Thriller & Suspense

Title: Wings of Fear

Author: Helene Young

Published: Hachette Australia Feb  2011

Synopsis: Above the crystal-blue waters of North Queensland, Captain Morgan Pentland patrols the vast Australian coastline. When Customs Agent Rafe Daniels joins her crew, she is immediately suspicious. Why is he boarding her plane when she isn’t there? And why is he asking so many questions? What Morgan doesn’t know is that Rafe has her under surveillance. Critical information about their Border Watch operations is being leaked and she is the main suspect, but when Morgan and Rafe are shot down in a tragic midair attack, they realise they have to start working together – and quickly. One of Australia’s most loved icons is the next target and they have only nine days to stop it. Will they uncover details of the plot in time, or will the tension that is growing between them jeopardise everything? Read an Excerpt

Status: Read on January 06, 2012 — I own a copy

My Thoughts:

The coastline of Queensland stretches some 6973 km (or 4333 miles) and protecting it is a daunting prospect, particularly in the sparsely populated region of the far north which is vulnerable as a point for illegal entry to Australia. Coastal surveillance is a huge operation involving patrol by sea and air and Helene Young, a pilot herself, recognised it’s unique potential as a setting for Wings of Fear.

In Wings of Fear, Captain Morgan Pentland is a pilot for the Border Watch fleet in far north Queensland. When Customs Agent Rafe Daniels joins her crew, it becomes obvious that he has an agenda Morgan and her team are not privy to. Acting on suspicions of a leak in the fleet Rafe has Morgan under close surveillance, concerned that the information is being used to create an opportunity for terrorist activity. By the time the truth is uncovered, Morgan and Rafe have just days to thwart a plot to blow up one of the country’s busiest harbours, Circular Quay.

Balancing action, adventure, mystery and romance is something Helene Young proves she is skilled at over the length of this novel. From the first page I was captured by the mystery of the murdered man and then quickly absorbed in the adventure of patrolling Queensland’s coastline by air. By the time Morgan and her crew were shot down by a surface to air missile I was turning the pages as fast as I could.

It wasn’t only the exciting pace of the story that had me engrossed, the characters in Wings of Fear are well developed and interesting personalities. Morgan has come from a background of violence and intimidation, issues she is struggling with in her current relationship despite her best intentions to not repeat the mistakes of her mother. Intelligent and down to earth, Morgan is an admirable protagonist who is easy to relate to.
Rafe has already been the victim of a terrorist act that decimated his team and the hunt for the spy within Border Watch is both professionally and personally motivated. Though he has the traits of a fairly typical romance hero- handsome and strong with a touch of arrogance, he has a emotional depth that is appealing.
I also enjoyed the supporting characters, Laurie as the incurable flirt and Gavin, the more serious member of Morgan’s flight crew. The author is able to build tension around the identity of spy amongst them and though the clues are there, doubt keeps the reader guessing.

What particularly struck me in Wings of Fear is Young’s ability to evoke the Australian people, culture and place without resorting to cliche phrases or over the top references. I can’t tell you how rare that is, and how much it added to my enjoyment of the novel. In particular, the dialogue has a genuine Australian ‘accent’ with a cadence that is natural and familiar.

Wings of Fear heralds wonderful things to come from Helene Young with a second book, Shattered Sky released recently (to be reviewed soon) and a third to be published mid year. With a unique sense of place, engaging characters and an interesting story, Wings of Fear is an entertaining and exciting read.

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About the Author

Award winning author, Helene Young, grew up thinking everyone read books and invented stories.  Starting school and realising this was not the case was a shock. However, she soon discovered English was her favourite subject and Enid Blyton Mysteries her favourite stories. She may have moved on from the Five Find-Outers and Dog, but she hasn’t lost her love of suspense and intrigue. It was partly that passion for all things adventurous that saw her take to the air as a pilot in 1989. Twenty-three years later she’s now a senior Check and Training Captain with Australia’s largest regional airline and lives in North Queensland.  When she’s not writing, you’ll find her flying Dash 8 aircraft with the best office view in the world.

Her contemporary suspense stories are set in wild and wonderful Northern Australia, a landscape just begging to be showcased in novels filled with intrigue and romance. Her first two books, ‘Wings of Fear’ and ‘Shattered Sky’, were released by Hachette Australia. Her third book, Burning Lies is due for release in July 2012 by Penguin Australia. ‘Wings of Fear’ was awarded The Romantic Book of the Year 2011 by the Romance Writers of Australia. It was also voted Favourite Romantic Suspense 2010 by the Australian Romance Readers Association.

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Enter to Win

1 signed print edition of

Wings of Fear by Helene Young

(Australian  Residents Only)

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