What do you think?
Rate this book
Paradox Valley
Was it an earthquake? A meteor? Or something else entirely?
Running from a marriage proposal in Seattle, Dana Ingram returns to her parents’ farm in Western Colorado for a two-week vacation in Paradox Valley. Only a couple of days into it, however, a small earthquake leaves them without power. Cars won’t start, batteries don’t work and cell phones are useless.
When a Black Hawk helicopter vanishes off of radar, Captain Corey Conaway is sent in to locate it and its crew—all while keeping the disappearance out of the media. When she meets Dana and her cousin, Butch, Corey solicits their help in the search. But as they travel on horseback through the rugged and remote Paradox Valley, what they stumble upon soon has them running for their lives.
Running from a marriage proposal in Seattle, Dana Ingram returns to her parents’ farm in Western Colorado for a two-week vacation in Paradox Valley. Only a couple of days into it, however, a small earthquake leaves them without power. Cars won’t start, batteries don’t work and cell phones are useless.
When a Black Hawk helicopter vanishes off of radar, Captain Corey Conaway is sent in to locate it and its crew—all while keeping the disappearance out of the media. When she meets Dana and her cousin, Butch, Corey solicits their help in the search. But as they travel on horseback through the rugged and remote Paradox Valley, what they stumble upon soon has them running for their lives.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 26, 2016
42 people are currently reading
407 people want to read
About the author
Gerri Hill
56 books1,538 followersGerri began writing lesbian romance as a way to amuse herself while snowed in one winter in the mountains of Colorado, and hasn’t looked back. Her first published work came in 2000 with One Summer Night. Many more romances have followed, with the occasional murder mystery in the mix.
Gerri’s love of nature and of being outdoors usually makes its way into her stories as her characters often find themselves in beautiful natural settings. When she isn’t writing, Gerri and her longtime partner, Diane, can be found at their home in East Texas, where their vegetable garden, orchard, and five acres of woods keep them busy. They share their lives with an ever-changing cast of furry friends.
Her favorite pastimes include camping, hiking, birdwatching (though she insists she doesn’t wear funny hats yet!), photography, and cooking. She collects things nature offers, like an unusual pinecone, colorful rocks, or an abandoned bird feather. Dawn is her favorite time of day, the moment right before sunrise...
"I love the morning... the beginning of a brand new day. Because even things that we know are unattainable flutter within our grasp. In the early morning—at that cusp of a new day—everything is possible."
Gerri’s love of nature and of being outdoors usually makes its way into her stories as her characters often find themselves in beautiful natural settings. When she isn’t writing, Gerri and her longtime partner, Diane, can be found at their home in East Texas, where their vegetable garden, orchard, and five acres of woods keep them busy. They share their lives with an ever-changing cast of furry friends.
Her favorite pastimes include camping, hiking, birdwatching (though she insists she doesn’t wear funny hats yet!), photography, and cooking. She collects things nature offers, like an unusual pinecone, colorful rocks, or an abandoned bird feather. Dawn is her favorite time of day, the moment right before sunrise...
"I love the morning... the beginning of a brand new day. Because even things that we know are unattainable flutter within our grasp. In the early morning—at that cusp of a new day—everything is possible."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
September 17, 2019
Beginning of the book... Fcuk. Middle of the book...Fcuk. The ending... Fcuk.
Ever since I read The Locket, I suffered from a serious Hill allergy, vowing to not read anything by her ever again. However, I read an excellent review on one of her thriller, saw the audio on Scribd, download and listened to it the very same night. After 12 chapters in, I was knocking my forehead against the armrest, as I cheered myself to go full steam ahead, chanting the word serial (serial killer was the villain) until Kid2 placed a bowl of cereal on my the table, asking me to abandon my intermittent fasting and just eat the beep cereal...at 11 pm. I ate the fruit loops and abandoned Hill. Lex was kind enough to recommend this book, I think she knew how much I love blood, guts, and gore. Thanks, Lex:D
I don't know why but Tremors - Kevin Bacon / Fred Ward was playing inside my head throughout my reading session, probably because of the similarity of the venue and the horses' involvement.
The suspenseful paranormal plot, ingenious(deserving the triple fcuks) but it wasn't given enough page time as Hill focused more on the characters' journey to uncover the mystery + the pacing of the story was a bit sloooooooooo, the w got tired of waiting for its turn to be added into the word.
I LOVE smart women. Women that don’t think with their libidos and aren’t simpering ninnies around their future Mrs - I guess Hill disagrees with me on this.
Many thanks, Lex. The plot was really extraordinary, too bad it wasn't the focal point of the story. Looks like my 'Here Lies' shelf will be getting a new member.
Ever since I read The Locket, I suffered from a serious Hill allergy, vowing to not read anything by her ever again. However, I read an excellent review on one of her thriller, saw the audio on Scribd, download and listened to it the very same night. After 12 chapters in, I was knocking my forehead against the armrest, as I cheered myself to go full steam ahead, chanting the word serial (serial killer was the villain) until Kid2 placed a bowl of cereal on my the table, asking me to abandon my intermittent fasting and just eat the beep cereal...at 11 pm. I ate the fruit loops and abandoned Hill. Lex was kind enough to recommend this book, I think she knew how much I love blood, guts, and gore. Thanks, Lex:D
I don't know why but Tremors - Kevin Bacon / Fred Ward was playing inside my head throughout my reading session, probably because of the similarity of the venue and the horses' involvement.
The suspenseful paranormal plot, ingenious(deserving the triple fcuks) but it wasn't given enough page time as Hill focused more on the characters' journey to uncover the mystery + the pacing of the story was a bit sloooooooooo, the w got tired of waiting for its turn to be added into the word.
I LOVE smart women. Women that don’t think with their libidos and aren’t simpering ninnies around their future Mrs - I guess Hill disagrees with me on this.
Many thanks, Lex. The plot was really extraordinary, too bad it wasn't the focal point of the story. Looks like my 'Here Lies' shelf will be getting a new member.
July 8, 2017
This book was right up my alley. As a lover of Sci-Fi, I was excited about this book and it didn't disappoint. This is not your normal Gerri Hill romance book. This is a Sci-FI action-adventure, that only contains a small bit of romance. When you are fighting for your life, you don't have a lot of time to date.
The two mains were Dana, a women who was visiting her family in the isolated Paradox Valley area, and Captain Corey from the military. After what appears to be an earthquake, takes out the power and everything that runs on batteries, Dana finds her self stranded in Paradox and goes off with her cousin on horseback to find help. Captain Conway is sent to hike into Paradox to find out what the hell is going on. When the two meet, they find an attraction, and danger at every turn.
This was honestly like watching a blockbuster movie. I could picture everything clearly in my head, and really enjoyed it. Now, I must admit, there was a lot of horseback riding. But with risking danger and death at any moment, it keeps the reader on your toes.
If you are looking for a Sci-Fi action book with an apocalyptic type feel, pick this one up. I have to give props to Hill for venturing into a different genera.
The two mains were Dana, a women who was visiting her family in the isolated Paradox Valley area, and Captain Corey from the military. After what appears to be an earthquake, takes out the power and everything that runs on batteries, Dana finds her self stranded in Paradox and goes off with her cousin on horseback to find help. Captain Conway is sent to hike into Paradox to find out what the hell is going on. When the two meet, they find an attraction, and danger at every turn.
This was honestly like watching a blockbuster movie. I could picture everything clearly in my head, and really enjoyed it. Now, I must admit, there was a lot of horseback riding. But with risking danger and death at any moment, it keeps the reader on your toes.
If you are looking for a Sci-Fi action book with an apocalyptic type feel, pick this one up. I have to give props to Hill for venturing into a different genera.
March 27, 2022
4.25 stars
After seeing author Gerri Hill comment more than once that this audiobook was one of her favorites, I wanted to make a point of listening to it. Being a fan of her work in general and owning most of her books, I wondered why I hadn't yet, even though the paperback is sitting on my bookshelf. This is the downside of having a very long TBR pile! But it also could have been that since I'm a huge fan of romance, I gravitate towards that before anything else. That's not what this is - and although it's not without a love story, that isn't the focus.
After what residents thought was a brief earthquake in a remote area of Colorado, the area loses power. While that in itself isn't unusual, everything else that runs on batteries no longer works. That means no cell phones, car batteries or clocks. After days without power, some of the residents go out to try and discover what exactly happened and try to find some help. In the meantime, the military is aware of the issue after seeing an unusual four second blip on a radar screen. Not knowing what it is, they send out a Black Hawk helicopter to investigate but when they lose contact with it and the team doesn't return, they need a Plan B. Captain Corey Conaway is then sent in alone to determine what happened to the helicopter and it's crew. Along the way she connects with a small group of local residents who she commandeers to help with her mission. What they discover not only challenges their belief systems, but terrifies them to their core.
While I wouldn't normally gravitate towards a book with a subject matter like this, I'm glad I decided to try it. I appreciate when established authors step out of their "usual" and do something different. Hill did this with Weeping Walls and Keepers of the Cave and those were terrific. While I wouldn't say I enjoyed this as much as those, I found it very imaginative and creepy.
Abby Craden narrates it slowly, with an almost ominous tone to her voice, which I'd never heard her use before. Interesting choice. She handles a good number of characters with her usual aplomb.
I can't help but think that Hill hoped to continue this as a series, as there was room left at the end for a continuation. Perhaps with more interest, we will still get that in the future.
After seeing author Gerri Hill comment more than once that this audiobook was one of her favorites, I wanted to make a point of listening to it. Being a fan of her work in general and owning most of her books, I wondered why I hadn't yet, even though the paperback is sitting on my bookshelf. This is the downside of having a very long TBR pile! But it also could have been that since I'm a huge fan of romance, I gravitate towards that before anything else. That's not what this is - and although it's not without a love story, that isn't the focus.
After what residents thought was a brief earthquake in a remote area of Colorado, the area loses power. While that in itself isn't unusual, everything else that runs on batteries no longer works. That means no cell phones, car batteries or clocks. After days without power, some of the residents go out to try and discover what exactly happened and try to find some help. In the meantime, the military is aware of the issue after seeing an unusual four second blip on a radar screen. Not knowing what it is, they send out a Black Hawk helicopter to investigate but when they lose contact with it and the team doesn't return, they need a Plan B. Captain Corey Conaway is then sent in alone to determine what happened to the helicopter and it's crew. Along the way she connects with a small group of local residents who she commandeers to help with her mission. What they discover not only challenges their belief systems, but terrifies them to their core.
While I wouldn't normally gravitate towards a book with a subject matter like this, I'm glad I decided to try it. I appreciate when established authors step out of their "usual" and do something different. Hill did this with Weeping Walls and Keepers of the Cave and those were terrific. While I wouldn't say I enjoyed this as much as those, I found it very imaginative and creepy.
Abby Craden narrates it slowly, with an almost ominous tone to her voice, which I'd never heard her use before. Interesting choice. She handles a good number of characters with her usual aplomb.
I can't help but think that Hill hoped to continue this as a series, as there was room left at the end for a continuation. Perhaps with more interest, we will still get that in the future.
June 12, 2017
'Paradox Valley' was like a cross between the movie 'Tremors' and some film from M. Night Shyamalan. This is a slow moving action sci-fi mystery thriller with a bit of romance and lots of love for a dog...and some horses.
Our leads are, Corey, a military captain suffering from PTSD and, Dana, a city girl escaping her less than dream like life by returning home to the farm she grew up on somewhere in Paradox Valley. The setting is in a remote location in Colorado near the Utah border where neighbors are few and far between and the town is comprised of just a grocery store, feed store, and gas station. When an earthquake hits causing the area to lose all cell phone coverage, electrical and battery power the townspeople must fend for themselves as the unthinkable happens.
The book has an ensemble cast with multiple points of view and we see why Gerri Hill chose to tell her story that way the further we get into the book. Unfortunately, what that did do for me is slow the book down and it took me awhile to get into it. And perhaps it was because the cast could only move by horse and it would take them forever to get anywhere, the plot seemed to move at a somewhat sluggish pace the whole way through. Not terrible but steady and on the slower side. It takes awhile for the mystery to unfold and, once it does, we don't get too much detail. I'm not sure if that was a cop out or if there's a possible sequel in the works...though, if there is a sequel, the book wraps itself up neatly so no worries about a cliffhanger. Regardless, there's enough mystery uncovered to fulfill the story but, if you're a clincher for detail, you'll be disappointed.
One thing the book did have, though, was atmosphere. I really felt I was isolated out in the middle of nowhere and an eeriness did creep in. I also liked that one of the main cast members was a woman in her seventies. For some reason, I found the leads to be just okay but the older lady resonated.
Amidst all of the action and adventure, there is a romance in the book but it's understated due to the circumstances. There's no sex and one of the leads is already in an unhappy relationship with someone else so infidelity is flirted with some.
I remember reading "Keepers of the Cave" from this same author and thinking that was trippy and this read was like that in a similar way, just not as much. I think action adventure fans will especially appreciate this book and, as the characters stated the line "like a movie" numerous times, yes, this book was like a movie. I didn't love it but I it's a story line I don't often find in this genre and it was competently written. 3.5 stars.
Our leads are, Corey, a military captain suffering from PTSD and, Dana, a city girl escaping her less than dream like life by returning home to the farm she grew up on somewhere in Paradox Valley. The setting is in a remote location in Colorado near the Utah border where neighbors are few and far between and the town is comprised of just a grocery store, feed store, and gas station. When an earthquake hits causing the area to lose all cell phone coverage, electrical and battery power the townspeople must fend for themselves as the unthinkable happens.
The book has an ensemble cast with multiple points of view and we see why Gerri Hill chose to tell her story that way the further we get into the book. Unfortunately, what that did do for me is slow the book down and it took me awhile to get into it. And perhaps it was because the cast could only move by horse and it would take them forever to get anywhere, the plot seemed to move at a somewhat sluggish pace the whole way through. Not terrible but steady and on the slower side. It takes awhile for the mystery to unfold and, once it does, we don't get too much detail. I'm not sure if that was a cop out or if there's a possible sequel in the works...though, if there is a sequel, the book wraps itself up neatly so no worries about a cliffhanger. Regardless, there's enough mystery uncovered to fulfill the story but, if you're a clincher for detail, you'll be disappointed.
One thing the book did have, though, was atmosphere. I really felt I was isolated out in the middle of nowhere and an eeriness did creep in. I also liked that one of the main cast members was a woman in her seventies. For some reason, I found the leads to be just okay but the older lady resonated.
Amidst all of the action and adventure, there is a romance in the book but it's understated due to the circumstances. There's no sex and one of the leads is already in an unhappy relationship with someone else so infidelity is flirted with some.
I remember reading "Keepers of the Cave" from this same author and thinking that was trippy and this read was like that in a similar way, just not as much. I think action adventure fans will especially appreciate this book and, as the characters stated the line "like a movie" numerous times, yes, this book was like a movie. I didn't love it but I it's a story line I don't often find in this genre and it was competently written. 3.5 stars.
May 30, 2023
IMO Gerri Hill can do no wrong, which is why I picked up Paradox Valley in the first place. I don't generally read sci-fi paranormal novels but trusted Gerri Hill and her amazing ability to always hook me in. Paradox Valley did this entirely - I was hooked from start to finish. So much so that I carved out day-time reading time, which is an anomaly at the moment.
Corey is struggling after the death of her team and places herself on long term leave. This gets interrupted when an area becomes suddenly without any power - electric or battery. This begins a complex storyline where Corey and her new band of misfits, including her romantic interest Dana, trek over the countryside on horseback to figure out what is going on. It's an excellent story of adventure with a tonne of action.
I'm slowly making my way through Gerri Hill's backlog and it's been amazing. I can't wait to see what I pick up next by her. ❤️
Corey is struggling after the death of her team and places herself on long term leave. This gets interrupted when an area becomes suddenly without any power - electric or battery. This begins a complex storyline where Corey and her new band of misfits, including her romantic interest Dana, trek over the countryside on horseback to figure out what is going on. It's an excellent story of adventure with a tonne of action.
I'm slowly making my way through Gerri Hill's backlog and it's been amazing. I can't wait to see what I pick up next by her. ❤️
April 23, 2022
Can't believe I've not read it sooner.... 🤦♀️
December 15, 2016
So this was my first Audible purchase in a really long time! I decided to do it because I have an hour commute one way a couple days a week. I've been listening to NPR non-stop and all this election business is making me way tense! Well, this book kinda didn't help! It was exciting and fast moving and I found myself not wanting to wait until my next shift to find out what happened! So...even though I thoroughly enjoyed this...my plan kinda backfired!
Really good sci-fi from Gerri Hill. A nicely told story with really likeable characters.
Highly recommend! The audible version was very well done.
4.5 stars!!
Really good sci-fi from Gerri Hill. A nicely told story with really likeable characters.
Highly recommend! The audible version was very well done.
4.5 stars!!
July 22, 2023
3.5* A very different Gerri Hill book. I really didn't know what I was expecting but this surprised me. It's science fiction alien body snatcher with very very little romance. I'm kind of glad the romance isn't the focus as I don't think it fits with the whole situation. Admittedly I put down the book for a bit about halfway through. It got horror vibes which I really am not into (that's one genre I do not like to read). But the question of what happens next and how the whole story will end motivated me to pick it back up.
April 25, 2022
I liked this book because of the plot. And the sweet and slow burn romance. No heavy sex scenes just a sweet love story. And lots of action riding horses and fighting bad guys. Kinda like an old fashion western movie.
February 15, 2021
This is more of a science fiction adventure story with only a little bit of romance to spice things up. Since I had actually thought that there would be more about Dana and Corey’s relationship in it, I am a little disappointed there.
However, the story is still great, and it might be that others are exactly looking for this mix. I loved the development of the story, and enjoyed how it ended for Dana and Corey. Nevertheless, I am going to subtract one star because parts of the ending came over as too rushed and summarizing, e.g. the threat for Paradox is simply explained away by telling that the people there had locked themselves up in their houses. Then again, I also learned about Corey digging potatoes, and that was funny.
So, if you are not looking for the not all too typical f/f romance with more focus on slightly scary situations and suspense, this might be it. 4 out of 5 stars.
However, the story is still great, and it might be that others are exactly looking for this mix. I loved the development of the story, and enjoyed how it ended for Dana and Corey. Nevertheless, I am going to subtract one star because parts of the ending came over as too rushed and summarizing, e.g. the threat for Paradox is simply explained away by telling that the people there had locked themselves up in their houses. Then again, I also learned about Corey digging potatoes, and that was funny.
So, if you are not looking for the not all too typical f/f romance with more focus on slightly scary situations and suspense, this might be it. 4 out of 5 stars.
September 10, 2016
I'd probably rate this one somewhere around 3.5 to 3.7.
Tense. Violent. Bloody.
Something longer than this might appear in this box tomorrow.
--
This one had a lot more point of view shifts than I expected. I think the opening bunch of chapters had a new POV with each chapter. If I hadn't read the book description, I'd have been lost as to which character I was 'supposed' to be caring about (answer: all of them. But mostly Dana and Corey).
Fleeing a shocking and unexpected marriage proposal from her girlfriend of six months, 30+ year old Dana Ingram drops in on her parents and their farm in a sparsely populated area of Colorado. Tried to work the ‘works in marketing in Seattle’ in there somewhere, but couldn’t fit those words in. Her visit home pulls in her mother and a bunch of relatives; most of whom are of little importance throughout the book, though one is in it throughout (and one of the few semi-important people without their own POV – Butch, Dana’s cousin).
Meanwhile Hal and Jean, two 70+ year old people are living on their own tiny farm. Mentioned because both have POV’s that are of some importance in the story. They are, somewhat shockingly, not really, in a lesbian fiction novel, a happily married content straight couple (a thought I had more because we were still in the round robin game of musical head hoping – which one will the reader stop in last/or which of these heads being hopped in are actually important).
Turning back to Butch, he’s a local boy who never left when he reached adult age. Which I mention because he’s dating another local – a girl named Holly. The beginning kind of makes it seem she, her family, and Butch will be very important to the story-line, but only Butch is of any real importance. Though Holly, Annie Gail, and her husband Dick do have their moments on the page (I do not believe anyone actually ever calls the husband Dick by the way, I’m being self-funny).
Colonel Sutt… um. Sutter or Sutton? Dang. I can’t remember now and my Kindle is currently dead. Well, Col. S. is ‘the man in charge’ when suspicious events occur late one night and therefore has his own thoughts expressed for the reader to see. His thoughts are mainly of a raging kind.
One of Colonel S’s subordinates is a woman by the name of Corey Conaway – Captain in the . . . whichever military force she is a Captain in. Probably Army. Certainly not Air Force or Navy, or Coast Guard. Whatever. Captain Conaway, though, has been on an extended ‘special assignment’ for the past 4 or so months, which started right after her entire team was killed on a mission in Afghanistan. The special assignment consists of rolling around her cabin slowly losing weight and drowning in waves of guilt – for still being alive – also drowning in alcohol. Well, at least in the sense that she needs it to sleep.
A couple of other people are also of importance, like say Lucky the dog – super important, but I’m tired of naming people and dogs so I’ll move on.
Shortly after Dana arrived back at her parents place, they enjoy a family reunion type of BBQ. Then the scene shifts to Holly and Annie Gail’s grocery story in Paradox, the small local town. Not exactly sure why they 1) have so much ‘page time’, nor why 2) ‘stuff’ begins from their point of view. Stuff being – Holly’s whimpering about being stuck in tiny Paradox and thinks it’s finally time to move out of this tiny tiny place. She says this to her mother. As they shelf stuff. Or do inventory. Or whatever it was they were doing. The important thing is that both are near heavy cans and things in glass jars. Because – the ground is shaking! Cans are shaking! Cans and glass might shake, fall off, and brain them! Then the power goes off.
Back to Dana – ground shakes. Power goes out. Dana freaks out like she’s never in her life been involved in an earthquake like event.
Hal and Jean experience the earthquake. Stumble around trying various flashlights. Find all of them have dead batteries. Light some candles.
Dana and extended family rush around and notice their phones are dead, the cars are dead. Everything is dead! (battery powered everything). Dana continues to freak out.
Sometime later a bunch of super old dudes ride up to Hal and Jean’s house. Note that they are going to investigate the helicopter that they heard fly near and then heard crash. Hal goes along with them because . . . he didn’t’ want to look bad. Macho stuff. So the group of 70+ people bounce around on horses towards the crash site.
Dana’s freaking out.
Col. S is freaking out because his career is in trouble – since he is the one who sent the helicopter that crashed. He is getting chewed out by his boss, General Ben. I might have the General’s name wrong. No matter. The General calls in a specialist – an out of shape, PTSD suffering, probably doesn’t have the energy to crawl out of bed Captain. By the name of Conaway (they have a family connection – or I mean, the General knew Conaway’s father, and was there for her when the father died).
So – a troop is being sent in on foot to investigate the ‘meteor’ and the crash site of the helicopter. At the same time, Captain Conaway is also being sent in. By herself. In civilian clothing. With a cover story. Because. Reasons.
The first humans Conaway walks into (yes, battery powered things don’t work but you’d think they would at least give her a bicycle, or a horse/camel/donkey/ostrich, but no – foot power only) are Butch and Dana who are out investigating. Both are wary and kind of act like they’ve never meet any other human walking or riding horses before. Eventually they offer to let Conaway ride behind Dana on a really huge horse.
Butch, Dana, and Conaway ride around on horsies. Investigating stuff.
Hal and his gang of aged farmers are also bouncing around investigating.
Eventually weird stuff starts happening. Like giant arms and doorways and soulless eyes. But I do not wish to be too specific because . . . spoiler reasons.
Book had a certain spooky tenseness to it. Plus romance. And panic. And a friendly dog. To a certain extent there were a bunch of conversations that occurred that I kind of just skimmed because they were taking away from the tension. That’s to be noted – some of the tension gets deflated along the way by things like budding romance, conversations about stuff. Truth be told – I’m not sure why there needed to be so many different POV’s. But there were. So.
Right. So. Decided to give Hill another chance after the few other books I’d read. As I noted, I’d give this one a rating around 3.5 to 3.7.
September 2 2016
Tense. Violent. Bloody.
Something longer than this might appear in this box tomorrow.
--
This one had a lot more point of view shifts than I expected. I think the opening bunch of chapters had a new POV with each chapter. If I hadn't read the book description, I'd have been lost as to which character I was 'supposed' to be caring about (answer: all of them. But mostly Dana and Corey).
Fleeing a shocking and unexpected marriage proposal from her girlfriend of six months, 30+ year old Dana Ingram drops in on her parents and their farm in a sparsely populated area of Colorado. Tried to work the ‘works in marketing in Seattle’ in there somewhere, but couldn’t fit those words in. Her visit home pulls in her mother and a bunch of relatives; most of whom are of little importance throughout the book, though one is in it throughout (and one of the few semi-important people without their own POV – Butch, Dana’s cousin).
Meanwhile Hal and Jean, two 70+ year old people are living on their own tiny farm. Mentioned because both have POV’s that are of some importance in the story. They are, somewhat shockingly, not really, in a lesbian fiction novel, a happily married content straight couple (a thought I had more because we were still in the round robin game of musical head hoping – which one will the reader stop in last/or which of these heads being hopped in are actually important).
Turning back to Butch, he’s a local boy who never left when he reached adult age. Which I mention because he’s dating another local – a girl named Holly. The beginning kind of makes it seem she, her family, and Butch will be very important to the story-line, but only Butch is of any real importance. Though Holly, Annie Gail, and her husband Dick do have their moments on the page (I do not believe anyone actually ever calls the husband Dick by the way, I’m being self-funny).
Colonel Sutt… um. Sutter or Sutton? Dang. I can’t remember now and my Kindle is currently dead. Well, Col. S. is ‘the man in charge’ when suspicious events occur late one night and therefore has his own thoughts expressed for the reader to see. His thoughts are mainly of a raging kind.
One of Colonel S’s subordinates is a woman by the name of Corey Conaway – Captain in the . . . whichever military force she is a Captain in. Probably Army. Certainly not Air Force or Navy, or Coast Guard. Whatever. Captain Conaway, though, has been on an extended ‘special assignment’ for the past 4 or so months, which started right after her entire team was killed on a mission in Afghanistan. The special assignment consists of rolling around her cabin slowly losing weight and drowning in waves of guilt – for still being alive – also drowning in alcohol. Well, at least in the sense that she needs it to sleep.
A couple of other people are also of importance, like say Lucky the dog – super important, but I’m tired of naming people and dogs so I’ll move on.
Shortly after Dana arrived back at her parents place, they enjoy a family reunion type of BBQ. Then the scene shifts to Holly and Annie Gail’s grocery story in Paradox, the small local town. Not exactly sure why they 1) have so much ‘page time’, nor why 2) ‘stuff’ begins from their point of view. Stuff being – Holly’s whimpering about being stuck in tiny Paradox and thinks it’s finally time to move out of this tiny tiny place. She says this to her mother. As they shelf stuff. Or do inventory. Or whatever it was they were doing. The important thing is that both are near heavy cans and things in glass jars. Because – the ground is shaking! Cans are shaking! Cans and glass might shake, fall off, and brain them! Then the power goes off.
Back to Dana – ground shakes. Power goes out. Dana freaks out like she’s never in her life been involved in an earthquake like event.
Hal and Jean experience the earthquake. Stumble around trying various flashlights. Find all of them have dead batteries. Light some candles.
Dana and extended family rush around and notice their phones are dead, the cars are dead. Everything is dead! (battery powered everything). Dana continues to freak out.
Sometime later a bunch of super old dudes ride up to Hal and Jean’s house. Note that they are going to investigate the helicopter that they heard fly near and then heard crash. Hal goes along with them because . . . he didn’t’ want to look bad. Macho stuff. So the group of 70+ people bounce around on horses towards the crash site.
Dana’s freaking out.
Col. S is freaking out because his career is in trouble – since he is the one who sent the helicopter that crashed. He is getting chewed out by his boss, General Ben. I might have the General’s name wrong. No matter. The General calls in a specialist – an out of shape, PTSD suffering, probably doesn’t have the energy to crawl out of bed Captain. By the name of Conaway (they have a family connection – or I mean, the General knew Conaway’s father, and was there for her when the father died).
So – a troop is being sent in on foot to investigate the ‘meteor’ and the crash site of the helicopter. At the same time, Captain Conaway is also being sent in. By herself. In civilian clothing. With a cover story. Because. Reasons.
The first humans Conaway walks into (yes, battery powered things don’t work but you’d think they would at least give her a bicycle, or a horse/camel/donkey/ostrich, but no – foot power only) are Butch and Dana who are out investigating. Both are wary and kind of act like they’ve never meet any other human walking or riding horses before. Eventually they offer to let Conaway ride behind Dana on a really huge horse.
Butch, Dana, and Conaway ride around on horsies. Investigating stuff.
Hal and his gang of aged farmers are also bouncing around investigating.
Eventually weird stuff starts happening. Like giant arms and doorways and soulless eyes. But I do not wish to be too specific because . . . spoiler reasons.
Book had a certain spooky tenseness to it. Plus romance. And panic. And a friendly dog. To a certain extent there were a bunch of conversations that occurred that I kind of just skimmed because they were taking away from the tension. That’s to be noted – some of the tension gets deflated along the way by things like budding romance, conversations about stuff. Truth be told – I’m not sure why there needed to be so many different POV’s. But there were. So.
Right. So. Decided to give Hill another chance after the few other books I’d read. As I noted, I’d give this one a rating around 3.5 to 3.7.
September 2 2016
May 28, 2020
Well, really??? In these days of isolation I Don't need frightening, and this did. It wasn't my type of book - I knew that from the blurb, so why read it? I really rate Gerri Hill, love her writing flow, her descriptions and her relationships - but WTF on this actual tale.
December 26, 2022
Good and scary but the magnitude of what she created didn’t match the resolution which was disappointing.
Read
August 15, 2016Well this was different. Gerri Hill’s latest takes her supernatural series to a whole new level mixing paranormal, 1950’s scifi and a gentle romance which is definitely not the main storyline.
Dana has run home to her parents’ farm in Western Colorado to escape an extremely premature marriage proposal. When everybody feels the earth tremble they assume it’s a small earthquake, and life goes on – except they have no power - the cars wont start and even the batteries are dead.
A military helicopter is sent to investigate and goes off radar, causing the CO to send in a squad of troops, and his General to send in Captain Conaway. When she meets up with Dana and her lifelong friend Butch, Conway quickly enlists their help, and their horses, to aid in her mission.
So Gerri Hill sets the scene for the most ‘out there’ of her spooky paranormal series to date. The humour and the great writing remain the same. The far –fetched storyline and outcome continue in the vein of ‘Keepers of the Cave’ and ‘Weeping Walls’, but takes on a whole new level of scary movie tension.
The characters in this are well done. Danna, Butch and the Captain are complex and interesting, and the addition of an elderly neighbour to the posse adds a lovely twist. There is a large supporting cast, all drawn with Ms Hill’s sharp observation of human nature and behaviour, however brief their appearance. There is also the most intelligent and loyal dog - definitely the hero of the whole show.
My only criticism is aimed at the classification - this book does not belong in the romance category. Yes there is a slow burn attraction and gentle romance, but it is decidedly the sub plot; the characters involved are too busy with the paranormal . I think the classification is misleading and will upset Gerri Hill’s romance fans, who will be disappointed, and misses the chance to get to the lesbian paranormal fans. Difficult within the confines of Amazons system, but true never the less.
If you enjoy scifi/paranormal with a side order of sweet romance and like needing the lights on when you read.. this is definitely the book for you. I enjoyed it, and will definitely read the implied sequel.
Dana has run home to her parents’ farm in Western Colorado to escape an extremely premature marriage proposal. When everybody feels the earth tremble they assume it’s a small earthquake, and life goes on – except they have no power - the cars wont start and even the batteries are dead.
A military helicopter is sent to investigate and goes off radar, causing the CO to send in a squad of troops, and his General to send in Captain Conaway. When she meets up with Dana and her lifelong friend Butch, Conway quickly enlists their help, and their horses, to aid in her mission.
So Gerri Hill sets the scene for the most ‘out there’ of her spooky paranormal series to date. The humour and the great writing remain the same. The far –fetched storyline and outcome continue in the vein of ‘Keepers of the Cave’ and ‘Weeping Walls’, but takes on a whole new level of scary movie tension.
The characters in this are well done. Danna, Butch and the Captain are complex and interesting, and the addition of an elderly neighbour to the posse adds a lovely twist. There is a large supporting cast, all drawn with Ms Hill’s sharp observation of human nature and behaviour, however brief their appearance. There is also the most intelligent and loyal dog - definitely the hero of the whole show.
My only criticism is aimed at the classification - this book does not belong in the romance category. Yes there is a slow burn attraction and gentle romance, but it is decidedly the sub plot; the characters involved are too busy with the paranormal . I think the classification is misleading and will upset Gerri Hill’s romance fans, who will be disappointed, and misses the chance to get to the lesbian paranormal fans. Difficult within the confines of Amazons system, but true never the less.
If you enjoy scifi/paranormal with a side order of sweet romance and like needing the lights on when you read.. this is definitely the book for you. I enjoyed it, and will definitely read the implied sequel.
July 30, 2016
Definitely not a fluffy romance, but a good story and very likable main characters (at least those who weren't possessed ;) It would be a good sci-fi movie with ass kicking female leads!
People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it. Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow. (MIB) So true!
People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it. Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow. (MIB) So true!
December 12, 2021
What the heck did I just read??? This book was about 98% science fiction, and 2% romance. (If even that much). If you’re looking for a good love story, THIS IS NOT IT. This is not the Gerri Hill that I am used to, I hope this is a one-off, I definitely was not expecting this story at all when I started reading this book. I like science fiction and so I wouldn’t have minded so much if there was the love story unraveling in this bizarre sci-fi story, but there was literally almost none. So weird. Not what I expected, and not what I wanted. It wasn’t HORRIBLE, but like I said, definitely DO NOT pick this book up if you’re looking for a love story
July 28, 2016
This story really gets you thinking "what's out there, are we alone". Corey and Dana as great main characters, but I think Miss Jean was a pretty strong character as well. The story was interesting and well written. In my mind I thought "wouldn't it be interesting if Corey wakes up at the end and this was all just a dream" guess that's for a different tale.
November 30, 2017
I gave Paradox Valley a 4.25.
I'm not sure what I was expecting with this book, but I trusted the reviewers (my friends who share similar tastes) before me not to steer me wrong. It also helps that I have 14 Gerri Hill books in my collection, 2 of which are paranormal, so I figured I'd be all right. That being said, the plot wasn't what I expected, meaning there was a lot more suspense than I anticipated. Perhaps I was looking for a good light read, or something more innocuous like her paranormal stuff, but this wasn't like that at all. I was a little taken aback at first.
Pros: Excellent writing, per Gerri Hill's usual style. The characters were well-rounded and diverse. I like that the situation threw people together like spaghetti on a wall, and throughout the novel you were rooting for them to stick. I like the direction and the premise, it was well thought out.
Cons: Ah, now for the direction and premise. While it was well thought out, it could have definitely used more meat at the end. There was room to impart more information but it didn't happen, leaving me feeling a little dissatisfied. Also, I did get my spaghetti wish however I felt the focal point of the ending was predictable. I also didn't like the choice that Corey made after the phone call. But hey, that's personal preference. (look how I did that with no spoilers, wheee!) And finally, this book could have been significantly longer because of the plot arc and minimal information imparted about the...I wont say, overall. While one could assume that this sets it up as a series, it didn't really have that vibe at the end to me. But who can tell?
Overall: I have to say I definitely recommend this book. I'm going with 4.25 rating because a 4.5 would bump it up to a 5 star for my review and I didn't think it was THAT good. But make no mistake, a 4 star is an excellent book for me. (5 star is unforgettable) So if you like your sci-fi suspenseful, believable in a Scully and Mulder paranoia kind of way, and action packed like a blockbuster movie, then Paradox Valley is right up your alley! (No spoilers AND I can rhyme, go me!)
I'm not sure what I was expecting with this book, but I trusted the reviewers (my friends who share similar tastes) before me not to steer me wrong. It also helps that I have 14 Gerri Hill books in my collection, 2 of which are paranormal, so I figured I'd be all right. That being said, the plot wasn't what I expected, meaning there was a lot more suspense than I anticipated. Perhaps I was looking for a good light read, or something more innocuous like her paranormal stuff, but this wasn't like that at all. I was a little taken aback at first.
Pros: Excellent writing, per Gerri Hill's usual style. The characters were well-rounded and diverse. I like that the situation threw people together like spaghetti on a wall, and throughout the novel you were rooting for them to stick. I like the direction and the premise, it was well thought out.
Cons: Ah, now for the direction and premise. While it was well thought out, it could have definitely used more meat at the end. There was room to impart more information but it didn't happen, leaving me feeling a little dissatisfied. Also, I did get my spaghetti wish however I felt the focal point of the ending was predictable. I also didn't like the choice that Corey made after the phone call. But hey, that's personal preference. (look how I did that with no spoilers, wheee!) And finally, this book could have been significantly longer because of the plot arc and minimal information imparted about the...I wont say, overall. While one could assume that this sets it up as a series, it didn't really have that vibe at the end to me. But who can tell?
Overall: I have to say I definitely recommend this book. I'm going with 4.25 rating because a 4.5 would bump it up to a 5 star for my review and I didn't think it was THAT good. But make no mistake, a 4 star is an excellent book for me. (5 star is unforgettable) So if you like your sci-fi suspenseful, believable in a Scully and Mulder paranoia kind of way, and action packed like a blockbuster movie, then Paradox Valley is right up your alley! (No spoilers AND I can rhyme, go me!)
April 16, 2023
Listened to as an audiobook. I’m just not sure about this tale of a woman who gained 7lb in a year (mentioned so much I wanted to scream) and an alien spacecraft crash landing.
I didn’t find much interesting about Dana, (especially her weight) but her love interest, Captain had loads of quirks including PTSD and being focused on her army career.
I found it strange that the army sent one woman alone to investigate a strange earthquake and a missing helicopter. Clocks have stopped and there’s no power except generated locally.
Luckily, the aliens only seem to possess men and one of them only temporarily. There are some horses who never get fed and a brave dog who can sense alien presence. I wouldn’t trust my own dog on this one, he thinks a falling leaf is an earth shattering event so he’d drive Captain and co crazy.
I thought the aliens were daft, the jeopardy was inconsistent and there were a few anti climaxes along the way. The narrator was really stretched, delivering voices from 20 year olds to men in their seventies. I thought she did a great job.
Even though the story was silly and the main character annoying, there was something compelling about the story and the ending was a sweet resolution for the survivors.
I didn’t find much interesting about Dana, (especially her weight) but her love interest, Captain had loads of quirks including PTSD and being focused on her army career.
I found it strange that the army sent one woman alone to investigate a strange earthquake and a missing helicopter. Clocks have stopped and there’s no power except generated locally.
Luckily, the aliens only seem to possess men and one of them only temporarily. There are some horses who never get fed and a brave dog who can sense alien presence. I wouldn’t trust my own dog on this one, he thinks a falling leaf is an earth shattering event so he’d drive Captain and co crazy.
I thought the aliens were daft, the jeopardy was inconsistent and there were a few anti climaxes along the way. The narrator was really stretched, delivering voices from 20 year olds to men in their seventies. I thought she did a great job.
Even though the story was silly and the main character annoying, there was something compelling about the story and the ending was a sweet resolution for the survivors.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2018
This is not your usual Gerri Hill book. Here, the story has a sci-fi feel with some romance and suspense thrown in. The premise of the story reminds me of the TV series, Under the Dome.
We meet Dana Ingram who returns home after running away from a marriage proposal. Her homecoming is marred by a sudden earthquake..... yet it wasn’t? Or was it? .... the impact of the ground shaking resulted the whole area to be without power. It also rendered anything with battery operated devices useless, like mobile phones, torches and cars. US army Captain Conaway has been sent to the area to investigate the cause of these strange phenomenon. When she does uncover the cause, it has her running.
I couldn’t put the book down!
We meet Dana Ingram who returns home after running away from a marriage proposal. Her homecoming is marred by a sudden earthquake..... yet it wasn’t? Or was it? .... the impact of the ground shaking resulted the whole area to be without power. It also rendered anything with battery operated devices useless, like mobile phones, torches and cars. US army Captain Conaway has been sent to the area to investigate the cause of these strange phenomenon. When she does uncover the cause, it has her running.
I couldn’t put the book down!
December 28, 2022
I love Gerri Hill books - I have to admit she has a bit of a formula and who doesn't like a predictable lesfic romance? This, however was slightly different.
Sci-fi twist, adventure and slow burning romance - not to mention the savage, possessed human. I'm not a huge sci-fi fan, but this book gets the thumbs up. It made me think of an old style western movie, but with a bit of lesbian romance thrown in.
Sci-fi twist, adventure and slow burning romance - not to mention the savage, possessed human. I'm not a huge sci-fi fan, but this book gets the thumbs up. It made me think of an old style western movie, but with a bit of lesbian romance thrown in.
March 24, 2018
Got as an audio book.. did t really read the synopsis. It’s Gerri Hill love her stuff, so I got it. Good story only gave 3 stars as it was sci fi which isn’t really my genre. The book was good, the characters likable. Considering I don’t really enjoy sci fi I listened to the whole thing, wanting to know how they survived and who did survive. Good narration.
November 6, 2021
Wow what a wild might happen, could happen, what if no power story. Kept me on edge of my seat and leaving one with future thoughts. excellent
October 20, 2017
Esto es una reseña a vuelo de pájaro. ¿Qué quiere decir esto? Que no necesariamente tengo que leer el libro a consciencia para saber lo que dice y es que, vamos, Gerri no es Umberto Eco. Sean realistas. No me pierdo nada si salteo la prosa tan amena, los comentarios pensados y profundos que llegan hasta lo más hondo del ser de una persona que tiene como corazón una estalactita (me gusta esa palabra) porque, he visto:
Ooook, recapitulemos. Vine acá sólo para amargarles el día y demostrarles en sus caras lo que ustedes no ven cuando leen idiotizadas.
Personajes principales: chica 1, o capitana Corey, que para empezar no se sabe a qué fuerza armada pertenece. No vayan a pensar que Gerricita no se esfuerza para nada, no, ¡si se aprendió dos nombres, uno de avión y otro de helicóptero! Ok, no enteros y tampoco es que sean tan poco comunes. Bueno, la "capitana de alguna fuerza" tiene un problemilla cuando le anuncian que vieron una nave entrar en el espacio aéreo y después desaparecer. Ellos creen inicialmente que es un B-2...
(rellene aquí la información que la autora no puso)
El Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit es su nombre completo, también llamado "bombardero furtivo" y, para quienes no tienen ni una idea de cuál es, es el que se asemeja a un triángulo. ¡Ahhh! ¡Ahora sí caen! Bueno, ese.
... pero uno de los soldaditos está convencido que es un OVNI y se lo dice a su superior. Mi indicador de credibilidad cayó hasta 2 en la escala del 1 al 10. ¿Por qué? Porque ningún subordinado le dirá sus estúpidas teorías tipo Mulder a su superior si no quiere pasar sus días en alguna horrenda tarea en vez de los controles aéreos. Se repetiría a sí mismo que ama tocar teclas, no así limpiar un baño con un cepillo de dientes, créanme. El punto extra que le doy es en caso de si el chico se hubiera golpeado la cabeza o tuviera a punto de entrar en un ACV o algo similar.
Esperen, esperen. ¿Ya dije que la otra chica tuvo una propuesta matrimonial y huyó? No, no lo dije. Sigamos con lo poco creíble que es la parte que a mí me gusta. La levantan a las 0200 o sea, a las 2 am de un aciago domingo, eso sucede cuando (remarca) el objeto que ingresó en el radar lo hizo a las 2046, o sea, a las 20:46. ¿De verdad creen que no despertarían a un superior sino hasta casi 6 horas después si algo raro entra en los radares? ¿¿¿En Yankelandia??? Indicador de credibilidad: cero, sí ya sé que la escala era del 1 al 10 y le doy 0. No me discutan.
(...)
A ver, chiquitas. Si en una zona sin terremotos la tierra tiembla, ¿qué van a pensar que es? 1+1= 2. ¡Un terremoto, por supuesto! No van a elucubrar oscuras teorías sobre lo que sucedió. Si las torres de celular caen y no hay electricidad (¡¡¡SÍIIIIIII YA TE OÍMOS LA PRIMERA VEZ, GERRI!!! No es necesario que lo repitas 50 veces)... Nada, la población creerá que una torre cayó y ahí quedará, estarán más ocupados con su molestia que hacerse los Mulder y Scully, chicos. Es muy de adolescente esa teoría que creó.
Así que resulta ser en una parte inexistente, las Fuerzas Armadas (lo que sea que integre la capitana) envían a un Black Hawk (en el texto a veces dice Halcón Negro)...
El Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk es un helicóptero utilitario de carga media, bimotor con rotor de cuatro palas, fabricado por la compañía estadounidense Sikorsky Aircraft y de tamaño medio-grande. Las palas es lo que gira, mamitas. Bimotor o sea, que tiene dos motores.
... y se cae. Reitero, cae en territorio norteamericano un helicóptero de guerra norteamericano. ¿Cómo creen que reaccionarían las Fuerzas Armadas ante eso? Bueno, en el mundo imaginario de Gerri no hacen nada, porque evidentemente es tonta o algo. Si un helicóptero de esas características cayera en SU territorio, mínimo tendrían que entrar en algún tipo de alerta (amarilla creo yo, quizá naranja). ¡Pero nop! Envían a la capitana con la creencia ('cuchá esto) de que puede ser un OVNI *se golpea la cabeza contra el monitor* tampoco dicen que está "desaparecido en acción", que sería la terminología correcta. No. Dice que está desaparecido nomás.
Así que también está la teoría sobre un meteoro... un meteoro radioactivo, según le dicen a la compañía de electricidad. En fin. Si alguna de ustedes alguna vez se les ocurrió por esas casualidades de la vida, leer ciencia ficción blanda, se darán cuenta de inmediato que esto apesta. El argumento apesta. Las explicaciones apestan. Las imágenes satelitales del poderosísimo ejército yankee quedan relegadas a visualizar el Valle Paradox dos días antes porque no ven nada sin luz. No hay equipos termodinámicos, no hay fuerzas apostadas cerca, no hay explicación de nada. No llaman a los equipos científicos, no llaman a equipos especializados como la CIA para intentar cubrir las cosas o el FBI con sus equipos científicos, tienen un triste informe de actividad sísmica (lamento arruinarte la terminología, Gerri, pero yo escribo con corrección) del área y nada más. Tampoco inician algún protocolo, siempre los hay en casos como esos. Indicador de credibilidad: cero.
(...)
Ah, pero ustedes querían saber sobre el romance. Ops. Bueno, es sencillo: Dana no cree que sea una turista que se aventuró, después confiesa que es capitana y, ah, cuando nadie quiere ir a investigar el helicóptero la valiente y corajuda capitana decide ir. See, se murieron de amor con eso también. Relleno, relleno y más relleno de especulaciones sin sentido mientras las chuchitas se enamoran y la campirana le pregunta a la capitana qué pasó con su equipo muerto. Nada interesante por aquí.
Lo gracioso es que Gerri nunca termina de definir en sí lo que es "el enemigo". Es una cosa medio rara juntando todas las viejas películas de sci-fi de los años '80 y un poco de X-Files. Eso incluye Tremors, sí. Un par de muertes. Y, para concluirla, la deja con final abierto así las continúa estafando con sus pésimos argumentos, porque hay otro misterio por ahí afuera sumado a un extra de Ingalls que tanto parece gustarle.
Horripilante.
"¿Qué puedo decir? Me duele el culo” dijo Dana (...).
Ooook, recapitulemos. Vine acá sólo para amargarles el día y demostrarles en sus caras lo que ustedes no ven cuando leen idiotizadas.
Personajes principales: chica 1, o capitana Corey, que para empezar no se sabe a qué fuerza armada pertenece. No vayan a pensar que Gerricita no se esfuerza para nada, no, ¡si se aprendió dos nombres, uno de avión y otro de helicóptero! Ok, no enteros y tampoco es que sean tan poco comunes. Bueno, la "capitana de alguna fuerza" tiene un problemilla cuando le anuncian que vieron una nave entrar en el espacio aéreo y después desaparecer. Ellos creen inicialmente que es un B-2...
(rellene aquí la información que la autora no puso)
El Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit es su nombre completo, también llamado "bombardero furtivo" y, para quienes no tienen ni una idea de cuál es, es el que se asemeja a un triángulo. ¡Ahhh! ¡Ahora sí caen! Bueno, ese.
... pero uno de los soldaditos está convencido que es un OVNI y se lo dice a su superior. Mi indicador de credibilidad cayó hasta 2 en la escala del 1 al 10. ¿Por qué? Porque ningún subordinado le dirá sus estúpidas teorías tipo Mulder a su superior si no quiere pasar sus días en alguna horrenda tarea en vez de los controles aéreos. Se repetiría a sí mismo que ama tocar teclas, no así limpiar un baño con un cepillo de dientes, créanme. El punto extra que le doy es en caso de si el chico se hubiera golpeado la cabeza o tuviera a punto de entrar en un ACV o algo similar.
Esperen, esperen. ¿Ya dije que la otra chica tuvo una propuesta matrimonial y huyó? No, no lo dije. Sigamos con lo poco creíble que es la parte que a mí me gusta. La levantan a las 0200 o sea, a las 2 am de un aciago domingo, eso sucede cuando (remarca) el objeto que ingresó en el radar lo hizo a las 2046, o sea, a las 20:46. ¿De verdad creen que no despertarían a un superior sino hasta casi 6 horas después si algo raro entra en los radares? ¿¿¿En Yankelandia??? Indicador de credibilidad: cero, sí ya sé que la escala era del 1 al 10 y le doy 0. No me discutan.
(...)
A ver, chiquitas. Si en una zona sin terremotos la tierra tiembla, ¿qué van a pensar que es? 1+1= 2. ¡Un terremoto, por supuesto! No van a elucubrar oscuras teorías sobre lo que sucedió. Si las torres de celular caen y no hay electricidad (¡¡¡SÍIIIIIII YA TE OÍMOS LA PRIMERA VEZ, GERRI!!! No es necesario que lo repitas 50 veces)... Nada, la población creerá que una torre cayó y ahí quedará, estarán más ocupados con su molestia que hacerse los Mulder y Scully, chicos. Es muy de adolescente esa teoría que creó.
Así que resulta ser en una parte inexistente, las Fuerzas Armadas (lo que sea que integre la capitana) envían a un Black Hawk (en el texto a veces dice Halcón Negro)...
El Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk es un helicóptero utilitario de carga media, bimotor con rotor de cuatro palas, fabricado por la compañía estadounidense Sikorsky Aircraft y de tamaño medio-grande. Las palas es lo que gira, mamitas. Bimotor o sea, que tiene dos motores.
... y se cae. Reitero, cae en territorio norteamericano un helicóptero de guerra norteamericano. ¿Cómo creen que reaccionarían las Fuerzas Armadas ante eso? Bueno, en el mundo imaginario de Gerri no hacen nada, porque evidentemente es tonta o algo. Si un helicóptero de esas características cayera en SU territorio, mínimo tendrían que entrar en algún tipo de alerta (amarilla creo yo, quizá naranja). ¡Pero nop! Envían a la capitana con la creencia ('cuchá esto) de que puede ser un OVNI *se golpea la cabeza contra el monitor* tampoco dicen que está "desaparecido en acción", que sería la terminología correcta. No. Dice que está desaparecido nomás.
Así que también está la teoría sobre un meteoro... un meteoro radioactivo, según le dicen a la compañía de electricidad. En fin. Si alguna de ustedes alguna vez se les ocurrió por esas casualidades de la vida, leer ciencia ficción blanda, se darán cuenta de inmediato que esto apesta. El argumento apesta. Las explicaciones apestan. Las imágenes satelitales del poderosísimo ejército yankee quedan relegadas a visualizar el Valle Paradox dos días antes porque no ven nada sin luz. No hay equipos termodinámicos, no hay fuerzas apostadas cerca, no hay explicación de nada. No llaman a los equipos científicos, no llaman a equipos especializados como la CIA para intentar cubrir las cosas o el FBI con sus equipos científicos, tienen un triste informe de actividad sísmica (lamento arruinarte la terminología, Gerri, pero yo escribo con corrección) del área y nada más. Tampoco inician algún protocolo, siempre los hay en casos como esos. Indicador de credibilidad: cero.
(...)
Ah, pero ustedes querían saber sobre el romance. Ops. Bueno, es sencillo: Dana no cree que sea una turista que se aventuró, después confiesa que es capitana y, ah, cuando nadie quiere ir a investigar el helicóptero la valiente y corajuda capitana decide ir. See, se murieron de amor con eso también. Relleno, relleno y más relleno de especulaciones sin sentido mientras las chuchitas se enamoran y la campirana le pregunta a la capitana qué pasó con su equipo muerto. Nada interesante por aquí.
Lo gracioso es que Gerri nunca termina de definir en sí lo que es "el enemigo". Es una cosa medio rara juntando todas las viejas películas de sci-fi de los años '80 y un poco de X-Files. Eso incluye Tremors, sí. Un par de muertes. Y, para concluirla, la deja con final abierto así las continúa estafando con sus pésimos argumentos, porque hay otro misterio por ahí afuera sumado a un extra de Ingalls que tanto parece gustarle.
Horripilante.
November 13, 2017
I'm a Gerri Hill fan, at least I used to be when she wrote romances; I have several of them in my book collection. Then she moved on to mysteries, etc., and I moved on to other romance writers. PARADOX VALLEY came into my hands recently, and I decided to give it a try. At first, I didn't like it much because it featured UFOs and dangerous extraterrestrials, and the two women lesbians had a relatively smart part in action that involved families in an agricultural area of Western Colorado. I kept reading and, eventually, found more connection between the women; I became used to the extraterrestrials and gradually got caught up in the FEAR that the humans felt in having their world invaded and their loved ones endangered and killed. By the end of the book, I shed a few tears, and when a book touches me that much, I have to give it a 5-star rating. The author has done her job! Thanks, Gerri!
September 27, 2016
This was certainly different from Hill's usual tales. I am a fan of her writing, I really enjoy her romances but of course I do enjoy her paranormal novels (keeper's cave and weeping walls). And I enjoyed this one as well. It was different and even scary at some points which I liked. I also enjoyed the open ending, there could vey well be a sequel to that story.
The only little thing that didn't do it for me is the romance. I mean, both were great characters, but I just did not feel it. The characters often insisted on the connection between them so I suppose it was there but I didn't feel it. But then again, this was not a romance so it didn't bug me that much.
The only little thing that didn't do it for me is the romance. I mean, both were great characters, but I just did not feel it. The characters often insisted on the connection between them so I suppose it was there but I didn't feel it. But then again, this was not a romance so it didn't bug me that much.
October 15, 2016
I respect that this is SciFi, not romance. That said, the science part of the SciFi is...missing? And not in the there's no way this could happen scientifically sense. No, it was missing in the I really don't understand what kind of world the author is trying to build here sense. The fight the main characters were having was with a vague, very undefined enemy. That didn't make the story scary, it made it frustrating and a bit unfulfilling.
I do suspect that we'll see these characters again from Gerri Hill. I wouldn't mind that, but I hope we get to know them a bit better in any sequel that might turn up.
I do suspect that we'll see these characters again from Gerri Hill. I wouldn't mind that, but I hope we get to know them a bit better in any sequel that might turn up.
November 4, 2016
In spite of the highly improbable events that occur in this book, I still loved it. In fact, I've yet to read a Gerri Hill book that I didn't like. Loved Corey and Dana and I'm a sucker for stories that have dogs in them. We lesbians love our pets. Am I right?
September 29, 2016
This was definitely different from Gerri's typical romance. She's done a few of these paranormal stories. She's just such a great writer. I love everything she writes.
January 11, 2020
This sounded like or was going to be right up my alley based on the blurb but it fell kind of flat. I didn't like the character of Dana at all, she was sort of flouncy and whiny. I couldn't feel any chemistry between her and Corey.
The sci fi element also seemed a bit superficial. It could have been used to build so much more atmosphere and tension into the story but it wasn't. I never had a clear picture of the threat aside from some weird craft and beings that liked to inhabit humans and eat them. We never really know what they want, what they are, or why they have such a desperate desire to kill everyone.
I think the story probably suffered from too many characters, we're so busy following them around and learning what they were having for supper or breakfast that the foreboding of potential disaster kept slacking off rather than building up. Then at the end, things were a bit too convenient and easy...everything Corey fires at drops dead (even the super fast running figures she double taps at a distance from horseback with a 9mm handgun), the 'possessed' humans are terrible shots and miss everything not even getting in a lucky shot when a get away car is peppered with automatic fire, a set of keys and a cell phone just happen to be in an escape vehicle exactly when needed, and a variety of other things I won't spoil. Fair enough, plenty of people die, but they were not characters we really cared about. Even sci-fi has to be believable.
I normally love Gerri Hill, and I have a feeling this was supposed to be a fly by the seat of your pants action story with added romance. But I spent too much time annoyed with the characters and the action sequences to be carried away. I also never got any answers to all the 'why' and 'how' questions I had. It is worth the read, just don't expect a lot of depth.
The sci fi element also seemed a bit superficial. It could have been used to build so much more atmosphere and tension into the story but it wasn't. I never had a clear picture of the threat aside from some weird craft and beings that liked to inhabit humans and eat them. We never really know what they want, what they are, or why they have such a desperate desire to kill everyone.
I think the story probably suffered from too many characters, we're so busy following them around and learning what they were having for supper or breakfast that the foreboding of potential disaster kept slacking off rather than building up. Then at the end, things were a bit too convenient and easy...everything Corey fires at drops dead (even the super fast running figures she double taps at a distance from horseback with a 9mm handgun), the 'possessed' humans are terrible shots and miss everything not even getting in a lucky shot when a get away car is peppered with automatic fire, a set of keys and a cell phone just happen to be in an escape vehicle exactly when needed, and a variety of other things I won't spoil. Fair enough, plenty of people die, but they were not characters we really cared about. Even sci-fi has to be believable.
I normally love Gerri Hill, and I have a feeling this was supposed to be a fly by the seat of your pants action story with added romance. But I spent too much time annoyed with the characters and the action sequences to be carried away. I also never got any answers to all the 'why' and 'how' questions I had. It is worth the read, just don't expect a lot of depth.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews