Derailed is the 2nd book in the Windy City Neighbors series. Some of the characters from Yada Yada
and other of the Jackson's series make appearances. This one follows Harry Bentley as he embarks on his new career as an Amtrak detective. Very good series that doesn't come off as "too preachy". ( )

This was the sequel to "Grounded" - basically the same story told from the perspective of two other characters. I didn't enjoy it very much, possibly because I'm spoiled and like shiny/new things. ( )

***GoodReads Giveaway***

A wholesome family drama. A little bit slow but worth pushing through.Good for a lazy Sunday afternoon read. ( )

Title: Derailed (Windy City Neighbors Book #2)
Author: Dave & Neta Jackson
Pages: 320
Year: 2013
Publisher: Worthy
I absolutely hope there are more novels planned for this series. In this sequel following Grounded, the tale is told from the point of view of Henry Bentley whom readers met in the first novel. In Grounded, readers got the perspective of the neighborhood and life from Grace Meredith who travels giving concerts. Here, we are given the neighborhood view from Henry and some of what he shares includes neighbors both known and unknown. Along with that, readers get Henry’s perspective on some of the action from book one as well as what happened in Henry’s life prior to either story.
One aspect I enjoyed was the transparency of Henry’s struggles in his walk with the Lord and being a relatively new Christian with a past that plays into the character’s present situations. Henry’s wife is such a supporter of his life and walk with the Lord though they haven’t been married long. She is a very compassionate woman and prayer warrior who never seems to have difficulty stopping and praying about everything no matter where she is or whom she is with.
Henry’s character is a retired Chicago Police Officer who is learning to put his family before work as he is raising his grandson while his son, Rodney, finishes his prison sentence. Upon his release, Rodney moves in with them, living on the first floor with his son. Now, Rodney is employed and looking to move out to begin taking responsibility for his life and hopes that eventually his son can come live with him full-time. In order to pay bills, Henry accepts a position as an undercover agent with Amtrak along with his dog, Corky, who is a trained dog with the Amtrak police.
Personally, I enjoyed this novel more than the first in some ways, but wouldn’t be able to appreciate the story if I hadn’t read the first book either. I love action and suspense more than a romantic storyline most of the time; however, with the way Mr. & Mrs. Bentley’s show affection and caring for each other, I hope it is a picture of what I my marriage will be like when I am older. Either way, the faithfulness to prayer, church attendance, Bible study and all is shown for what it should be, which is connection to God, being open to His voice and being connected to fellow believers. Lastly, I think the novels show the need to love our neighbors where they are at, allowing God to reach out to them through us, and being open books that others can read, seeing Christ in us.
My rating is 5+ stars!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Other reviews can be read at http://seekingwithallyurheart.blogspot.com/ . Also follow me on Twitter @lcjohnson1988, FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/lisa.johnson.75457 ( )

Let me start by saying I've read all of Neta and Dave's books since the Yada Yada Prayer Group. I always look forward to when the next book goes on sale.

What I like is that in this series you get more than one point of view regarding what is going on with the story line. In other words, you don't have one narrator throughout the entire series. We also get visits from old friends we met in Neta's other series.

What I don't like is that Derailed covers the same time frame as Grounded, so you actually know a good bit of what happens before you get to it. You don't know all the details from the other person's perspectives, but you know a good bit of what is going to happen.

I think I would have enjoyed Derailed more if this second book in the series picked up where the first one left off or if you heard from more than one character per book. The Jacksons started doing the same kind of thing with parallel books with the Yada Yada House of Hope series (Neta) and Yada Yada Brothers (Harry Bentley series written by Dave), but I think it may have worked better then because it was two different series instead of one.

For some reason, it just wasn't what I expected. And Harry seemed different somehow. I can't put my finger on exactly what since it's been a while since I read the last Harry Bentley book.

With all of that said, I'm most certainly going to keep reading the series. I want to find out what happens with all the characters in the neighborhood and old friends from series past as well! ( )