Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter

I was so excited when one of my favorite authors finally released a new book!
After the disappointment I felt reading the finally book in the Embassy Row series, Carter redeemed herself with the fast paced novel set in the Alaskan wilderness.

Maddie and Logan are best friends, but after an incident that almost costs them their lives, Maddie and her father relocate to the middle of the Alaskan wilderness and she doesn't hear from Logan. Until six years later, Logan, the president's son, gets himself into a spot of trouble and gets punished by being sent to the middle of nowhere.

This book was very fast paced, which can be a good and a bad thing. There wasn't a whole lot of character development in the short time span that the book covers, but the development that you see is well done. Maddie's character at the beginning of the book is that of a "girly-girl" so to speak. she bedazzles everything and takes time and effort to maintain her appearance. The Maddie that you see after she's lived in Alaska for six years is very different. Her father had been a Secret Service agent so that and living in the wilds of Alask meant that she learned a few survival skills along the way. She goes from skirt twirling to ax throwing and all around badass.

Logan's development is different. In the beginning of the book he's kind of a people pleaser. He wants to make his parents happy and do what they ask him to do, but after Maddie leaves those things change. His best friend is ripped from his life, so he turns into a trouble maker and slips away from his personal guards and cause a raucous anyway he can.

When the two are reunited, it's not exactly a happy reunion. Maddie is mad at Logan and he doesn't seem to really understand why. When Logan is kidnapped by Russian agents, however, Maddie will do anything to help him get back safely, even if that means risking her own life to save his.

Again, the book was very fast paced and made for a quick read. The action scenes were well thought out and didn't seem to go by too quickly despite the fast paced nature of the book. I loved reading the descriptions of the wilderness in the book, as that was an integral part of Maddie and Logan's survival. There was a little romance thrown in as well between Logan and Maddie, but that was kind of expected and not unwelcome.

All in all, this was a great book! While it isn't my favorite book by Ally Carter, I would definitely recommend it!