On Solid Ground – The Grounded Series, Book 3

Three years ago after learning she has breast cancer, Qiana Apachito abruptly ends her rocky relationship with her boyfriend. Blindsided by their breakup, Gage Youngblood is still nursing his broken heart when Qiana calls about a corpse found on a reservation. Desperately hoping the discovery will not jeopardize their careers, the two are thrust together to investigate a case involving missing Native American girls, including Qiana's younger sister. Acknowledging their passion still burns, they must decide if their feelings are strong enough to stand on solid ground a second time around. They also need to put all the pieces together to uncover the identity of a cult leader, capture a gang of abductors, and safely rescue the missing trafficked women.

"On Solid Ground" delivers simmering passions and complex emotions with a dose of chilling realism. The trafficking investigation is filled with enough intrigue to captivate readers’ attention. Although the plot doesn’t delve deeply into traumas of abduction and brainwashing, it provides enough information to inspire compassion for those involved. The elusive bad guys are mostly spoken about; however their presence is felt throughout the story. Readers may find it annoying and confusing when Gage and Qiana resume their physical relationship as they both do a lot of internal soul searching before expressing their feelings to one another. The secondary characters are provided with enough background to enhance and allow this installment to be read as a standalone. In an exciting conclusion to her Grounded series trilogy, Ms. Schmidt delivers a compelling story infused with mystery, second chances, and danger!

Tonya Mathenia