Baggage Claim

Tru Exceptions #1

by Amanda Tru

An alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here.

Montana native, Rachel Saunders, is looking forward to her all-expense paid weekend trip to New York. But, when her luggage is lost and she is accosted by an infuriating Homeland Security agent named Dawson Tate, events take a dangerous turn. Now, can she and Dawson elude their enemies and prevent a terrorist attack before the bomb in their possession is detonated in the center of Manhattan--all while keeping their obvious attraction to one another in check? Find out in this Romantic Thriller.

Genres: Romance, Christian Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery, Christian, Suspense, Fiction

199 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2011

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Reviews

[Charissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warning: This book is bad for your cuticles and REM cycle. Just had to put that out there because this suspenseful (yet witty) romance has nonstop action from page 1 until the end. Have you ever watched the series 24 with Jack Bauer? This is kind of like that. The action never stops and the odds keep stacking against our heroes until you don’t think they’ll ever get out of it; but you know somehow they will…but you wonder how…which makes you crave brownies. Seriously! A pan of brownies would have been nice while reading this book; maybe then I wouldn’t have bitten off all my nails (and don’t tell me I already had bitten them off, because I know you’re right…but I still tried to bite whatever was left hanging on for dear life of my cuticles and the result isn’t pretty).

I’m still glad I read this book though—ugly remaining cuticles and all. I did miss out on a night of REM sleep, so if I cut you off on the freeway today, I’m sorry about that…but I blame it all on this intense book. You see, I was worried so much about the crazy characters I had just barely met, but kind of fallen for, that I stayed awake all night trying to figure out how Rachel and Dawson would get away from the terrorists (I mean, Rachel is only a small town girl from Montana. How is she going to survive New York City, let alone some insane terrorists who are chasing her down to get their bomb back they planted in her suitcase?). Anyway, lesson learned. Next time this happens, I will just stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning and finish the dang book instead of lying in bed trying to determine the ending myself and lose a night’s worth of precious sleep.

If you still want to read this book (which I strongly encourage), just remember to make a pan of brownies or something else decadent before you start reading; this will lower the chances of you eliminating your nails, cuticles and REM sleep like I did.

[Angie Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hoo boy. Not quite sure how to process my feelings about this one, but here goes...

For starters, I really liked the way that Rachel handled herself in the whirl of chaotic, life-or-death situations that she was tossed into with literally no warning. I especially appreciated the "don't you dare kiss me again" stance that she eventually took with Dawson, when she knew her heart wouldn't be able to take it. She was a genuinely strong woman without being an emotionless rock, which I really appreciated.

Dawson however...boy, I didn't think anything was going to be able to overcome that incredibly terrible first impression. Okay, yes, I did soften to him by the end, but the thing is--I'm not entirely sure why. All the specific moments I can point to are of him being rude and standoffish, and there's not really anything concrete to counterbalance that, except that we just spent an entire book running for our lives with him, so...yeah. It honestly feels like the book equivalent of "falling in love" because you've gone through a traumatic experience with someone and they were all you had, but when I step back, I have serious concerns over how solid that foundation is (for Rachel and me). Oh, and the kissing and physical chemistry do not count as redeeming qualities in my mind because, while it might not be an entirely jerk move to kiss someone to protect them from terrorists, it is definitely a jerk move to try it again when there's not a reason for it after you've told her you're not interested in the bluntest way possible. (Don't care that you're fighting a real attraction that you don't want. You don't get to kiss her under those circumstances. Period.)

I did enjoy the nonstop action and suspense. I kept feeling like there was going to be a place where it wasn't realistic for Dawson to keep Rachel with him, but with no backup and no letup to the pace, it made sense in the believable-if-you-squint way that most of these types of stories do. (Although I was incredibly mad at the decisions of the rest of the agency! No excuse. Literally none.) There were other things that didn't make sense to me, though... Here, let's blend in in this crowded nightclub so they won't see us--when we've established that they can blow the bomb at any time and want as much collateral damage as possible? And...you don't think dancing while holding onto a suitcase is a dead giveaway? Or once the initial tracking was disabled, why not try to get out of Manhattan?!? Also, the level of knowledge they did and didn't have about the terrorists fluctuated wildly and felt like it was specifically calculated to remove off-ramps that the plot needed them not to have while justifying decisions that would have been ridiculous in any other context. Like the difference between "we know next to nothing about how this bomb works" and then when a reasonable solution is proposed "well, they can do this and this with the bomb and certainly would if we did that". Or "we don't know who or how many there are, so we can't just arrest them to make this whole thing stop" which becomes "oh, we've destroyed the whole cell and you're totally safe" when it's time to wrap up. Yeah...that more than anything really stretched my suspension of disbelief.

However, the thing that really brings my rating down and almost made me put down the story was when Rachel was forced to wear a "hooker" disguise to throw off the terrorists on their trail. She was totally uncomfortable with it, but so was I, and I didn't see what purpose it served besides that, except to let Dawson be protective in warding off the advances of other guys (which you caused by making her wear that outfit, dude!!!) and which I'm sure could have been portrayed even better in some less filthy scenario. That whole bit totally tanks my rating of the book as a whole, which would have been significantly higher without it, even with the other issues I mentioned. I will give the author credit that she didn't go into detail after originally describing the ridiculously skimpy costume, which is why I was able to keep reading at all, but still--not good. And not justified in my mind, no matter how good of a disguise it was. I can't recommend the book for that reason.

1.5 stars

Content--bombs, guns, martial arts, terrorists, explosions, people shot; a few deaths (not graphic); mentions of wounds and injuries (not graphic); some noticing and physical chemistry; some passionate kissing (not overly descriptive); a woman is referred to as "sexy" and "looking too good" in a very skimpy "hooker" disguise; men make advances on a woman (unsolicited, except not because of how she's dressed) and are stopped before anything happens

[Alisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one! It was full of action from the very beginning and I loved the combination of Rachel Saunders, the Montana ranch girl who was so much more than she appeared, and the arrogant Homeland Security agent Dawson Tate.

Even though this book is marketed as Christian Fiction, it is not preachy at all and would be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys a clean, action-packed story with some snarky romance thrown in!

I loved it so much that I bought the second book in this series right away.

Content: Clean
Source: Amazon.com (this one may still be a freebie)

[Katie George · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that makes you go: WHAT??? However, the twists were weird but entertaining!!! Loved it. I doubt I'll read the series, but an enjoyable, quick read.

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, that was a wild ride. I have read many other books by this author and really enjoyed almost all of them. But this one not so much. It was her first book and the writing style isn’t as good as in her later books. I didn’t enjoy either main character all that much though I didn’t dislike them either. Except that Dawson acted like a jerk several times. There was definitely lots of excitement, drama, and thrills. Several times I’ll admit to half laughing or rolling my eyes as yet one more thing happens in the long chain of adventures. Some things seemed rather far fetched, unrealistic, unbelievable, and all that sort of thing. I'm still trying to figure out how this HUGE explosion even over water could go unnoticed. And I guess there were no boats or ships anywhere nearby.

I think this was supposed to be a Christian book, but there were only a couple mentions of praying, or saying someone should pray in tense situations. And it mentioned that Dawson was a Christian near the end, so that made everything okay? Hardly. The ending was a little too much for me.
There was a lot of kissing. Some of it was for their undercover work, other times it wasn’t. I didn't like it. (Dawson, you were a jerk!) I wasn’t a fan of their disguise and neither was Rachel. Even if they wanted to blend in, it didn't have to be like that.
I don’t plan on reading the next book.

[Brittney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had no idea that this was a Christian( the fact they are Christians is only mentioned once romantic suspense but it was good.
No sex but good.
The Romance was okay. The plot was fast pasted and action pack. It did not slow or lag. The dialogue was witty.

[Innocent · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is extremely enjoyable...
life at times tend to throw things at us which are hard to understand and yo are like, why me, but all it takes is to be clam and take one day at a time

[Armando Estrada]

Recently I finished reading Baggage Claim by Amanda Tru. Tru, who lives in a small town in Idaho where the number of cows outnumbers the number of people. She is mother to three little boys. Amanda Tru loves writing, and she has a variety of genres. For example, Christian time travel/romantic series, or action-packed suspense.
The main character in Baggage Claim, Rachel Saunders is a Montana native who is looking forward to her all-expense paid weekend trip to New York. When all of a sudden her luggage goes missing and she is accosted by this mean Homeland Security agent named Dawson Tate. On this book events take a dangerous turn, when her luggage is carrying a bomb. Now they will have to elude their enemies and will have to prevent a terrorist attack before the bomb detonates.
In writing this book, Tru was trying to help us understand that things don’t always go the way you had planned, and sometimes have to improvise whenever is needed. Terrorists managed to get a bomb on a suitcase and want it to detonate in downtown Manhattan. Rachel is just a normal girl from Montana and will eventually become a hero at the end by helping Tate getting the bomb as far as they can away from a populated area. She will have to put away her fears and help out and improvise in any way she can.
While reading this book, the action never stopped. It took right off at the beginning and it did not stopped till the very end. The author did a good job on writing the book because it set out the plot to the point that it was easy to understand and it just grabbed your attention from page one. The only thing I didn’t like was the ending. If I was the author, I would have gave more details of what happened to both of Rachel and Tate after they met back in Montana. Did they stayed together or not, could have ended a different way.
I would recommend this book to people who likes romantic/action books, it’s a very interesting book and plenty of action, however this book has a little swearing and some parts that can be disturbing.

[Alysia · Rating 2 out of 5]

First off, I'll start with the cover of the book. It doesn't even relate to the book. The book isn't about someone trying to hitchhike their way to New York, so the cover is weird to me. Don't like it. Second, the story was mostly fun and action packed, with some fun characters. But, here is my main problem with the book, and I realize that it was not a main "theme" in the book, but it really bothered me...it seemed to me that the author glorified prostitutes and the implication was that the way that they dress is what men want. In trying to teach my children about respect for their bodies and how not to objectify women or be objectified themselves, this just bothered me, especially for a christian novel. There were so many different ways the author could have gone about getting the character from point A to point B without this part. The nail in the coffin is when, at the end of the book, the male hero of the story brings the outfit back out for her like "this is what I want"...huh?....

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Baggage Claim is about a girl looking for her lost luggage and then finding out the rude guy at the counter is a homeland security and she has a bomb on her. Things went from 'okay' to 'what the heck is going on here?' pretty quickly. Or maybe that's just me?

As for the characters? Well, Rachel and Dawson were basically okay in my eyes. Kind of cute but I didn't really fell the connection between them. They could have ended up being best friends for life and I would move on with my life unaffected. So, romantically, I didn't see it.

Then what really threw me for a loop was the tagging of 'Christian Romance.' Mostly because I didn't get that vibe either. Maybe my vibes are off because I'm exhausted from shots and getting up at 6am. I don't really know... but I did like the book.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I actually couldn't read all of this book. It was just too unbelievable. It felt like the author just made up all of the technical stuff for the convenience of her plot. I never understood why Rachel had to stay with Dawson. Even if terrorists were after the bomb, wouldn't any law enforcement officials remove the civilian from the dangerous position? It was an interesting idea for a story, just fell short on the execution.

[Taffy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, clean book full of action and romance.
Rachel is a small town farm girl who won some sort of contest in NY. Dawson is the agent who found a bomb in Rachel's suitcase. The rest of the book is full of obstacles and bad luck as the two main characters try to out smart terrorists and their own attractions to each other.

Thanks netgalley for the read.

[Briana Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this book 3 stars. It was a little TOO unrealistic/un-believable to me. I did like how the story/action just took off right at the beginning, but the romance was a little corny at times. If you like action/romance books then you will probably like this book. Quick, clean read.

[Miriam Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the story to be fast paced and entertaining. The kissing was a bit overboard, but I thought the plot good enough to overlook that.

[Danielle Turko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rachel feels her luck is about to change. Sure, in the past her luck has been less than good, but now it's changing. Why else would she have won that all expenses paid trip to see a talk show being filmed in New York? But when landing in the city, her luggage is lost and she misses her shuttle, plus has a unfortunate encounter with a rude man. Yes, the rude man is incredibly good looking, but his manners more than made up for it. When her suitcase finally shows up she hops in a cab and spends most of her cash getting to the hotel. Once there, she finds herself being kissed by someone as soon as she steps out of the cab, and steps back to discover it's the rude man from the airport. She soon learns, as he pushes her back into a cab, that his name is Dawson and he works with Homeland Security and her suitcase now has a bomb inside. It's now up to her and Dawson to make sure the bomb doesn't go off around people, and stay alive in the process.
I enjoyed this book, although there were a few spelling and grammatical errors. The characters kept you engaged, although there were a few sections that seemed slightly unbelievable. She ended the book in a way she could have stopped it completely, but it included an excerpt from the next book so I'll definitely continue the series.

[Janet Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Montana native, Rachel Saunders has an all expenses paid weekend trip to New York City. When she arrives at the airport her bag is missing. She finally gets her bag but is approached by a strange man. She learns that her bag has been tampered with and is carrying a bomb. Dawson Tate is from Homeland Security and will try to help her deal with the situation. There is also a tracking device in the suitcase. A fast moving story that keeps your interest. A fun read. Highly recommended.

[Carmi Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

To call this a Christian Romantic Suspense is a huge stretch. There are to mentions of praying but both are like offhandedly made and neither actually seems to involve real prayer. Then towards the end of the book a character references Dawson, one of the main characters is a Christian. At least it was a good clean read, no foul language or conduct. Action was non-stop and it was a very quick read!

[Cyndi Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This has to be one of the most stupidest books I ever read

The subject explains why I chose this rating. I am very disappointed in Me Tru after reading this book. If it had been the first book of here that I had read it would have been the last. The story line does not make sense. Don't waste your time or money.

[Julie Jefferies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotionally charged - great read

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Baggage Claim. Amanda did a great job of going through all the emotions Rachel was feeling as she was a mission to save an unexpecting New York from a terrorist attack. The fear, the attraction and heartbreak. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series

[Đào Minh]

Theo đó, Honda CR-V hút khách nhất với 1.507 chiếc đến tay khách hàng, xếp thứ 2 trong top 10 xe bán chạy nhất thị trường tháng qua. Ngoài ra, Honda Civic bổ sung 2 bản giá rẻ nên cũng đạt doanh số đến 205 xe, Jazz là 192 chiếc và có 78 xe Honda Accord rời đại lý.
http://www.mitsubishi-trungthuong.com...

[Ronnie Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great clean book!

I loved it. A gripping and exciting book of Rachel the country girl from Montana visiting New York. But the free trip quickly turns from fun and exciting expectations to a terrorist bomb in her suitcase and Dawson, the Homeland Security Agent that wants to save her life. Clean, lots of excitement, and a spark of love.

[Teresa Smyser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Page turner!!

This book grabs you in the first chapter and keeps you riveted the entire story. There is plenty of suspense as unsuspecting Rachel gets tangled in a web of terrorists. I enjoy the back and forth between Rachel and homeland security guy, Dawson. Never a dull moment. Highly recommend it!

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was to be a fun, sightseeing trip. But when Rachael can't find her bag, it turns out to be much different. A bomb in her suitcase, the weekend with a man who is Homeland Security, being chased by criminals, shot at, & when it's all over, she doesn't get to see anything in New York & can't tell her friends/family what happened. A very different premise for a story.

[Lois Hinderliter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

Rachel on her first visit to New York City meets Dawson she thinks is rude. She leaves the airport runs into him again and be explained s he is with homeland security. They spend the day being chased by terrorists. There is constant action on every page. I enjoyed this book and would like to read more by this author.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

A roller coaster ride with this fast paced suspense story. Rachel has won an all expense paid weekend trip to New York. She arrives however her luggage is missing. After a long process and wait the baggage agent brings it out. Wanting to get to her hotel before it gets any later she takes a cab. This is when the crazy stuff really begins. A riveting page turner.

[Mary Stanfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have finished all four books. It will keep you on the edge of your seat. They are clean Christian books. It has some murder, fighting and romance. I would recommend these books to anyone. I hated that there aren't anymore books in this series. It keeps you very interested until you don't want to put them down!

[Gail Dew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baggage Claim

This is really a short story. There was enough action and suspense in the romance department. However there were a couple questionable items regarding the bomb which made you wonder if the author knew what she was talking about.

[Sharon Rudolph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

This was a quick, fun book to read. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline grabbed me from the very first page. Amanda is a new author to me, and I look forward to reading more of her books.

[Shari Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be made into a movie!

This book was so wonderful... right from the first moment. I couldn't stop reading. This book needs to be made into a movie. Such a great book I forgot it was a Christian based book. Loved it for so many reasons.

[Katrina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not sure how I feel about the book. It wasn’t terrible, but I had a difficult time connecting with the characters. This is book one of a series, though, so this is just the introduction to them. I didn’t care for the ending of this book. Really? She went along with that? Psh