by admin | Feb 25, 2016 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Law Enforcement, Romantic Suspense
MY REVIEW:
Having enjoyed Pettrey’s Alaskan Courage series, I was excited to have the chance to review the first book of her new Chesapeake Valor series. As the initial book of the series, “Cold Shot” spends a fair amount of time laying the foundation with background of the primary characters for the series. As a result, the story may seem to have gotten off to a slow start but I feel that the author will continue to add to this information as the series progresses and readers will become more invested in what happens with these four men.
Pettrey’s writing skills are excellent with strong , realistic characters and a suspenseful plot with well researched details. I particularly found Griffin’s insights about snipers to be interesting. Fortunately, it is not something I have had a need to know and hope I never have need of it. The requisite romantic element of the story was handled well and was mostly believable within the plot. There was plenty of drama, danger, and action to hold my attention and a touch of humor and romance helped to relieve the suspense at just the right time. Multiple twists and surprises rounded out the story.
I enjoyed getting to know Griffin and his friends Declan and Parker and hope to meet their other buddy Luke in an upcoming sequel. I also liked Finley and hope she will also appear in the rest of this series.
Readers who enjoyed the Alaskan Courage series should also enjoy “Cold Shot”. I also think Dee Henderson fans would enjoy it.
This book was provided for review by
Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Four Best Friends.
And Then One Went Missing . . .
In college, Griffin McCray and his three best friends had their lives planned out. Griffin and Luke Gallagher would join the Baltimore Police Department, Declan Grey would head to the FBI, and Parker Mitchell would study to become a crime scene analyst. But then Luke vanished before graduation and their world–and friendships–crumbled.
Now years later, Griffin has left the police and his friendships behind. Still trying to forget a case that went bad when he was a SWAT team sniper, he’s living a quiet life as a park ranger at Gettysburg. Quiet until skeletal remains are uncovered near Little Round Top–and they aren’t Civil War-era.
Griffin just wants the case to go away, but charming forensic anthropologist Finley Scott discovers evidence pointing to the work of an expert sniper. When FBI agent Declan Grey steps in to take over the case, past and present collide. Griffin soon realizes he’ll need to confront some of the darkest days of his life if he–and those he cares about–are going to escape a downward spiral of crime, danger, and murder.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Photo Credit: © Michael Pettrey Photography
Dani Pettrey is a wife, home-schooling mom, and the acclaimed author of the Alaskan Courage romantic suspense series, which includes her bestselling novels Submerged, Shattered, Stranded, Silenced, and Sabotaged. Her books have been honored with the Daphne du Maurier award, two HOLT Medallions, two National Readers’ Choice Awards, the Gail Wilson Award of Excellence, and Christian Retailing’s Best Award, among others.
She feels blessed to write inspirational romantic suspense because it incorporates so many things she loves–the thrill of adventure, nail-biting suspense, the deepening of her characters’ faith, and plenty of romance. She and her husband reside in Maryland, where they enjoy time with their two daughters, a son-in-law, and a super adorable grandson. You can find her online at danipettrey.com.
by admin | Feb 22, 2016 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Romantic Suspense
MY REVIEW:
“Always Watching” is a fast-paced romantic suspense that held my interest and kept me guessing until the very end. The unique twist of an all-woman guardian service brought an entirely different edge to this story. After all, how would a manly man like to depend on a woman to protect him? In this case – not very much at first, but of course everyone knows what happens in these romantic suspense novels. Yeah, I won’t even make you guess.
I always enjoyed Lynette Eason’s Love Inspired novels and have also been a fan of her full-length novels. “Always Watching” lived up to my expectations with its strong characters and a plot filled with several twists and surprises. I actually suspected more than one person during the course of the story and I was totally wrong about all of them. The true culprit came as a huge surprise to me. I love it when the author can pull that off!
“Always Watching” is an excellent story that should appeal to most readers who love romantic suspense. I personally am looking forward to the next installment.
This book was provided for review by
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Intensity. Skill. Tenacity.
The bodyguards of Elite Guardians Agency have it all.
When it becomes clear that popular psychiatrist and radio personality Wade Savage has a stalker, his father secretly hires Elite Guardians to protect his son. But when Wade’s bodyguard is attacked and nearly killed, agency owner Olivia Edwards must step in and fill the gap.
Olivia’s skills are about to be tested to the limit as Wade’s stalker moves from leaving innocent gifts at his door to threatening those closest to him–including Olivia. But in her mind, even more dangerous than the threats to her life is the hold her handsome client has on her heart.
Read an excerpt from Always Watching.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Lynette Eason is the bestselling author of the Women of Justice series and the Deadly Reunions series, as well as No One to Trust, Nowhere to Turn, and No Place to Hide in the Hidden Identity series. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. She has a master’s degree in education from Converse College and she lives in South Carolina. Learn more at www.lynetteeason.com.
by admin | Feb 16, 2016 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Romance
MY REVIEW:
“The Red Door Inn” was a captivating novel with such a special setting and characters that I immediately wanted to move to Prince Edward Island (or at least visit). I especially liked the way Johnson revealed background information about each character little-by-little so that even the reader was kept in the dark along with the other characters.
I loved Marie, Seth, and Jack from the start even in their woundedness and lack of trust toward others. Jack’s determination to fulfill his deceased wife’s dream of opening an inn on PEI and his habit of taking in strays of the human species endeared him to me. Seth’s protectiveness toward his uncle earned him extra points. And Marie – her resolve to succeed due to her own efforts rather than becoming what someone else expected played a huge role in the story. Her generosity and caring spirit were especially significant once I learned her true background.
Then there was the love story. Despite their initial distrust of each other, there was a spark that grew between Marie and Seth that could not be denied. Unfortunately, past events and betrayals kept their suspicions on alert and very nearly kept them apart.
Oh, how can I tell you how much I enjoyed this book without major spoilers? I just loved the way I could see the Lord’s hand in the way He brought everything together in its perfect timing for each person involved and how He knit three unlikely people together as a family. I cannot wait for the next book. I hope the wait it not too long!
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Marie Carrington is running from a host of bad memories. Broke and desperate, she’s hoping to find safety and sanctuary on Prince Edward Island, where she reluctantly agrees to help decorate a renovated bed-and-breakfast before it opens for prime tourist season.
Seth Sloane didn’t move three thousand miles to work on his uncle’s B&B so he could babysit a woman with a taste for expensive antiques and a bewildering habit of jumping every time he brushes past her. He came to help restore the old Victorian–and to forget about the fiancée who broke his heart.
The only thing Marie and Seth agree on is that getting the Red Door Inn ready to open in just a couple months will take everything they’ve got. Can these two wounded souls find hope, healing, and perhaps a bit of romance on this beautiful island?
Step into the Red Door Inn, a lovely home away from home tucked along the fabled north shore of Prince Edward Island. It’s a place where the wounded come to heal, the broken find forgiveness, and the lonely find a family. Won’t you stay for the season?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
By day Liz Johnson is a marketing manager. She makes time to write late at night—that’s when she thinks best anyway. Liz is the author of seven novels, a New York Times bestselling novella, and a handful of short stories. She’s also a two-time ACFW Carol Award finalist. She makes her home in Nashville, where she enjoys exploring local music, theater, and making frequent trips to Arizona to dote on her nieces and nephews. She writes stories of true love filled with heart, humor, and happily ever afters.
by admin | Feb 15, 2016 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Western
MY REVIEW:
Another trip to the Four of Hearts Ranch – what could be more fun! I have so enjoyed this entire series and was so ready to read Jarrod’s own story. I was not disappointed but I am sorry it’s over. I wouldn’t mind another trip or two back to Wishing Springs.
Jarrod attempted to convince himself and everyone else that he was just too busy for romance but to tell the truth, he just hadn’t found a suitable replacement for the gal he walked away from years ago and pretty much regretted ever since. So when Cassidy returns to Wishing Springs, the only place she has ever been truly happy, after an ugly divorce, Jarrod begins to think that just maybe he might have a second chance to make things right. Unfortunately Cassidy has different ideas. She has big plans for her aunt’s farm and absolutely no plans to get involved with another man. After all, two mistakes is quite enough. Well as everyone who has ever read a romance novel knows, these two will end up together. How that happens is the rest of the story.
Clopton’s writing style is so easy to read. She makes me feel right at home with her characters so I usually just settle in and read until the book is finished and the rest of the world disappears for awhile. I was right there in Wishing Springs, Texas witnessing Jarrod’s determined pursuit of Cassidy even as she shut him down again and again. Naturally I had to cheer him on because he was just the right man for her and he kind of needed her too. They both had a bit of old baggage they needed to leave behind and just maybe they could help each other. It was fun witnessing their story as it played out.
I loved “Kissed by a Cowboy” and the chance to visit with some familiar faces from Wishing Springs. I heartily recommend it to those like me who cannot resist a book with cowboys.
Copies of this book were provided for review by LitFuse Publicity and the Fiction Guild.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Cassidy was looking for a home and a place to belong . . . not for a cowboy to steal her heart.
Having lived through her parents’ endless string of “matrimonial bliss gone wrong,” Cassidy Starr knows when the odds are not in her favor. Divorced and humiliated, her faith on rocky ground, Cassidy is through with love. She’s been bucked off that horse far too many times. Instead, she returns to Wishing Springs, Texas, and the rundown farm she’s inherited from her great aunt Roxie. She’ll reopen the strawberry farm and a bed & breakfast and follow in her aunt’s footsteps, remaining forever-independent, happy . . . and single.
Rancher Jarrod Monahan’s hands are full running the ranch, looking after his ailing grandfather, and chasing down a group of rustlers on the loose. He’s pushed his longing for a family to the bottom of his list of priorities. Besides, he was in love once but ran scared and lost his shot at happiness. But suddenly, the biggest regret of his life has moved in next door with a wounded heart, determined to become a spinster . . . and that’s a challenge that Jarrod can’t pass up.
Jarrod sets his mind to breaking down the walls around Cassidy’s stubborn heart. How can he show her that a cowboy’s kiss lasts forever? For the good folks of Wishing Springs, falling in love has never been so much fun to witness.
Learn more and purchase a copy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Debra Clopton is a multi-award winning novelist and has written more than 22 novels. Along with writing, Debra helps her husband teach the youth at their local Cowboy Church. Debra’s goal is to shine a light toward God while she entertains readers with her words.
Find out more about Debra at http://debraclopton.com.
by admin | Feb 3, 2016 | Amish, Books, Contemporary Fiction, Romance
MY REVIEW:
Although Amish fiction is not my favorite genre, I know I can always depend on a good read when I pick up one of Shelley Shepard Gray’s novels. She has a unique approach that probes the depths of human emotions and brings her characters to life. I find it easy to empathize with each of them because their life situations are familiar despite the difference in culture.
“A Son’s Vow” takes place during a time frame following a devastating fire that killed several men of the community. Although no evidence proved him responsible, Darla’s father was blamed for the accident by many residents. With so many affected by the fire, relationships have been strained, even those between once close friends like Darla’s friend Lukas. Darla spends her days attempting to take care of her brothers and sisters in the absence of her parents and Lukas finds himself responsible for the mill since his father’s death. With so much responsibility and so many changes in their lives, can their friendship survive?
In this novel, Gray touches on the subjects of anger and domestic abuse which are not something most would associate with the Amish. The author illustrated how grief, anger, and stress can drive a person to do things he regrets and is ashamed of, yet cannot seem to stop. I particularly liked how the guilty party was brought to repentance and restoration through the loving and forgiving approach taken by those who confronted him.
I thoroughly enjoyed “A Son’s Vow” and liked how the title was tied into the story near its end. If this book is any indication, The Charmed Amish Life series promises to be a good one.
This book was provided for review by LitFuse Publicity.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Three months ago, everything changed for Darla Kurtz and her family.
Darla’s father was responsible for a terrible fire at Charm’s lumber mill which killed five Amish men. And though he, too, lost his life, the town of Charm hasn’t looked at her family the same since. Even Lukas Kinsinger—with whom Darla used to have a close friendship.
Now her brother’s anger at the town is spilling over onto Darla, and she has the bruises to prove it. The accident already cost five lives, but if something doesn’t change soon, Darla fears it will cost her—and her family—even more.
Lukas Kinsinger wants to mourn the loss of his father, but he can hardly find the time to breathe. Suddenly the head of his father’s lumber mill and responsible for taking care of his three siblings, he’s feeling the pressure. He has also never felt more alone—especially with the new tension between he and Darla. But when he learns of her troubles at home, Lukas knows he can’t simply stand by and watch. Someone has to help her before another tragedy occurs.
As Lukas and Darla attempt to repair their families, they discover something deeper than friendship growing between them. But will Lukas and Darla’s love be accepted after so much loss? Or will the pain of the past overcome any chance of future happiness?
Shelley Shepard Gray’s first book in her Charmed Amish Life series is set in the quaint Amish village of Charm, Ohio, and tells the stories of the Kinsinger siblings who are each struggling to find both forgiveness and love in the face of tragedy.
Learn more and purchase a copy of A Son’s Vow.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Shelley Shepard Gray is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time HOLT Medallion winner. She lives in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.
Find out more about Shelley at http://www.shelleyshepardgray.com.
Enter to win a copy of A Son’s Vow—five winners will be chosen! Click the image below to enter to win. The winners will be announced February 11 on Shelley’s blog!
by admin | Jan 29, 2016 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Suspense
MY REVIEW:
“If I Run”. Terri Blackstock’s latest novel is scheduled to release on February 14. Fans of action-packed Christian suspense will want to grab a copy as soon as possible, especially if they are already familiar with this author’s previous work. I personally found the story to be fairly unique and engaging. It definitely held my attention throughout and I was actually surprised when I reached its end so quickly.
The primary character’s first instinct is to run when she finds the body of her best friend and realizes he has been murdered. Suspecting that it could be connected to the research he has been doing for her, Casey’s fear overrides her desire to prove her innocence. Dylan Roberts, another good friend of the victim, is hired by the parents to find Casey and bring her back for trial. Eager to see justice for his friend, Dylan begins to search for Casey. Using his investigative skills, he soon begins to see a pattern that does not fit what he has been told.
I loved these characters. Although Casey is on the run and it would be in her best interest to lie low, she cannot seem to overcome her instinct to help others and that comes close to getting her into big trouble. I also liked the way Dylan was more interested in finding the truth than in just fulfilling his mission. Although there was absolutely no romance in this story, I couldn’t help hoping that Casey and Dylan might connect at some point (maybe in a sequel?).
There is ample danger and action in this fast-paced suspense to keep those pages turning. I really liked this book and am in hopes that there will be at least one more in this series. I really can’t wait to see what happens with Casey and Dylan.
Copies of this book were provided for review by LitFuse Publicity and the Fiction Guild.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Casey knows the truth. But it won’t set her free.
Casey Cox’s DNA is all over the crime scene. There’s no use talking to police; they have failed her abysmally before. She has to flee before she’s arrested . . . or worse. The truth doesn’t matter anymore.
But what is the truth? That’s the question haunting Dylan Roberts, the war-weary veteran hired to find Casey. PTSD has marked him damaged goods, but bringing Casey back can redeem him. Though the crime scene seems to tell the whole story, details of the murder aren’t adding up. Casey Cox doesn’t fit the profile of a killer. But are Dylan’s skewed perceptions keeping him from being objective? If she isn’t guilty, why did she run?
Unraveling her past and the evidence that condemns her will take more time than he has, but as Dylan’s damaged soul intersects with hers, he is faced with two choices. The girl who occupies his every thought is a psychopathic killer . . . or a selfless hero. And the truth could be the most deadly weapon yet.
Learn more and purchase a copy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Terri Blackstock has sold over seven million books worldwide and is a New York Times bestselling author. She is the award-winning author of “Intervention,” “Vicious Cycle,” and “Downfall,” as well as such series as Cape Refuge, Newpointe 911, the SunCoast Chronicles, and the Restoration Series.
Find out more about Terri at http://www.terriblackstock.com.
Casey Cox doesn’t fit the profile of a killer . . . but her DNA is all over the crime scene, and she’s now a fugitive. Don’t miss Terri Blackstock’s next page-turner, If I Run. Unraveling her past and the evidence that condemns her will take more time than Dylan has, the war-weary veteran hired to find Casey. But as Dylan’s damaged soul intersects with hers, he is faced with two choices. The girl who occupies his every thought is a psychopathic killer . . . or a selfless hero. And the truth could be the most deadly weapon yet.
Join Terri in celebrating her new book with a Fitbit giveaway and a special $4.99 digital pre-order deal!
One grand prize winner will receive:
Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry! The giveaway ends on February 16th. The winner will be announced February 17th on the Litfuse blog.
Plus don’t miss out on the special $4.99 digital pre-order pricing, now through February 15. Pre-order the book through your favorite e-book retailer; details here.
