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No Matter the Cost by Susan May Warren

by admin | Aug 23, 2022 | Books

MY REVIEW:

Although I am a bit sad to see The Epic Story of RJ and York come to an end in the final book No Matter the Cost, I was left with a feeling of satisfaction when I finished it. As I can always expect, the story was a definite page turner with ample danger, drama, and romance that complemented each other throughout. It may be difficult to part with RJ and York right now but knowing this author, I may just run across them in another book sooner or later.

What can I say without revealing too much? If you are a reader who loves a well crafted book, spies and international intrigue, a love for the ages, and a faith based foundation, this series as well as any other book by this author is well worth checking out. Like me, you may find a new author for your keeper shelf. Susan May Warren is a master of the written word and has retained her place at the top of my must read authors for quite a few years.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced digital copy of this book provided for the author’s launch team. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

She put her hand to her chest, still unable to breathe.
He had dark hair and a beard, ripped pants, a dirty suit coat and wore such an intense expression of pursuit on his face, she just knew—
He was going after Alan Martin.
And she might never see him again.
No. Not again.
Not ever again.
He passed her, didn’t even look at her, his gaze pinned on Martin, who’d vanished down the stairs.
And that’s when she found her voice. With everything inside her, she let it out, praying he heard it through his haze of fury.
“York!”

Her worst nightmare has happened….

RJ refuses to believe it, and until she has proof, she’s going to keep searching for answers. And most of all, for the man she loves, even if it means diving into the past he always wanted to keep secret.

The kind of secrets that could have set York free. It’ll take a trip back to Russia, to the sketchy and dark history of York’s life to find the clues to the sinister plans of a global terrorist. And the answers that might lead her to a happy ending.

Or has it? What if her happy ending is more than a dream?

If RJ hopes to save her country—and find out the truth about York—she’ll have to become the high-action, Sydney Bristow spy that she always dreamed of being. But really, does RJ really have what it takes—with, or without the man she loves—to save the world?

And if she does…what will be the cost?

The riveting conclusion to the Epic Story of RJ and York!

Continue the adventure!
Book 1: Out of the Night
Book 2: I Will Find You
Book 3: No Matter the Cost

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Susan May Warren is the USA Today bestselling author of more than 85 novels with more than 1 million books sold, including the Global Search and Rescue and the Montana Rescue series, as well as Sunrise and Sunburst. Winner of a RITA Award and multiple Christy and Carol Awards, as well as the HOLT Medallion and numerous Readers’ Choice Awards, Susan makes her home in Minnesota. Find her online at www.susanmaywarren.com, on Facebook @SusanMayWarrenFiction, and on Twitter @SusanMayWarren.

I Will Find You by Susan May Warren

by admin | Aug 15, 2022 | Books

MY REVIEW:

After the major cliffhanger from Out of the Night, it looks like RJ and York may have a chance to spend time together resting and recuperating in the fairytale land of Lauchtenland in the North Sea. Readers of Rachel Hauck books will recognize and appreciate both the location and several familiar characters. I personally love running across these crossovers.

Needless to say, the couple’s romantic interval is quickly cut short and they are back in the middle of danger and intrigue as they continue to pursue justice. The perfect couple, RJ and York always seem to be rescuing each other even when everything looks hopeless.

The title of the book, I Will Find You, hints at what readers will discover within its pages. I necessarily will omit details because of spoilers you know. Of course since we all know there is a final book in the trilogy, there will be more cliffhangers. You can count on it.

You must read this series but I advise you to begin at least with the Montana Marshalls series where Ruby Jane and York’s story begins. Please read in order because you do not want to miss a single detail.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance digital copy of this book provided for the author’s launch team. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

He released a sound, deep inside, part growl, part acquiescence. “Ruby Jane. You are going to be the death of me.”
“No. Not anymore. I’ve learned my lesson.”
He cocked his head.
Maybe because yes, she’d said that before, but this time — “I never again want to look out into the dark sky and wonder where you are, and if you’re alive. Never want to be more than a phone call away from you. Never want to think that you might…might think that I don’t love you.”
He blinked. Then, finally, finally, he smiled. And it was sunshine, right to her soul.
“Do you…do you still have my ring?”
He nodded and reached into the front pocket of his jeans.
How it remained untarnished, she hadn’t a clue, but there it was, still gorgeous. A beautiful vintage two carat white gold solitaire, with tiny diamonds in the cradle.
“York —”
“Just put it on your finger and keep it there.”
“You’re so bossy.” But she held out her hand for him to put it on her finger.
“I should put a tracker in it.”
She looked at him. “No need. I’m not going anywhere.”
He smiled again, a softness in his eyes that made her want to weep. “Not without me, you’re not.”

The woman he loves has vanished…

When RJ Marshall said she’d be right back, York should have objected. No, he wasn’t going to let her run off to Berlin, even if it was to save a little girl.

Only problem—she’d told him this while he was unconscious. So really, it doesn’t count, and it’s not his fault that she’s gone missing. And, he didn’t know why he expected RJ not to chase danger into trouble. But now he has to find her before criminal mastermind Alan Martin tracks her down.

She’s in over her head…

RJ didn’t mean to leave York behind, but she’s on a mission to save a little girl caught in the crossfire of Martin’s terrorist plot. Now, she’ll have to find the girl and keep her safe while leaving clues for York to follow her.

But who will catch up to her first—York, or the man with a vendetta?

The gripping romantic adventure continues across Europe in this second installment of the Epic Story of RJ and York!

Continue the adventure!
Book 1: Out of the Night
Book 2: I Will Find You
Book 3: No Matter the Cost

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

The Heart of the Mountains by Pepper Basham

by admin | Aug 2, 2022 | Appalachian Mountains, Books, Historical, Romance

MY REVIEW:

Pepper Basham is a mastermind of storytelling when it comes to the Appalachian mountains. She paints beautiful word pictures of the world as seen from the ridges of their peaks. I love how she always brings together characters both from the mountains and from across the pond in England. Jeb and Cora’s story was a perfect example of why I love her books.

The Heart of the Mountains takes place shortly after the Great War when Cora flees an unwanted arranged marriage in England and travels to her brother’s home in the mountains of North Carolina. She immediately finds herself in a precarious and dangerous position shortly after her arrival and is rescued by Jeb McAdams. Thus begins the tale of two mismatched souls who quickly find more in common than expected as they get to know one another.

Readers know that they will find a sweet romance complete with kissing when they pick up a book by this author. However it is the cast of other characters, the daily lifestyle of the mountain people, and the drama going on around them that really shines in this story. The city girl who sticks out like a sore thumb and the simple mountain man with a heart of gold who is willing to give up his own happiness to honor his dead friend were the perfect couple even if appearances said otherwise. It was fun getting to know them and observing the development of their relationship as they poured out their lives taking care of others.

The Heart of the Moutains is a wonderful story that you will just have to read for yourself. I fear saying more would reveal too much and ruin it for you.

I voluntarily reviewed a digital copy of this book provided by Celebrate Lit. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Book: The Heart of the Mountains

Author: Pepper Basham

Genre: Christian Fiction / Romance

Release date: July 1, 2022

Click here to get your copy!

Can their hearts overcome the darkness of the mountains?

To escape a forced marriage, Cora Taylor travels from England to the Blue Ridge Mountains in search of her brother, who is working as a teacher in a mission school. She hopes to find a place where her nursing skills and independent ideas will be accepted and appreciated, but nothing prepares her for the wild mixture of isolation, community, brokenness, and hope within these mountains…or in the person of Jeb McAdams.

Returning from the devastation of World War 1 emotionally damaged, Jeb McAdams struggles against the rampant mountain alcoholism to soothe his nightmares. It’s easy to hide within the mountains, or it was, before Cora Taylor arrived. Now, she seems to show up at every turn, bringing her modern ideas, curiosity, and beautiful eyes with her.

Bound by their shared war history, the pair develop an unlikely friendship, which unexpectedly hints to something more. But when Cora’s desire to help the women of the mountains crosses an unspoken line, will Jeb be able to protect this feisty flatlander from the wrath of the mountain men or will he end up losing much more than his heart?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance peppered with grace and humor with southern Appalachian flair. Both her historical and contemporary novels have garnered recognition in the Grace Awards, Inspys, and ACFW Carol Awards. Her historical romance, The Thorn Healer, was a finalist in the 2018 RT Awards. Her historical romance novels, My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge and The Red Ribbon, and her contemporary novels, the Mitchell’s Crossroads and Pleasant Gap series, showcase her Appalachian heritage, as well as her love for humor and family. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she is the mom of five great kids, a speech-language pathologist to about fifty more, and a lover of chocolate, jazz, hats, and Jesus.

You can learn more about Pepper at her website http://www.pepperdbasham.com or connect with her on FB, IG, or Twitter.

MORE FROM PEPPER:

It’s so interesting how one idea can influence an entire series, or…how one person’s story can.

The idea for The Heart of the Mountains started in Laurel’s Dream with a hint of a family history story about a girl named Kizzie. (Someday, I hope to bring Kizzie’s story to the pages of a book). From there, the idea began to grow out of a love for my Appalachian culture into a series of books which highlighted (and fictionalized) stories from my family history.

The main story in The Heart of the Mountains is about Jeb and Cora, two different people with similar servant hearts, but the secondary story that touched me so much was the one based on my great grandfather’s life. I write about it in the Author’s Note at the end of the novel, so I won’t go into detail about it. However, what I loved getting to do is bring the truth of God’s redemption in my great grandfather’s life…to life again.

I never knew “Papa Rat”. I only knew the stories handed down to me by my granny and my mama, but in writing this story, I feel as though I had a tiny opportunity to “meet” him in these pages. He was a gruff mountain man with a broken past which led him to make a whole lot of broken choices, but his story is incredibly encouraging, because it points to the God of broken people. My great grandpa wasn’t left in his brokenness, but, after years of running away from God, he would later recount that God pursued him. The beauty of Sam McAdams’ journey in The Heart of the Mountains is only a little glimpse into what I imagine my great grandpa’s redemption story looked like.

Because my great grandpa was forever changed when Jesus saved him (as any of us should be).

I think that’s what my granny and her siblings (and even “Papa Rat” himself) would want most -that his story would point to Jesus. I hope that’s what you see when you read about Sam McAdams in The Heart of the Mountains.

Have you ever read a book based on family history? One of my favorites is Catherine Marshall’s Christy.