by admin | Aug 12, 2016 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Humor, Romance
MY REVIEW:
“Fetching Sweetness” is a lighthearted romance that features a dog with the unlikely name of Sweetness. Stephanie Pink, on the quest for a manuscript she hopes will cement her place as a literary agent, and Rhett Hastings, a man on a mission from God (or so he thinks) are almost secondary characters considering the crazy antics of Sweetness. One near disaster after another plagues Stephanie Pink as they join forces to deliver Sweetness to his home after Stephanie agrees to help Rhett with his own quest. Sparks fly between the pair during their adventurous journey up the northwest coast.
The romantic tension between Rhett and Stephanie was perfect. I enjoyed every minute of their dialogue and the way neither of them hesitated to speak the truth as they saw it. The spiritual content was excellent yet unobtrusive. And did I mention Sweetness who was the real star. What a mutt with his soft heart and tendency to rescue every creature he ran across!
I very much enjoyed “Fetching Sweetness” and plan to keep my eyes open for future books by this author.
A copy of this book was provided for review by LitFuse Publicity.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Standing between Stephanie and her dream is one hundred pounds of lovable trouble.
It should have been so simple for Stephanie Pink: Meet up with Agnes Wharton in a small town in California, retrieve the reclusive author’s valuable new manuscript, and be promoted to a full-fledged literary agent.
But Agnes’s canine companion, Sweetness, decides to make a break for it before Stephanie can claim her prize. Until Agnes has Sweetness safely back at home in Eagle Cliff, Washington, Stephanie will never set eyes on the manuscript she needs to make her dreams come true.
When Stephanie tracks the runaway mutt to a campground, she meets Rhett Hastings—a man also on the run from a different life and a costly mistake. Rhett agrees to help Stephanie search for the missing dog…thus launching a surprising string of adventures and misadventures.
Once Sweetness gets added to the mix, it’s a recipe for love and loss, merriment and mayhem, fun and faith in the backwoods of the Pacific Northwest.
Learn more and purchase a copy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dana Mentink lives in California, where the weather is golden and the cheese is divine. Dana is an American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year finalist for romantic suspense and an award winner in the Pacific Northwest Writers Literary Contest. Her suspense novel, Betrayal in the Badlands, earned a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award. Besides writing, she busies herself teaching third and fourth grade. Mostly, she loves to be home with her husband, two daughters, a dog with social anxiety problems, a chubby box turtle, and a feisty parakeet.
Find out more about Dana at http://www.danamentink.com.
A recipe for love and loss, merriment and mayhem, fun and faith in the backwoods of the Pacific Northwest can only be found in Fetching Sweetness by Dana Mentink. It should have been so simple for Stephanie Pink: Retrieve a reclusive author’s valuable new manuscript and be promoted to a full-fledged literary agent. But when the author’s canine companion, Sweetness, makes a break for it and Stephanie has to track Sweetness down, she meets Rhett Hastings. They’re in for a surprising string of adventures and misadventures.
Celebrate the release of Fetching Sweetness with Dana by entering to win the Sweetness Unleashed Prize Pack!
One grand prize winner will receive:
Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on August 24. The winner will be announced August 25 on Dana’s blog.
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by admin | Aug 9, 2016 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Suspense
MY REVIEW:
When I was introduced to Carrie Stuart Parks’ novels with “A Cry From the Dust” I became an instant fan. Since then each book has reinforced my first impressions. “When Death Draws Near” is my favorite one yet and I sincerely hope that Gwen Marcey’s adventures do not disappear after the usual trilogy.
If I ever had to choose a heroine from a novel that I admired, it would be Gwen Marcey. She is smart, observant, and seemingly fearless. Actually Gwen is one who simply faces her fears because often she has no other choice. Whatever life throws at her, she refuses to sit down and take it but fights back with all she is worth just as long as she can keep moving. And like a mama bear, if her daughter is in danger, Gwen will not stop until she is certain of her safety.
When Gwen takes on a temporary job in Kentucky, it becomes much more complicated than first expected. She finds herself up to her neck in something that might just connect two seemingly different cases. There are snakes involved – lots of snakes! One of the cases involves a snake-handling church but when Gwen gets to know its members, nothing seems to add up. The case gets more convoluted as Gwen learns more and the list of suspects (and bodies) keeps growing until she finds her own life in jeopardy.
Unexpected twists and surprises abound in this can’t-put-down page turner as Gwen’s faith and determination are put to the test. “When Death Draws Near” is a must read for any suspense lover.
A copy of this book was provided for review by LitFuse Publicity.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Death has always been part of Gwen Marcey’s job. But when faced with her own mortality, everything takes on a different hue.
Forensic artist Gwen Marcey is between jobs and homes when she accepts temporary work in Pikeville, Kentucky. The Eastern Kentucky town, located deep in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, has been plagued by a serial rapist and a series of unexplained deaths. Before Gwen can develop a composite drawing, the latest witness vanishes, just like all the previous victims.
Turning her attention to sketching the face of an unidentified body, she discovers a link between his death and a Pentecostal serpent-handling church. Serpent-handling is illegal in Kentucky, and the churches have gone underground to avoid the authorities and continue to worship as they believe. Gwen is offered a handsome reward to infiltrate the renegade members, a reward she desperately needs as it seems her breast cancer has returned.
Joined by her digitally-obsessed, Generation Z daughter, Gwen goes undercover to a nineteenth century revival, planning to draw the faces of the snake handlers so they can be identified and arrested. Instead she uncovers a murderous plot and a festering evil.
Learn more and purchase a copy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
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Carrie Stuart Parks is a Christy finalist as well as a Carol award-winning author. She has won numerous awards for her fine art as well. An internationally known forensic artist, she travels with her husband, Rick, across the US and Canada teaching courses in forensic art to law enforcement professionals. The author/illustrator of numerous books on drawing and painting, Carrie continues to create dramatic watercolors from her studio in the mountains of Idaho.
Find out more about Carrie Stuart at http://www.carriestuartparks.com. |
Plunge into forensic artist Gwen Marcey’s world, full of cold-case murders, shady politics, and a den of venomous suspects. Add Carrie Stuart Parks’ new Gwen Marcey novel, When Death Draws Near, to the top of your must-read list. Gwen accepts temporary work in Pikeville, Kentucky—a small town facing big-city crime. But before she can finish her first drawing of the serial rapist who is on the loose, the latest witness vanishes. Just like all the others. Can Gwen uncover the truth—and convince anyone to believe her—before she becomes a victim herself?
Join Carrie in celebrating the release of When Death Draws Near by entering to win an Undercover Artist Starter Set.
One grand prize winner will receive:
Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on August 22. The winner will be announced August 23 on the Litfuse blog.
by admin | Aug 8, 2016 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Suspense
MY REVIEW:
I have previously enjoyed Christy Barritt’s books so it was an honor to become a member of her influencer team for “Disillusioned”. I’ll admit I did not expect this novel to be the intense page-turner it proved to be. Wow! What a story!
What could be more intriguing than a plot where the protagonists are on the run as they try to prove a recently released military prisoner is not the terrorist he is accused of being. Unfortunately the evidence keeps piling up to prove otherwise and even his sister and best friend find themselves doubting his innocence – at least part of the time. The action barely stops for an occasional breather and the tension keeps rising. Nikki is beginning to lose hope and her trust in God is stretched thin but Kade, the man who hurt her in the past, is the one who now encourages her to return to her faith.
“Disillusioned” is an action-packed thriller that could easily be taken from today’s news. Filled with suspense, danger, as well as numerous twists and surprises, it moves along at a fast clip yet also allows time for a romance to reignite. Strong characters are so real that I found myself right in the story with them. The spiritual content is strong but natural and not invasive.
I consider myself to be fairly open-minded toward others but “Disillusioned” opened my eyes to some of my own prejudices. Like many, I was skeptical when Bowe Bergdahl was returned to the U.S. and suspected that he could actually be a traitor. Now I’m not so sure. Since reading “Disillusioned” I plan to make much needed adjustments to my tendency to judge. It became quite evident during the course of the story that often nothing is as it seems and it is too easy to jump to hasty conclusions.
I thoroughly enjoyed “Disillusioned” and heartily recommend it to those who are suspense fans. I love Christy Barritt’s novels. I just need to find more time to read them all.
A digital copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for my honest review.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Nikki Wright is desperate to help her brother, Bobby, who hasn’t been the same since escaping from a detainment camp run by terrorists in Colombia. Rumor has it that he betrayed his navy brothers and conspired with those who held him hostage, and both the press and the military are hounding him for answers. All Nikki wants is to shield her brother so he has time to recover and heal.
But soon they realize the paparazzi are the least of their worries. When a group of men try to abduct Nikki and her brother, Bobby insists that Kade Wheaton, another former SEAL, can keep them out of harm’s way. But can Nikki trust Kade? After all, the man who broke her heart eight years ago is anything but safe…
Hiding out in a farmhouse on the Chesapeake Bay, Nikki finds her loyalties—and the remnants of her long-held faith—tested as she and Kade put aside their differences to keep Bobby’s increasingly erratic behavior under wraps. But when Bobby disappears, Nikki will have to trust Kade completely if she wants to uncover the truth about a rumored conspiracy. Nikki’s life—and the fate of the nation—depends on it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Christy Barritt is an author, freelance writer and speaker who lives in Virginia. She’s married to her Prince Charming, a man who thinks she’s hilarious–but only when she’s not trying to be. Christy’s a self-proclaimed klutz, an avid music lover who’s known for spontaneously bursting into song, and a road trip aficionado. She’s only won one contest in her life–and her prize was kissing a pig (okay, okay… actually she did win the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Suspense and Mystery for her book Suspicious Minds also). Her current claim to fame is showing off her mother, who looks just like former First Lady Barbara Bush.
When she’s not working or spending time with her family, she enjoys singing, playing the guitar, and exploring small, unsuspecting towns where people have no idea how accident prone she is.
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by admin | Aug 2, 2016 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Legal, Romance
MY REVIEW:
Over and over I have found Robert Whitlow’s books to live up to the promotions that compare them to those of John Grisham. Personally, I prefer Robert Whitlow. He is a wonderful storyteller who is able to mix legal details, suspense, faith, and even romance in such a way that I look for excuses to keep reading rather than perform those daily tasks I need to attend. I particularly like the manner in which Whitlow shares just enough legal details to inform the reader without boring me to tears or putting me to sleep.
“The Witnesses” may be one of Whitlow’s finest to date in my opinion. The story features a young man and his grandfather, both endowed with a prophetic gifting that sometimes allows them to see glimpses of the future. Grandfather Frank (Franz) used his gift to aid Nazi Germany against its enemies and has lived with regrets for most of his life. Grandson Parker is a young lawyer at the beginning of his career and it remains to be seen how he will choose to use his gift. In a tale where the past intersects with the present, even Frank must choose a path for the rest of his life.
I appreciated the way spiritual truth and faith were woven throughout the story, especially the way Frank began to understand his gifting from a Biblical viewpoint. I also thought that Frank’s strong friendship with his fishing buddy Lenny was another special touch. There is so much I could say about “The Witnesses” and its powerful story of redemption and second chances but I feel it would be best for you the read it yourself. Hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I did.
A copy of this book was provided for review by the BookLook Blogger Program of Harper Collins Christian Publishing.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Young lawyer Parker House is on the rise—until his grandfather’s mysterious past puts both of their lives in danger.
Parker House’s secret inheritance is either his greatest blessing . . . or his deadliest curse. The fresh-faced North Carolina attorney shares his German grandfather’s uncanny ability to see future events in his mind’s eye—a gift that has haunted 82-year-old Frank House through decades of trying to erase a murderous wartime past.
While Parker navigates the intrigue and politics of small-town courtroom law, Frank is forced to face his darkest regrets. Then, a big career break for Parker collides with a new love he longs to nurture and the nightmares his grandfather can no longer escape. Sudden peril threatens to shatter not only Parker’s legal prospects but also his life and the lives of those dearest to him.
Two witnesses, two paths, an uncertain future.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Robert Whitlow is the best-selling author of legal novels set in the South and winner of the prestigious Christy Award for Contemporary Fiction. A Furman University graduate, Whitlow received his J.D. with honors from the University of Georgia School of Law where he served on the staff of the Georgia Law Review. A practicing attorney, Whitlow and his wife, Kathy, have four children. They make their home in North Carolina.
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