by admin | Apr 22, 2016 | Books, Facebook Party
A female bodyguard plus her star NFL client plus danger equals a great recipe for romance! Her One and Only, book four in Becky Wade’s Porter Family novels, releases May 3. To celebrate, Becky is hosting an author chat party on her Facebook page on May 5 at 5 PM PDT/8 PM EDT. Join Becky for an evening of book chat with other bookworms and prizes.
Plus a portion of all pre-sales and sales the release week of Her One and Only will be donated to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. For more details on how to purchase a copy, click here.
About the Book
After ten years in the NFL, super star Gray Fowler is accustomed to obsessive fans. But when Gray starts receiving death threats from a stalker, his team hires an executive protection agency to guard him until the culprit is caught. Dealing with bodyguards 24/7 is a headache, especially when one of them is a young, beautiful woman. How can a female half his size possibly protect him better than he can protect himself?
Dru Porter is a former Marine, an expert markswoman, and a black belt–none of which saved her from disaster on her last assignment. In order to rebuild her tarnished reputation, she’s determined to find Gray’s stalker and, since relationships between agents and clients are forbidden, avoid a romantic attachment between herself and the rugged football player with the mysterious past.
Yet every secret that leads Dru closer to the stalker also draws her closer to Gray. As the danger escalates, they’ll survive only if they can learn to trust their lives — and their hearts — to one another.
Learn more and purchase a copy.
by admin | Apr 20, 2016 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, New Zealand, Romance
MY REVIEW:
Oh my, another author to add to my must read list! Not a bad thing but at this point I don’t have enough years left to read all the wonderful books that I want to read. How I must suffer for the cause of Christian fiction!
As you may have already guessed, I really liked “Close to You”, Kara Isaac’s debut novel. I thought her unique story about a guide for a Tolkien tour in New Zealand was inspired.
I loved everything about the heroine Allison including her not-so-subtle surname of “Shire”. Allison has a lot more going on that it appears. She is actually a well-qualified English professor but a bad choice of husbands has left her funds frozen and her family and employer have requested that she keep a low profile because of the scandal. So off to Hobbit Land she went because if she knows anything, she knows Tolkien. Of course she would meet a fellow who is taking the tour but knows little about the books or movies and cares even less. So what do you think happens? Lovable, accident-prone Allie falls for handsome but grouchy Jackson Gregory. And that’s all I’m telling you – you just have to read it for yourself!
This book was great! I enjoyed all the quirky characters and had quite a few moments of laughing out loud. Then there was the romance which I thought was very well done. But woven throughout the fun and games (and romance) was a thought-provoking look at how the characters saw themselves and how important it was to let the Lord lead their lives. Well done Kara!
A copy of this book was provided for review by Howard Books.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
A disgraced scholar running from her past and an entrepreneur chasing his future find themselves thrown together—and fall in love—on a Tolkien tour of New Zealand.
Allison Shire (yes, like where the Hobbits live) is a disgraced academic who is done with love. Her belief in “happily ever after” ended the day she discovered her husband was still married to a wife she knew nothing about. She finally finds a use for her English degree by guiding tours through the famous sites featured in the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. By living life on the road and traveling New Zealand as a luxury tour guide, Allison manages to outrun the pain of her past she can’t face.
Jackson Gregory was on the cusp of making it big. Then suddenly his girlfriend left him—for his biggest business competitor—and took his most guarded commercial secrets with her. To make matters worse, the Iowa farm that has been in his family for generations is facing foreclosure. Determined to save his parents from financial ruin, he’ll do whatever it takes to convince his wealthy great-uncle to invest in his next scheme, which means accompanying him to the bottom of the world to spend three weeks pretending to be a die-hard Lord of the Rings fan, even though he knows nothing about the stories. The one thing that stands between him and his goal is a know-it-all tour guide who can’t stand him and pegged him as a fake the moment he walked off the plane.
When Allison leads the group through the famous sites of the Tolkien movies, she and Jackson start to see each other differently, and as they keep getting thrown together on the tour, they find themselves drawn to each other. Neither expected to fall in love again, but can they find a way beyond their regrets to take a chance on the one thing they’re not looking for?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kara Isaac is an award-winning writer who lives in Wellington, New Zealand, where her career highlights include working in tourism as Private Secretary for the Prime Minister. She loves great books almost as much as she loves her husband and two children.
Visit Kara on her WEBSITE and on FACEBOOK.
by admin | Apr 20, 2016 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Political, Suspense
MY REVIEW:
Suspense-filled, political intrigue novel “A Powerful Secret” grabbed my attention and held it throughout its pages. Set within the ranks of the rich, famous, and powerful movers and shakers, this story provides an inside view of what goes on behind the scenes of both politics and commerce.
Book two of the Worthington Destiny series features Sean, the second Worthington son. Although immensely successful on his own, Sean has never felt that he met his father’s approval and tends to compensate by his wild and crazy, thrill-seeking adventures. Yet when his older brother suddenly drops out of an important Senate race and it becomes apparent that someone wants to destroy his family, Sean risks everything to get to the bottom of it.
Not only is this a good suspense-filled novel but the character development is excellent. The authors do a wonderful job of illustrating family dynamics and how relationships between parents and children, brothers, and sisters affect each of their lives. In “A Powerful Secret” old family secrets come to light that could destroy them all.
While this novel is the second of the series, I had no problems following it. Reading the first book would probably add background but I did not feel that I missed anything crucial. For those who enjoy political intrigue, “A Powerful Secret” would be a good choice.
A copy of this book was provided for review by
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Sean has always felt like an outsider in his own family.
Now he must risk never achieving what he wants most–his father’s love.
Billionaire globe-trotter Sean Worthington is stunned when his older brother suddenly abandons the Senate race in New York and walks away without a backward glance. As campaign manager, Sean’s left to handle the media feeding frenzy with no answers. Worse, their father–as usual–backs Will, the “perfect” son.
Frustrated by his father’s lack of belief in him, Sean determines to finally move on and forge a unique path. But when a powerful secret is revealed, threatening everything Sean has counted on, he must wrestle with shocking truths . . . and combat the power brokers behind the scenes who have the Worthington family in their crosshairs.
Read an excerpt from “A Powerful Secret” HERE.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Dr. Kevin Leman is an internationally known psychologist, radio and television personality, and speaker who has taught and entertained audiences worldwide with his wit and commonsense psychology. He has made house calls for hundreds of radio and television programs, such as Fox & Friends, The View, Fox’s The Morning Show, Today, Dr. Bill Bennett’s America in the Morning, 700 Club, CBS’s The Early Show, James Robison’s Life Today, Janet Parshall, CNN’s American Morning, and Focus on the Family, and has served as a contributing family psychologist to Good Morning America.
A bestselling and award-winning author, Dr. Leman has written more than 50 books about marriage and family issues, including The Birth Order Book, Sheet Music, Making Children Mind without Losing Yours, and Have a New Kid by Friday. He is coauthor, with his son Kevin Leman II, of a series of illustrated children’s books for each child in the family. He is also featured on 6 video series on marriage, parenting, blended families, and single parenting.
Dr. Leman and his wife, Sande, live in Tucson, Arizona. They have five children and two grandchildren.
Jeff Nesbit is a former communications director to the vice president at the White House, served as the director of public affairs for two prominent federal science agencies, and has been a national journalist with Knight Ridder Newspapers. He is the author of 20 novels. Cocreator of the Emmy award-winning Science of the Olympic Winter Games and the Science of NFL Football video series with NBC Sports, Jeff is executive director for Climate Nexus and writes “At the Edge,” a weekly science column for U.S. News & World Report.
by admin | Apr 20, 2016 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Suspense
MY REVIEW:
Overall I enjoyed “The Newsmakers” although at times I found myself distracted by the unusual (to me) tense in which it was written. The plot was one that could easily have come from today’s news and I believe the author’s familiarity with that community helped immensely. It was so easy to imagine news being manipulated to gain ratings. I have to wonder if there is more truth to this novel than fiction.
I admired Erica’s determination to be a news reporter who made a difference and her willingness to buck the system for stories that mattered. Her quick rise to fame did not alter those desires but she found herself overruled time and time again by her superiors. As the suspense built, Erica found it difficult to know who she could trust – even the man she was beginning to care for.
The fast-moving plot and realistic characters held my interest throughout this large book. Due to the tense issues mentioned earlier, I did bog down occasionally and have to reread paragraphs to be sure I understood what I had just read. Although I received my review copy from a Christian book blogger program, I feel I need to warn readers that if they are looking for a book with a Christian message, “The Newsmakers” isn’t it. It is however a clean read that most Christians should not find objectionable.
This book was provided for review by the BookLook Blogger Program of Harper Collins Christian Publishing.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
TV reporter Erica Sparks has become a superstar overnight. Is it due to her hard work and talent, or is she at the center of a spiraling conspiracy?
Erica Sparks is a beautiful and ambitious reporter who has just landed her dream job at Global News Network in New York. And while it was hard to leave Jenny, her cherished eight-year-old daughter, in the custody of her ex-husband, Erica is determined to succeed in the cutthroat world of big-time broadcasting. She can only hope her troubled past won’t come back to sabotage her dreams.
Although the wounds from her divorce are still fresh, Erica can’t deny the chemistry between her and her new producer, the handsome and empathic Greg Underwood. But a relationship is the last thing she wants right now.
On her very first assignment, Erica inadvertently witnesses—and films—a horrific tragedy, scooping all the other networks. Mere weeks later, another tragedy strikes—again, right in front of Erica and her cameras. Her career skyrockets overnight, but Erica is troubled. Deeply. This can’t just be coincidence. But what is it?
Erica will stop at nothing to uncover the truth. But she has to make sure disaster—and her troubled past—don’t catch up with her first.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Lis Wiehl is one of the nation’s most prominent trial lawyers and highly regarded commentators. Currently, she is the legal analyst and reporter on the Fox News Channel and Bill O’Reilly’s sparring partner in the weekly “Is It Legal?” segment on The O’Reilly Factor. Prior to that she was O’Reilly’s co-host on the nationally syndicated show The Radio Factor. She is also a Professor of Law at New York Law School. Her column “Lis on Law” appears weekly on FoxNews.com.
Prior to joining Fox News Channel in New York City, Wiehl served as a legal analyst and reporter for NBC News and NPR’s All Things Considered. Before that, Wiehl served as a Federal Prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s office.
Wiehl earned her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and her Master of Arts in Literature from the University of Queensland.
Wiehl is also the author of The 51% Minority, which won the 2008 award for Books for a Better Life in the motivational category, and Winning Every Time.
She lives with her husband and two children in New York.
