When Liz Johnson asked me to participate in the blog tour for her newest novel Code of Justice, I was happy to do so and already had a copy thanks to my subscription to Love Inspired Suspense. She generously sent me an additional autographed copy to give away, so be watching for instructions later in this post.
One thing I like about the Love Inspired Suspense books is that they are easily read in an evening because they get right to the point and have few of the extraneous details that longer novels contain. So what if the hero and heroine’s relationship develops a bit too quickly – there is no time for a slow courtship in one of these shorter length books. In my opinion, it might just take more skill to tell a good story when your number of pages is so limited.
Liz Johnson is an expert at getting her story across within the prescribed parameters. Her characters are realistic and well developed. The plot is well crafted and moves at a steady pace, building the suspense with each page. Unexpected twists and surprises lurk around every corner. A strong message of faith is deftly woven through the story and a helpful spiritual lesson is illustrated through the tribulations of her characters. Code of Justice is a riveting tale with a strong theme of forgiveness and relying on the Lord rather than oneself.
In Code of Justice injured FBI agent Heather Sloan convinces deputy Jeremy Latham to allow her to help him discover the person responsible for her sister’s death. As they move closer to finding the killer, their lives are also threatened. Heather is determined to bring her sister’s killer to justice – but is it really justice or revenge? Is she willing to risk everything, even her newly realized love for Jeremy, to see her quest through to the end?
BOOK GIVEAWAY:
As mentioned earlier, I have one autographed copy of Code of Justice to give away to a reader of this blog. Just leave a comment on this post telling me why you would like to read this book. Contest deadline is Friday, April 1. U.S. residents only please.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Her sister’s last words shake FBI agent Heather Sloan to the core. They also convince her that the helicopter crash only Heather survived wasn’t an accident. Sheriff’s deputy Jeremy Latham is assigned the case—he’s the one who can help Heather find the person responsible. Once she convinces him they should work together. As they dig for the truth, they learn to trust and care for each other. Will they lose it all when the killer targets Heather? She’s willing to risk her life to find her sister’s killer—but her code of justice could cost her the chance to win Jeremy’s love.
After graduating from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff with a degree in public relations, Liz Johnson set out to work in the Christian publishing industry, which was her lifelong dream. In 2006 she got her wish when she accepted a publicity position at a major trade book publisher. While working as a publicist in the industry, she decided to pursue her other dream-being an author. Along the way to having her novel published, she wrote articles for several magazines and worked as a freelance editorial consultant.
Liz makes her home in Nashville, TN, where she enjoys exploring her new home, theater, and making frequent trips to Arizona to dote on her nephew and three nieces. She loves stories of true love with happy endings.
Bound by Guilt by C.J. Darlington
Published by Tyndale House
Shuttled between foster homes, Roxi Gold will do anything to fit in. Soon she’s traveling the country stealing rare books from unsuspecting bookstores. Police officer Abby Dawson has seen the worst of society—and not just at work. One fateful night, both their lives are changed forever. One searches for justice, the other finds herself on the run. Will the power of forgiveness set them free?
MY REVIEW:
I have looked forward to reading Bound by Guilt since the first announcement of its publication. I enjoyed the author’s first book Thicker Than Blood so much that I couldn’t wait to see what she had to offer with her new one. Once my review copy arrived, I had to force myself to wait until I had read the earlier scheduled books on my review calendar. Only by strictly adhering to my calendar am I able to meet review deadlines. When I was finally able to open Bound by Guilt, I was not disappointed by what I found.
With several returning characters from Thicker Than Blood, the second book of the series also returns to the familiar setting of The Book Barn and the world of valuable first edition books. However this installment has some interesting twists with the introduction of new characters and events. One of the primary players in Bound by Guilt is Roxi Gold, a teen who has been shuffled from one place to another after being abandoned by her mother at a young age. Then there is Abby Dawson who believes she has failed at everything in her life – in her marriage, as a mother, at her job on the police force, and her relationship with her father. And I can’t forget Jan and Keith Mercer, the couple who took Roxi into their home and exhibited the kind of unconditional love and acceptance that should characterize each and every Christian. Each of these characters will find their lives forever changed in the aftermath of one devastating decision in the Book Barn.
Bound by Guilt is more than just a good mystery/suspense novel. Darlington delves deep into the thoughts and emotions of her characters and portrays each one in all their strengths and weaknesses. The well crafted plot moves at the perfect pace and every aspect of the story is believable. Spiritual content is woven naturally and unobtrusively into the story without being overdone. While truly an enjoyable read, this book is also one that gives its readers a bit to mull over.
I am looking forward to Darlington’s next release and recommend that you run out and pick up a copy of Bound by Guilt (and Thicker Than Blood) for yourself if you haven’t already done so.
Great job! You kept me turning the pages. —Francine Rivers, Internationally best selling author
C.J. is a wonderful, talented writer . . . extraordinary . . . —Bodie Thoene, best-selling author of the A.D. Chronicles This one engages your senses and reaches your heart. —Jerry B. Jenkins, NY Times best-selling author & owner of The Christian Writers Guild
Watch the book trailer:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
C. J. Darlington won the 2008 Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest with her first novel, Thicker Than Blood. She has been in the antiquarian bookselling business for over twelve years, scouting for stores similar to the ones described in her novels before cofounding her own online bookstore. In 2006 C. J. started the Christian entertainment Web site www.TitleTrakk.com with her sister, Tracy, and has been actively promoting Christian fiction through book reviews and author interviews. A homeschool graduate, she makes her home in Pennsylvania with her family and their menagerie of dogs and cats. Visit her website www.cjdarlington.com
Thanks to a recent conversation with fellow blogger/reviewer at Creative Madness, I bought myself a nifty but inexpensive (under $10) little barcode scanner called a CueCat™ and Readerware™ book catalog software, thinking that I could catalog my extensive library quickly. After all, it would be so easy to scan the barcodes and let the software do the rest of the work. Well, that portion of the project is easy. What I didn’t take into consideration was the sheer volume of books I own and getting them to the computer a stack at a time to scan. Maybe I should load the software on my laptop and take it to the books instead. At this point I have cataloged 475 books and I haven’t started on the ones in bookcases yet.
The scanner works great most of the time and beeps when it successfully reads the barcode into the Readerware™ program. I can scan a batch at a time in the auto-catalog mode then let the software do its stuff. It scans selected internet book sites such as Amazon.com, finds the title, author, an image, and info about the book and automatically imports it into my database. How long would that take to do myself? I can see that it will possibly take months to get my entire library cataloged and just maybe I will actually decide to let some of the books go to a new home. I will be scanning new ones in as soon as they come into the house. Oops, I forgot the one that UPS delivered today!
This is a screen shot of the thumbnail view of my library (part of it). So now you know what happens when “Gadget Girl” finds a way to merge her love of technology with her love of books. Now if someone would just build me more bookcases and a room to put them in.
Terri Blackstock is a New York Times best-seller, with over six million copies sold worldwide. She has had over twenty-five years of success as a novelist. She sold her first novel at the age of twenty-five, and has had a successful career ever since.
Besides entertaining her readers, Terri tackles issues that she hopes will change lives. Her recent book, Predator, was inspired by her experiences on Facebook and Twitter, and her concern that people posted too much personal information about themselves. The book deals with an online predator who uses social networks as his playground. She hopes the book will change readers’ online habits. Her New York Times best-seller, Intervention, was inspired by her own personal struggles with a daughter on drugs. In the book, a mother hires an interventionist for her drug-addicted daughter. But on the way to treatment, the interventionist is murdered, and the daughter disappears. Barbara, the mother, sets out to search for her daughter. Terri modeled Barbara after herself, and poured many of her own emotions and experiences into that character. As a result, many families experiencing drug addiction have written to thank her for telling their story and giving them hope. Vicious Cycle, Book Two of the Intervention Series, releases February 22, 2011. She’s currently working on Book Three.
Other recent books include a stand-alone novel called Double Minds, as well as Last Light, Night Light, True Light and Dawn’s Light (from her acclaimed Restoration Series). She is also known for her popular Newpointe 911 Series and Cape Refuge Series. Terri makes her home in Mississippi, where she and her husband Ken are enjoying their empty nest after raising three children.
Terri has appeared on national television programs such as “The 700 Club” and “Home Life,” and has been a guest on numerous radio programs across the country. The story of her personal journey appears in books such as Touched By the Savior by Mike Yorkey, True Stories of Answered Prayer by Mike Nappa, Faces of Faith by John Hanna, and I Saw Him In Your Eyes by Ace Collins.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
When fifteen-year-old Lance Covington finds an abandoned baby in the backseat of a car, he knows she’s the newborn daughter of a meth addict he’s been trying to help. But when police arrest him for kidnapping, Lance is thrust into a criminal world of baby trafficking and drug abuse.
His mother, Barbara, looks for help from Kent Harlan—the man whom she secretly, reluctantly loves and who once helped rescue her daughter from a mess of her own. Kent flies to her aid and begins the impossible work of getting Lance out of trouble, protecting a baby who has no home, and finding help for a teenage mother hiding behind her lies.
In this latest novel of suspense and family loyalty, bestselling author Terri Blackstock offers a harrowing look at drug addiction, human trafficking, and the devastating choices that can change lives forever.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Vicious Cycle, go HERE.
Watch the Book Video:
MY REVIEW:
Terri Blackstock has written another top-notch, gripping novel that I found hard to put down. With several returning characters from Intervention, the first book of this series, Vicious Cycle tells yet another tale of the horrors of drug addiction and how it affects everyone from family to friends. Additional themes include the trouble Lance finds himself in from trying to help a school acquaintance in trouble, a continued relationship between his mom Barbara and Kent Harlan that could move to another level in this book, life after rehab for his sister Emily, and details about a human trafficking ring.
With intimate details that only the family of a drug addict could know, Vicious Cycle gives the reader an up close and personal look at the life of a drug addict. While she doesn’t hesitate to reveal the ugly side, Blackstock manages to leave the reader with hope that addiction can be overcome. Vicious Cycle is both action and suspense filled but also has a strong Christian message.
I highly recommend Vicious Cycle as well as any other book by Terri Blackstock.
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Her sister’s last words shake FBI agent Heather Sloan to the core. They also convince her that the helicopter crash only Heather survived wasn’t an accident. Sheriff’s deputy Jeremy Latham is assigned the case—he’s the one who can help Heather find the person responsible. Once she convinces him they should work together. As they dig for the truth, they learn to trust and care for each other. Will they lose it all when the killer targets Heather? She’s willing to risk her life to find her sister’s killer—but her code of justice could cost her the chance to win Jeremy’s love.
After graduating from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff with a degree in public relations, Liz Johnson set out to work in the Christian publishing industry, which was her lifelong dream. In 2006 she got her wish when she accepted a publicity position at a major trade book publisher. While working as a publicist in the industry, she decided to pursue her other dream-being an author. Along the way to having her novel published, she wrote articles for several magazines and worked as a freelance editorial consultant.
