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Showing posts from 2018

Catching Christmas

Title:Catching Christmas
Author: Terri Blackstock
Pages: 304
Year: 2018
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
If you are expecting the usual mystery from Terri, this novel isn’t like anything of hers I have read before.It took me by surprise.It took me a bit to understand the plot, but it was good as I got further into the book.It is a book I wouldn’t recommend to those who recently lost a loved one or are going through a season of caretaking.
I think it’s a good story where an elderly and faith-filled grandmother is trying to find the right man for her only granddaughter.Callie is an elderly woman who required daily help, but her granddaughter Sydney is trying to land a job as a first-year lawyer.Finn is a cab driver but has an interesting background once he decides to share it with Callie.
While it is nice to think of an elderly grandmother matchmaking and going home to be with the Lord on Christmas, the romance part of the tale is rushed, especially at the end of the book.O…
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Amish Country Ambush

Title:Amish Country Ambush
Author: Dana R. Lynn
Pages: 224
Year: 2018
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
Elsie has bought a home near the Amish people living in the area, but she doesn’t want to be found.One day while working as a 911 dispatcher she gets a call from her house phone.The woman is screaming and speaking in Pennsylvania Dutch, but Elsie can’t understand a word. Then, she gets the young girl in her home to settle down and hears the words she has feared would come.She takes off for her home.
When Elsie arrives, she finds out her worst fears have followed her.Then, the voice she has dreaded to hear, speaks! What follows this is a very heart-thumping thriller and what I found to be a brilliant ending to the story!While there are some Amish characters in the story, there are also Englishers too.I like stories that mix the two worlds together and then craft an engaging tale that keeps me up turning pages until the wee hours of the morning!
I am thinking ther…
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Hidden Among the Stars Author: Melanie Dobson

Title:Hidden Among the Stars
Author: Melanie Dobson
Pages: 416
Year: 2018
Publisher: Tyndale
My rating: 5+ stars out of 5
A friend is someone who knows you well and loves you still. The Bible tells us that no greater love is shown than when one lays down his life for a friend.Though that isn’t a direct quote from Scripture, look up the verse in your Bible and maybe mark and meditate over.Most Americans are aware of the many brave soldiers, policemen and policewomen and others who are saving lives or fighting evil that exists in many places.Through our lifetimes, we honor their memory and thank the many who have served, as we should continue to do.
What Melanie Dobson has done is simply amazing and quite heart touching.Though this is a work of fiction, you can read the author’s note after enjoying the story to see where it all began.Here is a very special novel.I couldn’t put it down, though I had to in order to rest.The next day though I didn’t stop until I turned the last page of the story.…
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Prince Edward’s Warrant (The Chronicles of Hugh de Singleton #11)

Title:Prince Edward’s Warrant (The Chronicles of Hugh de Singleton #11)
Author:Mel Starr
Pages:
Year:2018
Publisher: Lion Fiction
My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.
Hugh de Singleton finds himself summoned by Prince Edward, heir to the throne, to arrive at Kennington Palace.It seems the Prince is suffering from a malady that Hugh treated previously in Limoges with success.The Prince has lost his patience with his own physician’s attempts at curing the illness.Hugh has no choice but to go.While at dinner the first night, a knight keels over at the table dead.It is discovered he was poisoned.The Prince remembers Hugh’s solving a prior crime, so he commissions Hugh to find the culprit of this one.
Hugh reluctantly agrees even though he wants to go home to Bampton, his wife and children.As the investigation drags on, Hugh wonders if he will ever get home.However, he continues to ask questions hoping that someone will let something slip or remember something they had previously forgotten. He knows th…
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The Cumberland Bride (Daughters of the Mayflower Bride #5)

Title:The Cumberland Bride (Daughters of the Mayflower Bride #5) Author: Shannon McNear Pages: 256 Year: 2018 Publisher: Barbour Books My rating: 5 out of 5 stars What fun and exciting stories this series offers with another blockbuster added that is set in the late 1700s!Families are gathered to travel on the Wilderness Road into a new area to settle down, one with room to grow.Kate Gruener is a very interesting female character.One of her favorite activities is to journal.Kate loves writing out the stories she has heard her father share but because it isn’t looked on favorably by her parents she hides the papers. When they decide to travel the Wilderness Road, Kate’s father hires a guide named Thomas Bledsoe.Kate has been raised to be able to do the tasks the women of that era were expected to learn.On this dangerous journey, Kate is about to experience so much that what she journaled before is about to grow exponentially!Thomas tries to ignore Kate and put space between them.Then, when Ka…
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Delayed Justice (Hidden Justice Series #3)

Title:Delayed Justice (Hidden Justice Series #3)
Author: Cara Putman
Pages: 368
Year: 2018
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
My rating: 5+ out of 5 stars
The Hidden Justice series begins with Beyond Justice, followed by Imperfect Justice.Now we get to read more about a unique group of women lawyers who are more than friends.Each one has a story to tell and a faith to share, or perhaps a seeking of what is really truth when abuse has been doled out by a man on a child.Where was God then?A question asked by the main character named Jamie Nichols when her friends share their faith with her.They don’t know the depth of her story or pain, because she won’t trust them with that as it causes her to have panic attacks and more. Now what happened when she was eight and unable to voice the pain, she is ready to disclose as she has become a woman not seeking revenge but freedom from the demons that haunt her every step.
Jamie became a lawyer to be a voice for others who have no voice, and when she decides to pr…
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Targeted for Murder (Wilderness, Inc. #1)

Title:Targeted for Murder (Wilderness, Inc. #1)
Author:Elizabeth Goddard
Pages:224
Year:October 2016
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
My rating is 5 out of 5 stars.
Hadley Mason is an artist who is just days away from her opening gallery exhibit that will make her a national name in the art world.She arrives home to find her father waiting for her.She begins speaking, but quickly notices something is wrong with her father.Blood soaks his shirt as he has been shot.He tells Hadley something she never would have believed, but knows he is making a deathbed confession.He has brought her some things that will help her get away but doesn’t tell her how to get away.She is grieving his death but has no time to stay.She quickly leaves, knowing there is a target on her back now.Who can she turn to for help?
Cooper Wilde has fled to the wilderness to try and escape his failure and guilt.He runs his own wilderness survival training company.He is out with a group and hears a woman scream.He investigates …
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Yogi Bear: Trying to Escape Jellystone Park

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In Dreams Forgotten (Golden Gate Secrets #2)

Title:In Dreams Forgotten (Golden Gate Secrets #2)
Author:Tracie Peterson
Pages:336
Year:2018
Publisher: BethanyHouse
My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.
In this second book of the series, Judith Gladstone and Caleb Coulter take center stage.They were both in book one of the series, In Place Hidden, but weren’t the romantic focus.Now, the story picks up where book one left off.Judith has been patiently waiting for Caleb to help her search for her aunt.He has recently returned from being kidnapped, so she has given him time to settle back in to his routine.Now, he has joined a group of businessmen and local community leaders to take on the corrupt practices and methods of the leader of a criminal ring that operates in a large part of San Francisco.Judith feels forgotten in her search for her aunt.All she has ever wanted was a large family, and now since her parents have recently died, she longs for a family even more.She also longs for Caleb to return her feelings of love.
Caleb has it brought to …
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A Secret to Die For

Title:A Secret to Die For
Author: Lisa Harris
Pages: 336
Year: 2018
Publisher: Revell
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
The main character, Grace, is a psychologist who had a client she was convinced was dealing with paranoia.When he is found dead, there is a business card found in the deceased man’s pocket.Just when Grace has found a place in her life to start fresh, that is shattered.On top of that, the detective asking questions is a man who had been her ex-husband’s friend.
What becomes apparent to Detective Nate Quinn is that life isn’t settling down for him.When his PTSD becomes a problem when he is working, will he be able to help Grace through her trials?Both Nate and Grace have broken souls, longing to be free of the people who seem intent on making them pay for something they don’t completely understand.Yet, the ramifications are huge!
Lisa Harris writes a tale that is heart-pounding, with imperfect characters who cling to faith just to breathe.I always look forward to Lisa’s novels as th…
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Hidden Legacy Author: Lynn Huggins Blackburn

Title:Hidden Legacy
Author:Lynn Huggins Blackburn
Pages:June 2017
Year:224
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
My rating is 5 out of 5 stars.
Caroline Harrison has a baby in her arms as she enters her house, then discovers she has an intruder in the house shooting at her!The police arrive in time to foil the shooter, but it is quickly determined that Caroline wasn’t the target.Her precious baby who she is in the midst of adopting is the one in danger.
The detective on the case is Jason Drake.He and Caroline have a romantic history together, but that is in the past, or is it?They both are cautious, guarding their hearts.First, they must survive the many attempts on their lives as they guard baby Henry.Caroline and Jason agree that their potential rekindled romance must be put on the back burner until they can discover the reason why someone is out to eliminate Henry.Does it tie in with some recent deaths Jason has been working on solving?
This story gets your heart pumping from the very first pa…
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Wait for Me (Montana Series #6)

Title:Wait for Me (Montana Series #6)
Author: Susan May Warren
Pages: 336
Year: 2018
Publisher: Revell
My rating: 5+ stars out of 5
What an exciting finish to an extraordinary series!Susan May Warren has shared with readers a story that is engaging, suspenseful, romantic, and very exciting! We meet the cast of characters in the first novel titled, Wild Montana Skies.Each novel continues with the same characters though the plot line focuses mainly on one of the PEAK team members.To learn what PEAK stands for and how the group started, read book one.I guarantee that once you start with Wild Montana Skies you’ll be hooked on reading all the books in the series.
Each book has a unique way of captivating the reader that makes it easy to keep reading.Once I started the series, I continued and though I hate to see the ending of the series and characters I know it is time.I cannot wait for others who haven’t yet read the series to do so, or for others to read the last book in the series as the myst…
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Valiant Defender (Military K-9)

Title:Valiant Defender (Military K-9)
Author: Shirlee McCoy
Pages: 224
Year: November 2018
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
What an exciting series!Patriotic, romantic and suspenseful!2018 seems to be the year that many authors came together and wrote a story that is engaging to readers’ hearts and minds.The titles are Mission to Protect, Bound by Duty, Top Secret Target, Standing Fast, Recue Operation, Explosive Force, Battle Tested, Valiant Defender, Military K-9 Unit Christmas all published by Love Inspired.
In the recent installment, Boyd Sullivan has escaped from jail and begins once again his reign of terror.However, he is focused on paying back Captain Justin Blackwood and his daughter Portia.Justin is helped when trains Captain Gretchen Hill in running a K-9 unit where she is stationed.She is temporarily reassigned to work with Justin and be trained to start a similar unit on her original post when she has completed her training. Gretchen is also focused …
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No True Justice (Witness Protection #2)

Title:No True Justice (Witness Protection #2)
Author: H. L. Wegley
Pages: 252
Year: 2018
Publisher: H. L. Wegley
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
The Witness Protection Series is the third series this author has shared with audiences.Wegley’s novels are faith based, action packed, and have some romance too.With each book, this author just keeps getting better.So, if you have yet to read any of his novels, don’t wait any longer to enjoy!
The opening scene is set on July 4th in Oregon with the character Georgia Simpson walking to her home when she receives a call that will change her life in ways she cannot imagine!Her quiet and boring life now becomes a race to stay alive, especially when she hears a gunshot on the phone!Wegley has written a heart-pounding tale that seems very real, and it is easy to get lost in the pages forgetting that what is being read is fictional!
As I read, it seemed that there was a David fighting a Goliath and one that is not going to give up pursuit until he gets the job…
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Freedom’s Light

Title:Freedom’s Light
Author:Colleen Coble
Pages:320
Year:2018
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.
Hannah Thomas is a young, 18-year-old woman who has been married for a year to a man twenty years her senior.She married him to escape the unwanted advances of Galen, a childhood friend who she no longer considers to be a friend.John is a lighthouse keeper but quickly enlists in the Continental Army and leaves Hannah to tend the two lighthouses.He is one of the first to be killed as a spy.Hannah doesn’t believe he was a spy, but nevertheless she is now a widow.She invites her younger sister, Lydia, to stay with her for a while.Lydia arrives, but has her eye on any man in a red coat serving in the English military.She longs to wed an Englishman, move to England and enjoy English society.This will cause trouble for Hannah in the future.
Birch Meredith poses as an English privateer, supplying English troops with supplies.He, however, has an ulterior motive.He is looking for the…
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A Forgotten Place (A Bess Crawford Mystery #10)

Title:A Forgotten Place (A Bess Crawford Mystery #10)
Author:Charles Todd
Pages:357 (ARC)
Year:2018
Publisher: William Morrow
My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.
Bess Crawford is still working in service to the Queen’s military forces as a nurse.The war is over, but the wounded still need care.They didn’t just miraculously heal once the war ended.She is tasked with caring for a Welsh unit that all had amputations.Most came from the mines in Wales, and with their injuries were not sure how they were going to support their families.They felt they would have been better off dying in the war and not returning half a man.Bess encourages them as best she can.They are all released together for the return home journey.A couple of months later Bess receives a letter from their commanding officer, himself an amputee, asking for her help.Several of the troop have died from illness, accident or their own hand.Bess has some time off due her, so she heads to Wales.She plans to spend a day or two there and the…
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Christmas by the Sea

Title:Christmas by the Sea
Author: Melody Carlson
Pages: 176
Year: 2018
Publisher: Revell
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
Melody’s tale brings forth hope after loss, and joy after sorrow.Christmas by the Sea shares about Wendy who has inherited the summer cabin she visited with her grandparents as a little girl.Wendy is filled with stories and memories she has shared with her son Jackson throughout the years.Now she has inherited the cabin and Jackson can’t wait to see the ocean and town his mother told him so much about during the hard years of his Dad’s fatal illness.
Jackson wants to stay there, and his mother Wendy would love to as well but there are tons of medical bills to pay and she doesn’t think the small town can provide for their needs.Jackson enjoys working alongside a man named Caleb who is a local woodworker and owns his own store selling his unique pieces.
What follows is a very endearing tale that was enjoyable to read.The only other thought I have about the book is I think the a…
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Amish Christmas Emergency (Love Inspired Suspense)

Title:Amish Christmas Emergency (Love Inspired Suspense)
Author: Dana R. Lynn
Pages: 224
Year: 11/2018
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
One of the benefits of being a member of Reader Services is that I get books to read before they are released to the general public.Love Inspired Suspense stories are exciting to receive each month, they are tales filled with action, adventure, romance and faith.Yet, each book truly is a unique story that captures the heart and imagination of those who read them.They are quick reads and easy to pack because they are small.The variety the publisher offers makes it hard at times to choose just which book to read next!
In this story, readers are drawn into the world of a nurse practitioner named Alexa Grant who cares for her Amish patients with all her heart.Alexa loves her work, her colleagues and the area where she lives.On a day when the weather begins to turn treacherous with ice, snow and wind, a flu epidemic breaks out in th…
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The Cost of Betrayal

Title:The Cost of Betrayal
Authors: Dee Henderson, Dani Pettrey, Lynette Eason
Pages: 334
Year: 2018
Publisher: Bethany House
My rating: 5+ out of 5 stars
Unbelievable!Three truly talented authors write three novellas that are filled with suspense, thrills, faith, action and more.Each accomplished author has written many novels individually that are truly magnificent to read, so if you’re not familiar with them look up their novels and dive right in!The three novellas aren’t tied together, and they are unique and mesmerizing!
Dee Henderson’s story is titled, “Betrayed”, and I enjoyed the plot of a couple, one who works for the FBI while the other is a retired police officer who are at an auction.The couple, Paul and Ann, aren’t seeking anything in particular just enjoying being together without a crisis on their plate.Of course, that is until Ann chooses a box of miscellaneous items to hopefully set up her next painting scene.What it does though has set them on a path of discovery of a murde…
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Amish Christmas Secrets (Love Inspired Suspense)

Title:Amish Christmas Secrets (Love Inspired Suspense)
Author: Debby Giusti
Pages: 224
Year: October 2018
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Amish Christmas Secrets is the conclusion to the Amish Protectors series.The previous books are Amish Refuge, Undercover Amish, and Amish Rescue.Rosie Glick made a poor choice during her Rumspringaand now her past has not only caught up with her, but it may very well cost her everything!With her life being threatened constantly, she seeks to find a safe place to keep herself and baby boy alive.
Ezra Stoltz is a friend from Rosie’s younger years who comes along to help her when no one else even knows she is back in the area, except for those who want to get their hands on her.Ezra is carrying around a heavy burden that many are unaware of.He has a deep sense of guilt and remorse.Now, as head of the family, he makes the decisions and leads the family, trying to provide for them since the untimely death of his parents.
Between Ez…
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The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond

Title:The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond
Author:Jaime Jo Wright
Pages:352
Year:2018
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
My rating is 5 out of 5 stars.
This story is set in Gossamer Grove, with two stories running simultaneously, one in the present and one in 1907.In the present, Annalise Forsythe owns a coffee shop and is trying to purchase land to open a food pantry facility as well as offer other services for the homeless.Her competition wants to use the land to build a sports complex and resort to bring rock climbing enthusiasts to Gossamer Grove.A big-name draw to help in bringing the rock climbers to the town is Garrett Greenwood, Annalise’s former boyfriend.They haven’t seen each other in twelve years, and there are definitely old wounds and hard feelings between the two.Now, they are on opposing sides of this land purchase issue.An old man in the community dies suddenly, leaving Annalise his property, which amounts to a small amount of land and an old trailer filled with pictures of Anna…
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A Tale of Two Hearts (Once Upon a Dickens Christmas #2)

Title:A Tale of Two Hearts (Once Upon a Dickens Christmas #2)
Author: Michelle Griep
Pages: 192
Year: 2018
Publisher: Shiloh Press
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
The first book in the series is titled, 12 Days at Bleakly Manor and coming in the Fall of 2019 is book #3 titled, The Old Lace Shop.
Here is a very heart-gripping story of redemption, love and second chances.The main couple in the books is Mina who helps her father keep an inn and Will who is a law clerk.Believe me when I say there is definitely more than this to the tale in the pages.
I loved the historical setting in London in the year 1853, along with hopes expressed by Mina and her unending love of reading books!Her father doesn’t like her reading, filling her head with the thoughts of romance and more but that doesn’t keep Mina from her books. She has an elderly lady friend who shares her books with Mina and encourages her to read and read.
At a time in history when books were a treasure and not easily procured, it makes me very g…
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Everything She Didn't Say

Title:Everything She Didn’t Say
Author: Jane Kirkpatrick
Pages: 352
Year: 2018
Publisher: Revell
My rating: 5+ out of 5 stars
Sometimes I am surprised by the revealing of people, events and more I have yet to learn about in history.Many times, it is the ordinary person living their lives and writing down their memories never knowing that years later someone unearths it again, blows off the dust and engages a new generation into their personal life experiences.
Jane Kirkpatrick reveals to readers a real pioneer of a woman who never knew what her life was going to be like.Carrie Strahorn married Robert Strahorn in love and with hopes of one day being a mother and living life as most women of her time did, taking care of the hearth and home.What Carrie experiences is far from what she ever imagined; it was not easy, and it sometimes broke her heart.
In an era when railroads were beginning to expand westward and competition was stiff, sometimes Carrie and Robert had to travel for miles just to ge…
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