Book Review - Cornered

If you are a fan of suspense, then you are probably already familiar with Lynette Eason, Lynn H. Blackburn, and Natalie Walters. If you are not yet familiar, then buckle up, Buttercup and you are welcome for the introduction. Cornered is a novella collection from these three suspense queens, a blessed gift for the suspense lover in your life. (And it is totally ok to be the suspense lover in your life.)

The first novella in this collection is In the Dark by Lynette Eason, in which Stephanie Cross finds herself up to her ears in deception and danger when her friend is murdered. Detective Tate Cooper is on the case, but it is not long before Stephanie is on his mind in her own way. Eason’s world building is already well established, and her readers will recognize quite a few In the Dark characters, feeling at home immediately with our friends and feeling the danger with them along the way. Fear not, new and future fans, because you will pick right up and fit right in with the Lake City Heroes.

Lynn H. Blackburn follows with Downfall to have you head over tail-feathers for the Quinns and some of the Pierces of Gossamer Falls. When Cassie Quinn and Bronwyn Pierce discover that Hideaway has been vandalized, the illusion of security at the ultra exclusive The Haven resort in North Carolina’s beautiful mountains is shattered. Not so much for their elite guests, but for the swanky restaurant’s interim head chef, Cassie. Cassie’s ex, Officer Donovan Bledsoe has to solve the case, protect Cassie, and make sense of the mess he made when he dumped her. Sinister acts, drugs, danger, and romantic tension keep the reader on their toes from threats written in sriracha to a satisfying conclusion. Cannot get enough of the Quinns and Pierces? No worries, Blackburn has you covered with the Gossamer Falls series.

Perilous Obsession from Natalie Walters completes the triptych of pulse pounding romantic suspense. Natalie fans will be familiar with Kekoa Young from The SNAP Agency series and will immediately feel like family for his sister Lahela, who finds herself the target of some disturbing incidents as she strives to feel settled in her new Texas home. Briggs Turner is a friend, but he hopes to be more. His protective drive is amped up when he learns that someone has been stalking Lahela, but it all gets really hot when things cross over from tense to dangerous. Perilous Obsession is fast and tense, but with the friendship, loyalty, and dedication of ohana and a healthy helping of romance.

Cornered, the latest novella collection from suspense queens Lynette Eason, Lynn H. Blackburn, and Natalie Walters is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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Thank you to the authors and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - The Queen’s Cook

Tessa Afshar concocts a beautiful Queen Esther story in her new release, The Queen’s Cook. This installment of the Queen Esther’s Court series focuses on Roxannah, daughter of an impoverished Persian noble, whose work in the kitchen is an aberration from the way things are done among women of her station and whose talent draws attention of both the favorable and unfavorable kind. Forced to work in order to keep a roof over her mother’s head, Roxannah is thankful for her position in the queen’s kitchens and does not want to jeopardize this security, but it does not take long for her to stand out in her own way. Such great talent draws Roxannah into the presence of her queen and then into the drama and intrigue of court life when she and the Jewish physician Adin learn of a plot against Amestris, Queen Esther’s nemesis and the powerful wife of their king. Opposition seems to come from all sides, and yet through the faithful encouragement of Adin and Esther, Roxannah comes to find the life and the light in the midst of her darkness. With delicate storyline layers of bitter struggle and sweet redemption, Afshar crafts a delicacy worthy of royalty.

The Queen’s Cook by Tessa Afshar is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.  

Book Review - I Think I Was Murdered

When you live on the bleeding edge of technology, you’ll eventually get cut. On the worst day of Katrina Foster’s life, she lost her husband in a car accident. To help ease the pain, her employer loaded Jason’s information into a bleeding edge AI chatbot, which Katrina used to talk to her beloved after losing him. And on the second worst day of her life, as everything that remained after losing Jason came raining down in ashes around her, Katrina asked him to tell her something she doesn’t know. I Think I Was Murdered is a million tiny cuts to leave Katrina, and the reader, reeling from the swipes as the truth unfolds. Nestled in a Pacific Coast setting that can be both cozy and chilling, and with characters equally lovable and despicable, this is a story to keep you on your toes from start to finish. Colleen Coble and Rick Acker have fabricated a tale that gives no rest for the weary until the last bitter truth is told.

I Think I Was Murdered by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Book Review - Of Gold And Shadows

Michelle Griep has a new release and it is rich with intrigue. Of Gold and Shadows is the first book in the Time’s Lost Treasures series, a Victorian era adventure involving Egyptologist Ami Dalton and Oxford’s most eligible bachelor, Edmund Price. Ami is accustomed to not belonging; raised by her widowed father, a well respected Egyptologist and Oxford professor, she developed a strong sense of self and a passion for all things Egyptian. In need of an expert, and unable to contract her father for the position, Edmund brings Ami to his country estate to value an extensive collection of artifacts. Intrigue abounds on all levels: mythical, criminal, and personal as Ami’s lesser known exploits surface to interfere with Edmund’s artifacts and someone interferes with Ami and Edmund. With intricate scene setting and relatable characters, Griep pulls us along on a goosebump inducing romp through jolly old England, minds and hearts alert for danger and romance.

Of Gold and Shadows by Michelle Griep, the first in her new Time’s Lost Treasures series, is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Brave

As a reader of biblical fiction, I have a process that precedes actually reading a new novel. First, I look to the author to determine the original text from which they draw their work. Then I read the original text and sit with it for a time to digest God’s holy word before diving into the novel. I want to hold the fact separate from the fiction, but have grown to love the way the fiction fills in context and points toward God’s truth while helping us consider things we sometimes don’t want to stop to consider. One thing many of us hesitate to ponder for long is the relationship between David ben Jesse, God’s anointed king, and his wives. It makes sense that we do not want to linger on the polygamist relationship of a historical figure we tend to put on a pedestal as the icon of a man after God’s own heart. This is an incredibly sensitive subject to cover, but I have great respect for Mesu Andrews and her approach to it in her latest release, Brave. Because the fact of the matter is that even a man after God’s own heart is still a man. David did have multiple wives. And they are important enough that God inspired man to record them by name in the Old Testament.

Brave is the story of Ahinoam of Jezreel, who is interpreted by Andrews as a Kenite with exceptional dagger throwing skills and who works with her father to forge weapons for David’s ragtag army during the years of running from King Saul. She is spirited, fierce, and loyal. She is also not interested in marriage or being a silly woman, like the mother who abandoned her and her father so many years ago. Yet the Lord works in mysterious ways. In this instance, it is to bring Ahinoam and David together as husband and wife, to forge their relationship as the Lord gives and takes away. Giving and taking provision, giving and taking friendships, giving and taking family. Through it all, they must learn grace and forgiveness. They must learn to praise Him and seek His will. They must learn to keep their focus on Him instead of their human desires. Especially when Abigail, widow of Nabal of Carmel, also becomes David’s wife.

Andrews is a voracious researcher and I am always fascinated by the context provided in her novels. It is an honor to camp in the wilderness with Ahinoam, feeling the cool walls of the cave at my back, if only in my mind. It is hard to avoid building relationships with the characters she brings to life in text, particularly this strong dagger throwing, God seeking match for the future king. Brave’s narrative switches between Ahinoam’s point of view and David’s, and though I initially thought I just wanted her POV, it did not take long to see that his is essential for greater understanding. Brave is an enlightening read, if not an easy one, and I now wait as patiently as I can for the next installment of the King David’s Brides series.

Brave, book one of the King David’s Brides series from Mesu Andrews, is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Tea with Elephants

Robin Jones Gunn takes readers on an awe inspiring and faith filled journey to Africa in her latest release, Tea with Elephants, which is the first book of her new Suitcase Sisters series. This delight for the senses has a soul stirring storyline, which follows long distance best friends through a swanky safari while they deal with personal struggles that are an easier load to bear when shared. Fern and Lily both board the plane to Nairobi with heavy hearts, exploring their stages of grief while reveling in the messages from Heaven that come through the various people they meet. Big hearts, big adventures, big animals, and big blessings abound over cups of tea and shared confidences. Gunn paints such vivid pictures of the settings and people the Sisters meet throughout their journey; it is no surprise that I eagerly await the next chapter in the Suitcase Sisters saga!

Tea with Elephants, the first novel in the Suitcase Sisters series by Robin Jones Gunn is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - The Blooming of Delphinium

Holly Varni had managed to slip under my radar with her debut novel, On Moonberry Lake, so I went back and read the first Moonberry Lake novel before starting The Blooming of Delphinium. I noticed quickly that she writes with wit; zippy dialogue between lively characters draws the reader into Moonberry Lake as a new resident in their own right. Settled in my new literary home, I then proceeded to The Blooming of Delphinium, and stayed firmly entrenched in Moonberry until I reached the end.

Delphinium is at a crossroads, facing foreclosure on the building in which she both runs her floral shop and lives in the apartment where her beloved grandmother lived, she has to find a way to appease the bank without sacrificing her dream. If only that was the sum of her troubles, which are compounded by the small army of old men playing poker in their undershirts in her cooler. It is a small army that grows into a motley crew of senior citizens as the eccentric elderly ladies start tagging along. But big blessings come in slightly frustrating packages sometimes, and these seniors find an understanding ally in Delphinium. It seems the seniors want what we all want: a compassionate listener and a purpose in life. Delphi’s challenges add up quickly as the zany seniors work their mischievous magic to solve their problems and hers in one goofy swoop. Varni’s settings are cozy and homey, but it is her characters that really bring these stories to life. Just as Delphi finds her heart for these larger than life seniors, they will keep you in stitches while you fall in love with them. Along with these relationships, Delphi learns a lot about romance and finds revelations about her family that change her perspective of her parents and herself.

The Blooming of Delphinium, the second book in the Moonberry Lake series by Holly Varni is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House        Christian Book        Amazon        Barnes & Noble       
Walmart

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.