Book Review - Sundown

The Kingston boys are back, this time unraveling the mystery of the beautiful woman who appeared out of the wreckage of a crashed plane on Denali. Taylor Price isn’t telling everything and Colt Kingston is bound and determined that she isn’t going to bring trouble to his family’s doorstep. Even if he is trouble through and through on his own. He has no problem leading the way into the fight, but he can’t quite figure out what that fight is as far as Tae is concerned. This woman who nursed him back from the brink of death, his very own Florence Nightengale, is something else he can’t quite decipher. Also on the list of things he can’t seem to get a grasp on: his role in his mother’s death, his place with his family, and his future with or without Tae.

Now, fans of Susan May Warren can tell you that Colt is going to go through a lot of pain and growth in Sundown. Especially, those who are already familiar with his daddy, Barry Kingston, and the great wisdom and love he has for his children. Also, you know Tae and all her secrets are going to be quite the handful for Colt. Combined elements like those create the perfect storm to break down the barriers that keep him walking wounded and help him begin to heal. Not only is Sundown a thrilling conclusion to the story of the Kingston triplets, but a profound exploration of our own misunderstandings and their tendency to get in the way of following God’s plan and enjoying His blessings.

Sundown, Sky King Ranch series book 3, by Susan May Warren 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 - Honor’s Refuge

Not to be outdone by the first two books in the series, Hallee Bridgeman continues her Love & Honor series with a book all about taking shelter in the storm. We met medic Phil Osbourne in the introductory book, Honor Bound, and I don’t know about you, but I really hoped we hadn’t heard the last of him. Bridgeman brings us Phil’s story, picking up two years after he lost his leg as the result of a firefight with an African warlord and still in the midst of trying to figure out what a broken man has to offer offer the girl he loves too much to love her. The storm raging within our tortured warrior threatens to tear him apart, even as his efforts to keep her at a distance rage against her heart.

Melissa Braxton knows all about storms. The one that was her father, beating her mother to death when Missy was five. A tempest that ripped her apart from her little sister, Lola, for whom she has never stopped searching. The storm that pushed her to pursue a career in counseling and open a shelter for battered spouses, seeking refuge from their abusers. And Melissa is all caught up in the storm of loving Phil, in every bit of his grumpy glory. But as a surprise hurricane bears down on Miami in the midst of Thanksgiving preparations, Melissa and Phil have to find refuge from one storm while standing firm against a whole different kind of threat.

For some reason, I liked Phil from the moment I started hoping for his survival in the jungles of Africa in Honor Bound and am glad Bridgeman chose to give us more to his story. I’ve cheered for Doc Oz as a supporting character and now as a main character. Bridgeman really did him justice by pairing him with the character of Melissa; both are written with a depth that really brings them both off the pages and tugs on the heartstrings. Honor’s Refuge is a must read within the series, but it packs the punch that makes it worthy of picking up as a stand alone.

Honor Bound by Hallee Bridgeman, Love & Honor series book #3, 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 - Body of Evidence

Irene Hannon serves up the final installment of her Triple Threat series in the steaming hot Body of Evidence. The baby of the Reilly sisters, Grace, has always been the romantic one. It’s not so easy finding The One when the ones you generally work with are dead. Sheriff Nate Cox, however, is definitely not dead and he makes her feel all kinds of alive from their very first interaction. As a pathologist who has to work with the handsome sheriff on a regular basis, Grace is compelled to work with him when she finds a pattern of consequences among the deaths of several local seniors. Following the evidence puts Grace squarely into the line of fire and together they have to figure out who is killing, how they are killing, and why strange things keep happening to Grace. Hannon simmers Body of Evidence to perfection and polishes off Triple Threat with all the flourish of a chef’s kiss.

Body of Evidence, Triple Threat book #1, by Irene Hannon 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 unbiased.

Book Review - The Lost Melody

Certain books are felt physically even as they are read. Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights are two of my favorite examples, and I would add The Lost Melody by Joanna Davidson Politano to that list. I dare suggest that I would rank it right there with my two favorite Gothic romances of all time. Politano threads music through the atmosphere of a Victorian pauper asylum to express the sheer determination and subtle delicacies of Vivienne Mordant’s character. The great mystery of the lost melody and the beautiful woman who played it carry the reader and our beloved concert pianist into the bowels of darkness, through seething depravity, into the mind of madness. And yet, are we not all just a bit mad? And it is so terribly dreadful to be just a tad mad? And can one be the kind of light in the darkness who uses their God given gifts to reach those lost in the depths of that hopeless existence? Politano explores themes of value with a most deliciously troubling romance in her latest release.

The Lost Melody by Joanna Davidson Politano 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 - A Quilt for Christmas

It’s that time of year again and this one always gets me giddy. I’m not talking about football season, or marching band competition season, or even pumpkin-spice-everything season; I’m already securely into all of those, which I celebrate with great joy. I am talking about Melody-Carlson’s-New-Christmas-Novella season! *Insert angel chorus here.* I literally feel warm and cozy just thinking about it. So grab a cup of tea and a cozy blanket, and I will introduce you to Melody’s 2022 Christmas novella, A Quilt for Christmas.

Vera Swanson doesn’t feel much like celebrating Christmas this year. In years past, nobody could rival the glory of a Christmas season done up in Vera’s style, all wrapped up in love. But now there is nobody to celebrate with her. The big, beautiful home in which she and her husband raised their family has been sold, and this small condo doesn’t feel the same. When a small child knocks on Vera’s door and begs help for her mommy, things become even more different as she finds herself suddenly helping neighbors she didn’t even know through a difficult situation.

Little Fiona Albright is a spunky little girl whose family has had their own series of unfortunate events. When her mother’s sudden and intense illness send Fiona searching for help, she begins to form a bond with the grandmotherly woman next door. Slowly, Fiona and Vera forge a friendship that eventually extends to an eclectic group of women who come together to fulfill Fiona’s wish of a quilt for Christmas. Everyone has their own burdens that try to bog them down this season, especially cranky old Eleanor Rasmussen, but somehow Fiona melts even the coldest heart. Together they forge a family for Christmas that none of them expected, brought together by one little angel with an old soul.

A Quilt for Christmas by Melody Carlson 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 - Honor Bound

Hallee Bridgeman’s Love and Honor series opens in a big way when Special Forces A-Team Captain Rick Norton and his elite soldiers encounter the soldiers of a warlord in the peaceful village where Doctor Cynthia Myers operates an obstetrics clinic. Captain Norton and Doctor Myers clash instantly. And repeatedly. She doesn’t believe in violence and abhors the weapons he carries and uses so proficiently. His job requires difficult decisions to protect people like her from evil people like the one who has ravaged the country she loves so much. As if it wasn’t challenging enough to extract his high profile asset, Captain Norton has to convince Doctor Myers to travel with him to care for the two team members who have sustained life threatening wounds.

Getting Cynthia Myers to the US Embassy was supposed to be the end of Rick’s involvement with her. Cynthia wants only to return to her village clinic and the people she loves, far from the media scrutiny that comes with being the daughter of the Vice President and the scandal that she escaped when she became a medical missionary in Africa. Her father has other ideas. The warlord who seeks to use her as a political pawn has still other ideas. And for some reason, Rick can’t shake ideas of his own. Packed with action, angst, and romance, Honor Bound is a riveting series opener.

Honor Bound, Love and Honor series book one, by Hallee Bridgeman is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House            Christian Book            Barnes & Noble            Amazon

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 - Dangerous Beauty

Hey y’all! This has been a month and we’re smack in the middle of the activity. Wedding bells ring in TEN DAYS and I am super pumped! In case you haven’t heard, my momma is getting married to my dear friend’s dad. It’s a beautiful story that comes after many years of difficulty for both. Don’t worry, you’ll hear all about it in slightly more than TEN DAYS! (TEN!!!)

As the daughter of the bride, matron of honor, and mother of the maid of honor, I’ve had a few things on my plate. The Mom Cave is FULL of wedding supplies that will be moved to my car as soon as I finish banging out all those personalized items I should have done months ago. AND as a glutton for procrastination pressure, I have signed on for THREE DAYS of book reviews! So, without further, well… procrastination… here is the first one.

Melissa Koslin explodes out of the starting gate in her latest release, Dangerous Beauty. Addressing the horrific topic of human trafficking, Koslin opens with exotic Latina beauty Liliana in her escape from the men who are holding her for a very particular buyer. Her flight sends her into the path of Meric Toledan, a cold, hard man of many secrets as well as great wealth and notoriety. Under investigation himself for trafficking, Meric nonetheless offers Liilana the kind of protection only he can offer, and in a split second she must make a decision that could save her life or it could lead her right back into the bondage she has already struggled so hard to escape. When put to the ultimate test, both Liliana and Meric must decide if the reward is worth the risk. Especially when they have very different opinions on the magnitude of the risk and of the reward.

Human trafficking is the nightmare that lives in our own towns and too often in our own neighborhoods. While it is a difficult topic to read, and I can’t fathom how difficult it is to write, it is a necessary one to bring to our attention and put in the forefront. We will never know how many people we pass by who are living through the kinds of terrible situations Koslin addresses in this book. The story she has crafted handles this topic with great care, and although I did greatly appreciate the fictional story she weaves, I hope it also brings this darkness into the light and helps open our eyes. This is truly an, “If you see something, say something” kind of situation. There are organizations across the nation and around the world fighting for these individuals who are held in bondage and horribly abused. I would challenge you to find one and learn about the work they do. Into The Light is one organization working in Arkansas to fight child sex trafficking and bring hope to victims.

Dangerous Beauty by Melissa Koslin is absolutely a must-read in my opinion. And then it is a must-share. Available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House        Christian Book        Barnes & Noble        Amazon

Lose yourself in the exquisite storytelling and explosive action. Then go do good. 

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 - Deception

National Park Service ISB Ranger Madison Thorn shifted her focus to white collar crime after a trafficking investigation turned personal and ended with her killing the man she loved in an act of self defense. That was four years ago and personal vendettas are the last thing on her mind as she returns to Natchez, but things get very personal when she learns that she is fighting for her life in a local hospital. Who is this person who is a dead ringer for Madison, who shot her, and how does she fit in the bigger picture?

NPS Agent Clayton Bradshaw wrote a warning to Madison for speeding on the Natchez Trace in the morning, anonymously paid for her supper that evening, and was called to investigate her attack that night. He remembers her from summers she spent with her grandfather during their childhood and can’t seem to help how familiar he wants to be with her now, except that he can’t treat her the way he has treated women in the past. Oh yes, and they are working together on an investigation, which means she is off-limits.

Patricia Bradley focuses on forgiveness and redemption in Deception, the fourth installment in her Natchez Trace Park Rangers series, and she does it in a powerful way. There are enough red herrings to make a meal and they go together swimmingly to leave the reader completely satisfied.

Deception, Natchez Trace Park Rangers book #4, by Patricia Bradley is available now from your favorite local bookseller or onlin:

Baker Book House       Christian Book        Barnes & Noble        Amazon      

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 - Crossfire

Though her job has high stakes, FBI Special Agent Juliana Jameson knows how to talk down a hostage taker and has never lost a hostage. Only one incident gets under her skin, one that happened before her career began, but was very personal. As the fifteenth anniversary of this incident approaches, lines between work and home begin to blur when someone begins playing cat and mouse games with Jules. As the situation escalates, it becomes clear that someone is out for blood, and not just a little.

School Resource Officer Clay Fox wastes no time getting to the scene when his sister texts that she has been taken hostage. With Reese stuck in a courtroom, at the mercy of a hostage taker with nothing left to lose, Clay turns his phone over to the beautiful negotiator. After the crisis passes, he finds that there is another one brewing. Juliana makes him want things he doesn’t believe he’s worthy of; how will she ever forgive what he has done when he cannot.

Lynette Eason brings the Extreme Measures crew back together in this second installment as Penny, Grace, and Raina to the support of their good friend, Juliana. With her trademark excitement and multiple storylines, Eason weaves together an unforgettable story and leaves us chomping at the bit for our next look at the crew she has knit together for this series.

Crossfire, Extreme Measures book 2, by Lynette Eason is available now at 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.

In Memory of My Dear Mamaw

 My Dear Friends,

Woman By The Grace of God began quite a few years ago as an outlet for keeping up with the antics of our principessa and sharing such with loved ones. It then shifted toward book reviews, which I thoroughly enjoy, but I have intended for a while to add other content as well. Thursday evening my mamaw suddenly passed from this earth into the arms of the Lord. This is my tribute to her. I share it here to honor her. May those of us left behind be comforted until the day we meet again in Glory.

When asked if I was interested in sharing at Mamaw’s funeral, my no was immediate. I talk a lot, but I am much better at doing something so delicate and respectful as memorializing my dear grandmother in writing. So I opened my iPad to start writing and happened to  see my review of a book called The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip. Quick backstory: cub reporter Aidyn gets too big for her britches and her editor needs to put her in her place, so Aidyn is tasked with writing the obituary of some random old lady in a hospice house. Roll with me, y’all; I’m going somewhere with this.

Like any well written story, there’s a lot going on under the surface. Clara Kip is not just a random old lady. She has lived an extraordinary life because of the way God used her, but the thought of allowing cancer to steal her life in a slow and un-extraordinary way chafes. She decides that she will answer three of Aidyn’s questions about her life for every extraordinary death Aidyn can think of to spice up her obituary. The truth of Mrs. Kip’s life experiences and lessons write themselves into a phenomenal tribute to the woman.

To my knowledge, Lois Holland did not necessarily live an extraordinary life. She was a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a child of God. What she did extraordinarily, was love. I realize I am one of many arrows in her quiver. Her four children had children who had children and I don’t even know if I could count us all if I tried. But when she talked with me I felt like I was treasured. When she spent time with me, I knew I was her pride and joy, and I guarantee that every one who had the honor to know and love her could say the same. The immediate thought is that I must be talking only about her family and close friends. I’m not. I’ll never forget coming to Indianapolis to celebrate Mamaw’s and Papaw’s 50th wedding anniversary and meeting more people from their church than I can count, every one of them honored to know them, and I understand completely.

Several years ago now, I was in Indy with my momma and daughter, and Mamaw was able to go on some museum adventures. We had a day when we went to the Indiana State Museum and took our time exploring exhibits. At some point in the day she learned that I like Greek food, so she insisted on taking us to a Greek restaurant she had heard was quite good. I don’t remember the food, but I remember sitting at the table with her and my eight year old daughter, having an extraordinary lunch. Then she mentioned being curious about the Mexican bakery near her house, so we went on an adventure to find some delightful south-of-the-border desserts. It was not a bakery, but we did find a couple sweet treats and some stick on mustaches. On another day, we went for a drive to South Bend to check out a children’s museum and she was delighted to choose Fazzoli’s for lunch with her girls. As I tell you all of this, I know you are hearing about us going and doing specific things, experiencing specific events. What I am feeling the same extraordinary warmth we felt when we were with her. The engagement of simply abiding in the great love of Christ that radiated from her.

And an extraordinary death? I pray that if I can’t slip quietly and unexpectedly into the Father’s arms, I can go as she did, just after family dinner with loved ones and in a way that allowed her to be unaware of the pain. Extraordinarily loving and extraordinarily loved. My heart hurts with missing her, but thrills for the Lord’s extraordinary mercy in calling her Home.

Book Review - Critical Alliance

Have you ever gotten to the big reveal in a mystery and been disappointed that you totally saw it coming? I have got to hand it to Elizabeth Goddard; I totally did not see the whodunnit coming in her final installment of her Rocky Mountain Courage series, Critical Alliance. What I did see, was the simmering love interest between the super intelligent Mackenzie Hanson and DSS Special Agent Alex Knight. And I saw how Jack and Terra from Present Danger and Nathan and Erin from Deadly Target were expertly woven into Critical Alliance to bring the trilogy full circle with friends we already know and love.

Mackenzie messed up big time as a frustrated youth and has suffered consequences far beyond the legal ramifications, as years of estrangement have kept her from her family. Driven by the need to right her wrongs, she has worked passionately to counter the measures that took her down a destructive path. All of a sudden, her youthful misadventures have dragged her back home to Montana on a mission to save her family and their lucrative tech business from a cyber criminal bent on revenge. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, Mackenzie finds herself thrown into a situation where she must count on the one guy who won’t stay off her mind. Romance has to take a back seat to quietly and quickly putting her attacker in his place, but it is so difficult when Alex keeps being so incredibly irresistible.

Alex Knight is supposed to be on a mandatory three week vacation, but it is not easy to rest and relax when the terrible events of his most recent assignment plague his waking and sleeping hours alike. Furthermore, someone has defaced the Rocky Mountain Courage memorial again. This time, the damage is done to the his father’s memorial. Catching the vandal will be the diversion he needs. Alex finds himself with a much larger diversion when he finds the girl who got away in his own neck of the Montana wilderness, especially when he finds that she is in need of protection. Solving two separate cases that shouldn’t even be his keeps Alex entirely too busy to be sidetracked for his feelings for Mackenzie. At least it should, but how can he stifle the Mackenzie makes him feel?

I am not going to pretend that I actually sat down and read this book in one sitting. It is back to school time and our household contains one groomsman, one matron of honor, and one incredibly adorable maid of honor for a wedding that is approaching at a rate that sure does feel like warp speed. So what I can honestly tell you is that I did absolutely devour Elizabeth Goddard’s finale to her Rocky Mountain Courage series in one day. I’ll spend the next few days making up for everything I put off for the sake of this delicious binge read, but I have absolutely zero regrets.

Critical Alliance, the finale to Elizabeth Goddard’s Rocky Mountain Courage 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 - The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip

Sometimes I read a book that is just too big to review. Its impact is simply too grand to express with mere words. The ideas, themes, quotes sit so profoundly in my mind and on my heart. The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip is certainly one of those books. It is particularly moving if you have known a Mrs. Kip of your own.

Aidyn Kelly is a cub reporter for the Kansas City Star with dreams and confidence bigger than her britches. To put her in her place, her section editor sends her to interview a little old lady in a hospice house. The grand insult: Aidyn is to write the obituary of one Mrs. Clara Kip. This assignment is a hurdle to be cleared on Aidyn’s climb out of the hole she has dug for herself, but God and Mrs. Kip have other plans. Cancer may try to knock the wind out of Mrs. Kip’s sails; it cannot, however, knock the shenanigans out of the spunky little old lady who is determined to “…love people as best as I could for as long as I was privileged to be with them.” As Aidyn attempts to get to the real story, an agreement is formed: Mrs. Kip will answer three questions for every extraordinary death Aidyn can create for her. But the truly extraordinary deaths of Mrs. Kip do not come from the young reporter’s creative mind and are an exquisite gift wrapped in prose that speaks to the reader on a blessedly intimate level.

The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip by Sara Brunsvold 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 - Among the Innocent

Ten years ago, the peaceful Amish community outside St. Ignatius, Montana was rocked by a family’s gruesome murder. Leah Miller is the only survivor, left orphaned and taken in by the town’s police chief and his wife. Now Leah is an officer on the force and responding to a phone call about a missing girl, a girl whose family farm sits right next to the one that belonged to Leah’s family. A girl whose secrets and circumstances seem a little too familiar to Leah. She’s not the only one who recognizes the similarities; her new police chief, Dalton Cooper, is holding on to the secret that he was best friends with the man who took the blame for those murders. And there’s no way Harrison could have been responsible for what happened to Leah’s family and what has now happened to Beth Zook, since he’s dead now. One thing is certain, though: the murderer is not finished with Leah Miller.

Mary Alford pens intense suspense in Among the Innocent. My attention was piqued from the very beginning and held throughout the entire pulse-pounding sequence of events. This was the first I’ve read from this author, but it certainly won’t be the last.

Among the Innocent 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 - Sunburst

There’s a reason why Kingston triplet Ranger is known as Danger Ranger, and it is solidified by his absolute devotion to his team and his career as a SEAL and a sniper. Danger Ranger Kingston does his duty, even on the occasion when his duty was to walk away from the only woman who had ever managed to open his heart to the what-ifs. When that duty involves slipping into the Nigerian wilderness to rescue hostages from the Boko Harem, Ranger knows he and his brother Dodge will be rescuing their triplet Colt, but he is surprised to find the hostages include the woman he never should have lost. Noemi Sutton is determined to escape and find help for her fellow hostages, but her loyalty to Blessing is a weapon their captors can wield effectively against her. When Ranger and Dodge slip into the camp and rescue them, she is unprepared to face a savior who had so deeply wounded her in the past. Getting split from the rescue team is just further proof that she is not good for him, but they have to work together to get away from the terrorists who pursue them and make their way to safety. If that means Noemi must keep up the pretense that the wounded warrior traveling with her and Blessing is her husband, then so be it. At least, until the moment they find themselves face to face with her uncle, a tribal king with resources to keep them safe and an opportunity for Noemi to know her mother’s family. The friction of the push and pull between desire and self defense between Ranger and Noemi creates a delicious heat that burns from their first encounter and doesn’t stop.

Sunburst is the second Sky King Ranch novel from author Susan May Warren. Warren is an excellent storyteller and it is particularly enjoyable to read her novels as familiar characters we already know and love help drive the story. For example, our Jones Inc. buddies from the Global Search and Rescue series are back again to facilitate the rescue of Colt, Noemi, and the others kidnapped with them by the Boko Harem. Another particularly enjoyable element of Warren’s novels, which is displayed in full glory in Sunburst, is her dedication to research of the places and cultures represented within. I read Sunburst with a search window open at all times as Ranger, Noemi and Blessing made their way across Nigeria and as Uncle Efe and Aunty Precious throw a traditional wedding to celebrate the marriage of their dear departed sister’s only child. Kola nuts and jollof rice, the path of the Forcados and Niger rivers, the locations of the towns named along their escape route all came to life between Warren’s rich storytelling and the searches. And don’t skip the dedication on this one; SMW fans will have a greater understanding of how precious this one is after reading the dedication.

Sunburst, the second novel in the Sky King Ranch series by Susan May Warren, 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 - Elysium Tide

James Hannibal has firmly established himself in my must-read list and Elysium Tide is the latest addition to the collection. Dr. Peter Chesterfield, senior attending neurosurgeon at Royal London Hospital, is plummeting toward burnout and a forced vacation is just what the chief medical officer ordered. Detective Lisa Kealoha has worked hard to overcome the circumstances of her youth and return home from L.A. to head up the gang task force for the Maui Criminal Investigative Division. Things are already getting hot on the island when the two collide after Peter tries to save the life of Lisa’s friend, and then continue to collide through the course of her investigation into Kelly’s murder and a host of other criminal activity surrounding it. Peter has his own investigation to conduct after he fails to save the woman he found floating in the surf outside his luxury hotel, and he will conduct that investigation with or without Lisa’s help. 

Sabotage and auto theft, murder and intrigue keep the plot flying like a modified Mustang over hidden smuggler’s tracks toward a satisfying conclusion. Written with great still to keep the reader engaged until the very end, Hannibal has delivered yet another gloriously successful action novel, further solidifying his must-read status.

Elysium Tide by James Hannibal 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 - Where The Road Bends

After losing both her father and mother to illness, Norah King finds herself engaged to a man she hardly knows in order to save her family’s land. As her only option for her future, things are set quite clearly for Norah until she finds vultures circling a wounded creature on her land and discovers that the creature is, in fact, a severely wounded man. A rather large severely wounded man, penniless and lost, searching for direction toward a life he hopes will look very different from the one he had before he was beaten and left for dead. While tending to Quincy’s physical wounds, Norah finds that Quincy brings a comfort to her life even as she brings comfort to his. However, they both must move forward into whatever may come, and he is compelled to leave as soon as he has recovered enough to travel. Neither one aware of what has transpired in the other’s life, the two are brought together in desperation again years later. Will the bond they unintentionally shared before be strengthened by the events that took place in the interim? Or will their hardships and secrets be too much to overcome?

Rachel Fordham writes with great detail a compelling story of loss and of love in Where The Road Bends. Without a family, Norah’s great yearning is to grow one of her own. And yet, some wounds are hard to heal. By crafting a cast of cast-offs with great heart, Fordham explores themes of forgiveness, as well as redemption and hope. Where The Road Bends is romance and more as Quincy and Norah, Alice, Mrs. Dover, Nels, and others learn that who they were does not negate who they have become.

Where The Road Bends by Rachel Fordham 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 Sweet Life

I am not gonna lie, peeps. I am totally in love with this book! The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher is the first in her new Cape Cod Creamery series. I needed some good summer poolside reading and she absolutely delivered!

Dawn Dixon is super focused, very successful, and on track to achieve her life’s goals according to plan until her fiancé breaks up with her. Instead of going on her honeymoon to Cape Cod, she finds herself in a swanky hotel there with her mother. Flighty and prone to run with a half baked plan, Marnie Dixon is determined to put breast cancer behind her and is struck with inspiration when she finds the proprietor of the former ice cream shop in a hurry to sell out and leave of town. In the spirit of her late husband, Philip, Marnie decides an ice cream shop in the historic district of Chatham is the perfect venture for this stage of her life. Dawn, however, is not convinced. What will it take for Dawn to catch on to the vision Marnie has for this old building? And what will it take for both mother and daughter to begin to see each other in a different way?

Honestly, it is the character development that has me absolutely in love with Dawn, Marnie, Kevin, Linc, and even cranky old Mrs. Nickerson-Eldredge. The changing of perspective for mother and daughter is quite simply beautiful, and I totally adore the personal and romantic arc the author created for Dawn and Kevin. It is so real, so relatable, and is frankly exquisite. I am on pins and needles to get my hands on more of the Cape Cod Creamery story and encourage you to snatch up a copy of The Sweet Life and fall in love, too.

The Sweet Life, the first book of the Cape Cod Creamery series by Suzanne Woods Fisher, 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 - Shadows In The Mind’s Eye

Sam isn’t sure of much these days, but one thing is for sure. There’s a monster in the hills outside Hot Springs. The problem is, everyone says he’s seeing things as a result of his experience in the war and he is certain something nefarious is afoot.

As a Higgins boat pilot in the Pacific, Sam spent the duration of the war just trying to make it home to his family. His wife Annie has worked to keep the family farm running and care for their little girl, looking forward to the day her beloved Sam would return to them. However, Sam’s homecoming is tainted by fears and anxiety about the way his experiences have changed the man she knew. He insists that he sees people in the woods, and his erratic behaviors are frightening Annie. As she watches his tumble into madness, she fears he might be a danger to his family, especially as his obsession provokes the local mob. The breaking point comes when Sam brings disaster to their doorstep and the family must find a way to work together.

With friends who shouldn’t be trusted and enemies who should, Janyre Tromp kept me up all night, devouring her debut novel!

Shadows In The Mind’s Eye by Janyre Tromp is avaiable now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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Book Review - When The Meadow Blooms

 Ann H. Gabhart delivers tale of wounds and their healing in her new release, When The Meadow Blooms. We open to find the Meadows sisters, Calla and Sienna, still struggling to adjust to life in the home for girls where their mother left them two years ago. Mama is also struggling at the sanitarium, fighting the tuberculosis that has already robbed her of so much time with her beloved girls. In an act of desperation, Mama writes to her brother-in-law to request his assistance. Not knowing if her mother will ever recover enough to take them home, Calla leaps at the opportunity to write to her uncle after she stumbles across his contact information in a scientific article he has written.

Dirk Meadows has spent the majority of his adult life hiding the scars on his body and on his heart from the world. The fire that took his beloved Anneliese left him with daily reminders of his love and loss that cause him to limit his interactions with the outside world. Within the family farm, however, Dirk is free to study the flora and fauna that surround him and write about them. Though his estranged brother left the family farm behind, Dirk finds himself begrudgingly agreeing to bring Frank’s widow and two girls to Meadowland, a move which is not intended to interfere with his lonely bachelorhood. In spite of everyone’s best laid plans to maintain distance, Frank’s girls knead at the scars on his heart and leads to healing.

Gabhart writes with great heart and historical clarity, delivering characters who are relatable, some of whom are downright lovable. This tale of hurting and healing is well crafted, easy to read, and speaks right to the heart.

When The Meadow Blooms by Ann H. Gabhart 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 - Potiphar’s Wife

Are you a fan of the bad girls of the Bible? Do you like to see how God’s purpose is fulfilled even though evil seems to triumph? Do you like to think about what might have gone on behind the scenes of the events you read about in your Bible? 

Mesu Andrews pries open the tale of Potiphar’s wife in her new release and makes us wonder if she was genuinely horrid or if her circumstances shaped the woman we blame for Joseph’s time in prison. Potiphar’s Wife centers around Princess Zuleika, a strong and capable young woman whose father is king of the Zakros district of Crete and whose beloved husband will become king. Her world is turned upside down by a tragedy which rips her husband and mother away at the same time as it cripples the districts of the island she loves. The only hope to save her home is for her father to offer his most beloved possession in marriage to Egypt’s king. To fulfill her duty to her homeland, Zully is also ripped from her homeland and carried to Egypt before she the chance to mourn her losses.

Adding insult to injury, the beautiful and talented princess is handed off to Pharoah Khyan’s second in command. Potiphar is a crusty old soldier with no desire for a wife, and yet that is exactly what Zully must become. Torn from her family, passed over by the Egyptian king, and scorned by the noblewomen of her new homeland, Zully finds herself spiraling into the depression and madness she fought to resist. If not for a small group of slaves who are especially kind to her, there’s no telling how far she might fall.

This is the woman who flings herself at Joseph in desperation and seizes upon the opportunity to shame him. Yet this story is actually filled with strong women who work together. Ahira is one of those women, a Hebrew slave who is maid to Zully, and a woman both in need of healing and whose care heals others. Ahira’s devotion to her mistress is an opportunity for both to grow through their circumstances. Her care for Joseph is a ministry to him and to those who witness it throughout his dark days.

Potiphar’s Wife by Mesu Andrews is absolutely a must-read and 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.