Friday, December 27, 2024

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:


Baker Book House        Christian Book        Amazon        Barnes & Noble        Walmart


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.

Saturday, December 21, 2024

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:


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.  

Saturday, December 14, 2024

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:


Baker Book House      Christian Book      Amazon      Barnes & Noble       Walmart


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


Thursday, December 12, 2024

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:


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.

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 ...