DEATH WISH by JJ. Samie Myles, Reviewed by Kim #ReleaseDay

Task Force SEAR Book Three: Christian Romantic Suspense

KIM'S REVIEW:
Every time I think JJ Samie Myles can’t possibly top herself, she does. Again. I absolutely loved this book. Ledger is everything you want in a hero. He is strong, loyal, completely swoon-worthy, and full of unending faith. He and Rox together are pure perfection.

I’ve loved Ariel and Ledger since book one, and getting more of their relationship, history, and sibling dynamic was everything I hoped for. And as always, the faith thread was woven in so beautifully. It is thought-provoking, meaningful, and quote-worthy. I highlighted so much.

The team is one of my favorite parts of this series. The camaraderie, the banter, and the humor balance the intense action perfectly. The pacing is spot on, the suspense kept me glued to the pages, and the characters are so well written you can’t help but root for every single one of them.

And yes… I cried. There are some truly emotional moments in this book, and they hit hard because the writing is so powerful. You don’t just read what the characters are feeling, you feel it with them.

The more I read about this team, the more I love them. I cannot wait for the next book in the series! Honestly, for anything Ms. Myles writes. This is officially my favorite book in the series, which I didn’t think was possible after Elusive Evil.

If you love romantic suspense, stop what you’re doing and read JJ Samie Myles. You will not regret it.

Do. Not. Miss. This. Series.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book. I also purchased this book. The faith thread is prominent throughout. All. The. Stars!!! 

BackCover Blurb:

Some battles demand an unbreakable faith—and the ultimate sacrifice.

Former MARSOC sniper Ledger Romero faked his death to escape the Sombra Cartel after making their infamous revenge list. When a friend calls in a loyalty card and begs him to rescue his daughter from the ruthless regime, Ledger returns to Colombia and its deadly shadows—and walks right into an ambush.

Two years ago, Roxane Jaimes gave up a promising CIA career and infiltrated Sombra, the face of Colombia’s much-revered organization that funds pediatric surgeries with blood money. Her fiancé’s blood, to be exact. Determined to dismantle the cartel, she wrestles an inexplicable compulsion—which will destroy all her covert work—to save Sombra’s newest captive.

The cartel is hot on their heels as Ledger and Rox escape into the unforgiving Colombian jungle. When Task Force SEAR learns Ledger is still alive, they lock and load. However, squaring off against Sombra comes at a high price. Maybe higher than Ledger and Rox can pay. 

Warrior of Light Press, April, 2026

Available in digital ebook and paperback. Purchase at Amazon

BIRDS ON A WIRE by Katie Powner, Reviewed by Winnie and Paula #ReleaseDay

WINNIE'S REVIEW:
“The more you love him, the harder it will be for you. But the more you love him, the better it will be for him. Protecting your own heart leaves his more vulnerable.”

Talented author Katie Powner has penned a powerful, poignant story which is heart-breaking, compassionate, and ultimately uplifting. Drawing on her own experiences as a foster parent, Powner shows both sides and points of view of the fostering process. The reader can see both the rewards and difficulties of fostering children and the pain and suffering of parents who wish to be reunited with their children. It also shows how fostering involves and affects so many people.

The characters in this story are carefully crafted, and I loved how the author showed the growth of all the characters involved as they united in love and concern for this tiny infant. It was inspiring to see the motivation of teen parents, Bri and AJ, as they worked to turn their lives around, as well as Laura as she added responsibility for someone else’s child onto her already full life of taking care of her own family. I greatly admire those who are foster families and the sacrifices they make to make a child’s life better and easier.

This book is beautifully written, insightful, and thought-provoking. I’m looking forward to more books by this author. 
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from Kregel Publications. All opinions are my own.

PAULA'S REVIEW:

This is a story written from the heart by an experienced foster mother. Ms. Powner draws from life to show the obstacles of birth mother addict Bri who had to give up her newborn and the journey she takes to recovery. Equally important is the foster mother Laura, and the family who takes an infant into their home to nurture him in hopes of a reunion. Both women love baby Providence and want the best for him.

The author tells an emotional story that makes you care for the characters. Teen mom Bri tries so hard and misses her son. Laura, a mom of three, tries to juggle family drama and a tiny new life. She shows her faith by caring not only for the baby but for Bri and her circumstances, too. 

A complex and involved plot gives us insight into the foster care program and Ms. Powner executes it very well. 

If you like exemplary women’s fiction, this one fits the bill.
*A complimentary book of this book was provided by Kregel and via NetGalley. I was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are mine alone.*5 stars a solid faith thread

BackCover Blurb:
Sometimes the people in our lives who come and go make all the difference

Eighteen-year-old Bri Marshall is determined to do whatever it takes to get her newborn son back after he's taken by CPS. But the chances of reunification with Providence are slim. Her drug-addicted boyfriend is the only reason she has a roof over her head. With no job, no car, and no family support, she's at rock bottom, hanging on to hope by a thread.

Laura Gambler, on the brink of turning forty, is managing new challenges with her own children when she's asked to take in Providence. She never could have imagined the chain of events her agreement to foster the baby would set in motion—or the carefully buried pain from her past it would drag back to the surface.

Both women wrestle with doubts about the future and their ability to parent Providence, even as their love for him grows stronger every day. As their lives become irrevocably intertwined, they face an impossible question: Who is the best mother for Providence?

Kregel Publishing, April, 2026

Available in digital ebook or paperback

Buy BIRDS ON  A WIRE at Amazon, or Baker Book House 

IN PURSUIT OF CIVILITY by Jen Turano, Reviewed by Paula and Winnie #ReleaseDay

Merriweather Academy for Young Ladies Book #2: 

A Witty Gilded-Age Christian Historical Rom-Com Set in Chicago

PAULA'S REVIEW:

Jen Turano always tickles my funnybone with the antics of her characters whether they be human or animals. 

 

In the case of In Pursuit of Civility, the heroine, Annalise has a boatload of trouble while in that pursuit. Annalise is serious about freeing animals from certain demise. Case in point: her aversion to fur and feather hunters or animals being mistreated in Fairs or Circuses. Hence, she has three attack ferrets, a pickpocket monkey and various other so-called pets. 

 

Her role in The Merriweather Academy for Young Ladies is Decorum Instructor but she is doomed to failure when her charges run off.
 

Seth McCormick, whose sister Norma Jean, is one of the young ladies, is an inventor of very curious and sometimes hilarious items, such as skunk scent deterrent designed for the young ladies protection. You can imagine the chaos that is the result. What a unconventional romance with Annalise this turns out to be when a present that Annalise welcomes is a habitat for her bugs and spiders and a spider sack to put in it.
 

There is not a dull moment in this book with runaways, a missing aunt, and a treasure hunt, not to mention meddling mothers and young ladies alike.
 

I love Ms. Turano’s turn of phrase and the stream of consciousness dialogue. While this can be read as a stand alone, the first book sets up the series nicely and who would want to miss the first book with more mischief and mayhem.
*A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Bethany House on behalf of the author and via NetGalley. I was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are mine alone.*5 stars and a clean read with a slight faith content.

WINNIE'S REVIEW:
“. . . I have a feeling we’re kindred spirits as we’re both aware of the rules of civility yet only choose to embrace those rules when it suits us and when those rules don’t get in the way of our pursuits.”

When the main characters of a story are an inventor who invents strange things and a supposed decorum instructor who loses her teenage charges at a fair and also collects unusual animals and insects, you know the resulting tale is going to be a little chaotic, especially when the author is talented author Jen Turano. Turano is the queen of madcap, witty, humorous stories featuring hilarious characters that create mayhem wherever they go. 

Eccentric inventor Seth McCormick and Annaliese Merriweather, the temporary head of the Merriweather Academy for Young Ladies, combine their efforts to keep Annaliese’s young charges safe, including Seth’s precocious and adventurous sister, Norma Jean, who leads them on some merry chases.

“I will admit, though, that I always thought decorum instructors maintained a stiff upper lip, along with sporting a prim and proper appearance at all times, but to point out the obvious, you’re a mess.”

With plenty of humor, mayhem, adventure, and romance, this tale kept me chuckling, snorting, and turning pages. It is the second in the series but can be read as a standalone book. I’m looking forward to the mysterious Seraphina Livingston’s story in the next book. 
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from Bethany House. All opinions are my own.

 

BackCover Blurb:
LESSON TWO: Become headmistress and expect to find yourself partnering with an attractive inventor to search for treasure.

Annaliese Merriweather has been appointed the temporary headmistress of the Merriweather Academy for Young Ladies while her sister is on her honeymoon, but she doesn't feel cut out for the role. Especially after she loses two of her most troublesome students during an outing to a county fair and has to recruit the help of Seth McCormick, an eccentric inventor, to retrieve them.

Soon after, one of those mischievous students disappears again, intent on pursuing a pirate map. Together, Annaliese and Seth set out to find her, accompanied by a menagerie of Annaliese's rescued animal companions. As they stumble from one chaotic situation to the next, sparks fly between Annaliese and Seth. Somehow, they'll need to outwit dangerous individuals also intent on seeking the treasure and bring everyone back in one piece--all while deciphering what their hearts desire.

With witty characters and humorous banter, Jen Turano takes readers on a lively tale of hijinks, humor, treasure hunting, and forced proximity in her latest historical rom-com set in Chicago at a finishing school during the Gilded Age. 

Bethany House Publishing, April, 2026

Available in digital ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook:

Buy IN PURSUIT OF CIVILITY at Amazon, Christianbook, or Baker Book House  

THE HIDDEN KEY OF BROOKE SUMNER by Susan L. Tuttle, Reviewed by Rebecca Maney

REBECCA'S REVIEW:
"Your safety is far more important than any grudge you believe I should have against him."

Storm Whitlock and Brooke Summer were childhood friends, watching each other's backs while growing up in the foster system, going into business together buying, selling, and searching for items of worth from around the world. It was a bond forged by fire until mistrust broke what seemed as solid as steel.

Now Storm is back in Brooke's periphery, and as persistent as an unwelcome gravitational pull, invited to join an elite treasure hunting group that Brooke is not at all sure she wants to participate in again, even though their elusive benefactor anticipates that finding the lost half of an antiquated key should be their final assignment. Will their probe end with a vast amount of earthly riches or irreparable emotional heartache, for at the center of their quest is a decades old family feud, rife with murder, mystery and cold-blooded revenge.

Intense generational conflicts drive this search for priceless artifacts of a worldly nature while the underlying story is one of trust, authenticity, and relational bonds that are born from shades of eternity. A deeply moving and quite romantic story, both literally and spiritually. 
*I purchased a copy and was under no obligation to provide a positive review.4.5 stars

SEE KIM'S REVIEW

BackCover Blurb

Will the key unlock more than a vault filled with treasure? Brooke Sumner has been carefully avoiding Storm Whitlock ever since he betrayed her trust. When he joins Caspar's mysterious treasure-hunting group, she steps away to focus on her antique shop and keep herself busy.

Then Caspar invites her back for one final assignment, and Brooke is torn. Returning to Halstead Manor to help the team find the second half of a key is intriguing. It also means she'd be working with Storm. But she doesn't trust his motives, so she reluctantly rejoins to keep him in check.

As they dive into their expedition, Brooke finds her heart softening toward those she'd once held at arm's length. And is it possible she misunderstood Storm's betrayal of their friendship?

Kregal Publishing, March, 2026

Available in digital ebook, paperback, and audiobook:

Buy THE HIDDEN KEY OF BROOKE SUMNER at Amazon, Christianbook, or Baker Book House

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8474120936