Sunday, March 6, 2022

FOG LAKE SUSPENSE SERIES (2-4) by Christy Barritt, Reviewed by Rebecca Maney

Book One: EDGE OF PERIL See Rebecca's earlier Review

Book Two: MARGIN OF ERROR

"What are you doing here, if you don't mind me asking?"

It was a shame that Brynlee Parker couldn't tell the entire truth even though she could share a portion of it. She had come to Dead Man's Bluff to spread her father's ashes, but the other reason needed to remain in her backpack . . . the backpack that she had dropped when she ran for her life off that mountain. . . after she saw that horrible creature maul two young men, and then turn its sights on her.

Boone Wilder didn't know what to think about the severely traumatized woman who burst into his mountainside shop. Her story? It sounded crazy, but then again the two bodies had been found exactly where she described they would be. No one wants to think that tragedy has returned to Fog Lake, but apparently Brynlee is being hunted . . . by the legendary Skookum no less.

You'll find yourself running through these pages at a very fast pace! There's absolutely no "margin of error"!
* I purchased this book and was under no obligation to provide a positive review. 3.5 stars

BackCover Blurb:
Some secrets have deadly consequences.

Brynlee Parker thought her biggest challenge would be hiking to Dead Man’s Bluff and fulfilling her dad’s last wishes. She never thought she’d witness two men being viciously murdered while on a mountainous trail. Even worse, the deadly predator is now hunting her.

Boone Wilder wants nothing to do with Dead Man’s Bluff, not after his wife died there. But he can’t seem to mind his own business when a mysterious out-of-towner burst into his camp store in a frenzied panic. Something—or someone—deadly is out there.

The killer’s hunger for blood seems to be growing at a brutal pace. Can Brynlee and Boone figure out who’s behind these murders? Or will the hurts and secrets from their past not allow for even a margin of error?

Book Three: BRINK OF DANGER
 

"Heights had never gotten to her before. But, right now, with no lifeline . . . the adrenaline rush suddenly wasn't so exciting."

Ansley Wilder routinely lived life to the fullest, but having been kidnapped and terrorized by a serial killer had a way of settling a girl down, except that right now her life was literally dangling in mid-air over a gorge . . . a zip-line inauguration gone terribly awry, or had someone deliberately put Ansley on the "brink of danger"?

Ryan Phillips had been back in Fog Lake for for less than twenty-four hours, settling in to his new job as fire chief, when he was caught up in a daring rescue . . . Ansley Wilder . . . his best friend's little sister, clinging for dear life to the side of a cliff. That girl certainly knew how to draw the attention, a drop-dead gorgeous (a bad pun in this situation) spitfire if he remembered correctly, and at the moment that stubborn determination was probably keeping her alive.

As Ansley and Ryan re-connect, people in Ansley's circle of acquaintances seem to be experiencing a myriad of deadly freak accidents. What exactly is going on in Fog Lake and who will be next? Can two people who have pasts filled with regrets find a way to soften their jagged edges?

" . . .  sometimes broken people could come together and be made whole. Was that a risk he was willing to take?"

Great book!  
* I purchased this book and was under no obligation to provide a positive review. 3.5 stars

BackCover Blurb:
Ansley Wilder has always lived life on the wild side, using thrills to numb the pain from her past and escape her mistakes. But a near-death experience two years ago changed everything. When another incident nearly claims her life, she turns her thrill-seeking ways into a fight for survival.

Ryan Philips left Fog Lake to chase adventure far from home. Now he’s returned as the new fire chief in town, but the slower paced life he seeks is nowhere to be found. Not only is a wildfire blazing out of control, but a malicious killer known as “The Woodsman” is enacting crimes that appear accidental. Plus, there seems to be a strange connection with these incidents and his best friend’s little sister, Ansley Wilder.

As a killer watches their every move and the forest fire threatens to destroy their scenic town, both Ryan and Ansley hover on the brink of danger. One wrong move could send them tumbling over the edge . . . permanently.


Book Four: LINE OF DUTY

"I would be Abby's judge, jury . . . and executioner. And it was going to be so much fun."

Stalked. Abigail Brennan was being hunted down. "How had this man found her? She had no idea. But she couldn't let him catch her. Her life depended on it." After running blindly through the forest to escape certain death, Abby slowly regains consciousness after slipping down the the side of a mountain. Injured and disoriented, salvation appears in the form of another man, Jaxon Wilder. . . who has no idea what he has stepped into.

"Coming home was like trying to return to the past, only to find everything had changed."

Jaxon Wilder was slowly reacclimating to Fog Lake, Tennessee after his tours of duty in the military. Happening upon Abby Brennan in the middle of the forest was not on his agenda, but the lovely young woman displayed obvious signs of trauma with a head injury that necessitated medical treatment. Her story seemed a little hard to believe, some of it didn't even make sense, but Jaxon was determined not to repeat the mistakes of his past.

"We can't change what happened. But we can make the best of things and change the future, instead."

It's impossible not to love this story. The pace is pitch perfect, with a villain who is terribly devious and obviously unhinged. And then there's Jaxon and Abby, who complement each other like coffee and cookies, if they can only survive.
* I purchased this book and was under no obligation to provide a positive review. 3.5 stars

BackCover Blurb:
Jaxon Wilder didn’t plan on returning home to Fog Lake, Tennessee, following his tour of duty in Iraq. But after a gut-wrenching failure during his stint in the Army, he now faces a new challenge: his family.

Abby Brennan always did her best to be the good girl and to live by the rules. When a wrong decision changes her entire life, she tries to hide from the world. However, a madman known as the Executioner is determined to find her and enact his own brand of justice.

When Jaxon and Abby are thrown together in the killer’s crosshairs, they’re forced to depend on one another to survive. Will Jaxon’s sense of duty be enough to help keep Abby safe? Or will deadly secrets lead to the penalty of death?

BUY ANY OF THE FOG LAKE SUSPENSE SERIES at Amazon


 


 

 

 

 

 

 


Friday, March 4, 2022

DRAWN BY THE CURRENT by Jocelyn Green, Reviewed by Winnie Thomas

Based on an actual historical occurrence, the capsizing of the SS Eastland on July 24, 1915 in Chicago with the loss of hundreds of lives, Jocelyn Green’s new book is a beautifully-written and superbly-researched gem of a story. With colorful, layered characters and vivid imagery, this little-known slice of history comes alive on the page. I enjoyed getting to know insurance agent Olive Pierce and newspaper photographer Erik Magnussen as they interact and attempt to investigate cases concerning the tragedy.

Although the main characters of the story are fictional, a few of the minor characters were actual people, and parts of the plot are based on actual happenings. It was interesting to read the author’s note at the end of the book giving added information about the incident and her writing of the story.

With plenty of adventure, suspense, action, several twists and turns, and a dash of romance, this book is a treat for historical fiction lovers. Themes of individual worth, integrity, and the importance of family are woven throughout the story.

“What we do is not the sum of who we are.”

“You were made in the image of God, and who you are is bigger than what you do.”

Although this is the third book in the Windy City Saga series, it can be read as a stand-alone. The other two books are based around the Chicago fire and the Chicago World’s Fair and are also fantastic and beautifully written.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from Bethany House Publishers through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

BackCover Blurb: 
Lives depend on the truth she uncovers.
She can't give up her search.

A birthday excursion turns deadly when the SS Eastland capsizes with Olive Pierce and her best friend on board. Hundreds perish during the accident, and it's only when Olive herself barely escapes that she discovers her friend is among the victims.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, Olive returns to her work at a Chicago insurance agency and is immersed in the countless investigations related to the accident. But with so many missing, there are few open-and-shut cases, and she tries to balance her grief with the hard work of finding the truth.

While someone sabotages her progress, Olive accepts the help of newspaper photographer Erik Magnussen. As they unravel secrets, the truths they discover impact those closest to Olive. How long will the disaster haunt her--and how can she help the others find the peace they deserve?
 
Bethany House Publishing, February 1, 2022
Available in digital ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook:
Buy Drawn By The Current at Amazon, Christianbook .com, or Baker Book House 
 

Thursday, March 3, 2022

THE WINTER ROSE by Melanie Dobson, Reviewed by Rebecca Maney


"A winter rose. . . Simple and strong and radiating beauty . . . A treasure trove in this rugged place, wild with hope, blossoming through the snow and stone." . . . "The roses always return."

Grace Tonquin's young life had been filled with the sorts of circumstances and obstacles that could have easily snuffed out her "bloom". Instead, thriving under her Quaker grandparents' tutelage, she placed her future on hold and traveled to southern France in order to join those already working tirelessly to rescue Jewish children. When Grace's final, and most perilous trip across the Pyrenees mountains left her with two beloved children, she could only pray that the man who tenderly called her his hummingbird would find his own way home.

Years later another young woman travels from Tennessee to Oregon, desperate to find the illusive, remaining members of the Tonquin family. Someone very dear to her depends on it, for it has quickly become a matter of life and death. What the trip affords however, is an opportunity for Addie Hoult to realize that although life has clearly bent her in directions she never desired to turn, she does not have to break, she can live and love again.

"Every time someone wrongs us, we have two choices. We can collect them . . . and carry them around for the rest of our lives" . . .  or . . . "We can throw them away."

This story will tiptoe, rather than rush, into your understanding. "Shattered. Suffering. Surrender."
*I purchased a copy and was under no obligation to provide a positive review. 

 
 ABOUT THE BOOK:
In this gripping WWII time-slip novel from the author whose books have been called “propulsive” and a “must-read” (Publishers Weekly), Grace Tonquin is an American Quaker who works tirelessly in Vichy France to rescue Jewish children from the Nazis. After crossing the treacherous Pyrénées, Grace returns home to Oregon with a brother and sister whose parents were lost during the war. Though Grace and her husband love Élias and Marguerite as their own, echoes of Grace’s past and trauma from the Holocaust tear the Tonquin family apart.

More than fifty years after they disappear, Addie Hoult arrives at Tonquin Lake, hoping to find the Tonquin family. For Addie, the mystery is a matter of life and death for her beloved mentor Charlie, who is battling a genetic disease. Though Charlie refuses to discuss his ties to the elusive Tonquins, finding them is the only way to save his life and mend the wounds from his broken past.

Tyndale Publishing, January, 2022
Available in digital ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook:
Buy THE WINTER ROSE at Amazon, Christianbook.com, and Baker Book House

Wednesday, March 2, 2022

THE DO-OVER by Bethany Turner, Reviewed by Kim

The synopsis of The Do-Over by Bethany Turner sounded really interesting and since I enjoyed Plot Twist by the same author, I was excited to give this one a try.

At first, I felt like it was going to be a great read. I liked how the story started and I thought that McKenna and Henry had good chemistry. I also enjoyed the humor and a lot of the pop culture references, even though I felt there were a tad too many. Sadly, the negatives outweighed the positives for me. I wanted more page time with our main characters. I also didn’t like how McKenna lied to her family about why she was home. I did not see a downside for her to tell them the truth about what was going on with her job. I also struggled to fully connect with McKenna. While this was not the story for me, I’m sure many will enjoy it. 

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own. This was a clean read even though it is published by Thomas Nelson. 

BackCover Blurb:
Sometimes dreams come true. Other times, the best outcome begins with an epic fail.

Career-driven McKenna Keaton has devoted her life to attaining the senior partnership at her law firm. So asking a man on a date should be nothing. But the past four days have been the worst of her life and have called everything she thought she knew about herself into question. Besides, she can’t remember her last real date—one that didn’t involve using a blind date as an opportunity to get a stranger’s perspective on effective cross-examination techniques. (It’s like sharing fondue with a jury!)

But a real date? And with shy, nerdy Henry Blumenthal—McKenna’s high school rival for valedictorian who once took three hours to beat her at chess? Scratch that. He’s Hank Blume now, the famed documentarian, Durham’s darling son, who has attained all his dreams and more. He also happens to look like he stepped out of an Eddie Bauer catalog.

Whereas McKenna is a disgraced workaholic from New York on unpaid leave, accused of a white-collar crime she would never commit, succumbing to panic attacks, watching her dreams unravel. At age thirty-eight—and destined by the family curse to die before she turns forty, it appears—it’s absolutely the wrong time to have a major crush on a man. Especially one who treasures his memories of McKenna as the girl Most Likely to Succeed.

Thomas Nelson Publishing, March 15, 2022
(PreOrder) Available in digital ebook, paperback, library binding, and audiobook: 
Buy The Do-Over at Amazon, Christianbook .com, and Baker Book House

 

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

THE ELEMENT OF LOVE by Mary Connealy, Reviewed by Paula and Winnie #ReleaseDay

PAULA'S REVIEW:
Great start to the new series, The Lumber Baron’s Daughters.

We meet the sisters, Laura, Michelle and Jillian Stiles, as they sneak out of the house, on the run from their evil stepfather, leaving their mother behind and in danger. Boarding a train, they connect with a parson and his helpers on their way to a mission field near a gold mine. The three sisters are very well educated. Their real father had them trained in order to take over the family lumber dynasty. In addition, Laura knows chemistry and is adept at blowing things up. Michelle is a mechanical engineer and is very well organized. Jilly is a structural engineer and loves math. They are on the run but also in search of husbands so that they might return home, save their mother and wrest the family business from their stepfather.

Caleb is a parson with a past of secrets but a heart for the lost. Laura has set her sights on him but: “Getting to know a man was almost more work than it was worth.”

With her signature wit and plenty of danger to go around, Mary Connealy infuses her story with godly lessons, giving us unique and likable characters and just enough uncertainty to pique our interest for the next book.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House on behalf of the author. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own.*
5 stars and a solid faith thread 

WINNIE'S REVIEW:
Filled with colorful and captivating characters, unusual and creative settings, and her hilarious sense of humor, Mary Connealy’s newest series stars three unusual sisters running for their lives. Laura, Michelle, and Jilly Stiles are highly intelligent and educated in engineering, mathematics, and scientific fields but must escape their evil stepfather’s plans to marry them off to his lecherous friends and gain control of the girls’ lumber empire.

“There was never a good pack of wolves around when you needed them.”

The Element of Love involves all three sisters but features Laura, the youngest, who loves chemistry and blowing things up. When the girls meet parson Caleb Tillman, they join his mission group in the mountains.

“. . . the true right thing for him might be to run for the hills.”

“The meaning is clear as the sky, clear as glass, clear as, as, as . . . carbon monoxide.”

This story conjured up all sorts of comical, hilarious, and entertaining images in my mind. The girls are all so engaging in their efforts to adjust to a far different environment than they were familiar with. I so enjoyed getting to know them and was chuckling and laughing out loud at their antics and adventures.

“She liked decisive people, but she liked them best if they decided to do things exactly as she’d have them done.”

With plenty of action, suspense, adventure, humor, and a dash of romance and inspiration, this book has something for everyone. There’s a bit of a cliffhanger at the end, but it’s nothing too jarring. I’m anxiously awaiting the next two books in the series. Luckily, I won’t have to wait too long. 4.5 stars
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from Bethany House Publishers. All opinions are my own.

BackCover Blurb:
She mixed danger, desperation, and deception together. Love was not the expected outcome.

With their sharp engineering minds, Laura Stiles and her two sisters have been able to deal with their mother's unfortunate choice in husband until they discovered his plans to marry each of them off to his lecherous friends. Now they must run away--far and fast--to find better matches to legally claim their portion of their father's lumber dynasty and seize control from their stepfather.

During their escape, Laura befriends a mission group heading to serve the poor in California. She quickly volunteers herself and her sisters to join their efforts. Despite the settlement being in miserable condition, the sisters are excited by the opportunity to put their skills to good use. Laura also sees potential in Caleb, the mission's parson, to help with gaining her inheritance. But when secrets buried in Caleb's past and in the land around them come to light, it'll take all the smarts the sisters have to keep trouble at bay.

Bethany House Publishing, March 1, 2022
Available in digital ebook, paperback, and hardcover:

LOVE'S FORTRESS by Jennifer Uhlarik, Reviewed by Paula Shreckhise #ReleaseDay

 

This was a wonderful dual time story that had me absorbed in both time lines.

The author depicted the Indian captives in such a fascinating way, showing their viewpoint realistically. A highlight was when a lady was explaining the Gospel to Broken Bow, an Indian incarcerated at Fort Marion.

Tying the past to the present day was a ledger containing art done by the Indians. I had not heard of ledger art before. It originated at Fort Marion, Florida in the 1870s.

The present was very interesting as well. We meet Dani, who is discovering things about her father, Franklin, after so many years apart. His death brings her an inheritance and a mystery. Brad, a museum curator, is caring for his adorable four year old niece, Brynn. And we have Matty, a friend and neighbor of Franklin. Matty is a big biker of a guy but is quite the teddy bear and is a solid Christian who dispenses godly wisdom and looks out for Dani, Brad and Brynn.

Brad and Dani recognize that God has brought them together for a purpose. One reason was to strengthen their faith.


I love that this novel was based in history of Fort Marion, Florida and the treatment of the Indians there. It showed hardships but also compassion. This kind of historical account should not be forgotten.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own.* 5 stars and a solid faith thread 

BackCover Blurb:
An Epic Love Story From the Past Brings Closure to Dani’s Fractured Family Roots

​Walk through Doors to the Past via a series of historical stories of romance and adventure.

Upon receiving word that her long-estranged father has passed away, Dani Sango inherits the former art forger’s entire estate. Among his many pieces of artwork are a series of obviously Native American drawings and paintings, which lead her to research St. Augustine of 1875. White Elk is transported to Florida to join other Cheyenne braves already being held in Fort Marion. Sally Jo Harris is at the fort teaching the Indians. When a friendship develops between them and false accusations fly, it could cost them their lives. Can Dani discover how their story ends and how it shaped her own father’s life?

Barbour Publishing, March, 2022
Available in digital ebook and paperback
Buy Love's Fortress at Amazon, Christianbook .com, and Baker Book House

MALICIOUS INTENT by Lynn H. Blackburn, Reviewed by Rebecca Maney #ReleaseDay

"She'd been dropped right into a Salvador Dali painting, where everything she knew was still there but distorted in new and mostly disturbing ways."

The only silver lining was the man standing in front of her, the man who had walked straight into the worst moments of her life like a knight in shining armor, the man who had once been her best friend, the man who softly uttered the following words with utmost assurance and confidence, "Don't count on me protecting you from me for long, Buttercup".

And with that declaration, Dr. Ivy Collins knew in her heart that U. S. Secret Service Agent Gil Dixon might just be back in her life for good. In spite of all her past mistakes, Gil still believed in her. A girl needed a man like that when her life was in danger, for he brought along a host of high-octane friends who were determined to keep Ivy safe and preserve the integrity of her company, Hedera, Inc., from those who sought to destroy it from within and without.

It was incredibly refreshing to read a fast moving suspense that was at times more romantic than suspenseful. And romantic it was. Gil's love and affection for Ivy was founded on years of childhood friendship that had unfortunately been severed, and partially destroyed, only to be restored at just the right time. However, don't be lulled into amorous bliss, this book begins and ends with a mother-load of "malicious intent".

"Lord, I don't know what to do, so my eyes are on you."
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions stated above are entirely my own, as I was under no obligation to provide a positive review. 3.5 stars 

BackCover Blurb:
Dr. Ivy Collins, founder and CEO of Hedera, Inc., is ready to begin clinical trials of her company's cutting-edge prosthetic. Her work has been heralded by government, medical, and advocacy groups and everyone hopes the device will be a success. Well, almost everyone. Someone is trying to sabotage Hedera and the launch, but to what purpose--and how far will they go to get what they want?

Meanwhile, U.S. Secret Service Agent Gil Dixon can't believe he's finally been reunited with Ivy, his childhood best friend. Now that he's found her again, Gil intends to spend the rest of his life with her. But it will take all his skill to uncover the truth in time to save Ivy's life's work, her own life, and the innocent lives caught in the crossfire.

Perfectly balancing chilling suspense and uplifting romance, award-winning author Lynn H. Blackburn delivers a story of revenge, greed, and overcoming that you won't want to put down no matter how late it gets.

Revell Publishing, March 1, 2022
Available in digital ebook, paperback, and hardcover:
Buy Malicious Intent at Amazon, Christianbook.com, or Baker Book House

 

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