LOVE IN TANDEM by Becca Kinzer, Reviewed by Rebecca Maney

"It's a terrible thing when a teacher survives an entire school year only to die the first minute of summer vacation."

If Charlotte Carter thought getting stung by a bee that she just might possibly be allergic to was going to be the most terrifying experience of her summer vacation, then it's a good thing she didn't know about the roof-top scramble to evade wild boars, or being hauled in for questioning about stealing someone else's baby. Nope . . . bees, babies, and boars were literally a piece of cake compared to . . . in fact, it was actually a piece of cake that got her tangled up in the whole mess with Zach Bryant and the tandem bike competition to begin with . . . winning meant the money needed for her middle school band instruments would be available, which in turn would ensure her part-time job in Bailey Springs stayed intact, so therefore she could live in the small town forever, amen.

There seemed to be a little bit of confusion over where things stood between Charlotte and Zach. (back to that piece of cake!) Before they realized what happened exactly (oh, there were parts of the story when they definitely knew what had happened . . . loosely defined as canoodling), off they went on a bicycle built for two!

A sassy, flirty, comedic conundrum involving a head-over-wheels adventure when the right girl meets the wrong boy . . . or is it the right boy for the wrong girl . . . or, who are we kidding . . .just read this delightful romantic comedy with its appropriate amounts of hilarity in between some high voltage romantic tension.

" . . .sometimes it's not about feeling ready. It's about something you don't want to lose, when vowing to never stop going after it no matter how many setbacks you have along the way.
* I purchased this book and was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

BackCover Blurb:
She’s perfectly content leading a quiet life in her small hometown. He’s an adventurer with unquenchable wanderlust. The two couldn’t be any more opposite if they tried. But a tandem bicycle and a 500-mile road trip just might change all that.

After a failed engagement and her mother’s battle with cancer, Charlotte Carter’s life is finally turning around now that she’s landed a dream job teaching music. What she didn’t see coming was the imminent closure of the school’s music program. She’s determined to save it, even if it means getting creative. There’s no way she’s chalking this up as just another failure in her book of recent embarrassments.

Zach Bryant is back in town just long enough to see his brother Ben get married and then he’s off traveling the world again. He never imagined he’d run into Charlotte Carter, his brother’s ex-fiancé, or that everyone would believe he and Charlotte are an item. He certainly didn’t dream he’d end up riding a tandem bicycle hundreds of miles with her in an attempt to raise funds for a defunct music program, but how can he say no when the prize money would help him out of his financial predicament too?

Charlotte is sure she can set aside her differences with Zach long enough to cross the finish line and win the giant cash prize . . . can’t she? A few hundred miles in, she’s questioning her deeply held assumptions about Zach and wondering if maybe tandem biking is only the start of their biggest adventure yet.

Fake dating romantic comedy by Becca Kinzer
Timeless opposites attract theme
Clean romance
Discussion questions for book clubs

Tyndale House, April 2024
Available in digital ebook, paperback, library binding, and audiobook:
Buy LOVE IN TANDEM at Amazon, Christianbook .com, or Baker Book House

WALKING ON HIDDEN WINGS by Rachel Scott McDaniel, Reviewed by Winnie Thomas

Talented author Rachel Scott McDaniel swept me away to New York in the 1920s in her newest book, Walking on Hidden Wings. The plot was imaginative, the characters were colorful, engaging, and multi-layered, and the history was fascinating.

“I must align myself with a worthy spouse because that was what one did when situated on the highest rung of the social ladder. I wanted nothing more than to kick the infernal ladder over.”

When socialite Geneva Ashcroft and newspaper owner Warren Hayes enter into a marriage arranged by her father, Geneva begs Warren to teach her to fly his plane. She is devastated a few weeks later when his plane crashes. When she is suspected of his murder, she embarks on a mission to find the real culprit. Warren’s tender care and love toward Geneva was so sweet, and I admired Geneva for her courage, tenacity, and willingness to buck against the social system.

With plenty of suspense, action, history, and romance, this story has something for everyone. It was easy to immerse myself into the tale and the historical era. I’ve read several of McDaniel’s books and enjoyed them all. I recommend this book to those who enjoy historical Christian fiction.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from Kregel Publications. All opinions are my own. 4.5 stars

SEE REVIEWS BY KIM AND PAULA

Back Cover Blurb:
Geneva Ashcroft Hayes's marriage to a newspaper mogul might have been arranged, but the New York socialite is devastated when her husband's plane crashes a few short months after their nuptials. When the authorities suspect murder, Geneva sets out on a wild mission to find his killer--and to prove it wasn't her!

When mysterious notes surface pointing to Geneva's guilt in his death, they only strengthen her resolve. She has little to go on except for a detective friend's cryptic list of locations connected to her dead spouse. When the friend also disappears, she trades her sparkling gowns for coveralls and pilot goggles.

Armed with a new name and career as a wingwalker and barnstormer, she travels from town to town in hopes of unearthing clues and locating her missing friend. But Geneva discovers that her past may not belong to her . . . what she once believed as truth may be nothing more than lies and deception.

Kregel Publications, April, 2024

Available in digital ebook, paperback, and audiobook:

Buy WALKING ON HIDDEN WINGS at Amazon, Christianbook .com, or Baker Book House

 

THE END OF THE ROAD by Christy Barritt, (True Crime Junkies), Reviewed by Rebecca Maney

(True Crime Junkies Book 6)

" . . . she knew too much. I wouldn't let her ruin me . . . She was mine. And I couldn't wait to remind her of that fact."

Simmy Samuels and Ranger Garrett!!! Who knew what a story they had to tell?! So many secrets hidden deep within the mountain ranges of Alaska. When their identities are inadvertently revealed to the public through an Arctic Circle Murder Club case, they go on the run once again . . . providentially running into each other, and deciding to face what comes next together . . . even if it means "I'm in this with you. Until the end."

"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:8-9. "Lord, let that be my prayer. Help us not to be destroyed."

This fast-moving romantic suspense, borderline thriller, borderline cozy mystery, borderline split-time novel is perfectly paced, perfectly plotted, and perfectly woven into the overall series with the aplomb of a seasoned veteran who knows how to keep an audience tuned in over and over again. The inspirational elements are seamlessly woven into the story, and the outcome is not only just a bit of a surprise, but totally satisfying. 

*I purchased a copy and was under no obligation to provide a positive review

 

BackCover Blurb:
With the future of the Arctic Circle Murder Club teetering on rocky ground, the team members have scattered. But it’s not long before they realize some bonds can’t be broken.

Fearing an adversary from her past will find her, Simmy Samuels runs, determined to find a new place to hide. But Ranger Garrett isn’t about to leave Simmy out in the cold and alone. He’s determined to both protect Simmy and to search for his daughter, whom he thought was dead.

As Ranger and Simmy set out to find his little girl, danger follows them into the vast wilderness of Alaska. Challenges meet them at every turn: unyielding danger, truth that feels more like fiction, and reality blurred by deception.

Will they survive long enough to set things right? Or will this be the end of the road for the murder club? 

 

River Heights Publishing, March, 2024

Available in digital ebook and paperback at Amazon

 

THE GIRL FROM THE HIDDEN FOREST by Hannah Linder, Reviewed by Paula Shreckhise #ReleaseDay

One of my favorite tropes is a hero rescuing a damsel in distress. This one has a little twist because Felton first kidnapped Eliza to take her back to her father. Eliza has been hidden away in a remote forest for fourteen years. She knows little of the outside world except what she reads in books that Captain, her guardian, has supplied her with. She uses books to imagine what the world could be like. “She was the princess, the mermaid, the fairy- and he was the noble rescuer who had entered the forest and changed her life.”
 

Full of secrets, danger, suspense, a fight of good versus evil, and a nightmare that would not yield answers, this book was a feast of words. Eliza was a naive and innocent girl who cried out to God in prayer. Felton was noble, loyal and fought to right the wrongs done to his family and Eliza.

Another superb Gothic Regency tale from Hannah Linder to savor for its complexity and foreboding plot.
*I read an ecopy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are mine alone.*

BackCover Blurb:
The nightmares may free her … but destroy the man she loves.

Enjoy another Gothic Style Regency from Hannah Linder.

Eliza Ellis has stayed hidden in Balfour Forest for as long as she can remember. Perhaps her only friends are the trees, or her little dog, or her story-telling father called Captain. But at least she is safe from the cruel world outside, a world Captain has warned her against and protected her from.

That is, until a handsome stranger named Felton Northwood invades her quiet forest and steals her away. Why does he tell such lies? Why does he insist that her name is Miss Eliza Gillingham, daughter of a viscount, who disappeared fourteen years ago after the murder of her own mother? A murder Eliza is said to have witnessed.

When Felton returns Eliza to Monbury Manor and reunites her with a man who is told to be her father, all she remembers are the strange nightmares that have plagued her since childhood. Why have they suddenly grown worse? Are the answers hidden inside her own mind?

As danger mounts and lethal attempts are made on her life, Eliza and Felton must work together to uncover the identity of a killer who has stayed silent for fourteen years. When she finally uncovers the horrendous memories trapped in her mind, will divulging the truth cost her the man she loves--and both of their lives?

Barbour Publishing, May 2024

Available in digital ebook, paperback, and audiobook:

Buy THE GIRL FROM THE HIDDEN FOREST at Amazon, Christianbook .com, or Baker Book House