THE WATER KEEPER by Charles Martin, Reviewed by Kim

I’m embarrassed to admit that The Water Keeper is the first book I’ve read by Charles Martin. After finishing this story, I immediately started collecting every story I could find by him! There’s just something about his writing style that makes me want to keep reading.

I was drawn into this novel from the first page. I wanted to know everyone’s story immediately, but you have to be patient because Mr. Martin gives you just enough to keep you wanting more. The wait is totally worth it once you get to the end and see how all the threads of this story come together! Some things I guessed, but others totally threw me for a loop! The secondary characters really added to this story. 

I cannot wait to catch up on Mr. Martin’s backlist that I have accumulated since finishing this story!

*I purchased this story. The faith thread is medium.

BackCover Blurb:
A riveting new story of heroism, heartache, and the power of love to heal all wounds.

Murphy Shepherd is a man with many secrets. He lives alone on an island, tending the grounds of a church with no parishioners, and he’s dedicated his life to rescuing those in peril. But as he mourns the loss of his mentor and friend, Murph himself may be more lost than he realizes.

When he pulls a beautiful woman named Summer out of Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway, Murph’s mission to lay his mentor to rest at the end of the world takes a dangerous turn. Drawn to Summer, and desperate to find her missing daughter, Murph is pulled deeper and deeper into the dark and dangerous world of modern-day slavery.

With help from some unexpected new friends, including a faithful Labrador he plucks from the ocean and an ex-convict named Clay, Murph must race against the clock to locate the girl before he is consumed by the secrets of his past—and the ghosts who tried to bury them.

With Charles Martin’s trademark lyricism and poignant prose, The Water Keeper is at once a tender love story and a heartrending search for freedom.

Thomas Nelson Publishing, May 2020

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

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A PROPER SCOUNDREL by Esther Hatch, Reviewed by Rebecca Maney

"Diana had had a few good ideas in her lifetime, but she was beginning to think her scandal with Lord Bryant was one of the best. "
Driven to distraction with the continual flow of inane men through her office, railroad owner Diana Barton had given up hope that their intentions might be to invest in her company, instead of her future . . . . after all, a husband would gain the right to oversee everyday operations, trumping decisions that Diana had every intention of making herself. The question became, what to do about it? In her desperation to scare off unwanted attention, she did the only thing that came to mind; ruining her reputation, conspiring with the best of the best in the "ruin" department, the infamous Lord Bryant. Surely, no man would want his name coupled with hers after that, and she could get back to the business of running a highly profitable railroad. Two months. Just two months. It was all she needed.

There is something incredibly enchanting about a romance that is trying its hardest not to be. Like actors on a stage without a script, Diana and Everton stumble their way through a most unconventional arrangement, only to discover that what began as a hoax, had a mind all its own. Readers won't be able to turn the pages fast enough!

"Lord Bryant. . .  I want you to be yourself."

*I was invited to read this book through Interviews and Reviews. I purchased a copy of my own. Inkwell Rating 1 *CLEAN FICTION 

BackCover Blurb:
His scandals were right on track until she derailed everything.

As the successful owner of multiple railroad lines, Diana Barton is all too accustomed to fending off suitors seeking to stake their claim on her wealth. In order to keep the wolves at bay, Diana has contrived the perfect plan: appeal to the most notorious rake in London, the Baron Lord Bryant, to ruin her reputation and scare off the worst of the time wasters. The ruse will be no hardship—she’s secretly been fascinated by the man for years.

Lord Bryant is well aware of his questionable reputation. Indeed, he has cultivated the image carefully, and the last thing he wants is a wife. When he’s approached by the younger sister of a business associate, he tells her in no uncertain terms that he cannot help. However, when he sees for himself what she is up against, Bryant grudgingly offers his assistance. Faced with his most complicated entanglement yet, Bryant is firm in his conditions—and Diana knows that to get romantically involved with Bryant would spell certain heartbreak. But as the counterfeit couple grows ever closer, the line between truth and lies becomes blurred, threatening both Lord Bryant’s well-laid plans and the future of Diana’s railroad business.

 

Covenant Communications May 2021

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LETHAL OUTBREAK by Lisa Harris and Lynne Gentry, Reviewed by Rebecca Maney

"You look as comfortable as an unwanted genome in a virus?"

Not his most chivalrous line, but "Seriously? Had he actually said that to her?" Her . . . being Dr. Rachel Allen, a quite lovely epidemiologist, whose expertise Dr. Aiden Ballenger needed, and quickly! His rapid response research team had unwittingly disturbed a latent virus whose components seemed to rise from the dead, quickly infecting an entire Tibetan village, decimating its inhabitants. Rushing back to the United States, Aiden needed confirmation of his findings, and Rachel's lab had all the equipment. Following their impromptu introductions at a swank DC party, Aiden and Rachel hurry back to her lab, only to come face-to-face with the worst kind of danger.

On the run with a highly contagious virus on ice, the two doctors literally race in and out of countries in order to save their evidence. Totally confused by their circumstances, they have internal debates about trusting each other, nearly perfect strangers, with their very lives. It appears that they are both going to have to "take a leap of faith and trust God to do the impossible. . . " . . .  in between some rather memorable kisses.

This story takes off at full speed and never slows down . . . in the best kind of ways! Totally fascinating! Another great story showcasing the skills of these two authors. . . and giving just a whisper of what's coming next! 

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

BackCover Blurb:
USA Today bestselling authors Harris and Gentry deliver a gripping medical thriller ripped from today's headlines.

There are diseases hidden in the ice and they are waking up.

Virus hunter Aiden Ballinger believes the source of the lethal outbreak that decimated a remote Tibetan village came from disturbing the permafrost. Desperate to rebury it before it buries the world, Aiden enlists Rachel Allen, a beautiful epidemiologist. But while Aiden and Rachel pursue the cure—and their feelings for each other—someone is hunting them. Whoever wants them dead will not stop until they are silenced.

Agents of Mercy Medical Thriller series:
1. Ghost Heart
2. Port of Origin
3. Lethal Outbreak
4. Death Triangle

February, 2021

Available in digital ebook and paperback:  

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SHADOW by Kara Swanson, Reviewed by Kim Ann #ReleaseDay

First, let me just say I really enjoyed Dust, the first book in this series, and I was really looking forward to Shadow to see how things wrapped up for Peter and Claire and the rest of the Neverland characters. Second, I have really struggled writing this review because I know how hard and how much work an author puts into writing a story, so I hate writing a negative review, but this story just didn’t work for me.

I’m going to keep this simple and short. This story was way too dark and way too depressing. For the majority of this book, bad won and when good did prevail, it was a small short victory where bad came right back and ruined anything positive that happened. The violence in some parts was over the top. I’m particularly thinking about something that happens to one of the main characters. It was way too detailed and gruesome. While the ending was happy, it was too little too late and a little too convenient.

Another big issue I had is that there was virtually no justice for a couple of main characters who did some seriously horrible things.

I really wanted to like this book, but there were just too many things that I could not get past.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own. The faith thread is light. 

BackCover Blurb:

Peter Pan has crash-landed back on Neverland. But this is not the island he remembers.

Desperate to rescue Claire and the fractured Lost Boys, Peter must unravel what truly tore his dreamland apart. But with each step, he is haunted by more of his own broken memories. Not even Pan himself is what he seems.

Claire Kenton is chained to a pirate ship, watching the wreckage of Neverland rocked by tempests. When she finally finds her brother, Connor is every bit as shattered as the island. Claire may have pixie dust flowing in her veins—but the light of Neverland is flickering dangerously close to going out forever.

Enclave Publishing, July 2021

Available in digital ebook and hardcover

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