Storm Warning by Elizabeth Goddard - A Book Review

  

Elizabeth Goddard holds her readers firmly in the palm of her hand from start to finish in her most recent novel, Storm Warning. The powerful storms rolling into the Pacific Northwest mirror the storms threatening Remi Grant. Yet, while she can see the storm clouds gathering, tumbling over one another, heading her way, helping her to predict their impact and to know how to prepare, her amnesia makes those things impossible for the storms of life headed her way. Helicopter pilot Hawk Beckett has flown through his share of storms while in the 160^th Special Operations Aviation Regiment Night Stalkers. Since leaving the Night Stalkers he has been flying through personal storms. Now that he and Remi's lives have intersected, the storms are intensifying for them both.

I highly recommend Storm Warning for fans of romantic suspense. The action, intrigue, and personal lives of the main characters are all quite intense. The physical storms almost seem as if they are a character in the story as Goddard reveals their impact and ferocity. Surprises abound.

I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of Storm Warning from Revell via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

Guilty Until Innocent by Robert Whitlow - A Book Review

  

It had been a couple of years since I had read a Robert Whitlow novel, and I was so ready for one. His legal thrillers are always thoroughly engaging and Guilty Until Innocent is one of his best. Tension normally doesn’t sound like a good thing, not an environment one longs to be in, but the tension Whitlow builds within this story is the kind that is compelling, the kind that combines angst and that tingle of anticipation.

 Ryan Clark’s law career had gotten off to a rocky start. It seems as if Ryan, working for his third law office, is living life waiting for the other shoe to fall. He doesn’t want to let his faithful and supportive wife down again. So, when circumstances arise that involve a twenty-year-old murder case, his current boss, and threats from an unknown source, Ryan has to decide whether to pursue safety and security or justice. The stakes just keep getting higher.

 Whitlow masterfully includes characters with deep faith and those with emerging faith in Christ. Their lives are testimonies to the value of faith and the goodness of God. Whitlow demonstrates that one’s value is determined by God rather than money or position.

 I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of Guilty Until Innocent from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Midnight on the Scottish Shore by Sarah Sundin - A Book Review

  

This World War II novel is set in Scotland, not a setting for this time period that I have often encountered in my reading. It was interesting to see the varied reaction of the Scots to serving in the British military, some seeing it as their duty, others as a threat to their longed for independence. Of special interest in this novel is the work of MI5's Double Cross program, turning spies with German loyalties into double agents. Cilla van der Zee's attempt to become a spy for the Abwehr as a ruse to leave behind the difficulties she was experiencing working in the Dutch resistance allowed her to use her many skills and talents within the Double Cross program, but made it difficult for her to be accepted as honest and trustworthy among those with whom she worked. Outgoing and social by nature, her situation forced her to become more introspective and to consider her relationship with God and His hand in her life.

Lieutenant Lachlan Mackenzie was grateful for another opportunity, however brief, to serve in the Royal Navy after being expelled a few months shy of graduating from the Royal Navy College. He struggled with forgiving his younger brother for his role in that expulsion. His nature led him to strictly adhere to rules and regulations, making if difficult to understand or forgive either his brother or Miss van der Zee with whom he was coerced to work.

I give this novel five stars for its original plot, wonderful characters, and the manner in which the author brings the setting to life. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of Midnight on the Scottish Shore from Revell via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

Secrets Between the Shelves by Cynthia Hickey, Linda Baten Johnson, Teresa Ives Lilly, and Marilyn Turk

  

Secrets Between the Shelves contains four cozy mystery novellas set in or around bookshops, each by a different author. If I were reviewing each story separately, there would be one three star and three four star ratings. Each story contains quirky characters and is well-plotted. Three have good character development, enough realism to keep the reader's interest, and a satisfying conclusion. I would recommend this collection of stories to fans of cozy mysteries and mystery lovers in need of a quick read. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy from Barbour Books via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

Protecting You by Robin Patchen - A Book Review

Robin Patchen's Nutfield Saga and Coventry Saga books were are all wonderful, all twenty-one of them. Her current series, The Wright Heroes of Maine is unbelievably even better! The first four books each highlight a different Wright brother, this one, book number five, highlights one of their cousins, a cyber security expert, Alyssa Wright. Many of the books deal with intrigue involving terror_ _ _ (an -ism word that some sites flag and reject reviews for). The heroes of this series put themselves in harm's way to serve their country and to protect those they love. While the books in each of these series fall within the romantic suspense genre, never does the romance overshadow the suspense and intrigue.

In Protecting You, Alyssa leaves her government job to start her own business as a cyber investigator. Unfortunately, her best client, the one that keeps her in business, is not the person she thought him to be. CIA agent Callan Templeton has requested a desk job as he sorts out unexpected personal issues, but when he sees his former college crush in a restaurant with this client, he can't leave her alone with him. This leads the two of them into desperate circumstances in which they must call on all of their personal expertise as well as that of Alyssa's family and their contacts. I most highly recommend this book, this series, and Patchen's previous series. While Protecting You can be read as a stand-alone read, I suggest reading the books in this series in order. Be prepared to want to binge read, forget Netflix. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy from the author without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Defending the Child by Sharon Dunn - A Book Review

  

Sharon Dunn has gifted readers with non-stop action in Defending the Child. Marielle Coleman, a child psychologist, encounters her former fiance and DEA agent, Graham Flynn, as she strives to protect her foster son from the man who murdered his mother. Chaos ensues. The themes of God's timing and the ways He uses suffering and loss are woven into this story, leaving readers to ponder their own response to these themes within their own lives. On a personal note, I was also reading Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands by Paul David Tripp as I read this book. It was amazing how the themes of these two books, one fiction and one non-fiction, interplayed with one another, enriching the impact of the fictional tale.

I recommend Defending the Child for fans of romantic suspense in need of a quick read. By giving the male and female protagonists a past relationship, the author is able to speed up the relationship building process without sacrificing the authenticity or integrity of the characters. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of this book from Harlequin's Love Inspired Suspense via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

The Indigo Heiress by Laura Frantz - A Book Review

  

From the 1710s to the 1770s Scottish merchants who traded in tobacco grown in the colonies were known as Tobacco Lords. They were innovators in capitalism who became very wealthy. The American War of Independence marked the beginning of the end for this type of tobacco enterprise as growers were then able to send their tobacco directly to Europe, cutting out the middle men.

Juliet Catesby, also known as the Indigo Heiress, helped her father run his business interests including the multiple crops that the Royal Vale Plantation grew. In spite of her assistance, Royal Vale continued to accumulate debt, a problem her father chose to alleviate by betrothing her to Tobacco Lord, Leith Buchanan.

Laura Frantz weaves a tale filled with action, romance, betrayal, and intrigue, all wrapped around extensive research of the era's history on both sides of the Atlantic. The story includes characters that readers will easily become attached to and empathize with. Emotions will run high as injustices and poor timing impact Juliet and Leith's relationship. Readers will be encouraged by these characters' developing spiritual maturity, evolving priorities, and the power of prayer in their lives.

I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of The Indigo Heiress from Revell via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.