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.