On the Edge of Trust by Patricia Bradley - A Book Review

 

Intense, heart-pounding action from start to finish! Crime reporter turned podcaster Tori Mitchell and FBI undercover agent Scott Sinclair are thrown together as they seek to discover who has it out for Tori, and who committed a murder and allowed someone else to take the fall years ago. Bradley intertwines a themes of addiction recovery, the impact addiction has on friends and family, and the difficulty of restoring relationships and trust within a story of romance and suspense. This inclusion of deep, sensitive themes significantly enhances a novel that has all the elements of a great romantic suspense story. I am happy to be able to recommend On the Edge of Trust and this fantastic author of whom I have been a big fan for years. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of this novel from Revell via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

The Red Cottage by Hannah Linder - A Book Review

    

The Red Cottage has a Regency Cornwall setting, a sometimes brooding Scottish hero, a damsel in distress with two handsome men vying for her hand, and unknown assailants. Well disguised clues and red herrings abound. Author Hannah Linder has readers in the palm of her hand until the very end, an ending that is not rushed and completely satisfies. The themes of true love, resilience, and forgiveness versus retribution are well written into this dramatic tale.

I highly recommend The Red Cottage and am grateful to have received a complimentary copy from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

Dark Design by Nancy Mehl - A Book Review

  

Author, and former St. Louis police officer, Erin Delaney moved to the small town of Sanctuary located in the Smoky Mountains seeking a more peaceful existence. She had her border collie, Chester, with her and they had been befriended by the local police chief, Adrien Nightengale and his golden retriever, Jake. After Erin was called to Fredericksburg, Virginia to assist in an investigation into a serial killer, strange things began to happen back in Sanctuary. Was there a connection? Was Erin being targeted, or were the events circumstantial? Readers will enjoy following Erin's investigation along with her friends Kaely and Noah in Virginia and Adrian's miles away.

Nancy Mehl has once again given readers a spine tingling serial killer thriller that surprisingly leads to deep spiritual insights: insights into life after death, into the freedom of living without a spirit of fear, and into the light God brings into our lives when we accept His gift of grace. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of Dark Design from Bethany House via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

The Bell Tolls at Traeger Hall by Jaime Jo Wright - A Book Review

  

Eeriness to the max, Jaime Jo Wright's signature style, The Bell Tolls at Traeger Hall is loaded with it. The mystery of Traeger Hall spans over one hundred years. The stories told here include the years leading up to its closing, and the years leading up to and just after its opening. The question is, will anyone ever know the true stories, stories that include ghosts, treasure, abuse, betrayal, secrets, and murder.

Once again Jaime Jo Wright thrills her readers, leaving them on edge, reading far too long into the night, and then wishing away that spooky feeling with the confidence that all will be made right in the end. She also leaves them longing for her next release. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of The Bell Tolls at Traeger Hall without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters by Jennifer Chiaverini

  

While Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters is a work of fiction inspired by history, every incident that I fact checked, and there were many, did indeed occur much in the way they were presented in the book. I found learning about Mrs. Mary Todd Lincoln's life both interesting and saddening. I was unaware of her mental health struggles both before and after her husband's death. Jennifer Chiaverini did a wonderful job of portraying Mrs. Lincoln and her relationships with her sisters, her husband, and her children. I look forward to continuing to make my way through her oeuvre.

Sense and Suitability by Pepper Basham - A Book Review

  

Set in the early 1800s in St. Groves,England, Miss Emmeline Lockhart, a gentleman's daughter, is entering her third season in society with a still tender heart, no great motivation to attend parties or balls, and a secret. Simon Reeves, the new Viscount of Ravenscross, must find a wife whose dowry can save the floundering estate he has inherited. This means giving up the woman who his heart truly belongs to in order to provide for his family. Fans of Pepper Basham, and sweet romantic fiction of the Regency era can easily guess how this story will end, but getting there is so much fun! While there are periods of tension and disappointment, humor and good will carry the day in this lighthearted story. Emmeline's willingness to demonstrate compassion rather than hold tightly to hurts leads to many good things, even though getting there was quite bumpy. While we as readers enjoy the humor, perhaps some consideration of how we might do likewise would be beneficial.

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

Girl Lost by Kate Angelo - A Book Review

  

As I read, I most often visualize myself within the story. While reading Girl Lost, I found myself visualizing the story as if I were watching the story play out on a television screen with an Alex Rider style of production; well, at least until the final chapters. The story was enjoyable and I was surprised to read in the author's letter to the reader that the science involved in the story was not as sci-fi as I had thought.

Girl Lost is a romantic suspense and medical thriller all in one. Its story highlights the themes of allowing God to use the scars of our past to aid others and how brokenness can create family and community, building relationships that allow people to support one another's healing. The well-written story beautifully develops these themes, and even though readers will likely never find themselves in the particular situation the main characters of this book find themselves in, the lessons found within its pages will be easily applied within their lives.

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