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Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery



Quite often when reading a novel that indicates a particular setting, I will "google" it to see if this truly exists at some point in time, and much to my surprise it really enhances my ability to picture it all in my mind as I am reading the novel. Such is the case in Jenny Colgan's latest novel, Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery. Jenny Colgan is becoming a favorite author of mine based on her magical ability to weave such beautiful poetry with her words that it isn't hard to imagine it all playing out perfectly in our mind as if watching a movie that no one else can see but me. In this case, the setting takes place in a little known secret place in Cornwall, St. Michael's Mount. It involves our main characters, Polly Little, owner and proprietor of the Polly's Little Beach Street Bakery, her fiancè Huckle, and a puffin she has been rehabilitating since he was a puffling, that refuses to leave and find its own way in the world. Polly has purchased an old lighthouse because, I mean who wouldn't want to live in a lighthouse? How romantic right? But this one is a bit on the drafty side and in need of much repairs.

While Polly and Huckle struggle to move their relationship to the next level and actually marry, both are content to leave things the way they are, living together until they can both completely commit to marriage without any reservations and it doesn't help much that those around her, have less than appealing marriages to inspire them to jump into the pool. Their lighthouse is located on a remote island coastal village of Mount Polbearne, a lovely Cornish place where locals are content with the way things are with the rise of the tides twice a day that covers the only way into Mount Polbearne every day, leaving it truly isolated.

When an unexpected storm comes in, it will leave the village completely at the mercy of the town's inhabitants and perhaps maybe, Christmas cheer will be found in those that can band together in to ensure that everyone can still have a Merry Christmas. Even if that means being away from those they love in order to realize their true feeling for one another.

I received Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan compliments of William Morrow, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers. This is such a heartwarming novel that romantics will absolutely adore. Not only do you have the most ideal setting, toss in the Christmas season and an unexpected storm and you have the ingredients for an unforgettable novel. I have had the opportunity to read several of Jenny's novel and now I need to ensure that I collect them all and then reread them all over again. I can just picture sitting in a coastal beach house, the fire is roaring while a storm rages outside and you can lose yourself in this story like I have in a winter's evening. I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars and make sure you grab a cup of hot cocoa or tea before picking this book up.
 

You can find Jenny Colgan on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery, please visit Harper Collins Publisher's website. 




Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Deadly Proof



With everything going on in the news today, it seems there are so many subject to make the premise of a novel for inspiring authors. I was immediately drawn to Rachel Dylan's latest novel, Deadly Proof, because her main character Kate Sullivan is a lawyer drawn to help her clients against those with more money to finance a winning defense team. It was always my own personal desire to do just that, become a lawyer to fight for those who couldn't afford a higher price attorney. In this novel, Kate is working against big pharmaceutical companies like Mason Pharmaceutical's, whose products are doing more permanent harm that good to the clients that are prescribed its drugs.

Even though patients can read the lists of side effects, most people simply trust that their doctors are prescribing them things that will work, instead of causing them more permanent damage than they had before. But as you can guess, they also have the financial means to settle what they might consider trivial matters if they should happen. Kate's goal is to ensure that the clients that hire her, are given every advantage to win their case and be compensated in a way that might help them in the years to come. She isn't about to be taken advantage of either. 

When more clients are showing up with the similar issues taking Mason Pharmaceutical's migraine drug, Celix, and had died or been injured, she knows this could be a case that could lead to become a managing partner at the law firm where she works. Something she has always desired. Once the litigation hit the news and firms started advertising to find clients who had taken the dangerous drug, there was a constant stream of inquiries to be fielded by her firm and they couldn't turn any of them down without hearing their claims. When an employee that works at the company calls Kate with information that could blow the lawsuit wide open, things begin to turn deadly.

When Kate calls in a private detective, Landon James, to begin the investigation on the employee who claims that it isn't just one drug that needs to be addressed but more. She believes that Mason Pharmaceuticals understands the risks to some patients that are currently using their products, but the ability to make money makes this a risk worth taking. Landon't job is to begin to investigate whether this employee's claims have an validation to open up a bigger case, and just when it does, their will be targets on all of their backs to ensure that nothing gets out that would destroy the company.

I received Deadly Proof by Rachel Dylan compliments of Bethany House Publishers and Litfuse Publicity. I have often questioned the premise behind this novel, especially when you hear countless claims about certain drugs causing more harm than good. Big Pharma companies are making billions and working with doctors to push these drugs on the human market often times bypassing the required amount of testing and research to be complete. Makes you wonder if we aren't all human guinea pigs to the medical and pharmaceutical industry at large. I absolutely LOVED this novel and highly recommend it to those who love a great mystery and coming along for the wild ride! I easily give this novel a 5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Deadly Proof, Rachel Dylan or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:


You can find Rachel Dylan on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Deadly Proof, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour Page. 


Wednesday, November 22, 2017

The Paper Bag Christmas



One of my most treasured books in my permanent library at home is the Winner's Game by Kevin Alan Milne. It was in that novel that not only was I introduced to a talented author, but also to the incredible life-changing stories that he could weave through the use of words on a simple piece of paper. They are the kinds of stories that stay with you long after you have put it down. I have to share the one book I will probably buy for all my family members this Christmas and it is The Paper Bag Christmas.

Its a short book, with a lasting message. When two young boys Molar Alan and his brother Aaron are taken to visit Santa Claus late one evening, they are challenged by him despite their lengthy Christmas lists for all the presents that can think of, to take a gift of everything they never wanted. That alone is enough to make most readers want to read this book. I mean, just what does that entail? The boys are taken into confidence by Dr. Ringle, a generous old man who loves to spend time visiting the children in his oncology ward at the hospital and brings the boys along dressed as his elves. Besides handing out the required red paper wish lists and candy canes, each of the boys are tasked with befriending a child in the hospital.

They will spend the next several days acting in Dr. Ringle's absence to break through the barriers each of these children are facing. For Aaron, his is a young boy from India, Madhu, who longs to understand the Jesus of the Bible when faced with Santa Claus. As the upcoming Christmas pageant approaches, he longs to be considered as one of the wise men, and when he learns those have all been filled, he makes a wonderful intelligent plea for them to reconsider more than just three. For Molar, his is the most difficult. Katrina is living on borrowed time. Everyone in her family has already died and now she is a ward of the hospital waiting to see when her last day will come. She is also bitter and wants nothing to do with Christmas. It was something she shared with her grandfather who has died and to enjoy it would feel like she is betraying him. So she remains shut in her room and the only way she will allow visitors is when she is cloaked in a paper bag she wears to cover her face.

I received The Paper Bag Christmas by Kevin Alan Milne compliments of Center Street Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Groups. This is such a wonderful and heartwarming book as you discover deep down inside what will break through each of the children. Despite what you might think more than just one life will be changed through their assigned tasks and the gifts they receive will be priceless in the end. I encourage you all to pick up a copy of this book, and incorporate it into that tradition of storybook time with your children especially at Christmas. This is the one book that your children will want to read again and again, and so will you. I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars and hope you decide to pick it up!

For more information about The Paper Bag Christmas, Kevin Alan Milne or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:


You can find Kevin Alan Milne on Facebook to stay up to date with all his books.

To read more reviews on The Paper Bag Christmas, please visit Hachette Book Group's website.


Tuesday, November 21, 2017

The Crooked Christmas Tree



Christmas is undoubtedly my favorite holiday that I began anticipating when I was a child and now as an adult, for different reasons. It has a different purpose for me now than as a child and as a believer in Christ, perhaps even more so. Besides the time to indulge in family honored timeless traditions, and celebrations, it gives more pause to me as I realize how quickly time passes away and often times there is a sense of loneliness and peace that can also follow.

As we raise our children, we teach them what our parents taught us or perhaps refrained from sharing  based on unmet expectations so we can do them differently with a different outcome. For me, I loved Christmas because it meant bringing joy to a single mom who worked hard to provide not only for us in the way of basic needs but also to try her best to provide what filled our Christmas lists. It meant I could take on the burden to make her life a little bit brighter by cleaning and decorating the house, as a surprise from where she left it to change from one job to the next and head out the door. It was to say, Thank you! I appreciate all you do and I hope this at least brings a smile to your face. This is also what I have taken away from Damian Chandler's book, The Crooked Christmas Tree.

It conveys the story of one families goal to bring home a Christmas Tree and the real meaning behind the perfect "One" and the one their kids would subsequently choose. I felt myself cringe in my own perfectionism to understand this man's plight. To bring home something less than worthy to be set up on display in my house, despite the reason why the kids found true beauty in it. It conveys a parallel perspective that came one Christmas morning to give us the ultimate gift. One we tend to take for granted more days than not. Have you taken a peek at our earth lately? It's a mess. Yet despite that, God's name is still on the title.

David is not simply declaring God's royal reign over this earth. David is declaring that the earth and everything in it is still God's responsibility. Good and bad belong to Him. Its victories and even its failures. And He has no plans on distancing His name from it. Even as we destroy His masterpiece, God still commands that we celebrates His ownership and creative patent every week. Long forgotten, buried under more 'important' topics, is God's call for us to celebrate that He is still the titleholder. He still celebrates that we belong to Him. He celebrates me and reminds me, "My name is still on your title. You are my responsibility. My crooked tree."

I received The Crooked Christmas Tree by Damian Chandler compliments of Faith Words, a division of Hachette Book Groups. There is something powerful in this amazing little book. It is a reminder to us all about the world we live in, the people in it and how we need to be reminded of what God's purpose is in all of it, more than just once a year, but 365 days of the year. It is a reminder about holding on to the things that matter and letting go of the ones that don't. To spend the time with our family and friends who will pass away before we know it. To be in the moment instead of worrying about tomorrows. This will be a book I read at the beginning of the most wonderful time of the year in hopes of changing my perspectives to love the crooked trees more than the perfect ones! I easily give this a 5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about The Crooked Christmas Tree, Damian Chandler or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:


You can find Damian Chandler on Facebook to stay up to date with all his latest books.

To read more reviews on The Crooked Christmas Tree, please visit Faith Word's website. 

Monday, November 20, 2017

Act of Betrayal



Fans of Jason Bourne or Ethan Hunt will absolutely LOVE Matthew Dunn's series of novel revolving around Will Cochrane, the ultimate intelligence operative and most lethal most wanted man by our own government. While he had faked his own death, to avoid being captured on many fronts, he is now gone into deeper uncover to avoid being killed, arrested or tortured by those who want what secrets he knows. There is only a handful of trusted individuals whom know that Will is alive, and when a mission that involved Will's skills three years ago, suddenly surfaces, the body counts begin to rise.

Will was asked to take out a known financier who had connections to fund known terrorists groups with whatever capital they needed to complete their nefarious acts on unsuspecting countries. He is only provided with enough information to complete this task and go back into hiding. When he is given the signal that the man is confirmed for the hit, Will takes him out and vanishes into the darkness while others cover up the scene of the crime. Without Will's knowledge this was a government conspiracy that involved those in the FBI, CIA and others. The man who was heading up the entire operation, has taken the money and vanished without a trace. Those that know about this operation are simply hoping he has no hopes of returning. They know that more than just their careers are on the line.

Yet Will is contacted by a trusted member of that group as it appears this rogue agent has reappeared and plans on removing those who know all about his activities. Before Will has a chance to talk to him, he is murdered and slowly one by one, each of those responsible are being killed before they have a chance to speak about their involvement. Will is in a race against time to stop the one man who just might be his equal, but in doing so, he might have to give up his anonymity and risk being tried, convicted and killed by his own government authorities.

I received Act of Betrayal by Matthew Dunn compliments of Partners in Crime Tours and William Morrow Publishers, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. This is the seventh novel in the Will Cochrane series, and once again, it is action packed and never a dull moment and those who are involved seek to run and hide hoping they will survive somehow. It is like a spy versus spy novel and I easily inhaled this one in a few hours. It is simply that good. I don't think I could turn pages fast enough. Love all the deep undercover stuff and the rudimentary ways people are being killed without being able to stop it. Crazy stuff I had never imagined before. Makes one wonder about the true inner workings of our own government and special operations forces. Worth every one of 5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Act of Betrayal, Matthew Dunn or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:


You can find Matthew Dunn on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest novels.

To read more reviews on Act of Betrayal, please visit Partners in Crime Tour's participants below:


10/23 Showcase @ Books Can Be Deadly
10/24 Showcase @ Bound 2 Escape
10/24 Showcase @ The Book Connection
10/25 Showcase @ The Bookworm Lodge
10/25 Showcase @ The Reading Frenzy
10/26 Review @ Bookishly me
10/26 Showcase @ Aurora Bs Book Blog
10/27 Review @ 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too!
10/28 Review @ Book Reviews From an Avid Reader
10/29 Showcase @ Bookalicious Traveladdict
10/31 Showcase @ 411 on Books, Authors, and Publishing News
11/01 Review @ Lynchburg Mama
11/02 Showcase @ Quiet Fury Books
11/06 Review @ Lazy Day Books
11/13 Showcase @ Brooke Blogs
11/15 Review @ just reviews
11/17 Showcase @ CMash Reads
11/20 Review @ Reviews From The Heart
11/25 Showcase @ Celticladys Reviews

 

Act of Betrayal

by Matthew Dunn

on Tour October 23 - November 30, 2017

Synopsis:

ACT OF BETRAYAL by Matthew Dunn

In this riveting entry in the celebrated thriller series, former intelligence operative Will Cochrane—a "ruthless yet noble" (Ft. Worth Star-Telegram) man from whom "Bond and Bourne could learn a thing or two" (Madison County Herald)—comes out of hiding to expose a conspiracy involving a past assassination that reaches to the highest echelons of the U.S. government.

Three years ago, intelligence officer Will Cochrane was brought in by a Delta Force colonel to assassinate a terrorist financier in Berlin. After the job, the commander vanished, and hasn’t been heard from since. The details don’t quite add up, and one of the CIA agents who was involved has been investigating the mission. He reaches out to Will for help, but before they can connect, the CIA man is poisoned.
Will is determined to uncover the truth about Berlin, even if it means putting himself in the crosshairs. Framed for multiple murders, the skilled former spy has gone deep underground to evade his enemies and the feds. But honor and loyalty to his old colleague thrust him into danger once again.
When Marsha Gage at the FBI discovers that Cochrane—one of America’s Most Wanted—has resurfaced, she immediately launches a manhunt, and she won’t stop until she brings the former CIA/MI6 operative in.
With time running out, Cochrane will use all of his training and formidable skills to outmaneuver the FBI and uncover a shocking conspiracy that will rock the foundations of our nation . . . if he can stay alive.

Book Details:

Genre: Thriller
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: October 24th 2017
Number of Pages: 320
ISBN: 0062427229 (ISBN13: 9780062427229)
Series: Spycatcher #7
Purchase Links: Amazon  | Barnes & Noble  | Goodreads 

Read an excerpt:

IT WAS PAST midnight as wind and rain pounded the exterior of the tiny bookstore in Chicago. The store was closed and its owner was sitting at his desk checking the week’s receipts. The task wouldn’t take long—his store specialized in rare works that he sourced from around the world. He had some loyal customers, but they were few. This week seven people had made purchases.
The only light in the room came from his green desk lamp, old-fashioned in design to match the ambience of the shop. Aside from some electronic devices on his desk and recessed lights that cast a discreet yellow glow when turned on, the place looked like it could have been a purveyor of fine works established and un- changed since the eighteenth century. He’d constructed it that way: dark maple bookshelves; many of the books leather bound, all of them hardcover; two armchairs for customers to sit in when perusing potential acquisitions; an urn for his more discerning patrons who valued his loose-leaf tea collection; and a cage for his two lovebirds.
He was an old-fashioned guy at heart.
And though he could have done with more cash coming in, he’d deliberately established a business and identity that drew little attention. He playacted a shy man, his trimmed beard intended to put up barriers between him and others, his shoulders artificially stooped during the day as if he were ashamed of his six-foot-four physique, his cropped blond-and-gray hair functional because he had no woman in his life to impress, and his unneeded glasses covering one green eye, one blue. He was always in a smart three-piece suit because the attire was good at hiding his athletic frame and scars. Customers thought he was Edward Pope, a gentleman scholar from the South. They’d probably estimate his age was late forties. They’d be wrong about that and most other things. He’d led a hard life and was forty-five.
His name wasn’t Edward Pope.
It was Will Cochrane.
The assassin. The one Sapper and Kane were terrified of.
He wasn’t from the Deep South. He was raised in Virginia and earned a double first-class degree at England’s Cambridge University. And he’d been a bookseller for only under a year.
But he had to be Pope. In the eyes of the world, Will was a murderer. He’d killed people as a special forces French Foreign Legionnaire and assassinated targets in French intelligence black operations. He had been the West’s prime joint operative with the CIA and Britain’s MI6 for fourteen years, until he went crazy and killed a lot of cops and civilians in the States before throwing himself off the Brooklyn Bridge and dying.
His death was essential. He was America’s Most Wanted. He wasn’t what some thought of him—a psychopath. But he was a former special operative and killer. Had been all his adult life. It started when he was seventeen and walked in on four criminals suffocating his mother and about to kill his sister. His mother died; sister didn’t, because he grabbed his mother’s carving knife and ended the criminals’ lives before fleeing to the Legion. He wished he didn’t know how many people he’d killed since. It would be a lie. He knew every victim. Their souls lingered around him, taunting him, reminding him of who he was.
All 263 souls.
But the souls of the people they say he killed in the States didn’t hassle him.
Because he didn’t kill them. He never killed innocents, only those who needed to be killed.
But in the eyes of the law, that’s not the case and that’s why he had to fake his death and reinvent himself. A year ago, his situation was desperate, despite all of his training and covert operations experience in hostile countries. He’d received only one bit of help, but it was significant. Russia’s most formidable intelligence officer, code name Antaeus—now, thanks to Will, a defector living in the States—had cleverly managed to get $300,000 into Will’s pocket. Will didn’t know exactly why he’d done it. After all, Will had accidentally killed his family with a car bomb when in fact he’d intended only to kill the spy. But he suspected he knew why the Russian had become his benefactor: Antaeus wanted his generosity to plunge the knife that was Will’s guilt deeper.
Regardless of Antaeus’s motives, the cash helped set up Will’s new life.
Will’s family and close acquaintances were all dead. He’d be given the needle if cops found out who he was. The West he’d served with unflinching duty had hung him out to dry. He thought of himself as a scavenging dog, kicked out of its owner’s backyard and left to fend for itself. He was resigned to that, every day expecting the Feds to rush into his store and put a bullet in his skull. That’s what they’d do. No attempt to arrest. No negotiations. Execution only. Will wouldn’t blame them. They knew he’d cause carnage if given the slightest of chances.
He finished his accounts, took a swig of Assam tea, and frowned as he heard the female lovebird make an unusual sound. Like her male companion, she resembled a small parrot, her plumage green and yellow, face and beak red, large eyes pure white with black pupils. He’d taken the birds off the hands of an old lady who frequented his store. Her son, a merchant marine officer, had brought them back from exotic climes, though she couldn’t remember where because she was suffering from dementia. And she could no longer look after them, particularly now that the male had broken his wing. Will hated seeing animals in cages. But the female wouldn’t leave the male’s side. And for the time being, the male had to be kept in the cage until he was fully recuperated. Then Will would release them to a large aviary or the wild.
Their previous owner couldn’t remember their names, so Will called the male Ebb and the female Flo. Flo was now agitated, hopping about as opposed to what she usually did, which was nestling her face against that of her lover. Will opened the cage, knowing Flo wouldn’t go anywhere while Ebb was there. The former special operative bowed his head. Ebb was all wrong, flopping on the base of the cage, his good wing twitching, his broken one immobile. Will knew he was dying and there was nothing he could do about it. What goes through a bird’s brain? He didn’t know. And he didn’t know whether lovebirds were in fact lifelong lovers or if that was a myth. But Will knew how he felt. He had to give Flo closure, let her be free, not allow her to think there was hope that Ebb would return to her. Gently he lifted Ebb. His body was warm but now limp. He carried him to the store’s backyard. Flo followed him. Will had hoped she would.
Will looked at Flo, who was perched close by on the branch of a tree. She was watching. It seemed she and Will didn’t know what to do.
“I have to let you know this is the end,” Will said to her. Actually, he was saying it to himself.
He snapped Ebb’s neck and buried him.
Flo looked at him before flying into the darkness. As tears ran down his face, he wondered if she hated him. Or maybe she understood. Of course, he’d never know.
He returned to his desk and stared at the birdcage. After brushing soil off his fingers, he looked at his laptop and saw he had a new e-mail. Nobody sent him mail apart from spammers.
But this one was different. And shocking. It was from CIA officer Unwin Fox, the man who, alongside Will, had been one of those involved in the Berlin operation. Aside from Colonel Haden, Will didn’t know who the other people on the small team were.
His heart was beating fast as he read the mail. Its tone was desperate. There was no way Fox could know that Will was alive. Something was terribly wrong. Fox wanted to meet. Tomorrow. In Washington, D.C.
In all probability it was a trap. Lure Will out, then bam! Swooped on by cops. But then again, Will knew what happened in Berlin. The law didn’t. This would have been far too implausible a tactic to entrap him.
What to do?
He looked at the lovebirds’ empty cage. The door was open. He glanced at the entrance to his store.
What to fucking do?
He opened the drawer in his desk, pulled out his handgun, grabbed his bag containing all he needed if he ever had to run, and left.
He knew he’d never return.
***
Excerpt from Act of Betrayal by Matthew Dunn. Copyright © 2017 by Matthew Dunn. Reproduced with permission from William Morrow. All rights reserved.
  Matthew Dunn

Author Bio:

As an MI6 field officer, Matthew Dunn recruited and ran agents, coordinated and participated in special operations, and acted in deep-cover roles throughout the world. He operated in environments where, if captured, he would have been executed. Dunn was trained in all aspects of intelligence collection, deep-cover deployments, small-arms, explosives, military unarmed combat, surveillance, and infiltration. Medals are never awarded to modern MI6 officers, but Dunn was the recipient of a rare personal commendation from the secretary of state for work he did on one mission, which was deemed so significant that it directly influenced the success of a major international incident. During his time in MI6, Matthew conducted approximately seventy missions. All of them were successful. He currently lives in England, where he is at work on his next novel.

Learn More About Matthew Dunn On harpercollins.com!

 

Tour Participants:

Stop by these great hosts for reviews, and giveaways!  

Giveaway:

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Matthew Dunn and William Morrow. There will be 5 winners of one (1) print copy of ACT OF BETRAYAL by Matthew Dunn. This giveaway is open to US & Canada addresses only. The giveaway begins on October 23 and runs through November 30, 2017.
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Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours

 

Friday, November 17, 2017

I Will Find You



The most dangerous animal on earth. Could we be the most dangerous creatures on the planet? Could it be true? While animals kill only for need, humans can and will kill for pleasure. Detective Lt. Joe Kenda became a homicide detective because he wanted to investigate why humans kill each other and because he also wanted to solved the worst of the worst crimes. They throw you in jail for life or execute you for murder, so he reasoned, murder must be the worst offense, and he wanted to put away the worst our species.

If you have ever wanted to know what it is like to investigate homicides, pick up his book, I Will Find You, but be warned, you may not want to see the realities of murders committed by the most dangerous killers in our world. If you have an interest in the truth, you will be reading the right book. If you don't think you can handle the darkest aspects of human nature, then you might want to put this book down because it will get real in a hurry.

Working as a police officer in Colorado Springs, Colorado, he spent 19 years of his career as a homicide detective. He was involved in 387 homicide investigations and solved 92 percent of them. This book offers his personal reflections and recollections, working with teams of law enforcement professionals, supervisors, fellow detectives and patrol officers. After more than two decades in law enforcement, he had to get out before he became like those he hunted and in this book, he will hold nothing back sharing with you cases that still haunt him to this very day.

Detective Lt Joe Kenda is the star of Homicide Hunter and in this book he shares his deepest, darkest and never-before-revealed case files and reminds us that crimes like these are very real and can happen even in our own backyards. The tales you will discover in this book will shock you like the best horror stories and divulging insights into the actions, motivations and proclivities of natures most dangerous species on earth. The chilling insights lead readers into understanding what it takes to do his job day in and day out and just when you think you have seen it all, you are surprised by what the human species can do whether motivated or not. I received I Will Find You by Detective Lt. Joe Kenda compliments of Center Street Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Groups. This book reveals for you the details that go unnoticed by the TV shows like CSI and more. I absolutely LOVED this book, having a detailed mind, I now look for things I didn't notice before both in my day to day life and on the TV and movies we watch. I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about I Will Find You, Detective Lt. Joe Kenda or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:


You can find Joe Kenda on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest projects.

To read more reviews on I Will Find You, please visit Center Street Publishing's website. 


Thursday, November 16, 2017

Vengeance



Sometimes when you finish a book and lay it down, it can be hard to imagine that it is simply all a story. That it hasn't happened. But also that it could very well happen just as it is laid out in the book you just read. Vengeance by Newt Gingrich is a chilling political suspense novel that once more pits Major Brook Grant against her nemesis known only as the Falcon. He has sworn a death threat against those she loves before he targets his attacks directly on her. While an unknown terrorist breaks through barricades at her wedding, she didn't realize that the President would make a last minute appearance. Even though all attempts to stop the rental truck from drawing too near to the event, Oklahoma would be remembered after this deadly explosion that would claim the lives of more than 300 people and barely leave Brooke alive with only her daughter as the last remaining family she had left.

Now that the President has been killed, the Vice President moves into the Oval Office and he isn't going to take any chances now that a nuclear device has been bought on the black market and known terrorist groups like the Falcon are planning on making America pay for all the retribution and Muslim lives that have been lost while trying to turn America away from being the once great nation it claims to be. The Vice President is about to use some unorthodox methods of catching the Falcon and locating the nuclear device and now it is time for vengeance to rise to the top. He doesn't want them brought back alive, he wants all of them dead and the device recovered before it can be used against American's.

Brooke is just the right candidate for the team known only as KTB or Kill the Bast**d. She just isn't prepared to work with agents from other countries that have their own reasons for wanting the Falcon dead including an Israeli Mossad agent and a Saudi intelligence officer and this time all bets are off. There is nothing keeping this team from accomplishing what needs to be done and with full authorization from the White House, Brooke is about to take the game to the Falcon's playing field and this time the game is about to change.

I received Vengeance by Newt Gingrich compliments of Center Street Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Groups. This is a chilling look at what could quite possibly be going on in the dark shadows in our own country with countless groups looking to take down our political leaders and turn this county into one of great fear and submission. Yet like all good novels, our goodness rises to the top and for Brooke, it will be a duality of sorts, coming to terms with her own personal vengeance and saving the country she has vowed to serve so valiantly even if it costs her everything. She truly has nothing more to lose and the action never lets up until the last page. This is what draws me to novels like this, a true adrenaline rush and an unforgettable roller coaster ride of emotions. Another 5 out of 5 stars in this reader's opinion. This is the third novel in the Brooke Grant series.

For more information about Vengeance, Newt Gingrich or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:


You can find Newt Gingrich on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest novels.

To read more reviews on Vengeance, please visit Center Street Publishing Group's website. 


Wednesday, November 15, 2017

The Gift



Sometimes through no fault of our own making, things change in unexpected ways that leave us feeling upset and downright mad. When the Vance family put their farm up for sale, there were no takers for quite some time. Forced into the option by their Uncle whom their father has quite the debt to pay thanks to gambling issues, they were left with no choice than to take whatever was offered, even if it wasn't enough to settle the debt. While their Uncle demanded full payment or turning the property over to him to settle things, their father decided to take the next offer for far less than what the property was worth. He wasn't about to turn everything over to his brother in hopes of appeasing him.

Just that one circumstance would set off a series of hostility to the new family whom the community seemed to have taken advantage of the situation, and an Amish family at that. The Schwartz family had hoped to embrace their new home and community but instead found themselves trying to justify how they were able to purchase the farm amid the rumors circulating about them. For Susanna, she loses control of her horse and buggy coming home during a winter's storm and feels that someone was shooting at her. Of course, that is easily explained away that hunters apparently forget just how close to the roads there were now that hunting season was in full swing. It cost her family a new horse and buggy.

When a series of unfortunate accidents begin to happen on their farm and to their family, it appears as if someone is wishing them to move. When first the shooting, then a property line section of fencing is destroyed, along with a bridge collapsing that almost took the life of their younger sister, the family begins to question those in the community, but instead of getting help, they are seen as accusing the community of trying to bring them harm. When Susanna and Neil Vance begin their own investigation, signs point to something more sinister. They have little time to figure things out before things begin to turn deadly.

I received The Gift by Shelley Shepard Gray compliments of Litfuse Publicity and Avon Inspire, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. Readers who love a great suspense among their Amish novels, will want to pick this one up. This is the third novel in the Amish of Hart County and as with all of Shelley Shepard's novel, I don't even have to read the back cover because she involves the reader so much, they feel like they're a part of the book. There are some bonus material at the conclusion of this novel including reader's guide questions, insights into the story line and some delicious Amish recipes to try. I give this novel a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about The Gift, Shelley Shepard Gray or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:


You can find Shelley Shepard Gray on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Gift, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour Page. 


Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Rescued Hearts



Poor Mary Wade Kimball, she put her heart and soul into everything that comes into her life despite what her parents wish. She has longed to make the world a better place and leave her mark on it, designing children's clothes especially for the poor and needy as well as helping out in the churches ministries whenever she can, she is headed home from doing something for herself, a pedicure, when she finds a tuxedo kitten stuck in a honeysuckle bush. In her attempt to free it, she herself becomes the victim. She never expected that her willingness to help might lead her into danger. Now she finds herself kidnapped and dragged into a nearby home and no one really will know she is missing for quite some time.

She had offered to house sit for her godmother Agnes in hopes that a change of pace and scenery might mend her broken heart. She found her boyfriend taking another woman on a date when she believed they were exclusive. That's what she gets for thinking one thing without actually confirming anything. Now she needs to figure a way out before these men decide that their boring days and night in an abandoned home might just need a fun way to relax. There doesn't seem to be a way out, until a third man, Doc, arrives and discovers that his two accomplices have further complicated their drug and trafficking plan by kidnapping a local woman.

As he takes her into the back room, Mary Wade believes it is for one reason and she will try with all her might to fight her way out. Lucky for her she discovers that "Doc" is an undercover deputy who has agreed to help her escape and keep her safe if she is willing to trust him. What other choice does she have and soon it will time to do the unthinkable and truly run for her life. Brett Davis, knows that his job may be on the line if he decides to help Mary Wade, but he also knows what plans Dusty and Skeet have in mind and he isn't about to stand around and do nothing. So in the middle of the night, they make a run for Agnes's home less than a mile away. Brett knows that Dusty and Skeet will stop at nothing to find them both and for them things are about to get even more complicated than ever before.

I received Rescued Hearts by Hope Toler Dougherty compliments of Mantle Rock Publishing and Litfuse Publicity. I have to say even though this is a full length novel I was so glued to it, I finished it before I knew it. I love the chemistry between Brett and Mary Wade and even the secondary characters like the noisy neighbor and Brett's grandmother add even more charm to the story line. Just when things are seeming like they are settling down, the action gets even more intense. I don't want to spoil it for you so I will leave things there and recommend this novel to anyone who loves a great mystery suspense! I give this one a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about Rescued Hearts, Hope Toler Dougherty or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:


You can find Hope Toler Dougherty on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Rescued Hearts, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour Page. 


Her personal safety isn't the only thing in jeopardy-so is her heart. In Hope Toler Dougherty's new novel, Rescued Hearts, children's clothing designer Mary Wade Kimball's soft spot for animals leads to a hostage situation when she spots a briar-entangled kitten in front of an abandoned house. Discovering the kidnapped woman ratchets the complications for undercover agent Brett Davis. Brett forsakes his three-month mission and helps her escape, the bent-on-revenge brutes following behind . . . and then Mary Wade's safety is threatened once more.

Cozy up this fall with Hope's new book and enter to win a Kindle Fire!


One grand prize winner will receive:
  • A copy of Rescued Hearts
  • A Kindle Fire 7
Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on November 13. The winner will be announced November 14 on the Litfuse blog.

Monday, November 13, 2017

Murder in Diguise



Wonder what it might be like to have a professor at a college who isn't afraid to stand up for his beliefs? His Christian beliefs that is, and not concerned with sharing his point of views with students that attend his classes. That is just one of the more interesting insights in Donn Taylor's latest novel, Murder in Disguise. This combines just the right elements to make this a must read for all fans of detective and mystery novels, and like most of our well known universities, faith is also under fire from those more liberal in their teaching styles and beliefs.

Preston Barclay is returning back to college in hopes of finding out the real reason his good friend has died. While the police have ruled this a shut and closed suicide, it just doesn't sit well with what Preston knows of his friends character and moral beliefs. This just seems to easy to sweep it under the rug without probing a bit further. Of course to complicate things a bit and to get in the way of an ongoing relationship, Preston is assigned an assistant to aid in his investigation and that would cause most women to be a bit more than just concerned. His relationship with Mara, isn't as complicated as most think. She helps to balance him and sees things from different perspectives because she isn't as emotionally involved in this as Preston is.

What she begins to uncover reveals much more than a simple motive for the death of his friend, but also an ongoing hot bed of criminal activity that those involved would like to see left alone and unexposed. Is this the real reason for his friends death? Did he stumble upon something accidentally and paid for that with his life? Oh things are about to get interesting and Preston has no plans to go anywhere until all the cards are on the table.

I received Murder in Disguise by Donn Taylor compliments of Lamplighter Mysteries and Litfuse Publicity. I love it when you really get into the mystery attempting to solve it before your characters do and this is just the right mystery to do just that. However, I am not the great detective that I always hope I am, and follow the wrong rabbit down the hole too many times. Murder mystery fans will love the complexity of this novel and the way each character creates just the right element to make this novel work and keep you entertained but mostly turning pages as fast as you can to get to the very end. I would rate this a 4.5 out of 5 stars in my opinion. This is the third novel in the Preston Barclay Mystery Series.

For more information about Murder in Disguise, Donn Taylor or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:


You can find Donn Taylor on Facebook to stay up to date with all his latest novels

To read more reviews on Murder in Disguise, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour Page. 


Thursday, November 9, 2017

The Engagement Plot



I don't think there isn't one person who doesn't know about online dating reality shows like the Bachelor or the Bachelorette. Where an eligible person tries to find the perfect person among a host of suitable candidates and hopefully a happily ever after will ensue. Fans of such shows will love Krista Phillips new novel, The Engagement Plot. Here we have a similar premise as the setting for our novel, with the reality show named The Price for Love and instead of the infamous red roses, the contestants receive gold coins with hearts verifying their commitment to find true love. Everything appeared to be going well for the final two, with most of the audience rooting for an all around honest church loving girl, they aptly named Holy Hanna, after Hanna Knight, the one woman who vowed to keep her integrity and morals intact despite all the pressure to bend to the viewing audience. She was the one, the upstanding CEO and eligible bachelor William Preston asked to marry him.

Only while Hanna was busy making wedding plans in her mind during the two month hiatus that they were instructed to have no contact with one another expect for an off-camera date, while the show wrapped up for the final unveiling. Hanna was hoping she had found the right man, when in reality, when it came to push the shows ratings as well as his own status in the company, Will led both the show's host and viewing audience to believe that Hanna had compromised all her moral beliefs for a quick weekend away with him. That was the end of the relationship and the end of Hanna's heart. She vowed to find some way to look for how she could have been so easily misled by Will. It cost her almost everything and now her reputation has been in ruins no matter how Hanna might have tried to salvage it.

So now, while avoiding reporters, she has moved back home with her father in Minnesota heading home in the midst of what is turning out to be one of the worst blizzards in history and finds a car trapped in a snowbank. She knows that no one will be out here for hours and her father wouldn't even leave a person stranded. What she didn't expect to find was Will Preston stuck in the snowbank almost freezing to death. While she is more than tempted to leave him there, she knows she can't in good faith no matter what he has done to her in the past. That was not how she was raised and now, she is stuck bringing him home back to her fathers house and undoubtedly hoping the storm might be delayed until he can get on his way to wherever he was headed. Only for now, she will have to deal with all the pain she thought she put behind her again.

I received The Engagement Plot by Krista Phillips compliments of Barbour Publishing and NetGalley. This is such a great story because you only know it's going to get better the further you get into the book and at each crossroads it appears as if God has other plans in store for the two to be reunited again. Can she risk her heart again for the second time? Has Will Preston truly changed? Or does he have another motive behind his visit? You'll just have to pick this one up to find out. I thoroughly enjoyed it and easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars. This would make a great Hallmark Channel movie!

For more information about The Engagement Plot, Krista Phillips or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:


You can find Krista Phillips on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Engagement Plot, please visit Barbour Publishing's website. 


Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Too Far Down



I've been a huge fan of westerns since high school. There is just something about the rugged old west, handsome cowboys and the constant struggle against the good and the bad. Mary Connealy is just the right Christian author that fans of westerns will LOVE. Her series, the Cimarron Legacy is filled with intrigue, non stop action, and of course romance! Her latest novel in the series, Too Far Down which is the third book, picks up with Cole Boden, who is now running a mining operation in Skull Gulch, in the New Mexico Territory in 1881. Just as it seems that things have been settling down, a series of explosions begin to rock his office raining down boulders and rocks.

As he leaves to investigate, he discovers that dynamite has been lit in various lengths to allow them to go off one at a time at each of the mines that have covered the hillside. What is more evident is that this is a planned operation, that someone has deliberately set these to prevent anyone from stopping them and even more to prevent anyone from continuing to mine. Cole discovers it at his mine first and is able to warn other miners in time to cut the fuses before the entire mountain comes down. However, the damage has been done to his own mine. Buried beneath the rubble, lie his own men trapped beneath the mountain and as he gathers together people to help dig them out, not all of them will survive.

When his brothers arrive from the Cimarron Ranch, they begin to put the pieces of the puzzle together that once more this has gotten personal and someone is out to ensure that one by one, the Boden men and their families are put to rest so that their land and ranch holdings can be sold and the Boden legacy dissolved. Now they have to put together a plan to figure out just who is up to no good and put a stop to them before anymore lives are lost. He just doesn't expect Melanie, who goes by Mel to offer to help and no matter how much he tries to reason with her, he know she is just about as good as any of the men who have been asked to help. Perhaps with the help of a beautiful young woman, he might just be able to convince others to open up and discover the truth, quicker than if he or his brothers question them. But what is he willing to risk by putting Mel in possible danger?

I received Too Far Down by Mary Connealy compliments of Baker Publishing Group and NetGalley. While I have not read the previous two novels in this series, I hope to rectify that very soon. It seems that the previous novels give more insight into the grudge against the Boden family as well as the relationships and marriages between Heath and Justin are explored in each of them while this novel focuses on Cole and Melanie. For those that love non stop action, dangerous situations, and strong and determined female characters, readers will LOVE this series. I easily give this a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about Too Far Down, Mary Connealy or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:


You can find Mary Connealy on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Too Far Down, please visit Baker Publishing Group's website. 


Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Home All Along



Some people struggle their whole lives to find a place to call home, when in all actuality it was right in front of them the whole time. In Beth Wiseman's newest novel, Home All Along, the third in the Amish Secrets series, Charlotte Dolinsky is faced with more challenges then most. Being orphaned along with her brother Ethan, she has watched the family deteriorate around her. First her father died, then her brother, and while she struggled to maintain any sense of a relationship with her birth mother Janelle, she watched her slowly die while languishing away in a mental institution lost in her mind in a rage of madness. It would make one wonder, why she shed any tears at all at her mother's funeral. But perhaps deep inside she was mourning for a family most had and she didn't.

Even though her Amish family made her feel at home, they weren't her biological family. Daniel Byler is struggling himself with the feelings he has for Charlotte, an English woman who makes herself at home among the Amish, but still keeping a foot in the English world. He knows what implications will happen if he chooses to walk away from all he has known to follow his heart, but he is hoping that Charlotte might just want to walk away from the English world and join him. After all, it seems as if she is home already.

They didn't see all the changes coming for both of them. The new Bishop has warned Daniel that Charlotte must make a decision soon as many in the fold are beginning to question if the Bishop intends to allow them to continue as they have been, clearly having affections for one another but not equally yoked. Charlotte is introduced to a sister, Andrea, she never knew she had, when she turns up at her mother's funeral, only to remind her that she just needed to know who she was for medical issues. This makes Charlotte question what God has in mind with all this news on the same day she buries her mother. Can she find the right faith to hold onto her life and weather the storms that seem to be pressing on her at this time? Only time will tell.

I received Home All Along by Beth Wiseman compliments of Thomas Nelson Publishing and NetGalley. Oh how I have thoroughly enjoyed this entire series. It makes one realize that the Amish are just like the English in so many ways and have the same struggles we all do. The only difference is their ability to try and accept the things that happen as God's will, but it still doesn't mean it makes it easy for them to handle it well. So many other relationships are addressed as well in this novel with characters readers have met in the other novels. I especially LOVE the ideas that butterflies are rumored to be messages from heaven! I easily give this novel a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about Home All Along, Beth Wiseman or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:


You can find Beth Wiseman on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Home All Along, please visit Thomas Nelson Publisher's website. 


Thursday, November 2, 2017

The Crooked Path



For fans of WWII fiction and coming of age stories that will have you rooting for your favorite characters, you might just want to check out Irma Joubert's novel, The Crooked Path. We all know that the life we dream of for our futures is often a far cry from the one we actually get to live out. For Lettie Louw, she has lived in the shadows of the girls she grew up with. One to notice the obvious differences that girls seem to intuitively understand, she sees herself as less than. Her friends, if she can call them that, are more beautiful, more smarter and just more of anything that Lettie doesn't seem to have enough of. To make matters worse it seems that all the boys she is interested in, are not interested in her or at least not in the way she hopes. So she resolves herself to spending all her time, being the best doctor she can be. After all her father hopes to hand over the reins to her once she is ready. Perhaps that is her calling for her own life.

Marco Romanelli spends his time living in Italy with his large Italian family. His story is much like Lettie's even though they live in vastly different countries, it is their own self esteem issues that get the better of both of them as the reader is introduced to what will become our two main characters and the roads that will take them to an intersection that will spell out their futures together. Like Lettie, Marco has his hearts set on a girl who may never love him as he does her. She is a Jewish girl and now that the countries are about to get embroiled into the historical aspects of WWII, we know what fate lies ahead for his heart. This will immediately garner a sympathetic desire in the heart of the reader to see these two star-crossed lovers find true love with one another in the midst of a war that will undoubtedly change both of their lives.

I received The Crooked Path by Irma Joubert compliments of Thomas Nelson Publishers and TLC Book tours. What I really loved is how the author took her time to build up the characters for the reader. It gives us an idea of what might motivate them through the novel to make the decisions they do, based on their own unique upbringing. This is what ear-marks this novel as something to be savored, not in a rush to finish. We see what affects the war will have on both of them and see what surprising events bring them together and keep them from falling apart like those around them. It gives readers an idea of how difficult life must have been just to survive WWII but to find a lasting love is truly to be treasured. I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

For more information about The Crooked Path, Irma Joubert or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:


You can find Irma Joubert on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest books.

To read more reviews on The Crooked Path, please visit TLC's Book Tour Page.