Seal Under Siege - Review and Giveaway

Staci Hayes knew that once the Navy SEALS rescued her from Lybania the threat on her life didn't end there. Now if she can only find the one person who might be able to help her, the only person who might believe that she isn't suffering from the effects of PTSD that everyone else thinks is plaguing her, the one man whose blue eyes she looked into the night he saved her. Yet how could she find him again. She didn't even know his name, just that his team referred to him as L.T.

Once a rescue mission is complete, the SEALS are expected not to get involved with anyone who was part of that mission. However when Staci Hayes showed up in a secure facility where he was, looking completely lost and at the end of her rope, he didn't have the heart to tell her that he couldn't get involved any longer. Yet somehow against his better judgment, Lt. Tristan Sawyer did just that. He gave Staci the time to tell him what she knew and how the threat on her life wasn't over. In fact, based on what she took from the prison in Lybania is now a matter of national security and the risks of millions of lives are on the  line. If only he could figure out the clues in the hand drawn map that showed the Coronado Naval base and the surrounding area.

In the latest novel from Liz Johnson in the Love Inspired Series, Seal Under Siege, takes the reader into not only an action packed suspense story but also weaves a heartwarming romance in between. Yet both Staci and Tristan have secrets that are preventing either of them in getting any more involved that simply working out the threat on San Diego. But when Staci's live is put on the line, Tristan has to admit that he can't always be there to be the one to save her. He has to make a decision, to back away and risk tearing his heart out, or go all in and learn what it means to risk it all in the name of love.

I received Seal Under Siege by Liz Johnson compliments of the author herself and received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. Having read A Promise to Protect before which outlines the storyline between Tristan's sister, Ashley Waterstone and her husband Matt, this one cuts right to your heart and has you flipping pages to see how Tristan and Staci will work out their differences before something happens to either one of them. I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars and once again this novel has found a forever home on my library shelf.

For more information about Seal Under Siege, Liz Johnson or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Seal Under Siege by Liz Johnson

You can also follow Liz Johnson on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

Now for the fun part, I am giving away a copy of Seal Under Siege compliments of Liz Johnson to one lucky follower of my blog. Here are the guidelines to enter to win.

1. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart.

2. "Like" Liz Johnson's Facebook page, and leave her a great comment about why you'd love to win a copy of her book while you're there.

3. Be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address. Please No P.O. Boxes.

4. Leave me a comment below telling me why you'd love to win a copy along with your email address. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols. I will be emailing the winner once the giveaway ends on September 10th. Enter as many times as you want.

That's all there is to enter. Don't forget the giveaway ends on September 10th so enter as many times as you want.

Darkness Before Dawn

Ace Collins is rapidly moving his way up my list of favorite authors in a hurry! Everything I've read of his has been exceptional, life changing and worth talking about to anyone I can! The characters and situations he takes you to are places you hope you never have to visit but once there, you simply find yourself holding your breath waiting for the next page to be turned.

In his latest novel, Darkness Before Dawn, we meet Meg Richard's who receives the phone call we all had to get. Early in the morning, she is informed that her husband Steven, 28, was in a car accident and didn't make it. The van that hit him was filled with teenage boys that had been drinking and he was on his way home from working late when they hit him. Steven was trying to make it home so that they could spend their anniversary weekend together. They were just beginning a new life with one another, looking at buying their first home and now it was if God simply decided that Meg needed a different life than the one she had been planning on having.

She heads to the hospital to identify her husbands remains but is advised that she should avoid it. It seems the accident was pretty bad and his car caught fire. Her friends, at the hospital try to convince Meg that this isn't the way she wants to remember her husband, but somehow she feels until she can be absolutely sure it's him, there is a chance he might still be alive. The only thing she can manage to identify is his wedding ring. That's when Meg realizes that all her hopes and dreams have simply died. Her faith in God is over since she believes God is the one responsible for killing her husband. After all if God is so all powerful, He could have prevented the accident from happening. Coupled with all the prayers and condolences from well meaning family and friends, Meg has simply had enough.

She attempts to turn her grief into revenge and seeks out the person responsible for the accident. When most of her attempts to learn his identity, she finds out he is under age and is protected by law. The District Attorney is still going over the evidence to see if he can even prosecute the case since he has been turned over to his parents for the time being. Meg will stop at nothing to ensure that all the pain and grief she is having to deal with, will be poured out on the person responsible for Steven's death. On top of all this, she learns on the eve of his death, that all their efforts to have a child, means that Meg is now pregnant with their first child. Will she give up her faith or will she see how God can turn even this situation into something good in His own way?

I received Darkness Before Dawn by Ace Collins compliments of Abingdon Press and Litfuse Publicity  for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for a favorable one. This novel floored me with all the emotions and intensity of what a wife would have to endure. In fact, I had to remind myself at times I was only reading a novel and now actually dealing with the situation myself. That's how real Ace involves his readers into his storyline. It's phenomenal! I couldn't put it down until I knew how this would all play out. I honestly felt I would have reacted much the same way Meg did and wondered where my faith would have played out in all of it as well. Another masterpiece in my opinion and one I would highly recommend if you're looking for a novel you can become a part of! This one hits home for me with a 5 out of 5 stars! We'd all like to say we'd handle things better than Meg does at first, but until you deal with a loss that great in an unexpected and 100% preventable way, then you find yourself testing your own faith in new ways you could never imagine!

For more information about Darkness Before Dawn, Ace Collins or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Darkness Before Dawn by Ace Collins

You can follow Ace Collins on Facebook to stay up to date with all his latest novels.

To read more reviews on Darkness Before Dawn from the Pump Up Your Book Tours, please click here. 

In his latest novel, Darkness Before Dawn (Abingdon Press), Ace Collins leads readers on an emotionally charged ride from revenge to forgiveness.

Ace is celebrating the release of Darkness Before Dawn with a Retribution v. Redemption 12-Day Giveaway!

Go {HERE} or click the button for all the details. Follow along for a new giveaway each day. (Moleskin journal, books, Starbucks gift cards and so much more!)

Deliver Me From Evil

Perhaps one of the most powerful books I've read in a long time, exposes the world of child kidnapping and human trafficking. Often times we think this happens in other countries far away from us, but we would be so shocked to learn that it may in fact be happening in our own neighborhoods in this country.

Using a fiction based story, Deliver Me From Evil by Kathi Macias is an eye-opening and tragic story of one girl, Maria whose name is changed to Mara is sold by her family in Mexico to her uncle in hopes of a better life. The better life she had dreamed of turns into a nightmare when she learns she has been sold into a prostitution ring and her uncle is running it. Now year later, Mara has found a way to cope, a way to place herself outside of what is happening to her body in hopes that one day she will die from the hands of one of clients who beats and abuses her. She knows she can never escape and find a life of freedom again.

Jonathan is on the verge of graduating high school and works nights delivering pizza at Slice of Italy. Only tonight's delivery will change his life forever when he encounters a young girl running from a motel room, half naked, begging him for help. An older man appears and takes the young girl back from him, claiming he is her father and she is mentally unstable and hasn't been taking her meds. Just as Jonathan tries to intervene, Mara calls for the young girl and validates the story. Thinking nothing more of it, Jonathan leaves, but can not forget the image or the young girls face pleading for his help.



In the novel, Deliver Me From Evil from Kathi Macias, the first book in the Freedom series, Kathi takes the reader into the world of human trafficking in the prostitution market within San Diego as the setting for this story. Finding it difficult to read as a parent of two girls, this book really hit home for me. Wondering if this isn't really occurring in our own towns and neighborhoods as young girls go missing, claimed by police as merely runaways or the victims of internet dating. How would a parent ever know if their child wasn't a victim of this senseless crime that is happening all over the world, especially when kids are walking home from school or attending late night events or a day at the beach.

This makes the reader more aware that these things are happening and even want to take a proactive approach at seeing this end. Not just criminals placed behind bars but for the need of this type of service to end and the tragic lives that are taken away forever, finding a way to heal the pain inside. I want to thank Kathi for taking a stand and writing a difficult novel with a strong story line like this one, if not to create an awareness in us, but to cause us to help in finding a way to stop this abuse once and for all.

I received this book compliments of Pump Up Your Book Tours and New Hope Publishers for my honest review and highly recommend it. Not a subject for young adults but definitely something that the church ministries should all actively be pursuing in their own communities. The more aware we become, the more we can find a way to end this nightmare for those involved. I rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars.

For more information on this book, the author and where to pick up a copy of this book, please click on the links below:

Deliver Me From Evil by Kathi Macias

You can also find Kathi on Facebook by clicking here.

False Witness

If someone you loved was taken from you, how far would you be willing to go to get them back unharmed?

Would you be willing to do whatever it takes even if it means breaking the law, lying, cheating, blackmail, and even taking someone's life?

Clark Shealy is a bail bondsman/bounty hunter, who finds out himself just far anyone would go, when his wife it kidnapped. The Manchurian Triad, one of the biggest Mafia organizations in China has kidnapped his wife and will begin removing her teeth without anesthesia in 48 hours unless he can locate Professor Kumari and return him to them.

It seems Professor Kumari has been able to develop a mathematical formula known as the Abacus Algorithm, which can decode any number into it's two primes. This is priceless because all internet security is based on deciphering prime numbers as the key to unlock any website. They call it the key to unlock all keys.

Only these men will stop at nothing until they get their hands on this formula. When he pushed to his limits, Clark will know just how far he will go to risk getting his wife back. Will he be able to locate the professor in time before the torture of his wife begins? Or will he use his skills to locate those that are holding his wife and enact his own form of revenge on those he holds responsible?

In the latest suspense thriller, False Witness by Randy Singer, the reader is faced with a fast-paced, adrenaline pumping, non-stop thrill ride from the first page. This has to be one of the best suspense fiction books I have read in quite some time. For readers that enjoy those unpredictable suspense thrill rides in reading, then this is just the book for you. Hands down it rates a 5 out of 5 stars and can't wait to see what else this author has up his writing sleeve in the future.

I received this book, compliments of B & B Media Group for my honest review and LOVED every single page!!! Like a combination of Mission Impossible and Die Hard, this one will keep your heart pounding and your pulse racing. You'll need a road map just to figure out all the twists and turns in this one, you didn't see coming.

For even more information about this book, the author and where to purchase a copy, please click on the link below:

False Witness by Randy Singer

False Witness on Amazon.com

The Alarmists

The world sits anxiously awaiting the outcome of December 21, 2012. Some places around the world are in panic mode, hording supplies, clearing out store shelves and acquiring any spare cash that they can, just in case.

We all know about the end of the Mayan calendar. People are speculating whether or not that will be the end of the world as we now know it. Some believe it's a religious sign of the times, perhaps the coming of the promised Savior the Bible speaks of. Others believe that nothing will happen except the same thing that happens every other day.

Yet the probability also exists that if one could make events happen to suggest that the myth of the end of the world on 12/21/12, isn't a myth after all, and provide evidence to convince people that the world is going to end, one could also stand to reason that there could be money to be made in it all.

Think about the panic generated on the coming weeks before Y2K. Some believed things would change, others thought it was a prolific sign of the end times and yet others believed nothing would change. We all know what happened, but what would have happened if 9/11 occurred on the eve on Y2K? Chaos? Panic?

Perhaps someone watched the way the world reacted and realized that should something happen again, there would be money in it.

Brent Michaels is a professor of sociology whose unique skill is seeing the order in the chaos of human interaction. When a special group of military scientists led by Colonel James Richards contracts Brent to work with his team, what they uncover will lead them to discover that someone is out there trying to play God.

I received the book The Alarmists by Don Hoesel compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review. This one had me hanging by the edge of my seat. The reader is taken along a journey with Dr. Michaels to uncover seemingly uneventful circumstances happening all over the world that when viewed by themselves reveals nothing, such as an oil refinery fire. However when Dr. Michaels links the events together, you can see that a master puppeteer is manipulating world wide events in order to make a profit while causing global panic in light of the looming December 21st prophecy. I would rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars for the thrill ride alone!!

Here are even more great reviews along with information about the author and a sneak peek at the first chapter. This book is available in paperback and eBook formats.

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Alarmists Bethany House (April 1, 2011) by Don Hoesel

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Don Hoesel is a Web site designer for a Medicare carrier in Nashville, TN. He has a BA in Mass Communication from Taylor University and has published short fiction in Relief Journal. He was born and raised in Buffalo, NY but calls Spring Hill, Tennessee, with his wife and two children. The Alarmists is his third novel.



ABOUT THE BOOK

The 2012 phenomenon that's going viral around the globe has led sociology professor Jameson Richards to study the impact on society when, like the Y2K scare, 12/21/12 comes and goes with hardly a wrinkle.

This is the date that, according to the Mayan calendar, the doomsayers predict the world will end. Richards teams up with General Michaels, a scientist stationed at the Pentagon whose job it is to monitor the world's fanatics, keeping an eye out for potential terrorists. Together they uncover something sinister going on beneath the surface, linked to billionaire and media mogul Jeremy Maxwell, who also happens to be a huge manufacturer of weapons systems.

The 2012 date has captured Maxwell's attention too, and he's looking to cash in on the public's fear and paranoia. And what he instigates--along with his corrupt partners--nearly starts another war in the Middle East, while also bringing the world to its knees economically. It's up to the professor/general team to blow the whistle on Maxwell, hopefully in time to avert a major catastrophe.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Alarmists, go HERE

In The Shadow of Evil

Watch the trailer:





Not many men are willing to believe that Layla Taylor is as capable as a foreman/contractor as the reputation her father had left behind as the owners of Taylor Construction. Now that Layla is up for the regional award suddenly her life is about to go spiraling downhill quickly.

When one of her homes for charity, Homes for Hope is burned and a body is discovered inside, the police have no choice but to investigate Layla. Maddox Bishop is one of the lead investigators working this crime and he seems bound and determined to find the reason behind it all even if it means arresting the beautiful Layla who seems to have gotten under his skin.

When the investigation starts drawing closer to who is responsible, things really get hectic when peoples lives are put in danger, bombs are detonated while the criminal mastermind tries to find a way out.

I received the book, In The Shadow of Evil by Robin Carroll, compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review. This one rates a 5 out of 5 stars for edge of your seat, suspense mystery on literally every page. The basic theme of the book is that forgiveness is necessary to keep evil from controlling your life and keeping you bound in misery.

Here's even more great information about the book, the author and a first chapter glimpse that will have you wanting more.

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing In The Shadow of Evil B&H Books (March 1, 2011) by Robin Caroll

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born and raised in Louisiana, Robin Caroll is a southerner through and through. Her passion has always been to tell stories to entertain others. Robin’s mother, bless her heart, is a genealogist who instilled in Robin the deep love of family and pride of heritage—two aspects Robin weaves into each of her books. When she isn’t writing, Robin spends time with her husband of twenty years, her three beautiful daughters, one precious grandson, and their four character-filled pets at home—in the South, where else?

Robin gives back to the writing community by serving as Conference Director for ACFW. Her books have finaled/placed in such contests as RT Reviewer's Choice, Bookseller's Best, and Book of the Year. An avid reader herself, Robin loves hearing from and chatting with other readers. Although her favorite genre to read is mystery/suspense, of course, she’ll read just about any good story. Except historicals!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Informed by the real-life fallout of the U.S. economy plus devastation caused by multiple hurricanes along the southern coast, In the Shadow of Evil casts the modern day story of a building rebound scam exposed. It begins when the body of a property inspector is found among the ashes of a burnt out Homes of Hope house. Wrapped up in this mounting case of unethical practices, supply shortages, and murder, top Louisiana homicide detective Maddox Bishop is losing his heart to a charitable contractor, Layla Taylor, whose own sister is under suspicion. He’s also about to discover a deep secret about his tragic past.

If you would like to read the first chapter of In The Shadow of Evil, go HERE.

Judgment Day A Novel

Judgement Day isn't your ordinary cable news show. This is more like a blend between TMZ and your local news with the main anchor being Suzanne Kidwell, whose sensationalized stories based on merely little more than a statement leads to some of the shows highest ratings. Unfortunately all that missing fact finding and investigative reporting of the truth is about to land Suzanne is some hot water with her latest expose's on the biggest political figures.

When her boyfriend Guy Mandeville, proposes one more time to Suzanne, she agrees to at least consider the offer, despite his father William Mandeville who questions Suzanne's reasons for marrying his son. He believes that she is after his company and all their money, however when Guy winds up dead after driving Suzanne's car one day, is appears that her boyfriend may have not been so forth coming in his own business dealings.

While Suzanne tries to find out the reason for Guy's death, she comes across his locked personal computer and a briefcase in the car she had borrowed. What she uncovers is about to tie one of the cities two biggest cases together and who is ultimately behind it all will leave you guessing until the very end.

In the novel, Judgment Day by Wanda L. Dyson, you will find yourself on the ride of a lifetime spent trying to figure out the woven stories and crimes being twisted together while the main characters are being framed for murder and having their own lives in jeopardy. This is a wonderful suspense book for those readers who love a little mystery in their reading lives.

I received this book, compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review, and must say I couldn’t put this one down til I solved the crimes myself. Got me off guard quite a few times but completely enjoyed every moment. I would easily rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars. For more information about this book, the author and where to gain a first chapter glance, read on:

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Judgment Day WaterBrook Press (September 21, 2010)
by Wanda Dyson
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Wanda Dyson – "a shining example of what Christian fiction is becoming..." (Christian Fiction Review). She's been called a "natural" and a "master of pacing," but her fans know that whether it's police thrillers, suspense, or bringing a true story to life, Wanda knows how to take her readers on a journey they'll never forget.

Wanda is a multipublished suspense author, currently writing for Random House/Waterbrook. Her one attempt at a nonfiction book was picked for an exclusive release on Oprah. In addition to writing full time, she is also the appointment coordinator for the CCWC, Great Philadelphia Christian Writers, and ACFW conferences.

Wanda lives in Western Maryland on a 125 acre farm with a menagerie of animals and when she's not writing critically acclaimed suspense, or away at conferences, you can find her zipping across the fields on a 4-wheeler with Maya, her German Shepherd, or plodding along at a more leisurely pace on her horse, Nanza.

With the release of her newest hit, Judgment Day, Wanda is heading back to the keyboard to start on her next high-octane thriller, The Vigilante.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Sensational journalism has never been so deadly.

The weekly cable news show Judgment Day with Suzanne Kidwell promises to expose businessmen, religious leaders, and politicians for the lies they tell. Suzanne positions herself as a champion of ethics and morality with a backbone of steel—until a revelation of her shoddy investigation tactics and creative fact embellishing put her in hot water with her employers, putting her credibility in question and threatening her professional ambitions.

Bitter and angry, Suzanne returns home one day to find an entrepreneur she is investigating, John Edward Sterling, unconscious on her living room floor. Before the night is over, Sterling is dead, she has his blood on her hands, and the police are arresting her for murder. She needs help to prove her innocence, but her only hope, private investigator Marcus Crisp, is also her ex-fiancé–the man she betrayed in college.

Marcus and his partner Alexandria Fisher-Hawthorne reluctantly agree to take the case, but they won’t cut Suzanne any slack. Exposing her lack of ethics and the lives she’s destroyed in her fight for ratings does little to make them think Suzanne is innocent. But as Marcus digs into the mire of secrets surrounding her enemies, he unveils an alliance well-worth killing for. Now all he has to do is keep Suzanne and Alex alive long enough to prove it.

Watch the book trailer:




If you would like to read the Prologue and first chapter of Judgment Day, go HERE.