A Fool & His Monet - A Serena Jones Mystery 1 - by Sandra Orchard

About the book:

Sketchy politics and a palette of lies can't stop Serena Jones from exposing the mastermind behind the daring theft of a priceless work of art
Serena Jones has a passion for recovering lost and stolen art--one that's surpassed only by her zeal to uncover the truth about who murdered her grandfather. She's joined the FBI Art Crime Team with the secret hope that one of her cases will lead to his killer. Now, despite her mother's pleas to do something safer--like get married--Serena's determined to catch thieves and black market traders.

When a local museum discovers an irreplaceable Monet missing, Serena leaps into action--and a whole heap of trouble.

My review:

I absolutely loved this book!  This was a cozy mystery with wonderful characters!  It was incredibly amusing, especially with her crazy aunt wanting to be a detective and trying to insert herself into Serena's investigation.  There were some laugh-out-loud moments.  The case was interesting and tough to figure out.  Gotta love a twist!  There's kind of a love triangle as it seems like a co-worker and her landlord might be interested in her, though she's focused on her career right now, so there were a few cute moments.  She has over-protective parents who want her to quit her job, get married and give them grandkids and a cat too lazy to catch mice.    I loved the movie references and how she compared people to actors they looked like.  I loved the focus on art and the quotes that were thrown in.  This was a well-written story you won't want to miss!  I can't wait for the next one!

I received this book free from Revell in exchange for an honest review.

 The Author

1. 

   Sandra Orchard

   Sandra Orchard is the award-winning author of many inspirational romantic suspense and mysteries, including Deadly Devotion, Blind Trust, and Desperate Measures. Her writing has garnered several...
   

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A Powerful Secret - The Worthington Destiny 2 - by Dr. Kevin Leman & Jeff Nesbit

About the book:

Sean has always felt like an outsider in his own family.
Now he must risk never achieving what he wants most--his father's love.

Billionaire globe-trotter Sean Worthington is stunned when his older brother suddenly abandons the Senate race in New York and walks away without a backward glance. As campaign manager, Sean's left to handle the media feeding frenzy with no answers. Worse, their father--as usual--backs Will, the "perfect" son.

Frustrated by his father's lack of belief in him, Sean determines to finally move on and forge a unique path. But when a powerful secret is revealed, threatening everything Sean has counted on, he must wrestle with shocking truths . . . and combat the power brokers behind the scenes who have the Worthington family in their crosshairs.

My review:

I actually had a hard time staying interested in this story.  The focus was more on politics, corporate intrigue and manipulation, all of which I'm not that interested in.  I liked the characters and found the parts about Sean's travels looking to invest in companies that help the poor or disaster relief interesting, along with his younger sister's work as a deputy assistant attorney general trying to find out the truth behind a bombing and also the people responsible for a massive oil spill in the Arctic.   Her work seemed to tie in to their family and the oldest brother was trying to protect them from a secret getting out.  The Worthingtons seemed like an amazing family, with this huge impact they had on the world in many different areas.  I find birth order psychology to be fascinating and it was interesting to see how differently these siblings acted from each other.  A big part of their dynamic was also in their relationships with their father and the way he treated each of them.  I felt like I didn't get to really know the characters very well, though the focus was more on Sean so he was the most fleshed out.  The story seemed to center more on the events happening.  There was a little bit of romance and also a little bit about faith, as the sister was a Christian and Sean started to look into it.  I don't think I felt lost not having read book one, which was about the older brother, but it might have helped.  I don't plan on reading the other books in the series as this didn't interest me that much, but others might like them.  I do want to read The Birth Order Book by Dr. Kevin Leman, which sounds fascinating, and there's a little taste of it in the back of this one.

I received this book free from Revell in exchange for an honest review.

  The Authors

1. 

   Dr. Kevin Leman

   Dr. Kevin Leman is an internationally known psychologist, radio and television personality, and speaker who has taught and entertained audiences worldwide with his wit and commonsense psychology. He has made house calls for hundreds of radio and television...
   

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2. 

   Jeff Nesbit

   Jeff Nesbit is a former communications director to the vice president at the White House, served as the director of public affairs for two prominent federal science agencies, and has been a national journalist with Knight Ridder Newspapers. He is the...
   

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The Red Door Inn - Prince Edward Island Dreams 1 - by Liz Johnson

About the book:

Marie Carrington is broke, desperate, and hoping to find sanctuary on Prince Edward Island while decorating a renovated bed-and-breakfast. Seth Sloane moved three thousand miles to help restore his uncle's Victorian B and B--and to forget about the fiancée who broke his heart. He wasn't expecting to have to babysit a woman with a taste for expensive antiques and a bewildering habit of jumping every time he brushes past her.

The only thing Marie and Seth agree on is that getting the Red Door Inn ready to open in just two months will take everything they've got--and they have to find a way to work together. In the process, they may find something infinitely sweeter than they ever imagined on this island of dreams.

My review:

This was a wonderful story I had a hard time putting down.  The romance was sweet with some wonderful moments and I loved the setting.  I've wanted to visit Prince Edward Island ever since reading the Anne of Green Gables series and seeing the movies.  It sounds gorgeous and this book made me want to visit even more.  The characters were wonderful, from gruff Jack who takes Marie in to suspicious Seth who wonders what her motives for helping are.  Aretha, the owner of the antique store, was a wonderfully wise woman and Caden made wonderful treats at the bakery that I could almost taste!  I really liked Marie, too, and felt for her as she tried to deal with a traumatic event in her past and a father who didn't care about her.  She had a hard time viewing God as a loving father because of this and especially after what happened to her.  We're shown a little bit of her journey as she came to see the truth about who God is.  Seth also had a horrible situation he had gone through and he had trust and anger issues because of that.  She struggled with panic attacks and I can't imagine how scary it must be to have those and not be able to control when you have them or where.  I loved that they were renovating an old house and I found it fascinating to see Marie use her knowledge of antiques and design to make the bed-and-breakfast feel like a home.  I can't wait for book two which will feature Caden.  I highly recommend this romance!

 I received this book free from Revell in exchange for an honest review.

 The Author

1. 

   Liz Johnson

   Liz Johnson is a full-time marketing specialist for a Nashville-based publisher. She has been a freelance writer and editor for several publications, including CBA Retailers+Resources, Christian Fiction Online magazine, and Storytellers...
   

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Annabel Lee - A Coffey & Hill Novel 1 - by Mike Nappa

About the book:

Fourteen miles east of Peachtree, Alabama, a secret is hidden.
The secret's name is Annabel Lee.
She doesn't know why her enigmatic uncle has stowed her deep underground in a military-style bunker. He's left her with a few German words, a barely controlled guard dog, and a single command: "Don't open that door for anybody, you got it? Not even me."

Miles away in Atlanta, private investigator Trudi Coffey is visited by a mysterious older man calling himself Dr. Smith. He's been trailing a man for a decade--a man she met through her ex-partner Samuel Hill--and the trail has led him to her office. The last thing Trudi wants to do is to contact Samuel. But it will take both of them to unravel this mystery--before it's too late.

My review:

This was a fascinating book I had a hard time putting down!  It had a very original plot that just piled on the questions and slowly answered them as the story progressed.  Why is this child underground in a bunker?  Who is Uncle Truck really?  Who is Dr. Smith and how does he relate to the girl?  I loved the different viewpoints.  Annabel was very interesting and seemed to have some amazing abilities.  It didn't seem like those were ever really explained, though.  I really liked Trudi as well as her ex.  They both seemed smart in some ways, but naive in others.  For private investigators, not to mention Hill's other line of work, they seemed like they would have thought of things that slipped past them.  There's a hint of romance and some great action!  Trudi was a Christian, but none of the other characters were.  There was a little bit about her faith, but it was more of a background element.  There were also some violent moments, but not anything too graphic.  I had a hard time with something Trudi does.  I could understand why she did it, but I'm not sure it was the right thing to do.  Overall, I really liked this book and I think both men and women would enjoy it if they like suspense or something a little different.  I'm really looking forward to the next one!

I received this book free from Revell in exchange for an honest review.

 The Author

1. 

   Mike Nappa

   Mike Nappa is an entertainment journalist at FamilyFans.com, as well as a bestselling and award-winning author with more than one million books sold worldwide. When he was a kid, the stories of Edgar Allan Poe scared him silly. Today he owns everything Poe...
   

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Made with Love - The Pinecraft Pie Shop 1 - by Tricia Goyer & Sherry Gore

About the book:

A Dash of Love, a Pinch of Hope, and a Whole Lot of Good Cooking!
Lovina Miller should be thrilled. Pinecraft, Florida, has everything a young Amish woman could ask for: sun, sand, volleyball games, and evening singings in the park. But Pinecraft lacks the one thing Lovina desperately wants--a pie shop of her own. She longs for a place to gather with the community and serve the treat she loves.

A young carpenter named Noah Yoder strolls into her life and offers a way to make her dream come true. But before Noah and Lovina can build a shop--and a life--together, they must each face heartaches from the past. Is their new love stronger than their regrets? 
Find inspiration, romance, and authentic Amish recipes for everyone's favorite food--pie!

My review:

I really enjoyed this sweet romance about a young Amish woman seeing her dream come true!  She felt like God had placed this dream in her heart and she watched as it all came together.  It was wonderful to see her faith, even when members of her family questioned her dream.  She didn't expect she would every marry and had a hard time believing someone could be interested in her when she suddenly had two men in her life.  I liked how she looked back to see where her belief came from and whether it was the truth.  I really admired Noah and how he was trying to make up for his past and especially for how he was working to influence the three young men he had taken under his wing so they didn't follow in his footsteps.  Those guys were a real handful!  There were some cute romantic moments.  I really liked how the salvation message was explained and that both Lovina and Noah didn't believe you had to be Amish to get to Heaven, but just needed to accept what Jesus had done.  I don't usually see this viewpoint in the Amish books I've read and it was refreshing.  Important themes were forgiveness, trust and telling the truth.  There were wise Amish proverbs to start each chapter and wonderful recipes to end them.  I love the relaxing atmosphere of Pinecraft and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.  I highly recommend it if you like Amish and Mennonite stories!

I received this book free from Harvest House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Meet the authors

Tricia Goyer

Tricia Goyer is a busy mom of six, grandmother of two, and wife to John. A USA Today bestselling author, Tricia has published over 40 books and has written more than 500 articles. She's well-known for her Big Sky and Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors Amish series. For more information visit Tricia at www.TriciaGoyer.com. Tricia,...

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Sherry Gore

Sherry Gore is the author of Simply Delicious Amish Cooking and Me, Myself and Pie and is a weekly scribe for the national edition of the Amish newspaper The Budget. Sherry's culinary adventures have been seen on NBC Daytime, Today.com, and Mr. Food Test Kitchen. Sherry is a resident of Sarasota, Florida, the vacation...

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- See more at: https://www.harvesthousepublishers.com/books/made-with-love-9780736961295#sthash.6Cs6TGni.dpuf

A Dash of Love, a Pinch of Hope, and a Whole Lot of Good Cooking

Lovina Miller should be thrilled. Pinecraft, Florida, has everything a young Amish woman could ask for: sun, sand, volleyball games, and evening singings in the park. But Pinecraft lacks the one thing Lovina desperately wants—a pie shop of her own. She longs for a place to gather with the community and serve the treat she loves.
A young carpenter named Noah Yoder strolls into her life and offers a way to make her dream come true. But before Noah and Lovina can build a shop—and a life—together, they must each face heartaches from the past. Is their new love stronger than their regrets?

Find inspiration, romance, and authentic Amish recipes for everyone’s favorite food—pie!

- See more at: https://www.harvesthousepublishers.com/books/made-with-love-9780736961295#sthash.6Cs6TGni.dpuf

A Dash of Love, a Pinch of Hope, and a Whole Lot of Good Cooking

Lovina Miller should be thrilled. Pinecraft, Florida, has everything a young Amish woman could ask for: sun, sand, volleyball games, and evening singings in the park. But Pinecraft lacks the one thing Lovina desperately wants—a pie shop of her own. She longs for a place to gather with the community and serve the treat she loves.
A young carpenter named Noah Yoder strolls into her life and offers a way to make her dream come true. But before Noah and Lovina can build a shop—and a life—together, they must each face heartaches from the past. Is their new love stronger than their regrets?

Find inspiration, romance, and authentic Amish recipes for everyone’s favorite food—pie!

- See more at: https://www.harvesthousepublishers.com/books/made-with-love-9780736961295#sthash.6Cs6TGni.dpuf

A Dash of Love, a Pinch of Hope, and a Whole Lot of Good Cooking

Lovina Miller should be thrilled. Pinecraft, Florida, has everything a young Amish woman could ask for: sun, sand, volleyball games, and evening singings in the park. But Pinecraft lacks the one thing Lovina desperately wants—a pie shop of her own. She longs for a place to gather with the community and serve the treat she loves.
A young carpenter named Noah Yoder strolls into her life and offers a way to make her dream come true. But before Noah and Lovina can build a shop—and a life—together, they must each face heartaches from the past. Is their new love stronger than their regrets?

Find inspiration, romance, and authentic Amish recipes for everyone’s favorite food—pie!

- See more at: https://www.harvesthousepublishers.com/books/made-with-love-9780736961295#sthash.6Cs6TGni.dpuf