Sunday, January 31, 2016

Where She Belongs - Misty Willow 1 - by Johnnie Alexander

Cover Art

About the book:

Can love redeem a broken past?
Shelby Kincaid is ready to move forward after the death of her husband left her devastated. With high hopes for the future, she longs to purchase her family's homestead, Misty Willow, so she can raise her young daughters in the only place she ever truly belonged. She plans to transform the abandoned house into the perfect home of her memories. But she has her work cut out for her.

AJ Sullivan never wanted Shelby's family homestead in the first place. His grandfather left it to him as punishment for not following his wishes, and he's let it fall into ruin. AJ's more than happy to unload it to this spitfire of a woman. But even after angry exchanges over the state of the house, he can't get her off his mind.

With writing that evokes a strong sense of place and family history, Johnnie Alexander deftly explores the ties that bind us to home--and the irresistible forces that draw us to each other.

My review:

This was a wonderfully written romance about letting go of the past and second chances!  There were so many sweet romantic moments, but AJ and Shelby both fought against the pull toward each other. Shelby's blamed the Sullivan family for the loss of her heritage for years and can't accept that she could be attracted to a Sullivan.  AJ has felt such guilt over an event in his past that he doesn't feel he can trust or love again.  It was beautiful seeing how their story evolved.  I loved both of their characters and was really rooting for AJ while his cousin Brett tried to woo her, too.  Brett was a real piece of work, but I liked the change we started to see in him and look forward to reading book two, which focuses on his story.  The setting was beautiful and I definitely found myself wanting to move there.  I loved the history involving the Underground Railroad that was brought in.  The faith element was wonderful, too, and we were shown the struggles they were both dealing with in trying to trust and know God's will.  I highly recommend this wonderful story and this is an author going on my watch list!

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


 The Author

  1. Johnnie Alexander
    © Jodie Westfall Photography

    Johnnie Alexander

    Johnnie Alexander is the award-winning author of Where Treasure Hides and Where She Belongs. Johnnie is an accomplished essayist and poet whose work has appeared in the Guideposts anthology A Cup of Christmas Cheer. In addition to...
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Thin Ice - Men of Valor 2 - by Irene Hannon

Cover Art

About the book:

If Ginny Reed is still alive--who is the woman buried in her grave?
After losing her parents and her sister, Christy Reed has been mired in grief. Now, life is finally starting to feel normal again--until an envelope addressed in her sister's handwriting arrives in the mail. And the note inside claims she is still alive.

FBI Special Agent Lance McGregor, a former Delta Force operator, is assigned to reopen the case . . . but he's coming up with more questions than answers. Is Christy a pawn in a twisted cat-and-mouse game--or the target of a sinister plot? As Lance digs deeper, one thing becomes clear: someone in the shadows has a deadly agenda.

Bestselling author and three-time RITA Award winner Irene Hannon pulls out all the stops in this high-stakes thriller that races to a bone-chilling finish.

My review:

This was an enjoyable suspenseful story!  I loved that Christy was smart and strong.  She made a great match with Lance.  I also liked that she had been a figure skater; it made for a unique backstory.  It was interesting to see Lance learning the ropes of his new job with the FBI, especially with a case as confusing as this one.  There were a few cute hints at romance, but I liked that they didn't want to mix business and pleasure.  It was interesting seeing the bad guy's viewpoint and the way we learned more about him as the story went on.  There were some good suspenseful moments.  Christy had a strong faith, even through all of her trials while Lance had wandered from God after seeing some terrible things while with the Delta Force.  There were a few conversations about faith and mentions of prayer, but I wished we would have seen a little more of Lance's journey.  This book works well as a stand-alone, though there are characters here from her previous book.  I recommend it for fans of suspense!

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

 The Author

  1. Irene Hannon
    © DeWeesePhotography.com

    Irene Hannon

    Irene Hannon is the bestselling author of more than forty-five novels, including That Certain Summer, One Perfect Spring, and the Heroes of Quantico, Guardians of Justice, and Private Justice series. Her books have been honored with three coveted...
    Continue reading about Irene Hannon 

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Celebrate Colleen Coble’s ‘Mermaid Moon’ with a Mystery e-Reader Prize Pack + Review!

About the book:

Mermaid Moon (Thomas Nelson, January 2016)

Mallory's mother died fifteen years ago. But her father's last words on the phone were unmistakable: "Find . . . mother."

Shame and confusion have kept Mallory Davis from her home for the last fifteen years, but when her dad mysteriously dies on his mail boat route, she doesn't have any choice but to go back to Mermaid Point.

Mallory believes her father was murdered and childhood sweetheart Kevin O'Connor, game warden in Downeast Maine, confirms her suspicions. But Kevin is wary of helping Mallory in her search. She broke his heart---and left---without a word, years ago.

When Mallory begins receiving threats on her own life---and her beloved teenage daughter, Haylie---their search intensifies. There's a tangled web within the supposed murder, and it involves much more than what meets the eye.

As answers begin to fall into place, Mallory realizes her search is about more than finding her father's killer---it is also about finding herself again . . . and possibly about healing what was broken so long ago with Kevin. She just has to stay alive long enough to put all the pieces together.

My review:
I really enjoyed this suspenseful romance!  I liked Mallory and Kevin and found it fascinating to see them thrown back together after years apart.  I enjoyed trying to figure out the mystery and wondered why Mallory and Kevin weren't putting the clues together.  There were a few things that seemed pretty obvious that they seemed clueless about (forgive the pun!)  There were some nice romantic moments and I appreciated that Kevin was the one to pull back when they got carried away.  It's nice to see an honorable and respectful man who puts a woman before himself.  I loved revisiting the beautiful setting of coastal Maine as this is book two in the Sunset Cove series.  This worked as a stand-alone novel, though characters from book one were in this book and I wouldn't recommend missing their story!  There was one thing that didn't seem to get resolved in the story, but maybe we'll see that in book three, which is due out later this year.   There were a few characters who really got on my nerves, Kevin's parents and Mallory's teenage daughter.  His parents blamed her for everything and were so hateful, while Mallory's daughter had such an attitude and seemed really spoiled.  I liked the inclusion of a blind child as Kevin's daughter and learning more about the her seeing eye dog and the challenges she faced.  There were some spiritual references, from prayer to mentions of God, but nothing very deep.  Forgiveness of yourself was a main theme, along with letting go of the past and moving forward.  I would recommend this interesting suspense!

I received this book from Litfuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

About the author:

USA Today bestselling author Colleen Coble has written several romantic suspense novels including Tidewater Inn, Rosemary Cottage, and the Mercy Falls, Lonestar, and Rock Harbor series. Her books have sold more than 3 million copies.

Connect with Coble: website, Twitter, Facebook










To move forward past a life of shame and confusion, Mallory Davis must go back to Mermaid Point to find out who murdered her father in Colleen Coble's new book, Mermaid Moon. As answers begin to fall into place, Mallory realizes her search is about more than finding her father’s killer—it is also about finding herself again . . . and possibly about healing what was broken so long ago with Kevin. She just has to stay alive long enough to put all the pieces together.

Celebrate the release of Mermaid Moon with Colleen and a mystery e-reader prize pack giveaway!

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One grand prize winner will receive:
Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry! The giveaway ends on February 1st. The winner will be announced February 2nd on the Litfuse blog.

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