BOOK REVIEW- Mountain Murder by Nichole Severn

  

Whispering Pines Ranch was supposed to be safe. Now it's a crime scene. Lance Whitcher lost everything when he came home from his last tour. After hitting rock bottom, he made the choice to find help at a vet recovery center in the middle of the Colorado mountains. But he never expected to become a bodyguard. Losing a patient forced Audrey Perrogni out of her trauma therapy practice and to confront her own needs for once. Whispering Pines promised healing, but finding a body in the middle of the woods wasn’t part of the plan. As a killer closes in, the past threatens to take control. And Audrey and Lance have no choice but to trust one another to survive.  

 

A story that has a very dramatic start and as scary as that was, I liked that.  It doesn't hurt that both Audrey and Lance are really interesting people going through emotional times.  

The danger to Audrey is real and the killer is way more secretive and skilled than they expected.  Lance has the skills and the desire to protect Audrey but he just isn't sure that he's dependable enough.  Dependable meaning that because of his past, he fears falling into dangerous flashbacks where friends become the enemy.  And there are times when that is a valid concern. 

I liked the friendship between Audrey and Lance that turns into a careful romance.  And how the community that they are living in rallies around them. 

The action at the end holds quite the dangerous, surprise twist heading to a dramatic ending. 

 

 “I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

BOOK REVIEW- Peril (by Kat Martin; Alexandra Ivy; Rebecca Zanetti)

   

General Fiction (Adult) 

 

Description

From romantic thriller powerhouses Kat Martin, Alexandra Ivy and Rebecca Zanetti, the trio behind the instant USA Today bestseller PIVOT, three new interwoven stories about brave heroes fighting to stop a rampage - and protect the women they love...

Three women. Three connected stories. Three bestselling authors.

When a cop killer resurfaces in Denver, enlisting the help of a pair of local lowlifes, it marks the beginning of a violent crime spree that will wreak havoc and endanger lives. Law enforcement is on alert from the first sighting of the cold-blooded trio. To take down this brutal gang, only those willing to risk everything they hold dear stand a chance . . .

First, a pair of Denver police officers facing each other for the first time after one night of abandon find themselves working together to stop an ambitious bank heist. In Wyoming, a string of robberies marks the gang’s arrival, and the local sheriff springs into action when the criminals discover his estranged fiancée can identify them. Finally, in the mountains of Colorado, the gang takes shelter on a peaceful guest ranch, where a fiercely protective rancher is hellbent on roping the fugitives up for good.

Trusting their sharply honed instincts, three rugged men will fight to stop the rampage before the women they’d die for become the next victims . . 

 

AMAZON LINK 

4 STARS

Three totally different stories with good main characters and good supporting small cast of people who help them.   Each romance has their own challenges as well, of course.

 

 The evil displayed in all three stories is also shown really well.  The last story has an unexpected twist and I was happy to see how all the H.E.A.'s worked out.

 

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

 

(NETGALLEY)

BOOK REVIEW- The Friend Who Lied by Rachel Amphlett

 

 

Five entered the escape room. Only four came out alive.

Lisa Ashton receives a last-minute reprieve from death two weeks before her birthday. Regaining consciousness, she is horrified to learn one of her friends has been killed – and saved her life.

As she recovers, she uncovers a trail of carefully guarded reputations, disturbing rumours, and lies. Soon, Lisa begins to wonder if one of her friends is hiding a terrible secret. Because five of them entered the escape room that day, and only four got out alive.

And someone is determined to cover their tracks before she can find out the truth.

AMAZON LINK 

4 STARS

Quite a different story is what this was.  We get to read the P.O.V.'s from a small group of people. Lisa, being the main one but also Hayley, Beca and David too.  It makes for quite the mystery and filled with a lot of emotion too.  They go way back but it hasn't been all sunshine and roses. The story is filled with secrets that they are each holding.  Secrets held both separately and as a group.  Interesting people though is what they are even as different as they are from each other.
Yikes, Detective Constable Angela Forbes was a rude, tenacious terror.  When she sank her teeth into these investigations, she never let go.  Truth be told, I didn't like her.  But the writer did a great job at getting me to hate her and her tactics.  Still, she does get the job done and a lot of truths do come out and the end result is stunning in it's conclusions.

 
I read this story through the HOOPLA Library App.

BOOK REVIEW- Faith Like a Child (Embracing Our Lives as Children of God) by Lacy Finn Borgo

   

Christian | Nonfiction (Adult) | Religion & Spirituality

Description

Embrace the invitation of childlike faith. A well-known challenge of Jesus to his followers is to become like little children. But it's often difficult to remember the natural patterns of our childhood selves that enabled us to live freely in God's wonder-filled presence. Is childlike faith simply an unquestioning faith, or is it being present with ourselves in a way that invites healing and wholeness? Faith Like a Child considers Jesus' invitation to childlike faith and explores seven distinct ways of welcoming the child within. Offering wisdom from years of experience as a spiritual director with both adults and children, Lacy Finn Borgo explores practices to welcome and enliven your childhood self. Offering examples of what becoming like children could look like, Borgo invites you to take Jesus up on his offer to live more deeply into a relationship with God. As we welcome our childhood selves, we allow God to heal our wounds so we can live in freedom with Jesus as our companion. 

 

AMAZON LINK 

 4 STARS

 

I liked that this was an interactive book. Especially at the end of each chapter there were what the author called a smorgasbord of practices.  To reunite you with your childhood self and the One who loved you into being. What a great way to put it.  I also liked that the author advised choosing one practice and working it.

There was a  statement that stood out to me early on. It was that we hop back and forth between the generous and the scarce almost unnoticeable. It's like we forget moments of God's kindness, unconditional love and unplanned goodness.  

The very first action that I set up was making a childlike wonder altar.   The book suggested a physical place but an idea came to make mine a digital one.  A place that I could visit daily but also keep it private because it felt so personal. 

When the author said that, asking is a superpower of the kingdom of God, I almost shouted out loud. Yes! 

I'll give you an idea of some of the chapters that were covered.  Play, Laughter, Humor all which were a surprise. I found many gold nuggets throughout the book.  It's something that will need to be read and read again and apply the "exercises" suggested.  I also liked that throughout the book there were suggestions of other books to help. You're going to be surprised when you see what some of them are. 

Included are some personal stories of not only the author but a few other people that not only adds information but charm. 

My last words on it is that "I liked it, learned from it and will continue to do so." 

 

 “I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

 

(Netgalley)

BOOK REVIEW- SUSPECTS by Danielle Steel

  

A dedicated CIA agent becomes an unexpected ally to a woman haunted by the kidnapping of her family, in Suspects, a thrilling novel from international number one bestselling author Danielle Steel.

Theodora Morgan is fashion royalty. Founder of a wildly popular online shopping service, she is one of the most successful businesswomen in the world, although she prefers to keep a low profile, especially in recent months. It was a year ago when the unthinkable struck her family: her husband, industry mogul Matthieu Pasquier, and their son were kidnapped and held for ransom – a nightmare that ended in tragedy.

The case has gone cold, despite evidence linking the crime to Matthieu’s Russian competitors. Theo has reluctantly gone back to work running her company. On the flight to a launch party for one of her highly anticipated pop-up shops in New York City, she crosses paths with high-society ‘networkist’ Pierre de Vaumont. Theo politely invites him to her event –unaware that Pierre has been flagged by the CIA.

Senior supervising CIA operative Mike Andrews investigates Pierre’s suspicious Russian contacts and clears him to enter the country, but when he realizes that Theodora Morgan is on the same flight, he becomes concerned for her safety. Posing as a lawyer, Mike begins a covert mission – starting with Theo’s opening party. When Mike and Theo meet, their connection is instant, but Theo is completely unaware of Mike’s true objective or identity . . . or that the life she is rebuilding is in grave danger.

AMAZON LINK 

4 STARS

This story was way more different than what I was expecting.  But that was good.  So was the world building, which was really well done.  There were a few times like it did feel like it slowed the story for me though.  

Theo and Mike were both great main characters with a huge amount of depth to them. I enjoyed the fact that they each shared their P.O.V.'s. The tragedy that Theo went through was heartfelt and you could believe the emotional things she went through because of it.   I liked how tender or even careful Mike was with Theo knowing how not to push things with her.

 Theo's home base is Paris and Mike's is New York so there is the constant question.  Can this work between them and if yes, how? 

The dangers were really well written. At first, some people felt that the danger to Theo was over.  But not Mike, he felt the baddies weren't done with her yet. He hit the nail on the head on that one. 

My one downside comment was that there were a couple of issues that were repeated a few more times than I would have liked. 

The ending though?  That I did like.  It had hope for the future. 

 

I read this book through the HOOPLA Library App.

 

BOOK REVIEW- The Sweetheart List A Novel(The Sunrise Cove Series # 4) by Jill Shalvis

 

General Fiction (Adult) | Romance | Women's Fiction 

 Description

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis returns to Sunrise Cove with a beguiling, lighthearted story about fresh starts, second chances and true love.

When Harper Shaw’s life falls apart, she knows it’s time for a change. She removes everything that doesn’t spark joy—from her soul-sucking job to eating kale to making lists—and sets off for the last place she was happy, Lake Tahoe (who wouldn’t feel good there, right?) to fulfill her dream of opening her own bakery.

With her Sugar Pine Bakery in between a tavern, owned by sexy, grumpy Bodie Campbell, and a bookstore, run by her new BFF, she feels a peace she’s never experienced since…well, forever.. Then she meets Ivy, a teenage runaway, who barrels into her heart. She sees a lot of herself in Ivy and takes her under her wing, but the teenager has secrets…

When those secrets explode, it changes Harper’s new world, and she’ll learn, it’s never too late to start over, it’s never too late to figure out your life, and best of all, it’s never too late to let yourself believe in love.

AMAZON LINK 

 5+ STARS

 Hilarious beginning..starting with the way it was written to joy chucking Harper and and then Velma.   And seriously?  I'm giggling at Ham's antics in the very first chapter. This story had the humor I was hoping for both in the way it was written and how some people thought and spoke. It also had a boatload of emotions that weren't sappy but totally relatable. The non-romance, romance between Bodie and Harper kept things interesting and I liked her suspicion and down right hostility when it comes her early encounters with him. I liked that it started graduating to friendship and kept going.

Savor.  Just Savor, is what I wanted to do.  I loved it that much.  Even though I knew I had a a bunch of other books clamoring that I promised to read by a certain date.  Help me, I've fallen into this book and I don't want out.  

Bodie, Harper and Ivy steal the show. Well, so does Ham in a more minor way. I liked that we get Bodie, Harper and Ivy's P.O.V.'s.    Adding in Bodie's 

wild, intrusive, loving but often hovering family out of his business is another thing that keeps him pretty busy too.  He says too busy to get to caring about people but boy, his actions show a very different man.  

Shay and her abuela are not shy people either and made me smile and shake my head more than once.

Harper truly was a sweetheart with a big heart and no one in the story has ever encountered anyone like her before.  More than one person she helped wanted to know what the catch was when she did something good.  With her there never is a catch but they will learn.  

Ivy had quite the secret, which I liked how it was revealed.  It definitely upsets the apple cart for a while.  But I liked how the story ended and the Epilogue just finished it off the best.  I wanted to be able to give it more stars.

 “I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

-NETGALLEY-

BOOK REVIEW- Counter Attack (Pearl River#1) by Patricia Bradley

   

Christian | Romance 

 No sooner has Alexis Stone been sworn in as the interim sheriff for Russell County, Tennessee, when a serial killer dubbed the Queen's Gambit Killer strikes again--this time in her hometown. Pearl Springs is just supposed to be a temporary stop along the way to Alex's real dream: becoming the first female police chief of Chattanooga. But the killer's calling card--a white pawn and a note with a chess move printed on it--cannot be ignored.

Pearl Springs chief of police Nathan Landry can't believe that his high school sweetheart Alexis (he refuses to call her Alex) is back in town, and he can't help wanting to protect the woman he never stopped loving. But as the danger mounts and the killer closes in, can Nathan come through on the promises he makes to himself to bring a killer to justice before it's too late. 

 AMAZON LINK

4 STARS

 Alexis is one focused, competitive, driven woman.  All work and no play has what she has become.  She has a goal and it didn't included staying in  her hometown.  She loves her grandparents who raised her but she has a specific job that she wants to get promoted to.  And she can't get it here with loving but hovering grands.  She doesn't want to stay here permanently.  As much as she loves and owes her grandparents.

On the other total side is Nathan, who is great at his job, loves the town and never wants to leave.  You can clearly see the dilemma that they face as their attraction re-appears.

Chess was one of the things that made it a different kind of story. While I appreciated that it was also something that being a non-chess player I found a bit harder to follow..often.   I just didn't realize when I chose the book that there would be so MUCH chess information.  On the plus side, I think it shows the author did their homework on it. I did like how at about 36% on my kindle, that's when I saw how the title of this book fit. 

I  had a lot of questions about Kayla.  What's up with her?  Who is she really? And what are her motives ?  She made my suspicion meter go up.

Although this is a Christian story, it's my hope than people wouldn't pass it by because of that.  It's really good and references to God aren't like a punch to the face.  

There is plenty of action in this story as the serial killer dubbed the Queen's Gambit Killer plays a murderous game of cat and mouse with Alexis.  Come to find out there is more to deal with that just this serial killer.  Others have plans to "damage" Alexis and we discover that as time goes on.  Leads to a whole lot of suspects. The story keeps you guessing until the final moments which come to some stunning surprises.

I liked how the story ended with hope for the future.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

NETGALLEY