Welcome back to Hope Street Church, where friendships are formed, fresh starts are encouraged, and mysteries are solved . . .

It’s June in Virginia, and the scent of flowers and the sound of wedding bells are in the air, an unwelcome reminder to Cooper Lee of the long-distance relationship she recently ended. When Cooper and her Bible study group are invited to spend a weekend at a newly renovated historic inn, it’s the perfect chance to get away with friends and put her bittersweet memories behind her—until the inn’s pompous co-owner is murdered and one of the suspects is Cooper’s own mother.

Certain that someone on the inn’s staff must have done the cruel deed, the Bible study group begins piecing together the clues, only to learn that everyone there has a motive for murder. When they discover that a valuable painting has also been stolen from the inn, they know they’re up against an especially cunning evildoer. Determined to bring the culprit to justice and save her mother, Cooper and her friends devise a risky scheme to trap the killer, because even the Bible study group must sometimes work in mysterious ways . . .

Includes heavenly recipes from Magnolia Lee’s kitchen!

New York Times bestseller author, Ellery Adams, has written over thirty novels and can’t imagine spending a day away from the keyboard. Ms. Adams, a Native New Yorker, has had a lifelong love affair with stories, food, rescue animals, and large bodies of water. When not working on her next novel, she bakes, gardens, spoils her three cats, and wastes far too much time on Pinterest. She lives with her husband and two children (aka the Trolls) in central North Carolina.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

3.5 stars.
Cozy mysteries are such fun and I enjoy them very much. This one is part of a series but totally can be read as a stand alone.

Cooper Lee and her Bible study group are invited to spend the weekend at a newly renovated inn as part of their soft launch. All are so excited to be there. But then there is a murder and the study group turns detective to figure out the culprit.

If you enjoy cozy mysteries, as I do, settle back and see if you are up to playing the part of a detective.

*My thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book through Net Galley. The opinion here is my own. 

Meet Teagan Doyle. Divorced, childless, a police academy washout. She’s failed at every endeavor, given up on every dream. But retired minister John “Berg” Bergland sees a fighter in her.

Plagued by strange noises, cold drafts, and moving objects in their new home—an old church in Wells, Colorado—Matt and Carissa Peterson are convinced the place is haunted. First they hire a psychic. Then a medium. Nothing helps.

But when they find a body buried in the wall of the church basement, they call Teagan and Berg, colleagues in a most unusual profession: demon stalking.

As Teagan and Berg work to free the church of its dark presence—and solve two murders connected to the church—they uncover a plot more sinister and far-reaching than they could have imagined. To survive, they must face their fears and muster every weapon of spiritual warfare they possess.

Always FREE on Kindle Unlimited.

THE TEAGAN DOYLE MYSTERY SERIES:

• Book 1: Chasing Angels
• Book 2: Call of Chaos
• Book 3: Shallow Graves

I have enjoyed Karin Kaufman’s books for years and was happy to learn she had started a new three book series, one based on spiritual warfare.

The book has two main protagonists, Teagan Doyle, a woman in her late thirties who has dropped out of the police academy after failing a crucial test. Teagan is divorced, somewhat bitter and carries her own demons close.

Then there is Berg, a retired seventy-six year old pastor who is unashamedly a demon chaser. Berg believes totally in spiritual warfare and has no truck with mediums and psychics at all. These two unlikely folks have created a job history, and a very interesting one at that, of doing spiritual warfare on behalf of others.

This book captivated my interest early and I connected with the characters easily. Kaufman is a very good writer and this one was tautly written with a few quite surprising twists which left me gasping. It’s spooky at times and intense at others, but will not scare the daylights out of you.

Told in Teagan’s POV, the reader will come to see this woman has faith, but not enough to have any in herself. And Berg’s character was incredibly endearing to me. He is a man of great conviction and integrity. The book was very well done. The only disappointment for me was the language: more than a smattering of mild four letter words, which I felt added nothing to the book because it stood very well on its own.

I look forward to the next two books in this series. These two characters are very well done.

*I was given a copy of this book by the publisher and was not compensated in any way. The opinion in this review is expressly my own.

Return to Heritage with this heart warming Christmas novella.

Had Danielle known that delivering a message would land her holding a bouquet of red roses and wearing the first dress of her life, she would not have volunteered.

Danielle Fair has been working at her dad’s mechanic shop since she could talk, and she loves fixing cars. To everyone at the garage, she’s just Dan, one of the guys, and that’s fine by her…after all, without sisters or a mother, Danielle is lost when it comes to girly stuff. However, when she is forced to embrace her inner girly girl at Nate and Olivia’s winter wedding, her makeover wakes up not just the attention of the guys she works with, but also the one man she has secretly loved for some time—her best friend, Gideon Mathews—Danielle is suddenly beset with way too much attention and struggles to figure out who she is underneath it all.

There were always two things Gideon Mathews could count on: his beloved Detroit Lions not making it to the playoffs and Dan Fair being his best friend. But when Dan—no, Danielle—shows up to his sister’s wedding dressed as, of all things, a girl—no, a very beautiful, breathtaking, heart-stopping girl—he isn’t sure what to do with his sudden rush of emotions. Of course, he’s always known she was a girl, but suddenly he can’t keep his eyes, or mind…or heart away from her. Only now every guy in town seems to have the same problem. Did he lose his chance with Danielle by missing what had been in front of him for so long? Or can he convince her to be his by Christmas?

It’s Miss Congeniality goes to a winter wedding in a Christmas Cinderella tale. From snowed-in to snowball fights, Christmas trees to Christmas dances, this story has everything you need for a perfect holiday read.

Fuzzy socks and hot cocoa not included but encouraged while you read.’

I really, really enjoy the work of Tari Faris and this Christmas novella is just so incredibly delightful! Take a wonderful woman mechanic and a friend who is also a mechanic and then dress them both for a wedding and see what happens. Will it push them towards each other in the way they’ve been thinking for a while or will it push them farther apart. This was just so wonderful and there are some really cool surprises along the way that just made my heart smile. I devoured it in one sitting. Well done!

*My thanks to the publisher and author for a digital copy of this book. I received no compensation and the review here is my own opinion.

Publisher: Faris Fiction
Publication Date: November 5,2020

She faces dangerous situations all the time…

Olympic downhill skier, Harper Young, knows what it’s like to look danger in the face. After all, she does it every time she races down a ski slope. She’s fine with that danger and even excels under the pressure, winning Olympic gold. And as a governor’s daughter, she’s familiar with receiving threats from the general public. But when a stalker turns his sights on Harper, she possesses zero skills to protect herself.

But she has no idea what lurks in the shadows.

Former Navy SEAL and ATF Agent, Aiden Byrd of Nighthawk Security is well versed in protection skills and knows the dangers she faces. Problem is, there’s an instant attraction between Aiden and Harper, and as Aiden and the Nighthawk team contract to protect her, he has to fight to remain professional. When the stalker grows bolder and tries to end Harper’s life, Aiden’s only hope in keeping her safe is to deny his feelings. Something that borders on impossible.

‘Aiden dropped his finger to the trigger.’

Susan Sleeman, my go-to author for inspirational romantic suspense, has started a great new series with Night Fall. Nighthawk Security promises to be a super suspenseful series. Populated by the five Byrd brothers,, all former military or law enforcement, they have now formed a security investigative agency.

Sleeman is great at what she does and totally holds your interest all the way through, with surprises that will keep you guessing till the very end. Since Nighthawk Security is housed in the same building as the Veritas Agency, we get to see old friends from the previous two series, too! I loved seeing those folks again and also some from Blackwell Tactical. I am looking forward to the rest in this series. Recommended.

*My thanks to the publisher and author for a copy of this book. I received no compensation and the opinions in this review are entirely my own.

About Susan Sleeman

SUSAN SLEEMAN is the bestselling author of over thirty-five novels with more than one million books sold. She writes romantic suspense novels that are clean with inspiring messages of faith. Readers love her series for the well-drawn characters and edge-of-your-seat action. She graduated from the FBI and local police citizen academies, so her research is spot-on and her characters are real.
In addition to writing, Susan also hosts TheSuspenseZone.com. She has lived in nine states but now calls Oregon home. Her husband is a retired church music director, and they have two beautiful daughters, a very special son-in-law, and an adorable grandson.
To learn more about Susan’s books sign up for her monthly email that includes exclusive excerpts, giveaways, and other goodies. http://www.susansleeman.com/susans-newsletter/

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Thirteen-year-old Loyal Raines is supposed to stay close to home on a hot summer day in 1934. When he slips away for a quick swim in the river and finds a dead body, he wishes he’d obeyed his mother. The ripples caused by his discovery will impact the town of Beverly, West Virginia, in ways no one could have imagined.

The first person those ripples disturb is Loyal’s absentee father. When Creed Raines realized his infant son was deaf, he headed for the hills, returning only to help meet his family’s basic needs. But when Loyal, now a young teen, stumbles upon a murder it’s his father he runs to tell–shaping the words with his hands. As Creed is pulled into the investigation he discovers that what sets his son apart isn’t his inability to hear but rather his courage. Longing to reclaim the life he abandoned, Creed will have to do more than help solve a murder if he wants to win his family’s hearts again. 

‘In many ways, God doesn’t let us get away with anything. He just leaves us to make our own beds and then lets us lay in ’em…..whether we like it or not.’

Sarah Loudin Thomas’s books are so full that they just won’t turn you loose until the book is finished. Her first did that to me and they continue to have that affect.

Set in 1934 West Virginia, thirteen year old Loyal Raines, who is deaf, slips away to swim in the river on a hot day even though he’s been told to stay home. Then he finds a dead body. His normally absentee father, Creed, tries to help, but the effects of this crime spread throughout the town in an alarming way.

Even though the murder is a central part of this story, what struck me most about it was the powerful emotions between Loyal and his father Creed…the man who thinks he’s responsible for Loyal’s deafness. The emotions Thomas brings in this story are heart-rich and deep. A captivating read as she takes us through the small town in depression WV and the reader is fully invested in the lives of the characters in the book. I know I was captivated. Well done! Recommended.

*My thanks to Bethany House Publishing for a copy of this book via Net Galley. I received no compensation and the opinion here is entirely my own.

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1. Leave a blog post comment with your name in a non spammy format.
2. Giveaway ends November 10, 2020
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4. Winner will be notified by email and have 24 hours to respond; otherwise a new winner will be chosen.

US Marshals Madison James and Jonas Quinn are thrust into a high-profile case when they are called on to transport two prisoners across the country on a private plane. But when the plane experiences engine trouble en route from the Pacific Northwest to Colorado, the pilots crash-land the aircraft deep in the heart of the sprawling Salmon-Challis National Forest. 

When Madison and Jonas regain consciousness, they find both pilots and one prisoner dead–and one fugitive on the run. They’ll have to negotiate the rugged and remote backcountry through Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado while tracking a murderer who is desperate to disappear–and will do anything to stop them.

This high-octane game of cat-and-mouse from bestselling and award-winning author Lisa Harris will have your heart pumping as you try to catch a fugitive with nothing to lose.

‘Sometimes the darkness seems so much stronger than the light….But God is so much bigger than the darkness.’

I had never read this author before, but the book’s cover and synopsis convinced me to give it a read. It was a really good book. I love a good suspense novel and this one fit the bill admirably. Two US Marshals are on a plane escorting two prisoners when the plane crashes, leaving only the marshals and one prisoner alive. And he has escaped. From then on, the action never lets up. This prisoner was an especially bad dude, too.

I was completely fascinated by the office of the US Marshals. The authors goes into detail about their roles and I was so interested that I looked them up on my own. I learned a lot and so glad I read this book. Be warned: there are more in this series to come and the reader will see this at the end. I am eagerly awaiting the next one in the series. I do recommend this book.

*My thanks to Revell Publishing for a copy of this book via Net Galley. The opinion in this review is entirely my own, and I received no compensation.

Publisher: Revell
Publication Date: November 3, 2020
Genre: inspirational romantic suspense
Length: 336 pages
Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B087RTRNTF/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i1

Secrets from her family’s past

thrust her into the crosshairs

At her partner’s Christmas wedding in the mountains, deputy US marshal Dana Santiago’s almost abducted—and only the quick actions of Alex “Rich” Richardson save her. Now Dana and Rich must work together to figure out why the kidnappers seem willing to go to any lengths to capture her. But to find the truth they must first dig up her family’s long-buried past…

From Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.

‘Her life could not end this way.’

I am a fan of Jodie Bailey’s inspirational romantic suspense books and have been for quite some time. So I was happy to read a new book by her. This one hit the ground running and never let up once. I love every minute of it. Deputy US Marshall Dana Santiago walks out into the night for a breath of air after attending her partner’s wedding and two men attack her. The fast action of police officer Alex Richardson manages to save her by a hair. Now comes the hard part: figuring out why someone wants her dead and who wants it that badly. Things escalate quickly from here as ‘Rich’ and Dana try to stay ahead of the murderous thugs bent on destroying her.

I love suspense and Bailey has done this very well indeed. Never a moment is wasted in this story as it raced along pouring out pure adrenaline in its wake. She packs a powerful spiritual message here, too, one that really ministered to me. Her very best work, in this reader’s opinion. I loved every single minute.

*My thanks to the publisher and author for a copy of this book. I received no compensation and the opinion in this review is entirely my own.

Publisher: Love Inspired
Publication Date: November 1,2020
Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086XFH1FG/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i5

Headstrong Johanna Berglund, a linguistics student at the University of Minnesota, has very definite plans for her future . . . plans that do not include returning to her hometown and the secrets and heartaches she left behind there. But the US Army wants her to work as a translator at a nearby camp for German POWs.

Johanna arrives to find the once-sleepy town exploding with hostility. Most patriotic citizens want nothing to do with German soldiers laboring in their fields, and they’re not afraid to criticize those who work at the camp as well. When Johanna describes the trouble to her friend Peter Ito, a language instructor at a school for military intelligence officers, he encourages her to give the town that rejected her a second chance.

As Johanna interacts with the men of the camp and censors their letters home, she begins to see the prisoners in a more sympathetic light. But advocating for better treatment makes her enemies in the community, especially when charismatic German spokesman Stefan Werner begins to show interest in Johanna and her work. The longer Johanna wages her home-front battle, the more the lines between compassion and treason become blurred–and it’s no longer clear whom she can trust.

My Rating: 4 Stars

This was the first book I’d ever read that was written in the epistolary style. It was very different, but also very enlightening because the reader is allowed to get inside the characters’ heads.

I confess I knew next to nothing about the German POW camps in the United States during World War II. I knew they were there and that’s about it. My own uncle was a POW for thirteen months in Stalag 17 during the same war and was treated very horribly. Our own family never received any word from or about him until after his liberation. So it was good to know that the German prisoners in the United States were treated kindly and allowed to communicate with their families. This book has spurred me to research this situation for myself. I love to learn and Amy Lynn Green’s writing has made me very much interested in learning more.

Well written and flowing nicely, this is a debut novel that you’ll want to add to your TBR pile. Recommended.

*My thanks to Bethany House Publishing for a copy of this book via Net Galley. The opinion is my own and I received no compensation.

Publisher: Bethany House
Publication Date: November 3, 2020