Former Army Night Stalker Rick Jordan usually has his camp for foster children to himself during the winter months. But someone has visited recently–leaving a trail of blood. One of the two clues left behind tips Rick off to the identity of his visitor, who soon turns up dead. The police deem it an accident, but Rick isn’t convinced. With the help of private investigator Heather Shields, he sets out to decipher the remaining clue. Except someone doesn’t want them to succeed–and will stop at nothing to keep them from finding the truth.
With her trademark psychological suspense ratcheting up the tension on every page, bestselling and award-winning author Irene Hannon takes you on a search for a cold-blooded killer with an ambitious goal and deadly intent.
About Irene Hannon
Irene Hannon is the best-selling author of more than 35 novels. Her books have been honored with the coveted RITA Award from Romance Writers of America, the HOLT Medallion, the Reviewer’s Choice Award from Romantic Times BOOKreviews magazine and the Daphne du Maurier Award for mystery/suspense. Irene and her husband make their home in Missouri, USA. Irene invites you to visit her at her website, http://www.irenehannon.com
‘He might never have needed a gun in the four years he’d called this rural Missouri acreage home, but it was better to risk overkill than be killed.’
I never miss an Irene Hannon book. She writes two each year and I’ve always got them on my list of books to read. She is quite skilled at her psychological suspense novels and she keeps the reader guessing throughout.
Former Army Night Stalker Rick Jordan, now running a camp for foster kids, finds blood on his property one evening and evidence that someone has broken into a shed. He needs to find out what has happened to a former Army buddy who saved his life and so he hires Phoenix Inc., an elite group of private investigators. He is given as an investigator Heather Shields, former police detective, who is eager to take his case. Together, they discover that someone is willing to kill, not just once, to keep them from finding the truth and Rick’s buddy. All the while they must keep their attraction from one another on the back burner.
Hannon creates intrigue with a good dose of romance to keep her readers coming back for more. She never disappoints with her ability to start a bit slow, though very interesting, then builds layer upon layer as the story progresses, until finally the book is racing toward a surprising, yet satisfying conclusion. I never manage to guess the culprit, either. That’s the mark of a good suspense writer. I enjoyed every minute, staying up late to finish the book. Highly recommended.
*My thanks to Revell Publishing for a preview copy of this book via Net Galley. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Meg Pero has been assisting her photographer father since she was big enough to carry his equipment, so when he dies she is determined to take over his profession–starting with fulfilling the contract he signed to serve on an Army survey of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in 1871. What she doesn’t realize is that the leader of the expedition is none other than the man she once refused to marry.
Captain Ben Coleridge would like nothing more than to leave without the woman who broke his heart, but he refuses to wait even one more day to get started. This survey is a screen for another, more personal mission, one he cannot share with any member of his team.
As dangers arise from all sides, including within the survey party, Meg and Ben must work together to stay alive, fulfill their duties, and, just maybe, rekindle a love that neither had completely left behind.
About Regina Scott
Regina Scott started writing novels in the third grade. Thankfully for literature as we know it, she didn’t actually sell her first novel until she’d learned a bit more about writing. After numerous short stories and articles in magazines and trade journals, and a good kick in the backside from her husband, she got serious about writing. Since then, she’s had published more than 40 clean historical romances for adults and young adults. Her traditional romances have earned praised from reviewers and readers alike. Booklist calls her work “quietly compelling” and “impeccably written.” Huntress Reviews says, “Regina Scott delivers,” and “I will always buy a book with Regina Scott’s name on it.”
Regina Scott is the author of the Frontier Bachelors series set in pioneer Seattle (The Bride Ship, Would-Be Wilderness Wife, Frontier Engagement, Instant Frontier Family, A Convenient Christmas Wedding, Mail-Order Marriage Promise, His Frontier Christmas Family, and Frontier Matchmaker Bride). She is also the author of more than two dozen sweet historical romances set in Regency England in such series as Fortune’s Brides, Uncommon Courtships, the Everard Legacy, the Master Matchmakers, and the Lady Emily Capers. She has twice been awarded best book of the year for her type of story from industry favorite RT Book Reviews.
‘There’s always a reason for God’s creation. What was he trying to tell us? What are we to learn from all this?’
Photographer Meg Pero thinks the Army will allow her to take her deceased father’s place as the one to record photographically the excursion into the Grand Canyon in 1871. What she doesn’t know is that the man she once rejected as a husband is now the captain of the expedition. Ben Coleridge would rather have anyone but Meg on this trip, but the time is too short to hire another photographer, so he reluctantly agrees to take her with them.
They set out and soon danger lurks seemingly around every corner and the troop must try hard to stay alive and fed and watered. Adventure abounds, intrigue surrounds, and a romance is rekindled in the beauty of the creation of the magnificent Grand Canyon. Scott has a winner.
*My thanks to Revell Publishing for a copy of this book via Net Galley. The opinions stated here are entirely my own.
Exotic pet-sitter Belinda Blake is nervous about her new job at the White Pine Wolf Preserve, but it turns out that the care and feeding of wild carnivores may be the least dangerous part of the gig . . .
Pet-sitter Belinda Blake is no stranger to dealing with wild animals, but she’s wary when the owner of the Greenwich, Connecticut, preserve asks her to help out with her “fluffy darlings.” Her caution seems justified on her very first day, when she discovers a tour guide—dead, bloodied, and surrounded by wolves in the enclosure.
Was it death by predator or something more sinister? The body count rises, but something’s not adding up. As she gets to know the rescued wolves and wolf-dog hybrids better, Belinda realizes that her human colleagues are not above suspicion. With help from her own “pack”—her pregnant sister, Red the chauffeur/bodyguard, and hunky farmer Jonas—Belinda is hot on the killer’s tail, but if she doesn’t find him soon, he’ll do more than muzzle her to keep the truth from escaping.
Praise for Belinda Blake and The Snake in the Grass
“A humorous series debut with exotic pets and a zany cast of characters. Gilbert’s cozy will make you smile.” —Amanda Flower, USA Today bestselling author of Premeditated Peppermint
“Cozy fans will root for pet-sitter Belinda Blake as she unravels this cleverly-crafted mystery in a delightfully-deadly new series by Heather Day Gilbert.” —Elizabeth Spann Craig, author of the bestselling Myrtle Clover Mysteries
About Heather Day Gilbert
HEATHER DAY GILBERT, an ECPA Christy award finalist and Grace award winner, writes contemporary mysteries and Viking historicals. Her novels feature small towns, family relationships, and women who aren’t afraid to protect those they love. Publisher’s Weekly gave Heather’s Viking historical Forest Child a starred review, saying it is “an engaging story depicting timeless human struggles with faith, love, loyalty, and leadership.”
Find Heather on Pinterest (heatherdgilbert), Instagram (@heatherdaygilbert), Twitter (@heatherdgilbert), and Facebook (heatherdaygilbert). You can find all her books at heatherdaygilbert.com
My Rating: 4 Stars!
‘I know this sounds impossible, but I think someone’s framing the wolves.’
Belinda Blake, sitter of exotic pets, is back on the trail of a murderer once again in the second offering of Heather Day Gilbert’s ‘Exotic Pet Sitter’ cozy mystery series. This time Belinda is tasked with helping out at a wolf preserve for 8 days. True to form, though, Belinda isn’t there long at all before a dead body turns up. And another. That’s all the clues you’ll get from me.
Belinda has a natural bent for solving crimes, but can she get another one solved before she herself turns up at one of the victims? There are more than a few suspects; if only Belinda has time to cross them off the list before it’s her turn!
Heather Day Gilbert is a nab hand at a cozy mystery and I never, ever figure out the culprit! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the wolves and meeting them in the book. Read this one in a day, folks. It’s that good. Recommended.
*My thanks to Kensington Publishing for a copy of this book via Net Galley. The opinions stated here are entirely my own.
I am so very excited to feature Misty Beller and her latest book on my blog today! Misty and I recently met up at the tiny library in our small hometown for a photo and she signed my book! Sit back and enjoy my interview with Misty and hang around for instructions on how you can win a copy of Hope’s Highest Mountain, signed by Misty!
How did you decide to write in this genre?
I tend
to be a bit of a sentimentalist, so Historical Romance is perfect for me!My
favorite period is between 1800 – 1880, when the frontier days were really
ramping up. I love the simpler life, where there’s no rat race. Just hard work,
plenty of alone time (can you tell I’m an introvert?), and a strong family
unit. My stories usual center around horses and mountains, which comes from my
love for animals and being outside. I was completely horse crazy growing up,
and actually trained and showed horses professionally for a couple years after
high school.
When did you know you wanted to write
Christian fiction?
All my
life, I’ve been a true book lover. Give me a good novel, and you probably won’t
see me again until it’s finished. I’ve also always enjoyed writing, and tend to
express myself best through my written correspondence. In high school, I had a
poem published in a commercial poetry compilation book.
But I
never seriously thought about writing a novel, until about seven years ago. I
was putting together my bucket list, and realized that I really did want to
write a novel. So, “Write a novel that’s published” made it near the
top!
3. Were you a reader
as a child?
Yes! I
was either reading or riding horses when I was a kid. I remember many times
when my mom would tell me to put down the book and go outside. Then my older
brother and I would go ride the horses over my grandparents’ farm.
You and I live in the same small town. I’ve
been here my whole life. How long have you lived here?
I’ve
lived here my whole life, too! I was homeschooled, and we spent SO MANY hours
at our little library. The librarians became some of our good family friends.
In fact, I’m so grateful to Ms. Margie, the sweet librarian who first
introduced me to you, Susan! Ms. Margie passed away last year, and it was
amazing to see how many lives she touched through her work at the library.
How do you find the time to write being the
mother of small children?
I’m
still not sure! We have four sweet kiddos, ages twelve years through three
months. I’m still trying to figure out how to get things done with our new
little Matthew in the house. I couldn’t do it without help from family!
How do
book ideas come to you?
The
characters usually come first. Many of my books are set in the Rocky Mountains,
so sometimes I’ll get an idea of a character in a particular setting, then I’ll
start brainstorming their background and what made them who they turn out to be
in the story. Sometimes I’ll read a magazine article or book that creates a
snapshot in my mind of what their personality is like. Then comes more
brainstorming!
7. What do you hope
readers will take away from this book?
The theme of hope was important to me as I wrote this story. As Hope’s Highest Mountain starts, Ingrid and Micah were both in the depths of hard times in their lives. Micah’s was a self-imposed penance as he grieved the loss of his wife and daughter and the part he played in their deaths. For Ingrid, she’d just lost her father in a tragic wagon accident, and had no idea what her life should look like moving forward. Through the story, both of them realized that though life would be different in the future, there was hope that the new life God had planned for them could be even better. They never would have found the better, though, if they hadn’t gone through the hard times. 😊
Author Bio:
Misty M. Beller
is a USA Today bestselling author of
romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth
of God’s love.
She was raised
on a farm in South Carolina, so her Southern roots run deep. Growing up, her
family was close, and they continue to keep that priority today. Her husband
and daughters now add another dimension to her life, keeping her both grounded
and crazy.
God has placed
a desire in Misty’s heart to combine her love for Christian fiction and the
simpler ranch life, writing historical novels that display God’s abundant love
through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters.
On her way to deliver vaccines to a mining town in the Montana Territory, Ingrid Chastain never anticipated a terrible accident would leave her alone and badly injured in the wilderness. When rescue comes in the form of a mysterious mountain man, she’s hesitant to trust him, but the journey ahead will change their lives more than they could have known.
My Rating: 5 Stars!
‘I learned long ago trusting God to help never makes things better. It only makes me weaker.’
Micah Bradley has lived alone in the Montana wilderness for 5 years now, ever since smallpox took his wife and daughter. He couldn’t save them although he was a doctor. He comes across a wagon accident and finds all dead but one woman, who has a broken femur. He does all he can to save her, but when she asks him to transport the smallpox vaccines her doctor father was taking to a nearby fort, he balks. How could God want him to do such a thing after the loss he’s suffered from this disease? He’s willing to take the woman to the fort a few weeks’ journey away, but this favor she’s asked? He is not willing to even think about it. Ingrid Chastain endures horrible pain after Micah sets her leg but can’t seem to get him to see the importance of getting the vaccine to the fort, even if it will save many lives. Can she trust God to work on Micah’s heart?
Misty Beller begins this book in a powerful way. Her imagery is very strong and evocative to the reader. I was pulled in immediately and my attention never wavered at all during the book. These people endured much during this time of heartache and pain. Prominent in this book is the importance of surrender to God, even when it might mean great pain and even greater heartache. Her characterizations are vivid and her descriptions of the setting are wonderfully done. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Recommended.
*My thanks to Bethany House Publishers for a complimentary copy of this book via Net Galley. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
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Growing up in Colorado, Josephine Madson has been fascinated by but has shied away from the outside world–one she’s been raised to believe killed her parents. When Dave Warden, a rancher, shows up to their secret home with his wounded father, will Josephine and her sisters risk stepping into the world to help or remain separated but safe on Hope Mountain?
About The Author
Mary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys always with a strong suspense thread. She is a two time Carol Award winner, and a Rita, Christy and Inspirational Reader’s Choice finalist. She is the bestselling author of 48 books and novellas. Her most recent three book series are: Cimarron Legacy, Wild at Heart, Trouble in Texas, Kincaid Bride for Bethany House Publishing. She’s also written four other series for Barbour Publishing and many novellas and several stand-alone books for multiple publishers. Mary will be a published author for ten years in 2017 with nearly a million books in print. She has a degree in broadcast communications with an emphasis in journalism and has worked at her local newspaper.
‘It was too perfect, a holy moment, as if they were closer to God up here. They were filled with the peace of the place.’
I never, ever miss a Mary Connealy book. No way, no how. She has been a favorite since the first book of hers I picked up. And nothing has changed since then. When I first saw the cover for this book, I fell in love with it. In fact, the covers for her last two series’ have been wonderfully done.
Connealy introduces us to the Nordegren sisters, Danish by blood, living alone in the Colorado mountains in a little hide away valley. They have been taught to fear the outside world, that it would bring sickness and death to them. So they’ve stayed put and lived off the land and their wits. Until one day, Jo (Josephine) tries to sneak into a camp of a few cowboys and their herd, hankering after a tin cup. David Warden, a rancher, catches her and hangs onto her till he can find out whether she is a real thief or not. Then his mother and father hurry into the camp, with a thousand head of cattle behind them, and someone has shot his father. Just so happens Jo’s sister Ilsa is well versed in healing. So thusly these two families meet. What happens next is all Mary Connealy. She can weave a tale of the old West like no other. I’ve always loved her cowboy comedies and I will never tire of them. There is a lot of good stuff in here, too, and she describes it all well: the pristine snowy winter of the Colorado mountains, how well these folks can track in the snow, how these sisters each have great strengths and talents, and on I could go. But just read it. I highly recommend this book. I can’t wait for the next Nordegren sister’s story!
*My thanks to Bethany House Publishers for a complimentary copy of this book through Net Galley. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
When Sierra Byrd’s father needs a kidney transplant, despite her parents’ protest claiming they could never ask for her help, Sierra insists on being tested for the transplant. But when results prove it is physically impossible for her father to be her biological father, her family finally confesses their long-held secret. She was conceived in an affair her mother had the summer before her parents’ wedding. The man she’d come to know as father is named on her birth certificate, but he truly isn’t her father.
But the job just turned personal.
Shocked and hurt, Sierra goes in search of her biological father in the small coastal town where he owns a property management business. But when she arrives in town to find her father has recently disappeared, and she starts asking questions, FBI Agent Reed Rice delivers her second shock in as many days. Her father is wanted for embezzling money from the properties he manages. Despite the evidence staring her in the face, Sierra holds out hope that her father isn’t the criminal that Reed believes him to be. But as Sierra’s desperate search for the truth unearths long-buried secrets and she runs into dead end after dead end, she ignites a killer’s fury, and suddenly her own life is on the line.
About The Author
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-ne…
Had God put Reed in her life to show her His love and support in human form?’
Sierra Byrd discovers she is not her father’s daughter when she is tested as a possible kidney transplant donor. She discovers her parents’ decades long secret and heads off to find her true biological daughter, only to learn he lives nearby but has been missing the last 4 weeks and is suspected in an embezzlement scheme. Sierra works for the elite Veritas team as their trace evidence expert and begins to process the scene immediately, only to find herself in handcuffs as FBI agent Reed Rice thinks she is part of the criminal set.
Susan Sleeman is my go-to for romantic inspirational suspense. She knows her business and it’s like watching a top of the line crime show on tv. Her research into the criminal and forensic world is impeccable and I love learning all about it! She also weaves a wonderful spiritual them through her books. I have been a huge fan for years! She takes her readers on a fast ride and the suspense continues to ratchet up until the very end. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this book. I now look forward to the next in the series.
*My thanks to the publisher and author for a preview copy of this book. The opinions stated here are entirely my own.
A second princess. Another key to the treasure. And a cruel king desperate to squelch the growing rebellion.
Raised in an isolated abbey, Lady Maribel desires nothing more than to become a nun and continue practicing her healing arts. She’s carefree and happy with her life…until a visitor comes to the abbey and reveals her true identity as one of the lost princesses.
When he was a young boy, Edmund Chambers helplessly watched King Ethelwulf murder his family. Edmund escaped and has lived in the abbey ever since, uniquely trained to work with wild animals. Secretly, he loves Maribel and desperately hopes she doesn’t complete her holy order vows.
When King Ethelwulf’s army arrives at the abbey to capture Maribel, she flees with Edmund across the desolate Highlands in an attempt to reach Adelaide’s rebel army. Edmund can no longer hide his love, but can Maribel give up her dreams of becoming a nun to love him in return?
About Jody Hedlund
Jody Hedlund is the author of over twenty historicals for both adults and teens and is the winner of numerous awards including the Christy, Carol, and Christian Book Award.
Jody lives in central Michigan with her husband, five busy children, and five spoiled cats. Although Jody prefers to experience daring and dangerous adventures through her characters rather than in real life, she’s learned that a calm existence is simply not meant to be (at least in this phase of her life!).
When she’s not penning another of her page-turning stories, she loves to spend her time reading, especially when it also involves consuming coffee and chocolate.
My Rating: 5 Stars!
‘God had indeed answered our prayer in a way we’d never been able to envision on our own.’
This quote reminded me of Ephesians 3:20 because God is able to do more than we can even dare to dream of.
I am a Jody Hedlund fan and I absolutely love her medieval stories! I personally think this is her forte, too! She brings us book two in her Lost Princesses series, telling the tale of Maribel, one of the twin princesses who was spirited away by a loyal servant when the evil King Ethelwulf took over the castle and murdered her parents. Maribel has been hidden in a convent high in the mountains and has no idea of her identity. She was taught the healing arts from an old nun and she herself has every intention of taking the vows and tending the sick and injured. But the sudden appearance of the old Sister Katherine changes her life completely. Now, her dear friend Edmund must take her away to join her older sister to join forces to fight the evil king and help find her remaining twin.
I loved this very much! Hedlund tells a medieval tale so well that this reader was captivated and stayed up quite late to finish this book. I highly recommend not only this book but the series.
*My thanks to the author and publisher for a preview copy of this book. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
I do not ever remember a time I did not like to read or be read to. I have always loved books. My mama took me to the library the first time when I was less than 3 years old and it’s been a love affair with books ever since. Probably before that. Mama always read to me and my little brother. Just last week, in fact, Jeff and I were discussing this. Mama would hold him on her lap and tuck me into her side and read Bible stories and fairy tales to us nearly every single night. She bought us a Little Golden Book each week at the grocery store, too. I still have many of them, as you can see from the photo above. She also bought us little books with 45 rpm records with them so that we could follow along as the narrator read the book. My brother can still quote entire passages of some!
When I started to school, Mama got me a subscription to the Weekly Reader and then the Weekly Reader Book Club. I thought I was the stuff! I remember pulling the Weekly Reader from the mail box after I got off the school bus and just dragging my feet all the way up the dirt road to our house because I HAD to begin reading! And I got a new book every month! When I learned to read my first Dick and Jane book, everyone who visited our home had to listen to me read. I have a very vivid memory of sitting in the window, well, near the window, reading that book over and over and being filled with joy at the words on the page!
Reading only became more of a love in my life the older I got, too. In fourth grade, all my library visits to the school library had me checking out a series of biographies of famous Americans. I read every single one they had. I loved learning about Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Clara Barton, etc. I have always had a very vivid imagination and I pictured myself there in the story with them. I read so much that my mama would say, “If you’re looking for Susie, she’s somewhere with her nose stuck in a book.” My mama, in fact, started me reading Christian fiction with Janette Oke’s ‘Love Comes Softly’. I read that book numerous times and was blessed each time I read it. I still have Mama’s original copy as well as the entire series.
When Tom and I married in 1978, we had only two new things of our own to start our married life: a 19 inch black and white tv and a metal bookcase. Everything else was bought second hand from relatives. But I had a regular date with the library. I would check out whole big bags of books at a time. We didn’t have much of a budget for books, so I didn’t own a huge amount back then. When income tax refund time came, I got books! I could have lived in a book store! In fact, as a girl, my dream was to be locked in the library overnight. All those treasures! All mine for hours and hours!
Gradually I build my library. Then, after six years of infertility, we were expecting a baby! At the time, my mother lived with us. We had 3 bedrooms but the third was taken up by books. We had to put that baby somewhere, so I donated 268 hardcovers to our local one-room library. Ouch, that hurt. But I could go check them out again if I wanted. Then I started building my library up again, but storing them other places, like in boxes under beds, etc. I could not live life without books!
The photos here are just some of my books that I have room for in my home. And there is another book case in my bedroom! I also have a storage building with many bookcases in it. I donate books to our local library, but it’s hard to part with a book.
I don’t remember exactly how I got started in influencing for Christian fiction. I do remember author Mike Dellosso starting a group named The Darlington Society after a book of his. I made his group and I guess it started from there. That was in 2010. I began reviewing and it just took off from there. I am doing what I love most doing.
I now influence for a great many authors of Christian fiction. I love this genre most. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been going through a trial and the book I was reading ministered to me. It’s so amazing to me that the very same God who spoke this entire universe into existence knew that on that day I’d be going through that trial, so He created an author and gave them the words to write in that book and allowed me to read it to minister to my spirit!~
So, to all the writers for whom I influence, if you read this, please know beyond a shadow of a doubt how much I appreciate you. The fact that you trust me with your hard work is a blessing that I will never, ever take for granted! Not once. Your writing has blessed me beyond measure and I consider it a total blessing from God to be able to do this, read and review and influence for such wonderful books. Books that honor Him and bring glory to the name of Christ Jesus!
So there it is: a bit of my reading story. I hope that I will always have clarity of mind to continue reading and influencing as long as God allows me life on this earth. Blessings!!
Simply Susan 