Book Review: Running Target by Elizabeth Goddard

susansnodgrass

My rating: 4 stars!

Elizabeth Goddard continues her Coldwater Bay Intrigue series with this offering and she does not disappoint! When an author hits the ground running from the very first sentence, you know you’re in for a good one! And we are. Goddard continues the same way she starts out through the entire novel. There is virtually no down time at all! Suspense all the way.

Marine Deputy Bree Carrington and her partner’s routine stop of a vessel turns into a desperate battle for life. What they thought was illegal weapons turns into a deadly drug ring. She flees into the woods and is rescued at the last minute by her ex boyfriend, DEA agent Quinn Strand. As the criminals continue to chase both of them, can they stay safe and bring down this drug ring at the same time.

If you like inspirational suspense and a lot of it, this book is for you. Recommended.

*My thanks to the author for a preview copy of this book. The opinion expressed here is entirely my own.

Publisher:  Love Inspired Suspense
Publication date:  May 1, 2019

https://amzn.to/2ZLRwAG

https://bethgoddard.com/

Book Review: Act of Valor by Dana Mentink

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My Rating: 5 stars

‘He and God weren’t friends anymore.’

Violet Griffin is an airline employee and sees several suspicious travelers and just by that simple act, she is marked as a target by drug runners. Zach Jameson and Eddie, his drug detection beagle are ready to bring down these smugglers, but come up against dead end after dead end. To make matters worse, Zach’s brother, also an officer, has recently been murdered and Zach is determined to find his killer. Zach and Violet have been friends since grade school, but suddenly things are changing up a bit in their lives. Could it be love?

Dana Mentink grabs this and runs with it. Suspense and action go hand in hand for a thrilling ride! I love these K-9 stories. Everything you need is here: suspense, super bad guys, non-stop action, budding romance and dogs. What more do you need? Recommended.

*My thanks to the publisher and author for a preview copy of this book. The opinions stated here are entirely my own and no compensation was received, nor positive review expected.

Publisher: Love Inspired

Publication Date: May 1, 2019

www.danamentink.com

Book Review: Killer Exposure by Jessica R. Patch

susansnodgrass

My Rating: 5 Stars!

‘He was pretty sure he didn’t need a Post-it note to remind him a killer was coming. With a vengeance. With death on his mind. And he was laser-focused.’

Greer Montgomery is a crime scene photographer for a small town when she witnesses a murder at a carnival in her town. She fights with the murderer but he gets away. But he keeps coming back to finish the job. Greer is a single mother to a 9 month old baby girl. A daughter she never told the baby’s father about. Now Locke Gallager is in town chasing a series of storms. He’s never been afraid of the deadly storms, but he’s afraid for Greer’s life. Greer, her police department, and Locke are trying to solve this crime but are coming up empty handed at every turn. The killer could be anyone, but he’s on a mission: take Greer out. Can Locke keep her safe?

Jessica Patch is in fine form here. Her characters are fine tuned and full of depth and the setting is super well done. A killer on the loose, trying at every turn to murder a woman and a batch of killer storms barreling toward them. Suspense galore! I loved every single minute. Her spiritual theme here is very well done, too. One that we all face from time to time. Well done! Highly recommended.

*My thanks to the publisher and author for a preview copy of this book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

  • Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense; Original edition (May 1, 2019)
  • Publication Date: May 1, 2019
  • Sold by: Harlequin Digital Sales Corp.

https://amzn.to/2V7acMK

Meet Jessica

Jessica is the author  of the popular Seasons of Hope, and the Honeyhaven contemporary romance series. She’s also written ten Love Inspired Suspense novels. No matter what genre she’s writing in, you’ll always find romance, adventure, lots of laughs, and a heap of hope. Sign up for her newsletter to stay “Patched In.”

Jessica lives in the Mid-south with her handsome husband and two kiddos.

Book Review: ‘Identity: Classified’

susansnodgrass

My Rating:  5 Stars!

‘He wasn’t  interested in  finding a wife, and even if he was, he didn’t want another city gal, especially one who rode a Harley, had guns and knives stashed on her person, and owned at attack poodle.’

I had never read this author, but the  book cover looked great and the synopsis sounded even better, so I took a chance on a new author.  My attention was captured from the very beginning and the book got better with each chapter.  Chloe Spencer, former delinquent and now super security specialist witnesses a murder on her webcam when she is monitoring security for a client.  The killer sticks his face in the camera and demands she give him a disc or she is next in line to be killed.  So she runs after assuming an alias.  Chloe is tough and ends up in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where she runs into Sheriff Ethan Hoyt, widower with a 6 year old daughter.  But the killer has sent hired goons after her and things begin to accelerate rapidly.  Chloe has to  decide whether or not to stand on her own, as she always has, or trust the sheriff with her past and allow him to help her stay out of danger.

I loved this book!  There is great suspense and great characters.  I am quite pleased when I can be pulled into a character’s persona in a book.  This one was great and with a bit of dry wit, it was just right up my alley.  I look forward to more from this author.

Publisher: Love Inspired

Publication Date: April 1, 2019

Let God Carry The Load

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The other day I read a quote in a book and it really got me to thinking. Here’s the quote: ‘She wasn’t in over her head yet. No need to bother God about it when she could still handle it herself.’ Here’s the rub: God ‘wants’ us to give Him our burdens. That’s what He’s there for. How often do we struggle unnecessarily, trying to lug around a big burden when God is standing there, just hoping we’ll hand it over to Him? I’m guilty. Very guilty. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve worried and cried over situations, holding them in my tight little hands to my chest, hurting over them, before handing them to God. And they all turned out well in the end!
Think about it like this: if you’re a parent, you will totally get this. When your child is struggling or in pain, you want to take care of it and take care of it now! We don’t want to see our children hurt and struggling. Well, we are God’s children and He wants us to turn to Him with our problems and not try to solve them on our own. Because the thing is, we can’t see the future, but God can. He knows what’s going to happen and how He will bring us out. So today, try to make it a practice to just give those burdens and problems to God first thing. Now after you’ve worried yourself to death over them. Turn to God FIRST! I’m going to be trying to do just that.

New Author Review: P.S. Goodbye by Tari Faris

susansnodgrass

My Rating: 5 stars!

‘God promises to direct our paths when we submit to Him.  He doesn’t promise to bless any plan we decide on our own to make.  We get that confused sometimes.’

I LOVE discovering a new author!  And I especially love it when I connect with what that new author has written, which happened here in a huge way. 

This book is a prequel in Tari Faris’ new series, Restoring Heritage, Heritage being a very small town in Michigan.  Caroline Williams who has a desire to be a life coach, but is currently managing a small shop bequeathed to her by her grandfather, is thrown for a loop when Grant Quinn shows back up in town.  Caroline has crushed on Grant since the age of 13 and he was her cousin Nate’s best friend.  Caroline believes in plans, plans everything down to the tiniest detail and Grant just doesn’t check off any of her detailed plans for her life.  Enormous attraction is not on her list.  So she just tries to avoid how she feels.

Grant is back in town after leaving the military because of an injury.  His life is in a sort of limbo and he is not exactly sure what he wants.  So, he agrees to help Caroline get her website up and running and reluctantly allows her to be his life coach and find meaning for his life. 

Both Grant and Caroline have serious issues stemming from their hurts in their families, but neither can open their eyes to the plan God has for them.  And unlike our plans, His never fail. 

Tari Faris is a wonderfully fresh new voice in Christian fiction and she has created characters whose personalities jump right off the page and their emotions felt deep in your heart.  I love it when this happens! When I connect with characters this way, my heart smiles. Faris is now on my go-to author list.  I highly recommend this novella.  Which, by the way, was so full and rich it seemed like a full length novel!

*I received this novella free by subscribing to the author’s newsletter  at
https://www.tarifaris.com/

Book Review: Dead Ringer by Susan Sleeman

susansnodgrass

My Rating: 5 stars!!

‘He couldn’t fail another person.  Just couldn’t.’

I am a total forever fan of Susan Sleeman’s.  All in.  She knows how to do inspirational romantic suspense and do it very well indeed.  She never, ever disappoints.  This is the start to a new series and I was so excited to start it!

We met Emory Steele in her last book in the Cold Harbor series which featured the Blackwell Tactical Team.  We see some of those members again in this book briefly and it was fun to see them again. 

We also met Sheriff Blake Jenkins in several of the Cold Harbor books.  I was hoping that he would get a book some day and I was just thrilled to see him as one of the main protagonists here.

Emory Steele is head of the Veritas Lab, a super specialized crime unit, having more resources and quicker results many times than law enforcement agencies.  A local woman goes missing and when Blake delivers her DNA to Emory’s lab, he is dumbfounded to see the same woman standing before him.  She is a dead ringer for the missing woman.  Emory is not so sure, but agrees to run the test.  She then realizes she has a twin sister she knows nothing about. Emory is adopted so what is going on here?  Blake determines to keep Emory safe and find her twin, but things heat up quickly and both are in soon in danger.  Blake finds himself having feelings for Emory, but she was the victim of a brutal attack six months earlier and has no use for any man.  But does God have other plans for these two?

Susan Sleeman is in fine form here for sure!  She researches everything and absolutely fascinates this reader with her find tuning of police procedure and the latest in crime scene investigations.  It’s like watching an episode of Criminal Minds!  Seriously.  She builds suspense until we can’t wait to see what happens and must force ourselves not to skip to the ending.  I loved every  moment.  Highly recommended.

*My thanks to the author for providing a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Publication Date:  April 19, 2019

Publisher:  Edge of Your Seat  Books, Inc.

Book Review: God Is In The Small Stuff: 20th Anniversary Edition

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My Rating: 5 Stars!

I LOVE this little book! It is truly wonderful and I am using it as a devotional book right now. Each little section is easily read in 5 or 6 minutes and has a short devotion type reading, with little sayings afterwards, each of which can be applied in your daily walk with Christ. I plan to begin again after I finish each day. I just love it so much! Worth of many re-reads. I am a devotion book addict and own loads of them and they are everywhere in my house and on my kindle and phone. This one is just so good, I can’t tell you how much I love it. I highly recommend it.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

Publisher:  Shiloh Run Press
Publication Date:  April 1, 2019

Book Review: The Governess of Penwythe Hall by Sarah E. Ladd

susansnodgrass

My rating: 5 stars

‘Fear is a bitter, vile enemy—it will rob you of today’s joys and steal your strength to fight for your purpose.’

Sarah E. Ladd brings us a very good start to a new series set in Cornwall. I have loved her books since her very first and look forward to what she has next for her readers.

Cornwall, England, 1811. Cordelia Greythorne has escaped Cornwall after being blamed for her husband’s death and taken a position as a governess. Three years later, the unexpected death of the children’s father and mother leave her without a job, but the late father has asked her to remain with his children as a last request. He has left guardianship of his five children to his estranged brother, Jac Trethewey, who lives in Cornwall at Penwythe Hall, the home many felt should have been his older brother’s.

Cordelia fears her late husband’s family, who also live in Cornwall, but she is determined to provide a safe environment for the children. Jac Trethewey wants to restore Penwythe’s apple orchards into a flourishing business, but is concerned about the new venture he plans to try. He is completely shocked when he finds out that he has the care of his five nieces and nephews.

There are many secrets here and danger abounding. Ladd once again takes her readers on a fascinating journey into the coast and moors of Cornwall. She brings the landscape and characters alive with her rich prose and descriptions, all the while giving us a rich spiritual theme. Highly recommended.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers via Net Galley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

  • Publisher: Thomas Nelson (April 16, 2019)
  • Publication Date: April 16, 2019
  • Sold by: HarperCollins Publishing

Book Review: His Wyoming Baby Blessing by Jill Kemerer

susansnodgrass

My Rating: 4 Stars

‘Had God set this in motion? Did God care about him that much? When Wade so rarely relied on Him?’

Wade Croft’s childhood friend, the one whom he spent time with in foster care, Kit McAllistor, shows up at his ranch widowed and pregnant. He offers her a place to stay, but that’s all. His heart is not up for sharing. But old feelings surface, along with past tragedies and Wade finds it hard to ignore them.
His ranch is seriously at risk, too. Can he also risk the woman he’s beginning to love as well?

Jill Kemerer brings us the fourth book in her Wyoming Cowboys series and it’s a good one. There is a strong spiritual message here for her readers as well. Fear is not from God and He wants His children to walk in peace and mercy, not in fear. Watch as these characters figure this truth out from a loving heavenly Father.

*My thanks to the author for a preview copy of this book. No review was expected and the opinions stated here are entirely my own.

  • Publisher: Love Inspired; Original edition (May 1, 2019)
  • Publication Date: May 1, 2019