Saturday, November 24, 2018

Review: Tell Her No Lies by Kelly Irvin


3 Stars!
This is my first time reading a book by this author, and I enjoyed it. Romantic suspense is one of my favorite genres and this one had some great edge of your seat moments, but the pace felt a bit slow for my taste. I loved Aaron instantly! I'm personally not crazy about love triangles, but I did end up liking how that aspect of the story was handled. I liked Nina, but I didn't feel like I ever fully connected with her, which kept me from feeling very invested in her story. 
Overall, Tell Her No Lies is a very good read that I recommend to fans of romantic suspense. I am very intrigued by the description of this author's next romantic suspense novel which I definitely plan on reading! 


I received a copy of this book from the publisher, which did not influence my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.

Friday, November 23, 2018

Lost Christmas Memories by Dana Mentink Review and Giveaway!


About the Book






Book: Lost Christmas Memories



Author: Dana Mentink



Genre: Inspirational Romantic Suspense/Christmas



Release Date: November 1, 2018





A witness with amnesia

Can she trust this Gold Country Cowboy with her life?

Tracy Wilson witnessed a murder—but after a head injury, she can’t remember what she saw. Now someone plans to silence her for good, and only cowboy Keegan Thorn believes her. With a killer after her at Christmas, Tracy is running out of time to remember…and falling dangerously hard for the cowboy who could break her heart.

Click here to purchase your copy!

About the Author






Dana Mentink is a two time American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award winner, a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award and a Holt Medallion winner. She is a national bestselling author of over thirty five titles in the suspense and lighthearted romance genres. She is pleased to write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense, Harlequin Heartwarming and Harvest House. Dana was thrilled to be a semi-finalist in the Jeanne Robertson Comedy With Class Competition. Besides writing, she busies herself teaching third grade. Mostly, she loves to be home with Papa Bear, teen bear cubs affectionately nicknamed Yogi and Boo Boo, Junie, the nutty terrier, a chubby box turtle and a feisty parakeet. You can connect with Dana via her website at danamentink.com.

Guest Post from Dana

Writing this book was bittersweet for me. It was lovely to finally be able to tell youngest Thorn brother Keegan’s story, but I sure am sorry to say goodbye to this series! It was such fun to write about these four kinsmen and the family bonds that held them together through all manner of murder and mayhem! Here at Mentink Manor, we have recently sent a bear cub away to college for the first time. It feels like I have lost a limb now that my Boo Boo is gone! Fortunately, we will enjoy having her home for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Though it won’t be a cozy country Christmas like it is for Keegan (we live in a city of 80,000 here in Northern, CA) we will be thrilled to have all our family home to celebrate together (Mama Bear, Papa Bear, two cubs, a naughty terrier, and a senior citizen box turtle!) I hope you enjoy this last installment in the Gold Country Cowboy series. I am sending along our best wishes for a blessed holiday season, from our Mentink household to yours!


Blog Stops

Christian Bookaholic, November 22
Among the Reads, November 22
Inklings and Notions, November 23
Blogging With Carol, November 23
D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, November 24
Moments, November 25
Simple Harvest Reads, November 25
Genesis 5020, November 26
SusanLovesBooks, November 26
Remembrancy, November 26
Kat’s Corner Books, November 27
Pause for Tales, November 27
Ashley’s Bookshelf, November 27
Quiet quilter, November 28
Book by Book, November 29
A Rup Life, November 29
Older & Smarter?, November 30
Have A Wonderful Day, November 30
Cafinated Reads, November 30
KarenSueHadley, December 1
Lighthouse Academy, December 1
Daysong Reflections, December 1
Bibliophile Reviews, December 2
Bigreadersite, December 3
Texas Book-aholic, December 4
Carpe Diem, December 4
Godly Book Reviews, December 5

Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Dana is giving away a grand prize of a copy of Lost Christmas Memories, a $50 Amazon gift card and this cute reading charms necklace!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d626/lost-christmas-memories-celebration-tour-giveaway


My Thoughts:


5 Stars!
This is the first time I've read one of Dana Mentink's romantic suspense books and it will most definitely not be the last! I loved this book! The suspense and action started on page one and didn't let up, which made for a fabulous story that I didn't want to stop reading. Tracy and Keegan were both delightfully real and beautifully flawed characters, and while their relationship moved quickly it never felt too fast to me. The adrenaline pumping suspense scenes were perfectly balanced with delightful humor and moments that were so sweetly romantic that I sighed in happiness! This book was everything I had hoped for and more! 
Bottom line: this is a phenomenal romantic suspense read that I completely devoured and loved every single word. Even though this is book four in a series and I had not read the first three, I had no problem at all following this one, so they don't have to be read in order, but I am now super excited to go back and read the rest of the Thorn brothers' stories! If you are a fan of Christian romantic suspense this is one you won't want to miss. Highly recommended!




I received an ebook copy of this book through the Celebrate Lit team. Which did not influence my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.

Thursday, November 1, 2018

Review: Stratagem by Robin Caroll


3 Stars
The description of this book is really intriguing and made me automatically want to read it. But, sadly the book fell flat for me. This one had more of a mystery story feel to it than the action packed suspense I was expecting, and as such seemed to move at a slower pace than I personally prefer. I loved the main character, Grayson, I thought he was totally fabulous and the games he created were absolutely fascinating to read about! The faith story was also great and very well done! I did guess the villain's identity early on, there were a couple of other possible suspects, but my first and strongest instinct turned out to be correct. I always love to play detective when I read this type of novel, and I love it when my guesses turn out to be correct!
One thing that bothered me about this book was that there seemed to be quite a bit of repeated information, and even though I understand the reason for that I'm sorry to say that it did make me want to skim over those parts. 
Overall, there were parts of this book that I really liked, but I think it just wasn't for me. But, if this book interests you I highly recommend you give it a try, Stratagem might be just the right book for you. 


I received an ebook copy of this book from the publisher which did not influence my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.

Sunday, October 28, 2018

Book Spotlight: Things Left Unsaid by Courtney Walsh



ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Things Left Unsaid
Author: Courtney Walsh
Publisher: Waterfall Press
Release Date: October 30, 2018 
Genre: Contemporary Fiction



An emotional novel of family, friendship and forgiveness from Courtney Walsh, the New York Times bestselling author of Hometown Girl.

Lyndie St. James is thrilled that her best friend, Elle, is getting married but unprepared for the emotional storm of the wedding week and returning to her childhood summer home of Sweethaven. The idyllic cottage community harbors some of her best—and worst—memories. It’s not only the tragic death of her childhood friend Cassie that has haunted her for ten years, it’s the other secrets she’s buried that have kept her from moving on.

But Lyndie isn’t the only one with secrets.

Cassie’s mother, father and brother, still struggling with the loss, have been drifting further and further apart. And Elle herself, the last to see Cassie alive, carries an impossible burden of guilt. Now reunited, each of them has a choice: to reveal the truths of that night or continue to live in its shadow. That means embarking on a personal journey of the heart—to escape the darkness and all its regrets and to finally come to terms with the past and, especially, with each other.


TO PURCHASE A COPY*



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Courtney Walsh is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling novelist as well as an artist, theater director and playwright. She is the author of the Sweethaven series—including A Sweethaven Summer, which was a Carol Award finalist in the debut author category—as well as the small-town romances Paper Hearts, Change of Heart, Just Look Up and the forthcoming Just Let Go. Things Left Unsaid is her ninth novel. She lives in Illinois, where she and her husband own a performing-arts studio and youth theater. They have three children.


CONNECT WITH AUTHOR:  Website | Facebook | Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Goodreads

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.

Friday, October 19, 2018

Review: Mark of the Raven by Morgan L. Busse


5 Stars!
I'm not a big fantasy reader, but the description of this one sounded so intriguing that I just had to try it! I loved this book, it was such a great read! I immediately liked the main character, Selene, and immensely enjoyed this first part of her journey from the darkness to the Light! I loved the author's writing style, and I loved that the pace of the novel was a bit on the faster side, I love stories that have a faster pace and that I don't want to put down, Mark of the Raven was definitely one such book! It really is so great, I enjoyed every minute of it and I cannot wait for the next book in the series! 
I only have one complaint and it is really pretty small, there were a couple of fictional made up swear words that were used a handful of times by the characters, but that really didn't bother me much, I just wanted to mention it as a heads up for those who might have a problem with it.
I highly recommend Mark of the Raven!


I received an ebook copy of this book from the publisher which did not influence my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Review: Delayed Justice by Cara Putman


5 Stars!
Wow! This is such a fabulous novel! I loved it. Jaime was a great main character, my heart broke for her and I found myself wanting to give her a hug and be her friend! It was absolutely beautiful to watch her journey and character development from the start of the book to the end, and see her discover God's love for the first time! Chandler was just such a fabulous hero (one of my very favorites of this year!) I can't even begin to count how many times his kindness, thoughtfulness, and chivalry warmed my heart and totally turned me into a puddle! And his therapy dog, Aslan, oh my word! Every time Aslan appeared on the page I ended up either chuckling at his antics or blinking back happy tears at the sweetness and power of his presence, let me tell you Aslan is THE PERFECT name for this amazing dog, I loved him so much and I know every other reader of this book will too! 
I LOVED that The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe played such a big role in this book. LWW is one of my all time favorites and it was so perfectly and flawlessly woven into the story that I am speechlessly awestruck by Cara's amazing writing! 
Overall, I loved this book so much! It has it all, suspense, drama, romance, humor, a fabulous faith story, and some amazing character development. I loved everything about it, what more can I say?! Definitely one for the keeper shelf! I highly recommend Delayed Justice and very much look forward to reading more of Cara's suspense novels in the future! 


I received a copy of this book from the publisher, which did not influence my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.

Friday, October 12, 2018

Review: The Christmas Heirloom by Kristi Ann Hunter, Karen Witemeyer, Sarah Loudin Thomas, and Becky Wade


5 Stars! 
What an absolutely delightful novella collection! I loved how perfectly the brooch was woven into each of the novellas! I adored every single one of these stories and highly recommend The Christmas Heirloom!


Legacy of Love by Kristi Ann Hunter
This adorable novella drew me in from the first page and didn't let go! 
I absolutely loved Sarah and Randall's story! The dowager Countess of Densbury quickly became a favorite secondary character. Kristi's writing was fantastic as always and I absolutely loved every moment of this novella! 


Gift of the Heart by Karen Witemeyer
I always adore Karen's books and this novella was no exception! Ruth and Bo were such fabulous main characters, and little Naomi and her matchmaking cat Teddy were absolutely delightful and made me laugh out loud numerous times! Every single word of this novella was phenomenal and I hated to see it end, but as usual when I finish one of Karen's books a sigh of happiness left my grinning lips when I turned the final page! 


A Shot at Love by Sarah Loudin Thomas
This was such a cute novella, I loved it even more than I was expecting to! Seeing as I am not super girly myself I love to read stories about grown up tomboys, and I found myself relating to Fleeta in a number of ways! I loved the voice that this story is written in, it's just so entertaining and all around fun to read! I loved the ending, and the story was an absolute pleasure to read! I don't often read stories set in the 1950's but I will definitely be reading more of this author's work in the future! 


Because of You by Becky Wade
This novella was absolutely fantastic! Maddie and Leo were great characters. I found myself relating to Maddie quite a bit, and I loved Leo's quiet reserve and bookishness! I'm a huge fan of Les Mis and I LOVED that it was mentioned in the story, so awesome! I was swept away into this story on page one and I loved every single second I spent reading it! Total awesomeness from beginning to end!


I received a copy of this book from the publisher and author Kristi Ann Hunter, which did not influence my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.