Review: Night Vision

Night Vision by Susan Sleeman
My rating: 💛💛💛💛

This was a captivating romantic suspense around Christmas time.

What I love about this series is that it is about the Byrd family, mainly the brothers, and I enjoy how they tease and keep each other on their toes, but when it matters, they are there for each other and have each other’s back.

I enjoyed the characters of Jenna and how her daughter captivated the heart of every Byrd.

The suspense kept me guessing and I did not know who was after Jenna or why. The revelation was quite surprising.

Review book 1: Night Fall


View all my reviews

About the book:

A woman on the run with no one to trust…

When a Christmas vacation at a snowy Mt. Hood cabin turns into a home invasion, Jenna Paine will do anything to protect her four-year-old daughter. Even if it means putting Jenna's own life on the line. Which she must do when the intruder threatens to kill her. She knows the invader will stop at nothing to take her out, and she can’t let him get close or he might harm her daughter too.

She wants to disappear, but she can’t survive on her own.

In fact, Jenna would be dead now it Brendan Byrd of Nighthawk Security hadn’t come to her rescue during the invasion. Former Army Delta Force and county deputy, Brendan doesn’t think twice about offering his agency’s protection services for Jenna and her precious daughter. What he does think twice about is opening his heart to Jenna only to have it broken again. But as the threats escalate, he must hone his vision where she’s concerned, figure out this crafty attackers identity, and in the process, find a way to keep her alive.

About the author:

SUSAN SLEEMAN is the bestselling author of over forty-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...

Or stop by any of these locations on the web.
Website - http://www.susansleeman.com
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Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/susansleeman
Review Site - http://www.TheSuspenseZone.com 

Book Spotlight Friday! Chaos

Book Beginnings and Friday56

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading. Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice and asks you to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your e-reader and share a non-spoiler sentence or two.  First Line Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Reading is my Superpower that asks you to share the first sentence of the book you're reading.

This was a thrilling military suspense!

Chaos

About the book:

When Rio Silva is told her aunt and uncle are missing in a Philippine rainforest, she knows there is only one way to find them: the retired military working dog her dad entrusted to her. Chaos, however, has a mind of her own. A lot like Rio. Worse, they’ll have to trust arrogant, demanding former Army Ranger Cathal McGowan if she hopes to get them back.

The last thing Cathal McGowan wants as he heads into the darkness of the rainforest is to be shackled with a young, pretty teacher who has no tactical experience. But she has heart—he’ll give her that. And he has the expertise necessary to rescue her family.

Putting everything on the line, Rio and Cathal struggle to navigate the terrain, as well as their emerging feelings for each other. But the closer they get to mission success, the more things aren’t adding up, including who might be behind the disappearances. It’s not long before they realize the rainforest holds greater perils than deadly vipers…and the biggest danger of all might be to their hearts.

Dive into another thrilling A Breed Apart: Legacy adventure!

*************************************************************

Book Beginnings

Sweat dripped down his face.

Friday 56

The next morning, Cathal didn't give himself time to rethink the decision he'd come to the night before.

My thoughts so far

This newly published author, under the mentorship of Ronie Kendig, delivered a powerful thrilling military suspense which I could barely put down!

   ************************************************************* 

Review: Along the Rio Grande

Along the Rio Grande by Tracie Peterson
My rating: 💛💛💛

I did enjoy the story when it focused on Susanna and Owen and some of the other main sub characters. Susanna was surprisingly a strong character with integrity which was surprising if you see how her mom and dad acted.

I did get a bit frustrated with Susanna entertaining so much of her mom and dad’s antics and felt proud when she finally started to stand strong and say no.

Two events at the end of the story which resulted in a surprising reveal did won the characters over to the more likeable category.

*I listened to the audiobook on Scribd.*


View all my reviews

About the book:

Is her compassion doing more harm than good?

Recently widowed Susanna Jenkins has decided to follow her family to the booming town of San Marcial, New Mexico, for a fresh start and to aid in her family's sudden change in fortune. They are tasked with managing her uncle's new Grand Hotel, and it takes all her patience to try to help her parents see the good of their circumstances and relinquish their sense of entitlement.

She's hopeful when her brother becomes determined to get a job and make his own way, and she feels drawn to his kind boss, Owen Turner, who works as a boilermaker for the Santa Fe's train shops in town. But the hard work only seems to fuel her brother's anger, and his rough new friends give her pause.

When misguided choices put Susanna's family in an even more precarious situation, she worries her help has only made things worse. Leaving her family to fend for themselves seems like the best option, but how can she walk away from the true friendships--and love--that she's found?

About the author:

Tracie Peterson is a bestselling author who writes in both historical and contemporary genres. Her novels

reveal her love for research as well as her strong desire to develop emotionally meaningful characters and stories for her readers. Tracie and her family live in Montana.

Can't Wait Wednesday! The Irish Matchmaker

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights and discusses the books we're excited about that we've yet to read. Generally, they're books that are yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

I discovered Jennifer Deibel this year and loved her writing. I am looking forward on catching up on her backlist but also excited for this new releasing coming February 2024.

About the book: The Irish Matchmaker

As daughter of a well-known matchmaker, Catríona Daly is no stranger to the business of love--and sees it as her ticket away from the sleepy village that only comes alive during the annual matchmaking festival. Enter Lord Osborne's son, Andrew, who has returned to the festival after being disappointed by a rival matchmaker's failed setup. Catríona seizes the opportunity to make a better match for the handsome man--and for herself!

Cattle farmer Donal Bunratty is in desperate need of a wife after loss left him to handle the farm and raise his daughter on his own. Shy and lacking the finer social graces, he agrees to attend the matchmaking festival to appease his daughter. But when he arrives, it's not any of the other merrymakers that catch his eye but rather his matchmaker--who clearly has eyes for someone else.

Catríona will have to put all her expertise to work to make a match that could change her life forever. Will her plan succeed? Or will love have its own way?

What are you waiting on this week?

Review: Blue Columbine

Blue Columbine by Jennifer Rodewald
My rating: 💛💛💛💛

If you are a fan of redemption stories, this book should be on your to-read list.

With addiction and its effect on the person and their relationships as the main subject, this was not an easy read. But throughout the story there was an underling thread of hope, and the faith element was strong.

I loved how the writer was able to clearly show the impact of addiction and a life far away from God on Andy’s life and then the total 180degree difference when he finally realized that he can not change for a person, but true change comes from God and then see the evidence in his life.

I loved how Jamie stayed strong throughout this story in her faith and relationship with God and made difficult choices when God led her that way.

This was my first story read by this author and I enjoyed her captivating writing and look forward to more from her.

View all my reviews

About the book:

Best friends—maybe more—until addiction shatters everything.

Reeling from professional failure, Andrew Harris needs a fresh start. When he moves back to Colorado to join a Denver law firm, he runs into Jamie, his childhood sweetheart. She is still the kind and faithful girl he remembers—not to mention beautiful and still single. With her by his side, Andrew is confident he can overcome the demons that he tries to keep hidden.

Jamie Carson is thrown off balance when Andy resurfaces in her life. Though her faith in God has remained solid, even through her mother’s long illness and after her death, Jamie battles loneliness. Andy fills her days, whispering significance to her heart. But his rejection of the faith she thought they’d once shared, and his alarming drinking habit keep her heart from plunging into deep, murky waters. Or do they?

Andy pursues an intimacy Jamie knows she must guard against. But as the line between loyalty and love blurs, things get complicated—until a devastating blow breaks their relationship. For Jamie, one thing becomes clear: Andy needs a miracle, and she isn’t it.

Will Andrew allow the hand of grace to redeem his legacy of addiction, or will he and Jamie both remain casualties of heartbreak?

This Christian Fiction Book dives into first love and second chances, romance and redemption.

About the author:

Jennifer Rodewald is passionate about the Word of God and the powerful vehicle of story. Four kids and her

own personal superman make her home in southwestern Nebraska delightfully chaotic.

Born in Colorado, she experienced both the seclusion of rugged mountain living and the busy streets of a Denver suburb during her growing up years. Somewhere in the middle of college, she married a Husker and found her way back to the quiet lifestyle of a rural area, which suits just fine.

Blessed with a robust curiosity, Jen loves to research. Whether she’s investigating the history of a given area, the biography of a Christian icon, or how nature declares the glory of God, her daily goal is to learn something new. Aiming to live with boundless enthusiasm, her creed is vision, pursuit, and excellence.

Jen lives and writes in a lovely speck of a town where she watches with amazement while her children grow up way too fast, gardens, and marvels at God’s mighty hand in everyday life.

Top Ten Tuesday: Reading goals 2023 recap

 

 Join in the Top Ten Tuesday fun! Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

1. Buy less books - including downloading free ones! Try and limit to one a month...zero will be better. 😉  Yes, managed to buy less books this year, though still more than what I need.

2. Review books - TRY to limit my monthly request to 3 a month - I love ARCs, but need to get to books I own! No, it ran away from me, but will try and better this in 2024.

3. Read 1 paperback every 2nd month - I would love to read one per month, but with time limits, 1 over 2 months seems more reasonable. It went well until we learned we are moving countries, then all reading plans went downhill.

4. Read at least 1 kindle book per month I bought before 2023 - focus more on books I owned since 2018 and prior. No, not as much as I wanted too.

5. Read one backdated review book every second month - again, would love to manage 1 per month, but trying to be reasonable here. Yes managed this one.

6. Read each day, even if only for 10 minutes. Yes

7. Keep my Netgalley at 80%.  This should help my focus to not request more than I can manage.  Yes, currently at 82%.

8. I love buddy reads, but I need to limit the amount I do each month - last year there it ran away from me!  No, it ran away from me, but will try and better this in 2024.

9. Don't plan to much per month and too far ahead - leave room for my mood and be flexible. No, need to do better in 2024.

10.  Have fun reading while trying to reach my goal of 150 books

        🎧 52 audiobooks Yes - finished between 60-65

        📖 52 kindle books Yes, not sure how many though, probably between 90-120.

        📕 6 paperbacks No, only 3 paperbacks.

        📚 rest kiddies and bible Didn't really keep track here.

Review: How Sweet It Is

How Sweet It Is by Andrea Christenson
My rating: 💛💛💛💛

This was a sweet contemporary romance where the two main characters had to align their dreams and ideas with new paths and changes which took them on different journeys than they had planned.

The connection and chemistry between Sammy and Robin were evident and I enjoyed watching them grow individually while the relationship also developed.

I always enjoyed the setting in Deep Haven and loved my revisit there through the story of Robin and Sammy.

Review book 2: It's Your Love

*I listened to the audiobook on Scribd.*


View all my reviews

About the book:

Sometimes the sweetest moments in life are made from the most familiar and ordinary ingredients.

Robin Fox is living out her dreams working in a gourmet bakery in Paris. She thought she’d live there forever, but when her relationship with her boss sours, those dreams crumble. She finds herself back home in Deep Haven, Minnesota, caring for her grandparents’ rundown bakery while they’re away. But she vows that when they return in six weeks, she’ll trade this ordinary life for the one she left behind.

Sammy Johnson has never gotten traction in any area of his life. This hasn’t improved in the almost two years since the accident which nearly killed him. Although his heart is still beating, it contains little passion for the life he’s living in Deep Haven. But that begins to change when he offers to help his former high school friend, Robin.

Working together to keep Fox Bakery from going under, they find more than friendship is simmering between them. But when the six weeks are up, will Robin follow her old dreams back to the glamor of Paris or will she discover how sweet it is to be loved in Deep Haven?

Return to Deep Haven with the Fox Family, where Robin and Sammy find that small town life isn’t ordinary after all.

Fox Family Series
Book 1: How Sweet It Is
Book 2: It's Your Love (coming soon)
Book 3: The Way You Love Me (coming soon)

More Deep Haven Romance
Only You
Still The One
Can’t Buy Me Love
Crazy for You
Then Came You
Hangin’ by a Moment
Right Here Waiting
Once Upon a Winter Wonderland

About the author:

Andrea Christenson lives in the Minneapolis suburbs with her husband and two daughters. When she is not busy homeschooling her girls, she loves to read anything she can get her hands on, bake bread, eat cheese, and watch Netflix--though not usually all at the same time. Andrea's prayer is to write stories revealing God's love.

Review: To Tame a Cowboy

To Tame a Cowboy by Jody Hedlund
My rating: 💛💛💛💛

Oh, this one kept me captivated from the start with the sweet Savannah which found herself in a unwanted situation as to help her father and broody hero Brody with his own PTSD issues from the Civil War.

There was danger, emotional growth, nail-biting moments with a character’s life in danger and then sweet quirky Iris which brought lightness and fun to the story.

Review book 1: Cowboy for Keeps

Review book 2: Heart of a Cowboy

*I listened to the audiobook on Scribd.*


View all my reviews

About the book:

Brody McQuaid is a broken man, and he knows it. While his body survived the war, his soul did not. Besides loving his little niece, his only other sense of purpose comes from saving the wild horses that roam South Park. Ranchers in the area have taken to killing the horses, which are competing with their cattle to feed on the open grass. Savannah Marshall is a veterinarian on her family's Colorado ranch. She longs to keep her father happy following the tragic death of her older brother, including marrying a man of his choosing. But days before her wedding, she gets cold feet and disappears to South Park. As she learns more about the destruction of the horses, she joins Brody in an attempt to save the wild creatures. But when Savannah's family and the resentments of the area cattlemen catch up with them both, Brody and Savannah will have to tame their fears if they've any hope to let love run free.

About the author:

Jody Hedlund is the author of over thirty 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.

Review: When Tides Turn

When Tides Turn by Sarah Sundin
My rating: 💛💛💛

Tess is one character we met in book one of this series and which showed a lot of character growth through the series. I enjoyed her redemption story.

Dan, we also met in book one of the series, but we did not know much about him. I enjoyed pulling away the layers to get to the true Dan.

The mystery around the French spies was interesting and intriguing, but not the most captivating of the series.

I did enjoy this final book and the series.

Review book 1: Through Waters Deep

Review book 2: Anchor in the Storm


View all my reviews

About the book:

Tess Beaumont is tired of being thought of as just a pretty face. Eager to do her part for the war effort, she joins the Navy's newly established WAVES program for women. Perhaps there she can convince people that there is more to her than meets the eye.

Lt. Dan Avery has been using his skills in the fight against German U-boats and hoping to make admiral. The last thing he wants to see on his radar is a girl like Tess. Convinced that romance will interfere with his goals, Dan is determined to stay the course, no matter how intriguing a distraction Tess is.

But love, like war, is unpredictable. When Dan is shipped out at the peak of the Battle of the Atlantic, he finds himself torn between his lifelong career goals and his desire to help the beguiling Tess root out a possible spy on shore. Could this fun-loving glamour girl really be the one?

About the author:

Sarah Sundin enjoys writing about the drama and romance of the World War II era. She is the bestselling author of When Twilight Breaks (February 2021),The Land Beneath Us (2020), The Sky Above Us (2019) and The Sea Before Us (2018), as well as the Waves of Freedom, Wings of the Nightingale series, and Wings of Glory series. Her novel The Land Beneath Us was a 2020 Christy Award finalist, The Sky Above Us won the 2020 Carol Award, The Sea Before Us received the 2019 Reader's Choice Award from Faith, Hope, and Love. Both Through Waters Deep and When Tides Turn were named to Booklist's "101 Best Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years."

A mother of three, Sundin lives in northern California and teaches Sunday school and women's Bible studies. She enjoys speaking to community, church, and writers' groups. Sarah serves as Co-Director for the West Coast Christian Writers Conference.

Review: Concrete Evidence

Concrete Evidence by DiAnn Mills
My rating: 💛💛💛

The action packed and thrilling opening scenes set the tone for this suspense story.

Another enjoyable romantic suspense with a lot of suspect options, danger, action and twists and turns which keeps the reader guessing.

*I listened to the audiobook on Scribd.*

View all my reviews

About the book:

On the family’s Brazos River Ranch in Texas, Avery Elliott helps run her grandfather’s commercial construction business. Raised by Senator Elliott, Avery has never doubted her grandfather is the man of integrity and faith she’s always believed him to be . . . until the day she finds him standing with a gun over the body of a dead man. To make matters worse, Avery’s just discovered a billing discrepancy for materials supposedly purchased for construction of the Lago de Cobre Dam.

Desperate for answers, Avery contacts FBI Special Agent Marc Wilkins for help. As Marc works to identify the dead man Avery saw, threats toward Avery create a fresh sense of urgency to pinpoint why someone wants to silence her. With a hurricane approaching the Texas coast and the structural integrity of the Lago de Cobre Dam called into question, time is running out to get to the bottom of a sinister plot that could be endangering the lives of not only Avery and her loved ones but the entire community.

About the author:

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She combines unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels. DiAnn believes every breath of life is someone’s story, so why not capture those moments and create a thrilling adventure?

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests. You can download a list of her published titles by clicking here.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a former director of Blue Ridge Christian Writers, and a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She shares her passion for helping other writers be successful by teaching writing workshops around the country.

DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob and roasts her own coffee beans. She’s an avid reader, loves to cook, and believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.

DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers on any of the social media platforms listed:

Stay Connected with at:
Her website: https://diannmills.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diannmills
Twitter: https://twitter.com/diannmills
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/diannmills/
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/81...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diannmillsa...
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/diannmills
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diannmills/

Review: When We Were Young

When We Were Young by Karen Kingsbury
My rating: 💛💛💛

This was a sweet story with a speculative twist which showed the risk of how social media could play a role in damaging relationships.

I enjoyed seeing through Noah how he and Emily fell in love when they Were Young and what led to the dire situation they were in now.

Review book 1
Review book 2

Review: book 3


View all my reviews

About the book:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury comes a classic story about second chances, featuring the beloved Baxter family and a young father who finds his whole world turned upside down on the eve of his divorce.

What if you could see into the future and know what will happen tomorrow, if you really walk out that door today. Pay attention. Life is not a dress rehearsal.

From their first meeting, to their stunning engagement and lavish wedding, to their happily-ever-after, Noah and Emily Carter were meant to be together. Theirs is a special kind of love and they want the world to know. More than a million adoring fans have followed their lives on Instagram since the day Noah publicly proposed to Emily. But behind the carefully staged photos and encouraging posts, their life is anything but a fairytale, and Noah’s obsession with social media has ruined everything.

Distraught, Emily reaches out to her friend Kari Baxter Taylor and tells her the truth: Noah and Emily have decided to call it quits. He is leaving in the morning.

But when Noah wakes the next day, everything is different. Emily is gone and the kids are years older. Like Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, bizarre and strange events continue throughout the night so that Noah is certain he’s twenty years older, and he is desperate for a second chance.

Now it would take a miracle to return to yesterday.

When We Were Young is a rare and beautiful love story that takes place in a single day. It’s about the gift of knowing what tomorrow will bring if you really walk out that door today

About the author:

Karen Kingsbury, #1 New York Times bestselling novelist, is America’s favorite inspirational storyteller,

with more than twenty-five million copies of her award-winning books in print. Her last dozen titles have topped bestseller lists and many of her novels are under development with Hallmark Films and as major motion pictures. Her Baxter Family books are being developed into a TV series slated for major network viewing sometime in the next year. Karen is also an adjunct professor of writing at Liberty University. In 2001 she and her husband, Don, adopted three boys from Haiti, doubling their family in a matter of months. Today the couple has joined the ranks of empty nesters, living in Tennessee near five of their adult children.

Review: Ladies of the Lake

Ladies of the Lake by Cathy Gohlke
My rating: 💛💛💛💛

Ladies of the Lake was a captivating story about friendships, loss, misunderstandings and what could have been if people just communicated better.

This is dual time story, bringing us from past to present and colouring in the lines beautifully to connect it in a powerful way.

I loved the friendships and felt heartbroken about all the lost years which were lost due to major misunderstandings.

*I listened to the audiobook on Scribd.*

View all my reviews

About the book:

After two young women’s deep bond is torn apart, what will it take to bring them together again? In The Ladies of the Lake, the beloved author of Saving Amelie and Night Bird Calling returns with a transformative new historical novel about the wonder and complexities of friendship, love, and belonging.

When she is forced to leave her beloved Prince Edward Island to attend Lakeside Ladies Academy after the death of her parents, the last thing Adelaide Rose MacNeill expects to find is three kindred spirits. The “Ladies of the Lake,” as the four girls call themselves, quickly bond like sisters, vowing that wherever life takes them, they will always be there for each other. But that is before: Before love and jealousy come between Adelaide and Dorothy, the closest of the friends. Before the dawn of World War I upends their world and casts baseless suspicion onto the German American man they both love. Before a terrible explosion in Halifax Harbor rips the sisterhood irrevocably apart.

Seventeen years later, Rosaline Murray receives an unsuspecting telephone call from Dorothy, now headmistress of Lakeside, inviting her to attend the graduation of a new generation of girls, including Rosaline’s beloved daughter. With that call, Rosaline is drawn into a past she’d determined to put behind her. To memories of a man she once loved . . . of a sisterhood she abandoned . . . and of the day she stopped being Adelaide MacNeill.

About the author:

Cathy Gohlke is the four-time Christy Award–winning author of the best selling and critically acclaimed

novels Night Bird Calling, The Medallion (Christy Award), Until We Find Home, Secrets She Kept (Christy Award; Carol Award; INSPY Award); Saving Amelie (INSPY AWARD); Band of Sisters; Promise Me This (listed by Library Journal as one of the Best Books of 2012); I Have Seen Him in the Watchfires (Christy Award, American Christian Fiction Writers Award and listed by Library Journal as one of the Best Books of 2008) and William Henry Is a Fine Name (Christy Award).

Cathy writes novels steeped with inspirational lessons from history. Her stories reveal how people break the chains that bind them and triumph over adversity through faith.

Cathy has worked as a school librarian, drama director, and director of children's and education ministries. When not traveling to historic sites for research, she and her husband, Dan, divide their time between Northern Virginia and the Jersey Shore, enjoying time with their children and grandchildren. Visit her website at www.cathygohlke.com and find her on Facebook at CathyGohlkeBooks. Follow her on BookBub.