Review: Elinor: A Riveting Story Based on the Lost Colony of Roanoke

Elinor: A Riveting Story Based on the Lost Colony of Roanoke by Shannon McNear
My rating: 💛💛💛

I enjoy historical fiction mainly because I learn something I have never knew about before.

With this novel I learned about the lost colony of Roanoke and the author brought the characters to life in such a way that I could feel their struggles to make a new home among people who were not always so welcoming.

Some parts of this story was heartbreaking but I enjoyed the hopeful ending.

*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.*

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About the book:

In 1587, Elinor White Dare sailed from England heavy with her first child but full of hopes. Her father, a renowned artist and experienced traveler, has convinced her and her bricklayer husband Ananias to make the journey to the New World. Land, they are promised, more goodly and beautiful than they can ever imagine. But nothing goes as planned from landing at the wrong location, to facing starvation, to the endless wait for help to arrive. And, beyond her comprehension, Elinor finds herself utterly alone. . . .
The colony at Roanoke disappeared into the shadows of history. But, what if one survived to leave a lasting legacy?

About the author:

Shannon has been writing one thing or another since third grade and finished her first novel at age fifteen—

but waited more than thirty years for her first book contract. In the meantime, she graduated from high school, attended college, met and married her husband, birthed nine children, lost one, taught five to drive, revised that first story innumerable times, and completed six others.

Her first published novella, Defending Truth, in A Pioneer Christmas Collection (Barbour, 2013 & 2015), was a 2014 RITA® nominee, and her most recent one, The Wise Guy and the Star in Love's Pure Light was a 2021 SELAH winner. She writes regularly for Colonial Quills, is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Faith-Hope-Love Christian Writers, and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.

Transplanted to North Dakota after more than two decades in Charleston, South Carolina, she loves losing herself in local history. When this homeschooling mom isn't cooking, researching, or leaking story from her fingertips, she enjoys being outdoors, basking in the beauty of the northern prairies.

Review: An Honorable Deception

An Honorable Deception by Roseanna M. White
My rating: 💛💛💛💛

The author dealt with a very difficult and sensitive subject in a world where women and children had little rights in a way true to the history.

Though this book was heavier due to the subject, Yates with his charming teasing personality brought a bit of light to the story.

I loved that Lavinia was one of the main female characters and how readers could see her inner strength and fighting spirit from her past struggles.

I really enjoyed the paths crossed between two of the author’s fiction world and the promise of a partnership for hopeful future stories.

Everyone got their happy ending in a way which will leave readers with a satisfied sigh and smile.

*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.*

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Review book 1: A Beautiful Disguise

Review book 2: A Noble Scheme

About the book:

As the leader of elite private investigative firm the Imposters, Lord Yates Fairfax has made an art of concealing his identity. But when his newest client, the beautiful Lady Alethia Barremore, is shot while leaving their meeting, he throws caution to the wind and rushes to her aid. Though Lady Alethia thought she was only looking for her missing former nanny, she has clearly stumbled upon dangerous secrets.

Lady Lavinia Hemming suspects there's more to her oldest friends than they're willing to admit, and when she stumbles upon the truth that they're the Imposters, she recruits herself into the firm. Happy as she is for the distraction of an investigation, Lavinia's own family secrets continue to haunt her. And the one thing to bring laughter back into her life--her friendship with Yates--lands her squarely on the bad side of her best friend, his sister.

Tormented by a past that she doesn't dare to voice aloud, Lady Alethia does what she can to help her handsome host, her new friends, and the investigators. But as clues lead them deeper into the darkest of society's secrets, Alethia, Yates, and Lavinia soon learn anew that the gentry isn't always noble . . . and truth isn't always honorable.

About the author:

Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award nominated author who has long claimed that words are

the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. She and her family make their home in the beautiful mountains of West Virginia. You can learn more about her and her stories at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.
see also Roseanna White

Also see:  Author Discovery: Roseanna M White

Review: Surge

Surge by Ronie Kendig
My rating: 💛💛💛💛

Surge was a fast pace military suspense full of action and a four-legged hero you sometimes want to snuggle because of the cute personality and other times fear his warrior protectiveness.

I was pulled in from the start, with the emotional, heartbreaking epilogue right till the end when the danger was contained.

The chemistry between the characters added a different spark to the chemical threat they had to find and stop.

I enjoyed each and every military hero and their sidekicks I met in this series and sad to see the end.

*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions expressed are mine own.* 

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Breed Apart Legacy:

Review book 1: Havoc 

Review book 2: Chaos

Review book 3: Riot

Review book 4: Fury

Breed Apart Series by Ronie Kendig:

Book 1: Trinity: Military War Dog

Book 2: Talon: Combat Tracking Team

Book 3: Beowulf: Explosives Detection Dog

About the book:

Love and Betrayal in a Race Against Time

Delaney Thompson isn’t just a dog trainer—she’s the key to preventing a disaster. With loyal Military Working Dog, Surge, by her side, she’s ready to prove herself on her first mission…even without military training. Her goal? Help the intense Belgian Malinois track down a specific chemical linked to a dangerous terrorist group before it reaches American soil. But to succeed, she must navigate unfamiliar terrain and an even more unpredictable partner.

Garrett Walker is a seasoned military operator, driven by duty and haunted by tragic losses. Reluctantly, he teams up with Delaney, whose lack of tactical experience makes her a liability as he leads them across Southeast Asia. Yet Garrett knows that mission success and the safety of countless lives back home hinge on his leadership, the Malinois’s special scent training, and Delaney’s unique skills.

The stakes couldn’t be higher: if Delaney and Garrett fail to locate and secure the toxic chemical, hundreds of thousands of Americans could die. As they hunt down the terrorists, their objectives are clear—find the stash, neutralize the threat, and try not to get killed. But with mutual distrust simmering between them, their greatest challenge may be learning to rely on each other.

A gripping tale of suspense, betrayal, and unexpected romance. Dive into this high-stakes adventure where every moment counts…and falling in love might just be the most perilous move of all.

Review: Cornered

Cornered by Lynette Eason
My rating: 💛💛💛💛💛

In the dark by Lynette Eason - 5 stars

This was my favourite from the collection. I was flipping pages as fast as I could on my kindle and was engaged right till the very last word.

Downfall by Lynn H Blackburn - 4.5 stars

This one started out great and just as exciting as the first novella. The Quinns and Pierce feud continues and Cassie find herself in danger. At the end, the readers were informed of events vs being part of everything as its happens, which is something which I am not fond off.

Perilous Obsession by Natalie Walters - 5 stars

This psychological thriller with a stalker around every corner was thrilling and at the end quite scary. I was totally caught off guard by one twist. Just wished we had a bit more Kekoa in the story.

*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.*        

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About the book:

Prepare for three times the thrills with these nail-biting page-turners from your favorite romantic suspense authors!

In In the Dark by Lynette Eason, accountant Steph Cross is cleaning out a coworker's desk after her untimely death when she finds cryptic notes that lead her to believe her friend's car accident was no accident at all. Detective Tate Cooper is determined to help her crack the case before someone else gets hurt. But can he protect the woman who has so quickly laid claim to his heart?

In Downfall by Lynn H. Blackburn, chef Cassie Quinn gets an offer she can't refuse: to fill in as chef at an exclusive mountain resort. But when the kitchen is destroyed and it becomes clear Cassie is in danger, she's forced to accept the help of her ex-boyfriend, Detective Donovan Bledsoe, to find the culprit and keep her safe.

In Perilous Obsession by Natalie Walters, teacher Lahela Young becomes the target of someone with a twisted obsession of righting a wrong. The first person she turns to is her good friend Briggs Turner. Briggs may have left his career as a police officer, but he still has the instinct to protect--especially for Lahela.

Can't Wait Wednesday! Serial Burn

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 always love a book from Lynette Eason!

About the book: Serial Burn

When Jesslyn McCormick was just seven years old, a devastating house fire killed her parents and two younger sisters. Now the fire marshal of Lake City, Jesslyn is determined to find the person who started the fire that robbed her of her family. As the 25th anniversary of her family's deaths approaches, a string of fires--including at Jesslyn's church--brings up all those old feelings and offers new evidence.

Because church fires are considered a hate crime, FBI Special Agent Nathan Carlisle is called in to work with local law enforcement. Nathan has his own past--one he'd prefer not to revisit. And focusing on helping Jesslyn track down the arsonist is a great distraction.

As both the case and the chemistry between Jesslyn and Nathan heat up, memories will come flooding in from the past to bump up against hopes for the future. And when Jesslyn comes face-to-face with her worst nightmare, she'll have to confront her fears and rely on Nathan and her community of friends in order to survive.

What are you waiting on this week?

Review: I Think I Was Murdered

I Think I Was Murdered by Colleen Coble
My rating: 💛💛💛

Rating 3.5

This was a different type of suspense with AI in the mix. I am in two minds, because though it did bring a different type of suspense to the plot, I wasn’t totally a fan.

The plot around solving the murder of Jason was intriguing and the action at the end nail-biting. I had one major suspect from the start and was sad to see my suspicions correct at the end.

There was a lot of characters to get to know and I was happy with the way Dylan’s story turned out.

*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, all opinions expressed are my own*

View all my reviews

About the book:

A grieving young widow. The AI program that allows her to continue to "talk" to him. And a message she never expected: "I think I was murdered."

Just a year ago, Katrina Berg was at the pinnacle of her career. She was a rising star in the AI chatbot start-up everyone was talking about, married with an adoring husband, and had more money than she knew how to spend. Then her world combusted. Her husband, Jason, was killed in a fiery car crash. Her CEO was indicted and, as the company's legal counsel, Katrina faces tough questions as the Feds take over and lock her out of her office. The final blow is the passing of her beloved grandmother.

Her most prized possession is the beta prototype for a new, ultra-sophisticated chatbot loaded onto her phone. The contents of Jason's email, social media backups, pictures, and every bit of data she could find were loaded into the bot, and Katrina has "talked" to him every day for the past six months. She has been amazed at how well it works. Even the syntax and words the bot uses sound like Jason. Sometimes, she imagines he isn't really dead and is right there beside her. She knows it's slowing her grief recovery, but she can't stop pretending.

On a particularly bad day, she taps out: Tell me something I don't know. The cursor blinks for several moments and seems frozen before the reply flashes quickly onto the screen: I think I was murdered.

Distraught, Katrina returns to her cozy Norwegian-flavored hometown in the northern California redwoods and enlists the help of Seb Wallace, local restaurateur and longtime acquaintance, to try to parse out the truth of what really happened. They must navigate the complicated paths of grief, family dynamics, and second chances, as well as the complex questions of how much control technology has. And staying alive long enough to do that is far more difficult than either of them dreamed.

About the Authors:

USAToday bestselling author Colleen Coble lives with her husband, Dave, in Indiana. She is the author of

dozens of novels including the Rock Harbor Series, the Aloha Reef Series, the Mercy Falls Series, the Hope Beach Series, the Lonestar Series and two Women of Faith fiction selections, Alaska Twilight and Midnight Sea. She has more than 2 million books in print.

Rick Acker writes novels during his commute to and from his "real job" as a Supervising Deputy Attorney General in the California Department of Justice. His unit prosecutes corporate fraud lawsuits of the type described in the #1 bestseller, WHEN THE DEVIL WHISTLES, which award-winning author Colleen Coble describes as "a legal thriller you won't want to miss!"

Rick has led investigations and lawsuits that made headlines in and out of California. Most recently, he and his team won a string record-breaking judgments and settlements against the Wall Street players who created the toxic mortgage securities that triggered the Great Recession. Before joining DOJ, Rick was a senior litigator at Bingham McCutchen, where he worked on high stakes litigation, including a fight between two owners of the San Francisco Forty-Niners and a multibilllion dollar international fraud case. Rick has law degrees from the University of Oslo and the University of Notre Dame, where he graduated with honors. In addition to his novels, he is a contributing author on two legal treatises published by the American Bar Association.

When Rick isn't writing or lawyering, you can usually find him with his wife, Anette, and their four children. They'll be exploring in the hills east of San Francisco, watching a good movie together, or, of course, reading. You can visit him on the web at www.rickacker.com

Monthly Recap: October 2024

 

 I first saw this monthly reflections idea on: Christian bookshelf reviews

A lot of reading done, though I still planned a few more books which I did not get time for.

We enjoyed the beautiful autumn weather and beauty all around.

 

What I've read:

(Reviews can be found under Book Review tag)

Kindle:

Audio:

Paperback:

What I would like to read in November:

Currently reading:

Upcoming reads (hopeful):

Will be happy to read these few books this month:

Did I buy any new books?

Bought:

Freebies: 

Did I read everything I wanted too?

The following I had to carry over - a bit behind again on my 24 books in 24 challenge:

(crosses I've read this month),

This is a main challenge I want to focus on this year:

Looking at 2024, 24 books I would like to read which I had forever!

I have 12 left for the rest of the year 😇

ARC/Netgalley update:

ARC/Netgalley books downloaded this month:

A bit better this month with the ARCs:

ARC/Netgalley books read and reviewed:

Send feedback on the following:

How was your month?

Book Spotlight Friday! An Honorable Deception

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 My Head is Full of Books 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.

Roseanna M White always takes met to a wonderful journey to the past with her unique plots and characters she creates.

An Honorable Deception

About the book:

As the leader of elite private investigative firm the Imposters, Lord Yates Fairfax has made an art of concealing his identity. But when his newest client, the beautiful Lady Alethia Barremore, is shot while leaving their meeting, he throws caution to the wind and rushes to her aid. Though Lady Alethia thought she was only looking for her missing former nanny, she has clearly stumbled upon dangerous secrets.

Lady Lavinia Hemming suspects there's more to her oldest friends than they're willing to admit, and when she stumbles upon the truth that they're the Imposters, she recruits herself into the firm. Happy as she is for the distraction of an investigation, Lavinia's own family secrets continue to haunt her. And the one thing to bring laughter back into her life--her friendship with Yates--lands her squarely on the bad side of her best friend, his sister.

Tormented by a past that she doesn't dare to voice aloud, Lady Alethia does what she can to help her handsome host, her new friends, and the investigators. But as clues lead them deeper into the darkest of society's secrets, Alethia, Yates, and Lavinia soon learn anew that the gentry isn't always noble . . . and truth isn't always honorable.

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

Book Beginnings

Yates let the barbell clang back into its brackets and pushed up to sitting, his eyes searching for the utilitarian clock on the wall

 

Friday 56

Her heart didn't have to be her prison or her betrayer.

My thoughts so far

Looking forward to continue this story over the weekend.

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