Notable author: Robin Caroll

 I started doing these posts to showcase and help spread the word about new authors that impress me, and also about authors that are not new who impress me. I had intended to do one on an average of one a week, but tend to do them on days off whenever I feel like.

 This is the second post this week, and is an author who is definitely not new to me: Robin Caroll.

 I have been reading her books since March 2010, when I reviewed a book by her for Broadman and Holman: Deliver Us From Evil, the first book in The Evil Series. I cannot find a review for the second book...not sure why....but I did review the third book, and all three books in the Justice Seekers Series, the other series she did for B&H.....which I just re-read yesterday and today.

And it was even better than I remembered. Caroll wrote it about three siblings, one brother, and two sisters:

Rafe Baxter: FBI

Riley Baxter: Investigative reporter

Madison Baxter: Forensic expert

These books are romantic suspense, so the author came up with some great romantic interests for them:

Remington Wyatt: a woman on the run

Hayden Simpson: Police commissioner

Nick Hagar: FBI Special Agent in Charge

  I read the first two yesterday, and the third today. I will admit I couldn't remember anything as I read, but I read and reviewed two of them in 2012, and the third in 2013. They are super good, and I am glad I re-read them. There is also a novella that seems to be only available in e-book that follows the three books: The Christmas Bell Tolls.

 Caroll's first published book was Bayou Justice in 2007, if I got the date correct. It was written for Steeple Hill, now Love Inspired, a Christian line of books from Harlequin publishing. That book became a series of six books, all written for Steeple Hill. A few years back - 2016, I believe - the author had them re-published in trade paperback. (They were mass market before).

 I read the series in mass market, but liked them well enough that I ordered the newer versions, and plan on reading the series again. All six books have Bayou in the title, and is an excellent series.

Her most notable books in recent years - at least in my opinion - is her Darkwater Inn Series, and is a series that brought out the author's inner evil. Just kidding....but she did something with this series that had her readers writhing in agony. OK, maybe that is an exaggeration......

 There are three books in the series: 

Darkwater Secrets

Darkwater Lies

Darkwater Truth

  The main character is Adelaide Fountaine, who is the manager of Darkwater Inn, an inn in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

 There are two other main characters:

Dimitri Pampalon, co-worker of Adelaide

Detective Bear Sovoie, childhood friend and long time friend of Aledlaide.

Both guys are in love with Adelaide, and she is half in love with both. And you know when the author reveals which guy she picks? On page 286 of the third book. And guess what page 286 is.....the very last page of the the last book. Sigh. Cruel and unusual punishment, of course. 😀

 Seriously, it was a terrific series, and the love triangle was just as suspenseful as the mystery and murder throughout all three books.

A couple other honorable mentions:
Weaver's Needle. Description below. Awesome read, and is one of hers that I reviewed:

Two recovery specialists.

One murder.

A hunt for the Dutchman's Lost Gold Mine becomes a race of survival.

Former Army MP Landry Parker fell into the recovery specialist role quite by accident—to help her ailing father. Now that she’s on her own, she is determined to prove herself and honor her family legacy.

After being shot in the line of duty, former police officer Nickolai Baptiste became a recovery specialist, and he’s good at his job—maybe even the best.

A potential client pits Landry and Nickolai against one another to find the Dutchman’s Lost Gold Mine map that was stolen from her murdered husband, and the potential payday is too enticing to pass up. The trail takes them from New Orleans to Weaver’s Needle in Arizona where legend claims the mine is hidden. Landry and Nickolai are no strangers to adventure, but the unlikely partners quickly discover there’s someone after the treasure and there are those who want to ensure the lost mine in Arizona’s Superstition Mountain stays lost forever.

Can Landry and Nickolai work together despite their distrust of each other to save the legend before more innocent lives are lost? Will they find the real treasure isn’t the gold, but something more valuable. . .true love and understanding?
My review here.

The other book: Strategem. 
This one was different in a couple of ways. If I remember correctly, there is no romance. Secondly, it is written from a male perspective by a female author. It impressed me enough that I did a review on my blog, even though I had purchased the book and was not given one for review. Review here, description of the book below: 

A High-Stakes Simulation Adventure Leaves Grayson Thibodeaux the Prime Suspect. . .for Murder

Deep in the gritty underbelly of New Orleans, psychologist Grayson Thibodeaux loses everything when his wife leaves him to climb her company’s corporate ladder. He buries himself in his job of creating mind-bending adventure games for businesses as team-building explorations. When his ex-wife’s company hires Grayson’s to create an elaborate game, he doesn’t see how things can get worse. Until she dies during the course of the game he created…making him the prime suspect for murder.

The author has several other great books, all suspense, including a couple of juvenile fiction co-written with Colleen Coble. 

I believe her newest book is the second book in The Gallagher Series: Snares of Death. There are no new books on the immediate horizon that I know of, but hopefully soon.

Check out Robin's books. She is an excellent Christian suspense author. I have never been disappointed. 

About the Author

Robin Caroll grew up in Louisiana with her nose in a book. She still has the complete Trixie Belden series, and her love for mysteries and suspense has only increased with her age.

Robin’s passion has always been to tell stories to entertain others and come alongside them on their faith journey—aspects Robin weaves into each of her published novels. 

Best-selling author of thirty-plus novels, ROBIN CAROLL writes Southern stories of mystery and suspense, with a hint of romance to entertain readers. Her books have been recognized in several awards, including the Carol Award, HOLT Medallion, Daphne du Maurier, RT Reviewer’s Choice Award, and more.

When she isn’t writing, Robin spends quality time with her husband of three decades, her three beautiful daughters and two handsome grandsons, and their character-filled pets at home in the South.

Robin serves the writing community as Executive/Conference Director for ACFW. To find out more about Robin, visit www.robincaroll.com

Social media links:

https://www.facebook.com/Author.RobinCaroll/

https://twitter.com/RobinCaroll

https://www.instagram.com/robin.caroll/

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/robin-caroll

http://www.goodreads.com/robincaroll

http://www.amazon.com/author/robincaroll

New and notable author Robin Patchen

 

I have started doing these new and notable author posts for a couple of reasons:
1) To talk about authors who are new or fairly new to me, and to talk about authors I have been reading and just love their books.

2) To help spread the word about lesser known authors. One disadvantage I see of independent and/or self publishing authors, is they surely have a harder time getting readers and getting the word out about their books. 

I have run across so many new to me authors in the last few years, so this is my attempt to help people hear about them and their books.

Today, it is Robin Patchen, author of several Christian suspense authors.

I first ran across her in June of 2019 when I downloaded a free e-book of the first book in her Nutfield Saga, Convenient Lies. I am somewhat ashamed to say it sat un-read for a few years.

On May 2 2022, during my three month layoff because of Covid, I ran across #4 in that series: Innocent Lies. It sounded awesome, and I love books that have kids and families in, so I have it a try on Kindle Unlimited, and loved it.

The plot: 

A lost little boy steals his heart.

When Eric finds eight-year-old Daniel alone in the woods, he has no idea where the boy came from or how he's survived the wintery New Hampshire weather. He figures once he hands the boy off to child services, his part in Daniel's drama will be over. He couldn't be more wrong.

She’ll do anything to keep her son safe. 

Kelsey sneaks into Nutfield with a goal and a secret, but when she's arrested and sees Eric, her first and only love, all her plans to expose her enemy fall apart. 

The past catches up with them.

Together, Eric and Kelsey fight to protect Daniel, an innocent child caught in a dangerous game. Can Eric help Kelsey bring down her enemies without risking his heart...again? Will Kelsey have to walk away from the only man she's ever loved...again?

A long lost love and an innocent child... Immerse yourself in this romantic thriller. 

I immediately started reading the whole series, starting back with the first one. I have enjoyed every book I have read by her, and always anticipate the next one coming out. She is an author who weaves the same characters throughout the whole series, of course introducing new ones in each book also.

There are nine books in the Nutfield Saga. The last four books are like a mini series within the series titled The Legacy series.

The author used that series to launch her next series, The Coventry Series. That series has 10 books out so far, with #11 coming out in July, A Mountain Too Steep.

Also coming up is a new series she is starting, The Wright Heroes of Maine. The first book is due out October 17: Running to You: Amnesia in Shadow Cove.

Description:

Sam never understood why Eliza left him five years ago, ghosting him without explanation. He’s avoided romance ever since, focusing on building his business. Money might not keep him warm at night, but it can sure buy a lot of blankets.

Then Eliza shows up on his doorstep and throws herself into his arms. She can’t explain her bruises or the head injury that’s left her with no memories of the past five years, including their breakup. No matter how good it feels to hold her, though, there’s no way he’s getting sucked into romance again.

He’ll deliver Eliza to her mother, and that will be that. But instead of finding her mom, they’re met by two attackers and barely escape alive. Despite the danger to his life and his heart, he can’t leave Eliza to fend for herself.

Together, they embark on a journey to reconstruct her past while evading the men chasing her. As Sam and Eliza close in on the truth, their romance reignites, but her secret threatens to destroy them both.

Prepare to be enthralled by this gripping story of amnesia, a second chance at love, and a secret baby. Running to You is an edge-of-your-seat Christian romantic suspense set in Maine that will keep you reading all night long.

It looks and sounds good, and I am anticipating reading that one.

The author also has a 2 book series Finding Amanda, which I have not read yet.

Each of her books is filled with suspense, faith, and of course romance. This unknown to me author before 2019 has become an author whose books I thoroughly enjoy, and highly recommend.

Author bio:
Robin Patchen is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of Christian romantic

suspense. She grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, the setting of her Nutfield Saga books, and then headed to Boston to earn a journalism degree. After college, working in marketing and public relations, she discovered how much she loathed the nine-to-five ball-and-chain. After relocating to the Southwest, she started writing her first novel while she homeschooled her three children. The novel was dreadful, but her passion for storytelling didn’t wane. Thankfully, as her children grew, so did her writing ability. Now that her kids are adults, she has more time to play with the lives of fictional heroes and heroines, wreaking havoc and working magic to give her characters happy endings. When she’s not writing, she’s editing or reading, proving most of her life revolves around the twenty-six letters of the alphabet.

Check out her website for more information about Robin and her books: RobinPatchen.com

Notable author: June Foster

 

Next up on my new and/or notable authors: June Foster. 

I first ran across her three years ago. She was discussing her newest book at the time, Ryan's Father. I commented saying it sounded good, and that I struggled with the same issue her fictional character struggled with. She asked me if I would consider reviewing it, and I happily agreed to do so, and I have gone on to review several of her books. She even in a temporary, moment of insanity added me as friend on Facebook and Instagram. I enjoy keeping up with her and her travels on Facebook. She is a very nice and personable lady. (I have never gotten out of the stage that I think its cool to interact with authors, especially when they send me a friend request.)

Foster started out writing regular romance, then started writing Christian romantic suspense in the last few years. I don't know that her suspense novels have officially been labeled cozy mysteries, but I would say they fall into that category. Her characters are often flawed, and have issues they are struggling to deal with.

The first book she had published was Give Us This Day in 2012, which has been re-published under the title Flawless. 

I asked June what book is her favorite that she has written. She replied that Ryan's Father is her favorite, and For All Eternity is a close second.

Her most notable works, in my opinion, are her Cranberry Cove books. The series is suspense and the books are centered in a fictional town called Cranberry Cove and a fictional Inn that the author did base on an actual real Inn (If I remember correctly) There are a total of 5 books out in the series, including a Christmas novel One of the books is only in e-book form now, and is part of the  Smalltown Danger Collection, a collection of 10 novels by 10 different authors.

There is an old saying you cannot judge a book by its cover, but in this case you can. I love the covers of these books, and think they are very attractive and eye catching. And they are very enjoyable reads. I did review the four that are in paperback.

#1 The Inn At Cranberry Cove

#2 Love Found in Cranberry Cove

#3 Christmas At Cranberry Cove

$4 A Home In Cranberry Cove

#5 Danger In Cranberry Cove (part of the ebook collection Smalltown Danger)

Also of note: Dreams Deferred, a fictional novel based on the true story of June's great grandparents. He was a priest who fell in love and left the priesthood to marry. 

Her Almond Tree series is also a great series to read. The second book, Echoes From the Past, a young pastor discovers he has a 6 year old daughter he didn't know existed, and worries about the fallout when he tells his congregation.

Foster has over 40 published books, including a few devotionals. She writes and travels with her husband in an RV.

About the author:

An award-winning author, June Foster is also a retired teacher with a BA in Education from New Mexico State University and an MA in Counseling from The University of Central Texas. She is the mother of two and grandmother of ten. June began writing Christian romance in 2010. She penned her first novel on her Toshiba laptop as she and her husband traveled the US in their RV. Her adventures provided a rich source of information for her novels. June enjoys writing stories about characters who overcome the circumstances in their lives by the power of God and His Word. June uses her training in counseling and her Christian beliefs in creating characters who find the path to live godly lives.

Find out more about June and her books at JuneFoster.com.

New and notable author Liz Bradford

 

I ran across this author a couple years ago. I read the first book in her Knoxville FBI series - I think I got the ebook free. I liked it well enough, but never went on to read any of her books. Not sure why. Fast forward to this year. 10 authors went together on a 10 book ebook set titled Smalltown Danger. I am not big on ebooks, but it was not available in paperback, so I bought it at the preorder price of 99 cents. I started checking out the authors, as some were new to me. One of the authors contributing was Liz Bradford. I decided to give her another try.

 I re-read the first book in the Knoxville FBI series, and loved it. I then read the other two books in that series, and enjoyed them. She also has a 5 book series The Detectives of Hazel Hill. I went on to read them. The FBI series is really good, but the other series is even better.  There is also a prequel novella to both series.

It is had to pick a favorite book of hers, but the one that was the most intense and difficult to put down may be my favorite: Pursued, #2 in the Detectives of Hazel Hill Series.

The premise:
Missing person cold cases dating back over the last decade ... and the stack keeps growing ...

New to the Hazel Hill police department, Detective Amelia Banik's first task is to sort through a pile of missing person cold cases. When she finds a pattern in the stack that exactly matches her missing aunt's case, she is compelled to prove herself and find answers. But what good is a pattern if you have no evidence to follow? When another couple that fits the profile of the cold case victims goes missing, she is determined to find out what's happening. But will she be too late?

Paramedic Caleb Johnson has taken advantage of his single life to serve the Lord, but he longs for a family. When a beautiful widow shows up in his life with her adorable little children, hope ignites in his heart. But the shadow that hangs over Amelia's heart threatens to shut him out forever. Will she stop running from God and open her heart to love again? Or will the case she's working catch up to them?

It is an awesome read that definitely had me on the edge of my seat.

The author has an e-book out titled Too Late, Tracking Danger #1. Book #2 of that series, Swept Away, is part of the Smalltown Danger 10 book, 10 author e-book collection, and hopefully there is more coming from that series, a search and rescue series.

I love it when an author weaves all the characters of a series throughout the whole series, and Bradford does that with her books.

Next up for the author: There are 3 books coming out in a Summer Heat Collection. Each book will have 4 stories, each by a different Christian author. The first, Stay With Me is coming out June 20th. Bradford has a story in it titled "Abandoned", which she takes her readers back to Hazel Hill:

Description:
Police officer Zara Grant is new to Hazel Hill, and despite her attempts to keep people at arms-length, she’s connected with the strong and steady, Officer Will Cooper. But how long will he stay around? Everyone else in her life leaves, why not him? Especially when her past creeps up on her in the form of a previous arrestee coming to town and making threats. Can she trust Will to stick around? And how serious are those threats?

Will Cooper always dreamed of becoming a detective. Not that he’ll admit that to anyone, especially Zara. Not when he’s content enough being a uniformed officer instead. Why take the risk of failure? But when Zara finds out he’s abandoned his dream, her own fears of abandonment rise up between them. Is this something they can overcome or will fear—and outside threats—destroy what they have?

As the threats turn into a break-in at Zara’s house while she’s gone, she’s left to wonder what the invader will do if he comes back? Can she trust Will to help protect her, or will he abandon her to face this alone?

Check her out. She writes Christian romantic suspense, and does it well.

About the Author

Liz Bradford didn’t always know she was a writer, but story ideas have always been a part of her life. When she finally took an idea seriously, she started writing and hasn’t been able to stop. She is a member of ACFW and ACFW-Louisville Chapter. Even though Liz’s heart yearns to live in the mountains of North Carolina, she and her husband live in southern Indiana where she homeschools their three daughters.

New and notable author: Edie James

  I use Goodreads a lot, and they pop up recommendations of books similar to ones I leave reviews for. It kept recommending this author's books to me. To be honest, I didn't realize they were Christian fiction. There is nothing about them that doesn't sound Christian, but I had never heard of her and just assumed it was not. I finally checked her books out, and discovered they are Christian fiction, and that they sounded really good. She is still a fairly new author. Her first book, Hard Landing, came out in August 2020. 

James has two series: The 8 book Hope Landing Series and The 5 book MacKenzie Cove Series. The first series is completed, but there is one more book coming out in June in the MacKenzie Cove Series. All of the Hope Landing Series has Landing in the title, and all of the MacKenzie Cove Series has the word Rising in the tile.

Starting in March 2022, I read the whole Hard Landing Series on Kindle Unlimited, then went on to read the only book out in The Mackenzie Cove Series, Rising Storm. I loved all of the books. Really loved them. The Hard Landing Series is about a group of guys that provide security and protection. The MacKenzie Cove Series is about a family of 5 siblings that are all in some sort of law enforcement.

In January, I bought the whole Hard Landing Series and the first three MacKenzie books in paperback, and read them all again. (Told you they were really good.) Book four in The MacKenzie Cove Series has not come out in paperback yet. I) emailed the author in January asking when the paperback would be out for book #4, and she said it was supposed to come out the next week. It still has not come out. Sigh.

All of James' books are suspense, my favorite genre'. I like her characters, and the books have a lot of action and suspense. The two series are different, but both are excellent reading. I don't think I could pick a favorite book....or even series. I totally loved all of the books I have read of hers, and hope she has more books coming after her upcoming release later this month, Rising Hope.

And speaking of Hope.....I hope book #4 comes out in paperback soon.

About the Author

Edie writes faith-filled romantic suspense featuring adventurous women, and the heroic men who love them. 

Don’t let the smile fool you. She spends way too much time considering murder, mayhem, and former Navy SEALS with private jets and high tech toys. 

She lives within sight of the real-life town that inspired the Hope Landing series with her firefighter husband, a creaky senior border collie, and three mischievous cats. 

Join Edie in the gorgeous mountain town of Hope Landing, where the men of Knight Tactical Protection encounter danger, tests of faith…and true love.

Check out her website at EdieJamesBooks.com.

Fairest of Heart, Texas Ever After #1 by Karen Witemeyer

Book description: 

Once upon a time in Texas . . .

Beauty has been nothing but a curse to Penelope Snow. When she becomes a personal maid for a famous actress whose troupe is leaving Chicago to tour the West, she hides her figure beneath shapeless dresses and keeps her head down. But she still manages to attract the wrong attention, leaving her prospects in tatters--and her jealous mistress plotting her demise.

After his brother lost his life over a woman, Texas Ranger Titus Kingsley has learned to expect the worst from women and is rarely disappointed. So when a young lady found in suspicious circumstances takes up residence with the seven old drovers living at his grandfather's ranch, Titus is determined to keep a close eye on her.

With a promotion hanging in the balance, Titus is assigned to investigate a robbery case tied to Penelope's acting troupe, and all evidence points to Penelope's guilt. But Titus might just be convinced that the fairest woman of all has a heart as pure as her last name . . . if only he can prove it.

My review:

It may sound weird for a guy to describe a book this way, but this was truly a delightful read. When I saw the author was writing a book that was a modern - well, Old West spin on the story of Snow White, I was intrigued and have been looking forward to reading it.....and I was not disappointed. This is a masterful story that definitely has its parallels with the story of Snow White. And it shows what an awesome imagination this author has.

There would be a danger of going over the top with parallels of the timeless fairy tale, but I don't feel Witemeyer did that.

There are the names of the main characters of course: Penelope Snow, and Titus Kingsley....King instead of prince.

And then there are the delightful seven drovers: seven older guys running a farm who are not called the names of the seven dwarves, but some have the characteristics: grumpy, sneezy, bashful, etc....though Titus' doctor grandpa is called Doc.

I won't give anything else away, but this is a great and suspenseful read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I am thankful it came on a day off so I was able to read the whole thing in one sitting.

I was provided a copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions in this review are my own.

About the author:

Voted #1 Reader's Favorite Christian Romance Author of 2019 by Family Fiction Magazine, bestselling and Carol and Christy Award-winning author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. She makes her home in Abilene, Texas, with her husband and three children. Learn more about Karen and her books at karenwitemeyer.com.

Fairest of Heart will be available June 6 from Bethany House Publishing,  part of the Baker Publishing Group.