Targeted Montana Witness by Sharon Dunn

Book description:

 On the run from unknown enemies…

staying hidden is their only chance for survival.

After being attacked in her workplace, Jillian Welch fears the worst—the mobsters behind her fiancé’s murder have found her. Uncertain of her safety in witness protection, she turns to Sheriff Luke Mayfair for help. But clues point to an obsessed fan of Jillian’s anonymous nightly podcast as her assailant. Now with potential threats all around, Jillian and Luke must seek refuge at Luke’s family farm. But when the continued ambushes escalate to attempted murder, they must expose the culprits before they get to Jillian first.

From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.

My review:
   My favorite genre' is Christian suspense, and one of my favorite tropes is Witness Protection. So this book is right up my alley.

I really enjoyed the book. There was a lot of action and suspense, and some great chase scenes - I always enjoy those in a suspense novel. The bad guys always seemed a step ahead. which added to the suspense. 

Loved the two main characters. Jillian was determined to help people even if it put her in danger, and Luke did his dead level best to protect her, knowing she was going to leave. 

Dunn also wove a great faith aspect into the story, which I always appreciate in a Christian novel. 

And the book had a great ending that made reading the book worthwhile. I was hoping for that kind of ending, so I was quite satisfied with the end. 

Special thanks to the author for an advance copy of this novel. I was under no obligation to provide a review and the thoughts contained herein are my own.

About the author:

After 26 years of marriage Sharon's beloved husband Michael passed away in 2014. Together they had a life filled with adventure, laughter and unconditional love. She considers herself blessed to have been loved that way. She now lives with three nearly grown children, a nervous border collie and two cats.

Her love for mystery and suspense began in the fifth grade, when she found a whole set of Nancy Drew mysteries with pink covers in the school library. Sharon is the author of five humorous mysteries that were written for Christian readers. Her second book in her Ruby Taylor mystery series was voted book of the year by American Christian Fiction Writers.

Sharon has a bachelor's degree in film production and a master's degree in history. She loves old movies like Double Indemnity and anything by Frank Capra or Alfred Hitchcock. She enjoys reading all kinds of books but is partial to the nonfiction of C. S. Lewis. She loves to hear from readers. You can contact her through her Web site: SharonDunnbooks.net

Standing Watch, Dakota K-9 Unit #3 by Terri Reed

 

Book description:

To protect an innocent witness…

a K-9 must sniff out a killer.

When K-9 task force officer Zach Kelsey’s estranged wife is attacked at a Mount Rushmore observation deck, he and his K-9, Amber, are quick to come to her rescue. He discovers not only that Eden, a park ranger, is carrying his child, but that she saw her coworker’s murder. As the only witness to the crime, Eden has no choice but to accept Zach’s protection. But with a ruthless killer ramping up his vicious attacks, they must put their differences aside to catch the murderer…before Eden becomes his next target.

From Love Inspired Courage. Danger. Faith.
My review:
  This is the third book in a 9-book series by multiple authors. The first book came out in April, and the last one will come out in December. 

  I read and enjoyed the first two books in this series, and have been looking forward to reading this one. Each book has its own plot, but there is a main plot running through the whole series that involves gun smuggling. 

 Standing Watch was an awesome read. I do enjoy romance, and second chance romances are one of my favorites. In this book, the couple is still very much in love, but are separated because Zach doesn't want kid....due to childhood trauma. 

I really liked Zach and Eden......and Tyler and Amber - their cat and dog. Zach is determined to protect his wife and unborn child, while wrestling with the idea of being a father. Eden still loves Zach, though she doesn't understand why he doesn't want kids. 

There is a lot of suspense in the book as the bad guy tries to get to Eden, as she and Zach try to stay safe. You have a pretty good idea who the bad guy is, but he is relentless and there are some nail biting moments as it looks like he will succeed. 

I loved the ending of the book. The author resolved the suspense and romance parts of the story very well, and left me wanting to read the next book, due out in July. 

Special thanks to the author for an advance copy of this novel. I was under no obligation to provide a review and the thoughts contained herein are my own.

About the author:
Award winning, multi-published author Terri Reed found solace from a chaotic childhood in the pages of books that took her far away to different realms and realities. When she discovered Christian fiction, she also discovered her own story telling voice. Now she writes books of heart-warming romance and heart-pounding suspense infused with faith. Her romance and romantic suspense novels have appeared on Publisher's Weekly top ten and Nielsen BookScan top hundred lists, and have been featured in USA Today. She's a member of the Honor Roll of Romance Writers of America. Her books have finaled in Romance Writers of America RITA contest, National Readers' Choice Award, Inspirational Reader's Choice Award, and the American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award. One of her romance novels was adapted into a Hallmark movie for Christmas 2019. Terri resides in the Pacific Northwest with her college-sweetheart husband. When not writing, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends and running the agility course with her Australian shepherd.

You can write to Terri at P.O. Box 19555 Portland, OR 97280 or visit her online at www.terrireed.com or email her at terrireed@sterling.net

                                                                       Book #1

Book #2

Book #4, Coming July 1

An Unexpected Grace, The Jewels of Kalispell #3 by Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse

Book description: 

Can unexpected grace lay the foundation for a second chance at love?

After a decade away, Parker Bennett returns home with a traveling troupe to perform a play based on Uncle Tom's Cabin at the Kalispell Opera House. Parker has relished his life on the road, but being home awakens long-buried emotions when he encounters his first love, Johanna St. John. He can't help but wonder if there might still be a place for him in her heart.

Widowed for three years, Johanna devotes all her time to a demanding toddler, an injured father, and a successful millinery business. After the loss of her husband, she desires to move on, but reconnecting with her past love leaves her unsure of what lies ahead. Both committed to God's distinct calling on their lives, Johanna and Parker struggle to see how their futures can unite, and when strange things start happening around town, their second chance at a life together seems more unlikely than ever.

My review:
  **If you are not familiar with this series, the Jewels of Kalispell are historical buildings/businesses in Kalispell, Montana, that are still standing and being used today. This third book is about the Kalispell Opera House. 

 The dynamic writing duo of Peterson and Woodhouse has done it again. This was a truly awesome read. And for a guy whose favorite genre' is Christian suspense, that is saying a lot. 

Of course all of these authors' books have a villain, so there is always a bit of a suspense. And they created a great villain in James, greedy and evil brother-in-law of the widowed Johanna. I kind of felt bad for him at times. It wasn't his fault the authors created him to be the villain of the story. :)

And the story....great plot, and great and likable main characters. Who doesn't love a second chance romance? And this one was a great one. There was the struggle of Johanna to reconcile still loving her first love, while still loving her deceased husband, and Parker, who had never stopped loving her. 

The authors wove a great story around the opera house and theater troupe, adding in romance, Biblical truths, hope, and threads of suspense. All of that combined with some history resulted in a great read that could be held up as a standard of Christian fiction. This book did not just entertain, it made me think on Bible truths and God's will. 

I cannot end this review without mentioning Marvella, the judge's wife, matchmaker extraordinaire, and a very amusing and colorful character who was in all the books. She was awesome, and I loved the ending of the book where she got credit for all of her successful matches. 

I loved this series, and this final book was a great conclusion to this awesome trilogy.

Special thanks to the authors for an advance copy of this novel. I was under no obligation to provide a review and the thoughts contained herein are my own. 

About the authors:

Kimberley Woodhouse is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than forty fiction and nonfiction books. Kim and her incredible husband of thirty-plus years live in Colorado, where they play golf together, spend time with their kids and grandkids, and research all the history around them. You can connect with Kimberley on her website, KimberleyWoodhouse.com.

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling author of more than 100 novels, both historical and contemporary, with more than 6 million copies sold. She has won the ACFW Lifetime Achievement Award and the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Her avid research resonates in her many bestselling series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana. Learn more at TraciePeterson.com.

Check out the rest of the series:

                            Book #1

Book #2

Echoes of Darkness by Darlene L Turner

Book description:

 A serial killer stalks a small town, and a police officer must face her family’s dark past to catch him.

The sleepy community of Kenorapeake Falls in northern Ontario seems like somewhere Constable Oaklynn Brock can finally outrun her violent past. That is, until she’s assigned to investigate a series of suspicious deaths. She can’t reveal that she knows how serial killers think because she grew up with one. Yet the eerie similarities between these murders and those committed by her father, known as the Suicide Slayer, hint at a copycat in their midst. But why here and why now?

Caleb Greene of the Canadian Watchers Squad, a special task force, has his own reasons to be wary of working alongside Oaklynn. But with rumors of a local cult known as the Light Paragons gaining power, the stakes are too high to refuse.

As they explore connections between the killings and cult, Oaklynn and Caleb are forced to confront old secrets…and a terrifying new threat. Someone is watching Oaklynn’s every move. They know exactly who she is and what she might be capable of. And soon her biggest fear isn’t just having her past exposed, but that a killer will turn whatever days she has left into a living nightmare…  

My review:
  I have read several of this author's mass paperback suspense novels for Love Inspired Suspense, a Christian imprint of Harlequin. I don't know that I have read all of hers - there are a ton of Love Inspired Books on the market. This book is also from Love Inspired Suspense, but it is Turner's first trade paperback novel. And is one I have been looking forward to.

 Turner came up with a great cast of characters, and at the top are the two main characters: Oaklynn and Caleb. Against her wishes, she is paired to investigate the case with him. This is romantic suspense, so you can figure out what happens there. :)

There are also a lot of other great characters, especially Caleb's interesting family with their wide variety of talents and expertise. I am hoping we see more of them.

Excellent plot. The daughter of a serial killer who is a cop living under a different name, a killer who is killing people the same way her now dead father did, and who is targeting Oaklynn with threats and other things. 

I thought I knew who the killer was right away, and pretty much stuck with that a lot of the book. Then the author did something - probably intentionally - that made me suspect someone else. It turns out my first guess was correct. 

I feel this is Turner's best writing to date. Part of that may be because this is a longer book than she writes normally, and there was more time for plot and character development. Regardless, this was an amazing suspenseful read that I did not want to put down until the very last page. 

Toss in an evil cult, and you have the makings of an awesome suspense novel.

And even throughout the violence of an evil serial killer's actions, the author wove Biblical truths and hope throughout the book. 

Special thanks to the author for an e-book copy of this novel. I was under no obligation to provide a review and the thoughts contained herein are my own. 

About the author:
Darlene L. Turner is an award-winning author and lives with her husband, Jeff in Ontario, Canada. Her love of suspense began when she read her first Nancy Drew book. She’s turned that passion into her writing and believes readers will be captured by her plots, inspired by her strong characters, and moved by her inspirational message. You can connect with Darlene at www.darlenelturner.com where there’s suspense beyond borders.

Danger In the Shadows by multiple authors

 This is a different kind of book review for me. There are ten books by ten different authors in this e-book collection. I was asked by two of the authors to review their books, the two authors I am most familiar with. There are a few of them I am not familiar with at all. 

 The two I am reviewing are Haunting of the High One by Kimberley Woodhouse, and The Hidden Legacy by June Foster. 

Haunting of the High One

By bestselling and award-winning author Kimberley Woodhouse

Twelve years have passed since Charity Waldrep’s attempt to ascend Denali ended in tragedy. It’s different this time…or is history doomed to repeat itself?

  If I understand correctly, this may be the start of a new series by Woodhouse. It was a great suspenseful read, and the author did not hesitate to share the Gospel in it. The main character, Charity, is not a Christian. She is angry, bitter, and unforgiving. Her best friend had been a Christian, and Ranger Andrew, was a Christian...and the aim of her anger. 

 Something different about this story is the ages of the two main characters. Charity is 42 for the main part of the story, and I think Andrew is 45. There is eventually a romance - these ARE romantic suspense stories after all. :)

 I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Very suspenseful and a great message also. It is a great addition to this collection. 

The Hidden Legacy (Book two in the Ford Family Ranch series)

By June Foster, bestselling author of the Cranberry Cove series

Rancher Austin Ford and veterinarian Willow Lawson confront buried family secrets and unexpected danger, testing their growing bond amid mysterious threats to their future.

  This is book two in a series. I read the first book, The Novice Ranch Hand, earlier this year. The series is about the fictional Ford family and their sheep ranch. It centers on Erika Ford. This book is about her brother, Austin, who has taken over running the Ford ranch.

 Foster has written several books, and is still a bit new to the Christian suspense genre', but she does it very well. The Hidden Legacy is more suspense than the Novice Ranch Hand, and it was also an enjoyable read. I loved the angle of Austin and Willow's dead husband - you'll have to read it to find out - and Foster played that angle out very well, adding to the suspense of the book. I really liked both characters, and the author wove the suspense, mystery, and romance all together to come up with a great suspense novel. And add to that the hunt for buried treasure....who doesn't enjoy that?

  There are a lot of great novels in this collection, and I highly recommend these two I was asked to review. 

About the authors:
Kimberley Woodhouse is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than forty fiction and nonfiction books. Kim and her incredible husband of thirty-plus years live in Colorado, where they play golf together, spend time with their kids and grandkids, and research all the history around them. You can connect with Kimberley on her website, KimberleyWoodhouse.com.

An award-winning author, June Foster is also a retired teacher with a BA in Education and a MA in counseling. 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 provide a rich source of information for her novels. She brags about visiting a location before it becomes the setting in her next book.

To date, June has written over thirty contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels and novellas. She loves to compose 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 freedom to live godly lives. She's published with Winged Publications. Visit June at www.junefoster.com to see a complete list of her books.

Series recommendation: Hunt Brothers Search and Rescue by Jessica Ashley

 I discovered  this author last year when I ran across the first book in her Coastal Hope Series. I bought the other four books as they came out, and loved the whole series. The Hunt Brothers were introduced in the final book of that series, Perilous Healing, being cousins of the main male character in that book, Silas. 

Now an interesting thing about the book titles in this series: Those are not the brother's names - though they are their nicknames/call signs.  The book titles are the names of the guy's dogs. 

Bravo came out in February, and features Bradyn

Echo features Elliot. The paperback just came out, and the ebook is due out April 28. I love it when it happens like that.😃

Romeo is due out June 30, and features Riley

Tango features Tucker, and is due out August 25.

Delta features Dylan, and is due out October 27. 

Two of the brothers are twins. I think it is Dylan and Tucker. 

Here are the blurbs for the two books I have read so far: 

Their love is a risk neither can afford—but it might be the only thing worth fighting for.

Bravo:

Former Special Forces Operative Bradyn Hunt may have left battlefields behind for his family's Texas ranch, but he’s still fighting—now as the head of Hunt Brothers Search & Rescue. He and his team tackle the toughest missing persons cases, reuniting families and seeking answers.

Kennedy Smith has been on the run for years, living under different names and never getting attached. Her latest hiding place is as a ranch hand at the Hunt family’s property, figuring there’s no safer place than among a group of Army veterans. But she didn’t count on falling for Bradyn, the quiet, determined leader who just rolled back into town.

Just as she considers staying, her past catches up. The danger she fled is at her doorstep, and now Bradyn is in the line of fire. Kennedy must decide—keep running or fight for the only man she’s ever trusted. But the secrets she’s kept could destroy them both.

A pulse-pounding romantic suspense about trust, redemption, and the kind of love that refuses to let go—even when the past threatens to destroy it. Will they survive the firestorm, or will her secrets bring everything crashing down?

A soldier tormented by the past. A woman with no memory. A love neither of them saw coming.

Elliot "Echo" Hunt carries the weight of his past, haunted by the one person he couldn’t save. When he finds an injured woman on his ranch, he rescues her without hesitation—only to realize she looks eerily like the one he couldn’t protect.

Echo: 

"Jane Doe" wakes with no memory, no identity—just an overwhelming sense of connection to the man who saved her. The attraction between them is undeniable, yet Elliot, scarred by his past, keeps her at arm’s length, terrified of what a second chance at love could cost.

As the danger surrounding Jane intensifies, so does their bond. With every passing day, their hearts grow closer, but secrets from her past threaten to tear them apart.

As Elliot faces his greatest fears, he must decide if he’s willing to trust in God’s plan for a love that might heal them both—or risk losing it forever.

Dive into a gripping tale of love, redemption, and unshakable faith. Get your copy of Echo and experience a heart-pounding Christian romantic suspense story that will leave you breathless!

I just read Echo yesterday, and it was an awesome read. I always enjoy a good amnesia story, and the female is a Jane Doe for most of the book.

The author excels at creating great and likable characters, and she is not afraid to weave  strong Christian themes and truths in her books, while keeping them clean and completely free of bad language. In Echo, I related a bit to Elliot. Three years previous, a tragedy happened and he has been struggling with his faith, and has not been to church since. (No tragedy in my case...politics has caused my struggles, and I do go to church.)

I have enjoyed both books, and am looking forward to reading the others. But yikes....the end of June for the next one. Sigh.

About the author:

A USA Today bestselling author of over sixty novels, Jessica recently felt her faith pulling her in a new direction. Now, her focus is inspirational romantic suspense with characters who fight to find their faith in even the darkest of moments, because, as she has learned, it's then we should lean on God the most.

She lives in Texas with her husband and homeschools her three kids. She is an Army veteran and has written multiple bestsellers since debuting in 2016.

                                                Book 3, coming June 30

Book #4, coming August 25

Book #5, coming October 27

A response from Tyndale Publishing on cursing

 I have blogged many times about one of my pet peeves: cursing in Christian fiction. And I have blogged a couple of times about Tyndale Publishing putting bad language in books by a fairly new author, Ryan Steck.

There is a new book coming out from them that is also  military type book by a new author: Silent Horizons by Chad Robichaux. Now normally, I would just buy the book, but I don't trust Tyndale. So I emailed them this morning, pointing out the issues with the Ryan Steck books, and asking if this book was going to have the same kind of language. 

I got an email that didn't answer that question, but defended the cursing, and I am more disgusted with the company after reading it. Now it IS a polite response, and they even offered a free book....but.....

The response: 

Hello Mark,

Thank you for taking the time to express your concerns about this title.  I will pass along your feedback to our acquisitions and editorial teams. I understand that this book was not what you expected or wanted when you selected it. I am sorry that you were disappointed with this purchase. 

Our goal for this series is to target a broader audience of readers who come to us with a different perspective and life experience. Though open to faith-leaning content, they perhaps haven’t read Christian fiction before or don’t even know that it is a category of fiction. They don’t bring the same personal convictions to their reading choices as some long-time readers of Christian fiction.  

Our team has heard countless stories of readers who have walked away from Christian retail and Christian fiction because they say it failed to honestly represent the situations and struggles; they’ve faced. This is especially true of men who have recently or are currently serving in the military and makes up a significant portion of the readership for this genre. We specifically asked for permission and guidance from our executive team in offering content that allowed some instances of more realistic language from our characters, especially those who may not be Christians--if it serves a purpose, to simply to represent their world in a more authentic way. While I understand that you may disagree with the strategy or philosophy that we’ve taken with this book, know that our sincere goal is to connect with new readers who may have never been exposed to any Christian content in the novels they read. 

We are happy to offer you a copy of one of the following books as a replacement for the book you purchased.  Please respond to the e-mail and let a customer service representative know your preference. 

A novelization of one of the Kendrick films, Overcomer or Lifemark 

Under a Cloudless Sky by Chris Fabry 

Rule of Law by Randy Singer

 Again, thank you for your feedback. 

Charlie

Customer Service Representative

  OK, my first two thoughts:
#1. We are talking fiction. Fiction is not real. Fiction is often unrealistic. So you don't need bad language to make something more realistic that isn't realistic in other ways. I mean seriously...so many Christian suspense novels are about a couple falling in love while on the run from a killer or while trying to solve a crime. Is that realistic?😀

#2. Christianity is not realistic. I could write a long time about that, but I will say this: The one true God sent his only son as a baby who grew up to die on a cross for our sins and rose the third day. That is not realistic in the least. 

#3. You want to draw non-Christians to Christianity by using words in a book that Christians should not be using? Doesn't make sense.

#4. Here you have a Christian publisher that publishes and sells a lot of Bibles....yet they see nothing wrong in ignoring what that Bible says when it comes to the language in recent books. Stuff like how we should talk, about not offending our Christian brothers and sisters...etc. 

   I have struggled in areas for years, and in more recent years have really been struggling with my faith, mostly because of politics and political Christians.  I like it when a book has a character struggling with their faith. In fact, I just read a book yesterday where the main male character had been struggling with his faith for three years because of a tragedy, and had not been in church for three years. (Echo, Hunt Brother Brothers Search and Rescue Book #2 by Jessica Ashley.) It was an amazing read and not one improper word in it. And all of the main male characters in the series are former military.

 Sex scenes would probably make a book more realistic these days. I hope that Tyndale never goes there, but there is such a thing as a slippery slope.

 And I don't want to come across as some perfect Christian. I am not. My faith has about been shattered, and I am barely hanging on some days by a thread. But that doesn't make bad language in a Christian book by a Christian author and publisher OK. 

I am not sure what to do about buying and reading Tyndale fiction books at this point. If I but one with the kind of language in that are in Ryan Steck's novels, I am going to be frustrated and wanting my money back. 

I did suggest that if they are going to do the bad language, they should indicate on the book, or make a special imprint where authors can curse to their heart's delight. 

There are others bothered by it, and some who will defend it. I have a theory, and there is no way to prove that theory: I believe most, if not all, Christians who defend bad language in Christian fiction read a lot of non-Christian fiction. I know of two Christian fiction authors that I read who defended it, and I know both of them read a lot of secular fiction. And I am not knocking that. I just think they are so used to cursing in books that it doesn't phase them if it appears in Christian fiction. Now me...I only read Christian fiction, and one reason is to avoid that kind of language. 

The last secular fiction novel that I read was a Nicholas Sparks book I somehow got to review 5 years ago. 

I did reply to Tyndale, asking again about the book, and politely saying what I thought of their "realistic" reasoning. We will see what they say to my suggestion. But I have a feeling I may have to boycott their books, or email them about any book I am interested in to check on the language.

I have said it before, and I'll say it again: Bad language does NOT belong in a Christian book. There is no reason or excuse for it. We are inundated with it all around us, and it is pathetic that a Christian publisher doesn't care about offending long time faithful readers in their attempts to be more "realistic".