Among the Innocent by Mary Alford

Book description:

 When Leah Miller's entire Amish family was murdered ten years ago, the person believed responsible took his own life. Since then, Leah has left the Amish and joined the police force. Now, after an Amish woman is found murdered with the same MO, it becomes clear that the wrong man may have been blamed for her family's deaths.

As Leah and the new police chief, Dalton Cooper, work long hours struggling to fit the pieces together in order to catch the killer, they can't help but grow closer. When secrets from both of their pasts begin to surface, an unexpected connection between them is revealed. But this is only the beginning.

What will it mean for Leah--and Dalton--when the full truth comes to light?

My review:

   I will admit I debated about this one. No offense to those who like Amish books, but they are far from being my cup of tea. I finally decided it sounded worth reading, and I was definitely right. Sister, this is not your mama's Amish fiction. Yes, it is set in an Amish community and involved the Amish, but it is a far cry from those sweet Amish books that have been so popular for years.

  I read the prologue one night before going to bed, and it sounded promising. Last night, I picked up the book and did not put it down until after 1 a.m. Man, what an awesome read.

  This is the author's first book for Revell Publishing, and I believe is her first full length trade paperback book. She has written several mass market paperbacks for Love Inspired Suspense that I have read, and several Amish ones for them, which I have not read. This first full length novel was a hit way out of the ballpark, and it will be difficult to top.....but I am sure she can.

  I loved the two main characters. Formerly Amish, Leah's entire family was murdered in front of her 10 years before when she was sixteen. Now, the same killer seems to be back for her, but not before working his way up to her. She is now a police officer, and a force to be reckoned with.

  Dalton is also a great and likable character, with his own agenda that he keeps from everyone for a while, having his own stakes in solving the 10 year old crime, along with the new ones.

 And the bad guy...he made a great bad guy. Readers of suspense will understand that. A suspense novel is no good if it does not have a strong and great bad guy, and this guy was that in spades.

  This book was so much better than I was expecting and hoping for. From chapter one on, the suspense was non stop as they tried to track the killer down while also trying to stop him from killing others they knew were on his radar. Dalton and Leah both had their share of close calls as the killer seemed to stay one or more steps ahead of them, and I was on pins and needles reading as fast as I could while wondering what was going to happen next.

  There is romance in the book, but it is more or less on the back burner while the suspense takes the spot light.

  Among the Innocent was a wild ride through the Amish community that came to a great climatic scene with the bad guy that had me worried for a few pages, until the book's awesome ending.

  One slight complaint: there was one thing I wish the author had finished up that had to do with Dalton and Harrison....I won't give spoilers......but maybe it is unrealistic to expect everything to be tied up in a neat bow at the end. Regardless, this is one of the best suspense novels I have read this year.... and I have read several. It is definitely worth reading.

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

About the author:

Mary Alford is a USA Today bestselling author who loves giving her readers the unexpected, combining unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots that result in stories the reader can't put down. Her titles have been finalists for several awards, including the Daphne Du Maurier, the Beverly, the Maggie, and the Selah. She and her husband live in the heart of Texas in the middle of 70 acres with two cats and one dog. Learn more at www.maryalford.net.

  Among the Innocent is available from Revell Publishing, part of the Baker Publishing Group.

 Thanks to Revell for the review copy.

Deadly Shallows, Coastal Guardians #3 by Dani Pettrey

Book description: 

A deadly attack.

A stolen weapon capable of immense destruction.

A painful secret that threatens to tear two hearts apart.

CGIS Agent Noah Rowley is rocked to the core when several of his valued team members come under fire on his Coast Guard base. He and his remaining team race to the scene and end the attack, but not before innocent lives are lost. Furious and grief-stricken, he vows to do whatever is needed to bring the mastermind behind the attack to justice.

Stunned by the ambush, Coast Guard flight medic Brooke Kesler evacuates in a helicopter carrying the only surviving gunman. The gravely wounded man whispers mysterious information to Brooke that immediately paints a target on her back.

As Brooke and Noah race to uncover answers, emotions between them ignite. Noah struggles to protect Brooke at all costs and to conceal the secret that prevents him from becoming what he longs to be--the right man for her.

Everything is at stake as a horrifying truth emerges. . . .

The attack wasn't the end game. It was only the beginning.

My review:

   Dani Pettrey came on the Christian fiction scene in May of 2012 with Submerged,  the first book of her Alaskan Courage Series, and immediately became one of my top favorite Christian suspense authors. Deadly Shallows keeps her at that spot.

  A year ago, The Crushing Depths left readers thinking and hoping that this next book would feature Brooke and Noah, the CGIS Agent In Charge....and that is what happened.

  I try not to exaggerate in book reviews, but this book was over the top awesome. It may be her best one yet. Twenty-five pages in, there is a shooting, and the book has non stop action and suspense from that point on.

 The book had a great plot, and Pettrey did a great job of taking that plot and making a very entertaining  and suspenseful read that yes, I did read in one sitting. This is NOT a book you leave on your bed stand and read a little of it over a few weeks. It deserves.....maybe even demands to be read and devoured at one sitting. Or did it devour me?

  I feel this author excels at team camaraderie. Her first series was about a family, but this and the previous series is about a team. I enjoyed the suspense of course - that is my favorite genre' - but I also enjoyed the interplay and friendships between the team members and those helping them. And possibly more evident in this book was the different talents/specialties of each member and how they worked their individual skill set to solve the case, and give their updates at the daily case board updates.

 The bad guys were awesome......well, still bad, but their role and reasons for what happened were well thought out and what is a suspense novel without bad guys?

  Noah and Brooke: this is romantic suspense, and this bachelor for life long ago started tolerating the romantic aspect of these books, and now I actually enjoy them and root for them. There is an element of what I guess you can call suspense when it comes to even those parts of the book. They obviously made a great couple, but Noah's secret was holding him back. Both of them were very likable and awesome characters, and I admit my eyes watered at the one scene when Noah finally came clean.

 In addition to that romance, there was also a budding romance fun to watch between Caleb and Austin (don't worry - in this book Austin was a female) :)

  The further I got in the book, the more suspenseful it got and the more happened as the bad guys desperately worked toward their final goal. There were some surprises, and you never knew who was going to end up dead next.

  The whole story came to quite an explosive climax that had me on the end of my seat reading as fast as I could. The good guys did their job, and the bad guys.......well, read the book. But read the first two before you read #3.

   Deadly Shadows had a great ending after the case was over. It was both amusing and a satisfying end to the Noah and Brooke part of the story.

   This third book in the Coastal Guardian Series shows why this author is so well loved and popular. And it also shows why she needs to keep using her talent to write top quality Christian suspense. Definitely five stars, thought it deserves more than the allotted five.

  I am hoping there is a book #4, and that it covers Logan and Emmy. Logan, the non-believer of the team, has been an intriguing character throughout all three books.

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

About the author:

Publishers Weekly and #1 Amazon bestselling author, Dani Pettrey has sold nearly 800,000 copies of her novels to readers eagerly awaiting the next release. Dani combines the page-turning adrenaline of a thriller with the chemistry and happy-ever-after of a romance. 

Her novels stand out for their "wicked pace, snappy dialogue, and likable characters" (Publishers Weekly), "gripping storyline[s]," (RT Book Reviews), and "sizzling undercurrent of romance" (USA Today).

She researches murder and mayhem from her home in Maryland. For more information about her novels, visit danipettrey.com.

  Deadly Shallows is available from Bethany House Publishers, part of the Baker Publishing Group.

Check out the rest of the series:

                                                                          Book #1

                                                                        Book #2

Critical Alliance, Rocky Mountain Courage #3 by Elizabeth Goddard

 

Book description:

She's seeking answers. He's seeking respite.

The past is seeking both of them.

Mackenzie Hanson's special set of skills opened the door to a successful career as a professor of cybersecurity at a Michigan university, allowing her to put her criminal past behind her. But when a long-ago partner in crime delivers a cryptic message about her father's tech company being under cyberattack, she heads for Montana to secure exposed assets, close security breaches, and protect her father's company.

Diplomatic Security Services special agent Alex Knight is back home in Montana to decompress from a mission gone wrong. But even as he's trying to relax, he's drawn into another mystery, complete with suspicious deaths, lethal threats, and whispers of espionage that all have one thing in common--a beautiful cybersecurity expert with a dark past.

When the situation turns deadly, Alex and Mackenzie will have to work together to find the answers they need--before someone silences Mackenzie for good.

My review:

   I first ran across this author when I read several of her Love Inspired Suspense novels, and loved everything I read. This is her second series for Revell, which are much longer novels, and she has written two great series, this being the third and last of the second series.

   As always, the author came up with great characters for the book, and brought back the others in the other two books also. Mackenzie, still trying to right the wrong she did as a sixteen year old hacker.... and Alex, trying to get away from what he viewed as a failure on his part in the line of his work.

 The plot of the book is centered around cyber security, hacking, cyber attacks, and drone technology. Any time an author tackles that, there is a danger of using too much techno language and having the reader's eyes glaze over like a donut. 

 Goddard pulled it off without doing that. I found it all very interesting, and actually parts of it fascinating. Mackenzie made an awesome hacker, and Alex a great protector and researcher on the drone technology part of what was going on. A cool thing about Christian fiction, is how you can learn a lot while being entertained and inspired.....and I did learn a lot about drones and cyber security "stuff". The author did a lot of research, and it shows.

  The romance angle was different in this book than in the first two. In the first two books, both couples had previously dated and broken up. In Critical Alliance, Mackenzie and Alex had previously met and spent a day together, but had never dated. The romance was much more slow moving in this story, though it was obvious that it was going to happen with the way the two got along. :)

 Nebulous 2.0 made a great villain and did a lot of damage and threats. The author totally shocked me when the identity was revealed. I totally did not see that coming.

 And the mystery of the memorial vandalism was finally solved.....and that was another great surprise and showed what kind of man Alex was with his reactions and actions when he found out.

  This book was a great ending to a great series, and I enjoyed every page and minute of it.

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

About the author:

  Elizabeth Goddard is the USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of more than 50 novels, including the Rocky Mountain Courage and Uncommon Justice series. Her books have sold over 1 million copies. She is a Carol Award winner and a Daphne du Maurier Award finalist. When she's not writing, she loves spending time with her family, traveling to find inspiration for her next book, and serving with her husband in ministry. For more information about her books, visit her website at www.elizabethgoddard.com.

 Critical Alliance will be available July 5 from Revell Publishing, part of the Baker Publishing Group.

                                                                          Book #1

                                                                         Book #2

                                                            

                                   Coming February 2023: Book #1 in the Missing In Alaska Series

Season of My Enemy by Naomi Musch

Book description:

 Only last year, Fannie O’Brien was considered a beauty with a brain, and her future shone bright, despite the war pounding Europe. With her father’s sudden death and her brothers overseas, Fannie must now do the work of three men on their 200-acre farm—until eight German prisoners arrive and, just as Fannie feared, trouble comes too. Someone seems intent on causing “accidents,” and Fannie is certain the culprit is one of the two handsome older Germans—or possibly both. Can she manage the farm, keep the prisoners in line, and hold her family together through these turbulent times?

My Review:

    This was a new author to me, never even hearing of her before to my knowledge. The book description intrigued me enough that I requested it to review.

    This was a slower paced book than I usually read, and it did take me a while to get into it. Once I did catch my interest more, I was able to get into it and enjoy it. The setting for the book was a great one: a busy Wisconsin farm, and the author came up with some great and likable characters....American and German.

  Not only is the book interesting for entertainment value, but it really brought home the realities of being around the enemy, and how Christians still need to abstain from hate when it involves people from a country they are at war with.

  The feelings of different characters are all over the map throughout the book. Fannie is totally against the idea of using German POW's to help out on the farm, and has severely intense feelings against them. Her feelings go back and forth some throughout the book. Some of the German soldiers hate Americans and having to work for them, while others were unwilling participants in their country's war, and were thankful for the chance to get out of the prison camp and work. 

 I feel the author did a great job of portraying the struggle in different characters on both sides of the war to forgive and not hate.

 The relationship between Fannie and Wolf was a long slow process, and I will not say how that ended....but I was happy with the ending of the book, and did enjoy reading the book. I am already looking at the author's other books, and am considering reading The Love Coward next.

 After I finished the book, I Googled what happened in the book. We did indeed have prison camps in the US for German soldiers, and they were used to work for pay outside of the camps. There were very strict rules on how they were treated.

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

About the author:

Naomi loves stories rich in American history, but occasionally writes in other genres as well. She pens stories from the pristine north woods, where she and her husband live as epically as God allows near

their five adult children and passel of grandchildren. She has worked as an editor for a small press, a staff writer for an EPA award-winning newspaper, a ghost writer, and has published dozens of magazine and internet articles for the encouragement of homeschooling families and young writers. Naomi is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, Lake Superior Writers, and the Wisconsin Writers' Association. She loves engaging with others and always discovering kernels of a new story. She is available for speaking and book groups. Her newest novel is Mist O'er the Voyageur, and she anticipates re-releasing several of her back-list novels in 2019.

Connect with her through her website: http://www.naomimusch.com

FB: Naomi Musch - Author

Twitter: NMusch

  Season of My Enemy is available from Barbour Publishing.

Thanks to Barbour for the review copy.

Elysium Tide by James Hannibal

Book description:

Dr. Peter Chesterfield is the top neurosurgeon at the Royal London Hospital. He's also a workaholic, and after a blow-up with a colleague, his boss orders him to attend a medical symposium at the luxurious Elysium Grand on the island of Maui. During a midnight walk on the beach, Peter pulls a woman with a skull fracture from the water. Despite all his skill, she dies in his arms, leaving him with only one clue to what happened to her: the word "honu."

Obsessed with finding the cause of his patient's death--discovering what or who ripped the power over life and death from his surgeon's hands--Peter becomes entangled in an ongoing investigation. He also becomes a source of deep irritation to detective Lisa Kealoha, who has jurisdiction over the case.

The reluctant pair join forces, diving deep into Maui's evolving gang culture, and unearth a conspiracy that runs deeper than either could have imagined. Knowing too much is deadly--and they must catch the killer before the killer catches them.

My review:

  I have been a fan of James Hannibal's books since I read his squeaky clean and curse free Nick Baron books written for the secular market. I was excited when he began writing for the Christian market, and have devoured every book he has written since. He is one of the most interesting authors when it comes to his personal life that I have read. (Read his bio!)

 And every book he writes is different. Elysium Tide is kind of a whodunnit, with the police detective trying to figure that out with the help of Peter.

 Peter is the character who made the book. At the start of the book, he wasn't very likable, and was basically a jerk. Fortunately, he becomes more likable as the book progresses, and is somewhat amusing with his unwanted help he keeps giving Detective Kealoha.

 The plot is an excellent one. Everything is tied together, and there are plenty of bad guys. This is the second book in a few months that had a lot of Hawaiian customs and words used, and I found that interesting as it played into how Lisa had to approach working on the case.

  Elysium Tide was a faster paced book than some Hannibal has written, and that made it a definite read in one sitting book for me. Once I started it, I kept at it, happy I could read it and not have to put it down. The exploits of Peter as he determinedly helped work the case kept me on the edge of my seat until the satisfying ending.

  There were a couple of loose ends, in my opinion. I won't give any spoilers, but I expected more on the spiritual aspect for Peter, and was hoping for a romantic angle. The book still had a great ending, and James Hannibal can add this to another of his great works of Christian fiction. Hopefully he writes many more.

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

About the author:

James R. Hannibal is no stranger to secrets and adventure. This former stealth pilot from Houston, Texas, has been shot at, locked up with surface-to-air missiles, and chased down a winding German road by an armed terrorist. He is a three-time Silver Falchion Award winner for his children's mysteries, and a Carol and Selah Award winner for The Gryphon Heist and Chasing the White Lion. His latest spy thriller is The Paris Betrayal. James is a rare multisense synesthete, meaning all of his senses intersect. He sees and feels sounds and smells, and hears flashes of light. If he tells you the chocolate cake you offered smells blue and sticky, take it as a compliment. Connect with James at www.jamesrhannibal.com.

Elysium Tide is available from Revell, part of the Baker Publishing Group.

Thanks to Revell for the review copy.

Also available by James Hannibal from Revell Publishing:

Sunburst, Sky King Ranch #2 by Susan May Warren

Book description: 

When former Navy SEAL and lifelong bachelor Ranger Kingston is called upon to take part in a rescue mission to save his brother Colt from terrorists in Nigeria, he is shocked to find among the hostages a woman he could never forget.

Noemi Sutton was attempting to return a young girl to her family in Boko Haram territory when she and the girl found themselves taken hostage, along with several others. And while Ranger Kingston may be able to get the hostages away from their captors, he'll need Noemi's help if he ever hopes to get out of Nigeria alive.

Her solution? Pose as husband and wife. But when her uncle discovers the union, he insists on a traditional Nigerian wedding--which would bind Noemi to a man destined to break her heart. Worse, the trouble they're fleeing has found them--again. It's clear anyone around Noemi is bound to be caught in the cross fire. Including her potential new husband.

She'll need to figure out a way to leave the man she loves if she wants to save his life.

My review:

     This is probably the most anticipated book of this year for me. It isn't just because Warren is such a great author, but she ended the first book with a major cliffhanger to set up this book. I have very eagerly waiting for this book to come out, often thinking "how could she do that to her readers?!"

   The wait was definitely worth it. This was mostly a fast paced read, with at least half of it taking place in Nigeria. I learned a lot about Nigerian customs and food, and I will say if it came down to dying or eating some of it - i.e. a fish head - I might choose dying. 

   Book #1 featured Dodge, and this book features the second of the triplets: Ranger. This book also brings all three brothers together for the first time in ten years, and they are a force to be reckoned with.

  Sunburst is classified as a contemporary romance, but it is definitely more of a suspense novel with all that goes on in the book: Muslim kidnappers/terrorists, Russian bad guys, several narrow escapes, hospital visits, and more. And of course romance. Ranger and Noemi were such an awesome team and couple, though it took pretty much the whole book for them to admit it, which just made the story all the more entertaining.

   I waited until I could read Sunburst uninterrupted, and finished it in almost one sitting - took my three nephews out to lunch - then it was back to Ranger and Noemi. It was definitely hard to put down.

  In addition to a great story, the author hit on themes of trusting God, and of God truly seeing us and caring about us. Those points gotten across in a very non-preaching way.

 The book had an awesome satisfying ending worthy of such an awesome read, and then the author set up the next book with another cliffhanger. I am definitely looking forward to the third and final book, Colt's story.

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

About the author:

Susan May Warren is the USA Today bestselling author of nearly 90 novels with more than 1.5 million books sold, including the Global Search and Rescue and the Montana Rescue series, as well as Sunrise and Sunburst. Winner of a RITA Award and multiple Christy and Carol Awards, as well as the HOLT Medallion and numerous Readers' Choice Awards, Susan makes her home in Minnesota. Find her online at www.susanmaywarren.com, on Facebook @SusanMayWarrenFiction, and on Twitter @SusanMayWarren.

Sunburst is available from Revell Publishing, part of the Baker Publishing Group.

Thanks to Revell for the review copy.

 

                                                                          Book #1

Book #3, Coming November 2022

In Honor's Defense, Hanger's Horsemen #3 by Karen Witemeyer

Book description:

 He's Faced Countless Perils on the Battlefield, but Nothing so Dangerous as Falling in Love.

Luke Davenport has been fighting all his life--for respect, for country, and for those unable to fight for themselves. But now that his Horsemen brothers are domesticated, he's left alone to battle the wildness within. When an opportunity arises to take a job on his own, tracking down a group of rustlers, he jumps at the chance.

Damaris Baxter has mastered the art of invisibility. Plain and quiet, she hides in books and needlework, content to be overlooked. Until her brother dies suddenly, leaving her custody of her nephew. She moves to Texas to care for Nathaniel, determined to create the family for herself that she never thought she'd have and to give him the family he desperately needs.

When Nate finds himself knee-deep in trouble, Luke's attempt to protect him leaves Damaris feeling indebted to the Horseman. But suspicions grow regarding the mysterious death of Damaris's brother. And the more questions they ask, the more danger appears, threatening the family Luke may be unable to live without.

My review:
 I ran onto this author's books last June when she popped up as a similar author to one I had been reading. I read The Short Straw Bride, bought all of her books in print, and have read everything she has written since.

 This series is her best writing yet, in my not so humble opinion. I loved the first two books, and was eagerly awaiting this third one, and it completely bypassed my expectations. In Honor's Defense is definitely the best of this great series, and it will be a challenge for the author to top it with her next book/series......but I believe she is up to the task.

   I loved the characters in this book:

 Damaris: quiet and unassuming, faithfully taking care of an aunt who didn't appreciate her at all....then suddenly moving and taking custody of her 14 year old nephew who was not at all the loving little boy she had met years ago. I like books with kids in. They make a book all the more interesting, and rebellious Nate definitely made the story more interesting.

Luke: the only one of the horsemen single and unattached, determined to always do the right thing....even if it is helping a young woman with her bratty nephew, and risking his life to save the life of that nephew.

Nate: the bratty nephew, yet a grief stricken teenager who lost both of his parents, and now is stuck with an aunt he hardly knows. An aunt he pulls all sorts of pranks on involving snakes, locking her in the cellar, and more. Yet, he is just as likable as the other two main characters.

  My first love in reading has always been suspense/mystery starting with Hardy Boys books. This is classified as Christian Historical Fiction, yet has a lot of suspenseful aspects to make me enjoy the story all the more: bad guys, rustlers, things happening to try to scare Damaris into selling her nephew's birthright....and more. In Honor's Defense was truly a hard book to set down, so it is good that I read it when I could read it through to the end and not set it down.

  The book did not just entertain, but had some great truths in it about trusting God and more. One of the parts of the book that stood out to me was a conversation between Luke and Damaris. She told him that he is a good man, and he replied that if she knew who he really was, she wouldn't say that. So she asked him "Then tell me who you are? Really?"

 Luke starts telling her about his past, and she interrupted him at one point with "I didn't ask you to tell me who you were, Luke. I asked you to tell me who you are." I won't expound on that, but it is a great quote and has a lot of truth in it.

  The book had a great ending.....does the guy get the girl? I won't give spoilers away, but will say that Nate was a totally different person by the end of the book, but maybe they all were. 

 I am not exaggerating when I say this was a totally awesome book, and it was worth the wait. I am looking forward to what this author comes up with next.

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 author Karen Witemeyer (www.karenwitemeyer.com) 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.

  The Hanger's Horsemen Series is available from Bethany House Publishers, part of the Baker Publishing Group. In Honor's Defense will be available June 7 2022.

                                                               Book #1

                                                                           Book #2