Friday, July 31, 2020

The Beautiful Ashes of Gomez Gomez by Buck Storm

Book description:

When his wife, Angel, is killed in a head-on collision, Gomez Gomez feels he can't go on--so he doesn't. He spends his days in the bushes next to the crash site drinking Thunderbird wine, and his nights cradling a coffee can full of Angel's ashes. Slow, sure suicide, with no one for company but the snakes, Elvis's ghost, and a strange kid named Bones.
Across town, Father Jake Morales plays it safe, haunted by memories of the woman he left behind, hiding his guilt, loss, and love behind a thick wall of cassock and ritual. Then a shady business deal threatens the town--and his good friend Gomez Gomez--and Father Jake can't just stand by and watch. But what happens when the rescuer is the one in need of saving?
The Beautiful Ashes of Gomez Gomez is quirky, heartfelt, and deeply human. Lives and hopes collide in the town of Paradise, stretching across decades and continents in this epic story of forgiveness, redemption, and love.

My review:

  I have reviewed hundreds of books, and can count the negative ones I have done on one hand. I don't like to leave negative ones, but I am honest in my reviews. This book sounded really good and intrigued me, but I just could not get into it. It IS a little weird...a drunk guy talking to snakes and his dead wife, and the snakes talk back....but 64 pages in, I just wasn't enjoying the book, and was forcing myself to read, so I put it down.

 I am not knocking the author. A lot of people like his books, including this one, so it may just be me. The author does have an interesting writing style, but this book just wasn't for me.

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

About the author:

Buck Storm is a critically acclaimed author and musician whose stories have found friends around the world. His nonfiction work includes Finding Jesus in Israel and Through the Holy Land on the Road Less Traveled. Storm’s novels include The List, The Light, Truck Stop Jesus, and The Miracle Man. The latest, The Beautiful Ashes of Gomez Gomez, launches his new series, Ballads of Paradise.
Storm and his wife, Michelle, make their home in North Idaho and have two married children.
Learn more about Buck Storm, as well as his writing and music, at buckstorm.com. He can also be found on Facebook (@buckstormauthor), Twitter (@buckstormauthor), and Instagram (@buckstorm).


The Beautiful Ashes of Gomez Gomez is available from Kregel Publishing.

Friday, July 3, 2020

The Crushing Depths, Costal Guardians #2 by Dani Pettrey

Book description:

They know the power and peril of the ocean.
But as they get closer to the deadly truth . . .
An even greater danger lurks just beneath the surface.

When an accident claims the life of an oil-rig worker, Coast Guard Investigators Rissi Dawson and Mason Rogers are flown to the scene thirty-eight miles from shore. Tensions aboard the rig are high, and the death has everyone on edge. Environmental activists are threatening to do whatever it takes to stop the "plague on the environment" from continuing its work. Meanwhile, rumors are circulating on board about an ancient curse lurking in the depths below.

Mounting evidence shows the death might not have been an accident. Was the man killed by one of the activists or, more frighteningly, a member of his own crew? Rissi and Mason have to sort through not only numerous suspects, but also their own haunted pasts and their attraction to each other.

Just as the case seems about to break open, worse news arrives: a tropical storm has turned their way. Now they're cut off from any rescue--right where the killer wants them.

My review:

  I have been hooked on Dani Pettrey's books since I read and reviewed her first book, Submerged, the first in the five-book series Alaskan Courage back in 2012. And she just keeps getting better.

  What I liked about this book:

The characters: I love all of the characters in this series, and this one focused on the new team member, Mason, and his childhood acquaintance, Rissi. Their relationship was a bit different from the usual in romantic suspense novels. They had been foster kids together years before to the same abusive man, and Mason had been her protector. This added a different and cool aspect and angle to their relationship. I have come to not just tolerate, but actually enjoy the romantic aspect of these books, and it was fun watching them renew their friendship and realize both felt more than just friends.

 I liked both main characters, but Mason was just a really awesome one you can't help but liking. One thing I love about a series where the same characters are in each book, is there is so much time and room for character development, and Pettrey excels at that. Logan is one of the most interesting and likable characters, the atheist who is so witty and almost flamboyant. I love his interactions with Emmy, and laughed out loud more than once at their arguing and slams at each other.


The suspense: A lot of the action takes place on an oil rig where unexplained and suspicious accidents keep happening, resulting in some deaths.  This truly was one of those books where you don't know what is going to happen next, nor who the guilty party is. The oil rig isn't your usual setting for a suspense novel, though not everything happened on it, but the plot did revolve around it....and it made for an interesting story.


The action: There was a lot of action in the series, and the book was fairly fast-paced, which I like.

The setting: This is the first series I have read that centers on the Coast Guard Investigative Service, and I am loving it and the setting for the story. In this book, Mason and Rissi took a day trip to my favorite vacation spot, The Outer Banks...which was an added enjoyment for me.

The romance: As I mentioned, I enjoyed the developing relationship between Mason and Rissi. The author has thrown me for a loop though in what to hope for next.....I was hoping the next book would center on Logan and Emmy, but after reading this book, I also want it to feature Noah and Caleb and their possible relationships. I definitely am looking forward to book #3.

  The Crushing Depths was an awesome read, just as good as the book it follows. Pettrey again shows why she is one of my top favorite authors.


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



About the author:


Praised by New York Times bestselling author Dee Henderson as "a name to look for in romantic suspense," Dani Pettrey has sold more than half a million 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).

Her Alaskan Courage series and Chesapeake Valor series have received praise from readers and critics alike and spent multiple months topping the CBA bestseller lists. Dani has also been honored with multiple awards, including the Daphne du Maurier Award, two HOLT Medallions, two National Readers' Choice Awards, the Gail Wilson Award of Excellence, and Christian Retailing's Best Award.

Dani considers herself blessed to be able to write the kind of stories she loves--full of plot twists, peril, love, and a longing for hope and redemption. Her greatest joy as an author is sharing the stories God lays on her heart. She researches murder and mayhem from her home in Maryland, where she lives with her husband. Their two daughters, a son-in-law, and two adorable grandsons also reside in Maryland. For more information about her novels, visit www.danipettrey.com.


  The Crushing Depths is available from Bethany House Publishers, part of the Baker Publishing Group.


                                                     #1 in The Coastal Guardian Series




                                                    The Alaskan Courage Series:




The Chesapeake Valor Series:



Don't Keep Silent, Uncommon Justice #3 by Elizabeth Goddard

Book description:


Justice comes easy for these two. But forgiveness? That's another matter altogether.

Investigative reporter Rae Burke will do anything to find her missing sister-in-law, even if it means facing Liam McKade, a man who almost lost his life saving hers. A former DEA agent, Liam thought he could find peace at his Wyoming ranch, but he doesn't feel at home anywhere anymore. When the reporter who blew his cover on an important investigation inserts herself back into his life, he's less than thrilled. But Rae's keen investigative skills have led her down the right path--and directly into the dragon's mouth--leaving Liam no choice but to protect her.

As the danger increases, the past they both tried to flee catches up to them, along with the feelings they once had for each other . . .

My review:

  Ever since I closed my copy of the second book in this trilogy, I have been looking forward to this book. Goddard left just enough of a teaser about the 3rd and last brother in this series, that I couldn't wait to read it.

 Previously to my reading and reviewing this series, I had not read any books by this author, but since reading #1 in this trilogy, I have read several of her Love Inspired Suspense novels and enjoyed them as much as this series.

 Don't keep silent brings together Liam and Rae, who had previously had a romantic relationship that ended very badly.....with Rae blowing his DEA cover on the assignment he was on. This made an interesting dynamic between these two that I enjoyed throughout the book.

 The plot for Don't Keep Silent was very suspenseful and tangled. The author had me pretty much clueless to why Rae's sister-in-law was missing, and who had taken her. The journey to finding that out was full of drama, suspense, and pretty much non stop action.

 The Uncommon Justice Series revolves around three brothers who did not have the best upbringing, thanks to a drunk and sometimes abusive father, and the series showed how each brother dealt with it differently. Liam had run away to the military as soon as he turned eighteen, but being back home forced him to deal with his past. That element in all three books was a sad but necessary issue that needs to be discussed, and Goddard did a great job of addressing it in all three books.

 Don't Keep Silent was a thrilling conclusion to this awesome series, and has left me wanting to read more by this author. And Baker has the first book in her next series on their site: Present Danger, #1 in the Rocky Mountain Courage Series, due out in April.

   I do have one slight complaint: about this series. It did center on three brothers, and to me it would have made a lot more sense to have them pictured on the covers instead of the women they were involved with......but I still loved this series and highly recommend it, and anything Godddard has written.

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


About the author:


Elizabeth Goddard has sold over one million books and is the award-winning author of more than 40 romance novels and counting, including the romantic mystery The Camera Never Lies--a 2011 Carol Award winner. She is a Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense finalist for her Mountain Cove series--Buried, Backfire, and Deception--and a Carol Award finalist for Submerged. 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.



Don't Keep Silent is available from Revell, part of the Baker Publishing Group.



                                                                         Book #1




                                                                      Book #2




         And look for Present Danger, #1 in the Rocky Mountain Courage Series, April 2021