New and Notable author: Hannah Hood Lucero

   

1I had never even heard of this author til last week. Her books sounded really good, and I almost bought the first one in paperback....but since they are on Kindle Unlimited, decided to try #1 that way. 

  And I loved it. I immediately bought all 4 in paperback to celebrate something, and waited until they came to read the other three. And I just finished #4 a few minutes ago.

 The series is titled Sons of Vigilance. There are four books total, and the author has one other book that is young adult. 

 This series is about 5 brothers: Connor, Declan, Rian, Liam, and Kael Flynn. They are Irish, and all red haired....or gingers, the term the author uses a lot.

 When the series starts, Connor, the oldest, is married. He appears in all of  the books, but does not have his own book.

 The first book is about Kael, the second about Rian, the third about Liam, and the last about Declan.

 These books are really good. Amazing, even. They are romantic suspense, and the plots and characters are all exceptional. And something the author excels at is something I love in books: banter between the characters. And believe me, there is a lot of banter between the 5 Irish - ginger - brothers. I smiled a lot, and laughed out loud a lot. 

 This is a series and author I highly recommend. 

Book #1: Already In the Kudzu

A suspenseful story of love, loss, and redemption.

A series of bad choices culminated in the worst day of Jamie Moreno’s life. Although she narrowly escaped her abusive boyfriend, he left her drowning in guilt over unspeakable secrets. Now, seven years later, she’s rebuilt a meaningful but lonely existence—and then one telephone call shatters her peace as her past threatens to destroy everyone she loves.

Staff Sergeant Kael Flynn is no stranger to standing between innocence and the evil men who seek to destroy it. On the cusp of trading in his combat boots for a quiet life, his final mission leaves him with a debt he can never repay. When he uncovers his fallen friend’s plan to keep a young woman safe, he sees a chance to do right by his fellow Marine. The last thing he anticipated was falling in love with the mysterious J. Moreno.

Will Jamie’s tormentor prove to be the one Kael can’t defeat before it’s too late?

Book #2: Beau On the Bayou

A romantic suspense that showcases beauty found in the midst of struggle.

Laurelin Dedeaux Holt’s deep roots and robust family legacy serve her well on the day her world comes crashing down. She needs the tenacity of a Mississippi live oak when her husband’s secret life leaves her a widow and single mother. After months of picking up the pieces, Laurelin finds unexpected hope for her future, but Ethan’s enemies have other plans for her.

Rian Flynn’s singular focus is building his career—until the day Laurelin Holt blows into his life with her cynical humor and spellbinding eyes. Soon he must face his own buried fears with vigilance and determination as he treads the murky waters surrounding this rebel disguised as a Southern belle.

With vengeful drug lords, a faceless serial killer, and the ghosts of Laurelin’s past lurking in the shadows of the Gulf Coast, will Rian and Laurelin grow stronger together or be ripped apart by trouble as relentless as galeforce winds?

Book #3: Crossfire At the Precipice 

Heading home in high spirits after securing a career-building business deal, Cynthia Sumrall encounters a grumpy—and handsome—ginger. What begins as two strangers traveling in the same direction soon spirals into dangers and uncertainties that leave Cynthia floundering. +

A few chance meetings shatter all her preconceived ideas about what she wants and leave her questioning everything she believes about God’s purpose for her life.

 Liam Flynn is dutifully going through the motions until a tenacious redhead shakes up his mundane world with her sunshiny personality and adorable southern drawl. For the first time in his life, Liam wants something for reasons other than pleasing his family and rising above the stigmas attached to his questionable past. Real happiness seems within his reach until tragedy strikes and Cynthia disappears. 

Will Cynthia and Liam be able to navigate through the headwinds of hard realities to find purpose and belonging together, or will the turbulence of fear and loss prove too much for their already tattered souls?

Book #4: Dereliction of the Heart

She's running from her past. He's avoiding his future.

Claire Bryant hasn’t set foot in North Carolina since the day she ran from the darkness that stole her innocence and buried her dreams. Now on the verge of embracing the career she’s spent the past eight years building, she receives a telephone call that sends her racing back to her hometown with her precocious young daughter, wishing she’d come sooner and hoping she’s not too late.

Even with the family watchword of vigilance, Declan Flynn knows his career as an Air Force Pararescue Jumper carries a high likelihood that someday he won’t return home. But he begins to rethink his confirmed bachelorhood when he meets a stranded and stressed mother-daughter duo at the Charlotte airport. Ever ready to be the hero, Declan finds Claire highly resistant to his charms but in great need of a friend.

Back in Brevard, old enemies, lost love, and shadowed memories haunt Claire at every turn. As long-buried secrets come to light, her self-reliance and resilience are no longer enough to protect her family. Faced with unthinkable losses, can she trust the handsome young medic to be there when she needs him most? Can she face the life she threw away to embrace the life she’s always wanted?

   These books have very strong Christian and Biblical themes. The author tackles some tough issues, and her characters struggle in different areas with God and believing in Him and his love.

  This series ranks high in the all of the series I have read. I am just sad there aren't more books in the series. 

 And while I am at it, I may as well mention the young adult book, which I have not read yet. The characters in it make appearances in a couple of the books in the above series.

Cathey's Creek Road

A tenacious girl.

A sulky boy.

Bluegrass and dubstep find a brand new beat.

Evans Sutton was twelve years old when an accident left her scarred inside and out. For five years, insecurity has chipped away at her spirit, threatening to dismantle her once-unshakable faith. Can she find a way to see beyond her fears and imperfections to the God-given beauty within?

Abandoned by his father and unprotected by his mother, Gabe Miller has felt adrift for most of his life. With no hope of ever finding peace, he finds himself in a North Carolina cornfield with blood on his hands. Only an unexpected encounter with a beautiful yet exasperating stranger cascades color into his world of gray. Can Gabe shed his armor of bitterness before pride destroys his future?\

As Evans and Gabe’s friendship grows, the broken pieces of their souls begin to fit together, opening them up to the potential for deeper wounds than before. Does healing or heartbreak await them at the top of Cathey’s Creek Road?

There is beauty to be found in the waiting.

About the author:

HANNAH HOOD LUCERO is a wife, mom of three, Army veteran, and self-proclaimed word-slinger. While it is the brackish waters of the Mississippi Sound that flow through her veins, western North Carolina holds her heart. Her love for storytelling is the fruit of a lifetime of cultivation in the vibrant cultures of the Gulf Coast and the Blue Ridge Mountains. She currently resides in South Mississippi with her husband and three children on their ten-acre homestead. They have one dog, thirteen chickens, and at least fifty species of mosquitos, depending on the month of the year. When she isn’t in the garden, at the stove, or homeschooling, she can be found at her computer—just follow the sound of frenetic typing. Her motto is, “Draft, edit, read, repeat.”

Check out her website: HannahHoodLucero.com