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.

The Heart's Choice, The Jewels of Kalispell#1 by Tracie Peterson, Kimberley Woodhouse

 

Book description:

They must uncover the truth before it's buried forever.

After witnessing a wrongful conviction as a young girl, Rebecca Whitman--the first female court reporter in Montana--is now determined to defend the innocent. During a murder trial, something doesn't sit well with her about the case, but no one except the handsome new Carnegie librarian will listen to her.

Librarian Mark Andrews's father sent him to college hoping he would take over the business side of the family ranch, but Mark would rather wrangle books than cows. When a patron seeks help with research in hopes of proving a man's innocence, Mark is immediately drawn to her and her cause.

In a race against time, will Rebecca and Mark find the evidence they need--and open their hearts to love--before it's too late?

My review:
   Peterson and Woodhouse are a dynamic writing duo who consistently put out quality Christian fiction, so I have been looking forward to this series....though I had no idea what Kalispell is or what the jewels of it were. (It is a town in Montana, and the jewels are famous landmarks, this book being about the Carnegie Library).

  This book is an awesome start to what promises to be a great series. I read it in one afternoon, and it truly is a book I didn't want to put down. The authors came up with a great setting for the series, and of course a terrific setting for this book: a library. Not everything in the book happens there, of course...but the main male character is the director of the library, so it does play a big part in the story.

 Speaking of characters......I loved the main characters. Rebecca, determined to pursue justice and go where no woman had ever gone before....at least in Montana...and determined not to marry the first man she met. Then the main male character.....I don't think I have ever identified so much with a fictional character as I did in this book. And ironically, his name is also Mark.

 And there are other likable characters, even the busybody interfering wife of the judge who had me chuckling at her antics.

 The book also had a great plot that involved a bad guy with devious intentions. And I admit I was pretty surprised at who the bad guy was. There was definitely enough mystery and suspense to keep me happy. 

 And there is the Christian aspect of the book. These authors never shy away from that, and often - as they have shared with their readers - include in their novels what they have been studying in their Bible studies. And evidently when they were writing that book, Jonah is what they were studying. There were some great truths shared about that passage/story from the Bible.

 There was also the spiritual journey of Rebecca that was part of the story.

 This was a great read full of romance, suspense, mystery, history, and Biblical truths.....all things you can expect from a Woodhouse/Peterson novel. I am looking forward to what comes next in this series, and what "jewel" will be the focus of the second book.

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

About the authors:

Kimberley Woodhouse (kimberleywoodhouse.com) is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than 30 fiction and nonfiction books. Kim and her incredible husband of 30-plus years live in Pennsylvania, where they play golf together, spend time with their kids and grandbaby, and research all the history around them.

Tracie Peterson (traciepeterson.com) 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.

Check out the other two series by this dynamic writing duo:

                                              The Heart of Alaska Series

The Treasures of Nome Series

New and notable author Hallee Bridgeman

 

Hallee Bridgeman is a fairly new to me author. I had run across her last year at some point, and downloaded a few e-books she was giving away. For some reason they didn't grab my attention, and  sat unread on my Kindle for several months. 

Then I had the chance to review her first book with a publisher I review for, Revell. It is unusual for a major publisher to put a series out so fast, but the trilogy came out a month apart. Book 1 came out in September, book 2 came out in October, and the third and final one came out in November. The series is a military/ special ops series, and is likely the best series I read in 2022. Seriously, it is an awesome series. I reviewed all three of them, and loved all three.

 After I read the first book, I decided to go for the ones sitting on my Kindle. I first read A Melody For James, #1 in the Song of Suspense Series. I liked it well enough that I bought it and the other 3 books in paperback, and read through the whole series in a few days.

Bridgeman does something I don't know of any other author doing. If you join her reader's group, you can pick any paperback of hers for free. She writes a variety of styles: military, suspense, romance, I think most of her books are contemporary. She had a really good deal on paperbacks back around Christmas. A really good deal....so I bought up most of the paperbacks I did not have. There are still several I have not read since my to-read stack is pretty big. In fact, it is a 5 shelf bookcase plus. 

Of her books that I have read, her Love and Honor Series - mentioned earlier -  is my favorite, and is some of the best Christian fiction I have read. I am just one of many giving that series glowing reviews. She did a prequel to the series, Love In Any Language, and has another prequel coming out in August. Both are considered novellas, and both are 190 pages. Neither book is through Revell, the publisher of the main three books.

After that series, my next favorite would be The Song of Suspense Series. Each book has a musical term in the title:

#1 A Melody for James

#2 An Aria for Nick (had to Google that one)

#3 A Carol for Kent

#4 A Harmony for Steve

  Of those four books, my favorite was the 4th, A Harmony for Steve. Yes, the story is fictional. but it was amazing the transformation in Steve, the male protagonist. When the book begins, he is a druggie in a rock group that is pretty much demonic, and hates Christians and Christianity. I won't give any spoilers away except that he is an entirely different person at the ending of the book.

Bridgeman is another author I am glad I discovered in 2022. And not only is she a great author, she is an interesting person to follow on social media .

**I had written this up last week and was planning on posting it this week or next. On Saturday April 29, Hallee's 14 year old son, Jonathan (Jeb) was walking home from a store and struck by a truck, and killed. Please remember this author's family in prayer.

About this author:

Hallee Bridgeman is the USA Today bestselling author of several action-packed romantic suspense books and series. An Army brat turned Floridian, Hallee and her husband finally settled in central Kentucky, where they have raised their three children. When she's not writing, Hallee pursues her passion for cooking, coffee, campy action movies, and regular date nights with her husband. An accomplished speaker and active member of several writing organizations, Hallee can be found online at www.halleebridgeman.com.

A couple other of her series to check out:

                        The Dixon Brothers Series (4 books)

The Jewel Series (8 books)

The Shifting Current, Coastal Guardians #4 by Dani Pettrey

 

Book description:

An elusive killer. A false identity. A deadly maze of lies.

When Coast Guard Investigative Service Special Agent LOGAN PERRY’s beloved grandfather is murdered, Logan races to his hometown of Cauldron Creek, New Mexico to investigate the murder. His teammate and friend, EMMY THORTON, insists on joining him. Not a good idea—not when he loves her, but carries a secret that he knows will tear them apart.

Emmy knows Logan will pursue the investigation no matter the cost, and she won’t let the man she loves plunge into a dangerous situation alone. She needs to be at his side, even if he believes friendship is her only reason for joining him.

What looks like a robbery gone wrong rapidly shifts, drawing Emmy and Logan into a dizzying maze where nothing is as it appears. Every lead slips through their fingers as threats against them grow deadlier at each turn. Having only each other to rely on, their love for one another deepens, but will they live long enough to admit their attraction to each other?

They’re in the killer’s sights. One wrong move puts their future together and their lives on the line.

My review:
  This has been an awesome series, and it kind of ended with Deadly Shallows, the third book in the series. 

 However, readers wanted Logan and Emmy's story, so if I understand correctly that is why this book came about. And it is shorter than the other three, coming in at 210 pages.

 Though shorter in length, this book was still awesome. (But is it possible for this author to not write an awesome book?!) It was different from the rest in a couple of ways: the rest of the team were not in most of the book, and their role was different.

  I loved the characters in these books, but Logan has been a favorite. For most of the series, he was pretty much an agnostic or atheist, and fought against Christian ideals and beliefs. He had an implied conversion in book #3, and is a full out Christian in this book. It was cool to see such a change in him. Yeah, fictional character...but still cool.

 Also different: Logan investigating the murder of a family member.

 This book was a great way to wind up the series, and had everything one could want in a suspense novel: great suspense, a great plot, terrific characters whose interplay and relationship was fun and entertaining, romance, and of course bad guys. It did keep me guessing to what was going on, and had a great conclusion to both the suspense and the long brewing romance.

Looking forward to what this author has coming next.

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.