Nowhere To Turn by Lynette Eason

 About the Book:

When Dani's abusive FBI husband dies Dani thinks that her and her son Simon are now free to live a normal life. When Dani and Simon's lives are once again threatened Dani turns to Adam Buchanan who works for Operation Refuge a protection agency. Adam is getting desperate in his protection of Dani and Simon, every time they move to a safe house the enemy seems to find them. How are they being found out and what will happen to Dani and Simon if they are captured?

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this second book in the Hidden Identity series. There were many twists and turns and lots of action and peril to keep the reader on the edge of their seat. I liked Dani's relationship with her son Simon. Simon is deaf and the center of his mom's life. When Adam comes into their lives it is nice to see him working to make a relationship with Simon as well as Dani and slowly winning their confidence and turning their fear of abuse into confidence and love. A lot of suspense and a little bit of romance makes this an entertaining read.

Thanks to the publisher Revell through NetGalley for my copy of Nowhere To Turn. All thoughts are opinions are my own.

 

Remnants: Season of Wonder by Lisa T. Bergren

 ABOUT THE BOOK:

Andriana is a Remnant, one of the gifted teens born on the seventh day during the seventy-seventh Harvest after the Great War, and destined to act as humanity’s last shield against the horrors that now plague those who remain.

After years of training in stealth and warfare, Andriana and her Knight protector, Ronan, are finally ready to answer the Call and begin the life they were designed for. But as they embark with the other Remnants on the first of their assignments, they quickly discover that the world beyond their protected Valley home is more dangerous than they imagined.

The Sons of Sheol will stop at nothing to prevent Dri and Ronan from rescuing anyone sympathetic to the Remnants’ cause. And as the Remnants attempt to battle the demonic forces, other enemies close in. Dangers intensify, but so do Dri's feelings for Ronan--the one emotion she is not meant to feel. In the midst of their mission, Andriana must find a way to master her feelings, or risk compromising everything.

MY REVIEW:

 I think that Dystopian and YA are two of my favorite genre's to read which made REMNANTS a story that I thoroughly enjoyed. From the very beginning of the book when Andriana and Ronan escape the evil forces that will haunt them throughout their journey, to the very end where we are left with many unanswered questions and a burgeoning forbidden love, REMNANTS took me on a roller-coaster adventure that has me breathlessly waiting for more!

I loved the characters of REMNANTS. Each one of the Remnants has a gift that The Maker has given them to use for his purpose. I think Ronan may be my favorite character of the group. Just because he makes such a hunky knight-in-shining-armor...oh wait, wrong era! He is Andriana's knight though, without the shining armor part. I'm kind of partial to men that protect women.

While the Remnants are definitely on mission for The Maker I did not find the story overly preachy. Spiritual forces abound in the forms of both good and evil, but it seems that evil is prevailing. I'm looking forward to book two to see what unfolds next!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lisa T. Bergren 
Lisa T. Bergren is the author of over forty books, with a combined count of over 2.5 million copies sold.

She has written best-selling children’s books, award-winning YA (River of Time Series: Waterfall), popular historical fiction, contemporary fiction, women’s nonfiction, and gift books. She is a writer and editor residing in Colorado Springs, CO, with her husband and three children. You can find out more about Lisa at LisaBergren.com.

 

Check out other books that I have read and reviewed by Lisa:

The River of Time Series:

Waterfall
Cascade
Torrent
Bourne
Tributary

The Grand Tour Series:

Glamorous Illusions
Grave Consequences
Glittering Promises

To purchase Remnants:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1sw88q4

B&N: http://bit.ly/1eon8x9

BAM: http://bit.ly/1edUmos

GIVEAWAY!!!!

Author Lisa T. Bergren is giving away a signed copy of Remnants to one winner on my blog today. Leave a comment to be entered to win.

No One To Trust by Lynette Eason

  

Summer and her husband have been married for about a year. Before they were married Summer told her husband that the only thing she could never forgive was if he lied to her. When Summer is awakened with a gun to her head she soon finds that not only has her husband lied to her, but he has also plunged her and those she loves the most into mortal danger.

From the very first pages I was hooked! Seriously, my heart was pounding several times while reading this book. Not only was I on the edge of my seat from the suspense of the events happening, but also from all of the emotions that each character was feeling. Throughout I was often wondering if Summer would ever be able to forgive her husband. Then just as the emotional turmoil would subside a bit then another suspenseful scene would take it's place! I'm a definite fan of mystery/suspense and NO ONE TO TRUST did not disappoint in either category. Oh, and I can't even mention the snakes...*shiver*

Thread of Suspicion by Susan Sleeman

Luke Baldwin's company SatCom is on the line when someone hacks into his supposedly unhackable military program. Having sunk all of his money into this program, and his reputation on the line, Luke must convince Dani Justice that he is innocent of treason and that someone is out there trying to sabotage him.

Dani too has to do some convincing, with her family that is. Growing up the youngest sibling in the Justice family, Dani has had to fight over and over for her independence. Convinced that Luke is innocent Dani wants to take his case even though she knows that the other members of the Justice team will say no.

Much to both Luke and Dani's dismay there is an immediate attraction between the two. But Dani is leery of overbearing-take-charge men and Luke cannot allow a woman in his life until he is able to provide for her. When the hacker/killer continues to destroy the safety nets that they set up, the Justice siblings close ranks around Dani. Things proceed beyond either of their control and they are thrown together with Luke determined to keep Dani safe and Dani determined that she will not be over-run by another man in her life.

My Review:

From the first page THREAD OF SUSPICION had me sitting on the edge of my seat! The suspense had me stressed out and the romance was pretty sweet. I loved reading about another Justice sibling. I believe each book in the Justice Agency series could stand alone since this is the second book in the series that I have read and I actually started with the 3rd book in the series. I have the first two on my Kindle and plan to read them when I go on vacation soon. The author manages to keep the pace of the story moving quickly with no time for the reader to become complacent. For a fast-paced mystery/romance be sure to check out The Justice Agency series. I look forward to the next installment, I'm hoping that Derrick Justice has his day.

Other books in the Justice series:

Double Exposure
Dead Wrong
No Way Out

Visit author Susan Sleeman at her website HERE

Double Exposure by Susan Sleeman

It has been years since Jennie Buchanan walked out of Ethan Justice's life taking his heart with her. Jennie is getting ready to open a showing of her photographs to raise money for her charity Photos of Hope. Someone is determined that she not open her show and has threatened to kill Jennie. Ethan Justice and his siblings have been hired to protect Jennie.

Having spent years trying to forget her, Ethan's family is worried that he will once again have his heart ripped out and they are not going to let that happen again. From the beginning Jennie tries to keep the walls up around her heart but is it time to let her guard down and allow people to care for her?

As the threats on Jennie's life increase Ethan realizes that he is willing to do whatever it takes to protect her and that his heart never stopped caring for her. Will his love and skill be enough to keep Jennie safe and to show her what Christ's forgiveness is all about?

This is the first in the Justice Agency books and as usual it seems for me I have read the series backwards! I read the 3rd one first, then read the 4th book and now have read this one. Thankfully each story can stand alone although having read the last two books I did know who Ethan would end up with. I really liked this story in that it has a lot of suspense, but it also has a great message of God's forgiveness along with our need to also forgive ourselves. The story was well developed and fast-paced and I never found myself ready to put the book up for the night. I read this during vacation so unfortunately I did have to put it up at times but was eager to pick it back up and get immersed in the story once more. In fact my husband had to do without my company for several miles of our drive today so I could finish! I'm looking forward to reading book 2 Dead Wrong soon.

My review of book 3:

No Way Out

Book 4 Thread of Suspicion comes out October 1, 2013. My review will be up October 2, 2013.

I purchased my copy of Double Exposure from Amazon and was not required to give a review.

A Plain Disappearance by Amanda Flower

Another murder in Appleseed Creek has been discovered. This time the body of a young Amish girl is found by Chloe and Timothy. Knowing that the Amish will not speak openly to her the Police Chief asks Chloe to once again help her in investigating the murder.

When they learn that the Amish girl had suffered previous injuries from what appears to be abuse, Chloe knows she must tread lightly with the Amish families in order to get answers to the girls' death.

It looks suspicious when Billy, one of Timothy's friends, disappears. Several other people are on the list of suspects including Curt and Brock, Chloe's old nemeses that continue to taunt and stalk her.

Not all of Chloe's energy is put into finding a murderer. As Christmas approaches she finds herself in the midst of helping Becky prepare for a Christmas party that seems to be growing by leaps and bounds. Chloe also must decide what her feelings are for Timothy and deal with the fall-out of Becky deciding not to return to the Amish way of life. Along with all of that Chloe also must face her relationship with her father and step-mother.

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed returning to Appleseed Creek! Continuing on with Chloe and Timothy's lives was like visiting with old friends. As their relationship develops we learn more about their strengths and weaknesses. Even though the Amish are hesitant to let the Englishers into their lives Timothy's family has opened up their home to Chloe. The Police Chief cracks me up by calling Chloe the "Amish Whisperer" which she then proceeds to use to her advantage by having Chloe question the less forthcoming of the Amish. Like Chloe I found myself distrustful of both Curt and Brock's behavior. They seem to be up to their old tricks again, but one of them appears to want to turn over a new leaf. Chloe's struggle with forgiveness is apparent throughout the story and dates back to when her mother died and her father re-married. I'm looking forward to the next installment of The Appleseed Creek novels to find out if Chloe and her father can forge ahead with a relationship. I'm also looking forward to seeing who dies next in Appleseed Creek! How many murders can one Amish settlement handle? A PLAIN DISAPPEARANCE was a solid mystery with many suspects that kept me guessing about "who done it" throughout the entire story. I will be looking forward to coming back to Appleseed Creek in the future!

My review copy was from the publisher B&H Books through NetGalley. Publication date is set for September 1, 2013. This review is my honest opinion.

Check out my review of A PLAIN SCANDAL book 2 in the Appleseed Creek series. Also check out my interview with author Amanda Flower HERE.

Narrow Escape by Camy Tang

Arissa and her niece Charity are kidnapped in broad daylight. When Arissa awakens she is able to get herself and Charity away from the kidnappers. Hearing one of the kidnappers mention her brother’s name Arissa knows there is only one person she can turn to for help. 

Nathan is Arissa’s brother Mark’s former partner. Nathan was wounded during the same gun fight that Mark was killed. Nathan can no longer work in his former job which has left him bitter and angry at God. He also believes that Mark is guilty of being a mole for the gang that killed him. After hearing her brother’s name from the kidnappers Arissa starts to doubt her brother’s innocence. 

When Arissa and Charity show up at Nathan’s front door Nathan struggles between his old attraction to Arissa and his bitterness and anger at her brother and God. But he is determined to protect them the best way he can while trying to figure out what the gang wants. Will he be able to keep both Arissa and Charity at arm’s length and also still hang on to his anger at God? 

Camy Tang definitely knows how to write a romantic suspense story. Narrow Escape did not disappoint in the heart pounding action from the very first page. This is the 2^nd Love Inspired book that I have read of Camy’s and I have to say that so far I am a fan. If you haven’t read any of Camy’s books they are a must. Try the Sushi for One series which is a hoot! And then try the Protection for Hire series which is another suspense/romance series. Both great series! Camy has become one of my favorite authors and I look forward to reading more books from her.

Lost And Found by Ginny Yttrup

Gerard and Jenna Bouvier live with his mother Brigitte. Gerard is the heir to the family wine business and he hopes that someday soon his mother will hand over the reins to him. Gerard has turned a blind eye to his mother’s abuse of his wife Jenna. Being in a marriage arranged pretty much by Brigitte Gerard and Jenna have spent their married life trying to please her.

Feeling led by the Holy Spirit Jenna begins to seek what God would have her do in her situation. Seeking an outlet Jenna has begun a spiritual journey that she blogs about hoping to find her purpose and help others find theirs. In her quest to submit only to the Lord Jenna seeks the council of Matthew a spiritual guide. Never has Matthew been so touched by a client than he has been by Jenna. They have an instant spiritual connection.

Brigitte has one goal in mind and that is to keep Gerard and Jenna under her control. Being the ultimate business woman Brigitte is determined that she will never allow her son to run the family business. She takes steps to ensure that Jenna too will remain in her power. 

Jenna feels the Holy Spirit telling her that a time of trial is coming. Her prayer throughout is that she will remain faithful no matter what comes her way. Throughout her circumstances Jenna knows in her heart that God will never leave her or forsake her, but when she no longer is able to feel the Holy Spirits presence she fears that once again she has become a failure. 

My Thoughts:

As I’ve been processing Lost and Found since I finished I’ve been trying to think how to express how I felt at the end. As with every book I have read by Ginny Yttrup I found the subject matter thought-provoking and a story that stays with me for long after I finish reading. Ginny has a way of making the characters in her books touch a person’s heart. Her characters are very believable and consistent in their behavior. I feel like I become a part of their lives as I read. Each character is fully developed and able to produce all kinds of emotions in the reader. I totally disliked Brigitte’s character and found myself wanting something bad to happen to her! Jenna garnered sympathy and sometimes exasperation. Several other characters also gave me some strong emotions to deal with. I have to be honest and say that I didn’t care for Matthew’s character as a spiritual guide or some-such that he called himself. I thought he and Jenna risked falling into a relationship together outside of their marriages even though that didn’t happen I felt that in “real life” it would have. I also had problems with some of the charismatic and maybe “new age” material that to me was a bit over the top. I think the final message in the book is that we must be willing to lose everything and empty ourselves out to the Lord. He is the only one that matters.

So Shines The Night by Tracy L. Higley

Daria is a tutor running away from evil when she meets Lucas. Lucas is a wealthy merchant living in Ephesus. He too has been in the presence of evil. When Lucas invites Daria to come to Ephesus with him and become his tutor she has mis-givings but sees no other way to escape the evil surrounding her in Rhodes.

Daria is once again thrust into the presence of evil in Ephesus. Lucas is set on a deadly path to exact revenge upon his wife's murderers. He has become friends with the sorcerers and the Christians in an effort to find out which group is responsible for his wife's death. Daria's desire to question everything and find out everything she can about Lucas puts her in danger.

Set in Ephesus during a time when the people of The Way were hated and feared, when Paul was speaking about the One True God, both Daria and Lucas find themselves confused about who to believe. Daria is set on pleasing the gods with offerings but yet as a scholar questioning her belief in those gods. Lucas has allowed himself to be filled with hate and vengeance almost to the point of joining the very evil that claimed his wife's life. Will Paul's influence and preaching of the One True God touch both Daria and Lucas and set them free from the claims of evil that are upon them?

Tracy Higley has a way of bringing history to life. If you have never read one of her books then I suggest you remedy that immediately! Especially if you like historical fiction. So Shines the Night focuses on a time in history when the church is just getting started. People of The Way are feared and reviled. It was interesting to see fictionally what Paul could have been like in his zeal to win people for Christ. It was also fun to "meet" other biblical characters that traveled with Paul such as Timothy and Priscilla and Aquila. I especially wanted to shout a cheer when the One True God conquered evil. So Shines the Night shows once again how well Tracy Higley researches a time in history and brings together a story that grips the readers attention.

Other books by Tracy Higley that I have read:

Guardian of the Flame
Isle of Shadows
Pompeii: City on Fire

To check out more of Tracy's books visit her website at: http://tracyhigley.com/

Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer

Crockett Archer is on his way to Brenham, TX when his train is held up by bandits. The passengers prepare to be robbed but the bandits do not want their jewelry or money. There is only one thing they want…the preacher!

Joanna Robbins made a promise to her mother before she died. She promised to carry on her mother’s mission of praying for her father Silas to make his peace with God. Joanna’s one wish for her birthday is to see a preacher in the abandoned church by their home. Little did she know that her father would go out and steal a preacher for her! 

Crockett agrees to listen to why Joanna needs a pastor, but he still has every intention of continuing on to Brenham. Because of his delay the church in Brenham choose another pastor. Crockett feels that the Lord is leading him back to Joanna and her father to help Jo in her efforts to get Silas’ heart to soften. 

Crockett confuses Silas. Everything Silas has ever known about religious people has been negative. Silas has no use for church-goers. But Silas can’t help but be impressed with Crockett. He works longer and harder than any of Silas’ other hands and Crockett isn’t intimidated by Silas. 

From the moment Crockett meets Joanna he sees something special in her. Her love for the Lord and her care of the people draws Crockett to her from the very beginning. One spoiled church member could ruin everything for Crockett and Joanna.

We read about Travis the oldest Archer brother in Short-Straw Bride. Now we have Crockett Archer the brother that took care of all of the spiritual and health issues for the family. Stealing the Preacher is a fun sequel to Short-Straw Bride. Karen Witemeyer has a sense of humor that comes through in her novels. As with all of Karen’s novels there is also an element of suspense that always seems to get me biting my nails. I enjoyed Stealing the Preacher and I hope that we will be able to read more of the Archer brothers in the future. 

I received my copy of Stealing the Preacher from the publisher Bethany House through NetGalley. This is my own review and my own opinion.