Countdown by Lynette Eason

 

Raina Price performs rescues almost every day. But Raina has a secret and it is about to catch up with her. Vincent Covelli is a US Marshal who has been trying to get close to Raina but she isn't interested in a relationship. When Vince realizes that Raina is in danger he comes alongside her to help in an unobtrusive way that has Raina learning to trust.

I really enjoyed this installment of the Extreme Measures series. Loved Raina's independence even though it could get frustrating. Loved how Vince patiently won her over to let him help her. Raina's secrets could have gotten her killed but I loved how she not only learned to let Vince help her but also learned that God is faithful even if He chooses not to do something the way she thought it should be done. There were a lot of players in the story and the outcome was a thrilling ride! 

The Long March Home by Marcus Brotherton and Tosca Lee

 

Three best friends enlist together. While fighting horrors in World War II we get flashbacks of their life growing up together in Alabama along with their love for one girl. 

All the feels while reading this book! I laughed, I cried, I felt anger and exultation. I honestly didn't know if I would like this story because I thought it would be more male oriented. But it had enough love story to it along with all the grit and terror and awfulness of war. I loved the friendship between Jimmy, Hank and Billy. The loyalty they had for each other and desire to protect each other throughout was heart-warming and special. The war scenes were difficult to stomach, but I believe the research was accurate and educational. A fantastic story that will stay with me for quite sometime.

 

Fairest Of Heart by Karen Witemeyer

 

Penelope is in service to an actress named Narcissa LaBelle. Narcissa is difficult to please, but Penelope has been doing her job well. That is until Narcissa throws one of her royal fits and has her henchman take Penelope out to the woods and expose her to the elements to get rid of her. That is where the men from the Diamond D ranch find Penny and rescue her.

Titus Knightley is a ranger and has no time in his life for pretty women. He is not happy about the men of the Diamond D taking in Penny. He is sure that Penny is deceitful just like all women and it is his job to expose her deceit and send her packing. 

I love the romance and mystery that each story by Karen Witemeyer brings. Fairest Of Heart has such sweet characters! I love all of the grandfatherly types at the Diamond D. They have open hearts for Penny and they show her a love that her life has lacked from the time she was abandoned as a baby. It didn't take Titus too long to get over his prejudice against her, but the getting there was a little rough! He frustrated me for a little bit, but when his big heart toppled it toppled pretty good! As always, the mystery was pretty exciting and brought many tense moments. If you like romance with an added side of mystery then I highly encourage you to read this book! 

Blueberry Blunder by Amanda Flower

 

Once again Margot has Bailey neck deep in preparations for another celebration on the town square. The first ever Blueberry Bash is gearing up to be another success for Margot and the people of Holmes County. Bailey doesn't have time for this though as her new factory is going up and Bailey just had to fire her contractor. When that contractor is found dead in Bailey's building the Sheriff is more than happy to have an open and shut case.

I enjoyed this installment of the Amish Candy Shop series. As always the characters were humorous and likable. The animal characters are entertaining as well. Jethro the pig and Bailey's cat and bunny make me laugh out loud! Bailey and her boyfriend Aiden's relationship is progressing slowly but surely with Aiden's mother Juliette trying to push them along every step of the way. Charlotte, Bailey's cousin, is showing some investigative skills of her own and also has the opportunity to mend some fences with her family. I was hoping the "who-done-it" was the person I was thinking it was, and it was! But the getting to the who-done-it was entertaining and kept this reader turning pages. An entertaining read and a great installment to the series.

Edge of Steele by Susan Sleeman

 

Ryleigh Steele is the last of the Steele's to join the family business. A former FBI agent she is now standing at the site of a logging company that her family was hired to protect. Unfortunately a bomber had different ideas. As Ryleigh sees it, it is now her job to figure out who the bomber is and bring them to justice. Former SEAL Finn Durham was hired also to protect the logging company so he sees it as his job to find out who the bomber is. Neither of them will be working on the case if Sheriff Russ Maddox doesn't approve.  

Wow! So much going on in this last book of the Steele Guardians series. I love Ryleigh and Finn's characters. That they had a past together was helpful to their relationship as well. It added tension and also romance as they rekindled buried feelings for each other. We are introduced to the Maddox brothers who will star in the next series. They are all intense and I'm sure will bring lots of suspense and romance to the series. We got to catch up with some of the Verita's group which is always fun. I love how the author has researched cutting-edge technology for the group to use in their work to catch criminals. I love the spiritual lessons learned in this story. Both Finn and Ryleigh have had to struggle with plans they had for their life taking different turns in order for God to work HIS perfect plan for them. An excellent and exciting end to the Steele Guardians series! 

The Pretender Book One: Rebirth by Steven Long Mitchell and Craig W. Van Sickle

 

I have mixed feelings about this book. It has been years since the series ended. It of course ended on a cliffhanger with no answers or conclusions for Jarod. Such a disappointment. Then I saw after watching the series on DVD again that there was supposed to be some books written that had answers to all of our burning questions of what happened next to the Pretender. So I was prepared for this book to start where the last movie left off. Unfortunately that is not the case! This book just re-packages the beginning of the series. Miss Parker is her usual cranky self. Sydney is his usual psycho-babbling self and Broots doesn't even exist! Which is irritating. Anyway, all of that aside, I still liked the story and the only thing I can think is that the books were supposed to continue more than the two that were written and eventually catch up to the ending of the TV series and let us know how it all ends. But alas, only two books were written and it looks like fans will never know how Jarod's life proceeded after Island of the Haunted. I'm really disappointed about that. 

Broker of Lies by Steven James

 

Travis Brock sees many government secrets. He's the one that decides whether a secret can be let out to the public or if it needs to remain a secret. Travis has spent the last 18 months trying to find out who set his house on fire that ultimately killed his wife. Travis teams up with Adira Halprin to stop a major terrorist attack that just might cross paths with who killed Travis' wife. 

Steven James always writes such suspenseful reads! This was no exception! I got so stressed a couple of times that I had to put the book down to calm my nerves! ha! There were many twists and turns throughout the story and it kept me on the edge of my seat wondering who was friend and who was foe. The ending had my mouth hanging open in surprise! Excellent story and I believe it is going to be a series so I will be looking forward to the next book!