Category Archives: Book Reviews

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Missing ~ by Lisa Harris

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MissingThe Nikki Boyd Files Book #2

Nikki Boyd works for The Missing Persons Special Task Force. Her job description doesn’t normally include homicide cases. Missing starts out with a bang, with Nikki and her partners being called in to work a double homicide as well as search for two missing people, Mac and Lucy Hudson.

The story that follows is a crazy ride including a hostage situation, counterfeit drugs, an increasing number of dead bodies, and a mystery link between her dearest friend, Tyler Grant, and the Hudsons.

Book Two of the series:

MISSING is book two of the Nikki Boyd Files series, available now for pre-order. Click To Tweet

I found it helpful that I had read Book 1, Vendetta. This story would probably stand on its own. However, I was glad to be reading it as a follow on from the previous book. I found this story more involved than Lisa’s other books and truly marvel at the way she came up with this complex plot with various stories interweaving with each other.

Nikki’s missing sister, Sarah, is still missing from Book#1. By the end of Book #2 there are still no clues indicating whether she is dead or alive. I look forward to Book #3. I do hope before the end of the series we have a resolution to Sarah. And dare I hope for a happy ending? It seems unlikely, given the length of time she has been missing.

Lisa Harris(2)Lisa Harris is a talented author who writes believable and fast-paced suspense novels. If you enjoy a tense and gripping story with an assortment of characters, you will enjoy this novel.

Lisa is a Christy Award finalist for Blood Ransom, Christy Award winner for Dangerous Passage, and the winner of the Best Inspirational Suspense Novel for 2011 and 2015 from Romantic Times.

She has over thirty novels and novella collections in print. She and her family have spent over ten years living as missionaries in Africa She homeschools, leads a women’s group, and runs a non-profit organization that works alongside their church-planting ministry.

Missing is available for pre-order here, and will be released on 5th July, 2016 at the same site.

Thank you to Revell and NetGalley who supplied me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Dangerous Passage

Reviews of other Lisa Harris books on this site:

Vendetta – #1 of the Nikki Boyd Series & Best Inspirational Novel for 2015.
Blood Ransom  – Christy Award Finalist.
Dangerous Passage – Christy Award Winner.
Stolen Identity
Deadly Safari
Hidden Agenda

Don’t miss this!

Dangerous Passage, Lisa’s Christy Award Winning book is currently available free for Kindle readers.

Dangerous Passage, Lisa's Christy Award Winning book is currently available free for Kindle readers. Click To Tweet

 

Posted in Book Reviews • Varied Topics

Traces of Guilt – by Dee Henderson

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Traces of Guilt Book ReviewI am a fan of Dee Henderson’s novels, and so I was thrilled for the opportunity to review Trace of Guilt. I enjoyed the story immensely, but it is missing the suspense and clear romances of most of her other books. This is not a bad thing; it is just good if the reader anticipates this. The suspense is more of a speculation as no active crime happens in the story. The romance thread is there, but it is either found in established marriages or it is left hanging, presumably to be continued in one of the sequels.

Unlike the majority of Dee’s novels, in Traces of Guilt there is a good deal of “telling” as opposed to “showing”, yet despite that I became absorbed in the story from the beginning and didn’t want to put the book down. I would call it a Christian mystery novel, as the theme revolves around a number of cold cases and who-dun-it and where they hid the bodies.

Those who have enjoyed previous books by this author will enjoy meeting up with a number of old friends from previous stories as well as the introduction of a number of new characters. Nevertheless, the book is a stand-alone and it is not necessary to have read previous books by her. read more

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Cold Shot Book Review

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Cold Shot by Dani Pettrey

Cold Shot by Dani Pettrey opens with a mysterious grave in the Gettysburg Memorial cemetery. The shallow grave contains a body that doesn’t belong. Park Ranger and former sniper, Griffin McCray, is called in to investigate. Beautiful forensic anthropologist, Finley Scott, is included in the team. She is battling to overcome a crippling fear left over from her last case. read more

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Journey of the Heart Book Review

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Journey of the Heart by DiAnn Mills

Journey of the Heart is a Christian historical fiction story set in the year 1857. DiAnn Mills has done her thorough research into the traditions of the Comanche Indians of that period of time, which makes for interesting reading.

White woman Katie Colter promises her dying father that she will leave her Comanche home where she has grown up and join her aunt and uncle at the white man’s fort. However, when she leaves the Indian family whom she loves, she also leaves Lone Eagle, the warrior she has pledged to marry.

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Where She Belongs by Johnnie Alexander

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Where She BelongsNewly widowed Shelby Kincaid decides to move with her two young daughters to the small town of Misty Willow to live in her family’s old homestead.

Newly widowed Shelby Kincaid decides to move with her two young daughters to the small town of Misty Willow to live in her family’s old homestead.

She knows there is going to be a lot of work getting the abandoned home to the condition she knows it can be. It is the only place where she ever felt she belonged, and she longs to have her children grow up in touch with their heritage.

The house has been neglected for so long and is in need of massive repairs, however Shelby knows she can do it, and looks forward to the challenge. read more

Posted in Book Reviews

Step by Step ~ by Candace Calvert

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Step by Step

Step by Step is the second book in Candace Calvert’s Crisis Team series.

ER nurse Taylor Cabot is anxious to move on in her life, following the tragic death of her husband three years ago. She has created a “Survival List” and is working through the various items step by step. Her final point is “Fall in love again”, and the story begins as she is about to do just that: fall for a handsome but controlling plastic surgeon.

Then crisis chaplain Seth Donovan, who supported her through the grief process following her husband’s death, comes back into her life. She sees him as her best friend and is grateful for a chance to reconnect with him.

As a result of a horrific car accident, hidden facts and strong emotions flare up, threatening to destroy all Taylor has gone through while following her Survival List. She leans on her beloved dog, Hooper, for support and when he too seems to be leaving her, Taylor falls apart.

Not only does there seem little hope for her ever achieving the final item on her list, “Fall in love again”, many other successfully completed points seem to fall away as well.

As an RN myself, I love Candace’s books. I enjoy reading about the medical stress of ER and how it impacts the personal lives of the main characters. In Step by Step, the characters are so believable I nearly wept for Taylor, became furious with the plastic surgeon, and wanted to shake Seth Donovan! The plot was believable and gripping, and I read it within two days.

I did feel there was too much said about the points of crisis counseling, and at times I found myself speed-reading over the teaching which I felt slowed the story down. I wanted to get back to my main characters and what was happening outside the classroom. Regardless of this, I am still awarding this book a 5-star, and I look forward to the next in the series. At time of writing, this book is currently available for pre-order here.

I received a free advanced digital copy of this novel from Tyndale publishers in exchange for my unbiased opinion. Thank you to them and to Net-Galley for making it available.

star_3Do you enjoy novels with a medical flavor? Have you read any of Candace Calvert’s other novels? Please leave a comment below.

 

Posted in Book Reviews

Thin Ice ~ by Irene Hannon

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Thin IceI was delighted to receive notification of another Irene Hannon novel, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed.

Thin Ice by Irene Hannon is the second book in the Men of Valor Series.

World-class skater Christy Reed lost her parents in a car accident, then some time later, her beloved sister, Ginny, perished in a house fire. Christy has battled to get her emotions and life back under control. Then suddenly, two months later, an envelope arrives in her postbox, addressed in her sister’s handwriting. It contains a short note that claims Ginny is still alive, but warns her not to share the news with anyone, especially the police, or she will face the death of her sister—again.

When she realizes her sister has in fact been kidnapped, she decides to report it to the FBI with the request the investigation is kept undercover.

Lance McGregor, ex-Delta Force operator, is a newbie to the FBI squad when he is told to re-open the case of the house fire. If it wasn’t Ginny who died in the fire, who did? And where is Ginny? Why would anyone kidnap her?

A few chapters into the book, readers receive glimpses of what the perpetrator is up to, and it is clear Christy is in extreme danger. However, there is no indication as to why the fire and kidnapping happened, or what he has planned for Christy.

Christy and Lance team up and despite the suspense it is clear they are falling in love. Unlike many romance novels there is no obstacle to their relationship, apart from the threat to Christy’s life. Christy has a strong faith which rubs off on Lance, and there is no sex or swearing in the book although there is plenty suspense. Readers who have read other Irene Hannon novels will recognise the McGregor brothers. The story is complicated by a crisis with one of the brothers, and Lance is torn in trying to balance his time between the two situations.

Out of all Irene’s books, I think this is the best I have read so far. Her characters are well developed, the plot line gripping, and the end has a twist I didn’t see coming.

I strongly recommend this book and I have no hesitation in awarding it five stars. It can be purchased here.

I received a free advanced digital copy of this novel from the publisher through the “Revell Reads” program in exchange for my unbiased opinion. Thank you to them and to Net-Galley for making it available.

star_3Also of interest: Buried Secrets, (Men of Valor Book #1)

 

 

 

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The Sea Keeper’s Daughters ~ by Lisa Wingate

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/ bThe Sea Keeper’s Daughters is an unusual story. It is actually two in one. In the main story, Whitney Monroe is trying to save her restaurant from the grips of a ruthless business man. She comes to stay for a period in property which belongs to her but is occupied by her ailing stepfather who despises her. She plans to sell what she can in an attempt to rescue her restaurant.

In the process of going through the relics and documents left in the house by her deceased mother, she stumbles across a treasure trove of letters written from the previous generation. These cause many questions to form in Whitney’s mind as she struggles to understand the relationships between her ancestors.

The plot is cleverly put together and must have entailed a good amount of research. The story contains romance and intrigue, and encourages me, as a South African, to investigate the history of the Appalachian people and the Federal Writer’s Project, neither of which I had ever heard of before reading this book.

My one warning would be the reader needs to read diligently. There were times I was tempted to skim over the long letters, and then I had to go back and read them properly.

I have read and enjoyed previous books by Lisa Wingate, and I hope to do so in the future as well.
You can buy this book here.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers through their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review.