Another Day, Another Dali

another-day-another-dali Author: Sandra Orchard

Series: A Serena Jones Mystery #2

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: October 18, 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Serena is back with another mystery that just might be her last!

When Serena gets a call from her Nana, she knows whatever it is can’t be good. She has never been close with her, but now she needs a favor. One of her neighbors has had her Dali painting stolen and replaced, but she doesn’t want it to be an “official” investigation. Serena digs into the family and starts rounding up the usual suspects: son, daughter, son-in-law, and housekeeper. Things start to go out of control from there. On top of that, her colleague Tanner is investigating a case with the Russian mob that is now targeting Serena to get the investigation to drop. With danger at every turn (and straightaway) Serena might have met her end, or at least the end.

This book pretty much picked up just after A Fool and His Monet let off. However, I was happy that this book really delved more into Serena’s personal character. I felt that I really got to know her more in this book and she really opened up about past feelings. The family wasn’t as much as central core to this book, with the exception of crazy Aunt Martha, who I love! The books wouldn’t be the same without her. Serena is still clueless when it comes to both Nate and Tanner making plays for her love. She is also not quite as scatterbrained in this book either.

I’ve not been to St. Louis, but it seems like a pretty dangerous place. The hood, mixed with the Italian mafia and now the Russian mafia makes it seem like a breeding ground for danger, especially a young female FBI agent. Serena seems to find more opportunities to be randomly shot at or run over than any other character that I’ve read recently. Keeps the book moving with a fast pace. This is just a fun little mystery that is also a quick read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Baker Publishing Group in exchange for an honest and thorough review. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Wild Montana Skies

wild-montana-skies Author: Susan May Warren

Series: Montana Rescue #1

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: October 18, 2016

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

With romance, broken hearts, and a cowboy on a mission, Wild Montana Skies reads better than a country western song sounds.

Kacey Fairing has decided she needs some time away from the military life she has called home for twelve years. She returns to Montana to help with the Search and Rescue team and tries to avoid a past she has tried hard to forget. During her time in the military, her parents have been raising her now teenage daughter. She has been the ‘fun mom’ seeing her daughter in between being deployed and trying to make up for time away. It doesn’t take long being back to realize she isn’t the only one who has returned to their childhood home. Ben King spent the last decade away from Montana building his life as a Country Music star. He left when Kacey shut him out of his life. His mother has died and his father has been injured and now needs his help to run the local Search and Rescue mission. He comes home to help but has no intention of staying. As soon as he sees Kacey walk back into town and his life, he realizes his father has an agenda beyond wanting to see his son in calling him home. Mercy Falls, Montana has had severe flash floods and Kacey and Ben reluctantly work together to save the lives of those in their hometown. It is going to take all the skills Kacey learned in the military to be able to work with Ben, and he might find new material for his songs working with Kacey, and possibly save a few lives.

Writing a romantic suspense story is a difficult task. You have to find that balance of a good love story but also one that brings the tension to ultimate levels at just the right moments. Susan May Warren has done a tremendous job with Wild Montana Skies. The story grabbed me at the beginning and didn’t let up till the last page. I particularly enjoyed the last few chapters where the suspense was top notch and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Kacey is a tough, no-nonsense kind of gal who didn’t need a man in her life when so many others would have crumbled if they found themselves in her position. When writing Christian fiction, you have to be careful about some of the topics you address, such as sex outside of marriage. With Kacey getting pregnant and not being married, it could have been written many different ways, some good, some not. Warren approached the subject in a way that made it flow and be incredibly believable at the same time. Ben might have been a country singer but played the part of ruggedly handsome cowboy that wanted to do the right thing regardless of what he sang about. I liked the way their relationship played out, nothing felt forced with them, or any of the characters for that matter. I love the fact that this is the first in a series and we will get to dive deeper into the lives of some of the other characters touched on here. A fun read that I think many will enjoy, not just those that love romance novels, it goes much deeper than that.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Child of the River

child-of-the-river Author: Irma Joubert

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date: October 18, 2016

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Joubert’s stories open my eyes to parts of history I’ve never explored! Child of the River is no exception and I love the historical accuracy she brings to the table!

Persomi is a poor, white sharecropper living within the bushveld of South Africa. Her father is a drunk who beats the kids and her ma, who is one day taken away by the police for having an improper relationship with her older sister. The welfare officers also take her two youngest siblings away as one is sick and the baby doesn’t have enough food to eat. But they recognize that Persomi is clever and work to get her accepted to a boarding school to advance her studies rather than staying at the farm. As she attends high school during World War II, she begins to learn about politics throughout South Africa. The current prime minister is an English sympathizer, something that many throughout the country do not share. When the change in power comes in the country, so do many laws restricting the rights of non-white people throughout the country. Persomi has been friends with some Indian shop keepers in her town and believes that this is not right. After all, they’ve had the land since before 1900.

Persomi gets accepted into the university and earns her law degree. She gets established back in her hometown at the firm of De Vos and De Vos, where she suddenly finds herself with a case to try and circumvent the law that forces non-whites to relocate their homes, schools, and businesses out of an area that has been zoned for whites. As she works this case, she makes many discoveries that affect not only her career, but her life as well.

I absolutely love reading Irma Joubert’s stories because they are so historically accurate. Further, she opens my mind to histories that I’ve never explored, particularly about South Africa. I really enjoyed The Girl from the Train and it led me in direction that I didn’t think it would. Similarly, I thought this book was going to focus on World War II more, but it really didn’t spend much time on that event. It really delved more into the South African politics during and after the war, which in itself was really interesting. Joubert also makes me do research throughout the novel to find out more about the events she is writing about. Thankfully she started the book with a glossary for South African words and phrases or I would have had to spend even more time on the research, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Joubert also has the ability to really bring her central character to life and have the reader enter into a very personal relationship with her. I felt like I had known Persomi my entire life, but as a true friend, not as an outsider who would see her as a sharecropper’s child. It takes a lot of skill to create this relationship and she does a great job.

As with The Girl from the Train, this novel has tremendous scenery creations that take the reader to different parts of South Africa. I could see Persomi’s mountain, feel the sand blowing down the main street, and sit in the cave with Persomi and Boelie.

I recommend this book for lovers of historical fiction as well as those who just love a great story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

The Heavens May Fall

the-heavens-may-fall Author: Allen Eskens

Publisher: Seventh Street Books

Release Date: October 4, 2016

Rating: 4 1/2 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

A true thriller that examines both the detective procedural and the legal defense. Fiat justitia ruat cælum!

Detective Max Rupert is going through a trying time after the death of his wife. Now with a new homicide case involving a young woman and a defense attorney who once committed fraud on the court with a false discipline paper on Max, he finds himself up against one of his good friends Boady Sanders, who has taken the case on as the defense counsel. Max has the suspect pegged on this as his alibi is shot, a neighbor swears she saw him at the scene at the time of the murder, and he has a motive. But Boady is equally convinced that his client couldn’t have committed the murder. After all, he left his law practice to him after he could no longer stomach the trials when an innocent man was killed in prison. Told from differing points of view, it is a race to find out the truth.

This book is an exceptionally good legal thriller. It is fast paced and doesn’t draw on anything from the past books that have three of the common characters. It is easily a stand-alone novel. Even with the fast pace, there were still plenty of twists that kept the reader guessing. Throughout most of the book, I found myself sympathizing with both Max and with Ben, unlikely though it would seem. I really wanted to find out the truth to determine who was right. I had a questioning moment with the flip flop of the credible witness, but still didn’t see the twist coming with that. Well done Mr. Eskens. Well done.

The core of the book really centers on the relationship of Max and Boady. An unlikely pair (detective and defense attorney), they have found some common ground in the past and even had a poker club that they started. However, after Max’s wife died, he become more reclusive, but Boady always visited him and helped to make sure he didn’t do anything crazy. But now he is faced with having to cross examine Max to completely discredit him in order to prove that his client is not guilty. Can their relationship withstand this test? Or will their relationship be over?

If you like legal thrillers, then you should definitely grab this one off the shelf. You’ll be glad you did.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The vies and opinions expressed within are my own.

Accelerant

accelerant Author: Ronie Kendig

Series: Abiassa’s Fire #2

Publisher: Gilead Publishing

Release Date: October 14, 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Haegan is the Fierian and now has to prove himself in order to take the throne.

Haegan and his band of followers are back and he now has to prove he is worthy of taking the throne. Their land is leaderless and being devastated by Poired Dyrth and his army. Most have known him as only a cripple, not the gifted Accelerant he is destined to become. He knows he can no longer run from the truth. He has to return to fight for his people. But it isn’t just Dyrth he is up against; insidious forces work against him and he quickly learns there are not many he can trust. It is going to be the most difficult task he has faced, but now he must choose the right path in order to save the world.

Ronie Kendig has made a name for herself writing military thrillers. With this second book in her fantasy series, she works to bring her readers into this exciting new world. Fantasy is a difficult world to write. There is so much work required to build up a new world and it can be easy to lose a reader in that world. Overall, Kendig has done a good job building the world. At times it is difficult to place myself in this world, mainly due to the language being difficult to follow, which makes it hard to keep up. The characters are fleshed out much more clearly in this novel than in Embers and has left me wanting more from several of them. I know this is only the second Fantasy Kendig has written, but she has a long way to go to really find her way in this genre. Even so, I see tremendous potential for her. I still prefer her military thrillers but am very curious to see where the story leads next.

I think fantasy lovers will enjoy the book, provided they have patience and remember Kendig is still considered a newbie at writing fantasy. Towards the end of the book, I found myself reaching out to find out the key points of what was going to happen. With that being said, I think the story could easily be cut down by a few thousand words and flow much smoother with the same end result.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Embers

embers Author: Ronie Kendig

Series: Abiassa’s Fire #1

Publisher: Gilead Publishing

Release Date: October 16, 2015

Rating: 4 1/2 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

An epic fantasy tale that has a difficult start, but is worth sticking with till the end.

Haegan and Kaelyria Celahar may be brother and sister but are vastly different from one another. As royal heirs to the Nine Kingdoms they have grown up under the eyes of the empire. Haegan, poisoned as a young boy, lays crippled in the top of a tower. His only company for the past decade has been his tutor and his sister. His father refuses to see him as his guilt for his sons position keeps him at bay. Kaelyria comes to her bother with a plan to cure him. She will transfer her fire-harnessing abilities to Haegan, but the price is that she will then take on his disability, a fact withheld from her by the enemy who is supposedly helping her. This act will unleash their father’s wrath and let their enemy, Poired Dyrth come closer to taking all they hold dear. Haegan must leave his home and try to find a cure for his sister and stop the war Dyrth who is determined to bring to their front door.

When writing a fantasy novel, many things have to be taken into account. First of all, you are building this entirely new world and having to bring your reader into it without losing them in the buildup. That’s not an easy task. The other difficult part is with Fantasy you can go all out and be crazy with the names of your characters, places, and objects. With Embers I thought the world was set up well. I had and still have a few things that are a bit confusing to me, but am hoping they will be cleared up with the next book. The names bothered me. They were so difficult that I often glanced at who was talking without trying to say the names in order to save myself some time with sounding it all out every single time. Luckily, one of our main characters, Haegan, isn’t too difficult to say and was smack in the center of almost everything that was going on. He grew throughout the story beautifully. His transformation is still happening and I foresee great things for him in the following book. I really thought Kaelyria would play a more prominent role. They went back and forth a smidge at the beginning and then she basically dropped from the story till the end. I would have liked to see her story play out more. There is a very prolific theme of good vs. evil throughout. While this isn’t the usual for Ronie Kendig, straying from her military thrillers, I think she did an excellent job. The end tied up many of the holes but left several to lead into book two with ease. I think lovers of fantasy will really enjoy this book.

Finding Libbie

finding-libble Author: Deanna Lynn Sletten

Publisher: Lake Union

Release Date: September 6, 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

A bit like The Notebook on a roller coaster ride, but even more emotionally taxing!

Emily Prentice is spending time helping her grandmother box up her home when her world is rocked by finding out that her father had been married before he met her mother. As her grandmother tells the story, she learns her father Jack and Elizabeth “Libbie” Wilkens were high school sweethearts. Libbie was from a family with lots of money and Jack had aspirations of being a mechanic, which did not sit well with Libbie’s mother or older sister. Even so, a year out of high school they get married. But the Cinderella story ends there. During wedding preparations, Libbie found herself being stressed and was giving some Valium pills to help ease it. But when she accidently mixed it with alcohol, she blacked out and started acting horribly to Jack. When she learned what she had done, she apologized and tried to stay away from alcohol. But after things get hard, she continues to need help from alcohol and pills to escape her version of reality. Eventually, she and Jack are driven apart, never to see each other again.

As this story greatly saddens Emily, she decides that she must try and find this woman that made her father so happy once, if she is still alive. She sets out on a journey that changes her life and her family’s as well.

This book was very painful to read at times. The emotion that Sletten is able to draw out of the reader makes it want to work out so bad. But if there isn’t conflict, there isn’t much of a story. The story of Jack and Libbie was happy, then sad, then a little happier, then much sadder, then even worse, then just please make it stop, but I can’t stop reading because I have to know. However, in the end, it was justified. So, I am satisfied, I think.

Even more compelling was the story of Emily and Jordan. I pretty much knew what was going to happen there, but it was still interesting to see how it played out and how he only used her. If it hadn’t been for finding out about her dad, she may have ended up being used by him her whole life. The hidden lesson in that portion of the story was well worth it.

There was some occasional foul language, but not much. I think this book would be suitable for YA and up, especially if you like romance like The Notebook.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through the TLC Book Tours. The views and opinions expressed throughout are mine.

Unblemished

umblemished Author: Sara Ella

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date: October 11, 2016

Rating: 4 1/2 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Eliyana can’t stand to look at herself and doesn’t know how anyone in this world can either. She is about to find out that many will see her blemish, not as a weakness, but as a strength. It just won’t be in the world as she knows it!

Eliyana keeps to herself, she has for as long as she can remember. Half of her face is covered with a birthmark that she despises. She lives with her mother, a reclusive artist that refuses to have either of their pictures taken or displayed for others to see. She is fine keeping to herself until her new neighbor, Joshua hopes over the fence and they become fast friends, and if Eliayana had her way, even more than that. He treats her as if she is normal and seems to not see her blemish. She starts to believe someone could actually love her. When her mother doesn’t come home one night, she starts to wonder if something more is going on than she is aware of. She learns that the world she lives in is not the only one out there. Together with Joshua, who she learns is actually her guardian, they set out to save not only her mother but many, many more.

I love a good YA story. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one. If you aren’t paying attention, the story will get away from you and you will find yourself completely lost. But if you do follow closely, you will find yourself transported to a new world with Kings, traitors, and a plan so diabolical not everyone will make it out alive. The characters had so much growth I had to remind myself that this was one story, not the second or third in a series. I don’t know if this will be the beginning of a new series but I can certainly see it going in that direction. There was a lot left to be answered and I’m hoping that means there is more to the story coming soon. It would have been very easy to let Eliayana play the damsel in distress the entire story but I’m glad it didn’t turn out that way. She held her own and showed that there was more to her than the blemish everyone tried not to look at. The end had several good twists that left me pondering what these characters might be up to. The story flowed smoothly and kept my interest throughout. A job well done.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Fractured

$fractured$ Author: Catherine McKenzie

Publisher: Lake Union Press

Release Date: October 4, 2016

Rating: 4 1/2 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

When a neighborhood seems more like typical high school cliques, you know things will not turn out well!

Julie Prentice has uprooted her family and moved across the country after being harassed by a stalker over the publication of her bestselling novel, The Murder Game. They move from Washington State to Ohio in hopes of a fresh start. Shortly after arriving, they find that their neighborhood is controlled by Cindy, the self-appointed head of their home owners association, and she wants to be involved in everyone’s business. Julie finds an instant connection to her neighbor John Dunbar, which is a breath of fresh air to have someone nice around after the horrendous affair with the stalker. Before long, Julie and her family become the targets of harassment once again. There are misunderstandings and things are blown out of proportion quicker than high school gossip. As things start to spiral out of control, Julie isn’t sure how much more she can take when tensions rise and the worst of everyone comes out.

I have to say I liked this much more than I first thought I would. There was a uniqueness to the story with the back and forth from the past to the present and the different viewpoints between Julie and John. If you weren’t paying close attention, it might be a little difficult to follow but not terrible. The writing to keep the tension up was done really well. To produce a high amount of suspense in a novel, I think more of a murder mystery with a killer on the loose to keep me on the edge of my seat. Here there was something about the way the story was written, especially after about the first third of the book, which I couldn’t put it down. I give credit to Catherine McKenzie for that; it is not an easy task. The last few chapters almost seemed a rush to tie things up a little too quickly though. Several of the characters are very annoying, I’m looking at you Cindy, and some are just there to be there. Even so, the story itself was very well laid out. It did seem at times that even the adults were more immature than some of the kids. For example, Cindy tries to be a leader and inevitably becomes a bully. Susan is a bit of a cling-on and Julie tries to fit in and yet finds everyone against her when she didn’t feel she had done anything wrong.

I do need to say this is for mature audiences with some of the language used, but could have been a lot worse. Overall it was a very enjoyable read and one I will recommend.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from TLC book tours. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

The Mystery

the-mystery Author: Lacey Sturm

Publisher: Baker Books

Release Date: October 4, 2016

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Lacey Sturm takes you through her journey in finding a true Father and also on finding true love!

Lacey Sturm’s second book takes you through another part of her life that wasn’t told in her first book The Reason. She opens her heart to bring out her experiences on both understanding what a true spiritual father does and also her journey that led her to her husband Josh. The first part of the book is on having a father. Lacey doesn’t recall ever meeting her father and she believed that she never needed one. In fact she felt that if you relied on someone in that role it made you week. But through experiences with a couple that becomes her spiritual parents, she begins to realize that they guide her and coach her, but still let her make her own decisions and lover her regardless.

The second half of the book focuses on her relationship with her husband Josh. Lacey entered into a previous marriage at age nineteen and was divorced by twenty-one. Shortly after that she got tangled up in an emotional affair with a married man that almost led her to take her life. Once she was healed from those experiences, she realized that she could (and should in her opinion) stay single for the remainder of her life. But that wasn’t in God’s plan. Throughout this part, Lacey recounts the trials, successes, and experiences of meeting Josh, his parents, and eventually becoming married.

I really enjoyed reading this book from Lacey Sturm. I always enjoy reading books written by people that I follow in the entertainment industry. Sometimes you like them more, sometimes you don’t, but either way you feel like you get to know them on a more personable level. Lacey does a great job of opening her heart to let people in to share in her experiences and lessons learned. I especially enjoyed the first part of the book that was focused more on a parent. It made me sit back and really evaluate my relationship with my own two boys to see how I was approaching to coach and guide them. I recommend this book to those that may feel trapped in a relationship or searing for guidance.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Baker Publishing Group in exchange for an honest and thorough review. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.