The Initiation

the initiation Author: Chris Babu

Series: The Initiation #1

Publisher: Permuted Press

Release Date: February 27, 2018

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Fans of The Hunger Games will be excited about this new series!

Despite the warnings, doctors continued to over prescribe antibiotics. Once the greatest medical advancement, now an adverse effect has been created. Bacteria continued to develop until antibiotics no longer provided any effect. This created superbugs, which in turn created the confluence, an epidemic that begin to wipe out civilization. In an effort to save humanity, Manhattan Island was walled off from the rest of the world and set into a quarantine. As people planned for equality and lives free from power, wealth, and corruption. New America was born and divided into four cells. Most people live in the Dorms sector, which has been getting the shaft from the other sectors as of late, but for an unknown reason. New American is failing.

Drayden is a 16-year-old math whiz who is about to graduate and take a job in the dorms. Suddenly his mom is exiled from New America for conspiracy. He knows something isn’t right about this and the only way to find out is to enter a contest known as The Initiation. A series of puzzles and tests await him in the abandoned subways as he travels from the Dorms to the Palace. If he survives, his remaining family can move into the Palace with him and he will be able to find the truth about his mom’s exile. If he fails, he faces exile himself, or possibly death.

Dystopian literature is the fastest growing reading genre today and several new books hit the market every week. It’s difficult to weed through what might be worth reading and what is better left on the shelf. This book took a little bit to set up, but once it did, it really took off. It takes on the familiar trait of kids that are living in the least respected quadrant of ruined America that have the opportunity to make a better life for themselves. In this case, it’s an event called the Initiation and requires them to pass several different challenges to move forward. The character development was done very well. Drayden was instantly likeable. Alex was the perfect antagonist that you loved to hate. The other characters pretty well fit in where you would expect, with a few flaws possibly.

If you enjoy this style of book, then you will likely enjoy this one as well. There is some mild language throughout, but nothing that is not expected in today’s society.

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

A Study in Treason

study in treason Author: Leonard Goldberg

Series: Daughter of Sherlock Holmes #2

Publisher: Minotaur

Release Date: June 12, 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

My interest in Sherlock Holmes has been renewed by this new series!

After a top-secret document outlining the treaty between England and France to stand against Germany disappears, Dr. John Watson is solicited to assist England in finding the document. Dr. Watson agrees on one condition, that his son Dr. John Watson, Jr. and his wife Joanna assist in the investigation. Joanna is the daughter of Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler and she is just as astute as her father, if not more. As they assist Scotland Yard in the investigation, evidence starts to point in the opposite direction of the investigation, which brings out more questions than answers. As with her father, everything must be cut and dried with no middle ground. With an apparent hurry up investigation, the trio attempt to work out the facts to solve the case and restore the document.

If you enjoyed Sherlock Holmes, then this new series is a must. Told from the perspective of Dr. John Watson, Jr, a new mystery has surfaced that resembles the volumes of work that his father documented for Sherlock Holmes. The story line is very interesting and told in a way that keeps the reader engaged. Just as things seem to be wrapping up, a new curve is thrown into the mix that resets all the knowledge gathered so far. Goldberg does a great job leading readers down the path, but keeping them right where he wants them. Scotland Yard still bumbles a bit and is too hasty to wrap up investigations, but Joanna mimics her fathers’ antics from pacing to smoking while deep in thought.

Even though this is the second in a series, it easily reads as a standalone. However, it garnered enough of my interest to go get the first book to fill in any blanks that I may not have noticed. If you’re a fan of Holmes or just love a good mystery, give this a try!

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

Factor Man

factor man Author: Matt Ginsberg

Publisher: Zowie Press

Release Date: March 20, 2018

Reviewer: Jennifer S. Roman

Factor Man is about to change the world. He hopes for the better, but with the way people are reacting, he is not overly sure. To combat that, he has set up a “coming out” of sorts. A brilliant mind who claims to have developed a new algorithm that can literally break the internet has surfaced with a plan. Right now he is anonymous, but shortly he will reveal himself as he periodically reveals what his algorithm can do. I cannot do the explanation justice, but basically, he can factor numbers to a higher degree than ever possible before, with the results being that encryption used for credit cards, internet security, and the internet itself will be more secure and better than ever. Of course, that means people will be after him for his development, so he hides behind the name Factor Man. He sets up a website and every so often takes requests for numbers to be factored. He sets a date that the technology will be auctioned off to the highest bidder, and creates a foolproof method of keeping it out of the wrong hands or from being shared. Factor Man has all his bases covered, yet he is still wanted by the Chinese. And the Chinese have several people whose lives depend on getting his product before it is auctioned.

As I mentioned, this new technology is difficult to explain and to understand; Ginsberg does a good job of explaining it, but most of it is still over my head. Fortunately, this is just a small part of the story, and the rest of it is more than enough to keep readers interested. It’s a whirlwind chase around the world as Chinese government employees try to figure out who Factor Man is while trying to hunt him down before he goes public. It’s a race to the finish to see if the woman assigned to the job will find him or not. Rest assured, there are lots of good tricks and ploys along the way. This story is anything but boring. I especially enjoyed excerpts from his website, in which he asks the public for numbers to factor. Every time he requests a number a few more digits larger than the previous one. Ginsberg adds the fun twist of using requests from people famous today to make Factor Man seem more human instead of some secretive technological mastermind.

Ginsberg takes a novel approach to the typical thriller. Yes, there is some special formula or code or technology that someone doesn’t want to get out to the public, but his concept is new and exciting. He applies a modern twist and uses fun, snappy language to tell the story at a good pace. Readers, after the initial explanation of the algorithm, are not too bogged down by details about the product that they can’t enjoy the story itself. The “bad guy,” despite being on the wrong side of things, is smart, creative, and tough; one can’t help but be fascinated by her, which of course helps develop the story. The people set up to help Factor Man make his big debut are also savvy, fun, and interesting. They follow the rules but just on the right side of them, so we get a quick tempo with all kinds of interesting developments. It is clear from reading the book that Ginsberg is either incredibly smart or really good at research, probably a bit of both (but more smart than anything else). I enjoyed this book immensely and am sure that readers of technological thrillers will, too.

I admit that I was not sure about this book before I started it, because I am not usually one to enjoy a technological thriller, but it really was a good one. I enjoyed the characters, the slick smartness of it all, the quick dialogue, and the clear thought put into it. I hope Factor Man develops some other technology so I can find out how he goes about getting that one put into society.

This book contained profanity and violence; therefore, I recommend it for mature readers.

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

The Cost of Betrayal

cost of betrayal Authors: Dee Henderson; Dani Pettrey; & Lynette Eason

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: September 4, 2018

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

A collection of novellas by three of the leading authors in Christian fiction makes for a great read.

First up is Dee Henderson’s Betrayed. After spending years in prison Janelle Roberts is freed after an FBI Agent and his wife buy a box of possessions at an auction and find evidence showing there is no way she could have committed the murder she is accused of. To keep Janelle safe, they hide her away while they all search for the murderer who is still at large and might threaten Janelle’s life and freedom.

Second, we have Dani Pettrey’s Deadly Isle. When a storm hits her childhood home, Tennyson Kent is trapped along with the rest of the island residents with a murderer. The storm cuts them off from anyone that could help. Together with Callen Frost, her first love, Tennyson hopes to figure out who the killer is and stop anymore tragedy from coming to their island.

Finally, Lynette Eason’s Code of Ethics gives us the story of Ruthie St. John saving the life of Detective Isaac Martinez. Isaac is trying to prove one of the others on the squad is betraying all they believe, and it puts his life on the line. Together he and Ruthie must stay alive and prove who in the department is corrupt.

This was a great group of stories and even though they don’t tie in to one another, they are very well written. I think when I started this I was expecting the stories to connect in some way and was a little confused when they didn’t. Had I realized this to begin with, it would have helped while reading. The first story to me was the slowest to get through. Deadly Isle and Code of Ethics were really quick reads and made the entire set worth reading for me. I really enjoyed the fact that Eason’s Code of Ethics tied in with her latest series. If any are like me and the first third seems a little slow to you I recommend sticking with it through the other two thirds where the suspense really kicks it to another level and the stories are extremely riveting. I recommend this to readers who enjoy all three of these authors and enjoy a great romantic suspense reads. I have the feeling that some of these stories will be further developed as time goes on, either in another collection of short stories or on their own. Either way I can’t wait to see what happens with these characters.

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

Swimming in the Deep End

swimming Author: Christina Suzann Nelson

Publisher: Kregel

Release Date: September 25, 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

This book is a prime example of how everything can come full circle.

Izzy Cline is a terrific swimmer who has a dream of competing in the Olympics. At least until she realizes that she is pregnant. Still in high school, she and her boyfriend Travis had plans. He was going to be the first in his family to go to college and he would do it on a baseball scholarship. Izzy would swim in college and at the Olympics. That all seems like a distant dream now. At least nothing can tear her and Travis apart.

Izzy’s mom Jillian is pinning her hopes on her daughter. But when she sees that Izzy is pregnant, it conjures up painful memories of her past. As she tries to force Izzy to do things her way, she begins to cause a huge rift between herself and the rest of the family. Will she be able to deal with the issue before the family is completely torn apart?

Travis’s mom Margaret wants a different life for her son than she had. Travis father was a drunk who was rarely around with Travis’s older brothers and once Travis was born he pretty much took off. But this pregnancy worries Margaret that the will get trapped in the same kind of life she is in and she wants to make sure this doesn’t affect her dreams for him.

Stacey Frey and her husband have just moved to the area. Not able to conceive children of their own, they have recently gone through a horrible adoption experience and have been healing to try the process again. God works in mysterious ways and Stacey begins to get involved in a home for young mothers. As events begin to play out, an unexpected story of healing affects all four main characters.

This was one of the most interesting books that I have read where the main characters are all interconnected. At least three separate stories that appear to have little relevance with each other begin to weave a pattern until they are fully intertwined. Nelson has always done a great job of taken women with a broken spirit as her characters and forming them into someone that is strong and both supported and supportive. This book is no different. Each of these women has gone through a traumatic experience that has broken their spirit and it takes all of them to realize how to move forward.

I highly recommend this book to all readers. It’s just a great story that should be read by all.

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

A Bound Heart

a bound heart Author: Laura Frantz

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: January 1, 2019

Reviewer: Jennifer S. Roman

Laura Frantz introduces readers to Lark MacDougall, a Scottish maid, and Magnus MacLeish, a Scottish lord. Growing up, the two were inseparable as Lark’s maid raised her alongside Magnus after Lark’s family castle crumbled with the loss of the family’s power. Lark was forced to become a servant, but because of her family ties to Magnus, she had opportunities uncommon to her new class of citizen. Lark becomes the castle gardener/herb grower and is responsible for making healing poultices and potions out of the herbs and honey she collects from her bee skeps. She and Magnus maintain a strong bond even though he eventually marries a woman of means and high rank in society. Unfortunately, his new wife, Lady MacLeish, is unable to have children, and one night, in a fit of despair, she gets into Lark’s herb cabinet. There she drinks a potion that alters her mental state, resulting in her falling off a cliff to her death. Despite the cabinet being locked and her not even being present, Lark is charged with Lady MacLeish’s death, and for defending her, Magnus is charged as well. Both lives are spared; instead of most likely dying in jail or being hung, the pair is put on a convict ship headed for Virginia. The majority of the story follows the lives of Magnus and Lark as they reach their new homes.

A romance with a great deal of fact woven into it, A Bound Heart fascinates and captures the hearts of readers through adventure, romance, tribulation, and faith. Lark is a good girl who doesn’t have much experience in the world outside of her herb gardens, but she is fortunate to be taken under the wing of the kindly woman who oversees the plantation where Lark has been indentured. Lark is given a job tending to the flowers and herbs, and it suits her just fine. Magnus faces an uphill battle against a slave-owning culture in sugar cane fields. After being transported to the Caribbean Magnus finds himself as a field manager on a sugar plantation. Used to being the one in charge, he now has to follow the orders of landowners despite knowing from experience that working with the laborers is more effective than working against them.

The characters develop as the book progresses, and the historical significance keeps interest while educating. Several tertiary characters provide more story development and conflict to make things much more exciting. Frantz uses common Scottish dialogue throughout the book, especially at the beginning when they are still in Scotland, to provide authenticity. It’s difficult to understand at first, but is explained enough and is used with enough frequency that readers should not have any trouble understanding the story. The development from arrest to sea voyage to the new life for each moves along at a pace that does not seem slow; rather, things seem to happen quickly enough that a lot transpires in a short amount of time. I sped through this book and enjoyed every minute, never wishing that I was further along than I was.

A Bound Heart offers something for historical fiction and romance readers alike: adventure, star-crossed lovers, complications, separations, and facts about a new place. I enjoyed it immensely and believe that readers of this genre will as well.

As a word of caution, I must mention that there are some topics that require consideration. There are some threats of sexual violence as well as physical violence. Language is often harsh, but never downright profane.

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

We Hope for Better Things

we hope for better things Author: Erin Bartels

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: January 1, 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Three significant stories all woven together through a common theme of racial tension.

Elizabeth Basalm is a reporter for the Detroit Free Press who has just gotten a strange request from James Rich. An elderly man, Mr. Rich asks Elizabeth if she is related to a Nora Basalm, as he has something of hers that needs to be returned. It is a camera that has been in police evidence since the 1960s riots. Elizabeth has never heard of Nora, but she has been trying to pin part of the riots activity on the elusive Judge Sharpe. If these pictures have incriminating evidence, she might just be able to punch her ticket to major headlines. But to do so will mean opening doors that some people want to be left closed.

Nora Basalm lives in Detroit’s Bloomfield Hills, which is all upper class and all white. In the 1960s, even though the north doesn’t have the Jim Crowe laws, there is still natural segregation. While at an art expo, she stumbles on a photograph of her father looking angry and hateful, she finds the photographer and asks if he will take down the picture. He agrees, but only if she buys him a new camera since the man in the photograph smashed his. After she meets him again with the camera, she begins to learn more about the man that she might even have feelings of love. But to fall in love and marry him might mean career and social suicide. It seems neither race wants to see this relationship succeed.

The civil war has just broken out and Mary Basalm’s husband Nathaniel has decided to enlist leaving her behind at the family farm. As she frets over his wellbeing, his trunk and a letter arrive one day. Terrified of the worst, she opens the trunk to reveal a runaway slave named George has been packed inside of it. As the war progresses, George and Mary become equals on running the farm and managing the affairs in Nathaniel’s absence. Mary becomes to rely on George more than anyone else in her life, which begins to cause a huge rift between her and everyone she knows.

This was an incredible debut novel that tackles a subject that has been sensitive for centuries. Bartels weaves three different stories that all center around racial tensions at three different time periods: present day, civil rights era, and the civil war. The main characters of each story are involved in different interracial relationships, one in marriage, one in dating, and one that is completely forbidden. Each story addresses the situation of the time period, but also shows how strong the main female characters are. The entire book is educational, historical, entertaining, and unfortunately, sad. All of the stories are also centered around a family farm house. It’s sad to think of all the stories within a house that have occurred but have been forgotten over time.

I highly recommended this book for people who enjoy reading about controversy as well as about the time periods included. Great book to start off the year!

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

Code of Valor

Author: Lynette Eason

Series: Blue Justice #3

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: January 1, 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

The newest Blue Justice series installment follows Brady St. John and is sure to please readers with a wild and crazy adventure!

While trying to get some much needed relaxation time, Brady St. John takes a vacation only to be interrupted. He has rented a friend’s lake cabin when he hears screams. He races to rescue a woman as she is about to be killed. The killer escapes but quickly comes back to finish the job putting them both in danger. Emily Chastain is a financial crimes investigator and has had a hard time trusting people since she was a young girl. With a past she is trying to escape, she tries to help those around her and somehow finds herself a target. Together with Brady and his siblings, Emily will try to solve a crime and stay alive.

This is exactly what I have come to expect from Lynette Eason. Action packed suspense with just the right amount of romance sprinkled in. As the third book in the Blue Justice series, we get a look into Brady St. John as well as the rest of the family helping to solve the case. I enjoyed the character of Emily, such a vulnerable character with trust issues having to trust Brady and his family to help solve the case and keep her safe. Eason does a fantastic job of creating a story with plenty of twists and turns and characters that are both delightful and delightfully evil.

I liked the way the story was broken up into parts based on the day and time things were occurring. It made the story move quicker and kept track of the time frame events were occurring in. With so many members of the St. John family, it is great to see each member get their own story and still see how all the others are doing as side characters throughout. I’m hoping the next in the series will focus on Linc since we have yet to read his backstory. I recommend this book to fans of Eason and even those who are new to her writing and enjoy romantic suspense. Even though this is the third in a series it can be read as a standalone without missing out on too much.

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

What’s in store for 2019?

Happy New Years Eve! As this year draws to a close, we are anxiously anticipating several new titles coming out over the next year! We hope you’ve enjoyed our reviews over the year and will be dying to read some of theses future releases.

The Line Between by Tosca Lee. We’ve been salivating to get our hands on this new title that comes out January 29th! Lee’s thrillers are often top ranking and this new dystopian release will be no less than fantastic! Find out more here.
The Eighth Sister by Robert Dugoni. Set to release on April 9th, another Tracy Crosswhite novel always helps make our year complete. These suspense thrillers never cease to amaze us. Find out more here.
Last Summer by Kerry Lonsdale. Set to release on July 9th. We so enjoyed that Everything We Keep series that when we found out Lonsdale had a story pending we immediately added it to our calendar. Find out more here.
How the Light Gets In by Jolina Petersheim. Set to release on March 5th. We’ve gone almost two years without a new release by Jolina Petersheim and we are super excited to finally have another of her amazing books. Find out more here.
The Pages of Her Life by James Rubart. Set to release on May 21st. Rubart is a master at supernatural stories and this is likely to be no exception. Find out more here.
The Persian Gamble by Joel C. Rosenberg. Set to release on March 12th. On the heels of the success of The Kremlin Conspiracy, this sequel will be just as suspenseful, entertaining, and potential prophetic. Find out more here.
All Manner of Things by Susie Finkbeiner. Set to release on June 4th. Finkbeiner’s historical fiction is extremely well written. We can’t wait to see what is in store this year. Find out more here.
The Triumphant by Lesley Livingston. Set to release on February 12th. This series kicks some serious butt. Can’t wait to see the series continue. Find out more here.
Castle on the Rise by Kristy Cambron. Set to release on February 5th. The Lost Castle series has already impressed us by weaving multiple storylines a single castle. This next installment will have more of Cambron’s signature prose. Find out more here.
No Place Like Here by Christina June. Set to release on May 21st. June does an excellent job putting new spins on old fairy tales. Next up is Hansel and Gretel! Find out more here.
Forget You Know Me by Jessica Strawser. Set to release on February 5th. Another great series with a new installment that needs to be told! Find out more here.
Have You Seen Luis Velez? by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Set to release on May 21st. Hyde’s fiction is always a welcome addition to our reading list. Hopefully she’ll put out another book too! Find out more here.

Of course, this is not a complete list. We’ve been tracking several authors that we hope to see releases this year including Steven James, Ted Dekker, Rachelle Dekker, Terri Blackstock, Susan Spann, Billy Coffey, and Janice Cantore. Who are some authors you’re looking forward to in 2019?