Riot

Author: Ronie Kindig & JJ Samie Myles

Series: A Breed Apart Legacy #3

Publisher: Sunrise Publishing

Release Date: March 19, 2024

Riot is a downright thrill ride that is not to be missed.

Danger Maddox loved his work as a Navy SEAL K-9 handler until it all went wrong on an op. Now he is trying to work past the PTSD and find his place I the world. When his new neighbor shows up with a retired military dog she inherited but has no idea how to handle, he ends up put in the position to help. Paisley Reyna has a past full of baggage having survived human trafficking at the hands of the Guerrero Cartel and now works as a trauma counselor trying to help others. Her first meeting with Danger Maddox doesn’t go well and she is hesitant to let him be the one to help her with Riot. When the Cartel shows its face close to town, Riot is needed to help and Danger comes in as his handler and Paisley is afraid she could lose one or both of them, especially now that she has grown to care for both.

Ronie Kendig along with Samie Myles have crafted a fantastic military thriller that is full of heart, action, tension and a fury sidekick that steals the show. I have loved the first books in this series and this one is right there with them. Paisley and Riot stole the show for me, I loved the two of them and the way she had to overcome so much but didn’t waver in what she needed to do to help others so they didn’t have to go through the hard things she did. She didn’t let Danger get under her skin in the way he could have, instead stayed strong in what she knew was her purpose and didn’t let anything stop her. Danger was a hard character to like at first but with the past he had and what he had to deal with it was easy to see why, and he was written to perfection with what he had to deal with and overcome. I would recommend this book and all those in this series who enjoy military thrillers and fast action.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher.

Out for Blood

Author: Ryan Steck

Series: Matthew Redd Thriller #3

Publisher: Tyndale House

Release Date: June 4, 2024

The third book in the Matthew Redd series is an amazing addition to a fantastic series.

It’s the dead of winter in Montana and Matthew Redd knows how to deal with that, but the killer storm that is coming might be more than he can handle. While he is with his family in Montana his father, Gavin Kline is escorting a very high value prisoner when he comes under attack. The attack then leads Gavin to realize Matthew is the next target. Gavin gets word to Redd that he has a target on his back in time for him to prepare and try to get his family to safety. A snowstorm is about to hit which might make it harder for Matthew to stay alive, or it just might give him the cover he needs to take out those coming for him.

I loved this book! I picked it up after several that lacked what I needed to get me invested in the story and characters. It was incredibly easy to fly through the pages of this story and want to see these characters come out the other side safe and happy. Each new addition to this series finds Matthew in a terrible position and having to someway find his way to safety and make sure those he loves are also safe, sometimes harder than others. With this one it involved almost everyone in town trying to help keep him and his family safe after the biggest attack to come at him. I would recommend reading this series in order to get the most out of it. Readers could pick one and enjoy it but reading all will give the reader the best enjoyment.

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

Matterhorn

Author: Christopher Reich

Series: Mac Dekker #1

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Release Date: April 1, 2024

This one hit the spot! I loved the thrills, action and story that played out like I was watching a movie.

Mac Dekker left his life in the CIA behind, inventing a new identity as Robbie Steinhardt and wanting a quiet life. His quiet life is shattered when he finds out his son has died after trying to be like his dad and now, he must find answers to what happened. It doesn’t take long for his old life to come back, and muscle memory takes over as he gets back in the field to avenge the death of his son and figure out who he can trust in a life that makes it hard to trust anyone.

Matterhorn is the start of the Mac Dekker series and I personally hope it is the start of a very long series. I can’t wait to see where these characters go and accompany them on the adventures they take. I love a well-written military thriller that keeps me invested in the characters and what they are trying to accomplish. This one kept me on the edge of my seat for the entire story and I loved the action and adventure on every page. I picked this one up after several lack-luster reads and it was the perfect one to get me back in the groove. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a great thriller they can’t put down.

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

Chaos

Authors: Ronie Kendig and Steffani Webb

Series: A Breed Apart #2

Publisher: Sunrise Publishing

Release Date: January 9, 2024

Chaos is one fast paced, nail-biting thriller that fans of Kendig and her amazing writing will not want to miss.

Rio Silva has wanted to work with her father’s retired military dog for a long time and she is finally getting her chance when her aunt and uncle go missing in the Philippine rainforest. Chaos won’t let just anyone work with him and can be plenty stubborn, just like Rio at times. In order to find her family, she must work with a former Army Ranger, Cathal McGowan and the two immediately butt heads as they try to work together. Not only do they have to find a way to work together, but they also have to navigate dangerous terrain and stay out of the way of those looking to stop them from achieving their mission.

Chaos is the second book in the Breed Apart series and in this one Ronie Kendig writes with Steffani Webb and creates a story that is full of heart and lots of tension between characters that pulled me into the story. If readers aren’t careful, they could see Rio as a bit of an annoying character; I didn’t see her that way but could see her as that if not careful. She has so much passion for what she is trying to do that it can be hard for her to slow down and take a second, which for others can seem annoying or impulsive, exactly as Cathal saw her. This was a very fast read with the tension between these characters and the animal action.

Lethal Range

Author: Ryan Steck

Series: Matthew Redd Thriller #2

Publisher: Tyndale House

Release Date: August 8, 2023

Another fantastic military thriller from Ryan Steck that I couldn’t put down.

Matthew Redd has been off helping the FBI track down a very dangerous man when they find out they’ve been set up causing him to defy orders. While Matthew is overseas, his wife, Emily, is home in Montana taking their sick baby to the doctor when she is attacked by a biker gang. She and their son are shaken but safe when Matthew returns home and finds out what happens he knows there is more coming and who is behind the attack. With what happened on the mission, his family being attacked, and facing financial troubles, Matt is facing a war he might not be able to win.

The second book in the Mathew Redd thriller is just as good, if not better, than the first with all the action and drama readers will love. I particularly loved the parts with Matthew’s family, it made me care about him on a whole new level. The threats he faced both overseas and around his home kept him on his toes and almost over the edge. It was obvious that he would do anything to keep his family safe and when they are in danger, it is almost more than he can take. I loved it when his wife got in on the action and even when he wanted her safe she wanted to be with him and keep him safe as well, it was a great dynamic that moved the story along well. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys military thrillers that are clean, well-written and fun to read.

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

Havoc

Author: Ronie Kendig

Series: A Breed Apart Legacy #1

Publisher: Sunrise Publishing

Release Date: October 17, 2023

Ronie Kendig has blown it away with Havoc! She quickly pulls readers into the story with strong characters, both with two legs and four.

Crew Gatlin loved his time in the Army working with MWD, military working dogs, and training the stray, Havoc to be an MWD also. That is until a landmine cost him a leg and the rest of his time in the military. After rehab, he takes a job with A Breed Apart, which helps reunite him with Havoc who he thought he would never see again. Their first assignment for the company is to work as a K-9 team on a television drama. Crew wants nothing to do with the show or those involved in it, but he takes the assignment and is quickly taken in by the main stuntwoman for the show, Vienna Foxcroft. Foxcroft has a history in entertainment with her mom being a famous movie star and her father involved in politics. She has wanted to be involved in acting but not the star, so her past with MMA gives her the opportunity to do just that. When she gets her first look at Crew and Havoc, she immediately knows her life is about to get complicated. As the cast and crew head overseas for part of the shoot, things get intense when they come under attack and Crew and Havoc are put the test to try and save the woman he has just met but is already head over heels for.

Ronie Kendig has written another fantastic military thriller. I read this one without realizing it went along with a previous serious and have now added that series to my to-be-read pile. I immediately fell in love with both Crew and Havoc the second they came on the page. The connection Crew had with his four-legged friend pulled at the heartstrings and even though Havoc is a dog, the way he is written made me fall in love with him too. Ronie Kendig is a fantastic author in writing books that are very deep and full of authentic writing. Her love for military working dogs is well known and the way she writes these animals into the story makes it easy for the writer to forget they are reading about a four-legged hero and not a human. The story is a super fast read, I couldn’t put it down until I finished, and I was left thinking about the story long after the last page. I recommend this book to those that love action, suspense and a great touch of romance.

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

Word of Honor

Author: Hallee Bridgeman

Series: Love & Honor #2

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: October 4, 2022

The second book in the Love and Honor series is just as explosive and entertaining as the first! Readers will not want to miss this one!

Lynda Culter is a Special Agent with the FBI and has been investigating an eco-terrorist close to the Alaskan wilderness. Her partner is taken and murdered while she watches, leaving her the only witness. Before she can take down the group responsible for killing her partner, she gets a new assignment and is sent to Istanbul, a country that is not conducive for a female to be going around alone. She is assigned to work with Army specialist Bill Sanders who pretends to be her husband. The two have a past, he broke her heart many years ago and she has tried to move on. They must learn to put their past behind them and work together in order to solve the case and see what happens when their feelings come to the surface.

Hallee Bridgeman surprised me with her the first book in this series, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. The second in the series is full of just as many, if not more, twists and turns that will keep readers on the edge of their seat. While this is a Christian fiction book and readers can expect an element of faith, there is also a great message of forgiveness throughout. There are lots of twists and turns but not as much military action as the first in the series; readers will have to find the tension in other ways with the characters interactions and not the high-stakes drama. This is the usual formula that several of the authors I read go about with series, have different main characters throughout the different books in the series but keep others from previous books as secondary characters. This is good in a way but has to have a balance to keep from becoming repetitive and monotonous. I did enjoy this book and think readers that enjoy romantic suspense novels will not want to miss this one.

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

Honor Bound

Author: Hallee Bridgeman

Series: Love & Honor #1

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: September 6, 2022

I was skeptical at first with this series, but within the first few chapters found myself hooked and couldn’t put it down.

Dr. Cynthia Myers has found peace in the most unlikely of places, war-torn Africa. After being publicly embarrassed by her fiancé at her Senator father’s function, she left to find herself. She has found new meaning with her work and helping those less fortunate. The area she is in is run by an evil warlord, when his son is mortally wounded and brought to her, Cynthia tries to save him but fails. Luckily an Army Special Forces team trying to capture the warlord shows up and saves Cynthia’s life before the warlord’s men can kill her for failing to save his son. Captain Rick Norton is head of the team and finds himself attracted to Cynthia even though she is turned off by his use of violence. His team has been injured and she must work to save them while he keeps them all save and tries to get them all home alive.

For some reason I was skeptical to pick this one up. I’ve read several different authors that write military romantic suspense type books and have enjoyed those; I wasn’t sure how a new author to me would write this. I have never read anything by Hallee Bridgeman before and when I saw this one it looked good if done well. It didn’t take long for me to realize I was wrong to have been skeptical, Bridgeman did a great job of crafting characters and situations that pulled me in tight and didn’t let go. I read this during a tough week with family health issues and it was a great escape for me during this time. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves romantic suspense, especially with a military theme to it.

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

Fields of Fire

Author: Ryan Steck

Publisher: Tyndale

Release Date: August 2, 2022

If you are a fan of military type thrillers, Fields of Fire will blow you away with the action, suspense and over the top drama in this fantastic debut by Ryan Steck!

Marine Raider Matthew Redd is heading to be deployed on a top-secret mission when he stops to help a stranded motorist on the side of the road only to wake up hours later missing the mission that his team is all been killed on. Now he is having to take a deal to leave the Corps to avoid being arrested for treason. It is the only life he has known and loved and now he must return to his home town in Montana when he receives a message from his adoptive father saying he might be in trouble. When he gets home, he is too late, his dad is dead and he is left with more questions than answers. The more he digs into it all, the harder it is to know who to trust and what has really been going on while he was away serving his country.

When I started reading Fields of Fire, I didn’t realize this was the first novel by Ryan Steck. For a debut novel, Steck did an outstanding job of creating characters and putting them in situations that kept me on the edge of my seat. Matthew Redd is a great main character with a lot of heart, hurt and determination to try and do what is right no matter what it costs him. For the longest time while reading this, I wasn’t sure where the story would end up, and by the time it all came together, I was able to connect the dots back to the beginning and it all fit together nicely. Each character had a purpose and was set in place at just the right time to move the story along at the right speed. As the story progressed, so did the tension; by about the halfway point I found myself unable to put the book down until I found out what was going to happen. This is set as the first in a series and I can’t wait to see what comes next for these characters. I recommend this book to anyone that loves a great suspense thriller with fun characters and the start of a new series.

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

Dark Angel

Author: Brian Andrews & Jeffrey Wilson

Series: Shepherds Series #2

Publisher: Tyndale

Release Date: April 5, 2022

The second book in the Shepherds Series is even darker, more sinister and thrilling than the first! Readers will be entranced with this fantastic supernatural thriller!

After his first mission with the Shepherds, Jeddiah Johnson returns to Nashville for extensive training with the group. At the training, he meets a whole new group training to be Shepherds working in a state-of-the-art facility. Many have been training for a while and when Jed comes in as the new team leader while technically being a rookie, several feathers are ruffled. Jed tries to fix the team dynamic, but when he starts having visions of an attack overseas, the team are sent over to stop the threat before they finish their training. Jed and the team go up against their biggest threat yet, Nicholas Woland, once a Shepherd himself who now works against them spreading chaos and knowing how the Shepherds work makes it easier for him to defeat them. Jed and the Shepherds race against Woland and his sinister plot to stop hundreds from being taken out and evil to win. With their team still in training, they will have to work together and trust one another more than ever in order to win this battle against good and evil.

The first book in the Shepherds series laid the groundwork for the supernatural battle within the pages. Dark Angel picks up where the first left off and takes it even deeper into the world of evil we live in and how many of us walk around oblivious to the sinister and dark attacks we are under daily with angels around to help keep us safe. I loved the character of Jed and how he knew he needed help to fulfill the missions he was sent on. Even though he is a highly trained Navy SEAL, he knows that the skills needed to succeed are more than he alone possesses. There is a lot to unpack within the pages of this novel, but for me, it was well written with a fast plot, characters I wanted to see succeed and a lot of moments that left me with some good questions to ponder about life, spiritual matters and so much more. This is a book that will leave readers thinking about more than just the work of fiction. That said, it is a work of fiction and needs to be read as such, it isn’t a bible study or writing in that way. I recommend this book to those that love supernatural thrillers that are going to get your heart rate up and be hard to put down.

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