Two Seconds Too Late

Author: Dani Pettrey

Series: Jeopardy Falls #2

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: April 29, 2025

Dani Pettrey is back with a great addition to one of her best series yet.

Set in northern New Mexico at a couples retreat when a woman vanishes, Riley MacLeod is on the lookout for her along with PI Greyson Chadwick. Riley and Greyson pretend to be a couple and go to the resort looking for clues to the missing woman and end up uncovering more than they bargained for. As more clues come to light, they also find themselves in more danger. The more the two work together to find the missing woman the harder it becomes to deny the feelings they have for one another. Secrets from their past make it hard for each to trust the other fully until that might be all they have to survive.

Dani Pettrey is a fan favorite in the Christian fiction world for a good reason; her writing is a beat above most everyone else. She has a way of crafting stories that will not only pull readers in and keep them hooked book after book. Two Seconds Too Late is a great addition to her latest series and leaves the door open for more to come with these great characters. Of all her books Riley isn’t my favorite female protagonist, but Greyson ranks high on the list, there was something loveable about him and how he was portrayed. The missing woman at the resort made for good storytelling with a great setting, especially since it is close to where I live it pulled me into the story. This is one that fans of Pettrey will not want to miss.

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

Serial Burn

Author: Lynette Eason

Series: Lake City Heroes #3

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: January 21, 2025

A great romantic suspense that will give readers encouragement, faith and a good escape into a great book.

Jesslyn McCormick lost her family in a fire when she was young and now works as the fire marshal to help others going through what she did. It has almost been 20 years since the fire that took her family and when the church she attends catches fire, all the feelings from her past come back with a few new memories and evidence. No one was ever charged in the fire that started her on the journey she is on now and she wants answers. After the church fire, FBI Special Agent Nathan Carlisle gets involved and helps Jesslyn with her case. The past and present collide as she comes face to face with all she wanted to get past in order to move on with her future.

Serial Burn is the third book in the Lake City Heroes book and is a good romantic suspense. It is good, not great. It had good potential but several things felt off for me. First off, I had an issue with the name, Jesslyn, it didn’t flow and it felt completely off for me. Maybe it is the name of someone the author knows and decided to use it, but I couldn’t get passed the oddness of it, which took me out of the story. In the grand scheme of things, it isn’t a big thing but it was enough for me to have trouble with the story. If you can get past that then the rest of the story is done well with lots of tension and great character relations. There is plenty of suspense and the romantic tension is done really well. Readers that enjoy suspense, romance and a clean read will not want to pass this one up.

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

The Silent Watcher

Author: Victor Methos

Series: Vegas Shadows #1

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Release Date: December 1, 2024

The Silent Watcher takes the phrase, Deadly Silent, to a whole new level with this crazy thriller.

Piper Danes is an attorney who has had to take a step back from being a lawyer and is now a guardian ad litem with her first case. She wanted this change, knowing how a GAL helped her when she was young and needed it most and wants to help youth that need her now. When she is assigned to help 15-year-old Sophie Grace, the only survivor of her family’s murder, she has the help of Judge Hope Dawson and Detective Lazarus Holloway. With each clue they uncover more and more danger pointed at not only Sophie but each of them as well as they hunt a serial killer that hides in the shadows.

The Silent Watcher has a fantastic ending, but you must be patient for the great build up. The first chapter starts with good tension and then it dies out for a while before it picks back up and gradually takes off. It will help readers to know that this is the first book in the start of a series so the buildup will be worth sticking with. Piper is a great character with a lot of heart, and I found myself really wanting to see her come out safe and happy by the end. Lazarus got on my nerves for some reason, not even sure if I can pinpoint what it was about him that annoyed me, just something didn’t sit right with him as a character. I do think I will pick up the next in the series to see what is going to happen with these characters. The Silent Watcher is a good book for fans of suspense thrillers.

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

Lone Wolf

Author: Gregg Hurwitz

Series: Orphan X #9

Publisher: Minotaur

Release Date: February 13, 2024

The next installment in the Orphan X series is a not to be missed thriller!

Evan Smoak was once known as Orphan X and worked as a black ops agent for the government. When he had enough, he left the program and set out on his own to help those who needed him and his special set of skills. His latest mission finds him helping a little girl who has lost her dog. This is not the usual mission Evan agrees to go on but helping this girl turns into one of the biggest jobs he has ever had to tackle. Set out to find an assassin known as the Wolf, who is hunting Evan, might just be more than he can survive.

The Orphan X series is a great read for readers that are fans of The Grey Man, Bourne Society and other types of books and movies. They are all full of action, suspense and Evan getting out of impossible scenarios. In Lone Wolf, I enjoyed Evan having to slow things down a little to help the girl find her dog and the way that lead into a much bigger and harder problems for him to solve. There was still plenty of interaction between him and Joey, which is always a fun dynamic for the story. There was also more twists and surprises in this one than some of the previous installments. Overall this is a great addition to the series that fans of Hurwitz will not want to miss.

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

Deadly Revenge

Author: Patricia Bradley

Series: Pearl River #3

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: November 5, 2024

A good finish to a romantic suspense series that fans of Bradley’s writing will enjoy.

Jenna Hart came back to her hometown of Pearl Springs and became a deputy just as city officials are in the bullseye of a killer. The town itself has problems of its own. Decades ago, a construction company took over land that belonged to others and now someone is coming after revenge. When the former mayor of Pearl Springs is up for a spot in the US Senate and in danger, Jenna gets help from Agent Maxwell Anderson who she used to work with at the Chattanooga Police. The attraction that they once had for each other comes back quickly as they work on this new case tracking down a killer.

This is the third book in the Pearl River series and a good finish up to a fun romantic suspense series. Patricia Bradley has made a name for herself as a top romantic suspense author in the Christian fiction market. These stories are enjoyable but predictable. The romance was nice but didn’t make me swoon. The tension was probably the nicest part of the story, it was tight and enough to keep my interest. All of those are enough to make this a good story, not a great one. Fans of the series will enjoy it as it wraps up the

storyline.

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

Specters in the Glass House

Author: Jaime Jo Wright

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: October 1, 2024

Jaime Jo Wright is back with her best yet! She continues to fascinate me with her ability to craft the most amazing and touching stories.

After both of her parents pass away, Marian Arnold returns to her childhood home and her mother’s butterfly house. In 1921, prohibition shut down her family’s brewing empire and left Marian with very little. Shortly after she returns home, Marian starts having nightmares and wonders if she is going crazy as dead butterflies appear along with a dead body in the butterfly house. Marian finds solace in her childhood friend Felix who is also dealing with ghosts from his past. Together they must work past the ghosts and butterflies to find a future.

In the present-day timeline, Remy Shaw is a researcher coming to help an elderly biographer looking into the murders and mystery behind Marian Arnold and all that happened at the manor. One of Marian’s decedents shows up at the manor wanting to make sure the story is told correctly. But mystery and danger haven’t strayed far from the manor and yet another generation might be in for more than can take.

Jaime Jo Wright gets better with each novel and this newest one is no exception. I have loved all of her books but this one was by far the best. When you think of butterflies, the next step is not serial killers and ghosts. The dual timeline is something Wright has just about perfected after so many books and she does it better than almost anyone else. It doesn’t matter if it is the past or present timeline, I found myself connected with the characters and the storyline. Usually, a story with a historical timeline is not my “cup of tea” but when Wright is creating the story I know I’m going to connect with the story and characters. If I can connect with characters, then I am hooked into the story till the end. This is the kind of story that is perfect timing coming out right around Halloween. I would recommend this story to readers that love a little spooky with their romantic suspense but also just a fantastic story with great characters.

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

The Last Orphan

Author: Gregg Hurwitz

Series: Orphan X #8

Publisher: Minotaur

Release Date: February 6, 2024

The next installment in the Orphan X series is full of action and the usual Orphan antics.

Evan Smoak is back as Orphan X, an orphan that was taken in and trained up to be an assassin for the government. He has left his life as an assassin and puppet for the government and now uses his skill set to help those in need as The Nowhere Man. As time has gone by though his ability to avoid those in the government wanting to find him has been harder and harder and now the higher-ups are wanting him for a job. The President wants Evan to eliminate a man she sees as a threat and uses his past to get him to do her bidding. Evan now must decide how far he is willing to go to stick to his principles and keep his life.

I have decently enjoyed the Orphan X series but with book 8 I found myself ready for the story to be over. I would have liked to see more between Evan and his sometimes love interest and her son, instead of a snippet here and there. For most of this story I found myself skimming the pages for what might be interesting and leaving the rest behind. As always, Evan’s interactions with Joey are some of the best moments and bring the story a breath of fresh air. Fans of the series might possibly enjoy this one, but it wasn’t one I can highly recommend.

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

Over The Edge

Author: Irene Hannon

Series: Undaunted Courage #2

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: October 1, 2024

A quick page-turner full of chills and thrills.

After a near fatal incident, Lindsey Barnes is trying to move on with her life and recover. Unfortunately, that isn’t as easy as she hoped; someone is trying to make her look unstable and not a reliable source after being the only witness in a murder case. Detective Jack Tucker gets called out after Lindsey needs his help after an enemy starts leaving behind evidence to make her look unreliable as the witness they need. It doesn’t take long for Jack to see someone is setting her up and maybe out for more than just making her look unstable.

Irene Hannon has written a real page-turner with Over the Edge. I loved the dynamic between Lindsey and Jack; she is witty and also neurotic at times with all she has gone through which made her relatable. The way the two characters were brought together was done well; I didn’t find myself having any eye rolling moments at the predictability. There were a few moments when the story fell flat and took a little longer to get thorough. Other than that, it was a very fast read and enjoyable that fans of romantic suspense will enjoy.

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

One Last Stand

Author: Susan May Warren

Series: Alaska Air One Rescue #4

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: October 8, 2024

A fantastic ending to a wonderful series by one of the very best in Christian Fiction.

London Brooks has been part of Air One Rescue as a way to rebuild the life she has left behind that was full of clandestine meetings as part of a team to take down a Russian terrorist. When her old life comes back to haunt her, she must disappear to hopefully keep all of those she cares about safe. When Shep Watson is taken hostage as a ploy to bring London out in the open, she has no choice but to jump back into the world she thought she had left behind.

The Alaska Air One Rescue series has been a fantastic series with lots of action, romance and more. Susan May Warren is a fantastic author that is full of so many great stories. This one was really good except for a few parts in the middle that fell flat. When London goes home to her parents, I just lost connection with her and the story for a good little bit. The other parts of the story were full of action and adventure that kept me glued to the page. This is the type of story that fans of romantic suspense will not want to pass up. You would read this one without having to have read the others in the series but it is best to read the whole series to get the most out of it.

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

One Last Promise

Author: Susan May Warren

Series: Alaska Air One Rescue #3

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: August 6, 2024

Another great romantic suspense from one of the masters in the Christian fiction genre.

Moose Mulligan was in the Navy and lived for the thrill of it all. After he got out, he returned home and started up Air One Rescue to help others and maybe find a life for himself. He has a habit of going to the local diner for breakfast but also to see Tillie Young. When Tillie shows up at his door, beaten and in need of help, Moose and his friends jump right in. Tillie needs help after her daughter has been kidnaped by her ex, a former MMA fighter who also trained Tillie. One problem after another arises as they hunt down a kidnapper and try to get out of the situation alive.

This is the third book in the Alaska Air One Rescue series and might just be my favorite of the series so far. Tillie started as a meek little character but turned into one that was able to do so much more than expected. Her fighting was fun to read with her MMA background and the way she fought for her family was very well done. Fighting sequences can be hard, either they turn out brilliantly or laughable. As the years have gone by Susan May Warren has really improved in her ability to write these scenes and I enjoy reading them. The relationship between Moose and Tillie was written at just the right speed, they obviously had feelings for each other, but it wasn’t rushed in a way that made me roll my eyes. I know that fans of romantic suspense, and especially if they have been following this series 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.