Honor’s Refuge

Author: Hallee Bridgeman

Series: Love & Honor #3

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: November 1, 2022

The final book in the Love and Honor series will give fans a satisfying end to a series that surprised me from the beginning.

Melissa Braxton was just a young child when she saw her father kill her mother. She was then taken and placed away from her sister, Lola, and grew up trying to help others dealing with abusive relationships by becoming a family therapist with her own domestic abuse shelter. Phil Osbourne has had a hard time finding a purpose for his life since losing his leg in the line of duty. He learns of Melissa trying to find her sister she lost contact with when she was little and finally feels a purpose for his life again. Making it his mission to help her ends up putting them all in danger with a cartel coming after them.

The Love and Honor series took me by surprise! This was the first series I had read by Hallee Bridgeman and wasn’t sure what to expect. I will say that I was pleased with how well the series played out. The characters in each book meshed well and had me glued to the edge of my seat to see what would happen. Of the three in the series, this was probably my favorite. There were a few moments that slowed the pace of the story but overall, it read quick and kept me engaged. There was something about Melissa that grabbed me from the very beginning, and I really wanted to see her happy and successful. The chemistry between her and Phil was right on point and not too over the top. With romantic suspense stories, I love the dynamic between romance and suspense and how it can move the story along. This is the type of series that I would recommend being read in order to get the most out of each book and the series as a whole. Fans of romantic suspense will really enjoy this series.

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

Targeted

Authors: Lynette Eason, Lynn H. Blackburn, & Natalie Walters

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: November 1, 2022

What’s better than a new romantic suspense story by one of Christian fiction’s best? How about three new stories by three of the top writers in Christian romantic suspense!!!

Targeted brings together three short stories by three of the top writers in Christian fiction. The first story, On the Run, gives us IT Specialist Daria Nevsky, an FBI agent who is an expert hacker and is now being hunted by someone. She tries to hide while figuring out who wants her dead.

The second story, Deadly Objective, shows physical therapist Emily Dixon and Secret Service Agent Liam Harper, who have tried to keep their relationship strictly professional, which becomes difficult when a killer targets the son of the vice president.

In the third story, Caught in the Crosshairs, CIA officer Claudia Gallegos and army officer Ari Blackman are not close after Claudia is shown to be part of a murder against a Saudi Prince. Ari’s trust has been broken and that is hard for him to get back but in order to keep America safe, but they will have to find a way to work together.

Lynette Eason, Lynn H. Blackburn and Natalie Walters are three of the top writers in Christian fiction, and team up they produce a collection of stories that fans will fall in love with. I always love when a writer finds a way to write romantic suspense in a manner that leans a little heavier on suspense than romance and these three have made a fantastic novel that was hard to put down. Each story has its own plot and characters, but they are each individual and entertaining in their own way. Each of these authors are fantastic at what they do and putting them together for this novella collection will be the perfect read for fans of romantic suspense.

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

Sundown

Author: Susan May Warren

Series: Sky King Ranch #3

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: November 1, 2022

Warren hits it out of the park once again with Sundown to conclude a fantastic series readers will love!

Once thing Colt Kingston is best at is spotting someone trying to lie to him. As a former Delta Operative, he has many skills and has used them in many different dangerous situations. He is suspicious of Tae, the woman taking care of his father at Sky King Ranch. His suspicions of her, up until men come looking for her at the ranch. The secrets she holds go much deeper than Colt would have predicted when he finds out she knows the antidote to a plague that could threaten the whole world. Colt is going to have to work with his brothers to protect both Tae and the rest of the country.

Susan May Warren is a master with Romantic Suspense and blows it out of the park with the conclusion to the fantastic Sky King Ranch Book. These characters are fun, strong, and full of all the action you would want from a great romantic suspense read. The character of Colt is probably my favorite of all the Kingston brothers, just the way his story unfolded made the story click in the best way for me. Tae had so much intrigue and mystery that I loved how her story played out as well. With these two as main characters, the pages of this book fly. To be honest, there isn’t much I didn’t like about this story, it was a classic Susan May Warren Romantic Suspense making for a great weekend read. If you are a fan of her writing or just love romantic suspense novels, I would highly recommend this series.

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

Body of Evidence

Author: Irene Hannon

Series: Triple Threat #3

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: October 4, 2022

Irene Hannon has such a wide range with her suspense and contemporary novels. Body of Evidence shows her at her best to finish up a fantastic series.

As a forensic pathologist, Grace Reilly must stay on her toes with the cases she oversees. When a strange pattern starts to emerge with several of the elderly autopsies, she goes to see the local sheriff, Nate Cox. Nate isn’t sure what to believe with Grace’s suspicions that things are not what they seem. It takes a while for her to convince him that there is foul play, but once she does, they work together to figure out what is going on and stop it before more bodies end up on her autopsy table.

When reading a romantic-suspense novel, I have come to expect more romance than suspense from a lot of authors. This book is not full of explosions and action-packed scenes, but there is plenty of tension to move the story along at a nice pace. This one read more of a true crime investigation feel instead of the crazy action-packed pace of thriller novels or movies. Even though it takes a while for Nate to believe Grace and her suspicions of foul play, it won’t take readers long to see that these two have amazing chemistry together. This book is the last in the series and we get to finally see the life of Grace, the youngest Reilly sister and it was worth the wait. For me, this was the best in the series and while these could be read as standalone novels, it would be best to read the series in order to get the most enjoyment out of them. Irene Hannon is a great romantic suspense writer and an equally great contemporary writer, not a feat many can accomplish.

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.

Concrete Evidence

Author: Diann Mills

Publisher: Tyndale House

Release Date: October 4, 2022

I am happy to say this is one of the best DiAnn Mills books I have read in a long time!

Avery Elliot lives on her family’s ranch in Texas and helps run her grandfather’s commercial construction company. She has a very close relationship with her grandfather and has always seen him as a man of integrity until she finds him standing over the body of a dead man. While going through the books of her grandfather’s company, she finds things aren’t adding up as they should leading her to call the FBI. Special Agent Marc Wilkins is assigned the case and tries to keep Avery safe after she receives threats, which becomes harder as a hurricane comes close to the Texas coast. Marc must work with Avery to protect her and the community from a great danger.

I have read DiAnn Mills books for several years now and they tend to be hit or miss. She is a great writer when she is on point with her stories, but the last few haven’t been up to par with what her writing can be. This one is back to what I expect from a great like DiAnn Mills. I love a great suspense novel and this one hit all the right buttons for me. I love the characters, setting, and pace of the story. Avery is a great female protagonist for this story; her relationship with her grandfather and all she is involved because of him brings so much tension to the story, which kept me engaged with the characters and what they were trying to get through. Reading a book like this can either be great or flop, this one was far from flopping, and I am so happy with the way this one played out and ended. I recommend this book to fans of DiAnn Mills writing and suspense novels in general.

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

The Premonition at Withers Farm

Author: Jaime Jo Wright

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: October 11, 2022

What’s better than a new Jaime Jo Wright book? How about a new mystery releasing right before Halloween!!!

Perliett Van Hilton is a healer; it’s 1910 in Michigan and her healing practices leave the local doctor frustrated. She has grown up in an unconventional household with her mother working as a spiritualist. Perliett ends up the target of a superstitious killer and to avoid the killer she must seek help from the local doctor who doesn’t care for her and a newcomer to town. Jump to Present day, the life of Molly Wasziak is anything but the life she dreamed it would be. She has had several miscarriages leading her down a spiral of depression when her husband buys an old farmhouse. Here she finds clues to a very old murder and as she digs deeper, mysterious things around the house make it even more ominous as she finds a purpose for her life once again.

Wow, wow, wow! Jaime Jo Wright has outdone herself. Every time I pick up one of her books, I know I am in for a fantastic read and this newest one releasing right before Halloween gives all the chills and thrills. Each new book always proves me wrong in thinking she can’t top the last one; somehow, they get better and better. The feel of this one hit me hard, Molly was such a fantastic character and once she was at the farmhouse, the story enveloped me in such a tight hold there was no way I was getting out of it. I sat down and devoured this book in a weekend, had I not had responsibilities like taking care of my two children, it probably would have been read in a single sitting. There are a lot of authors out there that are just mediocre, the more I read the more I realize this and have gotten to the point of being disappointed more often than not when picking up a book to read lately. This book and this author will not disappoint you! Grab her books, any of them, and escape into the wonderful world of fiction and suspense that is a glorious getaway from the world we live in. I foresee this being one of my top books of the year!

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

Range

Author: Ronie Kendig

Series: Metcalfes #3

Publisher: Task Force Press

Release Date: September 30, 2022

This series has far surpassed my expectations and I am in love with the whole Metcalfe family!

Range Metcalfe set out on his own after a fight with his brother over a girl and hasn’t been back in over 10 years. He’s spent his time and energy tacking down bad guys and now he has his eyes set on taking down Kasra Jazani, the Madam of Kandahar, a human trafficker. As Range and his team capture Kasra Jazani, he quickly learns that not everything is as it seems. It has been ten years since Kasra was abducted and after years of abuse, she worked her way up to overseeing the compound and using her position to help others. When Range and his team take her captive, they quickly become the hunted and dark secrets come to light along with danger to them and everyone around them.

I didn’t think it was possible for Ronie Kendig to make me like a book in this series more than I did Willow, but she just might have done it with Range. These stories are tough, gritty, and sometimes hard to read with the storyline but so well written they are also hard to put down. I picked this one up when I was in a slump of not wanting to read and having a hard time enjoying something I love. This story was so well crafted that it pulled me right out of that slump and had me turning the pages well into the night. This is the kind of book that if enough time allowed, could be finished in a single sitting. There is so much tension that the story flies by making it easy to get lost in the wonderful world of fiction. This series is very different from the others I have read by Ronie Kendig and I have loved seeing this different side of her writing. Fans of Romantic Suspense will love this new edition to the series.

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

What She Found

Author: Robert Dugoni

Series: Tracy Crosswhite #9

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Release Date: August 23, 2022

The next installment in the Tracy Crosswhite is another great read that fans of the series will love.

Now that she oversees the cold case division, Tracy Crosswhite just solved a major case and is looking to solve another. She is asked to investigate the disappearance of investigative reporter Lisa Childress who went missing almost 25 years ago. Lisa’s daughter, Anita, has asked Tracy to help find the truth no matter where it leads. As soon as Tracy starts digging into the past with this case, she finds evidence that proves there is much more to the case than anyone could have imagined. It doesn’t take long to figure out that Tracy is going to be pushed to her limit and her loyalties.

The Tracy Crosswhite series has been one of my favorites since the very first book. This newest edition was a fun look at Tracy in her new role overseeing the cold cases which brings her all the way back to the disappearance of her sister. Each of the characters in this series are great to see grow and develop. Traci is one of my all-time favorite female leads to read about. This book had a good premise, good characters, and an overall good flow, until the end, which felt a little rushed. It was the ending that should have played out but for this kind of novel it left me feeling a little underwhelmed. Dugoni is a fantastic writer but this addition to the series fell a little flat. I still give it at least 4 stars but it is hard for anything to stack up to My Sister’s Grave. I will for sure be reading the next in the series and recommend this to fans of the series and those that enjoy suspense thrillers.