Living Lies

Living lies

Author: Natalie Walters

Series: Harbored Secrets #1

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: May 21, 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Great debut series for the romantic suspense market!

When Lane Kent returns to her home town of Walton, Georgia after the death of her husband, she needs to find hope to want to stay alive. Her five-year-old son is with her and she wants to live for him but the depression she has had for years is getting dangerously close to overtaking her. Her father is running for congress and under the watchful eyes of everyone in town. Lane feels the pressure of those watchful eyes causing her world to close in on her. Things get even harder when Lane stumbles upon a dead body in the woods. She is working with the newest deputy in town, Charlie Lynch, to figure out the truth behind the murder and if her own life is worth living after all she has seen and been through.

For her debut novel, Natalie Walters has crafted a story that will keep readers glued to the edge of their seats waiting until the final page to see how things will turn out. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this novel, with it being the first by Walters, but I am pleased to say that I will be greatly looking forward to whatever comes next. The characters, especially Lane, were so well written that I had no trouble rooting for her to succeed and find a way out of the darkness within. The tension in each scene is brought to the surface by the way readers will fall in love with the characters. The way that Charlie develops the bond with Lane’s son and becomes involved in his life and not just Lane shows he is the perfect fit for their little broken family. One of the most interesting aspects of the book for me was the dynamic between Lane and the rest of her family. The problems she has been dealing with for years come full circle showing a great character arc. The flow of the story was well done, and I felt it was just the right length with little fluff to take away from the story. Romantic suspense in the Christian market has a lot of really great authors and can be hard to compete with but Walters had found her own unique voice and style of writing here that will please readers. I will gladly pick up the next in the series as soon as I can and can’t wait to see what happens next with these characters. I recommend this book to readers that enjoy a good romantic suspense novel and are fans of Lynnette Eason, Diann Mills, and even Irene Hannon are going to want to pick this one up.

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

The Eighth Sister

the eighth sister

Author: Robert Dugoni

Series: Charles Jenkins #1

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Release Date: April 9, 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Robert Dugoni’s newest series starts off with a stellar story that will hook readers and keep them guessing until the very end. Another well-crafted story by one of the very best.

Charles Jenkins thought he had left his spy days behind him decades ago. He has a wife, son, and a new baby on the while with his security business is falling apart. Just when things are at their worst, his past comes back into the present when his former bureau chief shows up with an assignment for him that could save him financially. He must travel to Moscow to find a secret Russian agent supposed to have been killing members of a US spy cell known as the seven sisters. With no other alternative, Charles agrees to the mission and heads to Russia where he finds what he least expects, the eighth sister. His mission doesn’t go off without complications and he finds himself trying to escape with no help from his country and risks his life to get back to his family he left behind.

In typical Robert Dugoni fashion. readers are given a thriller that is unlike anything written by most authors out there. When Dugoni writes a thriller, readers are going to be pulled in and given a story they will be thinking about for days after they turn the last page. I loved the way he tied in David Sloane even though this was not a David Sloane novel. Charles Jenkins looks to be a stellar lead character for this new series and is able to bring in secondary characters that I can’t wait to see how they are further developed in future novels. The first half plays out as more of a spy thriller and the second half goes more into a legal thriller. Each are great in their own way and are still able to drive the story forward with tension between the characters and what is going to happen. This is very different from the Tracy Crosswhite series, which is my absolute favorite series. I was a little skeptical going into this that it wouldn’t live up to my expectations, but I am happy to say this was another great read by Dugoni. I really enjoyed the start to this new series and can’t wait to see what will come next. I recommend this to readers that enjoy Dugoni’s writing style and a great spy/legal thriller. If you have never read anything by Dugoni, the start of this series would be a great place to begin your journey.

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

Justice Delivered

Justice delivered Author: Patricia Bradley

Series: Memphis Cold Case #4

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: April 2, 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Patricia Bradley delivers one of her absolute best! Fans will not want to miss out on this installment of the Memphis Cold Case series.

After years of being a victim of sex trafficking, Carly Smith has made her way out and is trying got find a new life for herself. Trusting others come isn’t something that she is ready to do just yet, and no matter how hard she tries to leave her past behind her it continues to haunt her. She knows she should have gone to the police when she first got away, but she fears if she goes to the police they won’t believe her or worse, might just send her back to the people who held her captive. When she finally feels comfortable to reach out to her family and reconnects with her sister, she thinks all is well until her sister ends up dead and her niece is kidnapped. Carly must face her fears and come forward with what she knows to save her family. When all else fails. she takes matters into her own hands and goes after the kidnappers herself.

There was something about this story that really drew me in more than any others in the series so far. The topic can be sensitive but unfortunately it is currently something we must deal with. Patricia Bradley did an outstanding job of tackling a hard subject in an engaging and entertaining way for readers. Carly is strong through all she must endure and is able to use that to help others, especially her family when the time comes. Her fear of going to others for help is understandable after all she has been through and had others turn on her when she thought she could really trust them. I really enjoyed the way the relationship between her and Maggie played out. Almost all the secondary characters brought the story onto a whole new level, the story brought in aspects from the whole series and it was great to see the way the different characters interacted together. For fans of the series, I highly recommend diving deep into Justice Delivered and savoring the story. If you haven’t ever read anything by Patricia Bradley, I strongly recommend reading this one, even if you haven’t read the others in the series it will be ok to start here. Each book can essentially be read as a stand-alone if it needs to be or enjoyed as a whole series.

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

The Persian Gamble

persian Author: Joel C. Rosenberg

Series: Marcus Ryker #2

Publisher: Tyndale

Release Date: March 12, 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Yet another superb current events thriller from Rosenberg!

The unthinkable has happened. The Russian president and head of the FSB have just been assassinated! And it was done by the mole that the Americans have been working to get out of Russia. Now it a desperate escape attempt, Marcus Ryker, Oleg Kraskin, and Jenny Morris make it out of Moscow alive, but not for long. The plane is soon shot down by Russian MiGs, but the three manage to jump to safety, but still land on Russian soil. Jenny has been shot and needs medical attention. The United States believes that Marcus and Oleg should be labeled as traitors and Ryker should be tried for treason while Oleg should be handed back over to the Russians. But Marcus has a trick card up his sleeve that he must play to get presidential pardons and it concerns the transfer of Russian nuclear warheads from North Korea to Iran. If what Oleg has said is true, Iran seems to be on a time crunch to launch several nuclear missiles at Israel and the United States. It’s a gamble to be sure, but Marcus and Oleg haven’t lied yet.

Rosenberg continues yet another incredible series. Picking up at the exact spot where the previous book left off, readers focus on Marcus continuing troubles. Now a fugitive from his own country, he must figure out a way to get the group back to safety. Marcus traits as a true leader really emerge in this installment as does his compassion for others. He does what he must when it is kill or be killed, but that is never his motive. Several supporting characters return for this book including Vinetti and Pete Huang. Unfortunately, not everyone will remain alive be the end of this book. Packed with action and a very believable story line that could easily be in tomorrow’s papers, The Persian Gamble is as epic as it gets.

I always recommend his books for readers who love current events and a fantastic story! Pick up a copy of this book as soon as you can!

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

Beautiful Bad

beautiful bad

Author: Annie Ward

Publisher: Park Row Publishing

Release Date: March 5, 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

A compelling read that will keep readers guessing until the very last page and maybe even past that. Just as the title states, this is beautifully written and full of fascinating characters from the beginning until the very end.

Maddie is working oversees as a travel writer and spends her down time visiting her best friend, Jo. While hanging out with Jo, Maddie meets Ian who she is instantly attracted to but unsure if it is wise to pursue a romantic relationship in the war-torn middle-east. Nearly two decades later, they are married and living a somewhat perfect life in Middle America. After a recent camping trip that leaves Maddie with a bad injury and scared for her life and that of her young son, she attends a writing therapy session and tries to determine how to proceed. With a back and forth from Balkans to England and back to the U.S along with past to present timeline, everything comes together on the day of the killing with a shocking crime to solve and a sordid past uncovered.

If you are the type of reader that enjoys a fast-paced thrill ride with tight scenes and characters that are full of surprises at every corner, this is one you won’t want to miss. From the first page with the back and forth in timelines and across the country, we see the characters grow and change. I have to say this is one of the best written novels with character growth that kept me guessing that I have read in a very long time. The first half of the book spends time setting up the relationship between the characters to bring everything full circle by the end. Throughout the pages, readers are left questioning why we love the way we do and what we are willing to do for those we love. There are two sides to every story and two sides to every person. We all have our best sides and our worst, which side we let take over says a lot about us. The back and forth between character and timelines might be a little confusing for some, but if you can keep up it will be worth it in the end. These characters, especially Maddie are so complex and full of surprises readers won’t have a choice but to be pulled into the story and feel a deep connection with what they are reading. I recommend this to readers that enjoy a psychological thriller with twists and turns at every corner.

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

Knox

Knox Author: Susan May Warren

Series: Montana Marshall

Publisher: Stonewater Books

Release Date: March 12, 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Fans of Susan May Warren will not want to miss the beginning of the Montana Marshall series. This is by far the best I have read by her and am aching for the next installment!

After his father died, Knox Marshall knew he must settle down and run the family ranch. His dreams of becoming a professional bull rider put on hold so he can raise champion bulls for the National Professional Bull rider’s Expo. He has a good life on the ranch but starts to wonder if the best has already happened for him until he meets Kelsey Jones. Kelsey has a hard past, her parents were murdered, and she was beaten and left for dead when she was fourteen. Now she puts her past trials into her life as a country singer. No matter how far she goes though she can’t outrun her past to find the safe and secure future for which she longs. When she meets Knox Marshall, everything she has ever known is thrown out the window. With an exploding relationship and more danger around them than either could anticipate, this might be a recipe for disaster or the perfect romance in the making.

Susan May Warren is one of the very best romantic suspense writers on the market. Her Montana Rescue series is still one of my very favorite and as hard as it is for me to say this, I think Knox and the Montana Marshall series might just be even better. I absolutely loved the way she tied in characters from the Montana Rescue series flawlessly into this storyline. I can just see more of those characters popping up in future books in this new series. Tying the two series together in that way could be risky but now with Warren at the helm, she weaved storylines together that other writers wouldn’t dream of being able to make flow. It will be easy for readers to fall for Knox, as well as the other Marshall men, within the first few pages of reading. Knox is everything a cowboy heartthrob should be, and I loved reading about him. The chemistry between him and Kelsey was steaming off the page. Regardless of how much Kelsey wanted to steer clear of any romance, there was no getting past what her heart wanted. Her story line is one of my favorites. I was drawn in by her history and what she went through and how it affected her in the present that everything else flowed and kept me intrigued. I don’t want to spoil the story, but readers will be walking away from this wanting to throw the book at the wall (in a good way) and pacing the hall until they can get their hands on the next in the series. All I can say is if the rest in the series are half as good as the first, readers will have a new favorite author without a doubt. I recommend this book to fans of Susan May Warren and those that may not have read anything by her but love western romantic suspense.

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

Border Son

Border son Author: Samuel Parker

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: March 5, 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

The story of the Prodigal Son continues in a turn that will leave readers’ emotions spinning after the very last page.

When Edward Kazmierski receives a phone call saying his son needs him in Mexico, he isn’t sure he wants to go. It has been years since he has even thought about Tyler. They haven’t had the best relationship and Tyler hasn’t been one to reach out to his father either. After the initial phone call, he receives another from a federal agent wanting information on Tyler and two men show up at his house wanting to know if he knows where his son is. All this leads Ed to head south of the border where his son has started a chain reaction with one decision that causes a ripple effect of pain and destruction for everyone involved. Even though Ed is going to rescue his son, he is first going to have to prove to Tyler that he still loves him and wants to help him out of the mess he has found himself in and try and get them both out alive.

Samuel Parker has a unique way of taking a story we are all familiar with, such as the Prodigal Son, and reforming it as a suspenseful page turner. The story is one of redemption and self-sacrifice. Ed must be willing to sacrifice everything to try and save his son who needs the redemption himself to try and turn his life around. The dynamic between father and son played out well; even though Tyler knows he needs his father’s help he is hesitant to accept it after feeling abandoned for so many years. Now that they are stuck together and have to rely on each other to find a way out to safety they find that even though they haven’t been close in years, there is still a connection that can never be broken. With short chapters that go back and forth on viewpoints, the story reads quickly and clearly, more so than if it had been from one solitary point of view. I am really enjoying books that go in this multiple point of view format because it gives so much more of the story and keeps the pages turning much quicker. There is a true feeling of fatherly love throughout the story with not only Ed trying to help his son but also Roberto feeling the need to help this young man who had once helped him. Each character brought their own sense of need to the story in how they interacted and helped the other for their own reasons. Fans of Parker’s other novels will be sure to enjoy Border Son. And if you haven’t read anything by Samuel parker I highly recommend picking up a copy today!

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

Breach of Trust

Breach of trust

Author: Rachel Dylan

Series: Atlanta Justice #3

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: February 5, 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Book three of the Atlanta Justice series brings the most powerful and emotional story to date. Fans of the series will not want to miss this one!

When Mia Shaw finds her friend and co-worker brutally murdered. everything she has known about the law goes out the window. She wants justice for her friend and vows to do anything in her power to put the murderer behind bars. Working as a lawyer, she knows how the system should work and hopes she can use that to her advantage to help the investigation. The man they arrest says he is innocent and hopes his friend, Noah Ramirez, a security tech expert can help prove it. Mia has to take over at work for the case her friend had been working on and soon learns there might be more to his death than everyone originally thought. Secrets come to light that have her wondering if she stumbled upon corporate espionage and much worse. She turns to Noah for help and even though they have a different opinion on the case. she is still able to trust his judgment and feels safer with him working beside her. Together they must solve the murder case and try to stay alive in the process.

I have loved the Atlanta Justice series and am very happy to say that the finale does not disappoint. I think Mia might just be my favorite of the characters. Her emotion in this story made everything so much more real. Mia is the kind of character that feels deeply for those she cares about and brings that quality into everything she does using it to help her solve the most dangerous of cases. Noah was more of a grounded character that helped Mia navigate through the mess she finds herself in. The relationship between these characters was written well and I found myself rooting for them. I really love the way Dylan brings in her real-life law experience to make the story points realistic and play out as they should. Fans of romantic suspense will love this finale in the series. I especially loved the twist at the end. I can usually see those kinds of things coming but didn’t see this one and loved the way it worked out. I recommend this to fans of the series but also readers who haven’t had a chance to read any of Dylan’s work yet, this would be a great one to start with. Even though it is the third in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone without missing anything.

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

Killer Thriller

Killer thriller

Author: Lee Goldberg

Series: Ian Ludlow #2

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Release Date: February 12, 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

When an author’s own work comes to life making him the star of his own story, things take an interesting and thrilling turn. Killer Thriller is not to be missed.

Ian Ludlow has become an international bestseller with his latest thriller. Everyone loves his stories, but what everyone might not know is his fiction has a way of becoming reality. Ian finds himself in Hong Kong with his assistant Margo French to promote his book being made into a movie and uses the time to research his newest story idea. While he is there, he uncovers a conspiracy by Chinese intelligence connected to those in power in the United States and puts himself in the crosshairs when the Chinese learn what he is researching. Without meaning to, he has stumbled upon this plot and must find a way to keep the whole thing from blowing up in his face. Now Ian finds himself trapped in his own thriller, on the run from assassins and trying to prevent an epic disaster using his imagination to solve the craziest of problems even he couldn’t write.

This was my first Lee Goldberg novel to read and I must say I am disappointed I didn’t find this series sooner as I loved it very much. Even though this was the second in the series, I enjoyed it greatly as a standalone. The characters were fun, witty, and flawed enough to make them believable in everything they did. Ian and Margo, the main characters, are a perfect pair. She is sarcastic, and he has a dry sense of humor but is able to inject humor into his writing that bleeds off the page and into his own life. There is action, adventure, suspense, romance (kind of) and enough humor to keep it lighthearted at just the right moments.

There is a fair bit of language and adult content in the book making it unsuitable for a younger audience. With that said, it is exactly right for its intended older audience. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book, but it reminded me a lot of one of my favorite authors, Robert Dugoni and his writing style: sharp, tight and full of adventure. I highly recommend this for those that love adventure and a very well written thriller.

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

Secrets at Cedar Cabin

Secrets

Author: Colleen Coble

Series: Lavender Tides #3

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date: January 22, 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

The third installment of the Lavender Tides series brings the whole family together with the most excitement and best storyline yet!

Bailey Fleming is at a loss after her mother is murdered and she finds out the man she married has been lying to her from the beginning. When her mother’s murderers come after her, Bailey flees to a remote cabin in Lavender Tides. Once she arrives, she finds out more of her life has been a lie than she knew. The cabin she is staying at has been used for human trafficking, which brings FBI agent Lance Phoenix into her life. Lance has been working the case to try and rescue his sister, Ava, who was snatched after running away from home. When his path crosses with Bailey, he wonders if her story is really as true as she says and if she can somehow bring him in touch with his sister.

I am sad to see this series come to an end. I have really come to enjoy these characters and the circumstances that brought them all together. In this installment, we finally get to meet Bailey and see what has happened in her life. The events that brought her to end up back In Lavender Tides are very interesting and really bring the series full circle. With her bad marriage at the beginning, it is hard to believe she will fall for anyone very quickly, but then again having a great guy like Lance come along after being burned so bad could be just what she needed. I enjoyed the interactions between the two of them and how they gravitated towards each other in the rough times they were going through. When Bailey finds out who she really is and that she has family she can lean on in the hard times, I was really touched by the way that played out. Going from thinking you are alone to finding out you have a family in the middle of an emotional turmoil was a great scene. I would recommend reading the first two in the series before beginning this one to get the backstory of all the characters and what is happening in their lives to bring them all to the point they find themselves in during this book. Readers will be pleased with how all the loose ends from the entire series will be tied up by the last page.

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