The Secret Keepers of Old Grocery Depot

Author: Amanda Cox

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: September 7, 2021

Amanda Cox knocks it out of the park with a story that has all the feels in just the right places! An emotional and inspiring story that is beautifully written and perfect to the very last page!

Set in both present day and the past, The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery follows Sarah Ashby as she returns to her childhood home after her husband’s death. Along with her mother and grandmother, she works at the family grocery story she loved so much as a child. Her mother, Rosemary, announces that the store is closing much to the dismay of Sarah and her grandmother, Glory Ann, who work together to save the store. Rosemary worked her whole life to make sure Sarah would have a different life than the one she grew up with and hates to see her daughter follow in her footsteps.

In 1965, Glory Ann confesses to her family that she is pregnant out of wedlock and the father was sent to war and killed. She is then married to a man she has just met to save the reputation of herself and her family. Glory Ann promises herself she will never love again but it ends up being a promise she can’t keep.

Amanda Cox has done it again with a contemporary novel that blew me away with its complexity, emotional moments, and perfect mix of past and present problems that converge to a perfect ending with beautiful moments throughout. Usually a contemporary novel, especially one with half the story set in the past, is a slow read for me that has trouble holding my interest. Amanda Cox has become one of the exceptions. There was a solid connection between me and the characters. Sarah and her family are solid leads that are written in a way that readers will want to see them succeed in whatever their hearts are wishing for. I loved the way the past and present lined up to give glimpses of what was going to happen and lead to little surprises at the end. So much to love about this novel, the pacing, the relationships; nothing felt rushed, and the feel-good moments throughout. I recommend this book to readers that want a feel-good book with nothing too heavy or anything that you have to think too hard about.

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

Dark Intercept

Authors: Brian Andrews & Jeffrey Wilson

Series: Shepherds Series #1

Publisher: Tyndale House

Release Date: September 7, 2021

An absolute hit and fantastic start to a new series by a powerhouse team of Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson! You do not want to miss this one!

Navy SEAL Jedidiah Johnson wants to retire and leave the hectic and dangerous life of the SEALS behind him. On the night of his retirement, he gets a call from a childhood friend who desperately needs his help. Even though they have been estranged for years, Jed goes back to Nashville to help David and his wife Rachel, Jed’s first love. David and Rachel’s daughter has been kidnapped and the police have no leads. The history between Jed, David, and Rachel almost keeps him from coming to help, but the thought of an innocent little girl being hurt because of something he can’t get past is not something he wants on his conscious. As soon as he arrives, he finds himself in danger and mysterious forces work against his presence there to help. Soon he finds himself in a hard place, a place he never wanted to be again, a place with the voices back in his head. All things he believed he left behind when he joined the Navy come back to the surface. To save the missing girl, he must go to a place of faith he abandoned long ago to win a fight against good and evil.

This was my first book by this writing pair and I am kicking myself for having gone this long without discovering their writing. This story sucked me in from the first page and held on to me tighter than any story has done in a long time. I have been on a streak of reading several mediocre books and have been aching for something that really touched me and kept the adrenaline pumping. This was that story! I am so glad I picked this one up and gave it a chance. Not only is Jed a great main character, but every other character in the book also plays their roll to perfection. I knew without a doubt before I was even halfway through that this was going to be a series I would want to stick with. There is so much more to unpack with these characters; I want to know more about the history with Jed, David, and Rachel. The little it was touched on was just not enough to satisfy my thirst for their history. Give me more of Ben and his team, how they came together, and their backstories. The possibilities feel endless; I just hope Andrews and Wilson feel the same and keep the stories coming for the Shepherds. I recommend this book to anyone that loves a good, fast-paced military thriller with a spiritual aspect that gets dark but keeps the light.

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

Under the Bayou Moon

Author: Valerie Fraser Luesse

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: August 3, 2021

An easy, enjoyable historical romance.

Intent on escaping her family’s expectations, Ellie Fields decides to branch out in faith and take a teaching position in the small town of Bernadette, Louisiana, far from her family’s home in Alabama. But soon after arriving, she begins to question her decision. There are only two teachers in the whole school and her furnished home turns out to be a cabin without any electricity, but at least it has indoor plumbing. Deciding to make the best of it, Ellie starts teaching several Cajun children whose previous teachers have punished them for speaking French as English is the language that they should be speaking. She quickly falls in love with the children and may become attached to a local fisherman before she has the chance to depart.

Overall, this is a good historical romance story set in the Louisiana bayou. Part of the backstory deals with a hurricane, which is sobering considering the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. The story is heavy on the emotional end for Ellie’s character because she is coming into her own without her family and making a new family in a new place. She finds herself in some precarious situations, but overall, there is not a lot of tension to push the story forward at a rapid pace. This particular story is one to slow down and enjoy. I recommend this to readers who enjoy a slower pace with a love story that plays out without drama.

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

Constance

Author: Matthew Fitzsimmons

Series: Constance #1

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Release Date: September 1, 2021

A Sci/Fi thriller with an intricate plot and high stakes that drive the story all the way never letting up until the very end!

Set in the near distant future, advances in science have brought about the ability to make human clones. It is something only the wealthy can afford and there is another group opposing cloning calling it an abomination. Contance “Con” D’Arcy isn’t wealthy but is gifted a clone by her aunt. Every month she must go for an upload of her consciousness that is kept stored in case something happens to her. One day Constance’s clone wakes up unsure of what has happened. She hasn’t had an upload in eighteen months and her original is dead. Secrets are buried deep, and it seems no one can be trusted. Con is now on a mission to find out what happened to cause her to be activated and what it all means for her and the rest of the world.

Constance is definitely for fans of science fiction; it is not for the faint of heart with all the action and thrills throughout. Constance started out strong but after it switched to her clone, she became an even stronger character. The line between science and what should and shouldn’t be done is very fine here and it isn’t glossed over. The “God” Complex is evident in a few of these characters and Fitzsimmons does a good job tackling this issue. The fact that this is only set twenty years in the future is a bit unnerving that things could go that direction in our lifetime. A few of the secondary characters and plot lines could have been left out and I still feel like the story would have flowed well. They might be important for the sequel though, which I feel certain is to come. There is a lot more story to be fleshed out with these characters and I would like to see the direction they take. I recommend this book to lovers of science fiction and dystopian books.

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

Poison for Breakfast

Author: Lemony Snicket

Publisher: Liveright

Release Date: August 31, 2021

Anyone who has ever read a Lemony Snicket book will know the witty, philosophical quirkiness experienced within the pages of Poison for Breakfast.

Lemony Snicket has investigated many suspicious things over the years but none as suspicious as his own death. One morning after breakfast he receives a note telling him he has had Poison for Breakfast. Now he has the unpleasant task of figuring out what was poisonous and who would want to poison him. It is not a task Mr. Snicket is going to enjoy, but nonetheless, he has no choice but to solve this mystery.

I have always been a big fan of the Lemony Snicket series, even though it has been many years since I read the original books. When Poison for Breakfast came out, I was excited to dive into another Snicket adventure. It may be that it has been many years since I first read them and I am older now, but the magic of the Snicket universe just wasn’t there for me this time. My attention wasn’t held as well as I would have liked which is probably mostly due to the narrative style of storytelling. I do think this is a good, fun story for a certain group of young adults. If you are looking for a good, satire book, this is for you. It is mostly narrative which can slow the story down considerably. While this wasn’t a favorite of mine, I do think others will greatly enjoy it.

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

Heartless Heirs

Author: MarcyKate Connolly

Series: Twin Daggers #2

Publisher: Blink YA Books

Release Date: August 10, 2021

A fantastic follow up to one of my favorite books from last year. So much action, drama, tension, and character connection to love.

After rescuing her sister from the dungeons and technocrats, Aissa and her friend Remy flee to the woods for safety. At one time, Aissa and her twin, Zandria were closer than two sisters could hope to be. After being trapped in the steel helmet and tortured, Zandria is having a hard time understanding how Aissa could fall in love with Aro, a Techno prince when they are the very enemy they are trying to take down. Remy still sides with his father, a Magi leader who refuses to believe his spymaster is a traitor. Their mission is now to find the secrets of the Alchemist Alliance and the key to healing the divide between the Technos and the Magi after centuries at war. The bond between Aro and Aissa grows with each day, and if they don’t find the answers, all they hold dear will be threatened.

I have been eagerly awaiting the release of this since I turned the last page on Twin Daggers. I quickly fell in love Aissa, Aro, Zandria and the rest of the characters. The connection between Aissa and her twin and then Aissa and Aro was the driving force to the page turning story. With the bond between the twins strained, the story took a different yet interesting turn, would they be able to regain their trust in one another or would the torture they both endured turn them against one another? Being able to establish the connection between the characters the way Connolly did kept me engaged with the story and what would happen to the characters. That relationship is more important to me than a strong plot. When I find characters, I love, I enjoy the story even more which is what happened with these books. Every conversation, fight and tense look was enough to make me nervous for what would happen and keep me envisioning myself in the room with the characters. This was a perfect two book series with just the right amount of character development, world building and magic. I recommend this book to those that love a good YA fantasy with characters that are easy to cheer for to succeed.

Chasing the Spotlight

Author: Sarah Anne Sumpolec

Series: Riverbend Friends #4

Publisher: Focus on the Family

Release Date: August 17, 2021

The fourth book in the Riverbend Friends series gives readers a look into the life of Amelia.

Amelia loves the friends she has made in drama class, but lately she has been feeling a bit lost and lonely. With her big brother married and moved out and her parents busy with marriage counseling for their church, there isn’t much time or attention left for her. Her big sister Maggie couldn’t be more different from Amelia, whose love for theater is something none of the rest of the family understands. The new play for the school year is Peter Pan and Amelia is desperate for the lead role. When things don’t turn out the way she hoped, she wonders if chasing the spotlight is going to cost her the friends she made and all she was worked for.

The last book in the Riverbend Friends series gives readers a closer look into Amelia’s life. Of the four friends, I didn’t enjoy her story as much as the others. It was still good but didn’t draw me in as much as the others. Though I did enjoy the way they used some of what happened with Izzy to bring up tension in this story. All four of these books and their main characters are great books for young adult female readers. Chasing the Spotlight is a story with heart and a lot of character growth. Out of all the books, I saw more character growth with Amelia than any of the others. While the others went through a lot, Amelia had the greatest overall growth as a character. The nicest thing about these books is that they are clean, faith-filled, entertaining reads that I am happy to recommend to young readers. So many books these days, even the ones marketed to young readers, have so much questionable material that I have a hard time being okay telling young readers to enjoy them. I do recommend these books to young female readers, especially preteens that will get a good lesson from the pages within.

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

A Crocus in the Desert

Author: Nancy Canestrari Williams

Publisher: Lightbourne Creative

Release Date: May 29, 2019

A fantastic resource for women dealing with fertility issues and need help with their faith through a difficult journey.

If you are one of the more than ten percent of couples that struggles with infertility, you are not alone. Many people think they are alone and have no one to talk to when it comes to the issues of miscarriage, childlessness, adoption and infertility. So many try to shoulder the burden of it by themselves when there are resources like this book available to help them out. This book offers not only devotions but prayers and real-life stories for readers to latch onto and use to help keep them afloat in their times of desperation. Most women have a strong desire to be a mother, from playing with dolls and stuffed animals to babysitting later in life, the maternal instinct is real and something that is hard to ignore. Even when we might not understand it, we must be willing to listen to and follow God’s plan for our lives so we can see the beauty in what He has in store for us.

Nancy Williams does a fabulous job of weaving the devotions, prayers and stories together to give readers a sense of hope, purpose and belonging when they can feel utterly alone in their desperation to have children. For me, I used this book as encouragement and a way to help others who might be going through this difficult journey in life. Such a beautiful way to help those around when it can seem that nothing will help. I recommend this book to those struggling with the issue of fertility or as a gift to someone in the family who might be struggling with the issue and in need of encouragement.

Set in Stone

Author: David James Warren

Series: The True Lies of Rembrandt Stone $3

Publisher: TriStone Media

Release Date: August 10, 2021

Another masterpiece by David James Warren! Set in Stone is another spectacular edition to this fantastic series that fans will not want to miss!

Detective Rembrandt Stone is dealing with the aftermath of playing with fate and time. Thirty-eight women are dead and more could be next by a serial killer let lose between time travels. After new evidence turns up pointing to Rembrandt himself, things get personal. But in this timeline, Rembrandt no longer has the watch that has been taking him back in time to rewrite the past to save the future, it was never given to him by his boss before he died. The killer now has Rembrandt and those he loves in his crosshairs which makes the stakes even higher for him to be able to get back to the past to save his future.

I have one big problem with The True Lies of Rembrandt Stone, its too good! This is a fun, engaging, exciting, suspenseful series that keeps getting better with each installment. The powerhouse trio of James Rubart, Susan May Warren and David Warren have crafted a fantastic series that is able to keep going back and forth between timelines and storylines that intertwine characters and backstory with mysteries that need solving in just the right way. The plot of each book is its own story but needs to be read in continuation with the previous. This is not the kind of series that each book can be read on its own without the others; to get the most out of the series readers will need to reach each book to follow the story correctly. A lot happens within the pages of these books, the story is complex but in the best way. Readers will fall more in love with Rembrandt and every other character throughout the pages of this newest edition. I recommend this book to readers that have enjoyed the others in the series and are looking forward to another great read that they won’t be able to put down.

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

The Barrister and the Letter of Marque

Author: Todd M. Johnson

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: August 3, 2021

An exciting, historical legal thriller!

Disgusted by the actions of his wealthy father, young William Snopes leaves his place of wealth and privilege to become a barrister. Many years later, he has made it his practice to represent those that cannot usually afford adequate counsel to argue their case. He’s had offers from wealthier clients, but always turns them down. However, the day that he meets Lady Madeleine Jameson, his perspective changes just a bit.

As the Jameson estate begins to crumble, along with the health of her father, Madeline Jameson acts as the estate executor and finances a ship captained by her cousin Harold Tuttle, which has been granted the ability to operate under a Letter of Marque assigned by the Prince Regent to capture illegal tea cargo transported by French vessels. After a successful voyage, when the ship returns to the harbor, it is met with a band of soldiers and constables to arrest Captain Tuttle for piracy. When the Captain goes to show the Letter of Marque to the soldiers, it has vanished from his cabinet.

Barrister Snopes agrees to take the case after his own investigation and knows that going up against the Crown won’t be easy. As he tries to collect evidence for the hearing, it seems that someone is one step ahead of him and the mystery continues to deepen with every turn!

I love a good mystery and when the synopsis of this book referenced Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, I was instantly intrigued. However, this is really nothing like a Sherlock Holmes book other than it’s setting. With Holmes, readers are unraveling the mystery at the same pace with the same about of information present to try and solve the case. This book, on the other hand, is much more of a legal thriller where the reader is provided with almost all the information ahead of the characters so that they know what has happened and how it all ties together while reading ahead to determine if Snopes and his crew will be able to piece it together before it’s all too late.

It’s takes quite a while to build the setting and the story up to a point where it really takes off. Johnson did a great job of researching the early legal system in London and how it operated. It was almost like reading a present-day legal thriller even though it was set in the early 1800s. I feel as though there are quite a bit of loose ends that will need future installments to tie up. Especially now that I’m vested into the characters and would like to see more of them.

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