The Traitor’s Pawn

traitors pawn Author: Lisa Harris

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: March 31, 2020

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

A quick intense thriller with plenty of romance and characters for readers to swoon over!

Detective Aubrey Grayson is trying to relax after a stressful time at work when she finds herself in even more stress and danger. She is staying with a retired senator who has always been more like a father to her than her own family when he is shot, and she is kidnapped. It doesn’t take long for the FBI to get involved leading her to reunite with her former best friend and the man she never told she loved. As Jack Shannon is called in to help find Aubrey, he feels all his old feelings resurface and can’t let anything happen to her. Once she is found safe, they realize this is all tied to her father, who she hasn’t seen in years. He has been suspected of selling government secrets to foreign countries. Aubrey doesn’t want to believe the worst of her father, even though they haven’t been close in years, but the more they search the worse the situation becomes for all of them. As the investigation gets more involved, Aubrey and Jack can’t deny the feelings they have for each other.

This book started out with a bang and kept up until the very end. I loved the way Lisa Harris introduced these characters and immediately put Aubrey in a tight spot, which gave me a solid reason to be invested in her as a character for the rest of the book. Jack and the way he cared for her after all these years made me want to cheer for them to find a way to be together. This was probably the best book I have read by Lisa Harris! She developed a connection that was able to make me bond with the characters from the very beginning and continue to care what happened to the all the way through. There is a theme of forgiveness and redemption throughout that was written in a way that the reader can relate to without feeling like they are being preached to. We all have people in our lives that we need to forgive for one reason or another, maybe it isn’t as big as what Aubrey is going through, but if we think about it we can find someone that has wronged us at one time or another and we need to think about forgiving, for ourselves not just for them. That can be a hard concept to get across to readers, but it is nice when an author such as Harris can write it in this way. I recommend this book to fans of Harris’ writing and that enjoy romantic suspense, especially when there is more suspense than romance. If you have never read anything by Lisa Harris this would be a perfect one to get you hooked on her as a new author.

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

Everywhere Holy

Everywhere holy Author: Kara Lawler

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date: December 3, 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

All readers will resonate with some portion of this book!

People have a common misconception that God’s holiness is only found in certain places. Many have experienced His holiness on a mountaintop, by a rushing river, in a cathedral, and in a meadow, but perhaps it is because they expected to find it there. Kara Lawler shows readers that everywhere we look is holy. Special moments between friends or parents and children as well as moments of reflection can bring out His holiness. We don’t have to look in grand places, just look were we are. We are loved just as we are, and He wants us to know that!

If you are living through the hustle and bustle of life with a need to slow down, this book is for you. If you deal with depression, this book is for you. If you have questions about your self-image, this book is for you. Basically, whatever you are dealing with, this book is for you. I don’t think there is a better time than now for people to have a copy of this book. Many of us are experiencing the challenges of staying at home in response to the COVID-19 situation being experienced throughout the world. Many of us are facing new challenges we’ve never thought we would experience, yet at the same time, we are discovering that we actually have down time and don’t know what to do with ourselves. The answer is simple, read this book and reflect on it. Kara Lawler shares many of her personal experiences and challenges that so many women will find similar to their own stories.

The two parts of this book that really resonated with were the chapter on water and the chapter on angels. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been drawn to water, whether it is the ocean, river, stream, or waterfall. That is where I have always found the most sense of peach wash over me, just like the water is taking away my cares and troubles. I feel like I truly connected with the author at that moment. The chapter about angels made me cry, especially when she talked about how her daughter recognized when angels were watching over her. My youngest son had a traumatic accident when he was almost three years old and we had to put our faith in God and his angels when they loaded him into an ambulance to take him to a helicopter for a life flight. His angles watched over him then and they continue to do so today.

Readers will learn how to experience God in this beautifully written piece of work. I hope that you will learn to breathe and find His holiness wherever you are today!

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

Kings Falling

Kings Falling Author: Ronie Kendig

Series: Book of the Wars #2

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: March 31, 2020

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

The second installment in The Book of the Wars is a non-stop thrill ride that no other author could pull off as well as Ronie Kendig, especially the last few pages!!

Leif Metcalfe and his team, called Reaper, are back on their mission to recover the ancient Book of the Wars. Together they face more complications than before with a new prophecy that tells of warriors who will decimate the enemies of ARC. Iskra Todorova is working with the team and using her connections in the underworld to search for the Book of the Wars as Leif and the rest of the team try to neutralize these warriors that oppose them. Each step they take to stop these new warriors brings about a new surprise in their way to accomplishing their end goals and some of these surprises could tear the team apart.

Ronie Kendig is absolutely amazing when it comes to writing these Military Suspense novels! No author I have previously read can put me out there with the team as well as she does. This is not a book you can skim through while paying attention to something else, your full attention is needed to follow such a tight, complex story. There are a lot of characters to follow but the most important ones, or at least the ones I connected with the most, were Leif, Iskra, Cell and Mercy. Each of these four characters really made an impact for me and kept me drawn deep into the story. A few times I felt a little lost and had to think back to the first book in the series, and even other books written by Ronie that helped bring things into perspective, which helped move the story forward. Each new book by Kenig brings readers further and further into the military world she has created but also continues to show us the human side of these characters. The very end had me floored! As I reflect, I can see some subtle hints leading up to what happened on the last page that made for the perfect ending that will leave readers aching for the next installment! I would recommend this to fans of the series as this is not one you can pick up and read as a stand-alone. Fans of Kendig’s work will not want to miss Kings Falling.

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

Out of the Embers

Out of the embers Author: Amanda Cabot

Series: Mesquite Springs #1

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: March 3, 2020

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

New series, same beautiful hill country!

Every time Evelynn Radcliffe returns to the town where her parents were murdered, she always feels that she is being watched. It’s been 10 years since the awful day she was left an orphan. Although many people have left the orphanage she was placed at, she never did. Another young girl named Polly accompanied her today and when they returned, they found the orphanage, and all who were in it, burned to the ground. Wanting to put as much distance between herself and this place, Evelynn and Polly strike out to find a new place to live. They get caught up in a storm outside the town of Mesquite Springs in the Texas hill country where they meet local horse rancher, Wyatt Clark.

Wyatt has aspirations of leaving Mesquite Springs to see the world, or at least the country. Ever since his father was killed by Comanches, Wyatt has felt it was his responsibility to keep the ranch going. With a bit of luck, he has mange to produce a sought-after breed of quarter horses that folks like to use for racing and the Texas Rangers like using for mounts. He has no plans to have a family beyond his mother and sister. When he stumbles on Evelynn and Polly that night in the storm, they become quite the distraction, maybe just the distraction he needs in his life.

I’m a born and raised Texan, so when I get the opportunity to read books set in the beautiful Texas hill country, I jump on it. Amanda Cabot has never ceased to whet my appetite for Texas scenery in her stories. Being transported to the town of Mesquite Springs helped me distract myself from everything going on in the world today. I’m not usually big on historical romances or even western type fiction, but her books always keep me a happy reader. I enjoyed getting to meet the new characters in this setting. Evelynn and Wyatt were both damaged by the loss of one or both parents but had pushed on with their lives. They each had a hole to fill in their lives that they thought could be filled by something else when it turned out to be each other. Sam was easily unlikable from the first time that I met him. His environment growing up obviously fostered this issue, but it kept getting worse. I’m sure we will see him again, probably in the third book, but we will have to wait and see.

If you are a fan of the Texas hill country or historical romances, grab a copy of this book to get your mind in the right place!

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

The Star of Persia

Author: Jill Eileen Smith

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: March 3, 2020

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Another great annotation of the story of Ester, told a little differently than I’ve always imagined!

Prior to his departure for war against Greece, King Xerxes decides to throw a months long banquet for all the nobles from the Persian provinces at his palace in Susa. Once the banquet was over, he threw another weeklong banquet for the people of Susa for having to deal with the previous few months. On the final night of the banquet after a generous portion of wine, King Xerxes is convinced to show off his queen to all the nobleman of the city. He calls for Queen Vashti to be presented in all her splendor, but she refuses him. Such an insult cannot go ignored and the King puts a decree in place to banish Vashti from the palace. After these events, the King is at a loss without his true queen and is convinced by his servants that he should perform a kingdom wide search of virgins until he finds a suitable replacement queen.

Esther is but a young Jewish girl living in the throngs of Susa. Orphaned after her parents died when she was young, she was raised by her cousin Mordecai. He has always protected her and has delayed arranging a marriage for her. When the King’s decree come out, he hopes to get Esther out of the city before she is discovered, but to no avail. She is taken to the palace where she quickly gains favor with all around her and becomes the King’s chosen queen within the year. But her troubles won’t end at being queen. She soon becomes caught in a battle between her adoptive father and the King’s highest advisor. She will have to risk her life to save her people.

It is no secret that Esther is my favorite book of the Bible. I love getting to read different adaptations of it and this one was very enjoyable. One of the different aspects of this adaption was the character of Queen Vashti. I had always pictured her as a self-absorbed person in my head who simply denied her husband what he wanted when he was drunk. I loved that the author did her research on the laws of Persians and Medes that gave more clarity to her choice. She wasn’t denying him, she was trying to help protect him by not breaking the law. This book brought her into a whole other light.

This book was separated into four parts. The first being that of Queen Vashti’s denial. The second part consisted of the search for the virgins. The third part was Queen Esther’s early reign as queen. The final part was of the battle between Haman and Mordecai. Each was well known but enjoyable being told from different points of view. If you enjoy biblical fiction, then this will no doubt be a delight.

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

The Sea of Lost Girls

sea of lost girls Author: Carol Goodman

Publisher: William Morrow

Release Date: March 3, 2020

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

An interesting thriller with one of the most satisfying endings I’ve read in a long time!

All Tess wanted was to leave her past behind her with her seventeen-year-old son Rudy. Her husband is a professor at the same boarding school she teaches at and Rudy attends. Life is so much better now than she ever thought it could have been a decade ago. Rudy has had a troubled past and finally Tess thinks he is thriving when she gets a call in the middle of the night from Rudy asking for her to come get him at their safe place. Rudy’s girlfriend is then found dead and Rudy becomes the prime suspect. That one phone call sets off a chain reaction that causes Tess’s world to slowly fall apart. With each day that passes and each new clue that turns up, Tess can see what is happening to her family and how it all connects to the past she thought was behind her.

The Sea of Lost Girls is a psychological thriller full of twists and turns with a satisfying ending rare in books such as this. There book format includes back and forth excerpts between Tess’s past and present giving readers a puzzle piece at just the right time in order to finish the whole puzzle. I really wasn’t sure what to think of Rudy or several of the characters at first, but as the story progressed, each character’s puzzle started to make sense and brought the whole story together by the last few pages. Goodman did a great job shaping these characters, even the characters that were irritating and dislikable. Each of these characters were written with their flaws evident but also in a way that made them relatable and easy to connect with. It can be easy to connect with the good and likable characters, but it isn’t always as easy to connect with the unlikeable characters. I had no trouble connecting with each and every one of them throughout the novel. A few of the minor characters you might think are unnecessary until you get to the end and see how they do play a crucial role in the overall story. While this was good, I wouldn’t say it was great, nothing really stood out as blowing me away, but nothing was particularly rough either. I recommend this to readers that enjoy a good psychological thriller with an ending just as satisfying as the entire story.

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

Shine

Shine Author: Dagny Griffin

Publisher: Tyndale House

Release Date: March 3, 2020

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

A interesting, unique little book that opens lots of conversations with kids!

One person has the power to change the world and no one shows that better than eight-year-old Mia. As she makes her way through a cold, grey city, she shines a little joy on people and places, giving them color along the way. As those affected by her joy begin to take on color, they continue the pattern by coloring more of the world around them.

This is an interesting concept as it is a picture book without any words. As Mia begins her day, she is happy, excited, and full of love. As she goes out each day, she spreads her love and brings color to an otherwise grey world. I really enjoyed the concept of this book and getting to explain it to my four-year-old as we flipped the pages along. There is one person in the book who refuses to accept any of Mia’s joy and stays grey. She also works against Mia by taking away other people’s joy. I’m not fully sure what she is supposed to represent. Maybe it is showing that even though you have found happiness, not everyone will accept it from you as it has to be a personal choice? Or maybe she represents someone specific? Even so, it is a book that my son loves to pick up and he even took it as his favorite book for preschool show and tell!

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

The Eighth Girl

eighth girl Author: Maxine Mei-Fung Chung

Publisher: William Morrow

Release Date: March 17, 2020

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

A book with some many personalities it will make your head spin!

Alexa Wu suffers from dissociated identity disorder (DID); but she is self-aware of the multiple personalities that she has living insider of her head. She believes her true self to the be the host. Her other identities represent certain aspects of her personality. Dolly is a young girl and has stayed the same age since she showed up. Runner stays in a constant angry and aggressive state. The fouls torment her regularly. Only a handful of people know about her other personalities. Her stepmother Anna, her best friend Ella, and her new psychiatrist Daniel.

Alexa relies mostly on Ella for emotional support. When Ella chooses to take a job at a lower class gentleman’s club, Alexa fears the worst. Ella’s life and that of her little sister are quickly placed in danger and Alexa gets drug into a web of deceit that she and her personalities must band together to save Ella.

So, I knew that going into a novel with the main character having DID that some of the secondary characters were going to be part of the personality. What I didn’t expect were how many of them were going to be part of it or who they would be. If that doesn’t pique your interest to read this book, then I’m not sure what will. The story line was a little slow to take off, but it quickly did and was fast paced with a very dark setting in London’s underworld. It wasn’t too difficult to follow which personality took control of Ella or when they were talking back and forth as the author did a great job identifying each voice. If you enjoy fast paced, twisted tales, this is your story for the year.

There is a lot of content including drinking, recreation drug use, explicit sex, and language that will make some readers uncomfortable.

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

Chasing the White Lion

white lion Author: James R. Hannibal

Series: Talia Inger #2

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: March 3, 2020

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

With lots of action and gallivanting across the globe, Chasing the White Lion will leave readers on the edge of their seat!

Talia Inger has had to come to terms with the man that killed her father. As a CIA officer, Talia sees a lot and has learned to put up with a lot, which has helped her to be able to work with this man. With him and the help of his friend, Valkyrie, Talia is going to try to infiltrate the Jungle, a crowd sourced crime syndicate that is involved in trafficking of children. Each step Talia takes moves her closer to the top of the food chain in the Jungle and to the White Lion. With her team to watch her back, she goes full force into the Jungle to save lives and take down the White Lion.

The follow up to The Gryphon Heist picks up right where readers left off with Talia and her crew. The overall story is very enjoyable, but I have had a hard time connecting with the characters. I liked the story arc of Talia trying to rescue the abducted children. That particular part of the novel really pulled me in, as for the rest I just couldn’t connect and didn’t feel as if I had a vested interest in the characters. When Talia was working towards that goal, I could feel the passion coming from her and her crew. She had a really good dynamic with Val and the way they played off of each other helped to move the story along. I’m intrigued enough to continue with the series to find out who the ultimate “bad guy” is and what the end game will be. So much of the novel is spent in so many different settings the reader will feel like they are going on a trip across the world. This is one that readers will need to sit down and take their time with, not one to read if you are going to rush through and not pay close attention to detail. One of the things Hannibal is best at is the detail he puts into each scene; each change brings about a new picture in the mind of the reader, which I greatly enjoyed. Readers that love mystery thrillers will want to be sure and check this one out, after reading the first in the series.

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

Eight Perfect Murders

Eight Perfect Murders Author: Peter Swanson

Publisher: William Morrow

Release Date: March 3, 2020

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

With one plot twist after another, Eight Perfect Murders delivers a fun and clever thriller that readers will highly enjoy!

Malcolm Kershaw has always been a lover of mysteries but stopped reading them after his life got interesting enough. He now works at a small bookshop and helps write blog posts for the bookshop. When one of his posts titled, “Eight Perfect Murders” which includes the best of the best fictional murders such as, Agatha Christie’s A. B. C. Murders, Strangers on a Train, and others attract the attention of a killer and then the FBI. The FBI agent is looking for more information to tie the killings together and the killer is playing a game with Malcolm. The only way to protect himself is to investigate the killer before more ties connect to him. Malcolm feels the knot tighten around his neck with each passing moment.

After reading Before She Knew Him, I was pulled into Swanson’s writing and couldn’t wait to see what this one would bring. While the previous story pulled me in and kept me guessing until the very end, Eight Perfect Murders fell a little flat for me. The story itself was well written and enjoyable but didn’t leave me guessing and yearning for more. Malcolm had a lot of history that played into all he was going through and reflecting on the story I noticed a lot of little clues make more sense to what happened throughout. I haven’t read any of the stories referenced in the book, which might have helped me to enjoy the story more. There are also a lot of minor characters that could have probably been cut, as they haven’t lingered on my mind after finishing the story. I recommend this to readers that enjoy a mystery that ties into older classics, especially if you have read some of the them.

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