Dead Sea Rising

Dead Sea Rising Author: Jerry B. Jenkins

Series: Dead Sea Chronicles #1

Publisher: Worthy Publishing

Release Date: November 13, 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

With all the success of the Left Behind series it is hard to imagine anything better; however, Dead Sea Rising is by far the best Jenkins novel I have ever read. This is not one to be missed.

Nicole Berman is waiting for the news that could change her life. She has applied to lead an archeological dig in the middle east and is waiting for the answer when she gets the call that her mom is in the hospital with a broken hip. When she gets there, she finds out her mother was actually attacked and she is a suspect. Someone doesn’t want her to go on the dig and uncover the artifacts she believes she has found, evidence of a biblical patriarch that could change history. While Nicole and her father work to prove they would never do anything to hurt her mother, the search for what is really going on and why Nicole and her family are now being threatened intensifies and no one is safe.

I honestly don’t know how to go about describing this book. All I can say is it will be hard for any book to top this for my number one book of the year. There was a back and forth element to the story, one chapter in the present with Nicole and the next 4,000 years in the past. The interesting thing is it can actually be read one of two ways, straight through like normal or readers can chose to read one timeline (every other chapter) all the way through and then go back and read the other timeline without compromising the way they understand the story. Even though the timelines don’t intercede with one another, by the end they will have relevance as the series continues. The characters and the way Jenkins weaved the tension was amazing. I also think the super short chapters helped move the story along. As readers want to put the book down for the night, they might look ahead to the next chapter and see it is only a few pages and decide it is short enough to keep going making it a sit down and read in one sitting kind of book. When most people think of a fast paced page-turner, it probably has to do with a car chase or a serial killer attacking someone. With Dead Sea Rising that isn’t the case, the tension is right from the start, as soon as Nicole is suspecting of hurting her mother and the depths of the case made me want to turn the page as fast as I could. There is a reason that Jenkins is one of the very top Christian authors, he has perfected his writing and anyone wanting to learn the craft of writing needs to read and reread everything he has writing, it doesn’t get any better. I recommend this book to lovers of biblical fiction and suspense.

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

Fatal Invasion

Fatal Invasion Author: Marie Force

Series: Fatal #13

Publisher: HQN Books

Release Date: November 27, 2018

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

When a fire turns into a double homicide, the heat is turned up on the case and all those involved.

When a home invasion turns into a double homicide, fire Lieutenant Sam Holland is called in to work the case. Without a doubt this turns into her toughest case when the only witness to the crime are five-year-old twins of the victims. Having no-where else to go, the kids go home with Sam and her husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano. With the case heating up and members of her own squad in trouble, Sergeant Tommy “Gonzo” Gonzales more than any other causes trouble in the department and in his personal life, Sam has to figure out how to solve the case and save her team. The harder she tries to keep her work and private life separate the more they seem to collide causing her to risk it all to do what she knows is right.

This book is exactly what the reader can expect with the series, lots of romance and plenty of suspense. The audience should have no problem getting connected to the characters as they instantly draw you in with the tension of the fire and murders and missing kids. Sam is the perfect strong female lead with a tender heart when it comes to the ones she is trying to protect. I really felt the scenes with her and the kids played out well. My least favorite scenes were probably the ones with Gonzo, I just had a really hard time connecting with him and caring about the struggles he was going through. This is the first in the series that I have read and maybe if I had read previous books in this series and had some of the background for this character I would have connected with him a little better. With that being said, I don’t feel it is necessary for readers to read all in the series to enjoy this one. It might help with knowing what some of the characters have gone through and be able to help explain why they act the way they do. This is for an older audience with the mature language and sex scenes, but that is who it is marketed to and the more mature audience is sure to enjoy.

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

A Dangerous Duet

Dangerous DUet Author: Karen Odden

Publisher: William Morrow

Release Date: November 6, 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Odden composes a delightful mystery!

Nell Hallam has a dream to study piano at the Royal Academy in London, but since her father passed, it will be difficult to earn the tuition. She and her brother Matthew live in Mayfair, which is a nice area of London, and he is an inspector at Scotland Yard. Determined not to trouble her brother with her dream, Nell has developed an alias as a man named Ed Nell and lands a gig playing the piano at the Octavian, a music hall in Soho. She knows her brother wouldn’t approve, but fortunately he works late into the night and she is always able to make it home before he arrives. One night on her way home, she finds one of the performers beaten and left for dead. Soon, other murders start to occur throughout the Soho district. The more that she is immersed in the world of the Octavian, the more she finds that people aren’t what they seem on the outside. Performing is all just an act, but will Nell be able to separate the people who are guanine and who are criminals?

This is by far one of my favorite historical fiction reads of the year. I was pulled into this book within the first two paragraphs and couldn’t let it go until the end. I struck up a quick friendship with Nell and she tugged me along through late 1800s London. I loved getting to meet the characters at the Octavian and see how everyone performed. I shared all of Nell’s emotions and loving heart that made her extremely genuine. I fell for Jack’s character as I got to know him and learned that things aren’t always what they seem.

The suspense throughout this book stayed very tight and kept me tearing through the pages. There were a few surprises thrown in for good measure that you might not expect, but it was well worth reading. I’m glad that I got a copy of this book as a new author has found a place on my shelf.

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

Chosen People

Chosen People Author: Robert Whitlow

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date: November 6, 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Terrific international legal thriller!

Hana Abboud has always known that she would leave a chosen life ever since her uncle blessed her when she was a little girl in Israel. Now an international trial lawyer in Atlanta, she is surprised when she is suddenly pulled into a briefing by one of the senior partner’s to consider a case. Their firm was contacted by another young lawyer named Jakob Brodsky, who has taken on a long shot case concerning a family that took a trip to Jerusalem where the wife of a young couple was killed in a terrorist attack, leaving behind her husband and daughter. The lawsuit would look for an entity that supported a terrorist to claim financial damages. Brodsky is someone who loves to help the underdog fight for justice, but his claim maybe impossible when his client says that his daughter has to be kept out of the lawsuit. Although Hanna doesn’t initially want to take on this case, she fells lead to help with it and becomes the primary counsel. She hires an investigator in Israel named Daud Hasan to help find out more about the terrorist that attacked their client. As the team digs into the investigation, things start to happen that appear to target Brodsky. Is someone trying to kill the lawsuit before it even gets started? Or is there more at stake than anybody realizes?

Whitlow continues to deliver legal thrillers that are must reads. I picked up a copy of this book for a flight and breezed through it with anticipation. I even finished it before my travel itinerary was complete. I loved the way that he compared Hana to the boy Samuel from the Bible and how she was open to hearing from God. The way she knew He was calling was when she woke up in the night and would meditate to hear His voice. The Christian faith played a huge role throughout this story and also affected Jakob in his lack of faith until he went to Jerusalem.

I felt an instant connection with both Hana and Sadie. I could picture them together in every scene with perfect clarity even though very little personal descriptions were provide. The tension throughout the book was evident between the link to the terrorist and the strange occurrences with Jakob. The romance played out great as well between the characters that it was intended. I’m not going to say more on that note because I don’t want to give anything away about some possible surprise romances. Also, if you loved the show NCIS with the character Ziva David, then you will thoroughly enjoy the resemblance that Hana shares to her with the trouble of understanding American idioms.

If you love legal thrillers that are clean and just great reads, grab a copy of this today! There are a few authors that I grab off the shelf without even reading the synopsis first and Whitlow is one of those.

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

Wait for Me

Wait for Me Author: Susan May Warren

Series: Montana Rescue #6

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: November 6, 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

The final book in the Montana Rescue series proves the saying, “saved the best for last”. The story of Pete and Jess will give readers what they have been longing for in the best romance installment with the most suspense yet.

Pete Brooks has just about given up on love. He’s waited a year for the woman he loves to come back to town only to have her show up engaged to another man. Pete has been working in search and rescue and the last few missions he has been a part of have not had a happy ending, causing him to wonder if he wants to continue the work. Jess Tagg has come back to Montana to try and see if Pete still wants to be with her but before she can explain what has been happening in her life Pete blows up at her. She leaves with a friend, Esme Shaw, they are run off the road and taken hostage deep into the Montana wilderness. They don’t know who has taken them but they are injured and know if someone doesn’t come to rescue them soon it will be too late. Pete and the rest of the PEAK Rescue Team realize they are missing and set out on their most emotional rescue mission yet.

I have loved every one of the Montana Rescue books and the different characters they have focused on. I especially loved the way all the characters intertwine throughout the different installments and readers get to see them grow outside of the book of their focus. Saving Pete and Jess’s story for last was a brilliant idea; to me, their story was especially interesting. They both wanted what they thought they couldn’t have and almost gave up but their hearts just wouldn’t let them. This story goes to show that if something is worth having it is worth fighting for and Jess and Pete had to fight especially hard for their love. One of the things that made this romance so good is interesting because it has to do with the lack of time the characters actually spent together and interacted with each other. They worked hard to be together and the way they have to fight the elements and others around them shows the passion they have for each other. The secondary characters were especially well written. Esme and the battle she was having to face brought an extra tension to the story and made the pages turn even faster. Even though this is the last in the series it can also be read as a standalone and the reader will still enjoy the story. I do however recommend reading the whole series, mainly because the stories are so good and should all be enjoyed. I am sad to see the series come to an end. I have invested a lot of time and emotion in the characters and will miss seeing what happens with them next. The ending was done just as I thought it should be and all the loose ends throughout the books were tied up quite nicely.

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

The Book of Dog

The Book of Dog Author: Lark Benobi

Publisher: Vegetablian Books

Release Date: September 6, 2018

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Very odd take on end times prophecy mixed with today’s dystopian flair.

In the wake of a yellow puff-ball mushroom cloud, a yellow fog is making its way across the world. Rivers have run dry, earthquakes are occurring, and volcanoes are erupting in multiple events that may be signaling the end of the world. Through all the chaos, six women are tied together through a common prophecy. As people continue to vanish, causing many to believe the rapture has occurred, a series of events has been set into place that could be the end of humanity as we know it unless the six women are able to work together and bring it to an end.

So, this book was really different. I’ve read a lot of end times prophecy books and this followed (partially, or at least hinted of) the biblical revelation. However, it wasn’t in a serious manner. In fact, most of it was hilarious. It got to the point that it was so crazy, that I just kept turning the pages to see what would happen next and I never saw what was coming next. It kept getting nuttier with each page, but the story line was enjoyable all the same.

This is definitely a book that needs to be read by a mature audience. There is quite a bit of language throughout as well as some rather graphic sex based material that would not be suitable for a young audience. If you are looking for something different and can keep an open mind, check this out.

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

Snowfall on Lighthouse Lane

Snowfall on lighthouse lane Author: JoAnn Ross

Series: Honeymoon Harbor #2

Publisher: HQN Books

Release Date: October 30, 2018

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

What a way to kick off the holiday small town romance season!

Aiden has tried to outrun his past from Honeymoon Harbor when he joined the marines. Even after he got out, he stayed out of the pacific northwest and joined up with the Los Angeles Police Department. But when he and his partner get ambushed, Aiden gets shook when his partner is killed. After quitting the force, Aiden returns to the pacific northwest to become a hermit and live out his days; unfortunately, his partner follows him as a ghost. With much convincing from Honeymoon Harbor’s mayor, Aiden’s dad, he returns to his hometown to become chief of police. But his past is waiting for him when he returns. His old flame Jolene Harper has also returned back home and she might just be the most difficult thing he has had to deal with.

Jolene Harper also ran from her past as the poor girl. There is plenty of history between Jolene and the mean girls of the area, but she just let it make her better. Now in the big leagues of make-up design for movie sets, Jolene finds that people are fickle no matter where you go. When she gets a call that her mother has a suspicious lump in her breast and refuses to have it check out, Jolene returns home to help her deal with it. But she didn’t count on Aiden being in town either. The only boy she ever really loved, can she take being in the same town as him again?

Could there be a better candidate to open the holiday small town romance season? I think not. This was really a fun book to read that was played out by an expert. Everything fell into place right when it was supposed to. The main characters were perfectly flawed so that you could relate to them and still pull for them at the same time. The villains, if that is what you want to call them, had just the right amount of distastefulness to keep the reader against them. I can’t think of a better book to draw me into the holiday romance.

There is some strong language throughout this book as well as some scenes that would be better suited for mature audiences.

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

Lethal Target

Lethal Target Author: Janice Cantore

Series: Line of Duty #2

Publisher: Tyndale House

Release Date: October 9, 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

With tighter action, better characters and an overall excellent story, Lethal Target is by far the best I have read from Janice Cantore.

Tess O’Rourke has grown to love her new home of Rogue’s Hollow and being the Chief of Police is just the right fit for her. When the town becomes divided over the vote to legalize the sale of marijuana and a young high school graduate is found dead of a possible overdose, Tess has to put her knowledge to the test to crack the case. As emotions come to a boiling point, Tess starts to lose the support of those she has sworn to protect. To make matters worse, a familiar face from her past resurfaces causing even more problems. Needing a friend and an ear to help her keep things in perspective, she turns to pastor Oliver Macpherson. As things heat up with the case, so do her feelings for the pastor and his for hers, but her father’s death when she was just a teenager has her questioning faith and even Oliver himself. When the cases collide and the danger becomes lethal, Tess has to use everything she has to save herself and those in her town.

Lethal Target is by far the best Cantore novel I have read yet, and I have read them all. The characters are sharp, the tension is tight and the story is really on point. I felt a stronger connection with the characters and what they were going through than in the previous in the series. Tess was going through some really hard times but I never felt sorry for her in a way that would make the character annoying, something that happens all too often. The romance aspect played out in the right way, nothing was too strong that had me rolling my eyes, instead I smiled as the characters drew strength from one another and used that to solve the problems they encountered. This is the second in the series but readers new to Cantore will have no problem starting with this book having not read the first. There is just enough back story on the characters, mainly Tess, to keep new readers up to speed on what is happening. As always, the fact that Janice Cantore has a back ground in law enforcement provides so much to the story and the plot making the details be just what is needed to make everything realistic. I highly recommend this to fans of Cantore and those that love a good police procedural, mystery with just a sprinkle of romance. With no language or over the top violence this is even appropriate for any age group.

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

Louisiana’s Way Home

Louisiana Author: Kate DiCamillo

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Release Date: October 2, 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Fans of DiCamillo’s Raymie Nightingale will love this continuation of Louisiana’s story!

Louisiana’s granny has always been eccentric, if not a little crazy. So, when she wakes her up in the middle of the night to leave home immediately, Louisiana is not all that worried. That is, until they cross the state line from Florida into Georgia and granny keeps driving. Realizing that granny actually intends never to return home, Louisiana starts to sulk as she realizes that she may never see her friends again. This apparently has something to do with the curse that granny always said was on their head, which also inflicts a massive toothache in granny that causes them to stop in a small Georgia town. As they stay in the town, Louisiana’s life becomes entangles with several of the townsfolk including a young boy, a pastor, organ player, and surly hotel owner. Louisiana begins to learn the truth about her life and it may shake her entire foundation.

DiCamillo’s writing never disappoints and this book is no exception. She has a way of making the reader relate to her characters and yearn to walk alongside them. Louisiana first appeared in the 2016 release of Raymie Nightingale and readers immediately fell in love with the three main characters. They will be happy to find some of them returning in this spin off that focuses on Louisiana Elefante. I love to find YA and children’s books that have a good clean story that always focuses on tough times for today’s kids. Louisiana is definitely a wayward soul that is looking for guidance from multiple people and finally realizes that she can’t do it all by herself. With wit, wisdom, laughter, and tears, this book is destined to become a classic that people will love for years to come.

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

The Stranger Game

The Stranger Game Author: Peter Gadol

Publisher: Hanover Square Press

Release Date: October 2, 2018

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Intriguing concept of mistaking personal connection for stimulation.

Rebecca has had an off and on relationship with Ezra for several years. It started in college and has spanned most of their professional life. When they go cold, they never separate for more than two weeks. Ezra even followed Rebecca to the west coast after she took a job as an architect because he just couldn’t live without her. But now he has gone missing. When Rebecca checks his apartment to make sure he hasn’t hurt himself, she finds a print out of an article describing a phenomenon called the stranger game. This game has people following random strangers to see if they can determine where they are going or what their life is about. But society has taken the original concept and made it darker, now working to seduce victims that they are following. They even begin staging violence to heighten peoples senses for playing the game. In some cases, people just disappear. Will Rebecca ever be able to find Ezra? Or is he gone for good? Just another stranger in a game?

The concept of this novel was really intriguing. It is basically saying that people have lost personal connections and have become isolated, lonely, and depressed. Even when they have a relationship, they are still depressed because they don’t connect the way that nature intended. Enter the stranger game. This game allows people to imagine how another person’s life is lived, what they might be thinking, where they might be going, what they will be doing after that. But the initial rules are never to make contact and never follow the same person twice. But I suppose rules are meant to be broken and society has a knack for doing that. It is terrifying to think that something like this could actually happen. The book indicates that almost everyone starts playing the game. Players are following players that are following players.

Overall it is a mystery and it is really a great read. I don’t want to give anything away, but you should really pick up a copy of this book. It is worth your time. There is some harsh language throughout the book as well as some mild sex scenes that still are more suited for mature audiences.

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