Book Review: Cold Threat by Nancy Mehl

Cold Threat by Nancy Mehl - (Book 2 in the Ryland and St. Clair Series) - 4.5 Stars

I will continue to say how AMAZING Nancy Mehl's Christian Suspense books are. She always blows me away with her writing, characters, on the edge of your seat feeling and the faith content throughout the story! This is book 2 in the Ryland and St. Clair Series, with book 1 being Cold Pursuit. These books are PERFECT for Winter Time and make you have that "I HAVE TO KNOW" feeling where you just really want to pick it up and finish it so quickly! This is the 5th Nancy Mehl book I have read and needless to say, she is my favorite Christian Suspense author now. 

In this book, we have a solid story where River and Tony are back at it in their jobs as private investigators/profilers with a serial killer resurfacing after 20 years. 20 years ago, several people were murdered in Des Moines and the only evidence left behind was a snowman ornament hanging on a tree in their front lawns. A suspect was put behind bars and Tony's father, who works for the FBI, thought the case was closed...but was it? With new killings occurring, it appears the "Snowman" killer is back. Can Tony and River figure this old cold case out that Tony's father worked on so long ago?

My favorite part of this story is seeing so much of Tony and River working together and seeing the romantic emotions start to form and take root. We know they care about each other and it was great to see. While this is mostly classified as a general suspense and romance is not a main thread in this story, we saw more romance than you might normally see in a Nancy Mehl book from their feelings standpoint and I loved that! I love how River and Tony work so well together and they would do anything to protect one another. I also loved the scenes with Tony's family and getting to know his parents and seeing the journey his sister went on. 

The faith journey River specifically went on in this series was beautiful to see. She is really coming in to her own and trusting God in everything. This is truly an honorable mention for my top books of the year - 4.5 stars just because I wanted a bit more detail in the ending when "everything was going down" with our killer to see how it played out, but overall SO SO good and I can't wait to see how Book 3 ends! 

Thank you to Bethany House for a copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6023177898 Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vIcXXL
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/542731

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Book Review: The Foxhole Victory Tour by Amy Lynn Green

 

The Foxhole Victory Tour by Amy Lynn Green - 4 Stars 

Amy Lynn Green's The Blackout Book Club was one of my favorite books of 2022, so when I heard about The Foxhole Victory Tour's release, I was so excited to pick up another great Christian Historical Fiction story that I knew wouldn't disappoint. And it didn't! The Foxhole Victory Tour skillfully captures the profound impact of music and humor in lifting spirits, especially in these challenging circumstances. In this story, we follow 5 total characters in the United Service Organization (USO), but primarily the story of 2 women in 1943. These characters come together in an effort to play music and entertain the troops in North Africa during this time. We see our characters at the forefront of the war looming over them and the story goes on from here. I loved learning about the USO tours in this story because I had never heard of them before.

Our main female characters are Maggie and Catherine. Maggie has such spunk and is not afraid to speak her mind. She plays the trumpet and the story kicked off with her getting in trouble again in her current job, only to find a position with the USO at her feet. Catherine plays the violin and she is out trying to figure out her own life and fine the soldier she fell in love with through letters. She struggles because she is torn among her divorced parents and they each have their own plans for her life. But Catherine isn't going to do what anyone else says and joins the USO tours right along with Maggie. I loved seeing Catherine and Maggie together because they were such opposite characters and we see a friendship of sorts develop.

We see other performers and their stories too - such as Gabriel who is a magician and he gets very close with Maggie in the story. We also see Howie - a WWI veteran and dancer, and Julia, who is a singer. I really connected with the characters and really enjoyed the story. They go through so much together in this journey and the light faith element throughout the story was great to see. 

While some parts were more slow than others, I still overall enjoyed the story and look forward to more Amy Lynn Green books in the future.

Thank you to the publisher, Bethany House, for providing a copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5836337414
Amazon:  https://amzn.to/3SAO3m3
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/542729

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Book Review: Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson

 

Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson - 3 Stars

This is book 6 in a short story anthology series. I picked this one because I have read one other of Sariah Wilson's books and this one had another Scottish male lead - let's gooooo! I enjoyed this short story - very quick audiobook / ebooks on Kindle Unlimited. Her books are just fun fluffy romance reads that while they are instalove-y, they are a good time. (At least the 2 I have read so far.) Anytime Sariah has a Scottish romance involved, I'll be here for it just because that's a fun buzz word for me :)

This has Princess Illaria who trades places with her assistance to hide from the paparazzi on her tripe in Rome. As things would have it, she ends up meeting a handsome Scottish photographer and the rest is history as he becomes her tour guide. 

This is a clean romance, with some innuendos but nothing too much for me on the sexual side of things. There was some other content I wasn't crazy about but it was still clean and an enjoyable read!

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6209216030
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3SAJRmk

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Book Review: Veiled in Smoke by Jocelyn Green

 

Veiled in Smoke - Jocelyn Green - 5 Stars (Book 1 in The Windy City Saga Series)

I found my first favorite book of 2024! 5 stars. This book was a wonderful historical fiction story that immediately engages readers and brings you right into the thick of things in the 1871 Great Chicago Fire and its aftermath. We follow 2 sisters, Meg and Sylvie, and their father Stephen. Meg and Sylvie manage their family bookstore. Stephen is a Civil War Veteran and is going through some extreme war PTSD and certain events surrounding the fire land their father in an insane asylum. Meg and Sylvie work together, along with a reporter, Nate, to exonerate their father in a murder they don't believe he committed.

I personally related to both of the sisters in this story with how they handled some of the situations throughout the story for personal reasons I will not go into. I loved both characters and how the story unfolded as we saw what Stephen was going through in the asylum and the sisters in their journey to get him out. 

Jocelyn Green is a phenomenal Christian historical fiction author and I can't wait to read more books from her. I learned so much about the Great Fire of Chicago and the faith element in this truly shows us that God can bring beauty to our ashes, He will always be there with us through times of trouble and we need to trust Him in his plan for our lives.

I highly recommend to anyone who loves a good historical fiction story with a bit of murder mystery and family elements. 

Trigger warning for: PTSD details, treatment of prisoners of war and patients in an asylum.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4737485283
Amazon: https://amzn.to/47O0S0s
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/38634

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Book Review: Crime and Poetry by Amanda Flower

 

Crime and Poetry - Amanda Flower - Book 1 in A Magical Bookshop Mystery Series - 4.5 Stars

What a fun, cute cozy mystery! Amanda Flower always has the best characters in her cozy mysteries and this one did not disappoint! Throw in a cute tuxedo cat and you've got me sold! I really enjoyed my time with this one and look forward to book 2. This one is all about Violet who goes home after many years away to expect her Grandmother on her death bed, but finds her in perfect health. The plan was to get Violet back home to work in her magical bookstore, Charming Books. Violet has intentions of going back home to Chicago but a man dies in the bookstore and her Grandma is the prime suspect. Violet has to clear her Grandma's name and figure out why she was the number 1 person in this man's will.....

I loved the audiobook on this one - highly recommend as the narrator was great. 

For those curious about the "magic" element in this one, its very light and not over the top. Its more like the books open up randomly to those who take hold of them or they try to reveal hints about things along the way etc. Very charming indeed! The content in general is clean and a cute light cozy mystery I had fun reading. I feel like Amanda Flower has this writing style that just welcomes you right in to the comfort of the book. The family element always makes me the most happy! We do have a hint of romance and I hope to see more of that in the following books in this series. 

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6185510718
Amazon: https://amzn.to/491D2PV

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Book Review: Every Dog Has His Day by Janice Thompson

 

Every Dog Has His Day by Janice Thompson (Book 5 in the Gone to the Dogs Series) 4.5 Stars

In book 5, we follow Isabel who adopts a dachshund she found, that is until Texans quarterback Corey announces a reward for his missing dachshund. All of Houston is on the lookout for this missing dog that looks a lot like Isabel's new pup...The dog ends up going missing in the middle of the activities that take place between Corey and Isabel and the rest goes on from here as they try to find the dog, Ginger. This one was one of my favorites in the series because of all the friends and family elements and connections we see, reminded of great characters from earlier books in the series and it just feels like home in this small Texas town. I also always learning more about the Veterinarian life in these books. 

If you love a cozy story with football, country music, dogs, food, pick this up. :) This series is always a good time.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5620521359
Amazon Series Link: https://amzn.to/47N88d4
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/498042

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Book Review: Free Fall by Nancy Mehl

 

Free Fall by Nancy Mehl (Book 3 in The Quantico Files Series) - 4 Stars

This book concludes The Quantico File Series and I have fully enjoyed my time while reading it! I buddy read this entire series with my friend Theresa and we had the BEST time chatting through all the crazy twists and turns throughout the series! We became so attached to the characters and the faith content was wonderful with many prayers, salvation stories and trusting in God throughout each trial. 

In this story we continue to follow Alex and Logan in the FBI's Behavioral Analyst Unit (BAU) and this time they need to profile someone who is abducting and imprisoning several women. One woman we see her POV of throughout the story is Tracy and she tries finding ways out left and right. Alex finds herself right in the middle of these missing women and works to be one step ahead of the man behind it all. Why does this man abduct the women only to feed them gourmet meals, give them nice clothes, books to read, etc.? Is he searching for a specific women? The story kicks of here as Alex sets out to find out, while Logan's health situation remains in the Lord's hands....

The one thing I loved most  about this book was the faith content. This one had the most for me personally and I loved how powerful it was, especially with Logan's POV. My only complaints with this one was I felt like the ending was a bit too rushed. We didn't see much of Logan and Alex together as I would have liked, which is fine, but by the ending, I wish we had more time with them after all of the suspense events ended. Additionally, we never really see how things ended with the women who were rescued as I hoped we would have, specifically Tracy since we saw her POV quite a bit. I would have liked more updates there after it was all over. I also feel like sometimes we didn't see enough searching for Alex with a sense of urgency as I thought there should be but all in all, these things didn't take away from the story for me, I still LOVED this series and Nancy Mehl is a FAVORITE Christian Suspense author for me. She may be an autobuy now!

As far as content warnings, there were some mentions of killings, off page, women being abducted and held in imprisonment etc., but nothing that went over my boundaries. 

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6173303268
Amazon Series Link: https://amzn.to/3S8RuPq
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/405417

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Book Review: Ready to Protect - Valerie Hansen

 

Ready to Protect - Valerie Hansen - 3.5 Stars 

What a fun, quick read with a handsome cowboy, K-9 cop sets out to protect a pregnant woman who witnesses a congresswoman's murder - all with his great dog! I really enjoyed the audiobook of this one. I don't read many love inspired suspense romance books, but this made me want to try more of them! Cute, short, sweet, suspenseful, a little bit of faith and a good conclusion in the end. Everything you could want in one of those feel good stories. 

I really liked the fast paced storyline here - we were on edge from chapter 1 because people are after our main girl, Jamie because of what she witnessed. Our protective hero Ben and police dog Shadow take their job very seriously, and I loved that as well. 

The romance was very instalove here but it's fine - I enjoyed my time with it and would read more from the author. I wanted more of our characters having time to really get to know each other but it's all good. I still recommend it! Positive 3.5 star book. And honestly, I need more dog stories in my life after reading this! :) 

Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6055226098
Amazon: https://amzn.to/49dnTvd

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Book Review: The Seamstress of Acadie by Laura Frantz

 

The Seamstress of Acadie by Laura Frantz - 3.5 (rounding up to 4 on Goodreads)

If you know me, you know I have LOVED the 2 Laura Frantz books I have read, The Rose and the Thistle and A Bound Heart. I adore her writing and the Scotland settings she brings to life. Although I found this book enjoyable, I personally struggled a little with the French dialogue/language. For those who appreciate a slow-burn romance, have an interest for all things French and are interested in delving into Acadian history, I recommend giving this one a read! The conclusion was particularly satisfying as it beautifully resolved the love story amidst the challenges they had faced.

Set in 1754 when tensions were high between the French and the British on Canada's Acadian shore (modern-day Nova Scotia), Seamstress Sylvie Galant and her family end up caught up in the unrest as they prepare for the Christmas (Noel) season. William Blackburn, a British Army Ranger but also a Scottish hero, comes in and at first, they aren't too sure about his allegiance but he soon proves himself to be someone who can be trusted and becomes an ally. The story unfolds, portraying the hardships faced by the Acadians as they are forcibly displaced from their homeland, compelled to forge new lives for their families.

Laura Frantz brings to life this setting, as she usually does in her books. I did not know anything about the Acadian people before I started this book so it was very interesting to learn about all they went through. I did want a bit more of the romance together but overall, the ending made up for it. The faith thread in this was also nice to see and very naturally added.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6010521231
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vBeD5l
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/542752

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

Book Review: Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble

 

Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble - 4.5 Stars - A SOLID Romantic Suspense 

Ya'll, Colleen does it AGAIN with another edge of your seat romantic suspense read! I was HERE for this from the very beginning and truly INVESTED! In this story we follow Carly Tucker, whose police-officer husband is killed during a home break-in. Her husband didn't know she was pregnant before his death so Carly is left to raise little baby Noah all by herself. She's staying with her grandmother and has plans to turn the family's home into a bed-and-breakfast with her sisters --but the DRAMA and animosity that exists between the sisters is truly tragic. They think the worst of her all because of true misunderstandings but Carly is a character who just wants to take care of others and help everyone the best she can. Which leads me to her finding a letter in the attic from her husband that depicts how he discovered Carly's grandmother was adopted many years ago and the story starts to unfold here....was his death an accident? 

Carly reaches out to her grandmother's neighbor and the brother of her ex-boyfriend from high school, Lucas for help since he is a local homicide detective. After they find a Faberge egg in the belongings, worth millions, the journey to protect her family begins as it seems more people are aware of this mysterious egg than they thought.....

So the story took off here and I was sooo here for it because Colleen just knows how to keep you interested and in that "NEED TO KNOW" state when reading her books! We have this guy Lucas who is really getting to know the real Carly and this whole Russian Mafia set up thing with this egg that's worth SO much money -- mixed in with the family drama and TEA -- Colleen, sign us up honey because I had to KNOW what was gonna happen next!

Truly a favorite romantic suspense and I just can't wait to see what Colleen comes out with next. I didn't know anything about Faberge eggs until now and it just seems so interesting too! 

As a side note, I did listen to this audiobook and the narrator did a FANTASTIC job with the narration! I loved her southern accent characters too! As a southern belle myself, the grandmother's voice was perfection! The narrator really kept me engaged in the story.

We also have a nice light faith thread here with prayers and discussions of God's plan etc. Enjoyed that part of it as it seemed very natural. 

If you like a good suspense, pick this up. There is a good romance in this one, I just wanted a smidge more of their romance in this book but still as SOLID story! Full review to come on YouTube in my January wrap up!

Thank you to Thomas Nelson, Zondervan Audio and NetGalley for a copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5/5 stars

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5989250494
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3NZ7It3
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/528806
YouTube Review to come.

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Book Review: Christmas Baggage by Deborah M. Hathaway

 

Christmas Baggage - Deborah Hathaway - 4 Stars 

Book 1 in the Christmas Escape Series

This was such a fun, sweet, clean and cute Christmas read! This book offers a charming, heartwarming, and wholesome Christmas tale that promises more joyous reads in the series to come. I definitely want to read more in this series during the next Christmas season. We have somewhat of this grumpy sunshine/enemies to lovers trope but it was more like banter back and forth than true enemies to lovers - which I really enjoyed! Claire and Liam are our main characters are the way this starts of is hilarious. Claire ends up on a fun trip to London with her friend, Melody, as her parents have basically left her alone this Christmas season. In comes Liam, Melody's cousin, who meets Claire in some funny circumstances a couple of times. They end up touring London together and the rest is history. 

I loved seeing our characters deal with real life challenges and get to know each other in such a fun way with all the fun London things they did. We have some AWESOME nerdy references- such as Star Wars, Harry Potter, Poldark, Pride and Prejudice etc. Claire honestly reminds me of myself in a way! I didn't love how her friend Melody was portrayed with her relationships but she was a good friend either way to Claire.

I loved how the main couple here actually communicated too! Such a great Christmas rom-com!

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6099629655
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3TR2fbE
YouTube Review to come.

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Book Review: Clanlands in New Zealand - Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish

 

Clanlands in New Zealand - Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish - 3 Stars

My husband and I have really enjoyed the Men In Kilts show with Sam and Graham - we laugh and laugh with all of their crazy adventures. They have traveled in Scotland and New Zealand - two of our dream vacation spots - so we loved seeing their travels along the way in the show format. 

I also personally really enjoyed the Scotland Clanlands books and always have a good time listening to the audiobooks as Sam and Graham are again, hilarious to listen to just as they are to watch. I think the audiobooks are the only way to read these Clanlands books. However, this book for their New Zealand journey was not my favorite. It does a pretty good job celebrating New Zealand but honestly, most of this is Sam and Graham fussing back and forth that I found tiring. I would have liked more travel-related content personally. Instead of reading this, you might just check out the show and enjoy the laughs along the way. I also didn't care for some of the language in this book (several F words).

3/5 Stars

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6094435653
Amazon: https://amzn.to/41Lx96Y
YouTube Review to come.

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.