Target Acquired ~ Review

Target Acquired
Lake City Heroes #2
By Lynette Eason

I have to admit I loved this book. It has an intriguing link to the 1940s that is relevant to the present day. In fact, several threads link several crimes to the current situation Kenzie King and her SWAT team find themselves in. We know this because the book takes us back and forth between 1947 and now. 

The reader doesn't know what the link is or why it is important. Even more concerning is why the SWAT team, specifically Kenzie, is being targeted. 

In addition to the outside pressures of being a target, Kenzie is having to deal with attitudes concerning her place on the Lake City SWAT team. Rumors have a way of taking root, and Kenzie's ties have some, not just whispering but talking that her name got her in. The fact that Kenzie is pulling her weight and doing her job doesn't crush the talk.

Then there is her teammate Cole Garrison, who has mixed emotions about Kenzie. She could be the one, but he is her superior, and he takes the whole trying to keep everything professional very seriously. But when she becomes a target, his emotions and concerns for her just might make him confront his feelings.

This was another excellent read from Lynette Eason. The characters have depth, and the suspense is maintained throughout. If you are looking for a clean read, suspense. No lines are crossed as the stakes are raised. There are moments when it seems as if the perpetrator may win the day, but with a team of professionals having their backs, there is hope that they will prevail.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Book:

Tough-as-nails Kenzie King has finally earned her place as a tactical medic on a SWAT team. But not everyone on the all-male team accepts her. Rumor is, she didn't get the position because of what she could do but because of who she knew. Which means she has to work harder and longer than anyone else to prove herself.

Cole Garrison is a man with deep faith who is finally ready to settle down and build a family of his own--if he can find the right person, that is. Kenzie sure has set off his interest meter, but trouble seems to follow in her wake. Since she joined the team, someone has begun to ambush and pick off team members, one by one.

It's all hands on deck to discover the culprit and end the killing. Can Kenzie and Cole put aside their differences and work together as a team? Or will their budding attraction be snuffed out by a sniper's bullet?

As you've come to expect from bestselling author Lynette Eason's stories, this tightly wound plot unfurls at breakneck speed and will leave you breathless.

The Sisters of Corinth ~ Review

The Sisters of Corinth

The Emissaries #2

By Angela Hunt

 

This is an interesting read. In this book we are taken to first century Corinth to the home of Narkis Ligus, who is Chief Magistrate. Narkis's home is a blended one and an example of the admonitions about an unequally yoked marriage as he and his daughter, Prima worship the gods of Rome, while his wife, Hester and step-daughter, Mariana worship the Jewish prophet Yeshua.  

This is a story that finds the faith that Hester and Mariana claim to be facing opposition from the Roman Empire, an empire threatened by the love and devotion that the followers of Yeshua don't offer to Rome. Meanwhile the home life of these women mirrors the growing threat as Prima's jealousy and dislike drives her to greater status through a marriage to the local governor's son. And when Prima's hopes are thwarted, well let's just say she is nasty in her dealings to make those in her way pay.

It is interesting watching as these two "sisters" take different paths in life and see the resulting aftermath of their choices. Hope and despair ; love and hate. 

This is the second book in The Emissaries series. Now I will admit I did not know this was the second book in the series and I had no problem getting into the story from the beginning. So don't let that 2 scare you away if you haven't read book one. This was a good book but also sad as one sees the results of Prima's choices, choices made out of jealousy. Highly recommend to those looking for historical fiction about the First Century Church.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Book:

When the new provincial governor arrives in Corinth, the esteemed Chief Magistrate Narkis Ligus, father to Mariana and Prima, is delighted. He sees a golden opportunity to propel himself to greater power and fortune by uniting his and the governor's households through the marriage of one of his beautiful unwed daughters to the governor's firstborn son.

Yet complications quickly arise in Narkis's own family. Mariana, his stepdaughter, holds steadfast faith in Yeshua, rendering her hesitant to marry a man devoted to the Roman gods, despite Narkis's urging. On the other hand, Prima, his daughter by birth, yearns for a life of wealth and status and is willing to go to great lengths to secure a marriage that fulfills her desires--even if it means betraying Mariana to do so.

A Kingdom to Claim ~ Review

A Kingdom to Claim
By Sian Ann Bessey

I'll admit it: I love Historical Fiction. I love getting glimpses of what was. A Kingdom to Claim was a wonderful blend of fact and fiction that was entertaining. This book presented information that I had previously read, but it was wrapped up in shiny new packaging that made it new and fresh.

I loved getting to know Aisley, a young woman determined to keep her home and her people free of Viking rule. She's not about to let her father's death be for naught. No, she'll do what is needed to fight for the land and people she loves. And she'll do it with the help of a man she knows to be loyal to King Alfred, even if it means standing against her own brother.

I enjoyed this book. It was fresh and new, though the basics of the story itself are old. The presentation was attention-holding and not just a stale retelling of the historical details. The author has a way with words so that you care about the outcome (though if you remember your English history, you already know what happened). I love when history comes alive and becomes relevant as one works through the book. I would recommend it to those who enjoy early English history, and if you are a high schooler in need of a suggestion for a historical fiction read, here you go!

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Book:

Aisley lost everything in a Viking attack.
Now, working alongside the one man she trusts,
she is ready to fight for her people—and for love.

Wessex, AD 878

Aisley’s young life was changed forever when her father accompanied King Alfred into battle and lost his life in a deadly skirmish with the Vikings. Now, almost seven years later, the Vikings are once again rallying on Wessex’s borders, and Aisley fears that her older brother may have treacherous plans to betray the king by aligning himself with the invading Norsemen. But when Aisley encounters a handsome nobleman in the market, she feels the first stirrings of hope. Though they met only once when Aisley was little more than a child, she recognizes him immediately as one of King Alfred’s most trusted men.

It has been years since Brecc has seen Aisley, but when he spots her in the marketplace, he finds himself inexplicably drawn to the copper-haired young lady with a gift for healing. Before his fledgling feelings for her can develop into something more, however, a Viking attack tears them apart. King Alfred is forced into hiding, and in a matter of days, the Saxon nation is brought to its knees. Unwilling to forsake their people, the king and his men embark on secret raids of Viking encampments. But when Aisley joins the fight, Brecc must reconcile his steadfast loyalty to King Alfred with his growing love for the king’s newest warrior.