The Salt Mine Mystery ~ Review

The Salt Mine Mystery
Thunder and Lightening series #2
By Aaron M. Zook Jr.

Gabe and Alex are back with another mystery and if they can't solve it they won't live to regret their failure.  The two brothers and their friends are in danger and are soon separated from their parents when touring the Berchtesgaden Salt Mines.

A mysterious clue given to them by someone referred to only as G may be their only hope to escape the people hunting them within the salt mines.  And this time they may have to say goodbye forever to some whom they consider friends.

This book is perfect for middle grade readers - especially boys. Parents and grandparents will be happy to hear that these are clean reads.  This is realistic fiction for those who are looking for something other than fantasy.

I was provided a copy of this book through TBCN/BookFun in exchange for my honest review.

About the Book:

Twelve year-old Gabe Zanadu, his brother, Alex, and dogs Thunder and Lightning face Team Test #2 in Germany’s Berchtesgaden Salt Mines. Fighting a human-trafficking ring, they must successfully negotiate the Egyptian Path of Death to free themselves, the victims and bring their captors to justice. THE SALT MINES MYSTERY Threatened in the streets of Goeppingen, Germany, Gabe and Alex Zanadu make a disastrous decision that plummets them, their dogs Thunder and Lightning, and international friends into the clutches of an evil human trafficking ring.

Who sent thugs to attack twelve-year-old Gabe in an alley?

What secret does Gabe and Alex, his fourteen-year-old brother, learn at the War Council?

Can the boys remember the sailor song clues given by the mysterious ‘G’ and survive?

How do Thunder and Lightning keep their masters alive?

Will Gabe and Alex’s brotherly ties withstand the onslaught of danger?

Who will finish the race through the Egyptian Path of Death?

Find the answers to these questions and more in this heart-pumping, action-packed adventure/mystery story. And the Thunder and Lightning saga is just beginning!


About the Author:

Aaron M. Zook, Jr., a retired U.S. Army Colonel, enjoys writing Christian books. The Secrets of the Castle, his intriguing middle-reader mystery/adventure novel for boys and the first of the Thunder and Lightning series is available at Amazon.com and other online stores, and is currently on sale at Zookbooks.org. Aaron lives with his wife in Belton, TX. They have two married sons.

If I Run ~ Review

If I Run
If I Run #1
By Terri Blackstone

If only she had kept quiet, Brent wouldn't be dead and she wouldn't be on the run.  But she has to run if she wants to live.  She knows the people who destroyed her life years ago are the ones responsible for this latest death in her life.  But she'll be blamed for Brent's death - she left evidence of her presence at the scene.

Dylan Roberts is about to get past the stigma of having PTSD attached to his name.  All he has to do is find Casey Cox - the woman responsible for his best friend's murder. Casey doesn't look like a killer, but she ran and she was at the scene of the murder.  The evidence is convincing all he needs to do is bring her in.

But Casey is methodical, thinking through her next move.  She needs to stay ahead of those her are after her and one step isn't far enough away if she wants to live.

This book is filled with with twists and turns that one didn't see coming.  If you like an ending with the promise of more intrigue and excitement yet come this book will definitely leave you wanting more.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and the Fiction Guild in exchange for my honest review.


About the Book:

Casey Cox has blood on the bottom of her shoes, in her car, on her clothes. 

But there's no point in trying to defend herself. 

She just has to run.

Casey didn't kill her friend Brent. She discovered his body, but she'd never try to hurt him. He's the only person she's ever trusted enough to tell the truth about what happened to her father . . . and there's no doubt in her mind that Brent was killed trying to help her prove it. She has to run before they get to her too.

Dylan Roberts was hired to find Casey and bring her back so that justice can be served. As a former Criminal Investigator for the Army, he can't imagine that tracking down one girl will be that difficult.

But the more elusive Casey turns out to be, the more Dylan digs into her past to try to determine what she might be thinking. What he finds there doesn't fit the profile of a killer at all. She's unlike any other fugitive he's ever seen.

The police refuse to discuss any other possibilities. There's something more going on here. Something more to this fugitive who has captured his attention. Now he just has to figure out what it is . . . and Casey just has to stay one step ahead of everyone who's after her.

Web of Deceit ~ Review

Web of Deceit
An Agents Under Fire Novel #1
By Susan Sleeman

Three years ago he tried to kill her, instead he killed her sister.

For three years she's been searching for him while he has been planning his revenge.  And today revenge is about to come knocking on her door.  Kaitlyn Knight's sister was killed by the man who had promised to love and protect her forever.  But when Kait discovers his secret identity as a murderous cyber-criminal her sister Abby takes the bullet meant for her.

When an anomalous computer code linked to her brother-in-law leads the FBI and Portland PD to the scene of a gruesome murder Kait is convinced that Fenton Rhodes is behind it.  Evidence is inconclusive - nothing is left to point to any one person.  

Portland PD Detective Sam Murdock has seen it all when it comes to homicides.  At least he thought he had until he was called to the scene of this homicide.  The brutal and methodical methods used are unique to this crime until it becomes obvious they have a serial killer determined to taunt FBI agent Kaitlyn Knight.

Combining their efforts the FBI and Portland PD are determined to stop this killer before he strikes again and he's made it clear that Kait is his ultimate target.

If you are looking for a suspense filled thriller to keep you turning the pages this first book in Susan Sleeman's Agents Under Fire series is one you'll want to pick-up.

About the Book:
Will he help find her sister's killer . . . or lead the killer to her door?

When FBI Agent Kaitlyn Knight discovers her brother-in-law is Vyper-the notorious cyber-criminal and murderer wanted by the FBI-Kait doesn't question her duty to arrest him. But when he murders her sister in front of her, leaving her infant niece motherless, Kait vows to hunt him down and bring him to justice while raising the baby.

Three years later, and not even a whisper of a lead in her search, Kait is about to give up hope of ever finding Vyper. All of that changes when he goes on a murderous spree taunting Kait with clues that she and homicide detective Sam Murdock must solve before her devious brother-in-law takes another life. 

As the body count rises, Sam discovers the killing spree is really about striking back at Kait. He must put everything on the line-including the relationship he's developed with Kait-to ensure her safety. The killer is waiting, watching her every move, and he won't stop until he's exacted his revenge and reclaims his rights to raise his daughter.

Kissed by a Cowboy ~ Review

Kissed by a Cowboy
A Four of Hearts Ranch Romance #3
By Debra Clopton

Years ago Jarrod Monahan made the biggest mistake of his life and he drove Cassidy Starr into the arms of another man.  He's had years to regret his decision, but he's been given a second chance.

Unfortunately for Jarrod, Cassidy isn't willing to give him another chance to break her heart.  She's determined to make a new life for herself on the farm she's inherited from her Aunt Roxie.  And she's determined that romance has no place in her new life.

But Jarrod is nothing if not persistent as is evidenced by the current state of the Four of Hearts Ranch.  He put romance and a family of his own into the background as he focused on saving the ranch his father almost gambled away.  But Cassidy as a next door neighbor just might change Jarrod's priority list.

But Jarrod has another concern battling for priority in his life - cattle rustlers have moved in and they are costing the Four of Hearts thousands of dollars.  Can Jarrod determine who is threatening everything he's fought for and still get the girl of his dreams?  He is about to find out.

This is the third and final book in the Four of Hearts Ranch series that brings the Monahan brothers story to a conclusion that fans of the previous books should enjoy.

I was provided a copy of this book by the Fiction Guild in exchange for my honest review.


About the Book:

Cassidy was looking for a home and a place to belong . . . 

not for a cowboy to steal her heart. 

       Having lived through her parents' endless string of "matrimonial bliss gone wrong," Cassidy Starr knows when the odds are not in her favor. Divorced and humiliated, her faith on rocky ground, Cassidy is through with love. She's been bucked off that horse far too many times. Instead, she returns to Wishing Springs, Texas, and the rundown farm she's inherited from her great aunt Roxie. She'll reopen the strawberry farm and a bed & breakfast and follow in her aunt's footsteps, remaining forever-independent, happy . . . and single.
     Rancher Jarrod Monahan's hands are full running the ranch, looking after his ailing grandfather, and chasing down a group of rustlers on the loose. He's pushed his longing for a family to the bottom of his list of priorities. Besides, he was in love once but ran scared and lost his shot at happiness. But suddenly, the biggest regret of his life has moved in next door with a wounded heart, determined to become a spinster . . . and that's a challenge that Jarrod can't pass up.
      Jarrod sets his mind to breaking down the walls around Cassidy's stubborn heart. How can he show her that a cowboy's kiss lasts forever? For the good folks of Wishing Springs, falling in love has never been so much fun to witness.

Angel with Steel Wings ~ Review

Angel with Steel Wings
Women with Courage series
By Anne Greene

At a time where women were venturing it the realm of men, Mandy McCabe dares to enter the skies. World War II has come and Mandy answers the call of service for her country by being a test pilot of repaired planes for the WASP program.

But flying the skies is the least of Mandy's worries as she deals with opposition in her everyday life as some feel the dangers and stresses that these women face is too much to ask of them.  Mandy is also dealing with issues from her past - a past that she is determined to leave forever behind her.

With determination and her faith Mandy faces the challenges that this changing turbulent world at war brings her way.

The narrator Linda LongCrane has a laid-back narration style that fits with the southern roots that Mandy calls her own.  But one can't accuse Mandy of having a laid-back attitude with her go-get-em work ethic. War changes everything and Mandy is determine that for her it will be a change for the better.

Those who enjoy a good period piece set in the turbulent years of WWII will enjoy this historical work from Anne Greene.

I was offered a copy of this book through TBCN/BookFun in exchange for my honest review.

About the Book:

Despite the danger

At a time when most people in America have never flown in an airplane, spunky Mandy McCabe test-pilots repaired war planes as part of the Women Air Force Service Pilots. If the Army Air Corp shuts down the WASP program, she must return to life in her hard-scrabble home and face her past.

Despite the opposition

Army Air Corp Major Harvey Applegate lost his WASP wife test-piloting planes and doesn't want any more women killed on his watch. He fights to close the WASP program. Women aren't designed to fight wars. Men fight to protect women's freedom, and the American way of life.

Despite the raging war

This World War II romance shows Steel Magnolias meeting Band of Brothers. Can Mandy escape from her past? Can a man burdened with memories of death agree to added danger for the new woman in his life? Will their new love survive the test of opposing desires and the pain and separation of war?

The Magnolia Duchess ~ Review

The Magnolia Duchess  
Gulf Coast Chroncles #3
by Beth White

Fiona Lanier is as feisty as they come and she's determined to do it her way.  This has worked for her in the past, but she's about to learn the hard way that her way just may get her in trouble.  The women of the Lanier family have always followed their hearts when it comes to their family and their loyalties.  And all to often their heart has drawn them to men who are politically in opposition to their family.

Fiona has never given her heart to any man.  But when she finds Charlie Kincaid washed ashore near her home that just may change.  Years ago Fiona met Charlie and she is determined to keep him safe and his British ties a secret from her family.  

Charlie Kincaid can't remember how he came to be washed up on the beach.  Nor can he remember Fiona Lanier the young woman who rescued him.  The injury he sustained has taken the last 10 years from him, but when he does remember will he find himself in the enemy's midst or will he be among friends?

War is coming to the Gulf Coast region and families and hearts are about to face the ultimate test.  Where do loyalties lie - king or country? family or true love?  These are the questions that Fiona and Charlie are about to face as the War of 1812 draws to its dramatic and horrific conclusion.

This is the third book in the Gulf Coast Chronicles and though this series follows the Lanier family as they settle and claim the region they call home you can easily follow this story if you haven't read the previous books in the series.  Fans of Historical American fiction will find much to enjoy in this series.  Those who have enjoyed the works of Gilbert Morris and Elswyth Thane will most likely enjoy this series that spans the history of America while following one family that grows with the country.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher Revell in exchange for my honest review. 
About the Book:
As the War of 1812 rages across the newly formed United States, another war rages in Fiona Lanier's heart--one that threatens to tear her family apart.

Fiona can scarcely take in the news of her brother's capture and imprisonment by the British Navy. It is almost as unbelievable as the half-drowned British sailor who is washed ashore on the beach of Navy Cove.

Charlie Kincaid claims to have no memory of his life before being discovered by Fiona, but in a world that seems saturated with treachery, she cannot be sure he is telling the truth.
As Charlie's memory returns in agonizing jags and crashes, he and Fiona discover that falling in love may be as inevitable as the tide. But when political allegiances collide, they'll each have to decide where their true loyalty lies.

Beth White's day job is teaching music at an inner-city high school in historic Mobile, Alabama. A native Mississippian, she writes historical romance with a Southern drawl and is the author of The Pelican Bride andThe Creole Princess. Her novels have won the American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award, the RT Book Club Reviewers' Choice Award, and the Inspirational Reader's Choice Award. Learn more at www.bethwhite.net.

The Fragment ~ Review

The Fragment

By Davis Bunn

Europe is caught in the aftermath of the First World War, when word of an ancient and long sought artifact comes to Tom Bryan.  As a U.S. Senator, Tom Bryan  has the means to track down this object and he has the perfect person in mind to help him.  Muriel Ross, an amateur photographer who works in the Smithsonian as a historical researcher and is the daughter of his long-time friends, is ready to spread her wings.

When Senator Byran offered to be Muriel's introduction/chaperon into Paris she had no what an adventure she was about to set out upon...

Europe is still in shambles recovering from the war that had cost them all some much.  And when a clue as to the supposed whereabouts of a piece of the True Cross takes them into Turkey - Muriel, Senator Bryan, and Charles Fouchet (an angry, hurting Frenchman) are swept up into a world of unknowns.  War and upheaval are changing Turkey and all who are within her boarders are in danger.  

But finding this long lost artifact is worth the risks they are about to undertake.  But danger is closer than they suspect and it could very well cost them their lives and their freedom if they don't proceed with extreme care and wisdom.

This is a delightful and enjoyable book which is set in 1923.  Those who has read previous works by Mr. Bunn will not be disappointed in this newest offering.  Mystery and intrigue fill these pages. This book is only 176 pages but it seems as if it should be longer as there is son much story packed between the covers.  I highly recommend this book if you like post WWI historical fiction or just a well written book.

About the Book:
In the newest high-stakes historical thriller from master storyteller Davis Bunn, skepticism vies with faith amid the grit and grandeur of post-World-War-I Europe.

It’s 1923, and a resilient Paris is starting to recover from the ravages of World War I and the Spanish Flu Epidemic. Enter young Muriel Ross, an amateur American photographer tasked with documenting the antiques that her employer, U.S. Senator Tom Bryan, has traveled to France in order to acquire. Although she’s exhilarated to have escaped her parents and the confines of their stifling Virginia home, Muriel has lingering questions about why the senator has chosen her for this grand adventure. Nevertheless, she blossoms in her new surroundings, soaking up Parisian culture and capturing the sights and sounds of Paris on her camera.

But events take a dangerous turn when she discovers that the senator is on a mission far more momentous—and potentially deadly—than a mere shopping trip. At the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Senator Bryan asks Muriel to photograph an astonishing artifact: a piece of the True Cross, discovered by Empress Helena—a historical figure familiar to readers of The Pilgrim. When rumors surface that another fragment has been unearthed, Muriel becomes enmeshed in a covert international alliance dedicated to authenticating the fragment—and protecting it from those who will stop at nothing to steal and discredit it.