Texas Witness Threat ~ Review with Giveaway

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for 

Texas Witness Threat by Cate Nolan, 
hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

 

Texas Witness Threat

By Cate Nolan

She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. When an unexpected rainstorm causes Assistant US Attorney Christine Davis to seek shelter. But what seemed like a temporary refuge is about to become her worst nightmare when she witnesses a murder and becomes the killer's next target. 

When a woman darts in front of his car Texas Ranger Blake Larsen does the only thing he can - offer her his assistance. But when the crime she reports can't be verified he is the only hope she has of staying alive long enough to find the proof she needs. Finding the proof  Christine needs while staying ahead of a killer is about to take all of Blake's skills and the support of the Texas Rangers.

Texas Witness Threat is a well-paced read that takes the reader into the heart of the Lone Star State. This book is part of the Love Inspired Suspense collection and it is a clean Romantic Suspense read that won't leave the reader blushing or squirming uncomfortably. The action, at times, can get a little intense but nothing to keep the reader up all night unless it is to keep reading because you just don't want to put the book down. If you want to escape to Texas while enjoying all the comforts of home this is the way to do so. So find your favorite corner and curl up with a cup of tea and get ready to spend a few hours away from your everyday.

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

About the Book:

Title: Texas Witness Threat 
Author: Cate Nolan
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
Release Date: January 1, 2021
Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

She saw something she shouldn’t have… 

Assistant US Attorney Christine Davis is positive she witnessed a murder, but with no body, the police aren’t convinced. Now someone wants her dead, and Texas Ranger Blake Larsen is the only one who believes her. For Blake, protecting Christine must stay more important than their growing feelings for each other. But can he keep her safe from an unknown enemy who wants her silenced?

PURCHASE LINKS*: 

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound | Christianbook | BookBub

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About the Author:

Cate Nolan lives in New York City, but she escapes to the ocean any chance she gets. Cate loves to leave her real-life behind and play with the characters in her imagination. She's got that suspense writer gene that sees danger and a story in everyday occurrences. She particularly loves to write stories of faith enabling ordinary people to overcome extraordinary danger.

Connect with Cate:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a Texas Witness Threat and Christmas in Hiding 

(print or ebooks, winner's choice)!

The full tour schedule is linked below. The giveaway began at midnight January 5, 2021, and will last through 11:59 PM EST on January 12, 2021. The winner will be notified within 2 weeks of the close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of the prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

The giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

 

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.

Her Lady's Whims and Fancies ~ Review

Her Lady's Whims and Fancies

Lord's for the Sisters of Sussex #3

By Jen Geigle Johnson

Miss Kate Standish has a passion for fashion - a passion that has allowed her to be on the leading edge of what is about to be the new look of the season. She's always been able to give the dresses that she and her sisters were passed down a look to give them a new look. And she is determined to use her passion and skills to ensure that she will never again be hungry. With her eldest sister June soon to be wed, Kate is looking forward to seeing, and perhaps meeting, Lord Dennison at the event. As the most fashion conscience man around she hopes to observe him up close and perhaps become acquainted with him.

Lord Dennison has no time for young women caught up in their own selves, not after having his heart broken and rejected by the woman he hoped to marry. But he hadn't met Kate Standish yet. Unfortunately for him, his broken heart has turned his tongue acerbic and Kate's first acquaintance with the man she has secretly admired is anything but pleasant. 

Can two people so well-suited find their way past a disastrous first meeting? Having received the brunt of Lord Dennison's anger, Kate determines to put him in his place by submitting an anonymous piece to Her Lady's Whims and Fancies focusing on his latest fashionable masterpiece. 

When Kate and Logan finally get the chance to get to know one another they find that they have much in common. But the secret that Kate is keeping could destroy what they could have together. When Kate attempts to fix the situation things go horribly wrong. Can she reveal the truth to her sisters and get their help or will she be too late?

This is the third book in the Lords for the Sisters of Sussex series and it is a fun Regency era read. It is nice to be able to revisit the sisters as their situation continues to improve. This book can be read on its own though the first two books in the series provide backstory that explains certain aspects of this book. Sit back and enjoy this offering from Jen Geigle Johnson with a cup of your favorite tea blend.

About the Book:

She has a secret to hide. 

He has a hurt to cover. 

But they both start having too much fun to notice.

Miss Kate is full of spontaneity and dreams of fashion. Put her in a room with Ackerman's fashion plates, the makings of a new bonnet, and a strong cup of tea, and she would be happy for hours. But she is not your typical Regency miss. No one knows that she is the designer behind London’s famous fashion section, the woman who knows every fashion trend before it happens.

Lord Dennison, the ton’s best most brightly dressed dandy, the prodigy of Beau Brummel himself, is often the subject of Her Lady’s Whims and Fancies, a gossip column in the Morning Star newspaper. He moves in circles with the most fashion-conscious set. But he hides a deep hurt and doesn’t plan to ever ask another girl to marry him…ever again. 

The Fruitcake Challenge ~ Review

The Fruitcake Challenge

Christy Lumber Camp #1

By Carrie Fancett Pagels

Narrated by Virginia Gray

Jo Christy has no desire to spend the rest of her days in her family's lumber camp, and she certainly has no intention of marrying a lumberjack. So when Tom Jefferies joins up with the camp, she is less than thrilled with his attentions. 

Tom Jefferies has left behind the life he has known for the lumber camps of Michigan. Working as a lumberjack pays better than his previous job as a teacher. It is hard work, but he needs the pay to help support his mother. He never expected to meet someone like Miss Josephine Christy working at the Christy Family Lumber Camp. 

Jo Christy seems determined to ignore all of Tom's flattery and attempts at courting. But when Tom issues his Fruitcake Challenge, she sees this as the perfect opportunity to put him in his place. But as the fruitcake challenge progresses, she has a chance to get to know Tom better - if only he wasn't a lumberjack.

I experienced this book in the audio format, and it was well presented. The narration by Virginia Gray fits well with the story. I did listen to the book at 1.2 speed (or faster), but I always listen to my audiobooks faster than the default speed - I listen at the pace I read. But even at the regular speed, the pacing is good. 

If you want an enjoyable escape to 1890s Michigan's lumber camps, this is the perfect way to do so. This is a clean read. I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of Historical Fiction, are fascinated by America's logging past, or have a thing for fruitcake. 

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations. All thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Book:

Title: The Fruitcake Challenge
By: Dr. Carrie Fancett Pagels
Narrated by: Virginia Gray
Series: Christy Lumber Camp, Book 1
Length: 3 hrs and 12 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 11-24-20
Language: English
Publisher: Carrie Fancett Pagels

When new lumberjack Tom Jeffries tells the camp cook, Jo Christy, that he’ll marry her if she can make a fruitcake “as good as the one my mother makes,” she rises to the occasion. After all, he’s the handsomest, smartest, and strongest axman her camp-boss father has ever had in his camp - and the cockiest. And she intends to bring this lumberjack down a notch or three by refusing his proposal. The fruitcake wars are on! All the shanty boys and Jo’s cooking helpers chip in with their recipes, but Jo finds she’ll have to enlist more help - and begins corresponding with Tom’s mother. 

Step back in time to 1890, in beautiful Northern Michigan, near the sapphire straits of Mackinac, when the white pines were “white gold,” and lumber camps were a way of life. Jo is ready to find another life outside of the camps and plans that don’t include any shanty boys. But will a lumberjack keep her in the very place she’s sworn to leave?

Legacy of Love ~ Review

Legacy of Love
Haven Manor #1.5
By Kristi Ann Hunter

Sometimes one just needs to escape into a book and this novella was just what I needed. This sweet Christmas story finds Sarah Gooding in service to the Dowager Countess of Densbury, as her companion. But the Countess is in failing health, something her family doesn't seem to realize but Sarah sees it as the woman, who has become more than an employer, becomes frailer as Christmas approaches.

Randall Everard is more than a little shocked at his grandmother's deterioration since his last visit. And when he hears his family's plans to put her aside he is more than a little surprised at his grandmother's companion speaking out so forcefully against their lack of regard for her comfort. Sarah's championing of his grandmother allows Randall to see her as something other than a mousy, silent shadow. 

As the Countess sets plans in motion for her final Christmas she brings Randall and Sarah together in her own special way allowing them to get to know one another for who they truly are rather than their societal station. And her final gift is a legacy of love.

This novella is part of the Haven Manor series but it can be read as a standalone title. A perfect introduction to the series or Kristi Ann Hunter's work if you have never before read her.

About the Book:

When Sarah Gooding returned a valuable brooch to the elderly Dowager Countess of Densbury, she had no idea it would lead to a job as the lively woman's companion. Nor did she expect to admire the Dowager's youngest grandson so much, even though the difference in their stations means nothing will ever come of her daydreams.

A Cowboy for Keeps ~ Review

A Cowboy for Keeps 

Colorado Cowboys #1

By Jody Hedlund

Greta Nilsson will do anything to save her little sister's life. With the promise that the mountain air of Colorado will cure Astrid's consumption, Greta agrees to become a mail-order bride. But the final stage of her trip to Fairplay, Colorado, is one disaster upon another.  Her expected groom has died, stagecoach robbers took all her savings. With nothing to her name, Greta has few options in a town that is comprised almost entirely of miners and ranchers. So when a rancher claiming to be a friend of the man she expected to wed offers her a proposal of marriage, Greta quickly realizes that is her only choice.

Wyatt McQuaid has been working to get his ranch profitable so that he can send for his ma, brothers, and sister. But starting a ranch in this new land isn't easy. He doesn't have time or the funds to even think about marriage. But when the latest stagecoach arrives in Fairplay after a holdup the mayor offers him a deal - marry Miss Nilsson and, in return, Wyatt will get the funds he needs to expand his herd. But marrying a complete stranger who was set to marry his friend is something that will take some thinking. But Mayor Steel needs the town to grow, to add families of good repute if he hopes to convince his wife to leave the civilization of the East behind.

As Wyatt and Greta deal with their new situation they both have to deal with their pasts. But the past has a way of marking a person and Wyatt and Greta are no exception. Can they see past the hurts to a future of promise or will they allow their insecurities to tear them apart before they even begin?

Without giving away anything - I will say there are a couple of interesting twists that occur that add an interesting element to the story. So be sure you don't jump ahead while reading (I have a family member who does this and then ruins the element of surprise or shock from her books), seriously don't do it. If I had known of these elements before their proper placement in the story it just won't have had the same impact that it did. 

A Cowboy for Keeps is the first book in Jody Hedlund's new Colorado Cowboys series and it is another enjoyable read from a skilled writer. Greta is a character with whom one can empathize, basically kicked out by her family along with an ill younger sister, she is willing to do almost anything to save. But Greta has to learn that going it alone isn't the best way. With her plans crumbling around her she needs to learn in who to place her trust and concerns. Not an easy lesson for any of us to learn. Wyatt on the other hand has a plan to rescue his family from the very situation that he left behind years ago. But he is dealing with the guilt of leaving his family behind, of failing them. Then there is Judd who we learn very little about but what we do learn gives a glimpse into his past. I really like Judd who helps Wyatt see what he needs to see. He is just what Wyatt, Greta, and Astrid need as they live and work together. I'm looking forward to the second book in this series - if the final chapter is any indication of what is to come it should prove most interesting.

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

About the Book:

Greta Nilsson's trip west to save her ailing little sister, Astrid, could not have gone more wrong. First, bandits hold up her stagecoach, stealing all her money. Then, upon arriving in Fairplay, Colorado, she learns the man she was betrothed to as a mail-order bride has died. Homeless, penniless, and jobless, Greta and her sister are worse off than when they started.

Wyatt McQuaid is struggling to get his new ranch up and running and is in town to purchase cattle when the mayor proposes the most unlikely of bargains. He'll invest in a herd of cattle for Wyatt's ranch if Wyatt agrees to help the town become more respectable by marrying and starting a family with Greta. But when old insecurities and surprising revelations arise, can a union born out of desperation survive?

The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus ~ Review

The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus

By Jaime Jo Wright

The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus takes the reader to 1928 and the present day as a mystery surrounding the Bonaventure Circus is slowly revealed. In 1928 we are introduced to Pippa Riley, daughter of the family who owns the circus. But Pippa has a special connection to the circus, a connection that has her venturing into a world that a proper lady would never venture into. When an accident threatens the future of the circus Pippa may be the only one who can help out. But there is a darkness surrounding the Bonaventure Circus and it could very well destroy her.

In the present day, Chandler Faulk has come to Bluff River, Wisconsin, seeking to restore what had been the winter home of the Bonaventure Circus. But the grounds are linked to a murder and rumors of ghostly hauntings. But Chandler is dealing with her own personal demons, demons that include a health issue that demands more attention than she is willing to give especially given her potential restoration project and her young son Peter. But as Chandler digs into the history of Bonaventure she finds herself drawn to the mysteries surrounding the circus, but the ghostly speculation has her more than a little wary. And then there is her landlord and his nephew who seem determined to be part of her temporary life in Bluff River. But the darkness of the past isn't ready to reveal its secrets.

I have read Jaime Jo Wright's books in the past and have to date not been disappointed in them and The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus is no exception. The books all have a mystery that tends to be on the slightly creepy side. Not a good book to try to go to sleep go to sleep with as it most definitely will be one that you will tell yourself just one more chapter - but one more just isn't enough once you get into the book.

I was provided a complimentary copy with no expectations - all thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Books:

Welcome to Bonaventure Circus, where misfits go to hide.

In 1928, the Bonaventure Circus has become a refuge for many, but Pippa Ripley was rejected from its inner circle as a baby and is no longer content to leave the reason for that rejection unquestioned. When she receives mysterious messages from someone called the "Watchman," she is determined to find him and the connection to her birth. As Pippa's search leads her to a man seeking justice for his murdered sister and evidence that a serial killer has been haunting the circus train, she must decide if uncovering her roots is worth putting herself directly in the path of the killer.

Decades later, an old circus train depot's future hangs in the balance--it will either be torn down or preserved for historical importance, and its fate rests on Realtor Chandler Faulk's shoulders. As she dives deep into the depot's history, she's also balancing a newly diagnosed disease and the pressures of single motherhood. When she discovers clues to unsolved murders of the past, Chandler is pulled into a story far darker and more haunting than even an abandoned train depot could portend.

The Amish Baker's Rival ~ Review

The Amish Baker's Rival

By Marie E. Bast

He's more than just

her competition...

Mary Brenneman's life is the bakery she's taken over from her stepmother. When a new shop opens up across the street that threatens the Amish Sweet Delights' Bakery she is determined to meet and defeat her rival.  But Noah Miller's shop has it all and it is sure to take some of the Sweet Delights' customers, customers they can't afford to lose if they hope to stay open. Mary only sees one way to recapture her customers' attention, win the upcoming Kalona Fall Apple Festival baking contest. Not only would it get the bakery more regional attention the prize money could be used for the improvements Mary wants to implement. 

Noah Miller's move to Kalona was more than just opening his new business but to also connect with the family he's never met. What he didn't count on was the competing bakery across the street and the feisty Amish baker who runs it. A baker who is more than a little competitive for Kalona's clientele. As Mary and Noah vie for the bake-off and Kalona they find they are drawn to one another, but Amish and Englisch just won't work. 

The Amish Baker's Rival is a meet-cute read that is perfect for your favorite cozy corner (with a cookie or two) and a long afternoon of reading. At just a little more than 200 pages, this is an easy book in which to escape for a few hours. But be forewarned with all the tasty treats these two are offering you just may want to make an excursion into the kitchen for your own baking experience. And there is a recipe in the back of the book to enjoy. This book most definitely fits the Love Inspired Inspirational Romance brand and it is a clean, gentle read perfect for any age.

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.

This exciting new Amish romance is from Publishers Weekly bestselling author of The Amish Baker and The Amish Marriage Bargain.

About the Book:

She’ll do anything to protect her bakery… 
no matter the cost to her heart.

Small-town, Amish baker Mary Brenneman is devastated when handsome Englischer Noah Miller opens up a bakery right across from hers. Now she must win a local baking contest just to stay in business. But somewhere along the way, Noah and Mary’s kitchen wars are quickly warming into something more…

Still mourning the death of his parents, Mary helps Noah search for the Amish grandparents he has never met. And when a crisis hits Mary’s bakery, Noah volunteers his assistance.

After Mary’s now ex-fiancé broke their engagement so he could go live in the Englisch world, she vows to stay away from men…especially Englisch men. Even though she likes Noah more each day, she keeps her distance.

With her heart packed with distrust, Noah hopes to soften her resolve and convince Mary of their undeniable love. But trouble brews at the baking contest when Mary thinks Noah has stolen her recipe. After the surprising result of the contest, Noah and Mary must face their feelings and decide what road God has set them upon.

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