Safeguarding the Witness ~ Review with Excerpt

Safeguarding the Witness
The Protectors
By Laurie Winter

Kayla Swartz’s return to Snowberry, Montana, was a last-minute trip after a call from her estranged father. Her little sister is in need of someplace to stay. And Kayla answered the call, but when she arrives, her father has been murdered. 

Worse, the killer was looking for something - stolen jewels. Could her father's old ways have again gotten him into trouble? Trouble that he couldn't get out of this time. 

But Nicholas Galanis, Kayla's high school boyfriend, claims that her father had changed. But after years of living under the shadow of her father's ill reputation, she has a hard time believing he could have changed. And when someone makes a threat against Kayla and Olive, Kayla turns to Nicholas for help. Their lives depend on staying one step ahead of the killer. And this killer isn't going to back off until he gets what he thinks Trevor Swartz gave to his daughters. 

In Safeguarding the Witness, Nicholas and Kayla have to deal with their shared past - one that resulted in their plans for the future going completely off-track, and Kayla was the one everyone blamed. 

This book is part of the Love Inspired Suspense series, and as such, you know that you will get a clean read without getting the story lost in a lot of graphic details. The story opens by jumping right into the action. Something was very wrong. How could this not draw you in? What was wrong? And not only was it wrong, but it was very wrong. And from here, it just ups the tension and builds to the climax. This is not to be missed if you are a fan of Love Inspired Suspense or Christian Romantic Suspense.

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

Title: Safeguarding the Witness
Series: The Protectors
Author: Laurie Winter
Publisher: ‎ Inspirational The Protectors Collection (Love Inspired Suspense)
Release Date: April 25, 2023
Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

 

A treasure worth killing for…  

 

Unless the bodyguard can protect them 

 

Kayla Swartz’s return to Snowberry, Montana, has been a living nightmare. She found her estranged father murdered, and unless she retrieves some missing jewels, Kayla and her three-year-old sister could be next. With nowhere else to turn, Kayla entrusts their lives to bodyguard Nicholas Galanis. But is hiding at a remote cabin in the mountains their best chance to survive…or the perfect opportunity for an ambush?

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ChristianBook | Bookshop/IndieBound | BookBub

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About the Author

Multiple award-winning author Laurie Winter is a true warrior of the heart. Inspired by her dreams, she creates authentic characters who overcome the odds and find true love. She keeps her life balanced with jogging and binge-watching true-crime shows. When not pounding the pavement or the keyboard, she's enjoying time with her family, who are scattered between Wisconsin and Michigan. Laurie has three kids and one fantastic husband, all who inspire her to chase her dreams.

Connect with Laurie by visiting lauriewinter.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

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Excerpt

Kayla raced outside after Nicolas but couldn’t react quickly enough. The blast caught her off guard, knocking her off the front stoop. She tumbled down the stairs and landed on a patch of brown grass. Her ears rang, and she pressed her hands over them to muffle the sound. She blinked, trying to soothe the sting of tears.

Nicolas! her mind screamed. He’d been close, too close. If he was hurt—or worse… Kayla halted her anxiety-producing theories. She pushed herself back onto her feet. Her vision narrowed in on Nicolas’s large form sprawled on the front lawn. He’d always seemed indestructible to her. Please let him be okay.

The front door swung out, and Detective Reimer sprinted out, barking orders into her cell
phone. She skidded to a stop by Kayla. “Are you hurt?”

Kayla shook her head. “No. Nicolas was near the blast.” 

“Emergency services are on their way. Stay here.” Detective Reimer left Kayla with firm instructions before heading to Nicolas.

Nicolas would be all right. He had to be. The alternative clawed inside her.

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JustRead Tours 

Texas Ranch Target ~ Review

Texas Ranch Target

Cowboy Protectors #2

By Virginia Vaughan

Texas Ranch Target really jumps into the action from the start - Jaycee Richmond is looking to connect with Brett Harmon when someone attacks her. But in her escape, she is involved in an accident that steals her memories - who she is and why she is in Jessup, Texas. 

Brett Harmon is at a low point, having lost a client and wondering just what went wrong. Needing to regroup, he's heading to Jessup to get away from everything when he comes across a woman who's been involved in an accident. He has no idea who he's come across, but it soon becomes apparent that someone is after her, and it's not to help her regain what she's lost.                                                                                                                                                                                         As Brett and Jaycee work to discover who she is and why someone is trying to kill her, they soon find evidence that Jaycee had been looking for Brett. 

Texas Ranch Target is the second book in the Cowboy Protectors series, and we are introduced to another of the Harmon cousins. And Brett is going to need help from his cousins Luke and Caleb (who were both introduced in Kidnapped in Texas) when it becomes obvious that the killer's sights aren't just on Jaycee.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              This is a good weekend read. The book is engaging and will hold your interest. And it will definitely have you wondering who did it. I will admit there was a character I kind of suspected, but not enough that I would have gone, "Ah-ha, you're the guilty party." So this is one where you'll definitely need to read to very the end to discover who did what to whom and why. And the why is most definitely something I didn't see coming. So if you enjoy reading Virginia Vaughan's work or Love Inspired Suspense, you don't want to miss this newest offering.                                                                                                                                                     

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

About the Book:

Somebody wants her dead…

But they'll have to go through him first.

After his client is murdered, security expert Brett Harmon plans to lie low at his family’s ranch—until he comes across an injured woman in the road. With only Brett’s business card in her pocket and no memory of her attack, Jaycee Richmond turns to her rescuer for answers. But when their search reveals a deadly connection, can Brett protect her from a killer she can’t remember?

From Love Inspired Suspense: 

Courage. 

Danger. 

Faith.

Cowboy Protectors

Book 1: Kidnapped in Texas
Book 2: Texas Ranch Target

The Weight of Air ~ Review

The Weight of Air

By Kimberly Duffy

Mabel MacGinnis has become the daughter her father trained her to be  - Europe's strongest woman. But when he died, her confidence died with him. On her own, she is lost and not enough. Worse, she's lost her place in the Manzo Brothers Circus unless she can reinvent herself. But her friend Jake Cummingham sees more to her than an act in her father's performance and goes with her when the secrets of the past come to light. The mother, she thought, long dead, has been living and performing in America.

Isabella Moreau has a life in America, one that her husband held her back from, questioning her strength and endurance. But claiming her it has cost her the life she could have had. But her skills as an aerialist are faltering as her body begins betraying her. Is the life she has fought for so hard about to be lost to her? 

What neither Mabel nor Isabella realizes is just how entwined their lives are. With Jake an unknown link between them soon, they will become part of one another lives. But as the three work out just who they are and what they want from life, they will have to put the past and its fears and pain behind them.

First of all, I have to say circuses are not really something I've ever been into, so this was a fairly new world for me. I found the back story of the circus to be an interesting one. The rivalry to be the top performer. Older performers were hidden in the crowd of performers, their faces behind veils to mask their age from the public. And then there was Mabel, who was expected to put her body on display because of her size and strength; her wishes for privacy and modesty were ignored. Yet there were codes of conduct the performers were expected to follow, which seemed at odds with the marketing employed. 

I feel that Mabel's father and Isabella's husband did both a disservice with his "protective" nature. Isabella wasn't allowed to move past her issues and felt rejected. While Mabel felt she couldn't work without her father at her side. And then there is Jake, who allowed tragedy to define him. It warped his view of his current situation and caused him to hurt those around him. I feel many of the problems that were faced could have been avoided if each could have listened and not just heard the words being spoken to them. 

This is a story of healing and moving on. But most importantly, learning in whom one should put their trust - God. I think the following verse was one that needed to be heeded, "I can do all things through God, who strengthens me."  Overall this was an excellent book and one I think would make a perfect choice for those who are into early Twentieth Century historical fiction or circuses. 

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:

Two women

--bound by blood, torn apart by circumstance--

find together that true strength comes in many forms.

In 1911, Mabel MacGinnis is Europe's strongest woman and has performed beside her father in the Manzo Brothers Circus her entire life. When he dies unexpectedly, she loses everything she's ever known and sets off in the company of acrobat Jake Cunningham in hope of finding the mother she thought was dead.

Isabella Moreau, America's most feted aerialist, has given everything to the circus. But age and injury now threaten her security, and Isabella, stalked by old fears, makes a choice that risks everything. Then her daughter Mabel appears alongside the man who never wanted to see Isabella again, and she is forced to face the truth of where, and in what, she derives her worth.

As Mabel and Isabella's lives become entangled beneath the glittering lights and flying trapeze of Madison Square Garden, their resiliency and resolve are tested as they learn the truth of what it means to be strong.

Tactical Force ~ Review

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Tactical Force by Lynn Shannon,

hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

Tactical Force

Triumph Over Adversity #6
By Lynn Shannon

While she was still in High School, Hayley Barlow was abducted and held by a killer until she escaped. After graduation, Hayley left town and never looked back. But the tragic death of her mother has brought her home, and her abductor knows she's back. Knowing she needs help if she is to survive, Hayley seeks out Walker Montgomery, her HS boyfriend.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Walker Montgomery never thought he'd see Hayley again. And he certainly never expected to hear that the man who abducted her and killed his sister was back. Not only back but toying with them, taunting them with another woman's life at stake.

Tactical Force is the sixth book in the Triumph Over Adversity series, but it can easily be read as a standalone title, which I might add, I did. The killer is obsessive, toying with them and taunting them all while seemingly fixating on Hayley, the one who got away. 

There are many potential suspects but nothing concrete, and it remains this way up until the climax. This book has a bit more attention to descriptive detailing than the Love Inspired Suspense while still on the mild side of graphic detailing. Fans of Romantic Suspense and second chances will enjoy Tactical Force by Lynn Shannon. Just be prepared to lose sleep because you won't want to put this one down. 

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

Title: Tactical Force
Series: Triumph Over Adversity #6

Author: Lynn Shannon 
Publisher: Creative Thoughts, LLC
Release Date: February 28, 2023
Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

Some wounds never heal.

As a former Navy SEAL, Walker Montgomery faces danger without flinching. But not even a combat zone halfway around the world was far enough to escape the trauma of his teen years. His younger sister was murdered, and the killer was never caught. Since returning home, he’s been quietly working the case, unable to move on with his life until justice is served.  

She’s a survivor. 

Hayley Barlow has her own tragic childhood. Abducted and held captive, she barely escaped the clutches of the same killer that murdered Walker’s sister. The invisible scars on her heart and the brand on her shoulder are souvenirs she can’t get rid of. When Hayley receives a taunting phone call from her attacker, she turns to Walker for help.  

A race to stop a killer. 

Walker is committed to safeguarding Hayley, but their closeness fractures the walls surrounding his heart. As the killer draws them into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, nothing is as it seems. Walker is used to taking the fight to the enemy, but this time, with Hayley’s life on the line, it may cost him more than he’s willing to lose.

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

More Books in this Series

   

 

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About the Author

It took an international move from Texas to Greece before Lynn Shannon turned her love of reading into a passion for writing. Now she spends her days penning fast-paced inspirational romantic suspense. Her novels combine intriguing mysteries with heartfelt romance.

Lynn lives with her husband, two children, an extremely spoiled dog, and a turtle who hibernates half of the year. The experience of a different country has provided amazing new foods—like Yemista and Kourabiedes—to accompany pecans and Blue Bell ice cream on her favorites list. She also never passes up coffee, chocolate, or the chance to watch cute animal videos. 

Connect with Lynn by visiting lynnshannon.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletters.

JustRead Tours

Tastes Like Murder ~ Review

Tastes Like Murder

A Fiona Quinn Mystery #4

By C.S. McDonald

Fiona Quinn is the maid of honor at a murder, not that murder was on the schedule. Nope, it was supposed to be a wedding for Fiona's cousin. But when the rehearsal goes wrong and the bride ends up dead, Fiona is suspect number one. This time her "Kindergarten Teacher" persona doesn't protect her. Yikes!! 

Even worse, Fiona handled the murder weapon. It was all innocent, of course. But then it goes viral, and everyone is quick to question just what hides behind her Kindergarten Teacher façade. Double Yikes!!! 

I really enjoyed this book. The pacing was excellent, and the various family members/suspects make for an exciting who-did-what-to-whom to the very end. And, yes, it was a well-played game up to the very end, and only the smallest of clues will offer the answers that they seek. 

And then there are Fiona's home parents there for the wedding. With an armload of Yorkies to harass her nosy neighbor and her mom, Nancy taking on her own investigation into the murder, well, it won't get boring. 

I listened to the audio version of this, and the narration was excellent. The book was narrated by Maren Swenson Waxenberg and was well presented. At 4-3/4 hours, this was the perfect quick listen as I was able to enjoy it over a week of commute time. 

This was most definitely a cozy mystery, and I would have no qualms recommending it to any reader over twelve years of age. I love Fiona's reaction when she is referred to as a ""Kindergarten teacher." And then there is Grandma Evelyn, still up to her antics in Fiona's house and always worth a smile or two. This is one to add to your Summer TBR list though maybe not at the beach.

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

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Book Details:

Book Title:  Tastes Like Murder:  A Fiona Quinn Mystery #4
Author:  C.S. McDonald
​Category:  YA Fiction, 202 pages
Genre:  Cozy Mystery
Publisher:  McWriter Books
Release date:  Nov 23, 2017
Content Rating:  G (The Fiona Quinn Mysteries are for everyone--adults love the books, and they are appropriate for teens and tweens too!)

About the Book:

The bridesmaid dresses are ruffles and ruffles of ugly, one bridesmaid is trying to micro-manage…well, pretty much everything, and the bride-to-be is a total bridezilla! Wedding bells will soon be ringing, but as usual, Fiona is a bridesmaid and not a bride. As the maid of honor, how can Fiona keep the volatile pre-wedding festivities running smoothly? 

The problem is abruptly solved when the bride drops over dead at the elegant wine-tasting wedding rehearsal. Yikes! Who poisoned the wine? The suspects are lining up, and Fiona finds herself at the top of the list! Double yikes! It’s a vintage murder case for Fiona, Detective Landry, and the gang. Cheers!

Join Fiona and the gang for a hot whodunit on the sandy beaches of Presque Isle, Pennsylvania!

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BUY THE BOOK:
Audible ~ Amazon
Add to GoodreadsGoodreads

Meet the Author:

For twenty-six years C.S. McDonald’s life whirled around a song and a dance. Classically trained at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School, The Pittsburgh Dance Alloy, and many others, she became a professional dancer and choreographer. During that time, she choreographed many musicals and an opera for the Pittsburgh Savoyards. In 2011 she retired from her dance career to write. Under her real name, Cindy McDonald, she writes murder-suspense and romantic suspense novels. In 2014 she added the pen name, C.S. McDonald, to write children’s books for her grandchildren. In 2016 she added the Fiona Quinn Mysteries to that expansion. She decided to write the cozy mystery series that everyone, including teens and tweens, can read and enjoy. Presently, the Fiona Quinn Mysteries includes nine books with a tenth slated for 2021. The books are also available on audio, narrated by Maren Swenson Waxenberg.

Cindy’s newest venture is The Owl’s Nest Mysteries. Once again, she has set her cozy mystery in Pittsburgh and the female protagonist, Alexa Owl, is much different from Fiona Quinn. The Owl’s Nest Mysteries has a little grit, a little time travel, a little romance, and a whole lot of cozy!

Ms. McDonald resides on her Thoroughbred farm known as Fly by Night Stables near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Bill, and her poorly behaved Cocker Spaniel, Allister. 

Connect with the author:  Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook ~ Instagram

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The Tapestry of Grace ~ Review

The Tapestry of Grace

By Kim Vogel Sawyer

Martina Krahn has decided to do something, anything, to get out of her home and, hopefully, find something to help her husband. She knows his melancholy behavior is her fault, if only they had a child for him to raise. And Martina has just the thing to help her in her endeavor, Alexandertol needs a Frauenverein. What better way to possibly find an orphan boy who needs a home?

But Martina didn't expect Augusta Dyck to have an opinion on who this benevolent society should first aid. Nope, she never wanted to extend a helping hand to a widower, and especially not to Konrad Rempel.

Konrad doesn't need anyone telling him how his young twins need to be minded. When school is in session, there's no problem, but with the break, his business is hampered by his sons' antics. 

The Tapestry of Grace is a story of caring and reaching out to those in need. But sometimes, the hardest need to be met is our own. Admitting to a need is to expose a vulnerability, and that is one thing most people don't want to do. And the residents of Alexandertol are no different. But often, the very thing we fear admitting is the only way to move forward, to heal.

The Tapestry of Grace is a feel-good book. It takes time to get from here to there, and it doesn't exactly take the path that those involved expect it to take. At the root of it all are family, friends, community, and faith. Kim Vogel Sawyer has created a story that you'll be drawn into. You will care as these characters fight to change their lives and form new friendships along the way.

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 a group of Kansas women start a Frauenverein, a benevolent society devoted to aiding widows and orphans, life changes for more than just the hurting people they seek to help in this heartwarming romance inspired by historical events—from the bestselling author of Freedom’s Song.

With classes paused for the planting season, Alexandertol’s schoolteacher Augusta Dyck is glad for some meaningful work to occupy her time. She even knows exactly who their town’s benevolence society should help first: quiet, reserved widower Konrad Rempel and his young twin sons.

Konrad Rempel, however, is adamant that he doesn’t want help. His boys are mischievous but good-hearted. And though Konrad may be struggling, he doesn’t want anyone else sticking their nose in and telling him what his sons need. Or what he needs.

For her part, the charity’s founder Martina Krahn is relieved to have a reason to spend time outside her unhappy home. It even occurs to her that she may, through her work, encounter a boy in need of a family and so find a son for her husband since they have no children of their own.

Augusta, Konrad, and Martina each have deep needs and desires, and each imagines how they should be met: by reaching out or by being left alone. But God, indeed, knows best. Will the competing agendas of Alexandertol’s residents prevent them from receiving God’s help? Or will the members of this small Mennonite community find the answers to their prayers in the very last place they expect—in one another?

After the Shadows ~ Review

After the Shadows

Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing  #1

By Amanda Cabot

A year ago, Emily Leland left Sweetwater Crossing as a newlywed bride. Today she is returning as a widow, one with a secret. But the home she left is filled with sorrow following the death of her mother. And then there is her sister's anger - anger and resentment at the situation. 

Emily's homecoming is anything but happy when her father is found dead. Emily alone feels that someone took her father's life, but anyone with any authority thinks it is just her grief speaking. But in the midst of her grief, Emily continues to honor her father's memory by opening her family's home to those in need of housing, including the newly arrived school teacher.    

This is an excellent book that touches on several serious topics, including suicide and abuse. These are approached both delicately and thoughtfully, presented as they were handled at the time this book is set. There are concerns that Emily raises that, for the most part, are ignored by all except the new school teacher Craig Ferguson. I think Craig is more open to Emily's assertions because he has recently lost his own wife in tragic circumstances, and his less humiliating disciplinary measures have marked him as possibly unsuitable too. But whatever the reasons Craig has for believing Emily, they work to solve the mystery that Emily feels needs to be answered. 

What they uncover is rather shocking, and would be interesting to discover why it happened. What was the triggering event that made this course of action seem acceptable? This is the question that so many times we all ask after an event, "Why did they do this?" This is the first book in the Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing series, and if this book is any indication, it should prove to be an excellent series. Amanda Cabot presented a well-spun story with characters who had depth as they dealt with difficult situations, a testament to her skills.                                                                                                                                                                         

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:

A brighter future awaits--if she can escape the shadows of the past

Emily Leland sheds no tears when her abusive husband is killed in a bar fight, but what awaits her back home in Sweetwater Crossing is far from the welcome and comfort she expected. First, she discovers her father has died under mysterious circumstances. Then the house where the new schoolteacher and his son are supposed to board burns, leaving them homeless. When Emily proposes turning the family home into a boardinghouse, her sister is so incensed that she leaves town.

Alone and broke, her family name sullied by controversy, Emily is determined to solve the mystery of her father's death--and to aid Craig Ferguson, despite her fears of men. The widowed schoolmaster proves to be a devoted father, an innovative teacher, and an unexpected ally. Together they must work to unmask a killer and escape the shadows of their own pasts in order to forge a brighter future.

Bestselling author Amanda Cabot transports you to 1880s Texas Hill Country for a brand-new series that will have you flipping pages to solve the mystery and get to the happily-ever-after you long for.