Collateral Damage ~ Review

Collateral Damage
Danger Never Sleeps #1
By Lynette Eason

A missed appointment, a traitor in their midst, a deadly attack, and nightmares that won't stop. Brooke Adams wants to stay as far away from everything that will remind her of her time in Afghanistan. And she won't see former military personnel in her private practice psychiatric duties. But when pictures from the worst day of her life are published she soon finds her path crossing with Asher James, former Army Special Ops.

Asher needs to talk to someone who understands, someone who has been where he's been and he's fairly certain Brooke will get it. But when he shows up for his appointment with Brooke something is very wrong. Brooke's office has been trashed and there is a murdered woman in it.

All too soon it becomes obvious that someone is targetting Brooke and it somehow seems to be related to her time in Afghanistan. But what exactly is something she and Asher will have to determine and soon.

FBI Special Agent Caden Denning is working a case that could have far-reaching repercussions - a secluded location that has been being used as a mass gravesite. But when he gets a call from his sister that he needs to warn Brooke that she is in danger he gets pulled into the situation with Asher and Brooke. Meanwhile, his sister Sarah knows that she has stumbled on to the story of a lifetime - she just needs to be sure no one realizes just what she is up to.

As each case races towards a potentially dangerous conclusion unexpected twists make this a page-turner you won't be able to put down. The book quickly draws one in and doesn't let go. The characters are quickly introduced and seemingly well-developed almost immediately so that the story progresses at a quick pace with no bogging down in attempting to create a rapport with the characters. And the conclusion lets just say WOW! Not quite what I was expecting and the way everything came together just made for excellent reading.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion, All thoughts expressed are my own.


About the Book:

They thought they left the fight behind on

the battlefield. But their greatest struggles

are just beginning.

Honorably discharged from the Army after an explosion nearly killed her, former military psychiatrist Brooke Adams has set up shop to help others--but her days of helping military personnel are over. She's got her own battles to fight from her time overseas, and she's not equipped to take on more. Former Army Special Ops Sergeant First Class Asher James could handle anything that war sent his way--terrorists, bombs, bullets. The only thing that scares him now is sleep. As the shadows close in, the nightmares begin.

Finally convinced that he needs help, Asher makes an appointment with a counselor, and Brooke is pressed by her boss to take him on. When he arrives at her office she isn't there--but a dead body is. Brooke is devastated when she walks in, and Asher is a conveniently strong shoulder to cry on. But she can't take him on as a client after sharing such an intimate and unprofessional moment, can she? And he's not sure he can handle sharing his deepest fears with such a beautiful woman.

When it becomes clear that Brooke was the real target of the attack--and that her secrets go even deeper than his own--Asher vows to protect her no matter what.

Bestselling author Lynette Eason is back with a new series that spans the globe and will have your heart working overtime.

Seconds to Live ~ Review

Seconds to Live
Homeland Heroes #1
By Susan Sleeman

A cybercriminal has compromised the U.S. Marshals database of persons who are in their Witness Protection Program (WITSEC) and the data is available for purchase. With time running against them RED Team is assigned the lead in this case. FBI Agent Sean Nichols is the led agent in this multi-agency team and they need to move fast to stop the individual they believe responsible for this breach - Phantom is known for not only incredible hacking skills but a deadly ruthlessness.

First stop is Portland, Oregon, to connect with U.S. Marshal Taylor Mills, with whom RED Team had previous dealings. Taylor's charge in WITSEC is of particular interest as she has the hacking skills needed to pull this off and she has had previous dealings with Phantom. Dealings that have her life in danger and on Phantom's radar.

There is just one little problem though they have never met in person Sean and Taylor have a relationship that is about to put a serious dose of awkward into their face-to-face dealings. Working with someone who knows some of your deepest feelings is never easy and Sean and Taylor are about to find out just how hard it is very quickly. Can you say stepping on toes when they each try to do their job with no compromise?

With the threat that someone inside the U.S. Marshal office is involved Taylor is effectively cut off from her normal support team with need to know severely limited. Phantom is always seemingly two steps ahead of them and every lead soon becomes a dead-end.

Tick-tock is the refrain that must be running through the minds of this group as the threat to protected witnesses begins to become reality. Trust is what is needed to get them to their goal - Phatom's capture and the recovery of the stolen database and trust is the one thing that both Sean and Taylor have in short supply.

Seconds to Live is the first book in Susan Sleeman's new Homeland Heroes series and it has a wide cast of characters whom one is more than willing to get to know in future books. One would assume that the RED Team will continue to work on a seemingly cold case that they haven't solved - the Montgomery Three has haunted all of them (we are given little about this case other than that the team sees this as a failure). I like that little hints are offered throughout about the other team members but nothing to truly flesh them out so that they become a friend rather they are like the neighbor you only pass on the way to and from work. The book works well as a series staring point but also works well as a standalone book.

This book is classified as Romantic Suspense and falls well into that genre - those who have read Susan Sleeman's work with Love Inspired Suspense will not be disappointed in this offering from Bethany House. Great way to pass the late-night hours when you should probably be sleeping but what can I say I was hooked and could not stop reading.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion - all thoughts expressed are my own.


About the Book:

The Seconds Are Ticking Down before Someone Dies

When cybercriminals hack into the U.S. Marshals' Witness Protection database and auction off witnesses' personal details to the highest bidders, the RED Team, led by FBI Agent Sean Nichols, begins a high-stakes chase to find the hacker. But before he can even get started, the first witness is targeted and barely escapes with her life. Sean believes Phantom, an obsessed hacker who previously outwitted the top minds in the field, is behind the attack, and Sean needs this witness's help, as she's the person who has come closest to discovering Phantom's identity.

Trouble is, she's under the care of U.S. Marshal Taylor Mills, and Sean is reluctant to work with the captivating Marshal who knows his deepest secrets. But Phantom seems to be one step ahead at every turn and will stop at nothing to kill the witness. To stop the hacker, Sean and Taylor must learn to trust each other as danger draws ever closer.

The Painted Castle ~ Review

The Painted Castle
The Lost Castle #3
By Kristy Cambron

Keira Foley finds herself working in her family's Dublin pub rather than making use of her skills as an art authenticator. But when Emory Scott starts making a nuisance of himself hanging out in the pub Keira finds herself running interference with American and her overprotective brother Cormac. But Emory has a proposition for Keira that requires her art knowledge. But it will take her to East Suffolk and Parham Hill Estate.

Parham Hill has a history that has a bearing on the mysterious painting that Keira has been hired to authenticate.

1843 finds Elizabeth Meade in search of her father's killer. Ten years have passed since he died before her eyes and she is determined to find the man she thinks responsible. When a possible match with Viscount Huxley brings her to Parham Hill she becomes acquainted with portrait artist Franz Winterhalter and the man she believes she has been searching for. But what Elizabeth thinks she knows is far from the truth she never knew.

1944 finds Parham Hill caught up in the midst of a world at war. Amelia Woods has lost her husband to the war and grieves the life she will never have. Parham has been turned into a boarding school for refugee children when most unexpectedly they are ordered to offering housing American pilots who have no room on the nearby base.

What ties these three women together is Parham Hill, a painting of Queen Victoria, and hearts that are hurting from loss. As with the previous Lost Castle novels, this book is a delightful blending of three stories into one. As the story progresses every third chapter focuses on a different character/timeline in a seamless fashion. One knows that the story is changing but it is not a sudden and abrupt departure that leaves the reader wondering what happened. This is the perfect read for those who love contemporary and historical fiction with a generous pinch of mystery and romance. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a book-getaway that ends well.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher through Amazon's Vine Program with no expectations but that I offer my honest opinion.

About the Book:

A lost painting of Queen Victoria... 

A centuries-old English estate with a library bricked off from the world...

And three women, separated by time, whose lives are irrevocably changed.

When art historian Keira Foley is hired to authenticate a painting at a centuries-old East Suffolk manor, she hopes this is just the thing to get her career and life back on track. But from the time she arrives at Parham Hill Estate and begins working alongside rumored art thief Emory Scott, she’s left with far more questions than answers. Could this lost painting of Queen Victoria be a duplicate of the original Winterhalter masterpiece, and if so, who is the artist?

As Keira begins to unravel the mystery behind the portrait of the queen, two women emerge from the estate’s forgotten past. In Victorian England, talented sketch artist Elizabeth Meade is engaged to Viscount Huxley, then owner of Parham Hill. While there, master portrait artist Franz Winterhalter takes her under his wing, but Elizabeth’s real motive for being at Parham Hill has nothing to do with art. She’s determined to avenge her father’s brutal murder—even if it means feigning an engagement to the very man she believes committed the crime.

A century later, Amelia Woods—a WWII widow who has turned Parham Hill Estate and its beloved library into a boarding school for refugee children—receives military orders to house a troop of American pilots. She is determined that the children in her care remain untouched by the war, but it’s proving difficult with officers taking up every square inch of their world… and one in particular vying for a space in her long shut up heart.

Set in three time periods—the rapid change of Victorian England, the peak of England’s home front tensions at the end of World War II, and modern day—The Painted Castle unfolds a story of heartache and hope and unlocks secrets lost for generations, just waiting to be found.

The Painted Castle is a sweet romance, the third in the Lost Castle series. It can be read as a stand-alone but is better if read with The Lost Castle and Castle on the Rise.

North by Northanger ~ Review

North by Northanger
By Rebecca H. Jamison

It was just supposed to be a blind date with her brother's roommate but when a stranger accidentally mixes up phones with Eva Morland she is drawn into something she'd never imagined. There was something about Grant Tilney that just made for an almost instantaneous connection so when Eva discovers the phone mix-up she rushes off to switch the phones back. What could go wrong with a good deed?

But instead of Grant, Eva finds herself being kidnapped and taken to a remote location. When Eva manages to escape no one believes her. In fact, Eva finds herself instead on the wrong side of the law and her life in danger. What's a girl to do???

When Eva manages to find Grant and get her phone back she soon needs his help to again get away from her kidnappers. But can she trust a stranger who just happens to know things that he shouldn't? Who is Grant and is he truly trying to help her? Or will he be the one to bring her down? But they are on the run and she needs to trust someone.

North by Northanger is a fun read that keeps the reader wondering just what is truly going on. Who can Eva trust and will she ever get home to her family? Or will she just be an unexplained disappearance?

Overall an enjoyable clean mystery that won't keep you up at night unless you can't stop turning the pages. My takeaway from this is don't chase after a stranger to return a phone if you don't know exactly where they went you might end up on the wrong side of a gun. This could be a cute movie but just as fun reading and imagining the characters for yourself.

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:

While Eva Morland waits for her first-ever blind date to arrive, she meets Grant Tilney. Not only does flirting come easily with Grant, but he also shares her appreciation for black-and-white movies and vintage diners. After he leaves, she notices that he left his phone behind. Setting out to find his office and return the phone, she knocks on a warehouse door. The man who answers mistakes Eva for a government spy, who’s come to investigate his crime ring. He and his partner force Eva into a car and drive her to a secluded trailer in the country.

Eva’s kidnapping sets her down a path of suspense and romance, as she uses all her wits to escape from the bad guys and prove her true identity. Grant comes to her rescue, hiding her in the cab of his semi-truck, but it seems that the criminals are always a step ahead.

Grant is the only one who believes Eva, but as they journey North, Eva starts to question Grant’s identity and motives. She must discover for herself if Grant is one of the good guys or bad guys. Only then will she know whether he’s worth the risk of her own life.

Fans of Hitchcock and Jane Austen will enjoy this modern mash-up of North by Northwest with Northanger Abbey.

Kaya: The Journey Begins

The Journey Begins
Kaya #1
By Janet Shaw

Kaya is constantly being told boasting is wrong, but she can't help it if the truths she tells sound like boasting. After all her Appaloosa mare is the most beautiful and the fastest horse in the herd. But when Kaya's boasting leads her to neglect her assigned task of watching her younger brothers all the children suffer as a result of her boasting and disobedience.  Worse her actions have earned her a nickname she would rather not have.

When her sister Brown Deer is hurt, Kaya's quick thinking and Steps High speed are the only things that prevent a tragedy from occurring. But Kaya still bears the nickname that she despises.

When enemies raid their camp during the night Kaya fears that Steps High will be stolen away and she leads her sister Speaking Rain into danger. Worse both girls are captured and taken for from their family and friends. When they arrive in the raiders camp Kaya and Speaking Rain are put to work as slaves - is there any hope of rescue or escape? And with Speaking Rain's blindness is there any way the two girls could escape together? Or will Kaya be forced to leave her sister behind?

This book is set in 1764 and focuses on Kaya's way of life with the Nimiipuu, today we know them as the Nez Perce. The importance of following instructions is stressed as is the need to avoid boasting (which as Kaya proved leads to actions one later regrets). The story is well-paced and the characters well developed. The illustrations work well to help bring the story to life. There are 6 pages after the story portion of the book that focuses on what Kaya's world was like giving historical facts that will help the reader further understand the context of the story.

I received this book via Amazon's Vine Program with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion.




About the Book:

Kaya and her horse are in the lead...

Kaya knows in her heart that her beautiful Appaloosa mare, Steps High, is the fastest horse in the herd. But when boasting leads to a daring bareback race, Kaya pushes Steps High too hard. She puts herself and the horse in danger and earns a terrible nickname for being untrustworthy. Kaya vows to be a girl her horse and her people can trust. When enemy raiders storm Kaya's village, she tries to save Steps High but gets taken captive herself, along with her sister. All Kaya can think of is escape, but how?

Saving Jemima ~ Review

Saving Jemima
Life and Love with a Hard-Luck Jay
By Julie Zickefoose

It all started with noticing something where it should not be. While gardening the author found a newly-laid Blue Jay egg on the ground. She replaced it in its nest and then worried about it and its 2 potential siblings. Her fears were confirmed when prey got to 2 of the eggs. She determined to handle its incubation and deal with its raising when it hatched. But the egg died just under 1/2 through the process.

Julie Zickefoose was crushed in a sense after anticipating the drawings she would capture as her little jay grew and developed. When a year later she learned of a nestling jay in dire need she offered to give it immediate temporary care.  But temporary soon grew into something more. This book is the journey that took Jemima from sickly nestling to a wild Blue Jay. The journey was filled with setbacks both for Jemima and Julie. But it is also a journey of discovery and triumph.
I once read the book That Quail, Robert and this book reminded me of it though it has been years since I read it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Amazon's Vine Program with no expectations but that provide my honest opinion.

About the Book:
For fans of Wesley the Owl and The Soul of an Octopus, the story of a sick baby bird nursed back to health and into the wild by renowned writer/artist Julie Zickefoose.

When Jemima, a young orphaned blue jay, is brought to wildlife rehabilitator Julie Zickefoose, she is a virtually tailless, palm-sized bundle of gray-blue fluff. But she is starved and very sick. Julie’s constant care brings her around, and as Jemima is raised for eventual release, she takes over the house and the rest of the author's summer.
 
Shortly after release, Jemima turns up with a deadly disease. But medicating a free-flying wild bird is a challenge. When the PBS show Nature expresses interest in filming Jemima, Julie must train her to behave on camera, as the bird gets ever wilder. Jemima bonds with a wild jay, stretching her ties with the family. Throughout, Julie grapples with the fallout of Jemima’s illness, studies molt and migration, and does her best to keep Jemima strong and wild. She falls hard for this engaging, feisty and funny bird, a creative muse and source of strength through the author’s own heartbreaking changes.

Emotional and honest, Saving Jemima is a universal story of the communion between a wild creature and the human chosen to raise it.

Brand of Light - Spotlight with Giveaway

Welcome to the Brand of Light Takeover Tour hosted by 

Just Read Publicity Tours

Book Name Brand of Light    

Author Ronie Kendig

Publisher Enclave Publishing

Purchase Link https://amzn.to/2EftV1U

About the Book: 

There’s a price on her head, and it has everything to do with the brand on her arm.

Tertian Space Coalition has blessed every planet in the quadrants with high technology, save one: Drosero. But in spite of their tenuous treaty with the ruling clans, TSC has plans for the backward planet. And they’re not alone.

After a catastrophic explosion, Kersei Dragoumis awakens in a derelict shuttle, alone, injured, and ignorant of the forbidden technology that has swept her into a nightmare. The brand she’s borne since childhood burns mysteriously, but the pain is nothing to that when she learns her family is dead and she is accused of their murders.

Across the quadrants, Marco Dusan responds to the call of a holy order—not to join them, but to seek a bounty. Gifted—or cursed—with abilities that mark him a Kynigos, a tracker sworn to bring interplanetary fugitives to justice, Marco discovers this particular bounty has nothing to do with justice and everything to do with prophecy. One that involves the hunter as much as the hunted.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Giveaway (1) winner will receive an Exclusive Signed Hardcover of BRAND OF LIGHT, Custom Dio “Kersei” Candle, Handmade Snowflake Galaxy Ornament, Handmade Galaxy Mug Rug, Character Cards of Marco, Kersei, and Tigo, and Maps of the Planets and of Drosero! 

(Giveaway not affiliated with Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. US only.)

Enter giveaway via @justreadtours profile link