Echoes Among the Stones by Jaime Jo Wright

Echoes Among the Stones is a dual timeline story. In 1946 Imogene loses her beloved sister is murdered in the home. There are plenty of suspects but who did it? Aggie lives in the modern day and is going through grief of her home.  She has lost her own mother to cancer but she still has her grandmother who she calls Mumsie.  Mumsie is quite elderly but still has a sharp mind. Aggie has a job working at a cemetery. Strange things start happening to Aggie and I am wondering where is the connection between the present and the past?. After all that murder was over 70 years ago.  At times I felt the storyline dragged a little but it did pick up and kept me engaged. I could not put this novel down until I knew who the murderer was and who was doing the strange things in the present. There were many twists in the story and I was quite surprised to find out who the murderer was and who was responsible for things happening in the present.  If you are looking for a book with a strong emphasis on romance this is not it although it is touched on lightly.  

Thanks to Netgalley and Bethany house for providing me a copy of this ebook to read and review. All the opinions are my own.

Smoke Screen by Terri Blackstock

Smoke Screen is different for the usual suspense novel that Terri Blackstock usually write. There was still some suspense toward the end but not the heart pounding danger that the heroine is usually in. This story is told from the viewpoint of two characters. Brenna Strickland Hertzog has been through a lot in her 30 yeas of life. When she was 16 her minister father was supposedly murdered by her boyfriend's father. Years go by and she marries Jack Hertzog.  Jack is a jerk and dumps her to marry a much younger wife.  He doesn't really want to spend time with his kids but under the pressure from his  father, William Hertzog  who takes every opportunity to make Brenna's life a living hell. The children don't really want to spend time with their father but she really has no choice. She didn't handle it too well when she was separated from her children and took to drinking too much when they were away from them. The other viewpoint is Nate Beckett. He was the one who was involved with Brenna when she was a teen and her father died. They broke up when this happened. He moved to another town and became a smoke jumper. He has injuries on the job and returns to his home town to recuperate. His father is paroled from prison and maintains that he is innocent.  Meanwhile Nate reconnects with the divorced Brenna much to the chagrin of his father.  Most of the book dealt with Breena spiral into alcoholism with Nate trying to help her.  The the mystery was not really addressed until the last 10 percent of the book. I had a good suspicion on who the real murderer and it was confirmed toward the end but I had no idea of the motive.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Lake Season by Denise Hunter

Lake Season is the first in the Bluebell Inn Romance series. I usually don't enjoy a first book in a series a lot because I am getting to know the characters and am not connected to them very much. In this book I got connected to the characters from the get go. I enjoyed this story and hated for it to end but with a series I will get to see the characters again in subsequent books. I enjoyed the friendship of Molly and Adam that grew into love. Molly with her family are running an inn that was formerly a post office and a home. It was a dream of Molly's parents to open this inn in this small town once the father retired from his career as a physician but they were tragically killed in an auto accident before the dream could be fulfilled. Adam shows up at the inn and rents a room. Molly and Adam quickly become friends when they get involved solving a mystery. What Molly does not know is that Adam is keeping a secret. She does not know that Adam is her favorite author. What will she think when she realizes Adam has been hiding who he is? I also loved the time slip storyline. There are some twists that I did not see coming. I can't wait to read the next book in the series. The next one will be centered around Molly's brother Levi. I was hoping it would be her baby sister but I guess she has some more growing up to do. I am so enjoying this series!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Lake Season will be released on November 12. Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for providing me a digital copy to read and review.

The Loyal One by Shelley Shepard Gray
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is second full length book in the Walnut Creek series. I loved reading Katie and Harley's story. Reading about Katie's secret of her hoarder mother makes me want to seriously clean out my house so I don't leave a mess to my kids to clean up. I am far from being a hoarder but do have the tendency to hold on to things longer than I should. I loved the characters in this story. At first I thought Harley's family would be standoffish but I grew to love them. I thought I would dislike the father but learned he would just a man of few words, a quiet man. There is a secondary storyline of Harley's younger brother Kyle and an English girl he has befriended. I wish that story had been resolved in this book but it will be resolved in another book. I an curious on the direction that story will take. Will she turn Amish or will Kyle jump the fence?


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Vow of Justice by Lynette Eason

Lynette Eason takes us on a wild ride with this finale to the Blue Justice series. Each book in this series focused on one of the St. John siblings. In this book Linc gets his story. In this story he at first believes that Alison has died and he vows to find her murderer. He does not know that she is indeed alive and has to stay "dead" to protect the people she cares about. Of course he is irritated with her at first but it soon comes a battle of trying to keep her alive. She comes close to being murdered for real many times. There are more than one evil men in this story. There was one I suspected early on but I did not know his motives  until the very end and I did not know the extent of his evil ways that he was going to manifest. This book will keep you up late reading but all Lynette Eason books tend to do that. You won't regret reading this one. I suggest you read the others in the series.  Thanks to Revell and LibraryThing for providing me an ARC of this book to read. This book is due for release on August 6, 2019.

Yours Truly, Thomas by Rachel Fordham

Years ago I watched a series on the Hallmark channel about a group of people who worked in the dead letter office of the post office. Like the characters of that series Penny Ercanbeck also works for the post office reading dead letters and trying to get the letters forwarded to the rightful owner. She works hard trying to support herself and her widowed mother. Life has gotten hard for her. They were used to so much more before father died. She is a cheerful woman trying to make the best of a bad situation. One particular letter touches her heart so she goes above and beyond the call of duty to find the owner of the letter. Will she find love in the process. A delightful read!

Strands of Truth by Colleen Coble

Strands of Truth is a stand alone romantic suspense novel. Having your DNA analyzed is a popular thing to do these days and it has really gotten inexpensive to do. Harper Taylor has been alone since her mother after giving birth to her prematurely. She is successful as a marine biologist. She has her DNA and finds she has a half sister who is about 20 years older than her. She quickly bonds with Annabelle and finds out Annabelle's mother also died when Annabelle was an infant. Annabelle was about 5 months old. Were both women murdered? Neither woman has any clue who their mutual father is. As Harper comes closer to the truth both women's lives are in danger. I thought one person was behind all the was going on but I was wrong and it was somebody else. I loved it that the author was able to stump me.  

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Fire Storm by Nancy Mehl

Fire Storm in the second in the Kaely Quinn Profile series. This series just keeps getting better.  Her special friend that we were introduced to in the last book returns. Kaely is estranged from her mother  who is very ill with cancer.  She does want to spend time with her mother but agrees at the request of her brother.  An arsonist is starting fire in her mother's town. Kaely is soon dragged into finding who the arsonist is. The clues point to one of two people but there is a twist that I did not see coming. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bethany House Publishers for providing me an e-copy of this book to read and review. This book will be published on August 6, 2019

Toxic Toffee by Amanda Flower

Toxic Toffee is book 4 in the Candy Shop mysteries. I love this series and an usually baffled at who the murderer is. This book kept me guessing also. In this novel Bailey has just returned from filming her candy television series in New York. She is commissioned to construct a giant toffee bunny for a festival in town. A much-loved Amish man, Stephen Raber drops dead. He raises rabbits but has a favorite one as a pet. Bailey becomes the caretaker for said rabbit. Bailey finds herself yet again involved with solving who killed Mr. Raber much to the chagrin of her deputy boyfriend Aiden. This book is full of twists and surprises and things are not always as they appear to be.

In addition to the solving of the murder there is the quirky characters that add enjoyment and humor to the book. There is Aiden's mother Juliet. She makes no secret that she wants Bailey as a daughter-in-law and is quite funny in her statements. Juliet has a spotted pet pig Jethro that she treats like a child and will sometimes dress up in pokey dotted garments to match Jethro.

I highly recommend reading this book. Thanks to Kensington Books and Netgallely for providing me a copy of this book to read and review.

Mind Games by Nancy Mehl
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Mind Games is not your typical Romantic Suspense. There is plenty of suspense but not really any romance. There could possibly be in future books but Kaely Quinn is just not interested in romance. For one thing she does not really trust people. How could she? Her father is a notorious serial killer. How did you get over something like that? She is fully devoted to her job at the FBI as a profiler and she is the best in her field. This book had me guessing who the evil one was. He was clever but eventually Kaely was able to pinpoint who he was only when her life was on the line. I can't wait to read the next in the series. I am sure it will be as good as this one.


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More Than Words Can Say by Karen Witemeyer

All Abigail Kemp wants to do is to keep her bakery shop open. It is just her and her younger sister Rosalind. Her father had died a few months earlier. She was a skilled baker having being trained by her father who owned the shop. Her fat Because of some asinine country law that states a female cannot own a business she must come up with a solution. She refuses to sell the shop. Her only other option is to find someone to marry. She has three choices. Zach Hamilton reluctantly agrees to marry her. He wants a real marriage so he courts her while living in the same dwelling. He was quite the gentleman never pressuring her for anything but he did want that goodnight kiss which she quite enjoyed. There was a female character in the book that kept causing trouble for Abigail. This particular person managed to create quite a bit of drama. 

Other things I loved about the book beside the growing romance between Abigail and Zach was the appearance of Zach's siblings at the wedding. His sister gave Abigail some good advice about Zach being a man of few words. I also like Rosaline. She was considered the pretty one while Abigail was had more girth to her waistline. We will be seeing Rosaline in a novella come Fall 2019. I had a feeling at the end of the book the author was setting Rosaline up for her own story so I went to Karen Witemeyer's web page and sure enough Rosaline's story which will be called More Than a Pretty Face will be part of the Serving up Love novella collection.

Thanks to Bethany House and Netgalley for providing me an e-copy of this book to read and review. This book will be released on June 4, 2019. Highly recommended!

Dark Harbor by Christy Barritt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another suspense filled novel by Christy Barritt. Madelyn comes to Waterman on a secret mission as a reporter. She thinks Zach may be a bad guy but is he really. Someone does not want her there. At first she gets warnings to leave town but it soon escalates to more dangerous things happening to her. It was surprising to see who the bad guy was at the end.


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Wooing Cadie McCaffrey by Bethany Turner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

To be honest I did not like this book as much as I did the author's first book. The story line was good but could have been told in a clearer way. This couple were madly in love until the straw that broke the camel's back did it for Cadie. Many of their problems could have been avoided had they had better communication. Also they were 34 years old. Why did he need "permission" from her daddy anyway to ask her to marry him? I thought she was a little hard nosed in softening up in his efforts to make things right between them. She was too distrusting. I didn't like it that it switched from the female first person to the male third person. I give this book 3 1/2 stars.


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On Magnolia Lane by Denise Hunter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the third and final book in the Blue Ridge series. Pastor Jack McReady is attrached to Daisy but is painfully shy to ask her. After all she thinks of him as a friend and her pastor. One of his friends signs him up for a dating site and starts communicating with Daisy. Jack and Daisy go on some friend dates. Daisy finds herself growing fond of Jack and the man she is texting not realizing that they are one and the same. This book was quite enjoyable. I found myself laughing many times.


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A Silken Thread by Kim Vogel Sawyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Set in 1895 during the Atlanta Exposition A Silken Thread is a wonderful story. Laurel Millard is the youngest of 7 children. Most of her siblings were quite selfish and expected her to give up her life and take care of her mother even though the mother was in excellent health. They expected her to not have a chance at happiness to take care of her mother. She takes a job at the Atlanta Exposition as a silk weaver. She meets the wealthy and spoiled Langdon Rochester and starts seeing him. I got frustrated at her at times for not seeing him for what he was. It bothered her the way he treated people but she was so wrapped up in that he would be the answer to her prayers that she ignored things for too long. She thought he would be the one to take care of her and her mother. If you are expecting a lot of romance in this book this is not the one. The romance at the end is low key but satisfying.


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The Patient One by Shelley Shepard Gray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Patient One is the first full book in the Walnut Creek series. There was a novella before this one where we got a brief introduction to the "Eight". The eight were a group of friends who were a mixture of Amish, English and Mennonite. In this book the eight are reeling from the suicide of Andy who was one of the eight. This book focuses the romance of John and Marie, two of the eight. They grow closes but things are complicated because Marie is English and John is Amish, although not baptized yet. I loved that way John's family was supportive of him. John struggled with joining the Amish church or "jumping the fence". I especially liked his little sister Molly who was in a wheelchair due to falling from a horse at age 9. She has such a wonderful outlook on life. She did not feel sorry for herself but got frustrated that her family was over protective of her. I look forward to reading the rest of the series. I'm hoping Katie's story is next.


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The Memory House by Rachel Hauck
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Memory House is a beautiful story with dual timelines. Everleigh and Don's story is set in the 50s and early 60s and Beck and Bruno's story is in the present. I usually like one timeline better than the other but in this book I like them equally well. It was hard to tell which was a favorite. Both women have suffered losses which have affected them deeply. Everleigh lost loved ones in a tragic tornado and Beck lost her father in the 911 tragedy. Both must learn to deal with what happened to them and move on. This book deals with flawed people and the way the story unfolds and how the people find healing is just beautiful. I highly recommend this book.


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The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Keep your hankies nearby. This book brought tears to my eyes on several times. The book starts out with Elise Sontage Dove as an elderly woman. She knows she has Alzheimer's disease. She knows this dreadful disease will eventually claim all her memories but she wants to see her childhood friend Mariko before the disease robs her of everything. Most of the story is told of her memories of her family living in an internment camp. Even though her German family had been living in the states for many years they were still looked on with suspicion by the US government during the World War 2 era. While at the internment camp she meets her best friend Mariko. Mariko's family is Japanese. This book was well written and even though it is not classified as Christian fiction, this book was clean with no offensive language or sex scenes. People who enjoy historical fiction will enjoy reading this book.


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Sweet on You by Becky Wade

Sweet on You is the third book in the Bradford Sister series. I have been wanting to read Brit's story since the first book. Each of the sisters have different talents. Brit's talent is candy making.  Brit's best childhood friend is Zander. Zander has been in love with Brit since they were young teens. Everyone knows Zander is crazy in love with her even though he has not admitted it. Everyone sees it except Brit. I loved Zander from the get go. He was so protective of her. He's been gone for a few months promoting his book overseas but really he just wanted to get away from the pain of seeing the girl he loved date other people.  He only returns to the states because of the death of his uncle. I loved this stories of best friends falling in love and this one fits the bill. Another reason I liked this story was the mystery surrounding his uncle. His uncle has a hidden past that even his wife was not aware of.  I loved the conclusion of this story and the series. It was also good to catch up on the other sisters and their significant others.  Sweet on You is due to be released on April 30, 2019.  I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Summer by the Tides by Denise Hunter

Summer by the Tides is a standalone book and I'm a little sad that it is not part of a series. I have grown attached to these characters and would love to see what they are doing in future books if it were a series.  Gram has somehow manipulated all three of her daughters to come to her beach home. They show up at the home because Gran's next door neighbor called all of them that Gran was missing. The three daughters are estranged from each other due to something that happened 20 years earlier.  As you read the story you learn that everyone in the story is keeping secrets. Every the grandmother has secrets. I loved the friendship and eventually love that developed between Maddie and Connor. At first she got the wrong impression of him but I like it that she was so open and willing to admit she was wrong directly to him.  The ending of this story just made me smile. 


I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Highest of Hopes by Susan Anne Mason
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After her grandfather dies Emma discovers that her father is alive and travels to Canada to meet him. Her childhood friend Jonathon travels with her. Jonathon is in love with her but has not revealed it to her yet. She does not get the reception she wants when she just shows up at her father's house. He is married with two daughters. Only the handicapped daughter is friendly to her. Her father shows some affection but still does not want to let the public know about her. His wife was downright cold. His oldest daughter was a spoiled brat but eventually warms up to Emma. I thought the characters were well developed. I felt sorry for Emma that she did not get her father's love and acted like he was ashamed of being her father. He does change toward the end of the book but his wife never did.
This book is the second in the Canadian Crossings series. The other book is about Grace. These books can be read as stand alone books as the events in both books happen at the same time.



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Justice Delivered by Patricia  Bradley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wonderful suspense filled book in the Memphis Cold Case series. With most books I like to read them in order but this one could easily be read as a stand alone book. If you decide to read the others which are as good as this one you won't receive any spoilers that will ruin the books for you when you do decide to read them. This book is about a woman, Heather as a teen was kidnapped and forced into prostitution for 8 years. While in bondage her captors gave he the name Jasmine. When she was able to escape and make a new life for herself she reinvents herself and gives herself a new name of Carly. She has done well for herself and has even gotten a college education and works as a drug abuse counselor. She is concerned that her traffickers are still at it and travels to Memphis to get some closure. She does not realize that by asking questions she puts herself and her loved ones in danger. Her niece is kidnapped and it is a race of time to rescue her before the unthinkable happens to her niece.


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Mountain Hideaway by Christy Barritt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I could not put this down. Tess was in constant danger. Good thing she had Trent to protect her. These two could not find a moment's rest. As soon as they found some place safe Leo's evil henchmen would find them. I have lost count the number of times they escaped by the skin of their teeth. In this book you knew from the beginning who the bad guy was. No surprises here. Romance did develop between Tess and Trent and I felt it was done quite well despite this being a short book.


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The Good Girl by Christy Barritt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tara experienced an event in her life that devastated her. She lost her marriage and most of her friends for something that she did not do. She was falsely accused of something terrible so she goes to Minnesota for a while to escape. She is staying at her sister's house taking care of the dog where the sister is on vacation. Tara was the poster child for the good girl but what did it get her? Because of what has happened to her she feels abandoned by God. While in Minnesota she makes some new friends but strange things start happening in the house. Is the house haunted by the former resident who disappeared and presumed dead? This book kept me in suspense. I loved the new people she met who supported her and happy she was finally vindicated in the end.


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Plummet by Brandilyn Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cara thought she was making a new life for herself and her child. She left behind an abusive ex-husband. Her own father had also been abusive. She thought things were going to be different in this new job. She thought the days of men abusing her were long gone. She was wrong. She had not been on the job very long when her boss asked her to do the unthinkable. This book was the kind of fiction we are used to reading from Brandilyn Collins. It was seatbelt suspense. I could not put it down until I finished. In my head I kept telling her go to the police. Why doesn't she go to the police? The problem is the man is a pillar in the town and she doesn't think she will be believed. As in any good suspense book there are some twists. You won't regret reading this one.


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Wait Until Dark by Christy Barritt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another great Carolina Moon suspense novel. This one has pirates, a run down mansion and hidden treasure. Felicity is an antiquarian who has recently lost a job she valued. She is currently staying in the home she inherited from her beloved grandmother. Strange things start happening. Enter Brody who helps her in her quest to find the answers.


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Gone by Dark by Christy Barritt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Charity is still living with the terrible crime that happened 10 years previously. Her best friend was snatched never to be seen again and Charity survived. She receives a mysterious letter and decides to investigate but her investigation endangers her life. She does get the help of Joshua Haven, a neighbor. This book kept me turning pages. There were many twists and turns in this book that made for a most interesting story.


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Home Before Dark by Christy Barritt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Daliegh McDermott returns to her hometown for father's funeral. She comes to believe that his death may not be accidental but investigating it puts her life in danger. It doesn't help that she has a rocky relationship with her sister. She makes friends with the local hunky mechanic. He helps her in her investigation but investigating her father's death puts her in grave danger. A highly suspenseful book that kept me turning pages.


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Injustice For All by C.C. Warrens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Injustice for All is the first book in the Seeking Justice seris by C.C. Warrens. It can be read alone but I personally think you would get more out of the books if you read the Holly books first. You will come to understand the relationship Marx has with Holly. You will understand fully that Holly is like a daughter to him. You will understand why she is still an injured soul.

Marx is involved in a murder investigation. He must solve this murder to protect the ones he loves. This book kept me turning pages. I can't wait for the author to write more books in the series! Highly recommended for all that love suspense/thriller type books.


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Freedom's Kiss by Sarah Monzon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Adam Carrington is the lawyer of the Carrington family and he was successful but one case that he handled has him doubting that he should practice law so he buys a food truck. He hires Olivia Arroyo, a young woman who desires to be a professional chef. Olivia loves her family and wants to surprise her mother who has an interest in genealogy. Olivia wants to do one of those DNA tests to surprise her mother. When she gets the results Olivia is shocked by the results and questions everything her parents have told her growing up. I loved how Adam supported her in her search to find out about her past. There is also a dual timeline story about a young slave girl who escapes the plantation with her family. They escape to Florida and live among the native people there. There are surprises along the way. I love how the modern and the past story were tied in together at the end. One of the reasons I enjoyed this story so much was Olivia doing the DNA test. I had mine done last year and it is so interesting to trace one's roots this way.

I am looking forward to reading Amber story which I hope will be released soon. I can't wait. I have enjoyed the Carrington family and their adventures.


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Help Me, Hold Me by Barbara Gee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Final book in the Full Heart Ranch series. I've enjoyed every book in this series. Each book has been chocked full of suspense. Callie is close to her grandfather but his time on this earth is coming to an end. He thinks Vince would be a good fit for his beloved Callie and entrusts Vince to help her deal with some shocking news that she will receive once he is gone. This news puts Callie's life in danger. I loved it that Vince was there for her to protect her and help her deal with the shocking news.


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The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck by Bethany Turner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I first started reading this book I can't honestly say I loved the book. I liked it but did not love the book but that changed about 60 percent into the book. Characters were well-developed. I loved her best friend Piper, the one who lead her to Christ and the one who was not afraid to speak the truth to her. I liked Ben, her pastor boyfriend. Even after he learned about her past and her career as a smutty romance writer he still accepted her as she was. Of course the smutty romance writing was before she became a Christian. After becoming a Christian she regretted writing things that were not glorifying to God.

The main problem that I had with this book is that only two days after she becomes a Christian and the first time she even attends church it is love at first sight for her and pastor Ben. I don't think baby Christians should jump into relationships so quickly. They need time to grow and mature a little in their Christian walk. Other than the instant love this was a good book.


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A Tale of Two Hearts by Michelle Griep
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A tale of Two Hearts is book 2 in the Once Upon a Dickens Christmas. I enjoyed the first book in the series but I think I enjoyed this one better. The characters were delightful. In order to get secure his position of his uncle's heir William got Mina to be his pretend bride. Mina does not like to deceive anyone. I thought they were a delightful couple and were routing for them to get together. William has some good reasons why he wanted to be the heir. Other people wanted that position and were not so honourable. This is an enjoyable Christmas tale that you won't regret reading.


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12 Days at Bleakly Manor by Michelle Griep
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was a short novel in the spirit of a Dickens Christmas. Loved the characters and the twist that happened in the end. I want to read more of the Once Upon a Dickens Christmas stories.


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Never Let Go by Elizabeth Goddard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book kept me guessing who the villain was.This book started out slow but picked up in suspense in the middle. I have never read any books by this author but plan on reading more. The next in the series which will be Heath's story that will come out later this year.


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Rattled by Christy Barritt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While Sierra's husband and friends are solving a mystery and restoring a theme park (Thrill Squeaker) she's solving a mystery of her own involving a boa constrictor who killed someone. Sierra's intern is accused of neglect. Can Sierra solve the mystery? Unlike the Gabby adventures Sierra's life is never in danger and the mystery is solved without anyone being in danger. I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series which should be released in 2019.


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Pranced: A Sierra Files Christmas Novella by Christy Barritt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

No dead bodies in this Sierra mystery but some missing reindeer. Sierra meets Chads family. She is determined to find the missing deer. With each book I see Sierra growing. She is becoming more concerned about the feelings and well beings of human beings while still keeping her compassion for the welfare of animals alive.


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Hunted by Christy Barritt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really do enjoy book 2 Hunted better than the first book in the series. Sierra is Gabby's best friend and this story takes place at the same time as "To Love Honor and Perish." Gabby is taking care of Riley while Sierra and Chad travel north to visit her well-to-parents. Sierra is smart, unafraid and clever but around her folks she is intimidated. Her parents are going to have a renewal ceremony but things keep getting interupted by a big old dog. This dog eventually leads to the discovery of a body. Sierra uses her investigative skills she picked up from her best friend to solve a murder. I was totally thrown by who the murderer was.


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Pounced by Christy Barritt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I first got acquainted with Sierra by reading about Gabby in the Squeaky Clean mysteries. Sierra is Gabby crazy cat lady friend. So far this series is not quite as suspenseful as the Gabby series but still suspenseful. I was completely surprised at who the murderer was. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.


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Criminally Cocoa by Amanda Flower

Criminally Cocoa is a short novella in the Amish Candy Shop Mystery series. Bailey is back in New York City filming her new candy show but this time the story is told from the view point of her Amish friend Charlotte. Nobody is murdered in this story but someone is trying to sabotage Bailey's new show. Who can it be? Charlotte has her theories and in the end she solves the case. There is plenty of humor in this story as Jethro, Juliet's pet pig makes an appearance. Highly recommend this series.

I received this ebook from Kensington Books through Netgalley.

Lightning and Lawmen by Shanna Hatfield
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have enjoyed all the Baker City Brides book . I did not enjoy this one as much as the rest of the series but still enjoyed it nonetheless. The couples have great chemistry. The books are always filled with adventures. These are fun books to read. It was enjoyable to catch up with the other couples that were in the previous books.


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Holly Jolly Christmas by C.C. Warrens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Holly goes with Marx to visit his dysfunctional family at Christmas. Marx considers Holly to be a surrogate daughter. Holly's childlike ways quickly wins the affection of Marx's family. We get a little insight of why Marx's father is an alcoholic. The visit is not without a mystery. No violence like what is typical in the other books but there are some thefts that dampen the Christmas spirit. Like all of C.C. Warren's books this is a page turning story that is sure to keep the reader engaged.


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Clean Sweep by Christy Barritt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Clean Sweep is Book 14 in the Squeaky Clean Mysteries and book 2 in the Cold Case Squad. In this book Gabby team up again with persnickety Evie and nerdy Sherman to solve a case of a woman who has gone missing. Evidence points to the husband. Evie thinks it is the husband. Isn't it always the husband? Gabby doesn't accept that conclusion and digs deeper but as always when Gabby sticks her nose into something she puts her life in danger. This book is no exception. It got real suspenseful toward the end. There was more than one person involved in the missing woman and it was a surprise to who it is. When Gabby's life was in danger someone unlikely saved her life. You won't regret reading this one. Of the two Cold Case Squad mysteries so far released this one has got to be the best. We see more of Riley and her core friends in this book. I am looking forward to reading book 3 which is supposed to be released sometime in 2019.


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Clean Getaway by Christy Barritt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another suspenseful book in the Squeaky Clean Mysteries and the first in the Cold Case Files. I saw that a number of reviewers had said that they had guessed who the murdered was when the murdered first came on the scene but I was blindsided. I did not guess. In this book Gabby teams up with Evie and Sherman who were introduced in book 9 Broom and Gloom. These two people were at the forensic conference Gabby attended in Oklahoma. I'm looking forward to more books with these two in it. I thought Evie was not very likeable. She was difficult to get along with but you find out later in the book the reason she acts the way she does. She has a mystery in her life of her own that I hope will be explored in a later book.

Lots of twists in turns in this book. I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series. Only one more for me to read so I hope the author will keep writing them.


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Cunning Attractions by Christy Barritt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Gabby is newly married but that doesn't stop her from getting involved in a mystery. Her neighbor Bill's ex-wife has been murdered. Is Bill a suspect. This book was suspenseful and kept me guessing. As always Gabby nearly loses her life on more than one occasion.


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Swept Away by Christy Barritt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Finally

Gabby and Riley are finally married and on their honeymoon but is it going to be uneventful. Trouble and mystery seems to be attracted to Gabby no matter what. I loved it that the newlyweds worked together as a team to solve the mystery of the missing woman.


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Thrill Squeaker by Christy Barritt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gabby and Riley continue to work out their issues while volunteering to work with Chad in restoring a theme park. Chad was hired by his friend Nate to help with the restoration. Nate has sunk quite a bit of money into this venture. Of course the story starts out with a dead body. Lots of possible suspects. Kept me reading to the end to find out the answers. I was extremely pleased with the ending and can't wait to read the next book in the series.


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Dust and Obey by Christy Barritt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Riley asks Gabby to help out a friend find out why his wife died at a couples retreat. Was it murder or did the woman really commit suicide? To do the investigation Riley and Gabby must pose as a married couple. The retreat is for married couples who are separated so they would be staying in separate rooms. In this book Gabby and Riley talk through her hurts but will they get back together if they can survive this retreat? This books kept me turning pages and again I was surprised at who the murderer was. I am not going to reveal whether or not they get back together but what I can say is that with each book Gabby's newfound faith gets stronger and stronger.


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Broom and Gloom by Christy Barritt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I liked this book better than the past two. For one thing there is not as much Garrett in this one. I don't really like Gabby and Garrett together since I think her heart belongs to Riley. This one has a change of scenery. She travels to Oklahoma for a forensic conference. She also meets her future step-brother Trace who is a country music singer. Trace knows her reputation and he want her to help find a missing girlfriend. There is also a stalker female fan involved. Is the stalker responsible for the missing girlfriend? There is also a side story of a lecherous professor who has the reputation of hitting on students. Gabby looked up to this professor and did not know about his reputation until it was too late. Lots of twists and turns in this story. I was surprised at the twist at the end of the story as to who the guilty party was.


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Foul Play by Christy Barritt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So far this has been my least favorite of all the books so far in the Squeaky Clean mysteries. Gabby has grown closer to Garrett and is exploring a romance with him but I think she still has some lingering feelings for Riley. Riley does make an appearance as her lawyer but nothing about them as a couple is discussed. She suspects Riley has moved on to another lady friend.

This book was confusing to me. I could not get all the characters straight. This book disappointed me but hoping the next will be better.


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