Restored: Never Give Up Hope by Kimberly Rae
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read the first book in the series which was Shredded nearly two years ago when it was released. I was looking forward to reading the second book but never got around to reading it until book three was released and then I read the books back to back. I finished Shattered in the morning and immediately started reading Restored. I am now glad that I waited until the third was released because there was so much unfinished business in book 2. There was so much destruction that happened in book 2, so many lives changed forever and so much sadness. Book 3 returns with most of the same characters we grew to love in the first two books. This book resolves many of the problems that have happened since the beginning of the book. All the characters grew. Jean became less timid and more confident in herself and grew in the Lord. Candy was a delight in the beginning book and still was delight with the third book. I would love to be friends with a Candy even though I could never relate to her background. Her love for Jesus and her understanding for things of the Lord just continued to expound throughout the series. She had such a love for prostitutes that they should know the love of Jesus that she had. She wanted to share with the abused and forgotten women. I absolutely loved the character of Florence. She was so funny at time. Not going to give away too much detail. You just have to read for yourself.

With most series books can be read alone but not with this series. I suggest you start with book 1 and read in order. You would get the most out of the series if you did. You would understand more fully what the pain the characters went through.


View all my reviews

Beneath Copper Falls by Colleen Coble

Beneath Copper Falls is the sixth book in the Rock Harbor series. It was nice to visit with familiar characters again.  I believe the Rock Harbor series is my favorite of all of Colleen Coble's romantic suspense series.

The story starts out with Dana Newell moving back to Rock Harbor, the quaint town she grew up in. She moves back home to escape an abusive and controlling boyfriend.  She moves in with her adoptive brother Chris.  As soon as she moves back one of her friends is murdered. While reading this book I compiled a list of characters in my head at who the murderer could possible be. Was it her ex-boyfriend who is stalking her? Could it be her adoptive brother or could it be Boone the victim's cousin? Or is it the new man that Laurie met in Hawaii?

This book kept me in suspense  but I did guess who the murderer was about 75-80 percent in the book. Because I guessed so easily I am going to have to give this book four stars instead of five starts. This book did keep me up until almost midnight. Even though I pretty much guessed who it was I want to see how this evil, evil character  was caught.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for providing me an e-copy of this book to read and review. Beneath Copper Falls is due to be released on July 10, 2017.

Chasing Secrets by Lynette Eason
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I saw that Lynette Eason had another book coming out I knew I had to read it. This book did not disappoint me. It kept me in suspense from the beginning to the end. I can't decide if this book or the one previous is the best one in the series. They're both good. I loved the character of Haley and Steven. Haley is one of the Elite Guardians and in this book she discovers something about her past as a child in Ireland. I kept turning the pages to see who was stalking her and wanted her dead. This book kept me guessing and boy was I surprised who it was. I can't say too much as I would spoil the story.
There is also a side story of a young boy, his mother and the boy's very ill brother that I enjoyed.

Chasing Secrets will be published August 2017. Thanks to Netgalley and Revell Books for providing me an ARC to read and review.


View all my reviews

Heart on the Line by Karen Witemeyer

People these days meet this spouse all the time online. Of course back in the 1800s there was no internet but they did have the telegraph and after hours people were allowed to "talk" with other people on other lines. Harper's Station is the perfect place for Grace Mallory to hide out. She fears for her life. She takes on a job as a telegraph operation and strikes up a conversation with someone on the other end she has never met. She doesn't know what he looks like but when she is in trouble he shows up in her town ready to protect her.

I like it that the author did not create a hero that is typical of most romance novels. Amos Bledsoe is not particularly good looking. He is not muscular and he wears spectacles. These days we would call him geeky looking but Grace was a woman of character and looked beyond someone's looks. I also liked it that she was a gutsy character and thought on her feet. 
As in all of Karen Witemeyer's novels there is a tiny bit of humor. I loved it that Amos was going to teach the ladies how to ride a velocipede which was some sort of bicycle.

There was a bit of suspense in the book which kept me turning pages. I kept hoping the villain would get his comeuppance and I was not disappointed.

Heart on the Line is book 2 in the Harper's Station series and will be published June 6, 2017. Thanks to Netgalley and Bethany House Publishers for providing me a digital copy of this book to read and review.

Sweetbriar Cottage by Denise Hunter

Sweetbriar Cottage is a stand-alone book by Denise Hunter. It's the story of Noah and Josephine Mitchell, a couple who thought they were divorced but it turned out the papers had never been signed by a judge. Josephine goes to Noah's home to hand him the divorce signed divorce papers so they can be filed but while at his mountain home gets caught in a storm and is forced to stay there.  At first I didn't like either of the characters. I thought Josephine was a little too flirty with her barber clients calling everyone sugar and honey. I thought Noah was way to bitter and harsh with Josephine. It was not until later in the story that the characters begin to understand what went wrong in the marriage. We see that Josephine went through some horrendous things in her childhood that influenced what she did as an adult before marriage and what contributed to the downfall of her marriage.  I highly recommend this book even though the topics are a little more heavy than most of her books and the storyline a bit more darker. It is a novel of forgiveness and redemption

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Thomas Nelson for providing me an e-copy of this book to read and review. Sweetbriar Cottage is due to be released on June 13, 2017.

A Bridge Across the Ocean by Susan Meissner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Susan Meissner has perfected the art of writing dual timeline stories. A Bridge Across the Ocean involves post war 1946 and the present day and involves three women. The two women in the 1946 timeline are Annaliese and Simone and Brette is in the modern timeline. Brette's viewpoint involves ghosts called drifters but don't let the paranormal aspect of this story scare you off. It's only one minor aspect of the story and not the whole. I loved the strength of the women involved particular the women in the post war story. They suffered hardships no woman should have to go through but came out strong.

Even though the story involved three women and would jump around from one woman to another I did not find it difficult to keep up at all. I got so absorbed that I could not put this book down. I must offer a warning. There is a brutal rape scene that may be difficult for some to read. Also one character's harsh treatment by her cruel husband may be difficult for some people.

This book had lots of surprises in it. Just when you thought the story was headed one direction you are quickly surprised. I was pleased with how it ended.


View all my reviews

A Matter of Trust by Susan May Warren

A Matter of Trust by Susan May Warren started out slowly but quickly gained momentum like a snowball on that mountain. It got to the point that I was quickly turning pages to see what would happen next. There were many intense moments when lives were in danger. This book focuses on Gage Watson and a new girl the reader has not been introduced to yet. Ella and Gage know each other. They have history and Gage still harbors hard feelings for what he thought was a betrayal from her. Gage has to get over the past temporarily in order to help her in a desperate situation. What follows is a roller coaster of events. I could not stop reading and stayed up late to finish this book.

This is the fourth book in the series, not counting the prequel. I don't know if he is my favorite hero or not. They are all good but I think he is the best looking of the bunch and I'm the type of gal who usually doesn't like long hair on a man but he does it well.

I loved the love story that slowly unfolded. It was not too rushed so therefore believable. We were also introduced to Ella's friend Brett. Now there is something mysterious about her. She is probably hiding a secret of some sort but it was not revealed to us in this book. Maybe we will find out in a future book? Maybe the next book? I certainly hope so. I am really enjoying this series. I loved the Christensen series but I do believe I like this series better. I can't wait until the next book, Troubled Waters which is due to be released either in 2017 or early 2018.

I was provided a copy of this book to read and review by the author, Susan May Warren and the published Revell, a division of Baker Books. This book is due to be released on July 4, 2017.