Like the Wind by Robin Lee Hatcher

 

Like the Wind is a stand alone book by Robin Lee Hatcher. I knew within reading the first few pages that I would going to enjoy this read. Olivia Ward has had a rough few years. She divorced her abusive wealthy husband but lost custody of her daughter Emma. Her ex didn't really want the child but being the cruel vindictive person he was he didn't want her to have custody. He got custody of Emma and moved to Florida which made it nearly impossible for Olivia to have any visitation rights since she was barely able to make ends meet as it was. Her ex didn't even spend any time with his daughter putting her in an expensive boarding school. After seven years Olivia gets custody of Emma after her ex is killed in a car crash. For some reason the ex's money is tied up in his business so Emma can't go to that expensive school anymore and goes to live with her mother Olivia in Idaho. She's not happy with her living situation and resents her mother very much. What I loved about Olivia is that she kept her opinions to herself about her ex. She didn't unload all the evil things her ex did to her daughter. She was extremely patient with her daughter when she acted resentful, unsurely and generally a spoiled brat. She helped her daughter get into community theater and slowly Emma began to warm up.. This is a dual timeline store that is told in the form of a diary which Emma reads. The diary was written in the 1930s. Diary didn't have anything to do with current story but with Emma reading the diary it brought her closer to the Lord. And then there is Tyler who is interested in Olivia but he's harboring a secret. Really enjoyed this story. 

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

Something Old, Something New by Amy Clipston

I just love small town stories with the heroine running her own business. In this story we have Christine and she runs an antique store. It was a shared dream she had with her nana who has passed on. Running this shop is her passion and she's good at it. Christine is a fraternal twin to Brittany which Christine thinks is the pretty one. Christine considers herself the nerdy twin.. Brent comes into town to help his great aunt who is more like a grandmother to him, renovate her home so she can sell it. She wants to downsize and move into a condo.. Brent runs into Christine and Christine offers to help Brent and his aunt go through antiques in the home to sell in her shop. Brent used to date Christine's sister in high school and Britany is not happy at all that Christine and Brent are getting close. She thinks Brent cheated on her. I love it that Christine stood up to her sister and did not let her sister bully her into dropping Brent as a friend. Everyone in town saw that Christine and Brent were developing feelings for each other. I just loved Brent's aunt. She was one of the first who saw it coming but Brent did not feel like he was good enough for Christine. He had no money, was out of a job and he did not finish college. Loved it when he realized the error of his ways. Loved the ending. Just sad the story had to end.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Dark of Night by Colleen Coble

Dark of Night if #2 in the Annie Pederson series of books by Colleen Coble. I really like this series because it is in the same area of the first suspense series I have read by the author and that series is Rock Harbor series. Same of the same characters from that series play a part of this series. Bree and her rescue dog air Annie in search and rescue. You don't have to read the Rock Harbor series to appreciate this series but I highly recommend you read the first book in this series which is Edge of Dusk.. Dark of Night answers some questions that were raised in the first book. In this book we learn whether or not Taylor is Annie's long-lost sister Sarah who disappear some twenty plus years ago. Taylor is bitter and resentful. If she is Sarah will she ever have a loving relationship with her family? Taylor is very unlikeable in this book. I hope she gets over her attitude in future books. Then there is the story of Michelle Fraiser, a woman trying to escape from her abusive husband. She disappears in the woods but the search team is unable to find her body but do find clues. Reading the book we know she has an injured leg and is held captive in a small cabin and unable to escape but we don't know who is holding her and the reason until the very end. This book kept me up late reading. I can't wait until the next book in the series comes out.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and Thomas Nelson. All opinions are completely my own.

Crossfire by Lynette Eason

 Second in the Extreme Measures series Crossfire focuses on Julianne. Julianne was one of four girls who spent a short amount of time in juvie. One good thing that came out of spending time in juvie was that they were introduced to Jesus there. Julianne is a hostage negotiator and she is raising her half sister Dottie. Their mother is no longer on the scene. She is very good at her job but someone is targeting her and her sister and she can't figure out who. She does eventually figure out it is someone from her past but the danger is not over. This book was a thrill ride from beginning to the end with most of the action at the end.

Thanks to LibraryThing and Revell books for providing me an ARC of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Deception by Patricia Bradley

Deception by Patricia Bradley is the fourth book in her Natchez Park Rangers series. Even though it is the fourth in the series this book could be read as a stand-alone novel.  Book started out suspenseful with Madison protecting herself from an evil man. Characters from previous books are mentioned in the book but they don't have any roles in this book. Like the previous books in this series there were several different storylines going. Someone wants Madison Thorn dead and you have to wonder who wants her dead. There are some surprises in the book that I will not reveal as it will spoil it for the reader.  I loved reading alone as Madison discovered secrets from her birth that she was not aware of.  Loved the relationship with Clayton and some other people who came into her life.

Highly recommended for those who love romantic/suspense/thriller type of books. 

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me an e-copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for them.

Harvest Moon by Denise Hunter

 Harvest Moon is book 3 in the Riverbend series by Denise Hunter. I could not wait to read Gavin's story when we were introduced to him in the first book in which he played a major part. In the first book he is a divorced man dating Katie. I wasn't too heartbroken that Katie chose Gavin's brother over him because I knew that he just had to get back with his wife. There was so much unresolved in that story. Laurel and Gavin dissolved their marriage after their three year old son died accidentally. In this story Gavin and Laurel must come together after a married couple they both knew died in an airplane crash. The couple has a two-year daughter. In their will the couple had name both Gavin and Laurel to raise their child if something happened to them. I loved how Laurel and Gavin put aside their differences to do what was best for the child. I loved it that they each admitted to their part in the demise of the marriage. Seems they both had daddy issues. Her daddy abandoned her when she was young and his father was just an abusive drunk. And I loved the happy ending! I'm a little sad that this is more than likely the last book in this series. Denise Hunter is my favorite Christian romance writer and I look forward to reading anything she writes in the future.

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

The Baxters by Karen Kingsbury

The Baxters story is a prequel to all the other 30 plus novels Karen Kingsbury has written on the Baxter family. This is a good book to read to refresh your memory on the early days of the Baxter or for the new reader who may not want to read every single novel. In this book we see Kari getting married. Her mother, Elizabeth has reservations and rightly so. If you read the first book in the series you will find out why. Kari marries Tim Taylor when deep down she is still in love with her first love Ryan but she will not admit it. She broke up with him because she thinks he cheated on her. The story also focuses on Ashley Baxter who has come back from Parish pregnant by a married man. I loved how most of her fa
mily particularly her parents supported her and did not judge her. That's the way families should work.

Thanks for the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a digital copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.