Sins of the Past

 

Sins of the Past consists of three mystery novellas. The first is Missing by Dee Henderson. Second is Shadowed by Dani Pettrey. Third is Blackout by Lynette Eason. I have read other books by Dee Henderson and Lynette Eason and have always been spell-bound. Now I will add Dani Pettrey as a Christian author of thrillers to add to my list. 

All three of these stories kept me enthralled. The story lines are great, which is not always the case with novellas. They each have endings which will surprise along with a bit of romance.

I was given this book by NetGalley and Bethany House in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. 

The Other Side of Darkness Linda Rondeau

 

This book, The Other Side of Darkness, is a suspenseful book. Samantha is a D.A. who has a man who is threatening to kill her. This is only a part of her problems though. She is working hard to keep the man who threatened her in jail. Whether admitting it or not, Samantha is in need of a vacation in the country. Sam also needs to face the fact that she is her worst enemy when it comes to feeling happy and falling in love. 

I enjoyed this book. The characters and descriptions used throughout kept me involved and wanting to read more. 

I was given this book by NetGalley and Pelican Book Group in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. 

The Inn at Hidden Run

This book tugs at the heart strings.
The Inn at Hidden Run by Olivia Newport is the first of a series.
Nolan Duffy and Jillian Parisi-Duffy are father and daughter. He is a lawyer and she is a genealogist.
In this book the past and present are presented in a pleasing way, with humor and faith. The story line from the past shows how a generation were able to deal with an epidemic with faith. The past generation deals with Eliza in 1878, the present story deals with Meri but they are blended in a way that shows skill and love for the story.
I truly enjoyed this book and recommend it to all readers.
I received this book from Barbour Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This review reflects my opinion on this book.

Surrendered

I was given this book to read and review. The following is my honest opinion of the book.
Secrets can be like a weight on your shoulders. However, if someone is to disclose the secret, timing is important, as is who to share it with.
Tess O'Shay's life is turned upside down when her father's will gives guardianship of her teenage sister to a man that they barely know. The family restaurant and Tess's future are also in this man's hands.
According to Sean O' Shay's will, Tess is to go back to college, something she gave up when her mother became ill and then died. If she does not comply, she will lose everything. But to give in is to turn everything over to Jake Holland, a man who is as secretive as Tess is.
Tess goes back to school, but then the secret that she has held comes face to face with her. A former teacher who had raped her is back teaching at the school. Tess is torn between facing the man or turning him over to the police for an attack that happened 10 year ago.
What she does changes the lives of others that are in her life.
The characters who Jennifer Sienes created are true-to-life, as is the story. It flows from one chapter to another with ease. Even though the story flips from one point of view to another, it helps the story to move along while answering questions. I had an easy time staying engaged with this story, there were twists and turns throughout that kept me reading to the very last page. 
This book receives my highest recommendation. 

Audible Book Review: Unplanned

Unplanned is one of the Kennedy Stern Christian Suspense Novels. I decided to listen to this book to get a different perspective on this series. I love all the books in this series and the audible version was no different.

Alana Terry offered this version to me in exchange for my honest review and I am so glad she did. I have not been reading these books, or listening in this case, in any order, but it doesn't matter. Each on stands on their own but they also work together.

In this book Kennedy is having to face decisions surrounding pro-choice. This should not scare anyone off though. I felt the entire story worked around this topic very well. After volunteering, through Pastor Carl, at the pregnancy center hotline for a weekend, she gets a call that upsets her. The call stays with her even after the connection is gone. She then begins looking into it to see if she can find out more details. This led to an unexpected event where Kennedy would have to rely on the Lord as she faces hard choices.

I like the way that answers do not come easy to Kennedy and her first choice for options is not automatically to the Lord. Even when she prays she has doubts that this is the correct move or how many prayers can she send out before giving up.

I feel like Kennedy lives in my heart and mind as I believe that I would move in some of the same ways she does when faced with unexpected circumstances.

Alana Terry has been a favorite author of mine for a few years and I don't see that changing anytime soon.



Unplanned is an incredibly written Christian suspense novel. The book's theme is pro-life and being that I am pro-choice it did not have any bearing on the quality of the book for me. Kennedy comes back to the states to attend Harvard after spending 10 years living abroad in Yanji China with her family. She soon finds herself in a terrifying situation. Kennedy volunteers to take the new pregnancy centers hotline phone for the weekend helping out the pastor who is a family friend. Her first night assisting, she gets an extremely disturbing call on the hotline phone. Kennedy cannot get the details of the call off of her mind. She begins to sleuth around trying to find out all she can about the situation at hand. I do not want to say much more or I will ruin the book but, it gives you a little to chew on. Did this situation change the way Kennedy looked at abortion as always an atrocious thing? Who called the hotline and what caused the call to be so disturbing? You will now have to read the book to find out.
I found this book to actually be a light read even though it deals with atrocious situations. The book is very well written. Unplanned will keep you on the edge of your seat with the captivating plot. If you are pro-choice do not overlook it thinking that this is not a book for you. It will make you think. I hope that this book changes minds of people who think that abortion is wrong in every case. This would be a good read for young adults to the elderly.
To everyone who is reading this you have to look through the eyes of the person dealing with the difficult decision of abortion. In some situations what is right for you might not be the right thing for them. What if the woman is homeless and raped, will you take her and the baby in? Feed them, clothe them, protect them? know matter what you think it is never an easy situation.
"Thank you, Alana Terry, for letting me give an honest review of your book."

Book Review: Mermaid Moon

Colleen Cable does a wonderful job of combining suspense with romance in her Christian books. In this one, Mallory Davis has not been home for 15 years. Then her dad dies on his mail boat route. She feels that now she needs to go home because there are questionable things about his death. When at home she meets up with Kevin O'Connor, someone from her childhood, who helps her realize that her father was murdered.

Kevin was heartbroken when Mallory left years ago, so he is uneasy about her joining him on this case. Mallory and her daughter Haylie have threats made on their lives. Instead of making her stop it does the opposite. Along the way Mallory is able to discover many things and not just about her father's murder.

Colleen Cable does a great job in weaving together a story. With the suspense in this one, I did not want to put it down until I finished. The characters and story line are believable and are written in a way that made me feel like I was there with Mallory along the way. I loved the way the story had little twists and turns to keep me guessing throughout.

I was given this book by NetGalley and Thomas Nelson in exchange for my honest review. I thank them very much.

Book Review: Mercy At Midnight

I know that if you have read my other entries you know that Sylvia Bambola is one of my favorite authors. This is a little different setting than others that I have read by her. This is set in today's time.

In Mercy At Midnight we are introduced to three different characters, then we are mesmerized by how their lives intersect and the consequences from their meeting.

First we have Cynthia Wells. She is a reporter who, while looking for a story, comes across so much more.

We then have Jonathan Holms. He is a pastor at a large church. God sends him to come to terms with a killer and the connection to him.

Finally, we have Stubby White. This is a man who cannot seem to help but have one bad turn after another. He turns to the mission where he has to decide which road to go down, the road to Gjod or the road he has the most experience with.

I always have a hard time putting books down by this author and this is no exception.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys books filled with suspense.

I was given this book by the author, Heritage Publishing House and bookfun.org in exchange for my honest review.

Ronald Glanz has written another book that will keep the reader on their toes. This book, PDQ, revolves around robberies and murders that have occurred at a few convenience stores in Madison, Wisconsin. Detectives Schultz and Finney are assigned to this case and their investigation takes some unpredictable twists and turns until they finally solve it.

I have become a Ronald Glanz fan with previous books that I have read. I look forward to his books to keep me on the edge of my chair and to grab my attention and keep it to the end.

I was given this book by the author and bookfun.org in exchange for a fair and honest review.

 

Book Review: Ashes in the Wind by Peggy Levesque

Sara’s life was turned upside down when her husband, a DEA agent, was killed. She was placed in witness protection, but that did not work, as someone tried to shoot her. With a myriad of other actions aimed at her and her late-husband, Sara did not know who to trust.

This is a suspenseful, action-packed book that was very hard for me to put down. Peggy Levesque, the author of Ashes in the Wind, is a talented writer and I look forward to anything else that she may write. I recommend this book highly.

Ashes in the Wind was given to me by the author and bookfun.org in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Fatal Exchange by Lisa Harris

Fatal Exchange, by Lisa Harris, is a modern-day suspense novel. Before beginning this book, find a comfortable seat and a nice cup of a favorite beverage, because once you begin to read this you will want to stay with it to the end.

Emily Hunt’s brother, a police officer, was killed. Whereby Emily and her family have their own suspect, it needs to be proven. The path that this book takes you on will keep the reader on the edge of their seat.

This is a very good book and I look forward to reading more by this author.

I was given this book by the author and bookfun.org in exchange for my fair and honest review.