Review: Safe in His Arms by Melanie D. Snitker

Series: Life Unexpected # 1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Dallionz Media
Released: May 21, 2016
230 pages

About the Book:

When a beautiful woman walks into his diner asking for a job, Joel Ash can't bring himself to say no. The more he gets to know Anna, the more he's convinced she's hiding something. Intrigued and drawn to protect her, he prays he can ensure her safety and guard her heart. Even if it means risking his own in the process. 

Anna Henderson is on the run. In a new town, she wants nothing more than to trust Joel and the family offering her a fresh beginning. She's secured vital evidence that could put her obsessive ex behind bars and out of her life. But without the ability to access it, she'll always be looking over her shoulder.

Worried her past will catch up with her, can Anna ever feel safe in Joel's arms?  

 My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I enjoyed this story more than I thought it would. I can't really explain why I went into thinking I wouldn't like it, but that's what I was thinking. The story opens with Anna on the run from an ex-boyfriend, arriving in a new town and trying to start over. She needs to find a job and a place to live. She is able to get a job and meets Joel. As these two get to know one another feelings begin to grow, but Anna is hesitant to open up due to past experiences. Joel does not push her but rather shows her he will be there for her no matter what has happened in the past because he likes her because of who she is. I love when a guy is protective but not pushy. Each time I put the book down I kept thinking about it and wondering what was going to happen with Anna. Will her ex find her or can she move forward in her new life? I was really drawn to both Anna and Joel, but also the two friends Brooke and Chess. I now need to get book so I can find out what the future holds for Brooke and Chess.

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 

in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

Review: In Need of Protection by Jill Elizabeth Nelson

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Love Inspired
Released: Feb. 1, 2021
224 pages

About the Book:

In order to get the baby

they’ll have to get through him first…

A ruthless escaped convict will do anything to abduct his baby girl, and it’s US deputy marshal Ethan Ridgeway’s duty to protect the infant and her new guardian, Lara Werth. But as they flee from hired gunmen, Ethan must avoid falling for Lara and little Maisy. Because shielding the pair who are slowly capturing his heart might be Ethan’s hardest assignment yet…

  

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐

While this one had the action that I have come to expect from the Love Inspired Suspense books I struggled to connect with the characters. The goal was for the US Marshall Ethan and Nature Vlogger Lara to keep baby Maisy safe from the people trying to kidnap her but at times I felt like Lara acted like the US Marshall rather than Ethan. I struggled with caring about this story. 

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 

in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

Review: Never Let Go by Elizabeth Goddard

Series: Uncommon Justice # 1
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Publisher: Revell
Released: Feb. 5, 2019
365 pages

About the Book:

As a forensic genealogist, Willow Anderson is following in her late grandfather's footsteps in her quest for answers about a baby abducted from the hospital more than twenty years ago. The case may be cold, but things are about to heat up when someone makes an attempt on her life to keep her from discovering the truth.

Ex-FBI agent--and Willow's ex-flame--Austin McKade readily offers his help to protect the woman he never should have let get away. Together they'll follow where the clues lead them, even if it means Austin must face the past he's spent much of his life trying to forget. And even if it puts Willow's tender heart at risk.

In this fast-paced and emotional page-turner, bestselling author Elizabeth Goddard keeps the stakes high, the romantic tension sparking, and the outcome uncertain until the very end.

 

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐

The story started off strong with a prologue that drew me right in with the kidnapping of the newborn. I was curious to see where this story would go. 21 years later Willow’s grandfather is hired to reopen the cold case and find the child, but then he is killed and Willow’s life is threatened. Willow is determined to solve the case and Austin comes along to assist and protect her. Can Austin and Willow work through their past issues and solve this case?

We quickly learn that the kidnapper is not the one behind the events that are happening now. There was quite a bit of action at the beginning and second half of the story, but the middle felt like it dragged a bit. Once the true villain was revealed and their motive explained I felt like it didn’t really make sense for everything that happened.

It felt unrealistic that Austin and Willow follow an old clue to Wyoming and pretty quickly are able to determine who the kidnapper was, but the FBI couldn’t do this years ago? And then Austin’s brother just happens to know the person they are searching for and where they are. While I did enjoy the second-chance romance and the suspense kept me guessing, the ending to the mystery disappointed me.

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed

in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

Review: One Final Breath by Lynn H. Blackburn

Series: Dive Team Investigations # 3

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Publisher: Revell

Released: Sept. 3, 2019

320 pages

About the Book:

When investigator Gabriel Chavez had his cover blown by an aggressive reporter, the silver lining was being able to rejoin the dive team. The downside? Dive team captain Anissa Bell--a woman who both fascinates and frustrates him.

Anissa grew up as a missionary kid on the Micronesian island of Yap and always planned to return after college. But she remained stateside, determined to solve the case that haunts her--the murder of her best friend and the disappearance of a three-year-old child.

When Anissa's fractured past collides with Gabe's investigation into the tragic shooting death of a teenage boy in Lake Porter, they'll have to put their complicated history with each other aside in order to uncover the identity of a killer. What they'll discover is that revenge has no statute of limitations.

  

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

After reading the previous two books of this series I was already pretty attached to each of the characters, so I was excited to begin this one and spend more time with them. While I enjoyed the mystery aspect, it was the romance between Gabe and Anissa that really pulled me in. I liked that Gabe took the risk and shared his feelings with Anissa when he wasn’t sure how she would react. I also appreciated that there was no big disagreement or misunderstanding that would cause a rift in their relationship that tends to be so common in storylines to keep readers invested.

On the mystery side, the story opens with Gabe and Anissa responding to a shooting. While chasing down leads they discover a possible connection to a cold case Anissa has never stopped investigating. Will they be able to solve this cold case and catch the shooter before someone else gets hurt? I enjoyed feeling like I was right there with the team trying to solve the mysteries. The cold case story pulled at my heart strings and had me shedding a few tears at times.

I did not want to put this book down. I was sad to say goodbye to this group of friends and can only hope they make appearances in future books by Ms. Blackburn. 

(I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell through NetGalley; 

opinions expressed in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

Check out my reviews of other books by this author: 

   

Beneath the Surface - Dive Team Investigations #1
In Too Deep - Dive Team Investigations #2

Review: Smoke Screen by Terri Blackstock

Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Publisher: Thomas Nelson 
Released: Nov. 5, 2019
352 pages

About the Book:

One father was murdered. Another was convicted of his death. All because their children fell in love.

Nate Beckett has spent his life fighting wildfires instead of the lies and rumors that drove him from his Colorado hometown. His mother begs him to come back now that his father has been released from prison, but it isn’t until he’s sidelined by an injury that he’s forced to return and face his past. But that means facing Brenna too.

Fourteen years ago, Nate was in love with the preacher’s daughter. When Pastor Strickland discovered Brenna defied him to sneak out with Nate, the fight between Strickland and Nate’s drunken dad was loud—and very public. Strickland was found murdered later that night, and everyone accused Roy Beckett. When the church burned down not long after, people assumed Nate set the fire to get even for his father’s conviction. He let the rumors fly and left town without looking back.

Brenna is stunned to learn that the man convicted of murdering her father has been pardoned. The events of that night set her life on a bad course, and now she’s fighting a brutal custody battle with her ex and his new wife where he’s using lies and his family’s money to sway the judge. Brenna is barely hanging on, and she’s turned to alcohol to cope. Shame and fear consume her.

As Nate and Brenna deal with the present—including new information about that fateful night and a wildfire that’s threatening their town—the past keeps igniting. Nate is the steady force Brenna has so desperately needed. But she’ll have to learn to trust him again first.

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I loved this book! I was engrossed in the story almost right from the beginning. The characters of Brenna and Nate pulled me in. Their lives were forever changed with the murder of Brenna’s father, and they ended up in two separate directions. Now 14 years later they are both back in the same community, but nothing is the same. Brenna is going through an ugly custody battle while Nate is trying to heal with from 3rd degree burns and the reuniting of his family. The portrayal of the custody battle with all the ugliness and hatred felt very realistic (unfortunately). I hurt for Brenna with everything she was going through and the way she was trying to cope with it. I quickly fell for Nate, the way he was stood up to his father, the way he looked out for Brenna, and the way he treated Brenna’s children all had me loving him. While the custody battle and the reconnection of Brenna & Nate may feel like the main storyline, there was mystery of trying to figure out what really happened to cause the murder that changed the lives of two families. I went through so many emotions during this read. I couldn’t (and didn’t want to) put this book down.

(I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley; 

opinions expressed in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

Check out my reviews of other books by this author: 

   

Catching Christmas

If I Run - If I Run # 1

If I'm Found - If I Run # 2

If I Live - If I Run # 3