Saltwater Cowboy by Christy Barritt

Series: Saltwater Cowboys #1
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: River Heights
Released: September 16, 2020
354 pages

About the Book:

When a mysterious woman washes up in Cape Corral, a wild horse sanctuary off North Carolina's coast, law enforcement officer Levi Sutherland is determined to figure out if she's connected with the crimes recently plaguing the island. The problem is, she can't remember anything . . .

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐

I absolutely loved the setting of this story. An island with wild horses roaming free, yes, please. The story opens with Dani being shot and left for dead. She is found but now has amnesia, can they figure out who shot her and why? Will she regain her memories? The mystery kept me invested and guessing what would happen. I did enjoy meeting the various island residents and was intrigued by the mystery, but I wasn't rooting for the romance. It felt too rushed based on the situation with Dani not having any memories. There were a few side characters that I'd like to spend more time with and see if the romance I suspect will happen or not.

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 

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

Other books from this author that I have reviewed:   

Random Acts of Fraud (A Holly Anna Paladin Mystery #5)
Random Acts of Outrage (A Holly Anna Paladin Mystery #6)

Edge of Peril (Fog Lake Suspense#1)

Hidden Currents (Lantern Beach Mysteries #1)

Flood Watch (Lantern Beach Mysteries #2)

Storm Surge (Lantern Beach Mysteries #3)

Dangerous Waters (Lantern Beach Mysteries #4)

Perilous Riptide (Lantern Beach Mysteries #5)

Deadly Undertow (Lantern Beach Mysteries #6)

Tides of Deception (Lantern Beach Suspense #1)

Shadow of Intrigue (Lantern Beach Suspense #2)

Storm of Doubt (Lantern Beach Suspense #3)

Clean Getaway (Squeaky Clean Mysteries #13)

Clean Sweep (Squeaky Clean Mysteries #14)

Half Witted (Squeaky Clean In-Between #1)

Ready to Fumble (The Worst Detective Ever #1)

Reign of Error (The Worst Detective Ever #2)

Safety in Blunders (The Worst Detective Ever #3)

Join the Flub (The Worst Detective Ever #4)

Blooper Freak (The Worst Detective Ever #5)

Flaw Abiding Citizen (The Worst Detective Ever #6)

Gaffe Out Loud (The Worst Detective Ever #7)

Shadow of Suspicion

Keeping Guard

Review: Keeping Guard by Christy Barritt

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Love Inspired
Released: Feb. 8, 2011
215 pages

About the Book:

Her anonymous stalker's threats are getting scarier and scarier. Now Kylie Summers fears for her life. She flees her home for the protection of a former military man in a small Virginia town. But her brother's handsome best friend already has a long list of obligations. Kylie knows she's intruding on Nate Richardson's life. Even though he promises to keep her safe, Nate's keeping her at arm's length emotionally. Until her stalker emerges from the shadows, forcing Nate to choose between keeping guard over his wary heart—or Kylie.

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Filled with suspense, danger, romance and faith. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters and following them on the journey. The older couple next door were a fun addition with lots of banter. Kylie arrives in Yorktown to hid from a stalker while the police try to catch the stalker back home in Kentucky, however stuff starts happening in Yorktown. Has the stalker discovered where she went? The relationship builds really fast, but they are spending almost 24/7 with one another and see each other at their worst. There was once incident with the police in Kentucky that made me question what they were thinking. The suspense kept me invested, it wasn't until close to the end that I figured who the stalker was. I found the epilogue to be a little cheesy and predictable, I would have been happy if the book had ended without this being included. Overall I enjoyed this fun read and watching the characters grow, rediscover their faith and find contentment in life.

Favourite Quote: 

“Life is a journey. We learn as we go.”

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 

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

Other books from this author that I have reviewed:   

Random Acts of Fraud (A Holly Anna Paladin Mystery #5)
Random Acts of Outrage (A Holly Anna Paladin Mystery #6)

Edge of Peril (Fog Lake Suspense#1)

Hidden Currents (Lantern Beach Mysteries #1)

Flood Watch (Lantern Beach Mysteries #2)

Storm Surge (Lantern Beach Mysteries #3)

Dangerous Waters (Lantern Beach Mysteries #4)

Perilous Riptide (Lantern Beach Mysteries #5)

Deadly Undertow (Lantern Beach Mysteries #6)

Tides of Deception (Lantern Beach Suspense #1)

Shadow of Intrigue (Lantern Beach Suspense #2)

Storm of Doubt (Lantern Beach Suspense #3)

Clean Getaway (Squeaky Clean Mysteries #13)

Clean Sweep (Squeaky Clean Mysteries #14)

Half Witted (Squeaky Clean In-Between #1)

Ready to Fumble (The Worst Detective Ever #1)

Reign of Error (The Worst Detective Ever #2)

Safety in Blunders (The Worst Detective Ever #3)

Join the Flub (The Worst Detective Ever #4)

Blooper Freak (The Worst Detective Ever #5)

Flaw Abiding Citizen (The Worst Detective Ever #6)

Gaffe Out Loud (The Worst Detective Ever #7)

Shadow of Suspicion

Review: Half Witted by Christy Barritt

Series: Squeaky Clean In-Between 
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Publisher: River Heights
Released: March 7, 2023
105 pages

About the Book:

She’s never lost a dead body before. But there’s a first time for everything . . .

Crime-scene cleaner Gabby St. Claire is used to dealing with the aftermath of crimes—not the dead people left behind. But she has bills to pay, so when an opportunity arises to make some extra cash, Gabby agrees to help an acquaintance transport a deceased man from his home to the mortician.

However, before they can move the body, the corpse vanishes into thin air, and Gabby is left holding the bag.

Fearful that negligence on her part could harm her future career choices, Gabby races to find the corpse before anyone discovers he’s missing. But as she searches for clues, she begins to suspect the stiff isn’t the only thing that stinks around here.

Something sinister is underway, and the foul play began even before the man expired. Can Gabby uncover the truth and salvage her future in law enforcement? Or will the half-witted thief disappear for good and take her reputation with him?

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐

This is book one of the Squeaky Clean In-Between Mystery Series and events take place between books one and two of the Squeaky Clean Mystery Series. As that series is finished, we are going back in time to when Gabby was still a crime scene cleaner. A friend, who works for a mortuary, asks her to help him pick up a body at a house. Once they arrive he decides he needs to run an errand and leaves Gabby overseeing the house to make sure nothing happens until he gets back. She goes outside due to the smell in the house and when steps back inside she realizes someone has been and stolen the body. This leaves her asking who, why and can she be charged for this, will her friend lose his job? Gabby becomes determined to figure out what happened and get the body back. She enlists the help of a couple friends to piece events together and speak with friends of the victim. Everything happens in one day beginning at 10am and resolved by 6pm. It was a short and quick read, however I didn’t feel like I really saw how Gabby was able to piece everything together to recover the body in time, it felt a little far-fetched to me. I know where Gabby ends up at the end of the series, but I did not like that she was dating one guy but is constantly thinking about another guy. She talks about her and the guy she is seeing may not be a good match but she's still going to date him. I’m glad it was a short read. 

(I borrowed this book through Kindle Unlimited; opinions expressed 

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

Other books from this author that I have reviewed:   

Edge of Peril (Fog Lake Suspense#1)

Random Acts of Fraud (A Holly Anna Paladin Mystery #5)
Random Acts of Outrage (A Holly Anna Paladin Mystery #6)
Hidden Currents (Lantern Beach Mysteries #1)

Flood Watch (Lantern Beach Mysteries #2)

Storm Surge (Lantern Beach Mysteries #3)

Dangerous Waters (Lantern Beach Mysteries #4)

Perilous Riptide (Lantern Beach Mysteries #5)

Deadly Undertow (Lantern Beach Mysteries #6)

Tides of Deception (Lantern Beach Suspense #1)

Shadow of Intrigue (Lantern Beach Suspense #2)

Storm of Doubt (Lantern Beach Suspense #3)

Clean Getaway (Squeaky Clean Mysteries #13)

Clean Sweep (Squeaky Clean Mysteries #14)

Ready to Fumble (The Worst Detective Ever #1)

Reign of Error (The Worst Detective Ever #2)

Safety in Blunders (The Worst Detective Ever #3)

Join the Flub (The Worst Detective Ever #4)

Blooper Freak (The Worst Detective Ever #5)

Flaw Abiding Citizen (The Worst Detective Ever #6)

Gaffe Out Loud (The Worst Detective Ever #7)

Shadow of Suspicion

Review: Edge of Peril by Christy Barritt

Series: Fog Lake Suspense #1
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: River Heights
Released: Nov. 10, 2018
356 pages

About the Book:

When evil descends like fog on a mountain community, no one feels safe.

After hearing about a string of murders in a Smoky Mountain town, journalist Harper Jennings realizes a startling truth. She knows who may be responsible—the same person who tried to kill her three years ago. Now Harper must convince the cops to believe her before the killer strikes again.

Sheriff Luke Wilder returned to his hometown, determined to keep the promise he made to his dying father. The sleepy tourist area with a tragic past hadn’t seen a murder in decades—until now. Keeping the community safe seems impossible as darkness edges closer, threatening to consume everything in its path.

As The Watcher grows desperate, Harper and Luke must work together in order to defeat him. But the peril around them escalates, making it clear the killer will stop at nothing to get what he wants.  

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Creepy and suspense filled. I really enjoyed this book, but glad I wasn’t living alone or in a cabin while reading it. Story involves a stalker and serial killer going after single females. The story moves very quickly and kept me interested. Harper arrives in town with a crazy story for the sheriff, Luke. He doesn’t trust her at first but as events unfold he and Harper grow close and feelings begin to develop. I was scared for Harper; each time she was alone I was worried for her. I thought I knew what was going to happen at the end but I was shocked. I really liked these characters and plan to pick up the next few books in this series in hopes of finding out book two sometime so I can find out what happens with Luke’s siblings. 

Favourite Quote: 

“Courage wasn't the absence of fear, but the ability to face what scared you.”

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 

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

Other books from this author that I have reviewed:   

Random Acts of Fraud (A Holly Anna Paladin Mystery #5)
Random Acts of Outrage (A Holly Anna Paladin Mystery #6)
Hidden Currents (Lantern Beach Mysteries #1)

Flood Watch (Lantern Beach Mysteries #2)

Storm Surge (Lantern Beach Mysteries #3)

Dangerous Waters (Lantern Beach Mysteries #4)

Perilous Riptide (Lantern Beach Mysteries #5)

Deadly Undertow (Lantern Beach Mysteries #6)

Tides of Deception (Lantern Beach Suspense #1)

Shadow of Intrigue (Lantern Beach Suspense #2)

Storm of Doubt (Lantern Beach Suspense #3)

Clean Getaway (Squeaky Clean Mysteries #13)

Clean Sweep (Squeaky Clean Mysteries #14)

Ready to Fumble (The Worst Detective Ever #1)

Reign of Error (The Worst Detective Ever #2)

Safety in Blunders (The Worst Detective Ever #3)

Join the Flub (The Worst Detective Ever #4)

Blooper Freak (The Worst Detective Ever #5)

Flaw Abiding Citizen (The Worst Detective Ever #6)

Gaffe Out Loud (The Worst Detective Ever #7)

Shadow of Suspicion