Valentine Bride by Shanna Hatfield

Released: Feb. 6, 2016
154 pages

About the Book:

 

Fynlee Dale returns to Holiday to take care of her wacky grandmother. Although it means giving up her dreams of a career and husband, she needs to be there for Grams.

 

Carson Ford vows to take care of his elderly aunt after buying her ranch. Comfortable with all aspects of his life, his world turns upside down when he meets a woman who's impossible to forget.

 

They find themselves in the midst of a plot by two scheming old women determined to make them fall in love. 

 

Valentine Bride is a funny, sweet romance novella given a liberal dose of humor through a cast of colorful characters intertwined around a heartwarming love story.

My Rating & Thoughts:   🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 (4 stars)

Filled with many laugh out loud moments thanks to a couple very entertaining elderly ladies. They conspire to get Fynlee and Carson together, but Carson’s ex-girlfriend and misunderstandings create roadblocks, but thanks to their antics their final conspiracy leads to happy resolutions. I laughed so much through this. The elderly ladies made the book, but Carson & Fynlee draw you in making you care about them too. Ms. Hatfield weaves a entertaining story.

Comfort Me by Debbie Viguie

Released: Feb. 25, 2017
244 pages
Series: Psalm 23 Mysteries # 13

About the Book:

 

Tragedy can strike in the blink of an eye, as Cindy Preston is all too aware. As she struggles to cope with the loss of her job, death and destruction are unfolding around her. At her new temp assignment she quickly discovers that something sinister happened to the woman she’s replaced. Meanwhile, Rabbi Jeremiah Silverman and Detective Mark Walters are left picking up the pieces when one of their own is viciously attacked. Now it’s a race against time to find three different killers before more innocent lives are shattered.

My Rating & Thoughts:   🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 (4 stars)

This is book thirteen in The Psalm 23 Mysteries. I have read and loved the previous twelve books, and was not so patiently waiting for this one to be released. These characters have really become like friends to me, I enjoy each time I get to dive into their world. And this one did not let me down. Yes 13 seems like a lot of books, but just like a TV series there is an ongoing storyline that carries across the books plus storylines that are unique to each one. Every crime is different and doesn’t feel something we’ve experienced before. Ms. Viguie sure knows how to keep readers hooked, each chapter ended in a cliff-hanger that made it almost impossible to put the book down until you got to the end. Even then it ends with a cliff-hanger compelling you to read the next. I do have to say, I would not recommend starting the series here, you really need to read from book 1 to fully understand the ongoing storyline and characters. A couple comments I kept repeating to myself while reading were – Liam has to be good! And second - 20 months! Why so long?

Two lines I loved were:

1. "You learn from it, you add it to your experience bank and it helps you every time you come across an uncertain situation in the future."  This is so true, our experiences make us who we are, we learn from them making us able to handle future events.

2. "He wouldn’t last a day in my shoes. Not one day. And then I end up here. And I’m sitting in this women’s chair, and I’m going through her things, her very personal things. And I’m just supposed to box up her life like she doesn’t matter, like she never existed, and carry on like nothing happened.... It always falls on the secretaries to clean up everyone else’s mess, even if they don’t get credit for it!" I was shouting you go girl during this rant.

 

Now we patiently (or not so patiently in my case) wait for book number fourteen...

 

If I Run by Terri Blackstock

Series: If I Run #1
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Publisher: Zondervan
Released: Feb. 16, 2016
318 pages

About the Book:  

Casey Cox’s DNA is all over the crime scene. There’s no use talking to police; they’ve failed her abysmally before. She has to flee before she’s arrested . . . or worse. The truth doesn’t matter anymore.

 

But what is the truth? That’s the question haunting Dylan Roberts, the war-weary veteran hired to find Casey. PTSD has marked him damaged goods, but bringing Casey back can redeem him. Though the crime scene seems to tell the whole story, details of the murder aren’t adding up.

 

Casey Cox doesn’t fit the profile of a killer. But are Dylan’s skewed perceptions keeping him from being objective? If she isn’t guilty, why did she run?

 

Unraveling her past and the evidence that condemns her will take more time than he has, but as Dylan’s damaged soul intersects with hers, he is faced with two choices: the girl who occupies his every thought is a psychopathic killer . . . or a selfless hero. And the truth could be the most deadly weapon yet.

 

Goodreads / Amazon / Christianbook

Terri Blackstock's Website

My Rating & Thoughts:    🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟    (5 stars)

Loved this book! Set in the present tense and told in first person by two characters, Casey and Dylan. This took a little getting used to at first, but I loved it. I felt I was right there with both of them and the way the chapters were divided between the people made it easy to switch between the two. Casey discovers her best friend murdered and because of events from her past she doesn't trust cops, knowing she will be framed for the murder she goes on the run. Dylan has been hired by the family of the victim as a private investigator to try to find Casey as the cops have limited resources. Casey is smart and seems to be able to keep one step ahead of Dylan. Even though Casey is running for her life she can’t stop herself from helping others and gets involved in a mystery of a missing teen. This may lead to her downfall, but she is willing to take the risk to help someone else. I loved her personality. Dylan is lead to believe that Casey is the murderer but as his search deepens he begins to question what he has been told. Will he catch up with Casey and will he be able to turn her in? I couldn't put this one down. My takeaway quote is: "See Beyond the dark part and find the good stuff." When we look we can find something good in the mist of the dark. One of the two mysteries gets solved in this book, but the other leaves you hanging. Book number two, If I’m Found, comes out in a month (March 21) J

Other Books in the Series:

 

Goodreads  / Amazon / Christianbook 

Grace and the Rancher by Mary Alford

Released: Feb. 17, 2017
115 pages

About the Book:

 

Grace Bradford is living a lie. To the world she has the perfect life: A promising country music career and a husband who adores her. But her husband isn't the man everyone believes him to be. When a car accident widows her and ends her career, Grace escapes to Delaney Mountain. But moving to the remote town doesn't wipe away the ugly secret of her marriage. Kyle Delaney never intended to return to Delaney Mountain, but he promises his dying father that he'll turn their land into a working cattle ranch. He uproots his life in Austin, sells his flourishing business as a music agent, and returns to the Colorado town of his childhood. Can a runaway singer and a makeshift rancher, thrust together by circumstance and held together by the common thread of loss and a love of music, find hope and a happily-ever-after under the stars of Delaney Mountain?

My Rating & Thoughts:   🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 (4 stars)

 

This is a redemptive story filled with God’s grace and love. Both Grace and Kyle have baggage from their past filled with regret and pain. Kyle is determined to keep his promise to his dad and prove he has changed. Grace is trying to heal from her painful past and begin a new life. Can they help each other and find love at the same time? I was surprised with this book as it was novella length but it didn’t feel like one to me. Both characters were well developed; I felt like I really got to know them and could feel their pain. I had to know that things would improve for them and that they found peace. The only downfall for me was that there were times I was confused on what day it was and how long of a period had passed since the previous event. One quote I will take with me is: “Pray about it. God’s never shy about giving His help.” This is a great reminder for us, never hesitate about turning to God for help, He wants to help us. I enjoyed this read.

(I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley; opinions expressed in this review are my honest opinion)

Twilight at Blueberry Barrens by Colleen Coble

Released: Sept. 20, 2016
346 pages
Series: Sunset Cove # 3

About the Book:

 

Kate Mason has devoted herself to caring for her family’s blueberry barrens. But after her fields stop producing fruit, she’s forced to come up with alternative ways to make a living.

 

Renting out the small cottage on her property seems an obvious choice, but it won’t be enough. When entrepreneur Drake Newham shows up looking not only for a place to rent but also for a nanny for his two nieces, it’s almost too good to be true. And maybe it is—because Drake brings with him dangerous questions about who might be out to kill his family.

 

The more time Kate spends with Drake and the girls, the more difficult it becomes to hide her attraction to him. But a family crisis isn’t exactly the ideal time to pursue a romance.

Meanwhile, Kate learns that her uncle—in prison for murder—has escaped. Add to that a local stalker who won’t leave her alone, and Kate is looking over her shoulder at every turn. With threats swirling from multiple directions, she wonders if her blueberry fields will ever flourish again . . . or if this twilight is her last.

 

Set on the beautiful coast of Maine, Twilight at Blueberry Barrens brings together suspense, romance, and the hope that one day new life will come again.

My Rating & Thoughts:   🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 (5 stars)

 

Best of the series! Filled with suspense, intrigue and romance. Features familiar characters from the previous books as well as introducing a few new ones. There were a couple mysteries happening at once and I was pretty sure I knew who was behind one of them (turned out I was correct), but the other kept me guessing. I liked how the villains interacted in the action-packed ending. There were a few moments that had me tense up hoping things would turn out alright for everyone. On the romance side, I liked Drake as soon as I got to know him a little bit; the love he showed his nieces demonstrated that he was a good guy. He knew what he wanted and wasn’t afraid to go after it, but he also wasn’t pushy with Kate either. I really enjoyed seeing Kate learn to go after her dreams rather than playing it safe and being a people pleaser. I was pleased with the ending, it felt complete. I would definitely recommend reading the previous two books before this one to get to know more of the background story that continues in this one.