YT: April Reads – Second Half | Romantic Suspense, Historical and Contemporary Romance

Sharing my thoughts on the books I read in the second half of April. Also share about what books I read for the Spring Into Christian Fiction Readathon.

Books Mentioned: Jennifer by Dee Henderson Beneath the Surface by Lynn H. Blackburn In Too Deep by Lynn H. Blackburn One Final Breath by Lynn H. Blackburn The Negotiator by Dee Henderson Missing by Lynette Eason In Her Sights by Karen Witemeyer Love on Target by Shanna Hatfield
 

Review: On a Summer Tide by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Series: Three Sisters Island #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Revell
Released: April 30, 2019
308 pages

About the Book:

Sometimes love hurts—and sometimes it can heal in the most unexpected way.

Camden Grayson loves her challenging career, but the rest of her life could use some improvement. “Moving on” is Cam’s mantra. But there’s a difference, her two sisters insist, between one who moves on . . . and one who keeps moving.

Cam’s full-throttle life skids to a stop when her father buys a remote island off the coast of Maine. Paul Grayson has a dream to breathe new life into the island—a dream that includes reuniting his estranged daughters. Certain Dad has lost his mind, the three sisters rush to the island. To Cam’s surprise, the slow pace of island life appeals to her, along with the locals—and one in particular. Seth Walker, the scruffy island schoolteacher harbors more than a few surprises.

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is book number one of the Three Sisters Island series and in book one we are following the Grayson family. Their dad has bought a run-down camp on Three Sisters Island after retiring from his radio job. He moves to the island to fix up the camp and then all 3 daughters come to help him. The girls are between the ages of 19 and 28. When they arrive on the island we meet the residents that live there. I felt like I had been transported to Maine alongside the Grayson family. The story is told through multiple points of view from various family members, but really focuses on Cam who is the oldest sister. But due to multiple perspectives we really get to know the other sisters and the dad pretty well. Each character felt unique, the sisters each have stuff going on in their lives and issues to work through but they are forced to work together to help their father restore this property. They were reluctant to come to the island at first but discover more than they could have imagined. One of my favourite parts of this book was the fight between the sisters that turned into an honest and heartfelt discussion. This moment helped them understand one another and made their relationship stronger in the end. The romance for Cam was subtle but I enjoyed watching it build and found myself cheering for them to get together. I immediately picked up book 2 after finishing this one.

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 

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

Review: Sandpiper Cove by Irene Hannon

Series: Hope Harbor #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Revell
Released: April 4, 2017
354 pages

About the Book:

Hope Harbor police chief Lexie Graham has plenty on her plate raising her son alone and dealing with a sudden rash of petty theft and vandalism in her coastal Oregon hometown. As a result, she has zero time for extracurricular activities--including romance. Ex-con Adam Stone isn't looking for love either--but how ironic is it that the first woman to catch his eye is a police chief? Yet wishing for things that can never be is foolish.

Nevertheless, when Lexie enlists Adam's help to keep a young man from falling into a life of crime, sparks begin to fly. And as they work together, it soon becomes apparent that God may have a different--and better--future planned for them than either could imagine.

  

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is book number three in the Hope Harbor series and was a reread for me, I first read it in 2017 when it was first released. At that time, I rated it five stars but this time I only gave it four, only because this time through I realized that there were a couple things I would have liked to see more of. In this one we are following police chief Lexie Graham who is a single mother with a five-year-old son and she lives with her mother, and the male character is Adam Stone who is an ex-con who arrived in Hope Harbor about 18 months ago. Since arriving he has been a model Citizen and has been trying to put his past behind him. We did briefly met both of these characters in book 2, Sea Rose Lane. There have been acts of vandalism happening in town with Adam's place being hit a few times. This is how Lexie and Adam originally meet as Lexie responds to the vandalism reports and is investigating the cases. They begin to develop a bit of a friendship and feelings grow, but can a relationship work when one if the police chief and the other an ex-con. Is Adam's past going to be held against him or can he change people's views of him and get them to see him for who he is now not who he was. We find out who has been involved in the vandalism acts and Adam becomes a mentor to this person, he tries to teach them what can happen when you start down this path and show them that it is not too late to change and make different choices. I really enjoyed this storyline. Watching Lexi and Adam develop a relationship and seeing it grow was nice, but the reason I gave it four stars is I would have liked to learn a bit more about what let Adam to being in jail and have a scene between him and Lexie where he shared his past with her, and they talked it through. It didn’t seem like they really talked about it, but there was a scene where Lexie shares her past with Adam and what she has gone through and how she ended up as a single mother. I just I felt like we didn't get to know Adam as well as I would have liked to get to know him. I was rooting for these characters to get together, and I liked the side characters of Lexie’s son and mom. I loved the mom, she was just the right amount of pushy with Lexie.

(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: 

Hope Harbor - Hope Harbor #1
Sea Rose Lane - Hope Harbor #2
Pelican Point - Hope Harbor # 4

Driftwood Bay - Hope Harbor #5

Point of Danger - Triple Threat #1

Labyrinth of Lies - Triple Threat #2

Body of Evidence - Triple Threat #3

Dangerous Illusions - Code of Honor #1
Hidden Peril - Code of Honor #2

Dark Ambitions - Code of Honor #3

Buried Secrets - Men of Valor #1
Thin Ice - Men of Valor #2
Tangled Webs - Men of Valor #3 

 

Review: Protective Custody by Lynette Eason

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Love Inspired
Released: Aug. 1, 2010
216 pages

About the Book:

Guarding witnesses? All in a day's work for deputy U.S. marshal Carly Masterson. Protecting the judge who was indirectly responsible for her mentor's death? That's another story. Still, she won't let harm come to Judge Nicholas Floyd, or the niece and nephew in his care. She's determined to do the job right, and not let her emotions take over--no matter how wonderful it feels to be accepted by the little family. Can she let go of the past and learn to trust again before danger finds them once more?

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I really enjoyed the characters and following them but there is one scene with snakes in an office that is described so well that I was creeped out because it felt so real. We meet Carly Masterson who is a U.S Marshall, her and her partner have been assigned to protective custody of Judge Nicholas Floyd and his two kids. He has been threatened because of a case that he is presiding over. There are people who don't want him to and want him to step down and hand over the case of somebody else. We learn that Carly and Nick knew each other prior to this as Carly had been previously been assigned as protective custody for Nick about two years ago when he was still married before his wife passed away. They had formed a friendship then. Two years have passed since then and during that those years he lost his wife sister and gained custody of his niece and nephew. When the romance and feelings started developing I was okay with it because it didn't happen overnight, yes they've been spending 24/7 together for the last week or so but because the friendship was already there the feelings didn’t feel rushed. Nick was very strong in his faith and even though some events are happening that could really shake his faith he stays committed to trusting God and is able to show Carly why she needs to put her faith in God and trust him. In true Lynette Eason form I was unable to guess until it was revealed who the bad guy was. The ending scene with the kids made me smile. 

(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:   

   

Agent Undercover

Life Flight - Extreme Measures #1

Crossfire - Extreme Measures #2

Critical Threat - Extreme Measures #3

Oath of Honor - Blue Justice #1

Called to Protect - Blue Justice #2

Code of Valor - Blue Justice #3

Vow of Justice - Blue Justice #4

Collateral Damage - Danger Never Sleeps #1

Acceptable Risk - Danger Never Sleeps #2

Active Defense - Danger Never Sleeps #3

Hostile Intent - Danger Never Sleeps #4

Moving Target - Elite Guardians #3

Chasing Secrets - Elite Guardians #4

Too Close to Home - Women of Justice #1

Don't Look Back - Women of Justice #2

A Killer Among Us - Women of Justice #3 

Review: An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff

Genre: Biography/Memoir
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Released: Nov. 1, 2010
238 pages

About the Book:

This inspirational New York Times bestseller chronicles the lifelong friendship between a busy sales executive and a disadvantaged young boy, and how both of their lives were changed by what began as one small gesture of kindness. A straightforward tale of kindness and paying it forward in 1980s New York….an uplifting reminder that small gestures matter-Kirkus Reviews.

Stopping was never part of the plan...

She was a successful ad sales rep in Manhattan. He was a homeless, eleven-year-old panhandler on the street. He asked for spare change; she kept walking. But then something stopped her in her tracks, and she went back. And she continued to go back, again and again. They met up nearly every week for years and built an unexpected, life-changing friendship that has today spanned almost three decades.

Whatever made me notice him on that street corner so many years ago is clearly something that cannot be extinguished, no matter how relentless the forces aligned against it. Some may call it spirit. Some may call it heart. It drew me to him, as if we were bound by some invisible, unbreakable thread. And whatever it is, it binds us still.

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐

This is a biography that was loaned to me through somebody at work. It is a true story about a relationship between an 11-year-old panhandler and a busy sales exec in Manhattan, told from the perspective of the sales exec. They crossed paths in the 1980s when Maurice, the boy, asked Laura, the sales exec, for spare change. At first, she walked right on by but then went back and offer to take him to the McDonald’s nearby to get some food. As they sat eating she got to know a little about him suggested they meet up the next Monday for food. After a few weeks this started becoming a regular thing and they met every Monday for quite a while and then it expanded to Saturdays as well. It was interesting to learn how to their friendship developed and that she tried to help him anyway she could without being overbearing and overstepping because he did have a mom and grandmother. His family was caught up in the whole drug lifestyle, selling, taking and dealing. These two individuals were as different as could be, him an African American boy living on the streets and her a white woman in her mid-30s with a successful job living in Manhattan. The story is told completely from Laura's point of view and throughout it she says well this is what Maurice was feeling and this is how he reacted. However there were times throughout the book where she will say that this is what Maurice told me this happened at the time but then I found out a years later that it didn’t really happen that way or what he told me wasn’t really the truth because he didn’t want to tell me the truth for various reasons. That kind of frustrated me because no one really knows how someone else is really feeling about things. It was a positive story, but it did feel like at times Laura was trying to make herself look job and that annoyed me. It felt like it was all about her and what she did. She does admit that there were times she could have done better for him and did make some decisions that she regrets. It was nice to learn that even though Maurice had such a difficult background he did not get mixed up in the drugs as he saw what happened to his family, he was determined to follow the right path. It was inspiring what he’s done with his life as of the publish date. I did like that there was a letter from Maurice included at the end of the book sharing his point of view of his relationship with Laura. This was an easy read which included pictures.

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 

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