Christy Barritt: Flaw Abiding Citizen

By Kelly Bridgewater

Where’s the director when you need him to call “cut”?

Just when Joey thinks she’s closer to answers about her father’s mysterious disappearance, more questions surface. The starlet is determined to find her dad and to put an end to the crazy stalker fan club trying to manipulate her decisions. But life has plot twists she can’t see coming.

Secrets abound—secrets from the most unlikely of people—and Joey’s had enough. She’s tired of flawed theories and abiding by other people’s rules. Doing what any good citizen would, she seeks resolution, knowing the stakes are higher than just herself.

Dangerous encounters meet the wannabe detective at every turn. As the end of one mystery draws close, it’s clear that Joey will either end up with the answers she seeks or find herself in the closing credits . . . for one final time.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

I really couldn't wait to get my hand on Flaw Abiding Citizen by Christy Barritt, her latest addition to the Worst Detective Ever Mystery Series. This book is the sixth book and does answer some questions that have been lingering over the series. The romance between Joey and Jackson comes to a screeching halt than picks right up into Hallmark movie style romance. It was a long time coming. Joey finally learned not every guy is going to screw her over like her ex-husband. The friendship between Joey and Zane keeps moving forward with questionable hints at feelings on Zane's part. As for the plot, it focused more on finding Joey's dad than any previous book and the mystery surrounding his disappearance. This book flew by in a couple of hours, and I'm glad I spent time with Joey again. I can't wait for the next installment in the series. With two more books promised featuring Joey, I'm curious where Barritt take her next.

I received a complimentary copy of Flaw Abiding Citizen from Christy Barritt, but the opinions stated are my own.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse: Out of the Ashes

By Kelly Bridgewater

After the death of their father, Collette and Jean-Michel Langelier are no longer tied to post-war France. While his sister dreams of adventure, Jean-Michel is hoping to finally escape reminders of the horrors he faced in the war. When Jean-Michel receives an unexpected invitation for them to visit Alaska and the Curry Hotel, it seems an opportunity for a change he needs.

Katherine Demarchis is a young widow who does not grieve the dangerous husband she was forced to marry. Now she just wants to retreat to a quiet life, content to be alone. First, though, she's agreed to accompany her grandmother on a final trip, but never expects to see a man from her past.

Katherine and Jean-Michel once shared a deep love that was torn apart by forces beyond their control. Reunited now, have the years changed them too deeply to rediscover what they had? And when Jean-Michel's nightmares return with terrifying consequences, will faith be enough to heal what's been broken for so long?

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

I have never read anything by Tracie Peterson or Kimberley Woodhouse, but the idea of Alaska in the early nineteenth century captured my attention. While I know some of these places have been embellished, I really enjoyed learning more about the Alaska Terrority before it became a state. Being a historical romance, I knew the story would feature characters who fell in love, but the story takes place around something historical, but allows the characters to roam around the historical world they live in.

The research was splendid. I enjoy when authors say they have gone to the places their novels take place. Being in a one-income family, I don't have that opportunity at all, so most of my research comes from the internet or books. But I do think being in the place actually makes the story more realistic. Peterson and Woodhouse did a great job at creating a story with clear and concise writing. I could imagine the elaborate Curry Hotel and would love to visit there myself.

The characters of Katherine and Jean-Michel had a love story that started long before this novel. I feel bad for both of them when I learned their love story and why it didn't happen. Katherine was forced into a horrible marriage and figured that was what she was due. Jean-Michel had to learn to move on from the horrors of the war and build strength in his legs as much as in his heart. Their romance was nice and moved in a nice fashion.

The plot didn't rush or drag. I enjoyed the novel the moment I started reading it. Since Alaska was still a terrority and not a state yet. A story set in this time would read different than Jen Turano's stories that take place in the same time period, but in completely different settings. No flapper girls in this stories.

Overall, the plot kept my attention with its unique setting and characters who jumped off the page. Maybe someday, I could add Tracie Peterson's other novels to my to-be read pile, but that is already so big. I think fans of twentieth century historical novels might enjoy Out of the Ashes, a novel set in Alaska in the 1920's.

I received a complimentary copy of Out of the Ashes by Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

WORD FOR 2018

By Kelly Bridgewater

Have you heard of the One Word Resolution?

Instead of making a new year's resolution such as lose weight or bike to work, you would use a word to guide you for the new year.

Last year in 2017, my word was WAIT. I used Psalm 27:14 to guide me. It says, " Wait on the Lord 

Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your Heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord."

Waiting was really important for 2017.

I think it will continue until 2018, but I found a new word for 2018.

It is  . . .

PURSUE.

Come back for the next two weeks, and I will share my verses and how I plan to use Pursue.

Here are my verses:

Philippians 4: 12-14

"Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Psalm 45:1

" . . . My tongue is the pen of a ready writer."

What about you? Have you ever chosen a word for the new year?

Christy Barritt: Hidden Currents

By Kelly Bridgewater

You can take the detective out of the investigation, but you can't take the investigator out of the detective.

A notorious gang puts a bounty on Detective Cady Matthews’s head after she takes down their leader, leaving her no choice but to hide until she can testify at trial. But her temporary home across the country on a remote North Carolina island isn’t as peaceful as she initially thinks.

Living under the new identity of Cassidy Livingston, she struggles to keep her investigative skills tucked away, especially after a body washes ashore. When local police bungle the murder investigation, she can’t resist stepping in. But Cassidy is supposed to be keeping a low profile. One wrong move could lead to both her discovery and her demise.

Can she bring justice to the island . . . or will the hidden currents surrounding her pull her under for good?

http://www.christybarritt.com/

 My Thoughts:

Another new series by Christy Barritt, Hidden Currents is the first book in the, when finished, six book series occurring at Lantern Beach, North Carolina. Cassidy is a charming character with the ties to solve the mystery of the dead body that arrives on the beach. Using her knowledge without uncovering her real job on the main land causes a lot of poking around for Cassidy. Ty, her neighbor, is an ex-Navy Seal who rubs her the wrong way from their first encounter on the highway. Right away, the emotions between these two characters fly across the page. The romance between Cassidy and Ty runs deep through the story, allowing the tension between Cassidy and Ty to spark as they argue and fight what they actually feel. The mystery is different, and I liked following Cassidy as she hunts for clues while not actually looking for clues. This is a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours and fans of cozy mysteries should try this introduction to Barritt's new series. I can't imagine how she keeps writing so fast and writing such different heroines in the number of series she has written, but I'm glad she does.

I received a complimentary copy of Hidden Currents by Christy Barritt, but the opinions stated are all my own.

Colleen Coble: The View from Rainshadow Bay

By Kelly Bridgewater

Her photographs capture the beauty of Puget Sound. Do they also expose a darkness that someone would kill to keep buried?

After her husband, Jack, dies in a climbing incident, Shauna has only her five-year-old son and her helicopter charter business to live for. Every day is a struggle to make ends meet and she lives in constant fear of losing even more than she already has.

When her business partner is murdered, his final words convince Shauna that she’s in danger too. But where can she turn? Zach Bannister was her husband’s best friend and is the person she blames for his death. She’s barely spoken to him since. But right now he seems her only hope for protecting her son.

Zach is only too happy to assuage his guilt over Jack’s death by helping Shauna any way he can. But there are secrets involved dating back to Shauna’s childhood that more than one person would prefer to stay hidden.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

The View from Rainshadow Bay by Colleen Coble is the introduction to her newest and latest series set in Washington state. With Coble being so established in the Christian romantic suspense genre, I knew what to expect before even starting the novel. Coble does a good job at creating characters who jump from the page and intermingle with the plot.

A good romantic suspense novel with have the same amount of romance and suspense in the story. The romance or the suspense doesn't overshadow the other parts of the story. They both deepened as the story progresses bringing depth to the characters as individuals and as a whole. Coble does a good job at this.

In The View from Rainshadow Bay, Coble invites me into the life of Shauna and Zach. I see their dark moment in their past, which affects who they are as we meet them on the page. Shauna and Zach learn how to move on with their lives and learn to accept love into their heart. Both Shauna and Zach change and transform by the end of the novel into better people, which I really enjoy seeing.

As for the suspense, Coble does a good job at creating conflict that isn't what every other suspense writer has done, she does keep you guessing and surprised when something happens to the character. I finished the book in a day. It was interesting and held my attention.

Overall, The View from Rainshadow Bay by Colleen Coble features transformative characters caught up in moving on from their past hurts and staying alive as the truth from the past comes forward in their lives. I enjoyed this novel and recommend it to fans of Irene Hannon, DiAnn Mills, Dee Henderson, Katy Herman, Christy Barritt, and Brandilyn Collins.

I received a complimentary copy of The View from Rainshadow Bay by Colleen Coble from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Bell Renshaw: As Easy as Riding a Bike

By Kelly Bridgewater

I have another surprise for you.

During the beginning of December, I told you my review and the cover of a new novella by debut author Bell Renshaw.

Today, I have another book cover to show you.

From Bell Renshaw

On February 14th, Renshaw is releasing this novella on Amazon also. I really can't wait to see how her second book comes out.

Thanks for stopping by!

I hope you purchase and enjoy the novel too.