Most Anticipated for Summer 2019

By Kelly Bridgewater

I love showing what books I'm looking forward to in the coming books. For this list, it includes any books published from June 1st to August 31, 2019.

(All pictures come from Amazon unless noted.)

Without further ado, here is my list:

The Number of Love by Roseanna M. White

I love this cover, and the story sounds awesome too. Hurry up, June!!

Storm Rising by Ronie Kendig

Kendig's books never disappoint. I love the action and the suspense. Can't wait for this one!



Fragments of Fear by Carrie Stuart Parks

Parks always creates something I have never seen, and then she tosses it in a suspense novel, which I love. Even though the cover has a little too much orange for me, I still can't wait to read the story in between the pages.



The Killing Tide by Dani Pettrey

I enjoy suspense, if you couldn't tell by now, so of course, I am a fan of Pettrey's writing. This is a new series, so I can't wait to dive in and see where she takes me.



Vow of Justice by Lynette Eason

I can never go wrong with a suspense novel by Eason. She excites and always keeps me on my toes. Another best seller I bet.



What about you? What are some of the books you are looking forward to reading this summer?

Tracie Peterson: Wherever You Go

By Kelly Bridgewater

Mary Reichert is one of the best sharpshooters in the country, and in the Brookstone Wild West Extravaganza her skills are on display in every performance. But unless the man responsible for her brother's death is brought to justice, Mary's fame and accomplishments seem hollow. She feels helpless in the face of the murderer's money, power, and connections. The only bright spot in her days is the handsome journalist who keeps attending their shows.

Christopher Williams has been assigned to follow the Brookstone show on its 1901 tour of England and write a series of articles for his magazine. As he gets to know the cast he quickly finds himself irresistibly drawn to the show's sharpshooter. But getting close to someone would threaten to bring his past to light. How could he ever win Mary's heart if she knows the truth? Mary and Chris will both have to trust God if they are to heal from the wounds of the past and chart a new future together.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

I wasn't a huge fan of Tracie Peterson, but her current and previous two series have been a delight to read. I love how realistic her characters appear. I love how she uses issues of faith as a natural conversation from one character to another. Peterson doesn't spew verses on the page to threaten the reader. She makes the faith look tempting, even though it can be challenging. Her plots are interesting and unique. With Wherever You Go, Peterson continued the series with the Wild West show. This time the show travels to London for about a third of the book. I have seen many movies about these type of characters, but to read about their struggles on and off the stage make it more sympathetic. There is still a danger hanging over from the first book, which still isn't resolved by the end of this novel. Probably in the third book coming out later this year. I really enjoy stories that feature reoccurring characters. Make them more rounded, and I love seeing what they have been up to. It's not fun to see a character, enjoy them, and they disappear from the world. Thank you, Peterson, for allowing familiar characters to populate the sidelines of the story. Overall, Wherever You Go is a enticing tale of the members of a Wild West Show  while hinting at moments of danger. Fans of Kristy Cambron's The Illusionist Apprentice and Dumbo might enjoy this series.

I received a complimentary copy of Wherever You Go by Tracie Peterson from Bethany House Publishers, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Purchase Wherever You Go

About the Author:

From Amazon

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than one hundred books. Tracie also teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research. She and her family live in Montana.

Visit Tracie's web site at: http://www.traciepeterson.com (Taken from Amazon.)

Rachel McMillan: Murder in the City of Liberty

By Kelly Bridgewater

Hamish DeLuca and Regina “Reggie” Van Buren have a new case—and this one could demand a price they’re not willing to pay.

Determined to make a life for herself, Reggie Van Buren bid goodbye to fine china and the man her parents expected her to marry and escaped to Boston. What she never expected to discover was that an unknown talent for sleuthing would develop into a business partnership with the handsome, yet shy, Hamish DeLuca.

Their latest case arrives when Errol Parker, the leading base stealer in the Boston farm leagues, hires Hamish and Reggie to investigate what the Boston police shove off as a series of harmless pranks. Errol believes these are hate crimes linked to the outbreak of war in Europe, and he’s afraid for his life. Hamish and Reggie quickly find themselves in the midst of an escalating series of crimes.

When Hamish has his careful constructed life disrupted by a figure from his past, he is driven to a decision that may sever him from Reggie forever . . . even more than her engagement to wealthy architect Vaughan Vanderlaan.

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Murder in the City of Liberty by Rachel McMillan is a story filled with accurate details and a nod to classic literature. The story does have a dead body in it and does move the story along, but, I believe, the plot is more a cultural nod to the social and racial tensions of the 1940's. America is on the brink of World War II, even though majority of the citizens want to ignore the rising terror. McMillan jumps into the plot and brings 1940's Boston to life. I really enjoy her attention to historical detail with her settings and bringing the conflicts to light. The romantic heat between Hamish and Reggie spark even hotter in this addition of their story. McMillan does wonderfully at creating a story that grips my attention and kept me glued to the page. I finished the whole novel in under one day. Wonderful story. I can't wait to see what troubles and romance come to Hamish and Reggie next.

I received a complimentary copy of Murder in the City of Liberty by Rachel McMillan from Thomas Nelson publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Purchase Murder in the City of Liberty

About the Author:

From Amazon

Rachel McMillan is the author of the Herringford and Watts mysteries, the Three Quarter Time series of contemporary romances set in opulent Vienna, and the Van Buren and DeLuca mysteries praised for bringing an authentic 1930's Boston world to life while normalizing the fictional conversation surrounding mental illness. Her first work of non-fiction, described as a romantic's guide to independent travel, releases in 2020. Rachel lives in Toronto, Canada. (Taken from Amazon.)

Memorial Day

By Kelly Bridgewater

This weekend is Memorial Day Weekend.

Don't forget to honor and bring memory to those soldiers who have passed on before.

That is what this holiday is truly about.

Yes, it is time for bar-b-ques and swimming pools to open.

It is also time for overbearing temperatures.

Weeds.

Mosquitoes.

Bugs.

Bugs.

And did I mention, Bugs!!

As you can tell, I can't stand summer. It is no fun for me. I usually hibernate and read books. We'll see how that goes this summer.

Anyways, have a wonderful summer and make memories with your family.

Natalie Walters: Living Lies

By Kelly Bridgewater

In the little town of Walton, Georgia, everybody knows your name--but no one knows your secret. At least that's what Lane Kent is counting on when she returns to her hometown with her five-year-old son. Dangerously depressed after the death of her husband, Lane is looking for hope. What she finds instead is a dead body.

Lane must work with Walton's newest deputy, Charlie Lynch, to uncover the truth behind the murder. But when that truth hits too close to home, she'll have to decide if saving the life of another is worth the cost of revealing her darkest secret.

Debut novelist Natalie Walters pulls you to the edge of your seat on the first page and keeps you there until the last in this riveting story that will have you believing no one is defined by their past.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

Natalie Walters debut novel Living Lies is full of tension-filled moments with a hint of romance on the sidelines. Depression is something that is realistic in the world. No one really knows what it feels like unless you have been affected by it personally or by being near someone close who has dealt with it. Living Lies dives into depression as the background for Lane, the heroine. She tries to keep secrets from her past from coming to life. The inner workings of the suspense captivate readers and allow them to follow Lane and Charlie on their hunt for the killer. With the discovery of the dead body in the first chapter, Walters takes readers on a hunt for justice. The romance seems out of place for me. Not that Charlie and Lane don't deserve happiness. It just the romance didn't seem to flow naturally. Overall, Walters definitely created a romantic suspense novel that should be picked up by lovers of romantic suspense. I believe fans of Irene Hannon and DiAnn Mills would enjoy this book.

I received a complimentary copy of Living Lies by Natalie Walters from Revell Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

About the Author:

From Goodreads

James L. Rubart: Pages of Her Life

By Kelly Bridgewater

How Do You Stand Up for Yourself When It Means Losing Everything?

Allison Moore is making it. Barely. The Seattle area architecture firm she started with her best friend is struggling, but at least they’re free from the games played by the corporate world. She’s gotten over her divorce. And while her dad’s recent passing is tough, their relationship had never been easy.
Then the bomb drops. Her dad had a secret life and left her mom in massive debt.

As Allison scrambles to help her mom find a way out, she’s given a journal, anonymously, during a visit to her favorite coffee shop. As the pressure to rescue her mom mounts, Allison pours her fears and heartache into the journal.

But then the unexplainable happens. The words in the journal, her words, begin to disappear. And new ones fill the empty spaces— words that force her to look at everything she knows about herself in a new light.

Ignoring those words could cost her everything . . . . but so could embracing them.

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

James L. Rubart creates mind-bending stories of faith and takes the ideas to a new level. Rubart takes what appears to be a simple story on the surface and creates something much, much deeper to the characters. All, at least the ones I have read, of the characters transform completely by the end of the novel. With Pages of Her Life, Allison is no exception. The plot dug deep and had me questioning why Allison kept working for Dexter, who I couldn't stand from the moment I met him. He was a very unlikely villain. I enjoyed the story, and I couldn't wait to see how the ending happened. As for the element with the money that was due by their mother, I believe, Allison, Parker, and her mother should have hired a lawyer and taken them to court. There is no way I would have paid that money. Unless the contract proved them liable, not just their deceased father, the money people had no leg to stand on. As a bonus, there is a couple of characters who appear from Rubart's previous novels. What a nice surprise. Overall, James L. Rubart's Pages of Her Life showed how trusting in yourself and God can change your perspective on life. I enjoyed this novel. I anxiously await what Rubart creates next.

I received a complimentary copy of Pages of Her Life by James L. Rubart from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Purchase Pages of Her Life on Amazon

About the Author:

From Amazon

James L. Rubart is 28 years old, but lives trapped inside an older man's body. He thinks he's still young enough to water ski like a madman and dirt bike with his two grown sons, and loves to send readers on journeys they'll remember months after they finish one of his stories.

He's the best-selling, Christy Book of the Year, Carol, INSPY, and RT Book Reviews award winning author of nine novels as well as a professional speaker. During the day he runs his marketing company which helps businesses, authors, and publishers make more coin of the realm. He lives with his amazing wife on a small lake in eastern Washington. More at www.jameslrubart.com More at http://jameslrubart.com/ and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JamesLRubart (Taken from Amazon.)

My Favorite Covers

By Kelly Bridgewater

What makes a cover appealing to you?

Is it the colors?

Is it the gesture of the heroine and hero on the cover?

Is it the allure of the suspense hidden in the pages?

I enjoy a cover that hints at what the story is about without actually giving away too much.

So for today, I want to share some of my favorite covers. In a couple of weeks, I will share the covers that really don't do it for me, even though I'm sure the story inside will take me away.  (Images taken from Goodreads, unless noted.)

The Captive Maiden by Melanie Dickerson

 

The Number of Love by Roseanna M. White

 

Wings of the Wind by Connilyn Cossette

 

Kissing Father Christmas by Robin Jones Gunn

 

Blue Skies Tomorrow by Sarah Sundin

 

From This Moment by Elizabeth Camden

In Places Hidden by Tracie Peterson

 

Out of the Ordinary by Jen Turano

 

What about you? Do you enjoy some of these covers? Do you have any favorites you want to add to this list?