Janice Cantore: Edge of Truth

 By Kelly Bridgewater

One case almost destroyed her career. Now the past seems to have caught up with her. And as a high-stakes game of truth and lies unfolds, someone’s out for retribution at any cost.

As a detective in the Long Beach Police Department’s violent crimes division, Lainie Jensen is no stranger to hard-to-crack cases and unusual disappearances, but then her sister Evie vanishes on a trip to Hawaii. After traveling there to look for her, Lainie quickly realizes her brother-in-law Stan is telling law enforcement a story that doesn’t appear to add up.

FBI special agent Ben Isaacs has spent six months collecting evidence to take down a money laundering operation. While his fellow agent Efren Gomez goes undercover to infiltrate the ring, Ben investigates those connected to it, including Stan Moffitt, who Ben believes could help lead to the criminal kingpin. Then Stan’s wife goes missing just days after Ben contacted her seeking information, and he knows there’s more to this case, especially when he loses contact with Efren and law enforcement comes up short in their search for him.

When Ben’s and Lainie’s investigations converge, Lainie’s not eager to work alongside Ben given their complicated history, but she’s willing to do so if it means figuring out what Stan knows and locating Evie. Soon, Lainie can’t deny Ben’s dedication to finding the truth or her growing admiration for him. And the more the two examine the evidence, the more they suspect Evie’s disappearance is tied to a highly publicized criminal case from Lainie’s past . . . and someone is playing a perilous game aimed at personal revenge.

My Thoughts:

Edge of Truth by Janice Cantore is a quick policedural mystery novel with a slight hint of romance. Readers will enjoy meeting the heroine and want her to succeed as she hunts for the missing body of her sister. As for the plot, readers will enjoy the inside look into the world of the police work. Cantore does a wonderful job at showing the emotional tole that all the work and incidents take on the police offers. I really liked that aspect of the plot. She crafted rounded characters that I could empathize with. In majority of stories there is always a romance thread. Technically, there is one, but it is very vague and does not take away from the main plot of the story, which I really liked. Cantore does give her characters the faith to find and come back, which I really like. I'm sure being a Christian cop is not easy especially with all the horrors that Satan makes people do. Overall, Edge of Truth by Janice Cantore delivers what I was expecting from the story, and I enjoyed spending time with the story. I can't wait to see what she crafts next.

I received a complimentary copy of Edge of Truth by Janice Cantore, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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Sarah E. Ladd: An Unconventional Lady

 By Kelly Bridgewater

 One woman works to expose a scientific fraud while also finding love in the latest sweet Regency romance by Sarah Ladd. Perfect for fans of Julie Klassen, An Unconventional Lady delivers what Publishers Weekly calls Ladd's "pitch-perfect blend of suspense and sweetness" (The Cloverton Charade).

She faces the worst ultimatum possible for a woman--marry a man she detests or lose the future she's always imagined.

Charming and headstrong, Ella Wilde always knew she was different than other women. Thanks to her unorthodox upbringing as the daughter of Keatley Hall School for Young Men's headmaster, Ella has long dreamed of opening a school for girls that would meet the needs of inquisitive, brilliant, unconventional young women just like her--girls who longed for the education exclusively reserved for boys. But there's just one catch: Unless she marries before her father dies, Keatley Hall will pass into the hands of a distant cousin. In that case, Ella will be left destitute, and at this point her only option appears to be an undesirable marriage.

Ella's family had long been proponents of phrenology, the belief that an individual's personality and dispositions were predetermined by the shape of their head. Shortly before her death, however, Ella's mother's views on phrenology changed, and she endeavored to expose phrenology as nothing more than a fraudulent parlor trick. Consequently, she earned the wrath of phrenologist community, who called her "unstable," "bizarre," even "dangerous"--and branded her daughter the same.

Now, renowned phrenologist Thomas Bauer is about to arrive at Keatley Hall to speak at the Natural Philosophers' Society gathering, and Ella embraces the opportunity to clear her mother's name--and her own--once and for all. And her partner in crime? None other than her childhood friend Gabriel Rowe, who's grown into an ambitious, handsome London solicitor.

Gabriel has his own scores to settle, and when he learns that Thomas Bauer is visiting Keatley Hall, he jumps at the chance to prove himself and right past wrongs. As he is drawn deeper into the unusual happenings, it's clear that he and Ella must work together if they want to unmask the truth. Over time, Gabriel's attraction to Ella's beauty and wit becomes impossible to ignore, and as the lines between professionalism and passion blur, they both must decide what they're willing to risk for happiness.

My Thoughts:

An Unconventional Lady by Sarah E. Ladd was a feel-good read. Readers will enjoy spending time with Ella and Gabriel. The slow-moving romance was built on a slow trust that developed as they tried to solve the case of Mr. Bauer. Ladd does a wonderful job at creating a romance that didn’t just happen, but developed over time, which I really enjoyed. As for the plot, I loved the mystery element of trying to figure out what was really going on. Ella and Gabriel knew something was off, but they just couldn’t put their finger on it. I loved how they worked together and defended each other throughout the entire story. As for the character of Ella, Ladd did a wonderful job at crafting a character who was strong and stayed true to her values even when others around her frown at her and what her mother was supposedly was. As for the setting, readers will fall in love with the boy’s school, but the possibly of a girls’ school that Ella wanted to create in memory of her mother. Overall, An Unconventional Lady by Sarah E. Ladd was a interesting, yet mysterious novel with sweet characters that readers will enjoy getting to know.

I received a complimentary copy of An Unconventional Lady by Sarah E. Ladd from Harper Collins Christian Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Elizabeth Camden: Beyond the Clouds

 By Kelly Bridgewater

 They lost each other once before; now the clouds of war may give them a second chance.

As teenagers, Delia Byrne and Finn Delaney fell in love while flying kites and dreaming of a future together--until betrayal tore them apart. Now, as America enters World War I, Delia works for peace as a paralegal and pacifist. Her values forbid her from supporting the war effort, but she volunteers for a relief organization trying to save millions of lives in famine-stricken Belgium.

Returning to America as a decorated war hero, Finn is eager to get back to the front but is assigned to use his fame to raise funds instead. To his surprise, this mission will bring him face-to-face with Delia, the only woman he ever loved and once hoped to marry. As their shared mission draws them together, old sparks of romance begin to stir--until duty sends them behind enemy lines in occupied Belgium. Will the greatest danger be the conflict raging around them--or the possibility of falling in love again?

 

My Thoughts:

Beyond the Clouds by Elizabeth Camden was a heartwarming story set against the horrors of World War I. Camden invites readers into a world of resistance that I was not familiar with. Camden has a gift for taking little known facts and weaving them seamless into a story so that readers are being educated, but in a fun and delightful way. It was interesting to read, and Camden does a wonderful job at creating a story that captures the imagination and does not let go. I love the setting of New York, then Long Island, then into the German territory. Even though it was a war situation, Camden still tugs at the heartstrings with Delia and Finn. Finn, the hero, was a brave man who really came from nothing but made something of himself that gave Delia something to see the change and fall for. Delia, also became a better person during the War. She realized her strengths and worth and used them for the good of American soldiers in captivity. Overall, Beyond the Clouds by Elizabeth Camden is a wonderful story with brave characters, horrible situations, and a romance that is delightful to watch unfold. I will own a paperback copy of this story for my personal library.

I received a complimentary copy of Beyond the Clouds by Elizabeth Camden, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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Susan May Warren: Track of Courage

 By Kelly Bridgewater

 A hijacked plane. A pursuing killer. And a K9's instinct to help them make it out alive.

Pop singer Keely Williams's search for her biological mother in Alaska has been painfully unsuccessful. Now she just wants to escape this wild frontier and never look back. But when her plane is hijacked, she's suddenly plunged into a race against not only an Alaskan blizzard but also a killer who's on her tail.

After a career-ending injury, ex-cop Dawson Mulligan has only one friend--Caspian, the stray dog he adopted. Dawson just wants to figure out how to get his life on track, but during a flight home to Copper Mountain, he spots a downed plane and stops to help. Except, when his not-a-rescue dog runs off into the woods and discovers the trail of a missing survivor, it's up to the former cop to stage a rescue.

But Dawson has no idea he's being pulled into a deadly pursuit, or that Caspian is more than he seems. There might be redemption and second chances waiting for both Dawson and Keely if they have the courage to face their wounded pasts and fight for their future.

Join master storyteller Susan May Warren for a propulsive ride through the Alaskan wilderness, where love might be the riskiest--and most rewarding--adventure of all.

Prepare to experience edge-of-your-seat action combined with heart-stirring romance and heroic K9 companions in this exhilarating romantic suspense that will thrill fans of Lynette Eason and Elizabeth Goddard.

 

My Thoughts:

Track of Courage by Susan May Warren is a high action novel with romance blooming all over the pages for the main two characters. Warren does a wonderful job, like she always does, with her settings. Readers will feel the cold and see the blizzard as it bears down on the lodge up in rural Alaska. She does a good job at inviting her readers into the rustic log cabin lodge, that I want to live in, and allow them to be cozy by the fire while playing board games, eating cookies, and drinking cocoa and coffee. What is better than that! The action kept piling up more mirroring the snow falling outside. Warren kept the characters jumping as issue after issue kept ruining the growing emotions. And the dog! This dog, Caspian, kept shoving the characters into deeper trouble, but then it would turn around and help rescue others too. Silly dog! As for the romance, both hero and heroine had a hard time knocking down the walls that they have built around their heart and their lives, but they really wanted to. They wanted the love that they were experiencing, but it is hard. Warren does bring back a lot of familiar characters if readers are familiar with her other stories. But she has written so many stories that I remember reading their stories, but I could not really place them on who is married to who and what their issues were. Maybe someday, I’ll find the time to sit down and start from the beginning and re-read them all again in order. Overall, Track of Courage by Susan May Warren will capture the interests of Warren’s fans and help new readers who love adventure with moments of romance to find her stories. I will own this series with all my other Warren books. One of my favorite authors.

I received a complimentary copy of Track of Courage by Susan May Warren, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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