Tosca Lee: A Single Light

By Kelly Bridgewater

Six months after vanishing into an underground silo with sixty others, Wynter and Chase emerge to find the area abandoned. There is no sign of Noah and the rest of the group that was supposed to greet them when they emerged—the same people Wynter was counting on to help her locate the IV antibiotics her gravely ill friend, Julie, needs in order to live.

As the clock ticks down on Julie’s life, Wynter and Chase embark on a desperate search for medicine and answers. But what they find is not a nation on the cusp of recovery thanks to the promising new vaccine Wynter herself had a hand in creating, but one decimated by disease. What happened while they were underground?

With food and water in limited supply and their own survival in question, Chase and Wynter must venture further and further from the silo. Aided by an enigmatic mute named Otto, they come face-to-face with a society radically changed by global pandemic, where communities scrabble to survive under rogue leaders and cities are war zones. As hope fades by the hour and Wynter learns the terrible truth of the last six months, she is called upon once again to help save the nation she no longer recognizes—a place so dark she’s no longer sure it can even survive.

Fast-paced and taut, A Single Light is a breathless thriller of nonstop suspense about the risks of living in a world outside the safe confines of our closely-held beliefs and the relationships and lives that inspire us.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

End of the World thrillers are interesting. They take on a what-if scenario and run with it. As for Tosca Lee with her The Line Between and A  Single Light, Lee crafts a world that begins with a cult escape and turns into a vaccine that is needed to save the world from early dementia. I highly recommend reading these two novels in order or the second novel really won't make much sense. I even went back and re-read the first one before diving into the second one because I read so many books in between that I couldn't remember much of the first one. Boy, am I glad that I did. As for the plot of A Single Light, it moves quite rapidly. I recommend sitting aside an entire day with no interruptions, which I know is practically impossible. Lee is wonderful at ending each chapter on a cliffhanger, so of course, I wanted to keep reading and find out what happened. This story had so many twists and turns that I loved it. The plot is fast paced and had me flipping through the pages. The characters of Wynter and Chase are fabulous. I love how quickly Wynter fit into the world she escaped to and how much she did to save others. She has a heart to save not only her niece but anyone she comes in contact with. Chase, the hero, is an ex-Marine who does anything for Wynter, even love her when she doesn't want to be loved. Tosca Lee crafted a wonderful end of the world thriller that kept me glued to the page. If this is the last one, then I'm sad to see these characters go, I would love to see what happens next. How do they actually rebuild the world? Fans of The Hunger Games might enjoy this novel. I sure did.

I received a complimentary copy of A Single Light by Tosca Lee from Howard Books, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Purchase A Single Light

About the Author:

From Amazon

Tosca Lee is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of ten novels including THE LINE BETWEEN, THE PROGENY, FIRSTBORN, THE LEGEND OF SHEBA, ISCARIOT, and the Books of Mortals series with New York Times bestseller Ted Dekker. Her work has been translated into seventeen languages and been optioned for TV and film. A notorious night-owl, she loves movies, playing football with her kids, and sending cheesy texts to her husband.

You can find Tosca at ToscaLee.com, on social media, or hanging around the snack table. A SINGLE LIGHT, Tosca's highly-anticipated sequel to THE LINE BETWEEN, releases September 2019 and is available for preorder now. (Taken from Amazon.)

Tosca Lee: The Line Between

By Kelly Bridgewater

In this frighteningly believable thriller from New York Times bestselling author Tosca Lee, an extinct disease re-emerges from the melting Alaskan permafrost to cause madness in its victims. For recent apocalyptic cult escapee Wynter Roth, it’s the end she’d always been told was coming.

When Wynter Roth is turned out of New Earth, a self-contained doomsday cult on the American prairie, she emerges into a world poised on the brink of madness as a mysterious outbreak of rapid early onset dementia spreads across the nation.

As Wynter struggles to start over in a world she’s been taught to regard as evil, she finds herself face-to-face with the apocalypse she’s feared all her life—until the night her sister shows up at her doorstep with a set of medical samples. That night, Wynter learns there’s something far more sinister at play and that these samples are key to understanding the disease.

Now, as the power grid fails and the nation descends into chaos, Wynter must find a way to get the samples to a lab in Colorado. Uncertain who to trust, she takes up with former military man Chase Miller, who has his own reasons for wanting to get close to the samples in her possession, and to Wynter herself.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

Tosca Lee is a wonderful writer who captures the unusual and writes a wonderful, captivating story. With her newest thriller, The Line Between, she does definitely that. At first, I was a little confused by the beginning of the novel, but after getting into the story, it begins to make sense. A good thriller shows a world in dire need of some type of help from some type of threat either man-made or biochemical. In The Line Between, Lee gave us a story wrapped around a biochemical agent.

Lee's writing is clear and concise. Like I mentioned earlier, when the story starts, it jumps around from about three points of views, and I don't know whose story I was supposed to be following, then Lee leads us to two points of view and that took me a while to sort out too. It was a little confusing. But trust me, stick with it. It eventually makes complete sense why Lee wrote the story the way she did.

The plot was original and unpredictable too. I didn't see the cult twist when I read the synopsis, but I think it worked really well for the story Lee was trying to tell. I can't imagine the amount of research and horror stories she had to wade through to come up with a realistic background for New Earth and for Wynter. I liked the biochemical agent element too. I was wrapped up in the chase through the countryside, hoping Wynter met her goal.

There is a hint of a romance toward the end of the novel, but nothing like a contemporary romance or a romantic suspense. Nothing too touchy feely. Just the way I like my thrillers or suspense novels.

As a word of caution, there are a number of cuss words written in the text. I read them and kept moving on with the story. Yes, they were a little shocking to see, but I enjoy Lee's writing, so I just kept reading.

Overall, The Line Between by Tosca Lee is a unique story from an accomplished thriller writer who takes the unknown and makes it known. I really got wrapped up in the story and finished it one day. Can't wait to see what Lee comes up with next.  Fans of Ted Dekker, Amanda G. Stevens, and James Rubart might want to pick up this novel.

I received a complimentary copy of The Line Between by Tosca Lee from Howard Books, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

About the Author:

From Amazon

Tosca Lee is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of the House of Bathory duology (THE PROGENY and FIRSTBORN), ISCARIOT, THE LEGEND OF SHEBA, DEMON: A MEMOIR, HAVAH: THE STORY OF EVE, and the Books of Mortals series with New York Times bestseller Ted Dekker (FORBIDDEN, MORTAL, SOVEREIGN). A notorious night-owl, she loves watching TV, eating bacon, playing video games and football with her kids, and sending cheesy texts to her husband.

You can find Tosca at www.ToscaLee.com, on social media, or hanging around the snack table. Look for A SINGLE LIGHT, the follow-up to THE LINE BETWEEN, September 2019. (Taken from Amazon.)

Karen Kingsbury: Love Story

By Kelly Bridgewater

From the day they met, John and Elizabeth were destined to fall in love. Their whirlwind romance started when they were young college students and lasted nearly thirty years—until Elizabeth died of cancer.

So when John Baxter is asked to relive his long-ago love story with Elizabeth for his grandson Cole’s heritage project, he’s not sure he can do it. The sadness might simply be too great. But he agrees and allows his heart and soul to go places they haven’t gone in decades. Back to the breathless first moments, but also to the secret heartbreak that brought John and Elizabeth together.

At the same time, Baxter family friend Cody Coleman is working through the breakup of his complicated relationship with Andi Ellison. He is determined to move on when a chance sighting changes his plans—and heart. Can Cody convince Andi to give their love another try, or is it time for them to say goodbye, for good?

As school comes to an end, Cole presents his report on the love story between his grandparents John and Elizabeth Baxter. It is a tale that touches the hearts of the entire family, and one that causes Cole to better understand his own beginning.

From Amazon

 My Thoughts:

Karen Kingsbury's Love Story is all about nostalgia. If you were a fan of the Baxter series, then this is an addition to the series. While I enjoyed the first five Baxter series, or the R series as they are affectionally called, I didn't really like Love Story. The story John Baxter tells Cole is a story that fans of Kingsbury's Baxter series will be familiar with. I can't remember where in the twenty-four novels in the series that Kingsbury has told this story before, but I learned nothing new about the relationship between John and Elizabeth. So I was disappointed in that aspect. As an added bonus, Kingsbury threw in a dueling story with Cody and Andi, to show why their love just can't seem to work. After reading the first couple of scenes with them, I got bored and skipped their parts until the end of the book. Wasn't that interesting. To make the story even more nostalgia, Kingsbury threw in an update on Bailey and Brandon. Again, it paralleled her real life daughter, Kelsey, and I skimmed through these sections too. Overall, the story moved rather rapidly. A month in one novel with not a lot of action. More telling than showing. If you want to know what has been happening to the Baxters, then this might be the perfect novel for you, but for me, I didn't learn anything I didn't know, and I prayed the novel would hurry up and end.

I received a complimentary copy of Karen Kingsbury's Love Story from Howard Books, and the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Name an author who used to love and read all the time, but then their books became boring and you stopped reading their writings.

Tosca Lee: Firstborn

By Kelly Bridgewater

Face-to-face with her past, Audra Ellison now knows the secret she gave up everything—including her memory—to protect. A secret made vulnerable by her rediscovery, and so powerful neither the Historian nor the traitor Prince Nikola will ever let her live to keep it.

With Luka in the Historian’s custody and the clock ticking down on his life, Audra only has one impossible chance: find and kill the Historian and end the centuries old war between the Progeny and Scions at last—all while running from the law and struggling to control her growing powers.

With the help of a heretic monk and her Progeny friends Claudia, Piotrek, and Jester, Audra will risk all she holds dear in a final bid to save them all and put her powers to the ultimate test. Love, action, and stunning revelation reign in this thrilling conclusion to The Progeny.

From Amazon

 My Thoughts:

Firstborn by Tosca Lee is a gripping, fast-paced psychological thriller with a historical aspect. I really enjoyed again returning to the interesting story of Audra Ellison and Luka Novak. A couple who proves love can withstand any trial humans put it through. Once the novel starts, Lee does not let up. Audra and Luka are on the run, hunting for a way to kill the Historian and return to a life where they don't have to keep running from the Hunters. Filled with intrigue, I had a really hard time putting the novel down. I came to an end of a chapter with the intent to do something else, but the chapter ended in a cliffhanger, so I had to keep reading. I really enjoyed learning more about Audra's past and more information about Elizabeth Bathory's history this time. My only issue is with the ending. After watching the untimely demise of the Historian, Audra and Luka jump in a car to chase someone, then the story jumps into a happily-ever-after moment for all the characters. I was confused. Did I miss something? Since this incident happens so close to the end, I thought it would be a prelude to another book, but the happy ending makes it appear that this is the end of the series. I could be wrong, and I hope I am. Fans of The Progeny by Tosca Lee and Steven James should pick this novel up.

I received a complimentary copy of Firstborn by Tosca Lee from Howard Books and the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

When reading a psychological thriller, do you want a happy ending? Do you want to see the murder resolve? How would you feel if an author decided to hold the real murder until the end of the series?

Sandra Byrd: A Lady in Disguise

By Kelly Bridgewater

In this intriguing novel of romance, mystery, and clever disguise set in Victorian England, a young woman investigates the murder of her own father.

After the mysterious death of her father, Miss Gillian Young takes a new job as the principal costume designer at the renowned Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. But while she remembers her father as a kind, well-respected man of the Police Force, clues she uncovers indicate he’d been living a double life: a haunting photograph of a young woman; train stubs for secret trips just before his death; and a receipt for a large sum of money. Are these items evidence of her father’s guilty secrets? His longtime police partner thinks so.

Then Gillian meets the dashing Viscount Thomas Lockwood. Their attraction is instant and inescapable. As their romantic involvement grows, Gillian begins to suspect even Lockwood’s motives. Does Lord Lockwood truly love her? Or is his interest a front for the desire to own her newly inherited property? And what should she make of her friend’s suggestion that Lockwood or men like him were involved in the murder of her father?

Soon Gillian is convinced that her father has left evidence somewhere that can prove his innocence and reveal the guilty party. But someone wants to stop her from discovering it. The closer she comes to uncovering it, the more menacing her opposition grows. With her life on the line, Gillian takes on an ingenious disguise and takes on the role of a lifetime to reveal the true killer—before it’s too late both for her and for those that she loves.

www.barnesandnoble.com

My Thoughts:

I have wondered why there isn't that many historical suspense or thriller novels. I enjoy historical and suspense novels, so why isn't there a huge market for that genre? With I read the synopsis for Sandra Byrd's A Lady in Disguise, I got really excited. Byrd's novel would be during the Victorian Era, which is the same time period that Arthur Conan Doyle wrote his famous Sherlock Holmes series.

I quickly dived into the novel and swept away in the live of Gillian Young, a young seamstress who sews together projects for The Theatre Royal on Drury Lane. Gillian is a kind-hearted young lady who takes in two early teenager girls instead of allowing them to be human trafficked or sold into sex slavery. I enjoyed how Byrd made her a brave woman who wasn't afraid to step out of her station to uncover the truth about her father. Next, Viscount Thomas Lockwood is a man with many disguises. At first, I didn't know if Gillian should trust him, then Byrd starts to make him look better in light of all her other suitors. He began to warm up to me.

The romance is just like a historical romance. Meet. Argue. Fall in love. Argue. Fall out of love. A misunderstanding. Married. It was a predictable romance with nothing unoriginal. I knew that they would fall in love and be married sometime by the end of the novel.

All the research that Byrd did to bring the world of the Victorian theatre and seamstress work to life sounded efficient, and I didn't doubt her story at all. I really liked Byrd's attention to detail. She even knew what kind of fabrics would have been popular during the Victorian era.

Being an avid reader of mysteries, I knew what to expect. I like fast pace plots, which beg me to turn to more chapters and not put the book down. Unfortunately, A Lady in Disguise does not do that. It reads like a historical novel with a mystery in the background. Yes, I understand that Gillian wanted to prove that her father was truthful, but there were moments that I felt like she spent more time designing clothes, attending parties, and courting Lockwood then focusing on the mystery. Toward  eighty percent in the novel, the mystery becomes the focal point and becomes what I wanted all along. But it took a while to get there.

In conclusion, Sandra Byrd's A Lady in Disguise is a great peek into the world of a seamstress trying to make her name known during the Victorian Era. I enjoyed the characters and the story, but I wish the mystery was more of the novel's purpose than a secondary subplot.

I received a complimentary copy of Sandra Byrd's A Lady in Disguise from Howard Books, and the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

What genre do you wish there was more of? Is there a combination of two that you would love to see? Why?