Ronie Kendig: Havoc

By Kelly Bridgewater

About the Book:

Title: Havoc
Series: A Breed Apart: Legacy #1
Author: Ronie Kendig
Publisher: Sunrise Publishing
Release Date: October 17, 2023
Genre: Paramilitary Romantic Thriller

A soldier, a Malinois, and a stuntwoman walk onto a TV set . . .

Former Special Forces operator Sergeant Crew Gatlin takes everything in stride, even the career-ending incident that separated him from the Army, half a leg, and his beloved working dog, Havoc K027. Putting his life back together and lying low, he takes a job with A Breed Apart and is unexpectedly reunited with Havoc. It’s too good to be true—and the proof is in their first assignment: to work as a K-9 team for a television drama in Los Angeles. Miffed at being relegated to TV fodder, he’s willing to pay the price when he sees the stuntwoman.

Being a stunt double allows Vienna Foxcroft to fulfill her acting dream—with a side of MMA—and stay out of the limelight. The same one that plagued her childhood and put her through a nightmare scenario. Now, her tight-knit stunt team are the only ones she trusts. Then in walks Mr. Mountain-of-Muscle and his tough-as-nails dog, and Vienna has a bad feeling her life is about to turn upside down.

Ticked as they head overseas for a location shoot in Turkey, Crew guts it up—after all, he has Havoc again. Okay, and yeah—Vienna is going, too. When an attack sends the cast fleeing into the streets of Turkey, Vienna must face the demons of her past or be devoured by them. And Crew and Havoc are tested like never before.

Experience the high-octane thrill ride that is the first book in the A Breed Apart: Legacy series.

 

My Thoughts:

I love the way that Ronie Kendig crafts a military story like a movie. With precise language and crafted movement, I can see the fight scenes as the characters engage in warfare dance across my imagination. Havoc starts a little odd, I thought, as I was reading the beginning of the story. Why are we on a movie set? It really made no sense to me. But as the story progressed, Kendig showed readers why this was important to set up the rest of the story. Using Crew’s military background with Havoc, he does a wonderful job at protecting Vienna from the people who want to cause her harm. As for the romance, the story takes place in roughly three weeks, and Crew and Vienna fall pretty hard and pretty fast. With the backgrounds with romantic relationships that they both have been in; I had a hard time believing that they would allow their walls to fall that fast. Maybe have them interested, then in the next book or two, they can make a reappearance, and readers can re-familiarize themselves with their growing relationship. As for the characterization of Crew, he is a strong, determined, and brave soldier. Once a soldier, always a soldier. Vienna, on the other hand, is roughly his equal with determination and trying to make a name for herself away from her parents’ shadow. Overall, Havoc by Ronie Kendig is a thrilling adventure with an adorable military dog and some high-octane romance to round out the plotline. Definitely a book that will be added to my personal library.

I received a complimentary copy of Havoc by Ronie Kendig from Sunrise Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookBub

More in This Series

About the Author

Ronie Kendig is a bestselling, award-winning author of over thirty-five books. She grew up an Army brat, and now she and her Army-veteran husband have returned to their beloved Texas after a nearly ten-year stint in the Northeast. They survive on Sonic runs, barbecue, and peach cobbler that they share—sometimes—with Benning the Stealth Golden and AAndromeda the MWD Washout. Ronie’s degree in psychology has helped her pen novels of intense, raw characters.

Connect with Ronie by visiting roniekendig.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will win a paperback copy of Havoc and a $10 gift card to the Sunrise Shop!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight October 16, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on October 23, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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Susan May Warren: Fraser

 By Kelly Bridgewater

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Fraser by Susan May Warren, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

Title: Fraser

Series: The Minnesota Marshalls #1

Author: Susan May Warren

Publisher: SDG Publishing

Release Date: February 14, 2023

Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

Fraser Marshall is pretty sure his career as a Spec Ops fighter is over. Yes, he’s gone into private security, working for Jones, Inc, but his last gig ended with him wounded and taken captive. And those wounds just won’t heal. The last thing he wants to do is stick around his family’s winery pressing grapes. But what choices does he have?

The answer comes via a panicked phone call from his kid brother, Creed.

Help, Fraser. I’m in over my head…

Yeah he is, because he’s run away with a princess, with her bodyguard hot on the trail. And said bodyguard, Pippa Butler is going to hunt them down, no matter the cost.

Even if she has to join forces with a bossy, arrogant former American SEAL. But Pippa has her own set of lethal skills, and if Fraser gets in the way, she’ll leave him on the side of the road. Still, maybe he’s not a terrible side-kick. He is handsome, and he makes her laugh…

No, no, bad Pippa! She has no room for a man—an American—in her life. And Fraser hasn’t ever considered slowing down. Even if Pippa has him wondering if there is a different future ahead.

But there’s more to the story than a Romeo-and-Juliet runaway romance. Princess Imani has seen a murder, and the perpetrator isn’t going to let her get away. Will Fraser and Pippa find the couple first?

And if they do, can they work together to keep them safe?

It’ll be tough if their hearts get in the way…

Dive into book one of the epic, romantic, globe-trotting suspense of the Minnesota Marshalls!

 

My Thoughts:

Fraser by Susan May Warren jumps into the world of the Minnesota Marshalls. The story is populated with a number of characters who are familiar to readers of Susan May Warren's world. She keeps diving into characters that readers have seen their stories. It is a nice feeling. It is like returning to a family reunion.  I would like to see how the Montana Marshalls and the Minnesota Marshalls are related. Anyways, the plot in Fraser is full of adventure while the hero and heroine are trying to rescue their clients and run from danger while fully fighting the growing emotions toward one another. Being the first book in this new series, Warren has kept to her constinant style of suspense and romance plaguing her characters. Fraser is definitely a novel that Warren fans have come to expect and she does deliver. It will keep the readers up past their bedtime as they want to find out the resolution to the encounters between Fraser and Pippa. I can't wait to add this book to my Warren bookshelf, which is turning into a couple of bookshelves with the number of stories that she has written. Readers will not be disappointed.

I received a complimentary copy of Fraser by Susan May Warren through JustRead Tours, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Purchase: PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Christianbook | IndieBound  | BookBub

Also Available

 

About the Author:

Growing up in Minneapolis and attending the U of MN, I learned to love city life, although I'm a woodsy girl at heart. Or maybe I'm an adventurer -- having lived and traveled all over the world, including Siberia Russia as a missionary for eight years. Probably that's why my characters can't sit still, and seem to get into one scrape after another -- they're too much like me! I love God, my family, my country, my church, and feel privileged every day to be able to write stories.

Here's my "Official" Bio.

With over 1 million books sold, critically acclaimed novelist Susan May Warren is the Christy, RITA and Carol award-winning author of over seventy-five novels with Revell, Tyndale, Barbour, Steeple Hill and Summerside Press. Known for her compelling plots and unforgettable characters, Susan has written contemporary and historical romances, romantic-suspense, thrillers, rom-com and Christmas novellas.

With books translated into eight languages, many of her novels have been ECPA and CBA bestsellers, were chosen as Top Picks by Romantic Times, and have won the RWA's Inspirational Reader's Choice contest and the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year award.

Of her books, Publisher’s Weekly has written, “Warren lays bare her characters’ human frailties, including fear, grief, and resentment, as openly as she details their virtues of love, devotion, and resiliency. She has crafted an engaging tale of romance, rivalry, and the power of forgiveness.”

And Library Journal adds, “Warren's characters are well-developed and she knows how to create a first rate contemporary romance…”

Susan is also a nationally acclaimed writing coach, teaching at conferences around the nation and winner of the 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers Mentor of the Year award. She loves to help people launch their writing careers and is the founder of Novel.Academy and www.LearnHowtoWriteaNovel.com, a writing website that helps authors get published and stay published. She’s also the author of the popular writing method, The Story Equation.

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a print copy of Fraser and a $10 Susan May Warren Store gift card!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight February 21, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on February 28, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

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Enter Giveaway

Lisa Phillips: Expired Return

By Kelly Bridgewater

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Expired Return by Lisa Phillips, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Expired Return

Series: Last Chance Fire and Rescue #1

Author: Lisa Phillips

Publisher: Sunrise Publishing

Release Date: January 31, 2023

Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

She’ll give everything to protect her family.

He always knew she was the one.

Veterinary tech Pepper Miller lives a quiet life in Last Chance County. She’s watching her niece until her sister shows up…if she ever does. When Victory’s father demands he take over her care, Pepper knows something has gone wrong. With a new drug in town, and her sister embroiled in a dangerous bargain, it’s up to Pepper to protect the people she loves.

Even if it costs every secret she’s ever kept.

Fire Department liaison Allen Frees lives with the injuries he sustained as a police officer in a raid gone wrong. He’s put his life back together but getting the truck crew and engine squad to succeed might be his toughest assignment yet. When Victory is nearly kidnapped at a community event, Allen steps in to help Pepper keep her niece safe. The one thing he couldn’t fix was the love he lost, but he isn’t going to let Pepper walk away this time.

No matter what walls he has to break down.

 

My Thoughts:

Expired Return by Lisa Phillips is my third book that I have read by Phillips. She does have the high-tension element of a suspense novel. Plenty of description. Nicely handled. One of the things that I have found that have irritated me when I read Phillips’s stories is when the heroine comes onto the page in the first chapter, they have all been very negative characters. She walks into a room and image that everyone hates her. Why? Phillips does not tell us. Of course, as the story moves along, readers are told why she feels this way. Is it justified? Personally, no. I know there are actual people that feel this way. My mother is one of them. But I really do not want to read a story where the heroine is a Debbie-downer. As the plot moves along, the heroine does show their strengths and makes them more tolerable. As for the romance, in Expired Return, the heroine and hero have to overcome issues from their pasts and their past relationship. In order for that to happen, they have to learn to trust each other by building down their separate walls. Overall, Expired Return by Lisa Phillips is a little hard to dive into, but after getting past the initial shock of the heroine’s attitude, the story moves into a romantic suspense pattern. I believe fans of Colleen Coble, DiAnn Mills, and Irene Hannon would enjoy this type of story.

I received a complimentary copy of Expired Return by Lisa Phillips from Sunrise Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | BookBub

More Books in this Series

About the Author

Lisa Phillips is a USA Today and top ten Publishers Weekly bestselling author of over 50 books that span Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense line, independently published series romantic suspense, and thriller novels. She’s discovered a penchant for high-stakes stories of mayhem and disaster where you can find made-for-each-other love that always ends in happily ever after.

Lisa is a British ex-pat who grew up an hour outside of London and attended Calvary Chapel Bible College, where she met her husband. He’s from California, but nobody’s perfect. It wasn’t until her Bible College graduation that she figured out she was a writer (someone told her). As a worship leader for Calvary Chapel churches in her local area, Lisa has discovered a love for mentoring new ministry members and youth worship musicians.

Discover the world of Last Chance Fire and Rescue at https://lastchancecounty.com/lc-fire

Find out more at www.authorlisaphillips.com

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a print copy of Expired Return, a $10 Amazon gift card, and sticker swag from Last Chance County!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight January 31, 2023 and will last through

11:59 PM EST on February 7, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given

48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

Kelly Underwood: Defending Honor

 By Kelly Bridgewater

She trusts no one…

Bodyguard Laila Rabbinowitz is all business. Tough and stoic, she was the perfect Mossad agent…until a terrible betrayal led to her worst nightmare. Being a bodyguard with the Elite Guardians allows her to keep her heart safe—she’ll never get involved with a client, never let anyone close enough to betray her again. And she’s certainly not going to trust anyone who doesn’t earn it.

He needs protection…

Billionaire Preston Whittaker walked away from his famous family after a terrible event, but he’s put that behind him—or so he thinks. When his father and brother are killed in a suspicious boating accident, he must take the helm of the family business and carry on the family legacy. But someone doesn’t want him at the helm. They want him dead.

She’ll have to pretend to be his wife to save his life…

Enter the Elite Guardians. Preston is going to need someone by his side 24/7, and the only solution is…a fake marriage. Laila needs to pull off acting as the trophy wife to the country’s most eligible bachelor. With the eyes of the paparazzi on them, she’ll have to convince everyone that she and Preston are in love.

But what will it cost her heart?

Preston’s reputation as a party playboy precedes him, and Laila doesn’t belong in his world filled with parties and money. But is there more to Preston Whittaker that the world doesn’t see? Maybe, in time, he’s someone Laila could learn to trust. Only problem is, the danger is closer than they both know…and time is running out.

My Review:

Defending Honor by Kelly Underwood is a bodyguard protecting a rich boy who ran away from his inheritance. From the opening chapter, Underwood throws Laila into the fire with bullets flying. The secrets of the mansion and the hidden passageways were a nice touch to the description of the mansion. The tension plot builds up as the story progresses. Bullets kept flying and a car ends up underwater. A huge fear of mine. Underwood was mentored by Lynette Eason, so of course, the suspense kept building as the story progressed. With Susan May Warren and Lynette Eason, how could this series go wrong? Both wonderful writers who know how to capture their audience’s attention. The revealing of the bad person was not a surprise. I figured out who the person was before Underwood revealed it. Not a lot of red herrings. Couple of bullseyes if the readers paid attention. Overall, Defending Honor by Kelly Underwood fits nicely into the romantic suspense genre and the Elite Guardian’s series.

I received a complimentary copy of Defending Honor by Kelly Underwood through Sunrise Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Purchase Defending Honor

About the Author:

Kelly Underwood’s favorite things are reading, writing, and drinking coffee. She was born in New Hampshire, but don’t ask her about snow, because she’s been a Florida girl since she was twelve. She writes book reviews for her blog bestinsuspense.com and is an active member of the Central Florida chapter of the American Christian Fiction Writers. She’s a sucker for a good suspense novel, the kind you have to read cover-to-cover until the mystery is solved and the bad guys are in handcuffs. If you’re looking for her, she’s probably on her back patio with a Kindle in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.