Kelly Irvin: Tell Her No Lies

By Kelly Bridgewater

Even the most admired families have secrets to hide . . .
Nina Fischer carries a camera wherever she goes—so she can view life through a filter. Safely. After her mother abandoned her to the streets, Nina has kept people at a distance, including her uncle, who adopted Nina and her sister. Wealthy and proud, he is a good man, a fair judge, and someone many in 
San Antonio admire. 

But when he is murdered, and the detective assigned to the case accuses Nina of the crime, she knows she must act. She’s determined to use her journalism background to find the real killer. The two men in her life want to help, but can she trust them?  She’s known Rick since they were children, but now he’s an attorney whose political aspirations seem more important than Nina’s tragic loss. And then there’s Aaron, a news videographer; using their friendship could break the biggest story of his career. 

Following the evidence leads Nina on a journey of discovery into her father’s shocking masquerade as a law-abiding, family-loving Christian. Unlocking these secrets could prove fatal, but it’s the only way Nina will ever be able to trust love again. 

Combining romance and suspense, bestselling author Kelly Irvin’s Tell Her No Lies is a high-stakes race for the truth.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

Kelly Irvin has been known for writing Amish romances, and as a reader who can't stand Amish anything. Romance. Suspense. Or Historical. I decide to stay away from majority of Irvin's writing. But when Thomas Nelson showed her writing a romantic suspense novel, which is a genre I read widely in, I was curious. The novel sounded interesting, so I thought I would give it a shot.

The plot is my biggest issue, so I'll start there. The novel does start with a dead body in an office so that is done correctly. BUT . . . then the next thirty-two percent of the novel takes place right after the dead body, and Irvin wanted to show EVERY single person's perspective of the dead body. From the cop to the daughter, Nina, the heroine, to a number of reporter's and a lawyer slash boyfriend for Nina. It dragged and lost my attention really quickly. As for the rest of the novel, it was just killing everyone important to Nina in a hurry to make her more anxious and send her back to the police station for questioning for about the fourth time. That is a lot for a romantic suspense novel. I figured out from the first chapter who the two bad people were. No surprise for me.

The characters wanted more for their life, but I really didn't see them changing at all. Nina learned more about her biological mother and made her wish she didn't learn what she did. Adam, the best friend and love interest, arrived in the first couple of chapters, and I didn't really like him either. I didn't know if he really liked Nina for who she was or using her moment of hurt as a way to further his own personal career. So the ending didn't sit well with me.

Overall, Tell Her No Lies by Kelly Irvin didn't have a fast-pace story line like a romantic suspense should have. I wanted a lot more action with moments of holding my breath. The characters were bland with a boring romance. Not a novel I would recommend for fans of romantic suspense.

I received a complimentary copy of Tell Her No Lies by Kelly Irvin from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

About the Arthur:

From Amazon

Best-selling novelist Kelly Irvin's latest book is Beneath the Summer Sun, the second book in her Amish romance series, Every Amish Season, from Zondervan/HarperCollins Christian Publishing. This four-book series delves into the lives of four Amish women linked by life altering experiences that bring them together as wives, mothers, and grandmothers in the small town of Jamesport, Mo. The first book, Upon a Spring Breeze, received critical acclaim from the Library Journal: "A moving and compelling tale about the power of grace and forgiveness that reminds us how we become strongest in our most broken moments."

Kelly Irvin is also the author of The Amish of Bee County series, which includes the critically acclaimed The Beekeeper's Son. Publishers Weekly called the first book in the series a beautifully woven masterpiece and Romantic Times Magazine called Kelly a storyteller extraordinaire. It was followed by The Bishop's Son and The Saddle Maker's Son, which is an ECPA bestseller.

A two-time ACFW Carol finalist, Kelly's novellas have been included in numerous anthologies, including An Amish Summer, The Amish Christmas Gift, An Amish Market, an Amish Christmas Love, and Amish Quilt.

She also penned the Bliss Creek Amish series and the New Hope Amish series, both published by Harvest House Publishers. Love Still Stands, the first book in the New Hope series, debuted in September 2014, and the follow-up, Love Redeemed, released March 1, 2014. The final book in the series, set in Branson, MO., was A Plain Love Song, released in July 2014.

The Bliss Creek Amish series, set in Kansas, includes To Love and to Cherish, A Heart Made New, and Love's Journey Home.

In the New Hope series, familiar characters from Bliss Creek move to Missouri to start a new district and a new life.

Kelly is also the author of two romantic suspense novels, A Deadly Wilderness and No Child of Mine, set in San Antonio, Texas. Two more romantic suspense novels are on the horizon, with the first, Tell Her No Lies, slated for publication by Thomas Nelson Publishing in January 2019.

Kelly recently contracted with Zondervan for a new 3-book series set in Montana. More details to come!

The Kansas native is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and the ACFW San Antonio local chapter Alamo City Christian Fiction Writers, as well as Romance Writers of America (RWA) and Sisters in Crime.

A graduate of the University of Kansas William Allen White School of Journalism, Kelly wrote nonfiction professionally for thirty years. She studied for three semesters at the University of Costa Rica, learning the Spanish language. As a journalist, she worked six years in the border towns of Laredo and El Paso, where she was exposed to culture and language that serves as fodder for her fiction writing. She has written hard news, features, entertainment pieces, restaurant critiques, editorials, and weekly columns. Writing awards include the Silver Star Award from the Texas Mental Health Association for articles pertaining to mental health and numerous awards in news, feature, and editorial writing from the Texas Press Association and Texas Press Women.

Kelly retired in 2016 from her position of 22 years as public relations manager for the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department, where her duties included writing and designing an employee newsletter, writing news releases, collaborating on marketing campaigns, coordinating ribbon-cuttings and groundbreakings, coordinating press conferences, updating the web site, and acting as a media spokesperson.

Kelly has been married to photographer Tim Irvin for more than 30 years, and they have two young adult children and two grandchildren. In her spare time, she likes to write short stories, read books by her favorite authors, and visit the babies. (Taken from Amazon.)

Denise Hunter: On Magnolia Lane

By Kelly Bridgewater

Pastor Jack McReady has secretly carried a torch for Daisy for two long years. She’s a member of his congregation, after all, and she’ll never see him as more than a trusted counselor. Jack’s best friend Noah has taken every opportunity to encourage his lovesick friend, but when Noah catches wind that Daisy has joined an online dating site, he takes matters into his own hands and orchestrates a meet-cute of the most unconventional kind.

Owner of the local flower shop, Daisy Pendleton is content with her small-town life, but she’d sure like someone to share it with. After several disastrous first dates, she’s about to give up—and then she finds a seemingly wonderful man online. Daisy gets to know TJ through a series of messages but finds herself spending more time with Pastor Jack outside of the church at the same time. What she doesn’t know is that her online prospect and Jack are one and the same. 

Just as Daisy’s love life starts to look promising, a mysterious woman appears in town. Daisy is faced with a revelation about her family that turns her world upside down, and she looks to both TJ and Jack for help.

Jack must find a way to reveal himself as her online suitor without breaking her heart and losing her trust. As Daisy faces Jack’s betrayal, she’ll have to learn to extend grace to herself, her family, and the man she’s grown to love.

https://www.denisehunterbooks.com/book-magnolia-lane.html

My Thoughts:

Denise Hunter is fabulous at putting two individuals, a male and a female, into sticky situations and watch them work through their growing emotions. With her latest series, it really hasn't worked for me. The final book, On Magnolia Lane, has a pastor for a hero and a flower shop worker for the heroine. While the story centers around searching for their dreams and looking for love through the facade of a on-line dating service. While the story moves slowly along, I had a really hard time staying focused on the plot. I really couldn't wait for it to be over. Of course being a contemporary romance, the ending is completely predictable, leaving nothing for me to guess. It was nice to see a different type of hero, such as being a pastor. Most people probably don't think of pastors in the realm that Hunter created Jack, but they have emotions and the desired to be loved by members of the opposite sex too. As for Daisy, the heroine, I really saw no redeeming quality about her. She doesn't stick out to me as anything special. She's a pretty cardboard character to me.

Overall, On Magnolia Lane is a bland, yet predictable contemporary romance. I had a hard time diving into the character's lives and the story didn't wow me. Fans of Melissa Tagg, Becky Wade, and Hunter's previous' writings might still love this book, this is just my humble opinion.

I received a complimentary copy of On Magnolia Lane by Denise Hunter from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

About the Author:

From Amazon

 Denise Hunter is the internationally published bestselling author of more than 30 novels, including "The Convenient Groom" and "A December Bride" which have been made into Hallmark movies. She has appeared on the The 700 club and won awards such as The Holt Medallion Award, The Carol Award, The Reader's Choice Award, The Foreword Book of the Year Award, and is a RITA finalist.

Denise writes heartwarming, small-town love stories. Her readers enjoy the vicarious thrill of falling in love and the promise of a happily-ever-after sigh as they savor the final pages of her books.


In 1996, inspired by the death of her grandfather, Denise began her first book, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she's been writing ever since. Her husband says he inspires all her romantic stories, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too!

When Denise isn't orchestrating love lives on the written page, she enjoys traveling with her family, drinking good coffee, and playing drums. Denise makes her home in Indiana where she and her husband raised three boys and are currently enjoying an empty nest.

You can learn more about Denise through her website www.DeniseHunterBooks.com or by visiting her FaceBook page at https://www.facebook.com/authordenisehunter. (Taken from Amazon)
 

Book Blogs Equal White Noise

By Kelly Bridgewater

Does the title make you think?

It sure does for me.

I have been wondering if Book blogs are going away. If you're not one of the popular book blogs who have tons of comments every time they post something, then are you really reaching anyone?

When I attended my first ACFW conference in 2013, a fellow multi-published author answer my question "How do I get started in getting my name out there?" with "Start a blog. Review books. Follow agents and editors blogs. Comment on them. Join your local ACFW chapter and blog there. Find other blogs and see if you can join by writing for them."

I took her advice to heart and started blogging here. I joined my Indiana chapter ACFW and started blogging there. I found a blog where I had to blog once every six weeks entitled Sleuth and Suspects and started blogging there. I became part of Christian Manifesto and Book Talk on Fiction 411. But all of them have closed since then.

I know a number of book review blogs that are doing fabulous. I honestly don't get that much traffic here, only about 1700 to 2000 views a month, but no one comments. I can't more feedback on Goodreads then I do here.

I don't know how to bring more people to my blog. I blog three times a week. I really can't do more than that. I homeschool my son and help my other two with Awana, Youth Group, Band Practices and competitions, and theatre. Plus, spend time with my husband and work on our farm. It takes up a lot of my time.

I do thank the authors and readers who do support my blog when they have a chance. So thank you!

Most people who I know who have blogged when I started have stopped. Only the successful ones keep going. How do I become one of the successful ones?

I don't know.

If you have an idea, please share it with me.

Maybe I should stop blogging too.  Shrugs my shoulders. Maybe I'm talking to no one again.

Lynn Austin: Legacy of Mercy

By Kelly Bridgewater

Having returned to Chicago, young socialite Anna Nicholson can't seem to focus on her upcoming marriage. The new information she's learned about her birth mother continues to pull at her, and she hires Pinkerton detectives to help her find the truth. But as she meets people who once knew her mother and hears stories about the past, Anna soon discovers that some secrets are better left hidden.

At the same time, unflattering stories about Anna are leaked by someone who would love to see her disgraced and her engagement broken. And as Anna tries to share her faith with her society friends, she understands that her choice to seek God's purpose for her life isn't as simple as she had hoped.

When things are at their darkest, Anna knows she can turn to her grandmother, Geesje de Jonge, back in Holland, Michigan. Geesje's been helping new Dutch immigrants, including a teen with a haunted past, adjust to America. She only hopes that her wisdom can help all these young people through the turmoil they face.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

I'm not that familiar with Lynn Austin's writing, but I know a couple of writer friends who believe Austin is the greatest writer out there. The synopsis and the cover for Legacy of Mercy grabbed my attention, and I decided to give her a try. Being a historical romance, I had a pretty good idea what I was in for. A story set in the past filled with characters who tried to solve a conflict and learn to fall in love with a member of the opposite sex. The story kept my attention.

Austin does a wonderful job at inviting me into the world of the late nineteenth century in Chicago, Illinois. The society and the social clubs sprang from the page as well as my imagination. I enjoyed spending time here and loved following Anneke as she traveled to find out about her real birth parents. I love a story with a good treasure hunt, either from the present or the past. Legacy of Mercy does exactly that.

The hunt for Anneke's biological's parents kept me riveted to the page. I wanted to find out who her parents were and if her mother was actually married when she gave birth to Anneke. I flew through the pages and couldn't wait to see the end result. The story was nicely woven together, and Austin really tells a wonderful story. The story is told from Anneke's perspective and her grandmother in Holland, Michigan. Austin tells the story but doesn't confuse me. She puts subheadings, which helps makes it easier for me to follow whose perspective I'm in.

I liked how Anneke wanted more out of her life than attending society clubs and parties to be seen. She wanted to do what God suggested and help the poor, orphaned, and widowed. I liked her character the most. She was a woman after God's own heart. Something we should all strive to be.

Overall, Legacy of Mercy by Lynn Austin is an enduring tale of God's love and is populated with interesting characters who are on a treasure hunt for what is true. I believe fans of historical romance like Jen Turano, Judith Miller, and Lorena Seilstad would enjoy this novel.

I received a complimentary copy of Legacy of Mercy by Lynn Austin from Bethany House Publishers, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

About the Author:

From Amazon

For many years, Lynn Austin nurtured a desire to write but frequent travels and the demands of her growing family postponed her career. When her husband's work took Lynn to Bogota, Colombia, for two years, she used the B.A. she'd earned at Southern Connecticut State University to become a teacher. After returning to the U.S., the Austins moved to Anderson, Indiana, Thunder Bay, Ontario, and later to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

It was during the long Canadian winters at home with her children that Lynn made progress on her dream to write, carving out a few hours of writing time each day while her children napped. Lynn credits her early experience of learning to write amid the chaos of family life for her ability to be a productive writer while making sure her family remains her top priority.

Extended family is also very important to Austin, and it was a lively discussion between Lynn, her mother, grandmother, and daughter concerning the change in women's roles through the generations that sparked the inspiration for her novel Eve's Daughters.

Along with reading, two of Lynn's lifelong passions are history and archaeology. While researching her Biblical fiction series, Chronicles of the Kings, these two interests led her to pursue graduate studies in Biblical Backgrounds and Archaeology through Southwestern Theological Seminary. She and her son traveled to Israel during the summer of 1989 to take part in an archaeological dig at the ancient city of Timnah. This experience contributed to the inspiration for her novel Wings of Refuge.

Lynn resigned from teaching to write full-time in 1992. Since then she has published 27 novels. Eight of her historical novels have won Christy Awards for excellence in Christian Fiction: Hidden Places (2001), Candle in the Darkness (2002), Fire by Night (2003), A Proper Pursuit (2007), Until We Reach Home (2008), Though Waters Roar (2009) While We're Far Apart (2010), and Wonderland Creek (2011). Fire by Night was also one of only five inspirational fiction books chosen by Library Journal for their top picks of 2003, and All She Ever Wanted was chosen as one of the five inspirational top picks of 2005. Lynn's novel Hidden Places has been made into a movie for the Hallmark Channel, starring actress Shirley Jones. Ms Jones received a 2006 Emmy Award nomination for her portrayal of Aunt Batty in the film. (Taken from Amazon.)