State of Lies | Book Review + Guest Post

ABOUT THE BOOK

Months after her husband, Sean, is killed by a hit-and-run driver, physicist Georgie Brennan discovers he lied to her about where he had been going that day. A cryptic notebook, a missing computer, and strange noises under her house soon have her questioning everything she thought she knew.

With her job hanging by a thread, her son struggling to cope with his father’s death, and her four-star general father up for confirmation as the next Secretary of Defense, Georgie quickly finds herself tangled in a political intrigue that has no clear agenda and dozens of likely villains. Only one thing is clear: someone wants her dead too.

The more she digs for the truth, the fewer people she can trust.

Not her friends.

Not her parents.

Maybe not even herself.

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date: August 13, 2019

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christian Book

Freaky in Fresno | First Line Friday + The Friday 56

The Friday 56 is hosted weekly by Freda's Voice.
First Line Friday is hosted weekly by Hoarding Books.

Happy Friday!

I love surprise book mail, and this book is one such recent arrival. While the cover initially put me off a bit, I do love Freaky Friday, so I'm definitely looking forward to getting into this story soon(ish).

Of Literature and Lattes | Waiting on Wednesday

Hosted weekly by Breaking the Spine 

to spotlight eagerly-anticipated upcoming releases.

(Similarly, Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Wishful Endings.)

Happy Wednesday!

This looks like a delight.

Rule of Capture | Book Review

ABOUT THE BOOK

“This one is fresh, intelligent, and emotional with a plot that envisions an alternate reality hard to dismiss as unreal. It’s a legal thriller, with a big twist, stirring and imaginative, brimming with skullduggery, that will have you asking: is this possible?”—New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry

Better Call Saul meets Ben Winter’s The Last Policeman in this first volume in an explosive legal thriller series set in the world of Tropic of Kansas—a finalist for the 2018 Campbell Award for best science fiction novel of the year.

Defeated in a devastating war with China and ravaged by climate change, America is on the brink of a bloody civil war. Seizing power after a controversial election, the ruling regime has begun cracking down on dissidents fighting the nation’s slide toward dictatorship. For Donny Kimoe, chaos is good for business. He’s a lawyer who makes his living defending enemies of the state.

His newest client, young filmmaker Xelina Rocafuerte, witnessed the murder of an opposition leader and is now accused of terrorism. To save her from the only sentence worse than death, Donny has to extract justice from a system that has abandoned the rule of law. That means breaking the rules—and risking the same fate as his clients.

When Donny bungles Xelina’s initial hearing, he has only days to save the young woman from being transferred to a detention camp from which no one returns. His only chance of winning is to find the truth—a search that begins with the opposition leader’s death and leads to a dark conspiracy reaching the highest echelons of power.

Now, Donny isn’t just fighting for his client’s life—he’s battling for his own. But as the trial in the top secret court begins, Xelina’s friends set into motion a revolutionary response that could destroy the case. And when another case unexpectedly collides with Xelina’s, Donny uncovers even more devastating secrets, knowledge that will force him to choose between saving one client . . . or the future of the entire country.

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Release Date: August 13, 2019

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | HarperCollins

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

Tropic of Kansas

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #63

Hosted weekly by The Book Date.

Happy Monday!

I had a lot of fun doing Bout of Books last week, making the most of my last week of "summer." I enjoyed most of the books I read, so I'm happy (even though classes start today...).

The Art of Rivers | Book Review

ABOUT THE BOOK

Rivers Sullivan bears both visible and invisible scars—those on her shoulder from a bullet wound and those on her heart from the loss of her fiancé during the same brutal attack. Not even her background as an art therapist can help her regain her faith in humanity. Still, she scrapes together the courage to travel to St. Simons Island to see the beach cottage and art gallery she’s inherited from her fiancé. When she stumbles upon recovering addicts running her gallery, she’s forced to reckon with her own healing.

After the tragic drowning of his cousin, James Cooper Knight spends his days trying to make up for his past mistakes. He not only dedicates his life to addiction counseling, but guilt drives him to the water, searching for others who’ve been caught unaware of the quickly rising tides of St. Simons. When he rescues a peculiar blond woman and her sketch pad from a sandbar, then delivers this same woman to his deceased grandmother’s properties, he knows things are about to get even more complicated.

Tragic circumstances draw Cooper and Rivers closer, but they fight their growing feelings. Though Cooper’s been sober for years, Rivers can’t imagine trusting her heart to someone in recovery, and he knows a relationship with her will only rip his family further apart. Distrust and guilt are only the first roadblocks they must overcome if they take a chance on love.

Publisher: Southern Sun Press LLC

Release Date: June 30, 2019

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OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

Magnolia Storms

Falling for Grace

A Kite on the Wind | Excerpt + Giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK

Is love strong enough to overcome the walls they hide behind? 

Left waiting at the altar, Claire Simpson has buried her past and moved on, carving out a life for herself as a teacher on the Oregon coast. When her former fiancé appears, he threatens to unravel the peaceful independence she has worked so hard to achieve after their relationship failed.

Montgomery Chandler has moved to NOAA headquarters in Newport, Oregon to make new, happier memories for his children after his wife died of a lingering illness. Their home in Seattle held nothing but the whispers of their earlier lives. Starting over will help all of them heal, but Monty is resolved not to risk love again.

When the handsome widower enrolls his hurting children at the school where Claire teaches, her determination to remain uninvolved vanishes at the whim of a snowstorm. This family needs her expertise. Can she help them without losing her heart?

Publisher: Mountain Brook Ink

Release Date: October 1, 2018

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christian Book

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

An Anchor on Her Heart

Love Calls Her Home

The Yellow Lantern | Book Review, Guest Post + Giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK

Josephine is forced to spy for grave robbers.

Step into True Colors—a new series of historical stories of romance and American crime.

In Massachusetts in 1824, Josephine Clayton awakes on the table of the doctor she’s assisted all these months. She was presumed dead by all and has become the doctor’s next corpse for his medical research. Frightened, the doctor tries to kill her, but Josephine begs to be spared. A deal is struck—Josie will leave her village and work at a distant cotton mill. All the while, she’ll await her true mission—posing as a mourner to help his body snatcher procure her replacement. At the mill though, Josie is praised for her medical remedies among the mill girls, gaining attention from the handsome factory manager Braham Taylor. Yet, when Braham’s own loved one becomes the prey for the next grave robbing, Josie must make a choice that could put her dark past behind her or steal away the promise of any future at all.

What price will Josie pay for love when her secrets begin to unravel?

Publisher: Barbour Books

Release Date: August 1, 2019

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christian Book

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

The White City

The Pink Bonnet

The Gray Chamber

The Blue Cloak

Love Calls Her Home | Excerpt + Giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK

Can a hurting boy help two broken people find their way back to love?

Lissa Frye returns home from the Navy hoping to find a different future—one which includes a husband, marriage, and a family, until news from her sister impacts Lissa’s personal life and derails her plans.

Kurt McKintrick, having lost his best friend to an IED in Afghanistan, has returned to help the man’s mother run a horse rescue ranch. Images of war plague him, and thoughts of anyone else he might love falling victim to an untimely end, distance him from the person most likely to help.

Eleven-year-old Jayden Clarke seeks to fill the ache in his heart from his father’s death two years before. But his life is turned upside down when the rancher who befriended him is found dead, the horses neglected, and the dog missing. When authorities arrive to investigate, Lissa and Kurt, estranged after a former relationship, are forced to meet again. Lissa must confront images from her past and Kurt struggles to live with his present truth.

Will Jayden be the catalyst that draws Lissa and Kurt back together for a happily ever after?

Publisher: Mountain Brook Ink

Release Date: March 1, 2018

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christian Book

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

An Anchor on Her Heart

A Kite on the Wind

Reunited in the Rockies | First Line Friday + The Friday 56

The Friday 56 is hosted weekly by Freda's Voice.
First Line Friday is hosted weekly by Hoarding Books.

Happy Friday!

I love a good second-chance romance, so I'm looking forward to picking up this new release from Mindy Obenhaus soon.

An Anchor on Her Heart | Excerpt + Giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK

Can they keep their friendship pure when their hearts long for more?

McKenna Nichols, a young wife abandoned by her husband in favor of his work, is left alone to raise their autistic child. She promised to love him until death parted them. But when circumstances drive a wedge into their marriage and Dane chooses to escape what life has dealt them, how long can she be strong? Can she remain faithful to her marriage vows when tempted by the friendship of an unlikely stranger?

Rudy Taylor, who senses McKenna’s loneliness and understands the difficulty of raising her daughter, struggles to keep his concern for the young woman biblical. Will McKenna’s faith in God and Rudy’s commitment to his Lord be enough to keep their relationship simple until McKenna’s husband one day returns?

Publisher: Mountain Brook Ink

Release Date: August 1, 2017

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christian Book

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

Love Calls Her Home

A Kite on the Wind

A Family for Jason | Book Review + Giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK

She’s not home for keeps

Unless he proves first love is forever.

Bluestone River is a minefield of memories for Mike Abbot—all involving Ruby Driscoll. Twenty years after scandal divided them, they’re both back in their hometown. Ruby’s visit is strictly temporary. But as she uses her trauma expertise to help his vulnerable son, Mike faces what his heart has always known. Ruby’s still his one and only. This time, can he convince her to stay?

Publisher: Harlequin Heartwarming

Release Date: August 6, 2019

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Way of the Brave | Waiting on Wednesday

Hosted weekly by Breaking the Spine 

to spotlight eagerly-anticipated upcoming releases.

(Similarly, Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Wishful Endings.)

Happy Wednesday!

I never go wrong with a new Susan May Warren book.

Finding Lady Enderly | Book Review

ABOUT THE BOOK

Raina Bretton is a rag woman in London's east end when a handsome stranger appears in a dank alley and offers her a glittering smile and a chance for adventure. Rothburne Abbey has a unique position for her, one that will take her away from her hardscrabble life and give her a chance to be a lady. Things she could only dream of might be coming true. But some dreams turn out to be nightmares.

Though Raina has traded squalor for silk and satin, something about the abbey is deeply unsettling. As she wrestles with her true identity, the ruin, decay, and secrets she finds at the heart of the old mansion tear at her confidence and threaten to reveal her for who she really is. Only one man stands between her and the danger that lurks within--and only if he decides to keep her biggest secret hidden.

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: August 20, 2019

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christian Book

Vow of Justice | Book Review

ABOUT THE BOOK

FBI Special Agent Lincoln St. John is living his own personal nightmare. When the woman he loves, Allison Radcliffe, is killed, he devotes his life to tracking down the killers and making them pay for their crimes. He expected it to be a challenge. What he never expected was to find Allison very much alive shortly after her "murder." As his anger and hurt mix with relief, Linc isn't sure how he's supposed to feel. One thing he does know for sure: he and Allison will have to work together to stop a killer before she dies a second time--this time for good.

Bestselling and award-winning author Lynette Eason closes out her Blue Justice series with a story that will have you tearing through the pages to get to the stunning conclusion.

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: August 6, 2019

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christian Book

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

Oath of Honor

Called to Protect

Code of Ethics (in The Cost of Betrayal)

Code of Valor

Bout of Books #26

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, Twitter chats, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 26 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Time to read-a-thon again! Since my fall semester does not start until next week, I have nothing to do but read this week! It's a great feeling, and I anticipate getting plenty of reading done. Here's my TBR (though I also anticipate reading completely different books, too):

All Made Up by Kara Isaac

Becoming Us by Robin Jones Gunn

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Hood by Stephen R. Lawhead

No Ocean Too Wide by Carrie Turansky

Of Fire and Lions by Mesu Andrews

A Sparkle of Silver by Liz Johnson

Sweet on You by Becky Wade

A Touch of Gold by Annie Sullivan

* = started reading before August 19th

Throughout the read-a-thon week, I'll be posting here, on Twitter, and on Litsy with my progress. (Feel free to join the reading fun by signing up over at Bout of Books!)

Happy reading!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #62

Hosted weekly by The Book Date.

Happy Monday!

I completely enjoyed all the reading time I had last week. It was definitely refreshing to have a break from classes—and since I have another week off, I'm hoping for another delightfully relaxing week.

Lord of Her Heart | Excerpt + Giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK

He’s fighting for his future—she’s running for her life.

Lady Jocelyn Ashburne suspects something is amiss at her family’s castle because her father ceases to write to her. When she overhears a plot to force her into vows—either to the church or a husband—she disguises herself and flees the convent in desperation to discover the truth.

Malcolm Castillon of Berkham is determined to win the next tournament and be granted a manor of his own. After years of proving his worth on the jousting field, he yearns for a life of peace. Rescuing a scrawny lad who turns out to be a beautiful woman is not what he bargained for. Still, he cannot deny that she stirs his heart like no other, in spite of her conniving ways.

Chaos, deception, and treachery threaten their goals, but both are determined to succeed. Learning to trust each other might be the only way either of them survives.

Publisher: Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas

Release Date: May 14, 2019

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Diamond in the Rough | First Line Friday + The Friday 56

The Friday 56 is hosted weekly by Freda's Voice.
First Line Friday is hosted weekly by Hoarding Books.

Happy Friday!

Jen Turano's newest novel, the second in her American Heiresses series, arrived this week! I can't wait to start reading.

The Dragon Republic | Book Review

ABOUT THE BOOK

Rin’s story continues in this acclaimed sequel to The Poppy War—an epic fantasy combining the history of twentieth-century China with a gripping world of gods and monsters.

The war is over.

The war has just begun.

Three times throughout its history, Nikan has fought for its survival in the bloody Poppy Wars. Though the third battle has just ended, shaman and warrior Rin cannot forget the atrocity she committed to save her people. Now she is on the run from her guilt, the opium addiction that holds her like a vice, and the murderous commands of the fiery Phoenix—the vengeful god who has blessed Rin with her fearsome power.

Though she does not want to live, she refuses to die until she avenges the traitorous Empress who betrayed Rin’s homeland to its enemies. Her only hope is to join forces with the powerful Dragon Warlord, who plots to conquer Nikan, unseat the Empress, and create a new republic.

But neither the Empress nor the Dragon Warlord are what they seem. The more Rin witnesses, the more she fears her love for Nikan will force her to use the Phoenix’s deadly power once more.

Because there is nothing Rin won’t sacrifice to save her country . . . and exact her vengeance.

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Release Date: August 6, 2019

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | HarperCollins

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

The Poppy War

Falling for Her Bodyguard | Book Review + Giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK

She needs his protection…

But can he protect his heart?

Radio personality Kelly Bonner isn’t convinced she needs a bodyguard, especially one as intensely good-looking as Detective Donovan Walsh. Yet beneath Donovan’s tough-guy facade is a man struggling to raise his sister’s children. A man Kelly could care about…if he’d let her. Now she’ll have to find a way to convince her big, bad bodyguard that his family—and his heart—are safe in her hands.

Publisher: Harlequin Heartwarming

Release Date: August 6, 2019

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

The Girl He Used to Love

Catch a Fallen Star

Love Songs and Lullabies

The Toll | Waiting on Wednesday

Hosted weekly by Breaking the Spine 

to spotlight eagerly-anticipated upcoming releases.

(Similarly, Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Wishful Endings.)

Happy Wednesday!

I still need to read Thunderhead, but I loved Scythe, so...

Trusting Her Heart | Book Review + Giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK

Can a love built on lies…

…survive the truth?

Serena Stanhope fears her dark past might ruin the life she’s built as a successful shop owner. Especially when handsome Logan Masterson suddenly arrives in town asking questions about her background. He seems to have his own secrets, but the pair share an instant connection and Serena finds herself falling for Logan. He could destroy everything—or he could be the chance at love she thought she’d never have…

Publisher: Harlequin Heartwarming

Release Date: August 6, 2019

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

The Lawman's Secret Vow

His Honor, Her Family