Deadly Deceit | Book Review

ABOUT THE BOOK

Independent and tenacious journalist Vivian DeMarco is back in Walton, Georgia, for one reason--to do her job and get out. When her boss suddenly dies under suspicious circumstances, Vivian's only hope for finding the truth--and the next big story--is small-town law enforcement's lanky poster boy, Deputy Ryan Frost. But the deeper they dig, the more twisted the truth becomes, and Vivian finds herself fighting for not only answers but also her life. False leads, incriminating emails, and someone called The Watcher force Vivian to confront the secret of her past and decide: How much is she willing to risk for the sake of a headline?

Author Natalie Walters welcomes you back to Walton, Georgia, where everyone knows your name--but no one knows your secret.

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: November 5, 2019

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OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

Living Lies

Silent Shadows

It Happened at Christmas | First Line Friday + The Friday 56

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

Happy Friday!

I love Christmas, romance, and While You Were Sleeping—this YA story is exactly what I've always needed.

The End of the Magi | Book Review + Giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK

Centuries before the magi arrived in Bethlehem, a prophecy sets a young magus on his path . . .

Following his vision of the coming Messiah, the prophet Daniel calls forth a select group of men who will count down the calendar until the arrival of Israel's promised king. Centuries later, as the day draws near, Myrad, a young magi acolyte, flees for his life when his adoptive father and others are slain by a ruthless Parthian queen.

Equipped with very little, in haste Myrad escapes the city and, searching for a way to hide from the soldiers scouring the trade routes, tries to join the caravan of the merchant Walagash. The merchant senses that Myrad is keeping secrets, but when the young man proves himself a valuable asset, an epic journey filled with peril, near captures, and dangerous battles begins.

With every day that passes, the calendar creeps closer to the coming Messiah. And over everything shines the dream of a star that Myrad can't forget, and the promise that the world will never be the same.

"Carr retells the story of the Magi in this bustling biblical adventure . . . . Myrad's divine vision of the star and his arduous trek battling his own physical problems to pay homage to the Messiah capture the majesty of biblical narratives and will appeal to Christians well versed in scripture."--Publishers Weekly

"Patrick Carr brings us a captivating tale in The End of the Magi. Based on the Holy Bible, he weaves a fictional tale of the adventures of a group of magi from the east looking for the Messiah. Myrad is a strong main character even though he doesn't see himself as strong. He has great character traits and these help him find triumph over tragedy. . . . The End of the Magi is a great holiday read and gives us much to think about in our journey to know God better."--Fresh Fiction

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: November 5, 2019

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Heart of a Royal | Book Review, Guest Post + Giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK

Brought to the palace as a newborn, the royal life bestowed upon Mackenna Sparrow was never meant to last forever. With Princess Alina engaged to be married, Mackenna’s presence as companion is no longer required and, like it or not, she must return to the birthright which should have been hers – that of a commoner. 

But not everyone at the palace wants her gone. When the truths she’s based her life on start crumbling as fast as her future, will she find the courage to trust, both herself and the prince she’s fallen in love with?

Publisher: WhiteSpark Publishing

Release Date: October 15, 2019

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A Pursuit of Home | Book Review

ABOUT THE BOOK

In early 1800s England, Jess Beauchene has spent most of her life in hiding and always on the move in an effort to leave her past far behind her. But when she learns the family she thought had died just might be alive and in danger, she knows her secrets can only stay buried for so long.

Derek Thornbury loves the past, which has led him to become an expert in history and artifacts. He knows Jess has never liked him, but when she requests his help deciphering the clues laid out in an old family diary, he can't resist the urge to solve the puzzle.

As Jess and Derek race to find the hidden artifact before her family's enemies, they learn as much about each other as they do about the past. But can their search to uncover the truth and set history right lead to a future together?

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: November 5, 2019

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OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

A Search for Refuge

A Defense of Honor

A Return to Devotion

Scavenge the Stars | 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!

A YA gender-swapped Count of Monte Cristo? Yes, please.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #76

Hosted weekly by The Book Date.

Happy Monday!

It's Thanksgiving break! I have every intention of indulging in plenty of good reads this week, and I'm going to love it.

Lake Season | Book Review + Excerpt

ABOUT THE BOOK

A lost letter, a new love, and old secrets beckon this summer at the Bluebell Inn.

When their parents die in a tragic accident, Molly Bennett and her siblings pull together to fulfill their parents’ dream: turning their historic Bluebell, North Carolina home back into an inn. The situation would just be temporary—three years at the most—then they would sell the inn and Molly could get back to chasing her own dreams.

Adam Bradford (aka bestselling author Nathanial Grey) is a reclusive novelist with a bad case of writer’s block. Desperate for inspiration as his deadline approaches, he travels to the setting of his next book, a North Carolina lake town. There he immediately meets his muse, a young innkeeper who fancies herself in love with his alter ego.

Molly and Adam strike up an instant friendship. When Molly finds a long-lost letter in the walls of her inn she embarks on a mission with Adam to find the star-crossed lovers and bring them the closure they deserve. But Adam has secrets of his own. Past and present collide as truths are revealed, and Molly and Adam will have to decide if love is worth trusting.

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date: November 12, 2019

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OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

Carolina Breeze

The Cracking of Monday Egg | Excerpt + Giveaway

JustRead Publicity Tours

ABOUT THE BOOK

An Egg World Allegory

The Maker created Monday Egg for a very important reason. Monday just doesn’t understand it yet. Being an egg with arms and legs has its advantages. Monday can run like the wind and climb trees easily, but he is an egg. What happens when he cracks?

The Cracking of Monday Egg is the story of a cranky crow, a sick little girl, a kind squirrel, and Monday’s struggle to deal with his own crackability.

Publisher: Ambassador International

Release Date: November 21, 2019

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christian Book | Book Depository

When I Close My Eyes | First Line Friday + The Friday 56

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

Happy Friday!

There's snow on the ground here, so I anticipate a weekend curled up under a cozy blanket and with a good book—like this one I received in the mail this week.

Home for Christmas | Book Review + Giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK

Can a magical Christmas under glass…

…bring them back together for good?

Widowed dad Adam Masterson still doesn’t understand why Joy Boston left Indian Lake and broke his heart all those years ago. Now she’s returned to sell her grandfather’s beloved poinsettia greenhouse—and Joy and Adam’s connection is as strong as ever. But Joy has a life in New York. And Adam has only until Christmas to convince Joy that she belongs in Indian Lake—with him.

Publisher: Harlequin Heartwarming

Release Date: November 5, 2019

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OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

Love Shadows

Heart's Desire

A Fine Year for Love

Katia's Promise

Fear of Falling

Sophie's Path

Protecting the Single Mom

Family of His Own

His Baby Dilemma

Rescued By the Firefighter

Hers to Protect

A Match for Emma | Book Review + Giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK

Emma Mitchell may enjoy sprinkling romance into the lives of others, but her own plans involve a single first-class ticket to culinary school in Europe.

When her best friend, Jon Noble, suddenly moves back to Ransom, Emma’s fairly certain her life can’t get any better…until her matchmaking schemes nosedive, her culinary future falls flat, and a life-long friendship begins to teeter on the brink of something unexpected.

With a little inspiration from Jane Austen’s classic and a touch of Blue Ridge charm, will Jon and Emma discover that what they need the most may be the last thing they’re trying to find?

Release Date: November 21, 2019

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OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

A Twist of Faith

Charming the Troublemaker

Smoke Screen | Book Review + Excerpt

ABOUT THE BOOK

One father was murdered, and another convicted of his death. All because their children fell in love.

Nate Beckett has spent his life fighting wildfires instead of the lies and rumors that drove him from his Colorado home town. His mother begs him to come to Carlisle now that his father has been released from prison, but it isn’t until he’s sidelined by an injury that he’s forced to return and face his past. But that means facing Brenna too.

Fourteen years ago, Nate was in love with the preacher’s daughter. When Pastor Strickland discovered Brenna had defied him to sneak out with Nate, the fight between Strickland and Nate’s drunken dad was loud—and very public. Strickland was found murdered later that night, and everyone accused Roy Beckett. When the church burned down, people assumed it was Nate getting even for his father’s conviction. He let the rumors fly and left Carlisle without looking back.

Now, Brenna is stunned to learn that the man convicted of murdering her father has been pardoned. The events of that night set her life on a bad course, and she’s dealing with a brutal custody battle with her ex and his new wife where he’s using lies and his family’s money to sway the judge. She’s barely hanging on, and she’s turned to alcohol to cope. Shame and fear consume her.

As they deal with the present—including new information about that fateful night and a wildfire that’s threatening their town—their past keeps igniting. Nate is the steady force Brenna has so desperately needed. But she’ll have to learn to trust him again first.

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date: November 5, 2019

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The Honey-Don't List | 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 enjoyed Twice in a Blue Moon last week, so of course, I'm already looking forward to Christina Lauren's next book.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #75

Hosted weekly by The Book Date.

Happy Monday!

Another ordinary, homework-filled week—but with cat-sitting, a couple Christmas movies, and plenty of fun reads to keep it interesting.

A Silver Willow By the Shore | Book Review

ABOUT THE BOOK

How do you face the future if you don’t know your own past?

When an unexpected pregnancy changes her dreams, seventeen-year-old Annie tries to keep it from her mother and her grandmother. But secrets have a way of coming out. In a household of strong women, the arrival of a new life sets off a spiral of truth that reveals a past full of whispers and lies—a past that existed in another world under the heavy hand of Soviet oppression. This history has dictated the circumstances of the present, but hope, redemption, and forgiveness will grow in the rocky places of these generational differences.

A Silver Willow by the Shore is the story of the unshakeable love between mothers and daughters and of the impact that past decisions can have on present day circumstances. This novel weaves together the stories of generations of women, from the gulags of 1930’s Siberia, to the quiet oppression of 1980’s Soviet Moscow, to present day Tennessee. It is an unforgettable narrative of the treachery of secrets, and of the light that unites the heart of a family.

Publisher: Fine Print Writing Press

Release Date: October 15, 2019

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The Magician's Lie | First Line Friday + The Friday 56

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

Happy Friday!

This book made my November TBR, and I have every intention of reading it this month (after ignoring it in my stacks for several years now). I can't wait to get started.

Dangerous Alliance | 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!

An "Austentacious romance"? I'm so here for that.

The Sleuth's Conundrum | Excerpt + Giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK

Adam and Tara are sucked into a police investigation that might get Tara killed. Can Adam keep her safe or will he lose her forever?

Tara James, the local librarian assistant, is afraid her past will catch up to her when an infant is abandoned outside the Tipton County Library. Will news of the abandoned baby stir up publicity and force her to go on the run again?

Librarian Nancy Daley’s world has become complicated. Carter is pushing to set a wedding date, a woman was left for dead on the side of the road, and Tara, her assistant, is acting strange. Nancy is working every angle she can think of, but the case goes from bad to bizarre. Can she find the baby’s mother, help Tara, and plan her wedding without upsetting her life’s delicate balance?

Slow news days become a thing of the past for local reporter Adam Stacy when a dead body is discovered on the side of the road. Was the woman murdered or was it an accident? Adam’s feelings are growing for Tara, but she appears to have secrets she’s hiding. Is she somehow connected to the abandoned infant?

When things go from bad to worse Adam does everything in his power to protect Tara, but will it be enough?

Publisher: Mountain Brook Ink

Release Date: November 1, 2019

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OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

The Sleuth's Miscalculation

The Sleuth's Dilemma

The Bright Unknown | Book Review + Guest Post

ABOUT THE BOOK

Two young friends embark upon an epic journey across 1940s middle America in search of answers, a family, and a place to call home.

The only kind of life Brighton Friedrich understands is the one she has endured within the dreary walls of a rural Pennsylvania asylum. A nurse has thoughtfully educated and raised Brighton, but she has also kept vital information from her in order to keep her close. Brighton befriends a boy whom she calls Angel—he doesn’t know his name—and as the two of them learn more about what lies beyond the walls they call home, they fight for their release and eventually escape.

However, the world outside the only place they’ve ever known is not what they expect. They have no real names, no money, and no help—and they must rely upon the kindness of strangers as they walk and hitchhike from Pennsylvania to Michigan to find their last hope of a home.

This heartbreaking journey, narrated in gorgeous prose, explores what it means to belong—and to scour the universe with fresh eyes for the brightness within.

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date: October 22, 2019

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christian Book

Murder in the Family | Excerpt + Giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK

Greed poisons even the sweetest well.

Storm chaser Molly McClelland must return to her small Alabama hometown when she unexpectedly inherits her hoarder aunt’s house . . . and all of its contents.

Despite her suspicions that her aunt was murdered, Molly wants nothing more than to sell everything and get back to the life she loves. Especially once her homecoming reignites the decades-old family conflict that drove her away in the first place. But when Molly uncovers caches of cash, journals revealing secrets-and a body-amongst the stockpiles, she finds herself locked in a cat-and-mouse dance with a deadly endgame.

Molly teams with local sheriff, Greg Olson, to find the truth. But will her determination and his skills be enough, or will the killer-or killers-put an end to their efforts once and for all?

Publisher: Firefly Southern Fiction

Release Date: September 17, 2019

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The Cost of Honor | Book Review + Giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK

He gave up everything to escape his family.

The only male to be adopted into the notorious Parish family, Tony Parish always did right by his vigilante sisters. But when an attempt to protect one of them went horribly wrong, he had to fake his own death to escape his fanatical family. Tony set sail and ended up in Dominica—face to face with the woman of his dreams…

Now he must give up Honor to save her.

After the death of her mother, Honor Silva moved to Dominica, where her family could help her heal and move on. But her activist mother left her more than money, she left her proof that could take down one of the richest and most powerful men in the world.

Tony gave up everything he thought he knew when he fled his family. But when a threat too dangerous for Tony and Honor to fight on their own closes in, he has no choice but to go to them for help. Problem is, they’ll demand something in return—something that could cost Tony not just Honor, but also the love that changed him forever.

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Release Date: November 26, 2019

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OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

I Am Justice

The Price of Grace

The Edge of Obsession

The Cowboy's Christmas Baby | Book Review + Giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK

She gifted him with a daughter.

He stunned her with the truth.

When Tanner Bridwell discovers he’s a father, he gains some much needed hope. A year ago, Tanner lost his livelihood as a champion bull rider, and—more important—Jewel Saunders, the love of his life. Now this cowboy wants to do right by his family. But first he must reveal a stunning secret that will send Jewel and his beloved daughter either packing…or into his arms forever!

Publisher: Harlequin Heartwarming

Release Date: November 5, 2019

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

A Cowboy's Christmas Proposal

The Cowboy's Perfect Match