Book: Detecting Concealed Evidence (Security Hounds Investigations Book 5)
Author: Dana Mentink
Genre: Inspirational Romantic Suspense
Release Date: August 6, 2025
A panicked call sends detective Chase Wolfe and his search-and-rescue bloodhound, Tank, racing right into the path of his neighbor—who’s just barely escaped an abduction. But Pilar Alonso has no idea who’s after her or why. Now she must rely on Chase to keep her safe while they work together to track down the unknown assailants targeting her. Only, their investigation reveals layers of a much more sinister agenda, and danger is rapidly closing in. Drawn into a web of deceit, can they untangle the mystery…before they’re permanently silenced?
From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.
Dana Mentink is a USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author as well as a two-time American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award winner, and a Holt Medallion winner. She is the author of over fifty titles in the suspense and lighthearted romance genres. She is pleased to write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense, Revell and Poisoned Pen Press.
More from Dana
Those bloodhounds are galloping on through this Security Hounds series, aren’t they? Here in book #5, we have Chase and the unbelievably chill Tank. They couldn’t be more opposite. Tank is the kind of dog who only leaves his sunny napping spot when there’s an urgent need to do so. Chase is an energetic, unrestrained, human who gets caught up in the life of the reserved Pilar, a cello player who is simply trying to earn a few extra dollars when her delivery van is forced off the road and she’s kidnapped. That’s only the beginning of the adventure. I hope you will enjoy Tank, who falls deeply in love with Pilar’s cello music, and Pilar and Chase, who definitely got off on the wrong foot when they first met. And what is the object the killer is desperate to get his hands on? Hope you enjoy the ride!
My Impressions
“Panic crawled along Pilar Alonso’s nerves like an army of ants.”
And so best-selling author Dana Mentink begins another taut romantic suspense novel, Detecting Concealed Evidence. Somebody help me! I feel like I may be becoming a romantic suspense fiction junkie! I swear that’s not my fave genre, but I sure am getting more and more drawn into it, and expert writers like Mentink are largely responsible!😊
How can one not like a novel that deals with a clueless courier ( Pilar) who only wants to protect her father, whose personality has drastically changed, becoming more paranoid and unreasonable. Indeed, “…each week, he seemed to be floating away from her, like a boat improperly anchored.” Score one point for Mentink. Readers who deal with a loved one with dementia will identify with Pilar’s lonely journey.
Dogs. Put dogs in romantic suspense, and I believe many readers’ ears perk up. I know I sit up and take notice. Each hound in this series, Security Houndd Investigations, is a valued member of the Wolfe family business. But Mentink infuses new life into these hounds. Each hound also has special personality quirks. Detecting Concealed Evidence presents Chase’s dog, Tank. With a heart as big as his name and a floppy body to match, just imagining Tank and his attempts at heroic rescues are enough to set me into gales of laughter.
Unfortunately, Chase, Tank’s human and Pilar’s irritating neighbor, has a great desire to help people, but he tends to be controlling. He runs roughshod over others’ abilities to think or plan. His sister Stephanie tells Chase one time he has run Pilar off, “Your heart’s always in the right place, but you have to let people make their decisions, even if they might get hurt.” Can Chase step back enough to allow God room to direct people’s paths?
Can Pilar, running from several different people, with no idea why, trust both Chase and God to take care of her and her unpredictable father? When Pilar feels beholden to Chase, he shows his best side: “…this is what people do who care about each other. There’s no price tag on that. We’re helping.”
I enjoyed this mystery, with its humor, character growth, dementia moments, mystery, faith, and twists! I am sad that there is only one more book in the series left.
I received a copy of the book from the author and publisher via BookFunnel. I also pre-ordered my own ebook. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“Seems like you’re ready to step into a real big-boy relationship. This one’s about character and being who you were meant to be, and sometimes that isn’t all roses and laughter. It’s about how you move together through this life with God, regardless of the feels.” -Garrett
“Perhaps the one thing about having memory issues that might be at all positive was you could forget the scary stuff too.”😢🙂
“being strong didn’t mean a person didn’t feel overwhelmed and sad and frustrated and the millions of daunting emotions that came along too.”
“Her emotions were a cascading bunch of dissonant notes without any rhythm or cadence.” -Pilar
“Unscarred meant you were untested. He didn’t want to go through life not giving his all. He suspected Pilar felt the same way with her music.”- Chase
Princess Maakah of Geshur is duty-bound to create a political alliance for her father through marriage. The cancelation by King Saul of her betrothal to his fourth-born son compels Maakah’s father to send her to the rebel David ben Jesse, a shepherd-warrior anointed years earlier as Israel’s future king, to propose a marriage between them. Taken aback by stories of David’s ferocity and lowly birth, Maakah considers the match a degrading fate but obeys her father’s wishes out of duty as her nation’s only heir.
To her relief, David rejects the offer of marriage, but circumstances make it impossible for Maakah to return home, and she must stay with David’s people until it is safe for her to travel again. Facing prejudice and suspicion from the Israelites, Maakah navigates the delicate balance between her noble heritage and her growing respect for David’s faith and leadership. In a land torn by war and divided loyalties, she must choose where her allegiance lies: with her Geshurite people, or with an extraordinary destiny alongside David that beckons her from within.
Mesu Andrews is a Christy Award-winning, bestselling author of biblical novels and devotional studies, whose deep understanding of and love for God’s Word brings the Bible alive for readers. Her heritage as a “spiritual mutt” has given her a strong yearning to both understand and communicate biblical truths in powerful stories that touch the heart, challenge the mind, and transform lives. Mesu lives in Indiana with her husband, Roy, where she stays connected with her readers through newsy emails, blog posts, and social media.
More from Mesu
Can you please provide a brief summary of your novel, Noble?
Princess Maakah, the only child of Geshur’s King Talmai, and the only heir to his throne, must shrewdly marry to strengthen her nation’s political future. When King Saul cancels the betrothal contract he and Talmai had arranged for Saul’s fourth-born son, King Talmai reacts swiftly to secure a betrothal with the legendary rebel David ben Jesse. She obeys her abba’s wishes and travels south from Geshur, where her escort is attacked by Amalekite bandits. While captive to the Amalekites, Maakah is befriended by David ben Jesse’s two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail. When David rescues his family, he encounters Geshur’s arrogant pagan princess—having no idea Talmai had sent a betrothal contract with a Geshurite messenger. Though neither David nor Maakah wish to pursue a betrothal, David vows to keep Maakah safe, even though danger abounds at every turn. How did David and Maakah ever reach a truce and marry? How did they perhaps even come to love each other—so that Maakah could become the mother of David’s third-born son (2 Sam.
3:3b)?
How do you approach writing fiction about biblical characters while staying true to Scripture?
The Bible tells us that Maakah became David’s wife in Hebron and bore his third-born son, Absalom. It gives no other details about David and Maakah’s relationship; however, 2 Samuel 13– 15 does mention that Absalom killed his brother Amnon (because Amnon raped Absalom’s sister, Tamar). After Absalom committed murder, he fled to . . . Geshur, where his grandfather, King Talmai, sheltered him. These later Scriptures tell me some things about the character of King Talmai and the environment in which Maakah would have been raised as a young princess. Using the knowledge I’ve gained during my twenty years of research and writing biblical fiction, I can know that if Talmai had any other heir to Geshur’s throne, he likely wouldn’t have been so welcoming to a grandson who could have posed a threat to a Geshurite prince. Later, Absalom leaves Geshur—rather abruptly—and is suddenly willing to face death in Jerusalem (at David’s hand) than remain in Geshur (2 Sam. 14:32). These aren’t Truth explicitly stated in Scripture, but because I’ve visited Israel twice and studied the ancient culture under the guidance of wonderful Bible scholars, I hope the Truth of Scripture, historical data, and a God-directed imagination blend together in a story that pulls readers into the ancient world of David and his brides.
How do you approach writing about King David, such a well-known biblical figure, from a fresh perspective?
When most folks think of David, they remember chunks of his life: a shepherd boy whom Samuel anointed king; the youth who killed Goliath; the inexperienced warrior befriended by King Saul’s firstborn, Prince Jonathan; the victim of King Saul’s mania who was lowered from a bedroom window by his first wife, Michal (King Saul’s daughter); the warrior who escapes Saul in the desert, spares the enemy king’s life, and rescues Abigail from her lousy husband. Yet for some reason, we minimize the time David spent in that wilderness—likely, seven years or more. Then we skip right over his seven years in Hebron when six sons were born to him by six wives. SIX WIVES, y’all!
Then, most folks remember King David as the conquering king of Jerusalem. But that King David is very different than the David who roamed the wilderness and the thirty-year-old David who was learning how to reign in Hebron. Why do I say that? Look at the psalms David wrote. You can tell which were written in the wilderness and which were written after conquering Jerusalem. It proves what I’ve suspected for most of my life: When God really wants to test us, He blesses us beyond our imagination. When David ruled from his cedar palace in Jerusalem, too many times the wealth and blessings shoved God off the throne of his heart. I didn’t want to write about that David. In the KING DAVID’S BRIDES series, you’ll meet raw David—the David who says, “God is all I need because He’s all I have.”
Tell us about your research process for understanding the political climate of ancient Israel and Geshur.
I’m so grateful for the various places we’ve lived and my husband’s occupational journey since 2000. He began his doctoral work at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (in Chicago), which gave me access to his scholarly library on campus. I muddled through those first few years of research—partly appalled at what I discovered about ancient cultures and partly mesmerized at how much more deeply I understood the Scripture when I grasped the ancient cultures (both Israel’s and the pagan nations around them). After seven years, he completed his PhD in Education and took a job at Multnomah University (Portland, OR), where I had even more access to their library, and I quickly made friends with the research librarian. She helped me immensely in delving even deeper into theses and dissertations that were more specific (like hair products of seventh-century BC Assyrians). After nine years, we moved to the other coast—Boone, NC—where Appalachian State University allowed me to purchase a “community card” for $10 lifetime access. Their “religious” research books were amazing, so I had access at home or on campus to lots of the pagan nations’ intricate rites as well as Jewish historical writings that I’d never seen before. We lived there for eight years before moving back to our roots in Indiana. At each stop along our way, I’ve picked up used books on Amazon or at these libraries (or from Roy’s professor friends) that have helped build my personal library at home. In 2020, Hubby and I were so blessed to take a group of readers to Israel and actually visit the ancient ruins of Geshur! When we have an open heart, God can use every circumstance to teach and bless!
How do you balance historical accuracy with creating relatable characters for modern readers?
Speaking of our 2020 journey to Israel . . . When we arrived at the Old Testament site of Geshur, I was intrigued that the New Testament city of Bethsaida had been built directly on top of it! This is common practice in archaeological sites. Sometimes as many as three or four cities are found in the different “strata” (or layers) of a hill (called tel in Hebrew). Our wonderful guide, Hedva, took us to the edge of the city, where we sat beneath a canopy as a protection from the glaring sun. Looking southeast, we watched the sparkling rays glimmer off the Sea of Galilee. It was one of the most beautiful sights I saw in the Land on that trip.
Realizing, however, that the Bible specifically describes the Geshurite villages David destroyed as “in the land extending to Shur and Egypt” (1 Sam. 27:8), I knew this city that was way north of the Galilee couldn’t be the same place David had destroyed. I asked the guide, “What about the southern villages of Geshur—in the south, closer to Ziklag, that David and his men would have destroyed along with the Amalekites and Girzites?” She looked at me as if I had two heads and said the Bible got that one wrong. There were no southern villages belonging to Geshur. Hmm. Well, that would definitely be a problem for both me and my Bible-believing readers! In order to write this story according to God’s Truth of Scripture, I created a fictional explanation for the villages “in the land extending to Shur and Egypt.” Am I contradicting historical accuracy? Nope. I’m just giving a plausible explanation until some very smart archaeologists catch up with God’s Truth and find proof of the Geshurite villages David destroyed in Philistine territory.
Your protagonist struggles with pride and duty. How does this reflect broader themes in Scripture?
With duty comes responsibility, but responsibility may or may not come with authority. Maakah thought she had both duty and authority, which bred arrogance (pride) that was doomed for destruction. In God’s economy, that’s a good thing. Since God hates pride, the best thing He can do for us is find ways—however gently we’ll allow it—to crush the pride that keeps us from turning to Him for help. The greater our call to duty, the more tempted we are to carry that duty on our own shoulders. It’s a tendency as old as the Garden. Didn’t Eve want to eat that forbidden fruit when the serpent said she would “be like God” if she ate it? Don’t we all stretch for more responsibility, more authority, because we want to do it our way? The more we get our way, the more we become proud of our successes and the more we want the authority to make more decisions—for ourselves. It’s really the theme of every story in the Bible and in life. “It’s up to me, and I’ll get it done.” But God’s way says, “Obey me, and we’ll do it together.”
Your novel deals with themes of prejudice and tribal loyalties. What parallels do you see for modern readers?
When David and Maakah focused on the ways they were different or the barriers that would come between them, their future together seemed hopeless. When they focused on the miracles God worked to bring them together and their united passion for that same God, their future together seemed inevitable.
The relationship between faith and heritage is central to your story. What inspired this theme?
I try hard not to begin the story with a designated theme. I get to know the Truth of Scripture with the historical data I discover during research and then do a lot of prayer-guided imagining of how characters would feel, think, and act. The faith and heritage theme was already there from Scripture. I couldn’t imagine that David, as a man after God’s own heart, would ever marry a pagan—no matter what the political benefit to his new reign. And from what I knew of the Aramean family of nations (Geshur was one of five), Talmai would lie, cheat, kill, or steal to find a beneficial match for his daughter. The rest of the story was just imagining all the bad stuff that could happen in a two-week time span that might break down both David’s and Maakah’s defenses and open their hearts to God’s chess game of the heart.
What message do you hope readers take away from Maakah’s story?
I want them to believe that no one is too far gone for Yahweh to reach. My husband and I weren’t believers all the way through high school. God used a lot of key people, hard experiences, and patient grace to draw us into His family. (See my personal testimony at: https://mesuandrews.com/meet-mesu/personal-testimony/.) If He can reach me, He can reach anyone.
What are you working on next?
I’ve already started Loyal: The Story of Haggith. Again, we know nothing about Haggith’s true identity from Scripture, so through supplemental Truth, historical data, and my imagination, I’ve imagined David’s fourth wife as the daughter of Hebron’s chief priest. When some of David’s home tribe of Judah discover his marriage to Princess Maakah, they imagine the worst and accuse him of marrying a Gentile pagan. Joab, David’s oldest nephew and general of his troops, convinces David he must marry quickly and marry a woman who proves his undying commitment to Yahweh and His Law. Who better than Haggith, daughter of Judah’s most revered chief priest, and the woman who is David’s most vehement critic?
My Impressions
“I will not now, nor ever, become a third wife or deny the gods of my ancestors.”
If you love Biblical fiction, Mesu Andrews is a name to follow. Meticulous research of both history and customs, faithfulness to what we know of Scripture, and a great storyteller’s imagination where we don’t, all stand out in Noble, King David’s Brides Bk. 2, by Andrews. I was amazed as I read, just how much Scripture, especially Psalms, Andrews is able to thread into the story seamlessly. There are so many truth nuggets that are shared as David and his first two wives, Nomy and Abigail, daily patiently encourage Maakah to choose the sole God of Israel over the plethora of gods of Geshur.
Kudos to Andrews for including a map and a list of characters at the front. Also for listing the Bible passages the book is based on. I have read these passages many times, but I had to re-read them with fresh eyes as I started Noble.
I found the storyline very engaging, exciting, and suspenseful. Told alternately from Maakah’s pov and David’s pov, I actually learned to care for the spoiled princess. Would she and her maid Zulat come to trust in the God of David, imperfect though he is ( six wives- anyone?) Maakah‘s father eventually promises her in a covenant marriage to David, in order to gain influence over Israel. Whose way will stubborn and regal Maakah choose? Her way and or her father’s, or David’s and that of his God, forsaking her own?
It is really neat to see how David leads his band of followers in praise, worship, and obedience to God. Though it’s easy for the idea of many wives to be a stumbling block, Scripture records that as fact. So it is very interesting how Andrews shows it could have happened, and the spiritual and emotional harmony that David may have encouraged in his home.
One point that Andrews brings out about both Maakah and David is that they were both longing for acceptance from their earthly fathers. I’d never stopped to consider this about David, but it does seem to fit in with how he is treated in Scripture. David tells a hurting Maakah, “…only Yahweh can fulfill our deepest yearnings for an abba’s affection.”
Don’t miss this exciting, fleshed out tale of David, and how Maakah may have come to be his third wife! Read Noble for the twists, the superb storytelling, and for the immense amount of Truth presented!
I received a copy of the book from the author and publisher & Celebrate Lit via NetGalley. I also bought my own book. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“Yahweh uses these barren times and places to strengthen and shape us into what He wants us to become.”– David
“when we’re guided by Yahweh’s Light, He calls us to think differently. React differently. Even fight differently.”- David
“I’ve learned three things in the years since I fled Gibeah of Saul. The first and hardest lesson: I can never anticipate the LORD’s plan. Second, His plan is always better than I imagine; and third, His best for me always comes with a sacrifice.”– David
“Abba taught me to be regal, but I’m learning that being noble is harder- and better.”- Maakah
“There is only One whose love never dies. Only One whose love is stronger than an army and sweeter than a woman’s touch. Yahweh will never leave you or deceive you, my love.”– Abigail
“You and I have only this life to determine where our true allegiance lies. will we be enslaved by earthly masters who demand more than they give? Or will we serve an almighty God who promises more than we can imagine?”-David
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magnificent! Andrews left me studying those Bible passages, amazed at her research, and pondering life in the ancient Mid-East.
Genre: Christian Fiction / Romance / Historical Fiction
Release Date: August 1, 2025
A Socialite in Disguise Seeks Truth and Justice
Henrietta “Etta” Maxwell is a hard-hitting investigative reporter for The Enterprise Daily. The catch? Etta must pen her columns under the nom de plume, Henry Mason—a fact that routinely puts a knot in her knickerbockers.
Leo Eriksson is a second-generation firefighter with a passion for rendering aid to those in need. When Leo discovers that Henry Mason is really Henrietta Maxwell, the fire department’s wealthy benefactress, he agrees to keep her identity secret. After a sudden blast rocks the Grover Shoe Factory, Leo and Etta team up to determine if the explosion is related to a series of suspicious fires in the area.
When an unnamed source reveals Etta’s secret identity to a rival reporter, she falsely accuses Leo of being the informant. As the truth comes to light, Etta must persuade Leo to give her a second chance or lose the only man she’s ever loved.
Kelly J. Goshornweaves her affinity for history and her passion for God into uplifting stories of love, faith, and family set in nineteenth century America. Her debut novel, A Love Restored, won the Director’s Choice Award for Adult/YA fiction at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference in 2019, and earned recognition as both a Selah Award finalist in the Historical Romance category and as a Maggie Award Finalist for Inspirational Fiction. When she is not writing, Kelly enjoys spending time with her young adult children, binge-watching BBC period dramas, board gaming with her husband, and spoiling her Welsh corgi, Levi.
More from Kelly
A Little Swedish Flavor
Beginning in 1844, Swedish immigrants began arriving in Brockton, Massachusetts. By 1920, Swedes accounted for approximately 30% of the city’s population. Their long-lasting impact on Brockton’s character remains evident today with annual cultural celebrations and religious festivals.
The Undercover Heiress of Brockton is set in the Swedish neighborhood of Campello. My hero Leo Eriksson’s favorite meal is Kalops, a savory beef stew that is traditionally served with boiled potatoes and pickled beets. For Leo, a bachelor who takes most of his meals at The Drake Tavern, the dish recalls happy childhood memories of his mother’s cooking.
Kalops contains typical stew ingredients like carrots, celery, onions, and garlic, but what makes this dish unique is the addition of allspice. Allspice adds a warm spicey flavor to the recipe that makes it perfect for a chilly winter day.
I had the opportunity to taste test this recipe, and while I would never brag about my own cooking skills, I have to say that it turned out quite well. I’d love to hear from you if you decide to give this traditional Swedish dish a try.
2.4 lbs chuck roast (or other beef cut suited for stews)
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
3 large carrots
1 stalk celery
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp ground allspice (or more to taste!)
2-3 bay leaves
3 cups beef stock (can also use water and bouillon)
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
SERVED WITH: 7 large potatoes
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep the beef by cutting into 1 inch cubes. Season well with salt.
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil when preheated and add beef in one layer, searing on all sides. If you need to sear the meat in batches, you can remove one batch before adding the next to ensure that it browns well.
Dice your onion and celery while the beef is cooking (or prep ahead of time). Finely mince the garlic cloves.
Once the meat is browned on all sides, add in the onion, celery, and garlic. Cook until just softened.
Chop your carrots into bite sized pieces. You can either add the carrots now if you like them super soft or add them with about 45 minutes left of cooking if you prefer them to have more of a bite.
Add one tablespoon of butter and let it melt. Once melted, add in three tablespoons of flour and stir until everything is coated. Add in ground allspice.
Pour in beef stock, stirring while adding to dissolve the flour coating. Once all of it has mixed in, add in 2-3 bay leaves. Now is a good time to taste for initial seasoning – add in salt and pepper to taste.
Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cover. Let the stew simmer for about an hour and 15 minutes; add more water or stock if needed! Now is also the time to add the carrots if you want them to be less soft.
Simmer for an additional 45 minutes or until the beef is very tender – in the meantime, prepare the potatoes for serving.
Prep potatoes by peeling and cutting in half. Place in a pot with cold water and add salt. Heat over medium-high heat with the lid on until it boils. Remove the lid and boil for about 15 minutes or until a knife poked into the center of a potato releases easily (you can also just taste for doneness!). Drain and set aside until ready to serve.
Remove bay leaves. Check for final seasoning (add more salt if needed). Add stew to bowls and serve with boiled potatoes. Garnish with fresh parsley if you would like. Enjoy!
My Impressions
“God gave you a heart to fight injustice and an amazing ability to persuade others with your pen to stand up for what is right. Don’t hide your talent. Embrace who He has made you to be so your gifts can glorify the Giver.”
I just finished The Undercover Heiress of Brockton by Kelly J. Goshorn. A historical romance, it is the second in the Barbour series, Enduring Hope. The series features brave, unconventional women who face a tragedy, whether natural or human- caused, and work to give hope to those affected by it. Along the way, they find hope for their own happily-ever-after romances, but with as many glitches in the romance department as in their fight for human or female equality.
I loved the conflicted (and very flawed!)characters of both Leo, a hunky firefighter and Etta, an heiress who poses as a man to keep her coveted job of top writer for one of Brockton’s newspapers!
Etta, handed anything she could desire on a silver platter, wants desperately to earn something in her own right, under her own name. While “Henry Mason” is the best-respected newspaper reporter in Brockton, Etta wants to his byline under her own name. (“It’s very hard to pretend to be someone else most of the time when all you want to be is yourself.” ) When arson and insurance company irregularities crop up in the city, she starts investigating. Then she is drawn into a shoe factory explosion that happens before her eyes. How far will Etta go, ethically and as one who professes to care for others in Christ’s name, to get her own byline?
Leo can’t help but be attracted to the independent, unconventional, intelligent Etta. But, as things progress in the romance department, he has a problem: “the only thing stopping him from taking her in his arms and kissing her soundly was that bushy mustache.” So hilarious!! Leo has agreed to help Etta in her undercover investigation, but discovers Etta not only in disguise half the time, but how can he reconcile the two separate personalities that emerge, not always lining up with what he expects out of a faith perspective? “How could a woman as compassionate as Etta Maxwell write articles devoid of any feeling about a tragedy on the scale of the Grover Shoe Factory?”
I had never heard of the Brockton shoe factory fire. What an education I got! And to see the persistence of a woman who wants to break through what had been considered a man’s world, and the lengths one might go to, in order to obtain that! Wowzers!
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit via NetGalley. I also purchased my own ecopy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“Loving someone means embracing the person God has made them to be. If we hold on to them too tightly, we risk suffocating them and crushing their spirit. I think it best to love fully, with our entire being for a short time, rather than safely, and bear the pain of regret for our entire lives.”
“He’d promised himself not to pursue her, but somehow, spending time with her shattered that pledge into a hundred little pieces, each sharp enough to pierce his heart.”
“There was no creed, no color line, no hostility of capital and labor; the common strifes of men were forgotten, and all were brought closer together in the beautiful harmony of the universal brotherhood. Sorrow, the great leveler, the great arbiter, had done its work.”
“She needed to learn to quit striving, quit trying to make her life turn out just as she hoped, and put more trust in God’s plan for her life.”
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magnificent! Great relatable, flawed characters who are dynamic, and the story is very engaging, educational, and satisfying!
When opera singer Riley Williams agrees to sub as a musical-theater performer on a luxury Rhine/Moselle riverboat cruise, she gets more than she bargained for. Not only must she come up with 250 Broadway songs, she is required to dance with the male passengers. Dance—the subject she nearly failed in her Conservatory courses, and the cause of her recent flop in a European Opera House. To make matters worse, she overhears two terrorists at a café in Antwerp, Belgium, discussing the transfer of deadly agent X to the highest bioterrorist bidders.
Interpol agent Jacob Coulter, an anti-terrorism desk analyst in Brussels, Belgium, insists on serving as an undercover agent after his best friend Noel is murdered by terrorists from the Brussels cell he infiltrates. Shortly before Noel dies, he manages to tell Jacob snippets of the terrorists’ plans. Plans that seem to involve the same riverboat cruise Riley is on. When Interpol learns of Riley’s encounter with terrorists, Jacob’s supervisor insists he work with her to identify the terrorists and retrieve agent X. But their relationship is fraught with distrust because of Riley’s suspicious past and a romantic attraction neither of them wants.
Sara L. Jameson won Scrivenings Press’s grand prize publishing contract in January 2021. They released her debut romantic suspense novel, Cruise to Death, in June 2021. Death in High Places, (Book 2 in the Troubled Waters series), released February 2023, followed by Vengeance in Vienna, July 2024.
In real life, Sara is a multi-published, former university professor who writes non-fiction under her real name and edits book manuscripts for other authors. She also pens WWII historical novels. When not at her computer, she enjoys reading, swimming, cooking, dog-sitting, and spending time with friends.
More from Sara
For someone who loves to swim and enjoys cruising on a ship as long as land is in sight, a European riverboat cruise solved my anxiety. Cruise to Death was conceived during a Uniworld cruise that originated in Antwerp, Belgium, where my family had lived twenty-fives years prior and fallen in love with the country.
But the lack of security on the cruise concerned me. Especially when our ship docked parallel to another cruise line, and all passengers passed through the other boat to disembark and re-embark without staff scrutiny. Perfect place for someone not on your cruise to hide, right?
Perfect fodder for a romantic suspense novel. Add in a pickpocket who craftily robbed a family member, and a budding novelist determined the crime wouldn’t go unremembered. You know those writers’ T-shirts warning you whatever you say and do might end up in a novel—sometimes it’s true.
Part of the fun writing this story was a chance to retrace the stops along the Rhine and Moselle rivers and stay in settings that appear in the novel. If you have a chance to take a riverboat cruise, I highly recommend it!
My Impressions
“Yes, she’d lied. Something she’d been brought up not to do, something she knew was wrong. A sin she’d have to bring before the Lord. But she’d do anything to protect Jacob.”
I enjoyed this light, romantic suspense novel by Sarah L. Jameson. Cruise to Death explores the betrayal of an Interpol agent and his best friend, Jacob’s, vow to find the leaked link. It also explores the experience of an opera singer, Riley, who subsequently for her sick friend on a European river cruise. Unfortunately, Riley overheard a terrorist plot and spends the cruise trying to help Jacob and Interpol uncover the terrorists. Terrorists suspects are great at disguise, and tensions are high as nearly all passengers on the cruise are closely monitored. Evidence suggests that Riley may be part of the plot. If safety precautions are in short supply, so is the trust factor. Will Riley and Jacob figure out who can be trusted? Better yet, will they put trust in God above their promises to themselves?
I was happy to see Jacob working in his cover professional as waiter. Jameson convincingly has him on job often, as well as portraying Riley onstage singing or (ouch!) dancing. So often in cozies, the main characters forget their jobs in favor of sleuthing.
I enjoyed the many pop culture references to TV shows and stars. One such involved a true quote we can all learn from: “Lone Rangers didn’t win the war, teamwork did. Teamwork between the military and civilians. Female civilians.” This is Riley’s response when Jacob tries to leave her out of sleuthing. We can all learn to accept help, rather than trying to go it alone.
Full of non-stop action, suspects, suspicions, danger, twists, and some truth revelations, Cruise to Death is an enjoyable read.
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“One thing you learn as a singer—never play the what if game.”– Riley
“Relationships are built on trust.” “And forgiveness.” -Riley, Jacob
“All her life she’d done what she wanted to do, what others wanted her to do. Not once had she asked God what He wanted for her.”
“Everyone needed a rescuer.” – Riley
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Excellent! I’m happy to recommend this suspense novel.
This K-9 team is trained to eliminate threats. This threat could eliminate them.
Being a loner is getting old. Jazz Lamont still can’t fit in at the Phoenix K-9 Agency, and she’s losing her best friend. At least providing security with her K-9 partner at the Tri-City Fair will mean revisiting the only place where she once belonged. But a series of accidents threatens her beloved fair and puts lives at risk.
Thriller author Hawthorne Emerson suspects foul play after the first “accident.” Moonlighting as fair security to investigate the death of his sister’s boyfriend, he’s eager to find the truth. He doesn’t expect the task to lead him to the cult he escaped.
Finding the culprit behind the sabotage is personal for Jazz and Hawthorne. But someone else has a personal stake, too. Someone who wants Jazz dead. When everything she thought was true is dismantled, can Jazz risk trusting others—including God—to survive?
Jerusha Agenimagines danger around every corner but knows God is there, too. So naturally, she writes romantic suspense infused with the hope of salvation in Jesus Christ. Jerusha loves to hang out with her big furry dogs and little furry cats, often while reading or watching movies.
More from Jerusha
THE DANGER OF COLORED GLASSES
Have you ever felt left out? Maybe someone you care about never accepts you or loves you, no matter how much you try to please that person?
One would think Jazz Lamont, the heroine of Lethal Danger, would never have experienced such feelings. After all, she’s a beautiful security agent who trounces bad guys without breaking a sweat, doesn’t fear danger, and has an incredible K-9 partner. She was chosen to join the elite Phoenix K-9 Security and Detection Agency, which means she’s one of the best in a dangerous, challenging line of work.
But though she doesn’t bat an eye when she faces threats and bad guys, Jazz is far from confident when it comes to social interactions. Thanks to a series of rejections in her childhood, Jazz is pretty sure most people won’t like her or want to accept her. So far, her life seems to be proving that assumption true.
As I discovered Jazz’s character while writing Lethal Danger, I was intrigued by how much her fear of rejection colored her point of view of basically everything. Sometimes, a comment that a gal on the Phoenix K-9 Team made would seem like a put-down to Jazz, though I knew as the author that the other agent hadn’t meant the remark that way.
Noticing Jazz’s tendency to see everything through rejection-colored glasses made me take a hard look at myself. What fears of my own are skewing how I see and receive things?
Is my desire for approval making me misinterpret others’ remarks as critical when they aren’t intended as such? Do my insecurities make me misconstrue or internalize social media posts or friends’ jokes? Perhaps my worries about finances or dangers to my physical safety make me see hazards where there aren’t any or avoid doing what the Lord wants me to.
How about you? Have you thought about the harmful ways in which your experiences, fears, and vulnerabilities might be coloring the glasses through which you view life?
Let’s all take stock together and then bring those burdens to Jesus Christ. He’ll remind us that the only point of view that matters, the only one that is accurate, is His. And He’ll help us begin to see the world through His perfect eyes.
My Impressions
“It was so-called worldly entertainment and included on the very long, unwritten list of activities and choices banned by the cult. Or, more specifically, by Desmond Patch, founder and leader of the Best Life cult. Destroyer of families. Thief of lives.”
Wow! What a fast-moving thrill ride Lethal Danger is! Penned by the talented Jerusha Agen, it’s the fourth book in the Guardians Unleashed series, a set of books about a K-9 female protection team. The Tri-City fair in MN is a second home to Phoenix security guard Jazz LaMont. Growing up without her marine dad around much, often shunted off on an aunt and uncle who barely tolerated her, Jazz is looking for true friends and love.
We also meet security personnel Hawthorne Emerson, famous crime writer and, in this case, crime investigator. Emerson grew up in the nearby cult, Best Life, which he and eventually his younger sister Rebekah leave. The cult is blamed for a fair accident where Emerson and Jazz meet in a daring rescue. Can dreamy Hawthorne and beautiful, multi-talented Jazz team up together to protect the fair and its visitors before the increasing accidents force its closure? Don’t get whiplash from the great twists!
The danger starts quickly in this book and doesn’t let up until the finale. I loved being able to see the Malinois, German shepherds, and other trained dogs in action! So impressive!
I really liked that the hero and heroine have so much going for them, yet both have some very big flaws to overcome. For Jazz, the rejection in her background causes her to feel slighted and unliked by those around her… even when she could have the belonging and love she longs for, she refuses to let others close. Her best friend, Nevaeh asks, “Have you ever thought that maybe you put up walls with people?” … “Like maybe you’re afraid they’ll reject you, so you reject them first.”
Hawthorne Emerson, too, has much going for him. He escaped the cult, he is a nationally-known best-selling author, he is swoony, and he can investigate and rescue with the best. Plus, he is a believer, like the rest of Jazz’s team. (Jazz thinks Christianity is for weak people.) However, Hawthorne’s past affects him, too. He took orders from the cult at one time and will never again let someone control him. “He’d made a god out of freedom—his freedom, his wants, his desires. And his love of independence and freedom had only grown since he’d left the cult.” A recipe for hurt!
Don’t miss this exciting romantic suspense! I certainly want to be sure I’ve read all the books in this series, to learn about each security agent and her dog!
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“I didn’t want to be reconciled to God and forgiven of my sins until God changed me from the inside out. He had to change me so I could begin to want what I hadn’t known I most needed.”– Hawthorne
“Because I want to have God’s Word hidden in my heart, so that I know what is true and what is not. So that I have His comfort and promises with me wherever I go. I never want to forget that He loves me or forget the proof that He loves me.”- Cora, on why she memorizes Scripture
“Evil and lies are often most convincing when they masquerade as poor imitations of the truth.”– Hawthorne
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Superior! Great action, very relatable character flaws, great twists!
To celebrate her tour, Jerusha is giving away the grand prize of a signed paperback copy of Lethal Danger, $25 Barnes and Noble gift card, Lethal Danger tote bag, magnet, notebook, and keychain!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
Book: More than Conquerors (Planting Faith Series Book 2)
Author: Carole Towriss
Genre: Biblical Fiction
Release Date: March 25, 2024
Kassandra‘s privileged and pampered life explodes when she meets a woman with next to nothing. When a glimpse into the lives of those less fortunate turns into a mission to help them, her father offers a choice: act like the daughter of a politarch and marry the man he has chosen––or leave home forever.
Unimaginable loss shakes Jason‘s world to its foundation, and he struggles to keep his faith in the Jewish God. He faces losing everything generations of his family have built, and one of the city’s elite seems determined to make that happen.
A visiting Jewish preacher shakes up the synagogue—and then the town—with outrageous claims. Paulos’s teachings fascinate Kassi but contradict everything Jason believes. As pressure amps up on every side, they must decide how much they are willing to risk to follow The Way.
Carole Towriss is a Californian living on the East Coast. When she isn’t writing, researching, or editing her latest book, you can find her (and her cat) watching British television, googling obscure facts, or talking to one of her four kids.
More from Carole
More than Conquerors is the second book in the “Planting Faith” series. Each book is set in a city where Paul established a church. Book 1, Soldinto Freedom, took place in Philippi and featured the woman with the spirit of prophecy and the jailer. I’m currently writing a novel set in Athens, and I hope to follow that with one set in Corinth.
I like to write about people who are mentioned only a few times in Scripture. Jason is mentioned only once, in Acts 16, and Kassandra is one of the ”prominent women” who came to faith under Paul. Paul, Silas, Timothy, Luke, and Lydia are all here, but they are minor characters.
I hope you enjoy getting to know Jason and Kassandra, and experience what it was like to be part of one of the earliest churches.
My Impressions
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. You are Mine. “
Carole Towriss is a new-to-me author, but I was thrilled to see the way she takes a few verses in Acts 17 and weaves them into a an exciting story with lots of Scripture. With a compelling narrative replete with danger, intrigue, and Romance, plus Biblical history, so many words Paul spoke in the New Testament come alive and are shared in small doses. I especially loved the emphasis on Isaiah’s teaching, but of course the Law and Moses, which the Jews greatly supported, are also leaping off points for Paulos.
Imagine the unease of the synagogue leader, who at first is proud that Paulos is showing his synagogue honor, then discovers Paulos using the Jewish law to launch into a discussion of Jesus Christ, a heretical criminal in the Jewish mind. Trouble brews!
I loved how Towriss connects the Jewish characters of the story to the Greek portion of the story. It was interesting to see the differences in the two cultures. I enjoyed seeing a mixture of wealthy, influential people vs. those who were considered lower class or even worthless. We see the power of Roman rulers vs. those they ruled, often including their own households. Secundus is such a typical example, and makes me glad I don’t live in that world.
I loved seeing how Paulos shows the Greeks that they, too, are recipients of God’s grace and love. Many Greeks did not find sense in the capricious gods of their own country or Rome, and were ready to hear about a God who did not demand a sacrifice on a whim or have unclear expectations.
Did I mention that there is danger in this novel? Kassi faces it, Jason faces it, Paulos and his friends face it, and all the believers face it. They will have to rely on passages like the one from Isaiah at the top of the blog, or other Scripture reminders Paulos gives them: “Moses once told the Israelites, ‘Adonai will fight for you; you need only to be still.’ We do what we can, and then we stand firm in faith. Rest in the knowledge that Yahweh holds our lives in the palms of His hands, and nothing is allowed to touch us unless it is first filtered through His fingers.” This advice will definitely be tested!!
I certainly headed back into my Bible several times while reading this enthralling novel! Don’t miss it!
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Magnificent! A new-to-me Biblical fiction author to start catching up with!
A rebellious suffragette and a steadfast sailor—tied by duty, divided by secrets, and tempted by a love that changes everything.
A born sailor, Jonathan Kennebrae thrives in his role running his grandfather’s shipping enterprise. That is until his grandfather delivers a crippling ultimatum—Jonathan will marry Melissa Brooke or lose his inheritance and everything he’s worked for. Though Jonathan finds himself drawn to Melissa, he can’t help feeling his intended may not be who she appears to be.
Melissa Brooke is tired of being voiceless. She’s been the perfect daughter all her life, doing what she’s told for the good of the family. Except she has a secret. Melissa lives a double life, teaching literacy to struggling immigrant women and fighting for the suffragette movement. If she goes through with the wedding, she’ll be forced to abandon her life’s work. Yet refusing the union could cost her any chance at an inheritance to fund her cause. To make matters worse, she can’t deny the tender feelings blooming between her and her fiancé.
Best-selling, award-winning author of The Debutante’s Code, first in the Thorndike & Swann Regency Mystery Series, Erica Vetschloves Jesus, history, romance, and sports. When she’s not writing fiction, she’s planning her next trip to a history museum. You can connect with her at her website where you can learn about her books and sign up for her newsletter, and you can find her online where she spends way too much time!
More from Erica
Do you ever wish you could turn back time? That’s what I recently got to do, as I read through my very first published novel, The Bartered Bride, that is now being re-released by Wild Heart Books.
What a blast from the past. I was amazed at all the feelings that rushed back in as I revisited Duluth, MN in the last century. Melissa and Jonathan hadn’t changed a bit in sixteen years.
The story idea first came to me as I sat in church awaiting the start of the service. There I was, a not-yet-published-author, minding my own business when the plot sort of burst into my head. An arranged marriage set in Duluth, and using the “Gales of November” and the wreck of the Mataafa…
I jotted down a few notes, because face it, the best idea for a novel could pop into my head, and if I don’t write down the gist, I will forget it in two minutes.
I wrote The Bartered Bride in about six weeks, and I sent it through my critique group of the time. Then my agent submitted it to the publisher in the spring of 2008.
And we waited.
And waited.
And waited.
We heard nothing for months. My agent sent word that the publisher was still considering it, and I was to be patient. It wasn’t a no, but it also wasn’t a resounding yes!
I had already started the sequel to The Bartered Bride, a story called Marriage Masquerade, so I finished that one, and then with summer upon me, I wrote a new story, Clara and the Cowboy, about an heiress to a ranch and one of the cowboys who rode for her father. Maybe the publisher would like that series better. I heard nothing all summer on either of the two series I had proposed and submitted.
Then in September of that year, I went to the American Christian Fiction Writers Conference. The conference was being held in Minnesota, just a hop up the road from where I live. I ferried agents and editors from the airport to the hotel, I met people, I sat in workshops, all the time wondering if I would ever be a published author. Would my writing ever be ‘good enough’? Was I wasting my time?
Imagine my surprise when the publisher to whom I had submitted The Bartered Bride took the stage at a general session and announced that they were offering a contract to me for that book! Not only that, but when I had an appointment with the editor later, she offered not only a three-book contract on the The North Star Brides, but an additional three-book contract for the Brides of Money Creekof which Clara and the Cowboy was book one!
I had sold six books! The rest of the conference, you could have bought me for a dollar.
Melissa and Jonathan will always have a special place in my heart. They were the couple that started it all. I’m so glad they are getting a new start, and hopefully they will touch readers’ hearts as much as they have mine.
My Impressions
“For I know the thoughts I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Jeremiah 29: 11
Never have I been so happy to be living in the present day, as when I read a historical romance like Erica Vetsch’s The Bartered Bride. In 1905 Duluth, MN, it is still considered acceptable for marriages to be arranged as a business merger for high class families. Both the intended groom, Jonathan Kennebrae and the intended bride, Melissa Brooke, want nothing to do with this plan. Forced to socialize, an attraction is born, but when secrets are revealed, will the fledgling love overcome the shadows of distrust?
I loved seeing how Melissa, who is a pawn in the businessmen’s dealings, begins to find her voice and stand up for herself. Unfortunately, will she be able to differentiate between those out to use her and those who truly respect her and her beliefs?
Both Melissa and Jonathan are firm believers, and it is interesting to watch their prayers. Jeremiah 29:11 is one verse quoted more than once that both believe, yet when the path isn’t smooth, both wonder why God is failing. “Lord, how could You do this to me? You promised me hope, and a future. Plans that were for my good. He lied to me. All Your plans are dashed. It’s over. Did You lie to me, too?” It strikes me as ironic that because her plans are dashed, Melissa assumes that God’s plans are, too.
Jonathan, too, has a prayer that he prays for those around him who are attempting to driving his destiny. I love how he finally realizes God has answered his prayer- just not the way he expected!
I am always glad to have a character lead-in to the next story, and Noah’s appearance does that while adding an important element to the story. It may be summer now, but I could feel the snow and horribly cold winds and see the waves of the storm on Lake Superior, known for its coldness.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own copy. No positive opinion was required, and all opinions are my own.
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magnificent! I didn’t want to live it, but I enjoyed reading about Jonathan and Melissa’s journey to love!
A buried secret in Harmony Springs could cost a pastor and a teacher their careers—and their second chance at love.
Lydia Jefferson buried her dreams long before the death of her husband. Now she’s locked her heart to men for good. In Harmony Springs, she’s finally found freedom from the shameful failure and loss of her past—until her childhood sweetheart arrives to be the new pastor.
Samuel Allen never thought he’d love again, not after his fiancée walked out of his life. But when his first church assignment sends him to Harmony Springs, he finds himself face to face with the woman who disappeared from his life seven years before. Could this be a second chance at love? Unfortunately, she wants nothing to do with him.
When an orphaned child brings Lydia and Samuel together again, can they face the pain of their past and learn to trust each other enough to build a home?
Lauralyn Keller loves to combine history and romance in stories that touch the heart. She lives in beautiful Colorado and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking, hiking, and reading.
More from Lauralyn
Baking is one of my favorite activities. I find it relaxing, and it’s so fun trying new recipes. You might have noticed that there are generally some kind of dish or treat in my stories that characters really like. For Lydia Jefferson in The Reverend’s Second Chance, that treat is a cookie called cinnamon jumbles. It plays a part in her love story with Samuel Allen, the new pastor for Harmony Springs.
I asked ChatGPT how to make the best cinnamon jumbles. Here’s what it came up with.
Cinnamon jumbles are such a cozy, nostalgic treat! They’re chewy cookies with the perfect balance of cinnamon sugar, and they’re pretty easy to make. Here’s a recipe that will give you soft, chewy cinnamon jumbles with a nice little crunch on the outside.
Best Cinnamon Jumbles Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar (for rolling)
1 tbsp ground cinnamon (for rolling)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Set aside.
Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, beat together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). You can use a hand mixer or stand mixer for this step.
Add Wet Ingredients: Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until fully combined.
Add Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix just until combined. Don’t overmix—this will keep your cookies tender.
Roll the Dough: In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon for rolling. Scoop out tablespoon-sized portions of dough and roll them into balls. Then roll each ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until evenly coated.
Bake: Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Flatten each ball slightly with the back of a spoon or your fingers. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the centers are set.
Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips:
Softness: For softer cookies, don’t overbake them. The cookies will continue to cook a little as they cool on the baking sheet.
Storage: Store the cookies in an airtight container to keep them fresh. They should stay soft for about 3-4 days. 😊
I (Lauralyn) hope you enjoy this cookie recipe. Maybe you can even make them and enjoy a few with a nice cup of coffee or tea while reading The Reverend’s Second Chance. Lydia would approve.
God bless,
Lauralyn
My Impressions
“… ‘not forgiving hurts you in the end. It hurts your relationship with God too.’ He pointed to the cross over the altar. ‘Considering what He did for us—dying to forgive our sins—I think we should take our example from Him.’”
The easy, gentle romance and historical Western aspects of Lauralyn Keller’s The Reverend’s Second Chance were a breath of fresh air this week. I was certainly in the mood for this novel, which is easy to read and reminiscent of the style of Janette Oke or Kim Vogel Sawyer books. This is a marriage of convenience story, where much of the book’s action takes place after said marriage.
Lydia and Samuel had been childhood sweethearts who were separated by poor decisions and time. Shocked to find themselves together in the same small town, Samuel realizes his feelings for her never changed. Lydia, however, is determined to stay far away emotionally.
I was thankful to see that Lydia had good friends and a mother-in-law who loved her enough to see the roots of her problem with Samuel are anger and bitterness. “Forgiveness doesn’t come easily…you owe it to yourself to forgive him. It’s only going to eat at you more and more until bitterness is your constant companion.”– Dorothy
When the marriage occurs, Lydia brings no love. Instead, she brings a walled heart, determined not to be hurt again. Maybe she can forgive, but trust? Again, Lydia’s confidants point out that love is more than a feeling, but a choice. “Love is hard,” Cassie said. “It means making the decision every day to love the person you vowed to cherish. Sometimes you won’t feel it, but you can still choose it.”
With all the feels of Little House on the Prairie or When Calls the Heart, this story from the 1880s Montana Territory will serve up a generous slice of small town life with its challenges, friendships, and victories. I must applaud Ruby and Alice, 6-year-olds, as adorable scene stealers! My fave adult characters are John and Dorothy, with their non-judgmental ways and sage, godly advice.
Book 2 in the Second Chances in Harmony Springs series, I thought this book stood well on its own. Highly recommended!
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“Some family you’re born with. Some family you choose.” -Cassie
“…you can’t let fear hold you captive. We can’t change what’s going to be. But we can choose to trust, no matter what may come.” -John
“You can’t control the feeling of anger, but you can control how you act.” – Cody
In a town shrouded by secrets, a photographer and the reclusive heir of the Ballentine fortune join forces to unravel a deadly conspiracy.
Brooklynn Wright must win a photography contest to save her gallery, and the perfect sunrise shot at a remote inlet north of town is her best hope. But when she witnesses a smuggling operation at a hidden dock and is chased by armed men, her dreams of artistic glory become a nightmare flight for survival. Rescued by a mysterious stranger, Brooklynn is forced to take refuge with him in an abandoned mansion the townspeople claim is cursed—afraid to trust her grumpy protector but with no other choice.
Billionaire Forbes Ballentine returned to Shadow Cove for answers, not distractions. Haunted by the unsolved murder of his family twenty years ago, he’s spent his life in the shadows, hunting for the truth. He believes the network Brooklynn stumbled upon is tied to his family’s deaths, but protecting the cheerful photographer means jeopardizing the investigation he’s been chasing for decades. Especially when her presence stirs feelings he’s not prepared to face.
As Brooklynn and Forbes grow closer, so do the network’s ruthless enforcers. With everyone in town hiding something, they must navigate lies, betrayal, and deadly truths. When the network closes in, they’ll have to trust each other completely—or lose everything.
Dive into this gripping romantic suspense full of mystery, secrets, and danger, where two broken souls must uncover the truth while battling the enemies outside—and the wounds within.
Robin Patchenis a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of Christian romantic suspense. She grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, the setting of her Coventry Saga books, and then headed to Boston to earn a journalism degree. Working in marketing, she discovered how much she loathed the nine-to-five ball and chain. After relocating to the Southwest, she started writing her first novel while homeschooling her three children. The novel was dreadful, but her passion for storytelling didn’t wane. Thankfully, as her children grew, so did her writing ability. Now that her kids are adults, she has more time to play with the lives of fictional heroes and heroines, wreaking havoc and working magic to give her characters happy endings. When she’s not writing, she’s editing or reading, proving that most of her life revolves around the twenty-six letters of the alphabet. Visit robinpatchen.com/subscribe to receive a free book and stay informed about Robin’s latest projects.
More from Robin
A Mansion on the Maine Coast: The Perfect Setting for Capturing You
There’s something about old mansions that gets my imagination racing. Maybe it’s the grandeur, or the hint that secrets hide behind their towering windows. Or maybe it’s knowing that, once upon a time, entire lives were lived there.
When I first envisioned Capturing You, I knew the story needed a setting as breathtaking—and as mysterious—as the characters themselves. So I plucked inspiration from my visits to the coast of New Hampshire. I can’t help but admire the stunning mansions overlooking the Atlantic between Hampton Beach—a touristy strip filled with arcades and restaurants—and Rye, a quiet coastal community. I love to imagine the lives lived inside those walls and the histories written into their very foundations.
Naturally, when it came time to write Brooklynn and Forbes’s story, I borrowed from those daydreams.
In Capturing You, the eighteenth-century cliffside mansion functions as more than just a setting. It’s a character in its own right. Crumbling a bit with age, it stands guard over a small, secluded cove on the coast of Maine. The old home is a place of secret hiding places, bittersweet memories, and…because, you know, it’s a Robin Patchen novel…more than its share of danger. The Ballentine Mansion is the perfect backdrop for a story about a photographer who accidentally stumbles onto something she shouldn’t have seen—and a brooding recluse determined to keep her safe.
In the story, I hope you hear the waves pounding against the rocky shore, smell the salt in the air, and feel the ancient wood floors creaking beneath your feet. I hope you’ll find wonder in the whimsical spaces created by the original architect. And I hope you’ll experience nostalgia in a home that hasn’t had a family fill its halls with laughter in a generation.
Step right into that world with me—a world of danger and romance, courage and redemption, all wrapped up in a mansion that’s seen more than its share of joy and heartache. And maybe a little healing too.
I can’t wait for you to explore all its secrets with Brooklynn and Forbes.
Capturing You is available now. Immerse yourself in a fascinating mansion—and a suspenseful romance that’ll keep you reading all night long.
My Impressions
“There was only one thing Forbes wanted, one thing he’d lived for since he was eight years old. Justice.”
I have truly enjoyed The Wright Heroes of Maine romantic suspense series by Robin Patchen. In most of the previous books, we have seen Michael, Sam, Derrick, and others family members tackle huge intrigue challenges, often overseas. Now, in book six, Capturing You, and book five, we have moved on to their cousins’ family. Capturing You is unique so far in that the enemy is much closer to home.
Brooklynn Wright desperately wants to win the local photography contest. Free publicity for her struggling photography studio in town would be a boon, and she also badly wants to show her father she is competent in her field. Gavin Wright and others seem to see only fluff and lightweight when they see Brooklynn.
Unfortunately, Brooklynn’s great curiosity (which Ford Baker, identified as the handyman at the local mansion) would call a propensity to snoop. Brooklynn’s inquisitiveness turn her desire for the perfect photo into a run for her life on a Maine shore. Knowing she will be caught and probably killed, she is surprised to be rescued by Baker.
Afraid of her new protector, afraid of the men chasing her, knowing she can’t go home, Brooklynn doesn’t know what her next step is. But she does know, unlike Ford, that “God always made a way. All her life, He’d guided her. And He wouldn’t stop today. He was her protector, after all. Her strong tower. Her fortress.”
Ford is using an alias he’s had since childhood, when his parents and sister were murdered in their Shadow Cove mansion. Life has made him grumpy, pessimistic, quiet, and suspicious. When he starts to get to know Brooklynn, who is sweet, optimistic, talkative, and trusting, he finds himself wanting to protect her.
Ford and Brooklynn eventually begin to work together, but the trust is slow and fragile. Gradually, clues are uncovered which reveal a truth the two suspected: someone they know is behind the murderous game of cat-and- mouse. “She used to think of her town as one big family. Now it felt more like a spiderweb, everyone connected to everyone else, the silky fibers hidden until they trapped the innocent.”
I was in a race against the novel as I read, as if my figuring out the mystery before it was revealed could save their lives! Patchen’s characters certainly were alive for me! Fortunately, Brooklynn and Ford did not require my skills. Patchen threw in some twists that left me off the mark. Can Brooklynn and Ford discover who was behind the heinous crime 25 years ago and what connection there is to the smugglers today? Can Ford decide God does indeed care about him, despite the past?
You will not want to miss a book of this series! I would suggest reading these in order, although the book probably could stand alone.
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own copy. No positive review is required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“There’s no shame in knowing who you are, who God created you to be.”– Ford
“She needn’t worry. She only needed to ask Him to open the doors she was meant to walk through. To pray that His will would be done. It was a prayer He loved to answer.”
“Sticking your head in the sand isn’t a plan.”– Ford
“It seemed her grouchy friend was a lot like this old mansion. A little rough on the outside, but filled with beauty. And secrets.”
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magnificent! This is a romantic suspense series I am greatly enjoying! I am here for every book!
His path to redemption lies in the hands of the citified newcomer who believes the worst of him.
Caleb Morgan has had everything stolen from him—his strength, the job he loved, even his good name. He’s determined to even the score with the man responsible, until he meets the captivating new owner of the Double E Ranch. Though he’s drawn to her compassion, he fears she may never see beyond his supposed wrongdoings, unless he can prove his innocence and reclaim his honor.
Eliza Roberts is a teacher, not a rancher. But if she has any hope of selling the ranch she inherited from her grandfather and continuing on to her new life in California, she needs to restore it to some semblance of order. If only the man her grandfather advised her to trust wasn’t refusing to help her.
When an offer of courtship arises from the current foreman, Eliza sees the practicality in the offer. So why does her heart keep wandering back to Caleb? And why can’t she shake the feeling that something’s not right at the Double E Ranch? Will she have the courage to follow the clues behind the strange mishaps at the Double E—and possibly embrace a different life than she imagined?
Barbara A. Curtislives in Connecticut with her husband, and they have one grown son, a blessing to their hearts. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and NovelAcademy.
More from Barbara
Though Elizabeth Rose Roberts, the matriarch of the Double E Ranch, has passed before the Blooms of the Bitterbrush series begins, each story reflects the legacy she left for the generations to come. May the journey of these four descendants be an encouragement to your heart as you follow the struggles, love, and joy of Elizabeth’s family through the years.
In Angel from the East, Nellie loves baking pies and had a special request from one of the little Billings girls.
“I love pie! I hope it’s pum-kin tomorrow!” Virginia shouted.
Hopefully, Nellie had prior experience making a pumpkin pie or possessed a later recipe with detailed instructions, as this early recipe from an 1876 cookbook might not have helped much:
Peel and cut your pumpkin into small pieces and put into a kettle with a very little water; cook from six to eight hours, stirring frequently to prevent burning. When done, rub through a colander. One quart of pumpkin, five pints of rich milk, four eggs, three cups of sugar, one scant teaspoon of ginger and 4 tsp of cinnamon.
I hope you enjoy the stories—and perhaps a piece of pumpkin pie to go with them!
Blessings!
Barbara
My Impressions
“But yet, God offered hope. Forgiveness. For charity shall cover the multitude of sins.”
Inheriting a ranch from her grandfather, young Eliza Roberts leaves NYC for the untamed land of Idaho at the turn of the 20th century. Surprised at the run-down condition of the place Grandfather has spoken so glowingly about, Eliza decides to discover what changed the ranch’s fortune so quickly, before she heads on to California for a teaching job.
Eliza is pleased to find out that her grandparents were well-loved and respected members of the Caldwell, ID community. Their faith was evidenced to all by their actions. As Eliza hears stories of her grandmother’s great kindness and generosity, can she resemble her grandmother in more than just looks?
What secrets is the town so carefully hiding about the ranch’s history and former foreman? With two men obviously vying for her attention, which one, if either, is worthy of trust? Both Benton and Caleb greatly distrust the other, and the peace that Eliza brings with her is wearing thin. Can she trust God and the right people to help her find her heart’s desire?
I loved the gradual unveiling of the personalities of the different characters. Like peeling an onion, it has to be done slowly. We gradually see who Eliza decides to be, trusting God for wisdom. And these words were so timely for my life, yet today! “Remember, God cares for you so much. He’ll provide for your every need. Just ask Him.”
I’d love to have been a fly on the hitching post in this town! The gossip I might have been privy to, the people I might have seen and understood better by observing more closely (as in Gus, for one! Nellie had my attenae up, also! ) But it is the Rev. Thompson who doles out great advice: “And when you hear God’s words in a whisper, listen hard. And follow them. He’s the one who changes hearts.”
I also enjoyed the inclusion of Mrs. Billings and her three young, exuberant daughters! They light up the novel and lives wherever they appear!
I received a copy of this book from the author through Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“Love isn’t easy, but it’s worth pursuing.” -Rev. Thompson
“The old fight had waged in his heart—vengeance versus forgiveness. Every time he’d felt God’s spirit drawing him toobedience, the flesh put up a fight anew.”
“We’re safe in God’s hands alone.”– Nellie
“Trust and position are two different things.”– Gus
“That’s her legacy to you. To remember God’s goodness and faithfulness. You are so much like her.” – Gus
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Magnificent! I already have pre-ordered the second book, As Far as the West, the next book in the Blooms of the Bitterbrush series!
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions 