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Escaping the Wilderness by Carrie Stuart Parks Review and Givaway

October 9, 2025 Babbling Becky L

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Escaping the Wilderness by Carrie Stuart Parks, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Escaping the Wilderness
Author: Carrie Stuart Parks
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
Release Date: September 30, 2025
Genre: Romantic Suspense

On the run through the mountains—
with only each other to trust.

Amanda Cotton’s privileged life takes a harrowing turn when her grandfather’s dying wish places a target firmly on her back and she’s attacked by unknown assailants. Rescue comes in the form of widowed outdoorsman Boone McGregor, but the threat is just beginning. Unable to trust local law enforcement, they flee across the rugged Montana mountains. As they evade deadly enemies and navigate harsh terrain, they must put aside their differences to survive. But when a family secret is exposed, danger is closer than they imagined and more than just their lives is at stake…

Also Available

About the Author

arrie Stuart Parks is an internationally known forensic artist and law enforcement instructor, working on major criminal cases nationwide. She trains law enforcement professionals such as the FBI, Secret Service, NCIS, Federal Marshals, RCMP, Texas Rangers, and local and regional officers. She was nominated for Law Enforcement Trainer of the Year offered by the Federal Law Enforcement Academy at Glynco, Georgia. Her career highlights also include winning Woman of the Year for the Spirit of the American Woman and the first Educator of the Year by the Lewis Clark Alumni.Her bestselling mystery/suspense novels have won numerous awards including two Christys and four Carols. She was mentored by her friend Frank Peretti for eight years before launching her fiction writing career. Before that, she wrote and illustrated best-selling art books for North Light Publishers. As a professional fine artist, her paintings hang in many corporate and private collections.

Connect with Carrie by visiting stuartparks.com/carrie-stuart-parks-home-page to follow her on social media and subscribe to email updates.

My Impressions

“I’m also sending you the Bible I bought with the passages marked. I really need to change what’s between us and make things right, one way or the other. This deception can’t continue. If all else fails, I’ll send you the key.”

Amanda Morton’s deceased mother has left a cryptic letter to her father, Amanda’s grandfather. Carrie Parks Stuart sets her Love Inspired romantic suspense, Escaping the Wilderness, in a remote, mountainous area of Montana. Amanda’s mother, before her death, is largely absent in Amanda’s life. Amanda’s caring grandfather has given her the “assignment” to go off grid with some of her mother’s belongings and write what she discovers about her mother. She is told to “get to know my mother through my heart, not my head.”

Unfortunately, Amanda barely starts on this adventure before she is physically attacked, and her rental house and her mother’s belongings are destroyed by ruthless men. Boone MacGregor gets involved when he sees the original attack on Amanda. Thinking he will quickly get her to safety, it is soon evident that safety is hard to come by. Helicopters, drones, snowstorms, a fire, and much more all point to the fact that Amanda is hiding something. Yet, Amanda herself doesn’t know what she possesses that would be worth igniting this maelstrom of disaster.

It took me a while to become invested in these characters. I remained fairly detached until about midway through the book. Then it seemed the action kicked into urgent overdrive ( because it already was intense) and I finally cared very much about Amanda and Boone. I followed their progress closely as they had to decide who to trust, and if his simple rancher’s world can meld with her high society world, enough to even work together. “They were worlds apart. When they got out of this, could he fit into her world? Would she fit into his?”

Cookie, Boone’s Bernese Mountain dog, is a force that unites them. She is a poignant, beautiful part of the story sure to appeal to any dog lovers.

At first, faith is another area that drives a wedge between the two. Boone is a firm believer in prayer, Amanda has rejected it after her prayers for several people go “ unanswered.” Boone is not afraid to pray aloud. When Amanda dubs him religious, Boone responds, “Religion is man’s response to the Creator. I have faith in the completed works of Jesus Christ. There’s a difference.” That starts Amanda thinking, as she watches Boone’s care and prayers for her as they have several enemy encounters.

I am not going to hang up my detective shingle yet. I thought I knew who was the mastermind early on, but there are so many moving parts and people that the truth gets hidden! And the twists! I got whiplash, for sure!! Well done, Ms. Parks.

I received a copy of the book from JustRead Tours. I also bought my own ebook. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

Notable Quotables:

“Sometimes family secrets take on a life of their own,” -Boone

“Even the kindest, most thoughtful and loving people can have a side we never see.” -Boone

“I truly believe everything happens for a reason, though I may not know, nor ever know that reason. I just have to trust the Lord, in His infinite wisdom, will work things out.” – Colleen

“Trust was a fragile thing, easily shattered,” – Amanda

My Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Great! As a first-time Carrie Stuart Parks reader, I’ll be back for more!

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a small, original watercolor by author & professional fine artist Carrie Stuart Parks!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight October 6, 2025 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on October 13, 2025. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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

BLOG, Just Read Tours, Kindle, Launch Team, Love Inspired, NetGalley, Purchase

Echoes of Darkness Spotlight and Excerpt with Review and Giveaway

June 27, 2025 Babbling Becky L

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Echoes of Darkness by Darlene L. Turner, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Echoes of Darkness
Author: Darlene L. Turner
Publisher: Love Inspired Trade
Release Date: June 24, 2025
Genre: Christian Suspense/Romantic Thriller

A serial killer stalks a small town, and a police officer must face her family’s dark past to catch him.

The sleepy community of Kenorapeake Falls in northern Ontario seems like somewhere Constable Oaklynn Brock can finally outrun her violent past. That is, until she’s assigned to investigate a series of suspicious deaths. She can’t reveal that she knows how serial killers think because she grew up with one. Yet the eerie similarities between these murders and those committed by her father, known as the Suicide Slayer, hint at a copycat in their midst. But why here and why now?

Caleb Greene of the Canadian Watchers Squad, a special task force, has his own reasons to be wary of working alongside Oaklynn. But with rumors of a local cult known as the Light Paragons gaining power, the stakes are too high to refuse.

As they explore connections between the killings and cult, Oaklynn and Caleb are forced to confront old secrets…and a terrifying new threat. Someone is watching Oaklynn’s every move. They know exactly who she is and what she might be capable of. And soon her biggest fear isn’t just having her past exposed, but that a killer will turn whatever days she has left into a living nightmare…

Excerpt

“Suicide Slayer Dead. Constable Oaklynn Brock’s coffee mug slipped from her fingers and smashed to the floor as she read the newspaper article on her cell phone. The serial killer’s picture graced the front cover, sending her heart rate into overdrive. Bile crawled up the back of her throat. Breathe, Oaklynn, breathe. Voices filtered into Kenorapeake Falls Police Department’s Kenorapeake Falls Police Department’s briefing room, or as the constables liked to call it—the bullpen. Her sergeant’s words commending the group on their recent successful hostage takedown faded into the background. Could it be true? The monster was dead? Oaklynn didn’t wish death upon anyone, but relief flooded through every muscle in her body with the report of the man’s demise. His killings had made national headlines over the years, and news of his death probably made most Canadians cheer. But for her, his brutal slayings hit too close to home. In more ways than one.”

Also Available:

My Impressions

“Suicide Slayer Dead. Constable Oaklynn Brock’s coffee mug slipped from her fingers and smashed to the floor as she read the newspaper article on her cell phone.”

Darlene L. Turner’s full-length Love Inspired book starts out with a bang and consternation that will continue all throughout this new book, Echoes of Darkness. Heads up, Echoes of Darkness is darker and grittier than anything I’ve read yet by Turner. A psychological thriller, I would compare Turner’s new writing style to that of Nancy Mehl or Jessica Patch. There WILL be terror.

Oaklynn is terrified for two, maybe three reasons. She has a community to protect from the Light Paragons, a dangerous cult that recruits young people. If the recruits discover the true nature of the cult, and try to get out, their individual bodies are found with a chilling message for Oaklynn. Oaklynn’s biggest terror, aside from the responsibility mounting as the body count rises, comes from within. “Does evil pass through a family’s bloodline? Could she have that gene? Could she take a life so easily, like her father?”

Oaklynn has done so much to put her father’s serial killings behind her, in a compartment in her heart, where she is the only one who knows of that part of her life. Yet, it is very apparent that the new serial killer knows her quite well.

Oaklynn’s team is difficult. Not only does she have an officer who is jealous of her position as lead investigator on the team, but her team has to work with an unusual outside group. The mayor has insisted that the Canadian Watchers Squad, an elite force led by Caleb Greene, join forces with the police. If only Caleb didn’t hate Oaklynn!

Both Oaklynn and Caleb have reason to fear in spades! Can God see them through these fears to the light on the other side? Caleb encourages Oaklynn with these words. “…until we face our fears head-on, they’ll never go away. Remember, God calls us to walk through them with Him.” Unfortunately, Caleb, too, will have to dive deeper in the land of fear he never wanted to revisit, in a desperate effort to help solve this case. His father reminds him, “Preach has called his warriors. They’ll be on their knees the entire time you’re there. He can’t hurt you or manipulate you any longer. You have God on your side. Remember that.” But… will the darkness end with them still alive, or will both Caleb and Oaklynn be watching the final victory from the Heavenly grandstand?

Whew!! More intense, more into the mind of a serial killer than I usually read. But Turner makes sure to show that there is still Light in the darkest night.

I received an ARC of this book from the author via NetGalley. I also pre-ordered my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

Notable Quotables:

“What had she just done? Alienated herself from the one person who could probably pluck her from the depths of her shadowy tomb.”

“Maxwell once told me our lights shine the brightest in the darkness.”

“How could a loving God allow such evil in this world?” “I don’t know the answer to that, Oaklynn, only that humanity is sinful, and that sin has perverted our world. God doesn’t want that. God is the only light in the blackness.”

“Son, we don’t understand why, but sometimes God allows difficult circumstances in our lives to not only teach us something, but to help others.”– Maxwell Greene

“God will meet you in the darkest corner and provide the light for you to escape. You just have to let Him in.”

My Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Magnificent! Darlene L. Turner is venturing into psychological thrillers- close your eyes and hang on tight!!

Tour Giveaway

(4) winners will each receive a $25 Amazon eGift Card!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight June 23, 2025 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on June 30, 2025. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Open internationally. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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

ARC, BLOG, Celebrate Lit Tour, Favorite, Kindle, Launch Team, Love Inspired, NetGalley, Purchase

Trapped in Yosemite by Dana Mentink Review and Giveaway

March 20, 2024 Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Book: Trapped in Yosemite

Author: Dana Mentink

Genre: Christian Fiction

Release Date: February 27, 2024

When a massive earthquake levels the region, secrets and unknown dangers are exposed…

The ground in still-icy Yosemite National Park isn’t stable, and K-9 handler Von Sharpe fears the worst. But his worries are pushed aside when he sees an SUV viciously forced off the road…with his ex-fiancée at the wheel. It’s only when Stella Rivers steps out of the vehicle that the very ground under their feet cracks and breaks with the onslaught of a terrifying earthquake.

When her meeting with a mysterious client is ambushed, Stella witnesses the man being gunned down by a sniper and becomes a target herself. With the threat of aftershocks triggering landslides and floods, the new mom has no choice but to run to save her baby girl—even if it means teaming up with the man who has no idea he fathered her child.

Trapped in a dangerously unstable wilderness with a killer closing in, Von and Stella are running out of time to get to safety. And every fissure reveals a new secret that will shake them to their foundation…

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

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 the recipient of a Holt Medallion. She’s written over fifty titles in the suspense, lighthearted romance and mystery genres. She is pleased to write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense and Poisoned Pen Press.

More from Dana

I won’t ever forget October 17^th, 1989. I was finished with my student teaching duties, chatting with my mother while we watched the World Series. It was an epic matchup of two Bay Area teams. As we watched, the floor lurched and the entire house began to rattle and pitch. We ran outside and watched the street undulate like ocean waves. We’d later come to learn it was a 6.9 earthquake on the Loma Prieta fault. The shaking only lasted 20 seconds but 63 people were killed, 3,757 were reported injured and 12,053 displaced. The damage estimates reached as high as $10 billion, with 18,306 houses leveled. Approximately 2,575 businesses were impacted and 147 were destroyed. The part I will remember most was the collapse of a section of the freeway in Oakland which trapped people in the pancaked structure. I remember watching the close space rescue teams work night and day to find survivors.

Little did I know that memorable event would someday lead to a book! This novel combines the iconic California setting of Yosemite and the big fear buried deep in every California’s mind…the big one, the massive earthquake we know will be coming someday. Of course you know there will be a happy ending in the novel, but I hope you will feel the edge of your seat suspense that keeps you turning pages. God bless you, dear readers!

My Impressions

“Stella Rivers scoured the dense shrubbery like she’d been doing for the past hour as if the branches might somehow reach out and snatch her van off the mountain road. Ridiculous, but the isolation raked her nerves.”

Yikes!! Dana Mentink knows how to build tension in the first sentence, and in Trapped in Yosemite, that tension only gets more and more taut until the last sentence!

Stella Rivers is an arborist with something to prove and a nine-month-old daughter to support on her own. She becomes a human target while going to an appointment near Yosemite. As Stella flees, her vehicle is destroyed, and she is rescued by her former fiancé, Von Sharpe. Von is ex-military and grudgingly leads tours in Yosemite at his brother’s wilderness survival camp.

Stella is keeping a huge secret from Von and has put up a wall around her heart. She vows to stay away from Von and to never make him as important in her life as he once was. “She wouldn’t and couldn’t make him her everything, the source of her happiness and fulfillment.”

Von doesn’t understand how to deal with a young child, but his precious Malinois is like a child to him. Burned once by Stella, Von finds himself protecting her from incredible natural and human disasters. Von doesn’t believe God gives second chances, and he’s not about to give himself or Stella any grace.

I loved the eventual solution to Stella’s mysterious stalker. I didn’t see it coming until just before the reveal.

If you love high-octane romantic suspense with mystery or secret baby trope, you will enjoy Dana Mentink’s Trapped in Yosemite.

Notable Quotables:

“Why hadn’t he told her the truth? Truth and facts were what kept people alive.”

“If you aren’t tied together by God, the world will tear you apart in short order.”

I received a copy of the book from the author and publisher via Celebrate Lit and NetGalley. I also purchased my own ebook. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

“‘You weren’t put on this planet to be happy.” ‘Tate’s equanimity only infuriated Von further. ‘Yeah? Then why am I here, oh, wise sage?’ ‘To learn how to love.’”

“‘I try very hard not to dwell in what ifs.’ That would turn into a spiral of intrusive thoughts that would hold her hostage. “

“Love couldn’t be enough without the bedrock of faith.”

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Magnificent! My fave Dana Mentink romantic suspense yet!

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, March 21

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, March 21

Bigreadersite, March 21

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, March 22 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 22

Texas Book-aholic, March 23

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 23

Lakesidelivingsite, March 24

Pause for Tales, March 24

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 24

Betti Mace, March 25

The Sacred Line, March 25

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 26

Daysong Reflections, March 26

EmpowerMoms, March 27

Life, Love, Writing, March 27

Cover Lover Book Review, March 28

A Good Book and Cup of Tea, March 28

Blogging With Carol, March 28

Tell Tale Book reviews, March 29

Simple Harvest Reads, March 29 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

For Him and My Family, March 30

Splashes of Joy, March 30

Blossoms and Blessings, March 31

To Everything There Is A Season , March 31

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, March 31

Holly’s Book Corner, April 1

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, April 1

Life on Chickadee Lane, April 2

Labor Not in Vain , April 2

Lily’s Corner, April 3

Lights in a Dark World, April 3

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, April 3

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Dana is giving away the grand prize package of a $100 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2a8f5/trapped-in-yosemite-celebration-tour-giveaway

ARC, BLOG, Kindle, Love Inspired, Purchase

The Cowgirl’s Last Rodeo by Tabitha Bouldin Review

November 27, 2023 Babbling Becky L

About the Book:

Title: The Cowgirl’s Last Rodeo

Author: Tabitha Bouldin

Genre: Inspirational Contemporary Romance; Western

Releases: November 28, 2023

She left home to chase her dreams

Now she’s back seeking a second chance…

When Callie Wade’s horse goes blind, there’s only one man who can save her barrel racing career. Brody Jacobs is the best horse trainer she knows—if he’s willing to help. She broke his heart when she left him behind to go after rodeo stardom. This time, will they put their hearts on the line to reach the championship…and a future together?

From Love Inspired: Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.

About the Author:

Tabitha Bouldin has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing/English from Southern New Hampshire University. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and has been writing since 2015. When she’s not homeschooling her kids, you’ll find her curled up with a book. Tabitha’s genre of choice is Contemporary Christian Romance which she describes as: Adventure with heart.

My Impressions

“I’m here and I’m helping. You can’t stop me.” Truer words had never been spoken. If he could stop her, she’d have never left him.”

In the Cowgirl’s Last Rodeo by Tabitha Bouldin, we are introduced to two very headstrong former lovers who have been separated by life. When Brody Jacobs’s dad had a life-altering accident 10 years ago, it changed Brody’s life plans, too. Instead of being a traveling, renowned horse trainer, he chooses to stay at the ranch to support his family.

Meanwhile, his girlfriend, Callie Wade, whom his family “adopted” because of her parents’ indifference, left about that time to follow her dream of being part of the rodeo circuit.

Ten years later, Callie is desperate for Brody’s help to retrain her beloved horse, Glow, so she can return to the rodeo circuit. What follows is a good look at two individuals who are trying to work life out for themselves, trusting no one but themselves. Secrets, heartache, and pain become patterned ruts. I liked this book because I got disgusted with both characters’ short-sightedness. But you know what? That is so typical of real people, trying to maneuver through life on their own, without others or God. So the characters’ flawed lives are fitting!

These two act like thornbirds, getting close, backing up, running away, hurting each other. “I’ll help Glow. On one condition.”…

“We don’t talk unless we’re training.”

“The Jacobses were like family to her, and she’d abandoned them, left them behind as though they had no value to her, and she’d never looked back.”

Can these two find a reason and the power to stop the cycle?

I received a copy of the book from the author and Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

Notable Quotable:

“Some things about people change, but usually, who they are at their core…that stays the same.”

My Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Magnificent. The characters are so flawed, but, oh, so true to real life!!