ARC, BLOG, Favorite, Kindle, Love Inspired Suspense

Ambush in Alaska by Darlene L Turner Review

January 24, 2023 Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Title: Ambush in Alaska

Title by Darlene L Turner, subject of review: Abducted in Alaska

Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Author: Darlene L Turner

Release: January 2023

Saving a boy who has escaped his captors puts Canadian border patrol officer Hannah Morgan right into the path of a ruthless child-smuggling ring. Now with help from police constable Layke Jackson, she must keep the child safe. But can they rescue the other abducted children and bring down the gang…all while protecting a little boy and keeping themselves alive?

About the Author

Darlene L. Turner is an award-winning author and lives with her husband, Jeff in Ontario, Canada. Her love of suspense began when she read her first Nancy Drew book. She’s turned that passion into her writing and believes readers will be captured by her plots, inspired by her strong characters, and moved by her inspirational message. You can connect with Darlene at http://www.darlenelturner.com where there’s suspense beyond borders.

My Impressions

As with all of Darlene L Turner’s books, Abducted in Alaska, her contribution to Ambushed in Alaska, starts out with a bang! Hannah Morgan is a Canadian border patrol officer who finds a very frightened 8-yr-old boy in a blizzard by her station. Hannah works with her boss, Superintendent Doyle Walsh, who is like a father to her, and police constable Layke Jackson to keep young Gabe safe and discover more about a a child labor ring.

There is plenty of snow and cold in this beautiful setting, and you will both realize the awesomeness and the fearsomeness of the Yukon as Ms Turner depicts it so vividly.

Both Hannah and Layke have sworn off a romantic relationships due to their past. It will take much trauma, prayer, and togetherness before they can consider a relationship with each other.

I loved seeing how God is working in Hannah’s life, to bring about her heart’s desire, when all she can see is that desire has been stolen from her. Why is it always so much easier to see God at work in other people’s lives, than to trust Him with our own?

Layke will have quite the journey before he can trust God. His past has made him bitter and sure that God was absent in the hard times of his life. I must admit, it was hard reading about Layke’s background as well as Gabe’s difficulties because they both involved innocent children.

While I thought I had the mastermind of the ring figured out, the ending pleasantly provided several surprise twists. Bravo!!

Two notes: I am reviewing only the first book of this 2 book compilation. Also, Ms Turner’s book was previously published separately.

I received this book from the author. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

My Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Magnificent!! All the beauty and fierceness of the Yukon, plus the fierceness of protecting precious young children, mixed with action, romance, and faith.

BLOG, Celebrate Lit Tour

Personal Threat by Kimberly Rose Johnson Review and Giveaway

October 14, 2021 Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Book: Personal Threat

Author: Kimberly Rose Johnson

Genre: Romantic Suspense, Christmas

Release date: September 21, 2021

AMZ KIMBERLY ROSE JOHNSON PERSONAL THREAT Cover

Bodyguard Sally Wilson has become the target. Can she save her own life as well as her daughter’s?

Christmas is supposed to be the happiest time of the year, but when Sally’s young daughter, Emma, becomes the target of child traffickers, and the little girl’s biological father wants Sally dead, the Christmas season takes a dark turn.

Police officer, Dillon Brady, responds to a call for help at the home of his friend and Protection Inc. bodyguard, Sally Wilson. When their relationship tips beyond friendship, Dillon is determined no one will hurt Sally or her daughter again. Will his resolve be enough?

Sally is drawn to Dillon. He’s a natural with Emma and appears to care about both of them. Sally’s been fooled before by a man she believed loved her, but what if it’s an act? Can Sally learn to trust again and follow her heart, or will Dillon get relegated to the friend zone?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Award winning author Kimberly Rose Johnson married her college sweetheart and lives in the Pacific Northwest. From a young child Kimberly has been an avid reader. That love of reading fostered a creative mind and led to her passion for writing. She especially loves romance and writes contemporary romance and romantic mystery and suspense with a heart.

Kimberly holds a degree in Behavioral Science from Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington, and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.

You can sign up for Kimberly’s newsletter via her website at: https://kimberlyrjohnson.com/

More from Kimberly

Every year since I signed the contract for my debut novel, a book set at Christmastime, I have made it a goal to write a Christmas book, usually a novella. This year, Personal Threat is that book.

I wrapped up the series with Personal Threat. My husband came up with the title for this one because the threat in this book is very personal for one of the Protection Inc. team members.

We first met Sally in book two of the series and it seemed only fitting she starred in a book of her own. We also get to know Dillon better in this book which for me was super fun to write. He’s played an important and growing role as the series has progressed and is one of my favorite characters in the series.

My Impressions

“She couldn’t take much more of these adrenaline bursts. She was liable to age ten years at this rate.” Yet, it seems all of Personal Threat, #5 Protection Inc, by Kimberly Johnson, is made up of adrenaline rushes. From start to finish, you will be glued to your seat as you quickly thumb through or swipe pages.

Sally Wilson, a member of the Protection Inc, team, is frantic to protect her young adopted daughter, Emma. Emma’s biological father wants her back and will stop at nothing to get her. Sally must utilize the professional help of her own team, plus the policeman they call in for back-up when the chips are down.

Trust is a huge issue. If Sally couldn’t trust her first love, how can she trust Dillon Brady, a man who is becoming more and more important with each tumultuous day?

I enjoyed seeing all the Protection Inc group again and getting glimpses of their continuing lives. It was neat seeing this group grow even closer and expand to include one, not their technically their own.

I loved that Dillon is persistent enough in his pursuit that he takes Sally to God in prayer. He actually challenges her to ask God for more than she has considered or hoped. “I’m going to pray for you that the Lord will open your heart to love again. But to a man that will treasure and love you the way God intended…“What’s the matter, Sally? Don’t you want God’s help in the love department?” “It’s not that. It never occurred to me to bother Him with my love life or lack thereof.” I believe Sally begins to understand here what Dillon is getting at… God is interested in every part of a person’s life, and He can be trusted, no matter what circumstances say. A lesson Sally sorely needs to learn and so do many readers.

Personal Threat is part of a series that is best read in order to understand and appreciate the relationships within the various books. If you like children, romantic suspense, or reading about workgroups that form familial bonds, this is a good choice.

I received a copy of this book from CelebrateLit. All opinions are solely my own.

My Rating

Magnificent! Full of Adrenaline Rushes

Blog Stops

CarpeDiem, October 14

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 14

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, October 15

Worthy2Read, October 15

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, October 16

Bigreadersite, October 16

Blossoms and Blessings, October 17

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, October 17

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, October 18

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 18

Betti Mace, October 19

Daysong Reflections, October 19

An Author’s Take, October 20

The Sacred Line, October 20

Inklings and notions, October 21

For Him and My Family, October 21

Blogging With Carol, October 22

Mypreciousbitsandmusings, October 22

Texas Book-aholic, October 23

deb’s Book Review, October 23

Locks, Hooks and Books, October 24

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, October 24

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, October 25

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, October 25

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, October 26

Mary Hake, October 26

The Meanderings of a Bookworm, October 27

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Kimberly is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card!!
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/12297/personal-threat-celebration-tour-giveaway

BLOG, Favorite, Revell

The Edge of Belonging by Amanda Cox

September 20, 2020 Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Title: The Edge of Belonging

Author: Amanda Cox

Publisher: Revell

Released: September 2020

Genre: Christian Dual-Time, Contemporary

When Ivy Rose returns to her hometown to oversee an estate sale, she soon discovers that her grandmother left behind more than trinkets and photo frames–she provided a path to the truth behind Ivy’s adoption. Shocked, Ivy seeks clues to her past, but a key piece to the mystery is missing.

Twenty-four years earlier, Harvey James finds an abandoned newborn who gives him a sense of human connection for the first time in his life. His desire to care for the baby runs up against the stark fact that he is homeless. When he becomes entwined with two people seeking to help him find his way, Harvey knows he must keep the baby a secret or risk losing the only person he’s ever loved.

In this dual-time story from debut novelist Amanda Cox, the truth–both the search for it and the desire to keep it from others–takes center stage as Ivy and Harvey grapple with love, loss, and letting go.

My Impressions

The Edge of Belonging is such a spellbinding, dual-time novel from Amanda Cox. I foresee Edge of Belonging winning an award for debut novels. For myself, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the page. Heart-rending themes such as foster homes, homelessness, human trafficking, depression, and PTSD are dealt with from both the sufferer’s and a loving helper’s POV. The raw loneliness hurt, and need that several of the characters experience is portrayed so poignantly. It seems each character in the earlier story (Harvey, Pearl, Thom, and Miriam) feels they are on the edge of belonging to some degree.

In the later story, Ivy is the focal point who feels like she doesn’t quite belong, but her best friend Reese has often struggled with those same sentiments. I was thrilled to see how the book’s title applied to so many. I also loved seeing the hope and mercy that certain characters, especially Pearl and Reese, generously dole out to others. Again, so many of Ms. Cox’s characters show significant growth by the end of the story.
While it is easy to see early on where the stories will connect, there remains the fascination of just how Ms. Cox is going to work it all out.

I usually like to pick a favorite character, but they were all faves. I love Reese for his steadiness and undying care. Harvey, for the way he supersedes his own fears to love another. And Pearl, for her radar to find and genuinely love lost souls.
Get your own copy of this must-read debut!
I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher through Revell Reads via NetGalley. All opinions are my own and no positive review was required.

My Rating

Magnificent!

Amanda Cox is a blogger and a curriculum developer for a national nonprofit youth leadership organization, but her first love is communicating through story. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Bible and theology and a master’s degree in professional counseling. Her studies and her interactions with hurting families over a decade have allowed her to create multidimensional characters that connect emotionally with readers.

Connect with Amanda on her website at https://amandacoxwrites.com

or on Twitter @amandacoxwrites

BLOG

The Mending of Lillian Cathleen, #2 Women of Rock Creek by Linda Brooks Davis

October 22, 2018October 22, 2018 Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Book Title: The Mending of Lillian Cathleen

Author: Linda Brooks Davis

Genre: Historical

Release date: October, 2018

It’s 1914. American women are demanding the vote. And the first flames of the Great War are igniting Europe. But a battle of a different sort rages in Oklahoma.

The thermometer registers one hundred six degrees, an out-of-the-ordinary occurrence even for the twenty-eighth day of July. But this is no ordinary day.

The jury has reached a verdict.

Lily fidgets in the old church pew. Her name has clotted into a by-word. Her blood is tainted. Can she right the wrongs? Or will her past forever define her?

She eyes the judge. And the courtroom holds its breath.

Click here to purchase your copy!

MY REVIEW:

The Mending of Lillian Cathleen by Linda Brooks Davis turned out to be quite a surprise. I was expecting a simple historical romance. Instead, what I read was a novel set in the early twentieth century, involving some romance, but more importantly delving into the taboo world of human trafficking of young girls. Nearly beaten to death by her no-account father, Lily goes to live with a rich, generous neighbor. When her benefactor leaves for Europe, Lily also chooses to leave behind the town that rejected her testimony because she was female.

When the job Lily expected to take in Ft. Worth is given to another, Lily finds herself following a circuitous path to assisting in the fight for women’s rights to vote, as well as helping the despised avoided women of Texas.

I loved that Ida, Cade, Maggie, and others each lovingly urged Lily to consider how God could influence her life. Lily’s question throughout much of the novel is, ”where was God when…” Davis deals with this question realistically, without giving pat answers, yet shows that God indeed is present and caring, even in the midst of unspeakable evil.

One of my favorite characters is Maggie. She has such wisdom amidst her personal heartache. One such evidence: ”But you’ll never plow a field by turning it over and over in your mind.” I used to believe if I thought on something long enough, I could figure out a solution. Now I finally have realized that is just stewing. Plowing the field in my mind only.

Another ”Maggie-ism:”
“If I dwell on what’s passed me by, I’ll not enjoy what’s hovering near.”

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author and publisher and Celebrate Lit. I was not required to leave a positive review, and all opinions are solely my own.

About the Author

Linda Brooks Davis was born and reared on a farm in Raymondville, a small Rio Grande Valley community in the southernmost tip of Texas. Linda earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Speech Pathology from Abilene Christian University and a Master’s Degree from Houston Baptist University. She retired in 2008 after forty years as a special educator and administrator. Linda and her beloved husband Al worship and minister at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio and dote on six grandchildren, three of whom are triplets. Readers may contact Linda through her website, www.lindabrooksdavis.com.

Linda’s debut novel, The Calling of Ella McFarland, is set in 1905 Indian Territory prior to Oklahoma statehood. It won the 2014 Jerry Jenkins Operation First Novel Award. It was released in 2015 and won the 2016 American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award. The sequel novella, A Christmas to Remember, is set in 1908 Oklahoma and released in December, 2016. A second novella, A Christmas Measure of Love, released in 2017. It is set in 1910 and is a prequel to Linda’s second full-length novel, this one set in 1914, The Mending of Lily Cathleen, which releases in 2018.

Guest Post from Linda

Certain ancestors and their experiences appear in my stories. There’s a bit of my grandmother and a strong dash of my mother in one character. My father’s sterling qualities appear in another. And there’s a low-down family reprobate in another. Don’t forget cotton planting, hoeing, and harvest time. The glorious aroma of fresh-picked cotton and the nothing-in-the-world-like-it odor from the pig pen. A sewing machine whirring. The clink of a milk pail. A cow hollering to be milked. Summer’s sun on my face, the hearty South Texas wind in my hair, and the comfort of backing up to a wall heater on a cold winter morning. All find their way into the plot lines.

In my family’s history, my own life, and the kaleidoscope of lives in my stories, Jesus appears as the golden thread linking the past to the present and beyond. He turns an ordinary morning into a hint of the “Sweet By & By.” He adds the delicate aroma of the Rose of Sharon to the sultry stillness before a summer storm. And He wraps the bitterness of grief and failure in the richness of His incomparable grace. The Mending of Lillian Cathleen is one of those tales that reach beyond the ordinary to the extraordinary because of Jesus.

Lily’s story captures some of the heartache of domestic abuse, but it packs a powerfully joyous punch at the end. I thought I’d add a strong dash of sweet to this post with a recipe that appears in The Calling of Ella McFarland (which is re-releasing in October 2018). Mama’s (or Papa’s) Nectar of Heaven was a treat my mother enjoyed as a child. She set the same yummy delicacy before her kids, and I, of course, have done the same. Here ’tis, ya’ll, from Texas with sweet, sweet love.