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Detecting Concealed Evidence by Dana Mentink Review and Giveaway

September 23, 2025September 23, 2025 Babbling Becky L

About the Book

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.

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 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

My Rating

Magnificent!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mentink at her finest!

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, September 23

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, September 23

The Avid Reader, September 24

Devoted To Hope, September 24

She Lives To Read, September 25

Blossoms and Blessings, September 25

Betti Mace, September 26

Texas Book-aholic, September 27

Labor Not in Vain , September 27

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 28

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 29

Holly’s Book Corner, September 29

Bizwings Blog, September 30

Life on Chickadee Lane, October 1

Pause for Tales, October 1

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, October 2

For Him and My Family, October 3

A Good Book and Cup of Tea, October 3

Blogging With Carol, October 4

Simple Harvest Reads, October 5 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Lights in a Dark World, October 5

EmpowerMoms, October 6

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Dana is giving away a $50 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!

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

https://sweepwidget.com/c/92607-ugsyewij

BLOG, Favorite, Just Read Tours, Kindle, Purchase, Tyndale

Canyon of Deceit by DiAnn Mills Review and Giveaway

September 11, 2025 Babbling Becky L

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for Canyon of Deceit by DiAnn Mills hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Canyon of Deceit
Author: DiAnn Mills
Publisher: Tyndale Fiction
Release Date: September 9, 2025
Genre: Romantic Mystery & Suspense

A rescue team searches for a missing young girl and suspects all is not as it seems in this high-stakes romantic suspense novel from the author of Lethal Standoff and Facing the Enemy.

When wilderness survival expert Therese Palmer receives a frantic phone call from former colleague Professor Rurik Ivanov, she is shocked by the news that his young daughter, Alina, is missing—and that Rurik wants Therese’s help finding her. She’s sure Rurik hasn’t given her the whole story . . . especially since he refuses to report the kidnapping to the police. Yet with a child’s life hanging in the balance, Therese can’t turn down this mission. She knows the clock is ticking and she can’t do this alone.

Therese reaches out to Texas Ranger Blane Gardner, whom she met seven months ago during one of her training courses in wilderness survival skills. Blane’s specialized training and background with the Crisis Negotiation Unit make him uniquely prepared for this search-and-rescue mission. He agrees to help Therese and to accept Rurik’s terms to keep Alina’s disappearance quiet, and as the two begin working together, Therese is determined the spark growing between them won’t distract from their mission to save Alina.

Traversing deep into the desert of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Alina’s last known location, Therese and Blane struggle to separate truth from lies within the mix of intel they’re receiving. As they close in on answers that suggest the involvement of Russian organized crime and a high-profile international assassination attempt, they must fight to rescue Alina before she becomes an innocent casualty of a much bigger plot—no matter the risk to their own lives.

About the Author

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She weaves memorable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels with threads of romance. DiAnn believes every breath of life is someone’s story, so why not capture those moments and create a thrilling adventure?

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards, the Selah Award, and the Golden Scroll; and been finalists for the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award and the Carol Award.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and an active member of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers, the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, the Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, and International Thriller Writers. DiAnn continues her passion of helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.

DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob and roasts her own coffee beans. She’s an avid reader, loves to cook, and believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.

DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers on social media or her website, diannmills.com

My Impressions

“Hope is a reason to live when the world erupts into madness.”

This quote is an absolute fave, and given the timing I read it, it applies super well in multiple ways to our country and world today! Diann Mills’s Canyon of Deceit is billeted as a romantic mystery and suspense, but I would also add the category of political thriller. Expecting romantic suspense with lots of continuous action, I felt the storyline didn’t move as fast as I expected at first. Being such a politically-based novel, there were a lot of mental gymnastics to work through in this 1st person , alternate narrator pov. Blane, a Texas Ranger and top-notch negotiator, and Therese, the best wilderness survival guide, must locate a kidnapped Russian child in Fog Canyon, a dangerous part of the Guadalupe National Park. Their former attraction rears its head, as do their painful pasts. But what set my mind spinning ( and theirs) was whose intel to trust. Trusting the wrong person will cost them time, but most likely their lives, that of 8-year-old Alina, and ultimately, possibly untold others.

Twists!! As I stuck with the story, I began to be able to sort out the multiple characters, see the need for so many, and was totally surprised more than once just as I thought I had the “bad guy head honcho” figured out!!

By this time, I was well-invested in the characters! I wanted Blane to do more than blame God for tragedy in his past. His honest thought is one that I find interesting, and I have personally heard from another non-believing friend. “A bit ironic to blame someone I didn’t believe in.” Blane knows God is after Him… but does he want to forgive God- or himself?

Interestingly enough, Therese also is dealing with her fear of failure from the past, plus fear. Can she trust God enough to forgive herself? I love that she keeps returning to her Source of strength, even in the midst of impossible odds. “God understood my doubts, and He’d help me.” Another thought she shared with Blane until he was tired of her God talk!

“You’re not afraid?” “Depends on how you define fear. For me exploring new territory and revisiting special places is a type of respect, a mix of love and fear.” I swung another look at the sky. “Like how I feel about God.” But the one that personally shores me up, I will share below.

While I was uncertain about how invested I could become in these characters, I found that the political aspect just needed more time to establish the character’s uncertainties and complexities that made for great action and twists once we had enough information in our arsenal. The inclusion of a wonderfully brave, sweet, 8-year- old certainly drew me into the story with tattered heartstrings!

I bought my own copy of this book. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

Notable Quotables:

“Every problem has a solution, and it usually involves teamwork.”– Sergio

“It’s not what we lose that defines our character—it’s what we learn.”- Therese

“We called this fence-coffee on the ranch. The only thing available when riding fence. Tastes like it was brewed over a pile of manure.”– Blane (just for laughs)

So many times I’d asked why evil and injustice exist. But if I had the answers, God wouldn’t be God.” – Therese

“I sent a silent prayer to the One who routinely out-negotiated the devil.”– Therese- (what comfort that sentence brings!)

My Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Magnificent!

Mills won me over with her great political intrigue and complex mystery with unexpected twists!

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a print copy of Canyon of Deceit and $25 gift card to winner’s choice bookstore!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight September 9, 2025 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on September 16, 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 the policies found here.

Enter Giveaway

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

ARC, BLOG, Favorite, Kindle, Launch Team, NetGalley, Purchase

What the River Keeps by Cheryl Grey Bostrom Review

August 11, 2025August 11, 2025 Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Title: What the River Keeps

Author: Cheryl Grey Bostrom

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers

Released: August 12, 2025

Genre: Women’s Fiction (with notes of suspense, mystery, and a thriller)

Back Cover Copy:
Hildy Nybo is a successful biologist, her study of the Pacific Northwest’s wild fish both a passion and a career. But behind her professional brilliance, Hildy’s reclusive private life reflects a childhood fraught with uncertainty. Despite her father’s love and her mother’s sympathy, she grew up constantly losing even her most cherished belongings, unable to recall where she misplaced them. Haunted by the confusion of those early years, she now records her life in detailed diaries and clings tightly to memory-prompting keepsakes.

Then her mother’s health fails, and Hildy accepts a job near her childhood home, joining a team of scientists who will help restore her beloved Elwha River after the demolition of two century-old dams. There Hildy settles into one of the cabins on her family’s rustic resort―a place she both loves and dreads, for reasons she can’t fully explain.

When local artist Miranda Rimmer rents an adjacent cabin for her pottery studio, Hildy shrinks from such a close neighbor. But then Miranda’s carpenter brother, Luke, shows up to help with construction and captures Hildy’s attention. Now a few years beyond a tragedy that brought him to his knees, Luke recognizes a kindred soul in Hildy, and they build a relationship that dismantles the walls Hildy’s built to keep people out. As troubling pieces of the past surface, Hildy dares to wonder if she can banish the shadows that have burdened her and follow her river’s course to freedom.

Buy links:

Amazon: https://a.co/d/cL9Epn2

Amazon CA: https://a.co/d/4O1vP8e

Barnes and Noble: https://tinyurl.com/4ak264kj

Books-A-Million: https://tinyurl.com/4fn6p679

Christianbook.com: https://tinyurl.com/42dwxrp9

Bookshop.org : https://tinyurl.com/5xfy2dn5

About the Author

A keen student of the natural world and the workings of the human heart, Pacific Northwest author Cheryl Grey Bostrom captures the mystery and wonder of both in her lyrical, surprising fiction.

Her novels Sugar Birds (Christy finalist, Amazon bestseller, and Book of the Year) and Leaning on Air have won more than two dozen industry honors, among which are Christianity Today’s Fiction Award of Merit and American Fiction, Reader’s Favorite, ACFW Carol, Nautilus, Best Book, IPPY, Foreword Indies, and International Book Awards. Kirkus Reviews named Cheryl’s newest work of contemporary women’s fiction, What the River Keeps, as a Best Indies Book of June 2025.

An avid birder and nature photographer, Cheryl lives in rural Washington State with her husband and a pack of half-trained Gordon setters.

My Impressions

“‘There’s Love in that book. It’s a road map out of the dark.’ Out of her anxiety, too?”

What the River Keeps by Cheryl Grey Bostrom is about a brilliant fish/river naturalist in the PNW who, due to childhood issues, could be considered an unreliable narrator. Hiding her true self from most people, Hildy limps solo through life, until the past comes calling and forces a return home. Will this change destroy her, or will she find the strength and courage to overcome fears of the past? Heart-wrenchingly beautiful! This book will tear you up and make you cry before it rebuilds your faith in humanity and God’s ability to take care of his precious chosen ones.

“They hush me, Daddy. Every fish I see.” At 10, Hildy is overwhelmed by the sense of the amazing, the obvious evidence of a great Creator God when she sees fish. Her father, a warm nurturer, encourages her to look for God in nature. However, her mother, quick to correct Hildy and obviously ashamed of what she deems as “quirkiness,” quickly shuts down Hildy’s searching nature.

Years later, we find Hildy as a brilliant fish biologist and river conservationist, but a person who has very few social skills and very definite oddities, stiff-arming most people.

I loved Junie and her hubby Otis who love the family and serve the family business selflessly. While they love unconditionally without judgement, Otis does tell Hildy, “‘You want to get free a those chains a yours? All that anxiety?’ Here we go again. ‘You know I do.’ ‘Then—‘ ’Stop, Otis. You’ve told me fifty times.’ Maybe not fifty, but while Fourth of July campers had settled into the resort’s quiet hours, he’d repeated himself so often she could hear him in her sleep: ‘Do some diggin’. Find the lie.’”

Against incredible odds, when Hildy meets new cabin renter Miranda’s brother, Luke, a gradual rapport develops between the two. Luke’s had losses in the past, but he has learned to turn them over to God, so he can have the strength to move on. Hildy and Luke dance around a relationship, with Hildy’s issues rising up like a monolith dam to separate them. Luke wants to face Hildy’s stunting emotional issues with her- will she allow him that close? Will Hildy be able to accept that someone could love her wholeheartedly, and how will surprising revelations from her past affect or stall her growth?

Bostrom creates Hildy, a character so full of anxiety and fear for her own sanity, that I thought she’d be hard to relate to. Instead, I learned to love her deeply. I wonder how many other people may be out in our world, limping by on their self-made crutches when God wants to heal the source of the problem.

One of my top books of 2025!

I received a copy of the book from the author and Tyndale Publishers. I also bought my own copy. No positive review is required, and all opinions are my own.

Notable Quotables:

“That locust verse I promised to send you, different version: ‘I will give you back what you lost.’” – Luke

“Some lies get handed down, become strongholds kids are raised with.” – Luke

“That cabin’s a big old stove, darlin’, with stories still cookin’ inside…I trust those memories will make sense to you once they’re baked. Some will even be beautiful.”– Junie

“I’ve spent the better part of my life hiding the fact that I’m crazy, Luke. Crazy. If people knew what goes on in my head, I’d lose what little credibility I have.”

My Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Superior!! I just want to rise and give a standing ovation!

ARC, BLOG, Celebrate Lit Tour, Favorite, Kindle, New-to-Me Author, Purchase

Shadowed Secret by S.F. Baumgartner Review and Giveaway

May 10, 2025May 10, 2025 Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Book: Shadowed Secret (Mirror Estate Series Book 5)

Author: S.F. Baumgartner

Genre: Christian Suspense Thriller

Release date: May 13, 2025

In a world of secrets and shadows, a priest, two accountants, and an elite task force must protect what’s hidden or risk it all.

Fr. Phil, a former Navy SEAL turned priest, finds his quiet life at Mirror Estate shattered when a priest from the Vatican pays him a visit. Asked to retrieve a secret book before it’s auctioned on the dark web, Fr. Phil must face lethal adversaries and race against time, knowing his life is on the line.

Tommy Rivers’s date with Mia Granger turns deadly when they’re attacked upon discovering a colleague murdered at the office. Assuming they have the book, ruthless operatives have Tommy and Mia in their sights.

With the exposure of the secret book threatening the lives of countless operatives, Fr. Phil, Tommy, Mia, and an elite FBI task force must prevent a catastrophic intelligence leak before time runs out.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

S.F. Baumgartner crafts fast-paced Christian suspense thrillers, weaving tales of complex characters, secretive operatives, and relentless agents. Her gripping storytelling has earned acclaim, with Living Secrets—Book 1 of her Mirror Estate series—named a Top Pick in the thriller category at Killer Nashville, 2024. When she’s not plotting her next twist, she’s binge-watching crime TV shows, like NCIS or playing with her cats. Fans of James Patterson’s style, especially those who appreciate short, punchy chapters, will find much to love in her work.

More from S.F.

Unraveling Secrets: The Journey of Writing This Book

Some books come together effortlessly. Others take their time, demanding patience, persistence, and more rewrites than I care to admit. This latest installment falls firmly into the latter category. The story simply didn’t gel the first couple of times I attempted to write it. I knew where it needed to go, but the journey to get there felt off. Characters resisted the paths I initially set for them, subplots unraveled at the seams, and the pacing never quite clicked the way I wanted it to.

It took several drafts and a fair amount of frustration before things finally started falling into place. Looking back, I realize that part of the struggle was that this book needed to do more than just continue the story—it had to weave together past threads while setting the stage for what’s to come. That’s a delicate balance, and it wasn’t something I could rush.

Why I Wrote This Book

The simplest answer? It’s the next chapter in the story. After everything that has happened in previous installments, there were lingering questions that needed answers, loose ends that needed to be tied up—or, in some cases, unraveled even further.

This story is about Fr. Phil. He’s no longer just the priest of Mirror Estate’s chapel; he’s once again being pulled into the shadows of his past. Old alliances resurface, and new threats emerge. At the same time, Olivia and Simon’s upcoming wedding adds a deeply personal layer to the story. In many ways, this book is about past decisions catching up with the present—whether in matters of faith, espionage, or personal relationships.

And then there’s the Ghost. Marge Beaumont remains as enigmatic as ever, and while she’s playing by the rules—for now—it’s clear she’s still ten steps ahead of everyone. The question isn’t just whether she can be trusted, but whether anyone can truly outmaneuver her.

The Challenge of Getting It Right

What made this book particularly challenging was the complexity of the narrative threads. There’s a missing book that may or may not contain dangerous secrets. There’s an auction on the dark web that threatens national security. There’s a decades-old mystery involving hidden treasure. And, of course, there’s the ever-present undercurrent of trust and betrayal—who’s telling the truth, who’s working an angle, and who’s about to make their next move?

Balancing these elements while keeping the pacing tight and the stakes high took longer than expected. Some subplots had to be reworked entirely, others had to be trimmed down, and a few surprises emerged that even I didn’t see coming in the early drafts.

What’s Next?

Now that this book is finally complete, I can say with confidence that the struggle was worth it. The twists, the revelations, and the character moments that emerged from this process have made it stronger than I initially imagined.

For readers who have been following this series, I hope you enjoy the ride. Expect high stakes, hidden agendas, and a few moments that might just leave you breathless. And as always, thank you for sticking with me on this journey—because the story is far from over.

My Impressions

“It was about discernment. About seeing beneath surfaces. About understanding that even the holiest façades could conceal the darkest intentions.”

Just how often can you come in on a thrilling psychological series in the middle or end, yet not feel totally befuddled? Kudos to author S.F. Baumgartner, author of Shadowed Secret, Book 5 of Mirror Estate Series!! I was fit to be tied when I discovered I was reading a new-to-me author, a psychological mystery that definitely builds book to book, and I was coming in fresh on book 5 , a 500 page book at that. Plus, the list of characters is enough to make your head spin!!

But Baumgartner is a writing wizard!! She starts out Shadowed Secret with a recap of each of the previous books! Not only that, but the books are a tangle of relationship connections- and at the FRONT of the book are several pages of relationship maps. Often, if there is such a thing, it is relegated to the back, and what help is that then?! Plus, a map of the estate. Now, I’m only left with two objections to reading the book: a massive 500 pages and how on earth am I going to keep so many different people’s story threads clear in my head?!

Again, Baumgartner has done her due diligence in editing her book, pulling making sure all threads tie together. And she does so in such a thrilling, compelling way, I couldn’t put the book down until 1:30 am. Because of clear, concise wording, and short sentences and chapters, one can speed through the book. And you will be so anxious to follow the thrills and chills you will need to!

As I mentioned, I put down the book at 1:30 am. I thought I left my new friends, Dylan, Lily, Olivia, Fr.Phil, and others in a relatively safe place after progressing through more incredible twists than I thought possible. WRONG! I’m left wondering if this is truly the final book!! I will be picking up the books I missed ASAP and already picked up the first of the spin-off series, Mirror Estate Psychological Thrillers!

I am blown away by this book! If you like psychological thrillers. S.F. Baumgartner is a master!

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

Notable Quotables:

(Please note: these are not all life- inspiring!!)

“It’s not about faith. It’s about power, and power comes with wealth.”

“You know what will help?” “What?” “Pray. Let’s pray. You can just say what you want from the heart. Don’t worry about any prayers.”

“Don’t assume you’re safe just because you don’t see the threat.”

“Remember it’s not the medal itself, but the power comes from God.”

My Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Superior- My version of six stars!!

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, May 10

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, May 11

Stories By Gina, May 12 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 12

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 13

Texas Book-aholic, May 14

Simple Harvest Reads, May 15 (Author Interview)

Betti Mace, May 16

Artistic Nobody, May 17 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 18

Blogging With Carol, May 19

Guild Master, May 20 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, May 20

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 21

For Him and My Family, May 22

Fiction Book Lover, May 23 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, S.F. is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and an eBook copy of the book!!

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

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54216

ARC, BLOG, Celebrate Lit Tour, Favorite, Just Read Tours, Kindle, Purchase

Home Baked Bribery by Gina Holder

April 26, 2025 Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Book: Home Baked Bribery (Addie Masters Mysteries Book 2)

Author: Gina Holder

Genre: Christian Cozy Mystery

Release date: March 4, 2025

The annual Rockport bake sale and competition is underway. The stakes are higher than ever for the coveted Golden Whisk Award when a high-profile celebrity chef is brought in as a surprise guest judge.

The competition takes a deadly turn when the celebrity suffers an allergic reaction. When Addie’s nemesis, Kennedy Graves is banned from the competition for using almond extract, Addie volunteers to prove Kennedy innocent. As Addie investigates the death, she learns each of the local bakers had a motive to dislike the celebrity. But did one of them kill him?

Meanwhile, hundred-year-old twins, Poppy and Marigold, keep Addie hopping, looking for their missing dogs.

Will Addie be able to uncover the truth behind the celebrity judge’s death, or will she become the next victim of the mysterious shenanigans going on in Rockport?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Gina Holderis an indie author and stay-at-home mom. She’s had an infatuation with books for as long as she can remember. She loves sharing uplifting messages from God’s Word and introducing readers to new and new-to-them authors on her blog. When she’s not writing, Gina enjoys playing the piano, cooking, reading, watching Hallmark mysteries, and solving “escape room” puzzles. She loves growing in her craft as an author. She published her debut novel in 2017. Gina lives in Wyoming with her husband and daughter.

More from Gina

Choco-Banana Bliss Bars

-Mac Gordon

½ cup unsalted butter
1 cup packed (light or dark) brown sugar
1 large egg
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp salt
1 cup (all-purpose) flour
1 cup mashed overripe banana (about 2 large bananas)
¾ cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Allow bananas to ripen until outside is mostly black.
Allow butter and egg to reach room temperature.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line an 8×8-inch glass baking dish with parchment paper. Spray parchment paper with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine ½ cup unsalted butter and 1 cup brown sugar. Mix at a medium-high speed for 2 minutes.
Add in 1 large egg, 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract, and ½ tsp salt. Mix at a medium-low speed until combined.
Mix in 1 cup of flour. Mix on low until just combined.
Fold 1 cup of mashed banana into the batter until they’re fully incorporated.
Fold in ¾ cup chocolate chips. Save a few chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into the glass dish. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top.
Bake for 33-37 minutes, until the edges are golden brown, and the center is baked through.
Place on a wire rack to fully cool. Gently remove the bars from the pan. Cut into squares.

My Impressions

“You did what God wanted you to do. That’s all that matters.”

I knew I was going to really enjoy the humor, the writing style of Gina Holder, and the contemporary cozy mystery presented in Home Baked Bribery when I finished the first paragraph!

“Tuesday 8:45 am Why are smoke detectors so loud? Addie grabbed a dish towel, sprang onto a kitchen chair, and waved the white flag of surrender. The piercing scream ceased. Her cookies were burnt. She was well aware of that fact—her nose worked just fine. Did that annoying little thing have to announce it to the entire cape?”

Cozies can be such a maybe, maybe not in style for me, even though I love many. So it was wonderful to get through the first paragraph and realize there would be enough humor to satisfy me, enough downright fun, plus of course a mystery that promises to be bad language- free and faith-based. Bonus: this is book two of the series, but it stood on its own very well.

Addie Masters is our main character who, of course, cannot keep her nose out of an investigation, no matter how many warnings the police chief gives her. With one solved mystery under her belt, this one is personal. The celebrity judge from Sheol’s Pantry is killed during a contest in which Addie’s best friend Talia is participating. With his terribly rude demeanor and unnecessarily harsh criticism, no one likes Mac Gordon. But which of the contestants hates Mac enough to do him in?

When Addie decides to investigate, her purpose is to clear one of the contestants. One that is especially cantankerous and unkind to Addie. Can she persist in her quest? She remembers her deceased father’s influence. “He’d taught her to treat others with love and compassion, the way Jesus would treat them.”

If that weren’t enough, Addie’s maybe boyfriend comes to town as a state detective to investigate the death. Noah gives off conflicting vibes concerning their relationship or lack thereof, and Addie begins to have her head turned by another visitor to town.

Do not read this book on an empty stomach. You will be searching out the nearest bakery as fast as you can Google it! I have a feeling some of these desserts will dance in my head tonight!

I enjoyed this book. I couldn’t decide if I thought Addie should or shouldn’t investigate, though! I loved her menagerie including a pot-bellied pig! Fun! And the centenarians! They are a blast!! Grab your copy and get to know these people of a coastal town near Boston!

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

My Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Deliciously Magnificent!! Ready to devour the next in series!

Blog Posts

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, April 25

By the Book, April 25

Vicky Sluiter, April 26

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, April 26

Book Looks by Lisa, April 27

She Lives To Read, April 28

Leslie’s Library Escape, April 29

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 30

Madi’s Musings, May 1

Hannahbandanarama, May 1

Texas Book-aholic, May 2

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 3

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 4

Holly’s Book Corner, May 4

Lily’s Corner, May 5

DevotedToHope, May 6

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 7

Paula’s Pad of Inspiration, May 8

For Him and My Family, May 8

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Gina is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card and a copy of books 1 and 2 of the series, Handmade Mayhem and Home Baked Bribery!!

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

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54204

ARC, BLOG, Favorite, Just Read Tours, Kindle, Kregel, PB, Purchase

Written in Secret by Crystal Caudill Review and Giveaway

March 12, 2025March 12, 2025 Babbling Becky L

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for Written in Secret by Crystal Caudill hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Written in Secret
Series: The Art of Love and Danger #1
Author: Crystal Caudill
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Release Date: March 11, 2025
Genre: Christian Mystery & Suspense Romance

What happens when fiction becomes reality? In the corruption-infested Queen City, danger lurks in every shadow, but Lydia Pelton refuses to stay silent. She writes under a pseudonym, E. A. Dupin, crafting crime novels to exact justice and right the wrongs she sees in society. When a serial killer decides to be the sword to her pen, Lydia is confronted with the consequences of her words. Four men are dead, and the city blames her.

With murders on the rise, Officer Abraham Hall’s only lead is Lydia’s fiction, and he is thrust into an investigation with the “Killer Queen of Romance.” Despite his misgivings about the woman, he realizes that even with his reputation for catching elusive criminals, he needs her help. But his unexpected attraction to Lydia proves as difficult to manage as the woman herself.

As the mystery unfolds, Abraham and Lydia race to rewrite the ending, not only for Cincinnati’s citizens, but for their own hearts too.

Also Available

About the Author

Crystal Caudill is the Christy Award–winning author of “dangerously good romance,” including the Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age series. She is a stay-at-home mom and caregiver, and when she isn’t writing, Caudill can be found playing board games with her family, drinking hot tea, or reading other great books at her home outside Cincinnati, Ohio.

Connect with Crystal by visiting crystalcaudill.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

My Impressions

“Mercy, Abraham. It’s the gift of not giving someone what they deserve. It is what Miss Pelton needs and what God requires of you.”

Wow! Crystal Caudill pens a thrilling historical romantic suspense novel with truths that are needed today! Written in Secret starts out with plenty of laughs, but ends up deadly serious. Literally. In 1880 Cincinnati, Lydia Pelton, daughter of Cincinnati coroner, and her friend Theresa Plane decide to rescue an abused circus animal. When their plans are thwarted by both animals and humans, they first meet policeman Abraham Hall. Hall quickly surmises Lydia’s character as untrustworthy, after all, “He should have known a woman who’d steal a goat wasn’t to be trusted.”

Corruption of the Cincinnati police force and its government in general is a huge factor in this story. Because of her father’s connections, Lydia‘s crime is glossed over. She is even less happy when earlier in her life, different known violent criminals receive acquittal. Feeling that she must take justice into her own hands, she writes Billy Poe crime novels under a pseudonym. When real life begins to mirror the justice meted out in her books, both Lydia’s safety and her spirit are in danger. Her life, because all of Cincinnati is blaming the Billy Poe author as a dangerous criminal, and her spirit, as she defends her profession. “A man’s heart is corrupted by sin, not by literature.”

I loved the great tension and suspense married with the spiritual truths. Will Lydia and her family survive to see another day? What will become of her and Abraham’s hearts, as they begin to get entangled, yet appear to be on opposite sides of the law? How many people will die before the *real* Billy Poe is found? Intermingled with these plot threads are themes of justice, mercy, and grace. “Justice was meant to bring restoration, but this? This was judgment without mercy. Condemnation that darkened the soul and made one incapable of seeing the light, hope, and forgiveness of Christ.”

One of the subplots of this book is Lydia’s idolization of and close relationship with her father. How will her actions change his perception and actions towards her? I wanted to bawl after one fatherly rebuke her father delivered!!

Much, much food for thought and personal change for those who claim to follow God. Be sure not to miss the author notes! And anticipate the coming stories of the other *Guardians!*

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

Notable Quotables:

“But lies worked like a deck of cards. You might be able to build a house out of them for a little while, but at some point, the whole construction would collapse.”

“Our job is to shine the light. People must choose for themselves whether to walk toward or away from it. We can’t force them, but we can offer truth.”

“With Christ, there is always hope. After all, He’s the Author of life.”

“Acknowledging that we have done wrong is the first step toward forgiveness and restoration. Confess it to Christ and then allow Him to begin the work of changing you. It won’t be easy and it will hurt, but discipline is meant to restore us to each other and to Him.”

My Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Magnificent!!

Times change, but remain the same!Judgment, Mercy, and Grace are just as needed now as in 1880 Cincinnati!

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a signed copy of Written in Secrets and a $25 Amazon gift card!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight March 12, 2025 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on March 19, 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 the policies found here.

Enter Giveaway

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

Barbour, BLOG, Celebrate Lit Tour, Favorite, Kindle, NetGalley, Purchase

Sabotage at Cedar Creek by Janice Thompson Review and Giveaway

February 26, 2025 Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Book: Sabotage at Cedar Creek (The Little Red Truck Mysteries Book Two)

Author: Janice Thompson

Genre: Mystery/Christian Fiction

Release date: February, 2025

Who Would Sabotage the New B&B?

Breathe in the nostalgia of everything old red truck in book two of a new cozy mystery series.

It’s summertime in Mabank, Texas, and the Hadley family’s new antique business is open and running well with Tilly, the red antique truck, as its mascot. Raelynn Hadley enjoys driving Grandpa’s truck around as she seeks out antiques for her family’s store.

Raelynn is excited that her best friend, Tasha, will soon open a new vacation rental to accommodate the area’s growing tourism, but an unexpected act of sabotage threatens to spoil all that Tasha has worked for.

Raelynn immediately gets to work sleuthing out who could be behind the crime. Could it be the bitter neighbor, intent on spoiling Tasha’s plans? Perhaps it’s a nearby resort owner, worried about the potential loss of revenue. Maybe it’s the former owner’s daughter who was left out of the will and believes the home should be hers. Or maybe it’s the squatter who had taken up residence in the home before renovations. Raelynn is determined to solve the mystery for her friend in time for opening day.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Janice Thompson hails from south Texas. She is a Christian author and mother of four grown daughters. Janice has written over forty books.

More from Janice

Travel with me to East Texas to celebrate the 4^th of July. Let’s meet at Cedar Creek Lake, a vast expanse of water tucked in and around some of the sweetest little Texas towns you’ve ever seen: Gun Barrel City, Mabank, Payne Springs, Eustace, and Seven Points, just to name a few.

Along the edge of the lake you’ll find 320 miles of idyllic shoreline, dotted with homes, campsites, and cabins for rent. And right there, on the prettiest patch of land imaginable, you’ll discover a newly renovated vacation home, recently purchased by a local gal named Tasha. Her quaint fixer-upper is just about ready for its first guests and she’s giddy with excitement.

Also thrilled is Tasha’s BFF, RaeLyn Hadley! RaeLyn has grown up near the lake and loves this place. She can hardly wait to see her bestie’s dream come true.

Of course, not everyone in the Cedar Creek area is happy to see Tasha’s new vacation rental open for business. Behind the scenes, evil lurks. Nefarious plans are already in motion, though RaeLyn and Tasha can’t yet see them.

Days before the house is listed, the beautiful home is vandalized! Clearly, someone wants to stop Tasha in her tracks. But, who would sabotage the inn. . .and why? RaeLyn won’t quit until she’s got answers, but she needs your help.

What role will you play in this tale? Visit the inn. Get to know the gals. Help them figure out the whodunit. Spend time in town with the locals, celebrating the 4^th of July. I promise, you’ll have a blast. There are quilt shows, cupcake walks, and more Texas BBQ than you can eat in one visit.

Your belly will never be empty as you set out to help RaeLyn and Tasha solve this crime. Just don’t let all of those handsome Texas fellas distract you from the task at hand. They have a tendency to do that.

Hang on for the ride, folks, because an East Texas tale is one that’s always filled with twists and turns! So, what are you waiting for? Jump into that little red truck and let’s hit the road, headed to Cedar Creek Lake!

My Impressions

“God places the lonely in families.”

The perfect cozy to read on a cold, blustery day, Sabotage at Silver Creek by Janice Thompson takes place in the idyllic, but hot, Texas countryside. Peach cobblers, pies, cookies, and all other sorts of delicious edibles parade through the pages of this second Little Red Truck who dunnit. And don’t forget the Texas Blue Bell ice cream!

Successfully avoiding eating ( but just barely!) while reading this twisty tale, I was happy to see RaeLyn Hadley and her tight-knit family, plus her bestie, Tasha Dempsey. It seems Tasha is ready to open her AirBnb, but sudden glitches start to arise. Poor Tasha worries about the new mortgage payments she has taken on, as RaeLyn, her boyfriend Mason, her brother Dallas, and her aunt, Bessie Mae, all rally to help Tasha.

To enjoy this book best, you need to read book one, Tracking Tilly first. Otherwise, you’ll be in for a lot of spoilers. Clayton is just as despicable as he is when we first met him, although we view some around him a little differently. Mason is an incredibly patient man, willing to see the best in everybody and give anybody a second chance. (“Sometimes people just need to be given a chance.”) He is very loyal and encouraging. One of those people who could “…foster open communication and cooperation. He also seemed to know how to address concerns and dispel problems.” Also great at unifying people.

I was a bit disappointed in the “girls,” as they were quick to lay suspicion and slow to look as carefully for multiple suspects as I wanted them to. Conner amazes me. With a less than stellar background, he could choose to become what everyone thinks he is…and that certainly would be the much easier choice. Bessie Mae is one of those aunts that few families have, but wow, she adds so much to the life of the Hadley family!

Spending time with RaeLyn and her family and friends, you will get that warm, fuzzy feeling like you have been included among family as people gather for celebrations, to plan events, or to catch culprits.

I was surprised by the reveal of the guilty. I am pleased to note there is a third book in the offing.

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

Notable Quotables:

“Oh, I’m happy. I’m very happy.” “You might want to tell your face.”

“God designed us to live in community.”

“Loneliness and bitterness can turn even the kindest heart hard.”

My Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Magnificent! A fun cozy with some convicting truths!

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, February 27

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, February 27

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 28

Texas Book-aholic, March 1

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 2

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 3

Pause for Tales, March 3

She Lives To Read, March 4

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 5

Blogging With Carol, March 6

Labor Not in Vain, March 6

Tell Tale Book Reviews, March 7

Stories By Gina, March 8 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, March 8

For Him and My Family, March 9

Lily’s Corner, March 10

Holly’s Book Corner, March 11

Lights in a Dark World, March 12

Leslie’s Library Escape, March 12

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Janice is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon e-Gift card and a print copy of the book!!

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

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54164

BLOG, Celebrate Lit Tour, Kindle, Purchase

Hidden Danger by Gail Pallotta Review and Giveaway

February 9, 2025 Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Book: Hidden Danger (Discipleship Series Book 1)

Author: Gail Pallotta

Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

Release date: August 21, 2024

After Emily Hanover’s left standing at the altar in Blue Mountain, North Carolina, she goes to Sky High Campground to put her life back together. Because it’s February and few people come here this time of year, she’s alone on the premises. When noises in the middle of the night frighten her, she gathers her courage and peeks outside. A man carrying a body over his shoulder emerges from the dark shadows onto her front yard. Horrified, she collapses onto the floor.

The next morning, she visits ex-military. officer turned security guard, Nick Lancaster. He listens intently to Emily, but dismisses her claim of foul play as a hunter carrying a deer. Finally, after he sees a freshly dug hole in Emily’s yard and finds two more in the woods, he agrees—there’s suspicious activity. Then he and Emily embark on a mission exposing murder and a far-reaching sinister plot, neither suspecting danger can bring romance.

Click here to get your copy

About the Author

Award-winning author Gail Pallotta’s a wife, Mom, swimmer and bargain shopper who loves God, beach sunsets and getting together with friends and family. A 2013 Grace Awards finalist, she’s a Reader’s Favorite 2017 Book Award winner, a TopShelf 2020 Book Awards Finalist and a Top Author pick. She’s published seven books, poems, short stories and several hundred articles. Some of her articles appear in anthologies while two are in museums. She enjoys connecting with readers.

More from Gail

The story behind Hidden Danger started with my love of mysteries and suspense, which began many years ago when I discovered Nancy Drew. Then I wanted to become a detective. That didn’t happen, but I turned my heroine, Emily Hanover, and the hero, Nick Lancaster, into amateur sleuths.

The granddaughter of a minister who planted churches in the far reaches of the Western North Carolina Mountains, I grew up at the foothills of them. As I pondered the setting for a good mystery, the area with lots of underbrush and caves offered opportunities for suspenseful scenes.

Emily works as a newspaper reporter, a job similar to one I had in a public relations department under a retired Associated Press guy. My husband was in the military. After all these years of marriage, I’m familiar with that type of personality, so Nick is an ex-military guy turned security guard.

Emily goes to the campground to find peace and comfort after she was left standing at the altar on her wedding day. To say she has a chip on her shoulder over men is an understatement. The only true love Nick ever had died while he was overseas. Guilt because he couldn’t be by her side plagues him. He believes he’ll never love another.

Emily meets Nick because her first night at the campground, she sees a man carrying a dead body. Or, does she? Thus, a mystery in the Western North Carolina Mountains begins.

My Impressions

“She could trust Jesus no matter how confusing or turbulent her life grew. He remained the same and He still loved her.”

Emily Hanover certainly has had some turbulence in her life, and it’s about to ramp up! Gail Pallotta, author of Hidden Danger, has put Emily in the unenviable position of being jilted at the altar. To escape reminders of her ex-fiancé, Emily leaves her job as a crime reporter at a small paper for a vacation in the North Carolina mountains. Choosing a small, empty campground, instead of peace and quiet Emily finds disturbing things going on. But can she convince the security guard that what she saw is worth investigating?

Camp security guard Nick Lancaster, fresh out of the military, is barely holding his life together after his fiancée’s death. Yet something about Emily attracts him. And Emily seems to be good at attracting trouble! Will the two broken-hearted young people put aside their hurts and help each other as it appears there is murderous danger nearby?

I was most impressed by Emily’s ability to see beyond the outside of a person. “She focused on the man’s twisted half smile. What turned him into a criminal?…The more important question was—what had gone wrong with his heart? His mind?” At this point, I wouldn’t have cared about the person, I’d be getting myself far, far away fast! It is very interesting what Emily is willing to do as she uses her Father’s eyes to see the worth of a person.

I received a copy of the 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 like tea in a pitcher. Love never runs out. There’s plenty of it to go around for everyone.”

“Sometimes I have this voice inside my brain that tells me to do something because it’s the right thing to do.”

“she’d been so lost in pain, she didn’t know she needed a friend.”

“Admitting her spirit was injured had freed a tiny piece of dirt from her heart as though the mountain breeze had blown it away.”

My Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Great!

Blog Stops

Leslie’s Library Escape, February 8

Texas Book-aholic, February 9

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, February 10

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, February 11

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 12

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 13

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 14

Blogging With Carol, February 15

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 16

For him and My Family, February 19

Stories By Gina, February 18 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, February 18

Simple Harvest Reads, February 19 (Author Interview)

Betti Mace, February 20

Book Looks by Lisa, February 20

Lily’s Corner, February 21

Giveaway

To celebrate he tour, Gail is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and a print copy of the book!!

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

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54150

ARC, BLOG, Celebrate Lit Tour, Favorite, Kindle, PB, Purchase

Mabel and the Unholy Night by Susan Kimmel Wright

December 20, 2024 Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Book: Mabel and the Unholy Night (Mysteries of Medicine Spring Book Four)

Author: Susan Kimmel Wright

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Release date: November 5, 2024

Faithful dog Barnacle has run off into a snowstorm, disrupting Mabel’s fun outing at the Christmas tree farm. Things don’t improve much when he reappears…with a human skull.

Since Mabel moved into her late grandma’s house, the sleepy village of Medicine Spring has provided clean air, a close-knit community, and charming small-town shops. To her surprise, it’s also offered up several murders—and romance with a handsome private investigator. Now, Barnacle’s discovery plunges Mabel into the mystery surrounding a decades-old unsolved murder and the disappearance of her friend Nita’s great uncle.

Before Mabel, boyfriend John, and her friends can find answers and bring justice for Nita and her family, more complications develop. Incredibly, a sixty-year-old Christmas card arrives, bearing Mabel’s name and address and containing a plea for help. Are the mysteries related?

While Mabel tries to get to the bottom of these strange events, a second suspicious death casts suspicion on Nita. Can Mabel find the real killer in time? Or will her Christmas season end on an unholy night?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Susan Kimmel Wright began her life of mystery in childhood, with reading. That led to writing kids’ mysteries and eventually to Medicine Spring with Mabel. A longtime member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, Susan’s also a prolific writer of personal experience stories, many for Chicken Soup for the Soul. She shares an 1875 farmhouse in southwestern PA with her husband, several dogs and cats, and an allegedly excessive stockpile of coffee and tea mugs.

More from Susan

Does Christmas make you nostalgic? In Mabel & the Unholy Night, fifty-year-old Mabel is observing her first Christmas in her late grandma’s house. As she sets out each fragile, vintage ornament, she feels that same familiar lump in her throat.

What we treasure may have to do with when we grew up. I love mid-century glass tree ornaments from Woolworth’s, ceramic elves stamped “Made in Japan,” and Gurley candles shaped like carolers, some still bearing 29¢ stickers on the base.

Ever since childhood, I’ve loved the tiny cardboard village under our tree. Houses and churches sparkled with glitter in their landscape of cotton-batting snow and bushes of dried moss. A sheet of glass atop light-blue construction paper made a perfect pond for tiny skaters. As someone once pointed out, accuracy of scale is of no concern in the cardboard village. Reindeer may loom over the houses like the mutant product of scientific experimentation gone wrong in a “B” horror movie.

Cardboard villages, properly called “putz houses,” originated with Moravian immigrants. Once handmade, houses were later imported from Germany and Japan. While nowadays we’re more likely to buy a ceramic village we can light up, I’ll take the primitive charm of a putz village any day.

Maybe best of all, we can build our own putz villages to suit ourselves. A new tradition for child and parent or grandparent might be building a new house each year, to add to the tiny community. While kits are available, you can also find plans online, such as this free resource: https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/make-traditional-glitter-houses-2365171

Perhaps our yearning for the things of the past is rooted in a longing for a more carefree time, when beloved faces, now gone, were still around us as we enjoyed the season together. When our slower-paced celebration centered on Christ’s birth, and family closeness. Building a putz house or church with loved ones might let us recapture just a bit of that old-fashioned Christmas spirit.

My Impressions

“You think it’s a coincidence this mail turns up right now and so do these bones?” -Nita

I love Mabel! Susan Kimmel Wright manages to make me break out in raucous laughter, ponder the inequities of life, and try to piece together a jigsaw that doesn’t want to be solved, all at the same time. Mabel and the Unholy Night is book four in the Medicine Spring series. It is quite helpful, but not entirely necessary, to have the background of the other books in your memory. A decades-old Christmas card reopens an old wound, plus old unsolved murder mysteries in the quiet town, and throws Mabel and her cronies and a few other folks into high confusion.

I really tried to talk to Mabel this time! Mainly, it sounded like, “Just say, no!” No!to the request to be in the choir! No! to the request to become embroiled in the case of Nita’s great uncle Lester who disappeared on his paper route one day 60 years ago. And * definitely * no!!! to your friends’ ideas and schemes!!

My head was spinning with the amount of possible suspects. I realized I was no longer reading to investigate, but I was being carried along by the flow of the story’s uncertain current, being driven hither and yon by new evidence.

In the midst of all this uncertainty is the sure thing that is a part of any Medicine Spring book: coffee-snorting, spouse-waking, eruptive laughter. That is Mabel in a nutshell. Yet Kimmel-Wright also uses the Unholy Night to remind us how lopsided our country was in its treatment of people based upon their race sixty years ago. What better way to make a memorable point than with the emotions of humor and fear?

Mabel is actually progressing very slowly, but, still, progressing, in her positive growth forward as we move through these books. Maybe that’s part of the appeal of these books. A cozy character who is at once flawed, loveable,and dynamic.

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 Quotables:

“Are you always this calm?”…“No…I’m a work in progress, but I’d rather be progressing than a perpetual basket case, wouldn’t you?”

“Sometimes it’s hard to feel the way we think we should. Feelings don’t always behave.”

“You’re the only thing stopping you.”-Grandma

“They can catch you, but they can’t eat you.”-Grandma

My Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I find Mabel impossible to resist and always feel better after reading one of her adventures!

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, December 20

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, December 21

A Reader’s Brain, December 22 (Author Interview)

Holly’s Book Corner, December 22

Locks, Hooks and Books, December 23

Fiction Book Lover, December 24 (Author Interview)

Guild Master, December 25 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 26

Texas Book-aholic, December 27

Back Porch Reads, December 28 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, December 28

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 29

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, December 30 (Author Interview)

Blogging With Carol, December 31

Lily’s Corner, January 1

Vicky Sluiter, January 2 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Susan is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of the book!!

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

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54124

BLOG, Celebrate Lit Tour, Kindle, New-to-Me Author, Purchase

Maybe Now, Maybe Never by Chris Posti Review and Giveaway

November 11, 2024November 11, 2024 Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Book: Maybe Now, Maybe Never

Author: Chris Posti

Genre: Women’s Fiction with Elements of Faith & Later-in-Life Romance

Release date: October, 2024

At 57, Suzanne is marrying the man of her dreams, confident he won’t disappoint her like every other man from her past, but a phone call during the ceremony makes her wonder if she’s made yet another mistake. Widowed Rachel attends the wedding on what would have been her fortieth anniversary, wearing a wig on her head and emotions on her sleeve, when her neighbor blurts out a proposal for a wedding of their own. Uber-rich Marla captures the attention of everyone in the pews as she sings a surprise solo, yet her efforts to impress have little effect on the one person who matters the most.

While navigating relationships with each other, their grown children, their aging mothers, and most of all, the men in their lives, the women unite to rescue their hometown and their own businesses from a spate of malicious online reviews that are suddenly jeopardizing everyone’s future.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Chris Postiwrites award-winning fiction about real-life women experiencing the joys and challenges of their friendships, families, careers, and later-in-life romances. Before pivoting to novels, she was a self-employed career & executive coach and wrote three nonfiction books. For 20+ years, she also penned a Sunday newspaper column.

More from Chris

In all the contemporary women’s fiction you’ve ever read, can you think of a single novel that features three women over 55 as the main characters?

Hmm.

Still thinking?

Until I wrote my series, I hadn’t come across any, either.

Being over 55 myself, I decided to fill that void by writing about older women who still have a lot of juice left in them—women who stick by their friends, overcome challenges, care for aging parents, grow in their faith, champion their hometown, and have second chances at love.

In other words, Maybe Now, Maybe Never is all about characters I relate to, and if you’re a woman of a certain age, I believe you will too.

This is the second book in the Next Act trilogy. The first, Falling Apart, Falling for You, was released in 2022, and the third, ’Tis the Time, ’Tis the Season was just released in October. It will also be on a blog tour starting November 22.

Come alongside these women. I think you’ll enjoy their journeys.

My Impressions

“God has a plan for your whole life, not just until you reach a certain age. If you’re a willing servant, the Lord still has many adventures in store for you.”

I found Chris Posti’s Maybe Now, Maybe Never to be a very enjoyable read about a group of three single ladies over fifty-five and their friendship with each other as well as their relationships with men and other people. I had never read Posti’s work before, but I look forward to reading more. I enjoyed how each woman was very different, and how they complemented each other and occasionally rubbed each other the wrong way, too.

Port Mariette is a little town all three have returned to, at least temporarily. Rachel, who lives there, has been widowed for a year. She runs a gas station-combo-restaurant with her adult son and dates her neighbor. Life is comfortable, but not exciting until her neighbor wants more and a discovery leaves her devastated.

Suzanne gets married to psychologist Rob, promising “I choose to be yours for the rest of my life.” Little does she foresee how that commitment will be tested in the days ahead, or how she will be involved with her old town’s progress.

New Yorker Marla comes for Suzanne’s wedding, but also to strengthen her bond with her birth daughter. Being a mover and a shaker, can she survive her visit in this slow, little town? Will she have any friends left after she operates like the New York businesswoman that she is, in a town used to slow change and neighborliness?

I loved how each woman grows throughout the book in her faith and in her treatment of others. Only trusting God could get them through some of the very real and relatable life events that happen to them!

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

Notable Quotables:

“Love people as they are, not as you want them to be.”

“the only behavior we can change is our own…What do you think you could do differently to get a better outcome?”- Rob

“You are not nothing. You were created in God’s image. He loves you as much as he loves me.”