This book is full of suspense and a bit of romance. There are many twists and turns. Lilah and Levi are a great couple and I love how they meet. These two are both learning to live again after many tragedies. I could not put this book down. I had to know what Lilahs brother might have buried. I received a copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I give this book a five out of five stars.
PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION
Her brother was murdered.
Will she be next?
While searching for proof that her brother’s death was no accident, Lilah Schwartz is almost killed by a sniper in her Amish community. Hiding in Levi Burkholder’s barn is all that keeps her alive. The former soldier will do everything in his power to protect Lilah, but can he and Lilah uncover the evidence her brother hid before she’s the next to die?
From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.
This is the start of a new cozy mystery series and it is a wonderful beginning. I love that Trinidad has moved to the town her ex husband is from to start an ice cream shop. I enjoyed all of the quirky characters that start with at least one of her exes other ex wives. I love the two teenage boys that are helping her to run her shop and help her to learn all the gossip in town. I loved the twists and turns that had me wondering who committed the murder. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. I received a copy of this book from Celebratelit for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I give this book a four out of five stars.
About the Book
Book: Pint of No Return
Author: Dana Mentink
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release date: May 25, 2021
The first in new dessert cozy mystery series! A murder in town is bound to shake things up…
After her divorce from her thrice-married embezzler husband, Trinidad Jones is finally ready for a fresh start. So when she’s left one of ex’s businesses in Upper Sprocket, Oregon, she decides to pack up her dog, cash in her settlement, and open her dream business: the Shimmy and Shake Shop, introducing the world to her monster milkshakes. And even with a couple sticky situations underway, namely that the other two ex-wives also call Sprocket home, Trinidad’s life seems to be churning along smoothly.
That is, until she discovers her neighbor, the Popcorn King, head down in his giant popcorn kettle. When one of Trinidad’s fellow ex-wives is accused of the murder and Upper Sprocket descends into mayhem, it’s going to take a supersized scoop of courage to flush out the killer.
Dana Mentink is a two time American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award winner, a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award and a Holt Medallion winner. She is the Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author of over forty titles in the suspense and lighthearted romance genres. She is pleased to write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense, Harvest House, and Poisoned Pen Press. Besides writing, she busies herself teaching third grade. Mostly, she loves to be home with Papa Bear, teen bear cubs affectionately nicknamed Yogi and Boo Boo, Junie, the nutty terrier, and a chubby box turtle. You can connect with Dana via her website at danamentink.com, on Facebook, YouTube (Author Dana Mentink) and Instagram (dana_mentink.)
More from Dana
Freakshakes. The name says it all, right? Allow me to explain. A freakshake is a milkshake festooned with so many extras (sprinkles, cookies, candy, donuts, cake, slabs of pie) that it is hardly liftable. It is the stuff my sugar fantasy dreams are made of! Now picture a freakshake shop called the Shimmy and Shake in the quaint and quirky town of Upper Sprocket in Eastern Oregon. Known as the “Swiss Alps” of Oregon, this fictional place is the new home to a woman named Trinidad Jones, a lady starting out on the second phase of her life after her husband’s betrayal. Sprinkle in a dose of Papa Luis, her darling Cuban grandfather (inspired by my own Cuban grandfather) who drives a classic Buick, and a devoted service dog flunk out named Noodles. You know what’s missing? A murder, of course! That happens shortly after Trinidad opens her new shop, and from there on out it’s a sticky, spine tingling, sweet and satisfying and slightly funny adventure in mystery land. I had an absolute blast writing the first installment in this series, and I’m knee deep in the second as I write this. Thank you for coming along on the adventure and I hope it’s as satisfying as a monster milkshake!
To celebrate her tour, Dana is giving away the grand prize of a a signed copy of Pint of No Return, an ice cream bowl and spoon set, and a $30 Amazon gift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
I had never heard the term Lady in Attendance before reading this book. This story was full of laughter and some tears. I would have hated to go to a dentist in the late 1800’s. I enjoyed reading a little about the womans reformatory and how that worked also. I loved Hazel and Gilbert. I received a copy of this book from Revell for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I give this book a five out of five stars.
PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION
Five years in a New York state reformatory have left a blemish on Hazel’s real name. So when she takes a job as Doctor Gilbert Watts’s lady in attendance in 1898, she does so under an alias. In the presence of her quiet and pious employer, Hazel finds more than an income. She finds a friend and a hope that if she can set her tarnished past in order, she might have a future after all.
As Gilbert becomes accustomed to the pleasant chatter of his new dental assistant, he can’t help but sense something secretive about her. Perhaps there is more to this woman than meets the eye. Can the questions that loom between them ever be answered? Or will the deeds of days gone by forever rob the future of its possibilities?
Rachel Fordham pens a tender tale of a soft-spoken man, a hardened woman, and the friends that stand by them as they work toward a common purpose–to expunge the record of someone society deemed beyond saving–and perhaps find love along the way.
It was so interesting to read about how some of the Golden Gate Bridge was built. The men and women who dove in that water and helped to set the charges to clear that area were very brave. I love the characters in this story. I love how this story went from past to present and worked in the mystery of this gold that was found in the past. This is a great story. I received a copy of this book from Barbour and Celebratelit for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I give this book a five out of five stars.
About the Book
Book: Bridge of Gold
Author: Kimberley Woodhouse
Genre: Christian Historical
Release date: June 2021
Repairs on the Golden Gate Bridge Uncover a Century-Old Murder
Walk through Doors to the Past via a new series of historical stories of romance and adventure.
Underwater archaeologist Kayla Richardson is called to the Golden Gate Bridge where repairs to one of the towers uncovers two human remains from the late 1800s and the 1930s. The head of the bridge restoration is Steven Michaels, who dives with Kayla, and a friendship develops between them. But as the investigation heats up and gold is found that dates back to the gold rush, more complications come into play that threaten them both. Could clues leading to a Gold Rush era mystery that was first discovered during the building of the bridge still ignite an obsession worth killing for?
Kimberley Woodhouse is an award-winning and bestselling author of more than twenty fiction and nonfiction books. A popular speaker and teacher, she’s shared her theme of “Joy Through Trials” with more than half a million people across the country at more than 2,000 events. Kim and her incredible husband of twenty-five-plus years have two adult children. She’s passionate about music and Bible study and loves the gift of story. You can connect with Kimberley at: http://www.kimberleywoodhouse.com and http://www.facebook.com/KimberleyWoodhouseAuthor
More from Kimberley
BRIDGE OF GOLD was a blast for me to write. Not only do I love writing dual-timeline stories, but the present-day hero and heroine are named after my daughter and her husband. Steven and Kayla in the book are fictitious, but there are a few things in the book that do mimic their real-life namesakes.
One of them is food.
My son-in-law Steven in real life is six-foot-four and active military. The man can eat. It’s amazing to me how many calories it takes just for him to survive! Then there’s my daughter, Kayla. She was an elite swimmer for many years along with her brother. I could never keep them fed when they were at the height of their swimming careers. In fact, I joked that all I did was cook and load the dishwasher during those years.
To celebrate the release of BRIDGE OF GOLD, I’m going to give out a recipe that I created almost thirty years ago. It went through many revisions the first few months as I perfected it and now you get a special treat because I do not give this recipe out. In fact, one of my dearest friends begged for it when our kids were little. I gave in but made her promise to close her eyes while she made it (LOL) and to never, ever give it to anyone else.
Enjoy! And thanks for joining us on the tour for BRIDGE OF GOLD. I hope you love it.
Kim’s Chocolate Chunk Cookies – recipe by Kimberley Woodhouse
2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. kosher salt
¾ cup melted/browned butter (this is important! Don’t skip this step)
2 Tb. Hot chocolate mix
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 – 12 ounce package mega morsels (I use Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips)
Directions: combine the first three dry ingredients and mix well. In a small saucepan on the stove, melt and brown the butter. Medium heat is recommended but you’ve got to watch it so it doesn’t burn. You want a beautiful caramel color. Set aside and allow to cool to around 100 degrees F before continuing. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Once the browned butter is cool, add the hot chocolate mix to it. Transfer to a stand mixer and blend the butter mixture with the sugar. Whip it until well combined and frothy about 2 mins. Gradually add eggs and flour mixture, beating on low just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Using a cookie scoop, drop heaping TB scoops 2 inches apart on parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Bake at 325 degrees for 12-14 minutes, watching carefully. Allow to cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes and then transfer to cooling racks. Enjoy!
For other fun tidbits about BRIDGE OF GOLD make sure you check out my blog at – kimberleywoodhouse.com
This installment of this series seems to be an in between book. This one is short and to the point and leads you in to what is going to go on in the next book. This story sets up what is going to be in store for Mae and the rest of the Laundry Club ladies. I enjoyed the mystery behind the murder(s) in this story and how the murderer was uncovered. I cannot wait to see what is going to happen next. I received a copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION
Welcome to Normal, Kentucky, where nothing is normal!
USA TODAY Bestselling Author Tonya Kappes is leading the camping craze with her southern cozy mystery series, A Camper & Criminals Cozy Mystery. Be sure you join Tonya’s newsletter for all of her adventures on and off the page while she writes and travels in her own camper, her readers have lovingly named Tonya’s Shamper (she camper). Don’t miss out on her very informative CAMPING CHIT CHAT blog where she gives you tips, tricks, hacks and delicious campfire recipes: https://www.tonyakappes.com/
I loved this story. This book goes from past to present in a fantastic way. I never got lost as to what time period or what people should be in the time period. I loved the idea that there was a ghost in this home and I loved all the secrets that were needed to be learned to solve the mystery of a possible treasure that needed to be found. I loved Adria and Kailey. This story handles someone with a disability with lots of compassion. I love the emotions in the story. I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I give this book a five out of five stars.
1885. Adria Fontaine has been sent to recover goods her father pirated on the Great Lakes during the war. But when she arrives at Foxglove Manor–a stone house on a cliff overlooking Lake Superior–Adria senses wickedness hovering over the property. The mistress of Foxglove is an eccentric and seemingly cruel old woman who has filled her house with dangerous secrets, ones that may cost Adria her life. Present day. Kailey Gibson is a new nurse’s aide at a senior home in a renovated old stone manor. Kidnapped as a child, she has nothing but locked-up memories of secrets and death, overshadowed by the chilling promise from her abductors that they would return. When the residents of Foxglove start sharing stories of whispers in the night, hidden treasure, and a love willing to kill, it becomes clear this home is far from a haven. She’ll have to risk it all to banish the past’s demons, including her own.
This book kept me on my toes. Each of these characters had a secret that they needed to solve or keep hidden. I like how these two families became joined together although I do not think it is real believable. I enjoyed how the two teens became friends and the two moms became friends. I really enjoy the ending where everything gets put together. There is not a lot of action but there is a lot of heart in this story. I received a copy of this book from Harlequin for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I give this book a five out of five stars.
The House Guests : A Novel
Emilie Richards
On Sale Date: June 29, 2021
9780778331865
Trade Paperback
$16.99 USD
544 pages
ABOUT THE BOOK:
USA Today bestselling author Emilie Richards returns with a fan-favorite story.
Teenage Savannah’s father passed away recently and she has been rebelling against her stepmother, Cassie, since. When she happens upon a pouch filled with cash in a parking lot with some new friends she’s trying to impress, she decides to keep it in an act of defiance. When Cassie learns of her crime after Savannah has already spent the money, and learns that the money belonged to a woman, Amber, who has since been evicted along with her teenage son Will because they couldn’t pay the rent after losing the pouch of money, she invites Amber and Will to move in with them. As they become involved in each other’s lives, the teenagers develop a friendship while the mothers do the same. But while Cassie is trying to figure out what happened to her husband in the months before he passed away – why he was becoming distant and draining the funds in their bank accounts, leaving them destitute upon his death – Amber is clearly trying to outrun something dark in her own past.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
USA Today bestselling author Emilie Richards has written more than seventy novels. She has appeared on national television and been quoted in Reader’s Digest, right between Oprah and Thomas Jefferson.
Born in Bethesda, Maryland, and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, Richards has been married for more than forty years to her college sweetheart. She splits her time between Florida and Western New York, where she is currently plotting her next novel.
This had a good amount of romance and I really enjoyed the action. Every time I turned a page there was something else happening. I really enjoyed the two main characters. I also liked reading about the minor characters that work for Protection Inc. I am hoping that many of them get their own stories sometime soon. I received a copy of this book from Celebratelit for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I give this book a four out of five stars.
About the Book
Book: Dark Threat
Author: Kimberly Rose Johnson
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release date: June 1, 2021
Reporter Trinity Lockhart pursues a story but then unwittingly becomes the story.
Acting on a tip from an anonymous source, Trinity investigates an art trafficking ring at a high-end Seattle gallery. She turns to handsome FBI agent Kyle Richards for help after being spotted by the crooks.
Kyle is drawn to the feisty reporter, but he can’t afford a beautiful distraction when lives are at stake. He must trust his friends at Protection Inc. to watch over Trinity while he investigates the gallery.
Will this couple overcome the impossible odds threatening to keep them apart?
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 romantic suspense and mystery 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.
Dark Threat features FBI agent Kyle Richards. We first met Kyle in book one of the Protection Inc. series where he joined the team while working undercover for the FBI. He has since become an honorary member of the team and has been in every book since.
When I set out to write this series I planned to only feature the team members, but Kyle is practically part of the team, so he needed his own story too. I thoroughly enjoyed getting into Kyle’s head for this book.
As with most books, this one took research. Through the years I’ve done all kinds of research to understand the occupations of my characters. For the characters occupations in Dark Threat I did some different kind of research than I’ve done in the past.
I really wanted to understand how FBI agents think and operate so I listened to an audio book written by a former agent. The man was rough around the edges but it really helped me understand the atmosphere in which agents work. Then I read a book written by a female, former CIA as well as FBI agent. It was fascinating to see the differences between the agencies from a former agent’s point of view.
Trinity, the female lead in Dark Threat is a crime beat reporter. I pretty much knew nothing about the life of a television reporter, so I watched You Tube videos filmed by actual reporters about a day in their lives as reporters. One young woman did a series of videos, which I found extremely helpful. Another had the camera following her on the job. From her I learned about what it’s like to go out on location and how meal times during her day on the job were never guaranteed. She’d grab a bite when she could and sometimes she wouldn’t even be able to finish it because she had to rush to a breaking story.
Finally, I needed to better understand the art world. I have a college friend who is an amazing artist. She has a gallery in Boise, Idaho. I contacted her and picked her brain about art and art galleries.
As for anything related to law enforcement I asked my uncle who is a retired police officer.
The thing I loved most about talking to people about their professions is that one question often snowballed into a deeper conversation about the topic. My friend and my uncle would tell me things I didn’t even know I needed to know.
I think Dark Threat required the most research of all the books I’ve written. I’m not a huge fan of doing research, but I truly enjoyed every minutes of it for this book.
I hope you will enjoy reading Dark Threat even more than I enjoyed writing it!
This has been one of my favorite stories so far this year. I loved Jane and Garrett. It was nice to read a book that takes place during WWll but does not go too much into the horrors that occurred. It was fascinating to learn some about how foster care and adoptions were handled in Canada during the time of WWll. This story made me laugh and cry. I did not want to put this book down. These two characters go through some trials to figure out how they want to spend their lives. I received a copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I give this book a five out of five stars.
PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION
In the midst of WWII, Jane Linder pours all her energy and dreams for a family into her career at the Toronto Children’s Aid Society. As acting directress, Jane hopes for a permanent appointment so she can continue making a difference in the lives of troubled children. But if anyone were to find out she is divorced, everything would change. Garrett Wilder has been hired to overhaul operations at the Children’s Aid Society. He hopes to impress the board members with his findings and earn the vacant director’s position. A war injury ended his dream of taking over his parents’ farm, but with the security of the director’s job, he’d be able to contribute financially and help save the family business. Despite their competing interests, feelings begin to blossom between them. But then Jane’s ex-husband returns from overseas with an unexpected proposition that could fulfill her deepest desires. Suddenly at a crossroads, can Jane discern the path to true happiness?
This is a set of ten really sweet short stories. These are like very short fairytales. They are each a short story that has a moral to it. These stories are supposedly told by Aunt Truly who was introduced in the book called The Kiminee Dream which is a story that will make you cry and laugh. These are very sweet stories. I received a copy of this book from ireadbooktours for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I give this book a four out of five stars.
Book Description:
A dash of whimsy and a dose of wisdom for our times.
If you like stories that call to mind a simpler era and words strung in lyrical ways, this collection will take you to a wondrous world where ordinary rules do not apply.
Podcasts, blogs, movies, vlogs—people spin yarns in many ways. But nothing dazzles like a story told in person. In the right teller’s hands, a simple narrative has unfathomable power. Such is the case with Aunt Truly, a spellbinding character in Laura McHale Holland’s novel The Kiminee Dream. She is old, but no one knows her age; she travels, but where she goes is a mystery. One thing is certain: she collects stories.
The ten tales in this book present traditional and original stories Aunt Truly might tell you if you happened by her home, Windy Wood, where snow falls from November through April, and reality is open to interpretation. In her tales, you’ll meet a determined frog, clever seamstress, wise handyman, stolen wife and more unlikely heroes who face daunting trials. Some succeed; others do not. In the process, they are all transformed. Buy the Book Amazon (print) ~ Amazon (ebook) B&N ~Draft2Digital add to Goodreads
Meet the Author:
As a child, Laura McHale Holland loved the musicality of language and often recalled, verbatim, conversations she heard. A lost soul in her teens and early twenties, she righted herself in her mid-twenties and discovered a deep love of the creative process. In her work, she often finds hope in unlikely places.
Laura writes stories true and untrue in multiple forms from flash fiction to novels, memoirs to short plays. Her coming of age memoir, Resilient Ruin, won a National Indie Excellence Award for new adult nonfiction. Prior award-winning books include Reversible Skirt, a childhood memoir, and Sisters Born, Sisters Found, an anthology on sisterhood. Her stories have appeared in several anthologies, including The Best of Every Day Fiction Three and Wisdom Has a Voice. Two of her short plays were produced recently in Northern California; two others received staged readings. The Kiminee Dream is Laura’s first novel. To connect with her, please visit her website.
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