Texas Kidnapping Target by Laura Scott

Texas Kidnapping Target
by Laura Scott

ISBN-13: 9781335980335
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
Released: Dec. 24, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
When an intruder attempts to kidnap rancher Mari Lynch's four-year-old son, she fears it's connected to her ex-husband's criminal past. Texas Ranger Sam Hayward's arrival confirms her worst fears—her ex has escaped prison, making her a target. And when Sam finds a dead body on Mari’s ranch, he suspects the incidents are related. Now Mari must depend on Sam to protect her little boy and catch the culprit. Will they be able to uncover the truth and stay alive?


My Review:
Texas Kidnapping Target is a Christian romantic suspense. Mari married a man who turned out to be abusive and then was imprisoned for murder. She divorced him, but now he has escaped and is trying to kidnap their son from her house. Though why a man on the run would want a 4-year-old boy is a mystery to her and the Texas Rangers trying to capture him. Sam's tasked with protecting her and doing computer research while his teammates do the legwork. As people keep shooting at Mari and leaving dead bodies behind, it's clear that something more complex is going on.

The main characters were likable and usually reacted realistically to events. Though, author, Mari didn't need to collect the eggs three times a day in winter as the coup temperature was probably cooler than her refrigerator and hens typically lay fewer eggs in winter. Basically, some of the ranch scenes weren't realistic and mainly seemed an excuse for Mari to feel like she couldn't leave. Also, Mari ought to be wary of quick romances after the complete surprise that her first husband turned out to be. Instead, she agreed to marry Sam after only knowing him for about a week. This didn't seem consistent.

Mari and Sam prayed occasionally for help. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this mildly complex suspense to fans of the Love Inspired Suspense format.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Murder in Season by Mary Winters

Murder in Season
by Mary Winters

ISBN-13: 9781448314041
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Severn House
Released: December 3, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Countess and secret advice columnist, Amelia Amesbury has a content life...until her sister Margaret shows up in London under a blanket of scandal and Amelia is catapulted into the ton's unforgiving Season.

However Madge's Season debut is marred by a rather inconvenient death at the dining table as the infamous Mr Radcliffe takes ill and is later confirmed dead by poisoning. With Madge being the last person to have cross words with the soon-to-be baron, the ton's gossip mill - and the police - are looking to pin the murder on her.

Adding to the ton's troubles is a jewellery thief targeting the most lavish of Society's houses. Is the murderer and the thief one in the same? It falls to Amelia once again to uncover the secrets buried deep within the pages before her sister goes down for the crimes.


My Review:
Murder in Season is a mystery set in 1860 in England. Amelia's role as a advice column writer provided the reader with a sense of the historical period and showed Amelia's attitude toward social norms. The main characters were likable. Amelia asked questions to discover who had a motive and was present when the murder or thefts happened. She wanted to solve who was stealing heirloom jewelry at rich people's homes during social gatherings. She felt she had to solve the murder because the detective on the case had a grudge against the Amesbury family and was determined to pin the murder on Madge. There were clues, and Amelia connected the clues to the culprit as quickly as the reader can.

There was no sex. There were a couple uses of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Seaside Homecoming by Julie Klassen

The Seaside Homecoming
by Julie Klassen

ISBN-13: 9780764241017
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Bethany House
Released: December 3, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Disgraced eldest sister Claire Summers has been living in exile as companion to a stern great-aunt in Scotland. Needing to find a new place to live and longing to be reconciled with her estranged family, Claire sees an advertisement from someone looking for a "respectable female partner" in a Sidmouth boarding house. She answers the ad, hoping she has not made another reckless mistake. When she meets the handsome, secretive proprietor, she wonders what he's hiding. Claire is drawn to him even though she fears he will reject her if he discovers her less-than-respectable past.

Meanwhile, the Summers family discovers that Claire is in town. Will their unexpected reunion heal old wounds and rekindle their bonds . . . or deepen the divide?


My Review:
The Seaside Homecoming is a Christian romance set in 1820 in Scotland and England. This is the third book in a series, but it can be understood without reading the previous novels. However, it does "spoil" how the previous two romances turned out.

Claire has no patience: if she wants something, she does it immediately. If she wanted to ask her business partner something or give him something, even though it could easily wait until he left his private rooms, she felt fully justified in barging into his private rooms to confront him. He repeatedly asked her not to enter his private rooms, and this was partly to protect her reputation. She also had a bad habit of eavesdropping. Her business partner was very patient with her. After Claire made her choice of whom to marry, they intensely kissed as often as they could, only prevented in doing more before marriage by their chaperones. It just felt like Claire hadn't really learned anything from the mistakes that nearly ruined her life.

The story was mostly about her reconciliation with her sisters and mother and her spying on her business partner because she's worried he's a spy. Unlike the previous novels, there wasn't much interaction with the people staying at the boarding house or those in town. Many historical details were woven into the story and brought it alive in my imagination, but they did slow the pacing. The characters were likable and acted in realistic ways. Claire's family learned about God's forgiveness and forgiving others. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable novel.

Cornered by Lynette Eason; Lynn H. Blackburn; Natalie Walters

Cornered
by Lynette Eason; Lynn H. Blackburn; Natalie Walters

ISBN-13: 9780800746087
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Revell
Released: Nov. 19, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In the Dark by Lynette Eason, accountant Steph Cross is cleaning out a coworker's desk after her untimely death when she finds cryptic notes that lead her to believe her friend's car accident was no accident at all. Detective Tate Cooper is determined to help her crack the case before someone else gets hurt. But can he protect the woman who has so quickly laid claim to his heart?

In Downfall by Lynn H. Blackburn, chef Cassie Quinn gets an offer she can't refuse: to fill in as chef at an exclusive mountain resort. But when the kitchen is destroyed and it becomes clear Cassie is in danger, she's forced to accept the help of her ex-boyfriend, Detective Donovan Bledsoe, to find the culprit and keep her safe.

In Perilous Obsession by Natalie Walters, teacher Lahela Young becomes the target of someone with a twisted obsession of righting a wrong. The first person she turns to is her good friend Briggs Turner. Briggs may have left his career as a police officer, but he still has the instinct to protect--especially for Lahela.


My Review:
Cornered has three romantic suspense novellas. Though not needed to understand the stories, it helps if you've read the books by Blackburn and Walters that feature the characters and setting that these novellas are set in. The main characters were all likable and interesting. The romantic couples generally worked well together, and they drew close as they spent time together. The mysteries were interesting, and the suspense was high. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable suspense collection.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Herringbone Harbor Mystery by Sally Goldenbaum

The Herringbone Harbor Mystery
by Sally Goldenbaum

ISBN-13: 9781496747181
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Kensington
Released: November 26, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The Yarn Studio’s Seaside Knitters have their hands full creating a single blanket together. Birdie’s teenage granddaughter is also visiting for the season and has started a dog-walking business with her friend, Daisy. Meanwhile, the Lazy Lobster and Soup Café’s local fare is gaining newfound attention with the addition of a well-known chef.

Then Birdie spots a huge blaze from her balcony one evening, frighteningly close to knitter Cass’s lobster business. But the morning brings news that it was a house in Fishermen’s Village, and a popular businessman, and mayoral candidate, is found dead inside. As suspicion rocks usually placid Sea Harbor, knitters Izzy, Birdie, Cass, and Nell must pick apart tangled secrets.


My Review:
The Herringbone Harbor Mystery is a cozy mystery, though the mystery was never fully explained. It's the 18th novel in a series, but you can understand this story without reading the previous books.

So much of the story was the sleuths spotting clues but feeling too overwhelmed by the murder to think things through, so they ate or knitted instead. They also spent a lot of time sorrowfully saying how dealing with various bad events was just so 'heavy' and difficult to handle emotionally.

There were several mysteries to solve, and there were plenty of clues for those who like to solve the puzzle, though some critical clues were withheld from the reader at the very end. Still, I had most of it figured out long before the end. However, while the murderer confessed, the person didn't explain everything and frankly I didn't believe some of what whodunit did say. Worse, the guy who was killed was a wonderful person, but we're clearly supposed to feel sorry for whodunit, too!

I read an Advanced Reader Copy so this may be fixed in the final copy, but the grammar was bad. It was hard to keep track of who "her" referred to, for example, and sometimes the wrong name was used. This made the reading confusing and required stopping to figure out what the author was trying to say.

There was no sex. There were only a few uses of bad language. Fans of the characters might still like the book, but I no longer feel like this author writes what I look for in cozy mysteries.

Taken at Christmas by Jodie Bailey

Taken at Christmas
by Jodie Bailey

ISBN-13: 9781335980298
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
Released: November 26, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
When ex-deputy Mia Galloway is assaulted while waiting to meet with her daughter's birth mother (who goes missing at that same time), she’s convinced her adopted daughter is also in danger. Mia is rescued just in time by investigator Hayden McGrath, her late husband’s best friend, who vows to protect Mia and Ruthie. And the stakes only get higher when Ruthie’s birth mother is found murdered. Someone desperately wants this child, and they’ll stop at nothing to get her. With time running out, uncovering the truth is Hayden and Mia’s only hope of saving an innocent child.


My Review:
Taken at Christmas is a Christian romantic suspense. Mia has crippling panic attacks after responding to the scene of her own husband's murder. Hayden was Mia's husband's best friend, and Hayden and Mia had also worked together as deputies. They've grown close as they mourn her husband's death and now wonder if it's okay to even think about a relationship. They both supported each other and worked well together. The main characters were engaging and reacted realistically to events. The main suspense came from someone trying to kill Mia and someone trying to take her young, adopted daughter.

There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable romantic suspense.

One Last Chance by Susan May Warren

One Last Chance
by Susan May Warren

ISBN-13: 9780800745486
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Revell
Released: June 1, 2024

Source: Read using Amazon's Kindle Unlimited.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Axel Mulligan was built to be a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. He swam fast and endured long, a miracle for those in peril--until a tragedy sent him home to Alaska. Now, three years later, he's not going to let the past repeat itself. As an Air One rescue swimmer, he'll do anything to save lives--including sacrifice his own.

He expects to do just that while trying to rescue a group of tourists from the icy waters of the Gulf of Alaska. But if not for the voice on the other end of the ham radio, he might have given up and let hypothermia win. That voice awakened something in his heart, and he sets out to find the woman it belongs to.

Flynn Turnquist is not who Axel thinks she is. A national wildlife researcher, she's deep in the bush, tracking wolf pack patterns. Or is she? In fact, she's a former cop, tracking down a serial killer in the Alaska bush. When Axel finds Flynn and discovers what she's really up to, it stirs up a terrible nightmare he's been dodging for years--the kidnapping and death of his own cousin. Now, it's a race through Alaska to stay alive.


My Review:
One Last Chance is a Christian romantic suspense. It's the 2th in the series, but you can understand this story without having read the previous one. Axel feels guilty that he wasn't able to rescue his cousin when they were teens and feels burdened by every failed rescue since then. Flynn's still looking for her twin sister, who may have been a victim of a serial killer, but her body was never found. They worked together to try to solve who the serial killer is, find Flynn's sister, and rescuing people along the way.

The main characters were engaging and came across as real people. I cared about what happened to them. Flynn and Axel supported each other and built each other up. There was plenty of suspense from the physical dangers of search and rescue, the environment, and the attacks of a killer.

Axel had to realize that he's not God and can't save everyone. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable suspense.