A Whisker of Trouble by Sofie Ryan

A Whisker of Trouble by Sofie Ryan ISBN-13: 9780451419965 Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages Publisher: Obsidian Mystery Released: Feb. 2, 2016

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Spring has come to charming North Harbor, Maine, and with the new season comes a new haul for Second Chance, the shop where Sarah Grayson sells lovingly refurbished and repurposed items. Sarah is turning her keen eye to the estate of collector Edison Hall, hoping for fabulous finds for Second Chance—but when her rescue cat Elvis discovers a body in the kitchen, everything goes paws up.

The body belongs to an appraiser who had been hired to check out Edison’s wine collection. When Edison’s sister shows up at Second Chance, she hires Sarah’s friends—the kooky and charismatic trio of ladies who call themselves Charlotte’s Angels and work out of the shop—to solve the murder, Sarah knows she and Elvis are only going to get deeper into the case. But as it becomes a cat and mouse game of lies, cons, cheats, and family squabbles, can Elvis and Sarah claw their way to the truth before the killer slinks away forever?


My Review:
A Whisker of Trouble is a cozy mystery. It's the third book in a series. You don't need to read the previous novels to understand this one, and this novel didn't spoil the previous books.

The mystery was clue-based and could be solved using those clues. Whodunit wasn't too difficult to uncover if you stop to think things out. Untangling the entire wine scam was more complicated and was what Charlotte’s Angels spent most of their time on. The main characters were engaging, nice people, and the cat's charming. I enjoyed the banter and underlying humor in their interactions.

There was no sex. There was some bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this mystery to those looking for a light, fun mystery read.


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.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

If I Run by Terri Blackstock

If I Run by Terri Blackstock ISBN-13: 9780310332435 Trade Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: Zondervan Released: Feb. 16, 2016

Source: Review copy from the publisher through BookLook.com.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Casey Cox’s DNA is all over the crime scene. There’s no use talking to police; they have failed her abysmally before. She has to flee before she’s arrested . . . or killed. The truth doesn’t matter anymore.

But what is the truth? That’s the question haunting Dylan Roberts, the veteran with severe PTSD who is hired to find Casey. The details of the murder aren’t adding up. But if she isn’t guilty, why did she run? Unraveling her past and the evidence that condemns her will take more time than he has.


My Review:
If I Run is a Christian suspense novel. It's the first part of an ongoing story, and it ended with very little resolved. There was a side mystery that's left with many questions unanswered. The main story progressed, yet the good guys can't prove anything despite past efforts by several smart people.

Both the hero and heroine were written as first person, present tense. Sometimes I'd lose track of who "I" was and become confused. I also felt like I was listening to a movie with the main character narrating her/his every move. "I'm at Pedro's Place..." or "I ask him [God]..." The characters felt distant because the reader didn't resided inside their heads.

That said, the underlying story was interesting. It was suspenseful due to the physical danger. The heroine was kind, friendly, and generally smart. She struggled between staying safe and doing the right thing when it might expose her. Due to the influence of Christian friends, she started praying to God even though she isn't a believer.

Dylan's main struggle was with his severe PTSD, and he assumed that anyone experiencing trauma gets life-long, severe PTSD. (Which isn't true, BTW.) His shrink used a treatment method that sounds like one I've read can actually make PTSD worse as it simply reinforces the trauma. No wonder he's struggling with his PTSD. Anyway, I don't understand why he never asked when Casey left work for her lunch hour. It's potentially an alibi considering the time of death was 10 a.m. (see pages 74, 75, 114). He noticed other, more subtle problems, but missed this one.

There was no sex or bad language. I've enjoyed novels by this author in the past, but I didn't like the new style she tried in this one.


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.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

COLD SHOT Sweepstakes

This giveaway starts February 16, 2016 and ends March 7, 2016 @ 11:59 pm (PST). Entry is open to US residents only, age 18 and over. Winners will be selected Tuesday, March 8, 2016. Go to: http://www.danipettrey.com/cold-shot-sweepstakes/ and complete the entry box, anytime between February 16 – March 7, 2016.

In COLD SHOT, the first book of author Dani Pettrey’s brand new Chesapeake Valor series, park ranger Griffin McCray and forensic anthropologist Finley Scott uncover buried remains near the Civil War battleground of Little Round Top. There’s only one problem: the bones aren’t Civil War-era.

Griffin just wants the case to go away, but when Finley discovers evidence pointing to the work of an expert sniper, the case connects them with FBI agent Declan Grey, and crime scene investigator Parker Mitchell, friends from a past Griffin’s tried to leave behind.

Soon the reunited friends realize they’ll need to confront the darkest days in their shared history if they–and those they care about–are going to escape a downward spiral of crime, danger, and murder.

To celebrate the launch of this exciting new series, Dani and Bethany House Publishers are pleased to present the COLD SHOT SWEEPSTAKES, and your chance to win one of three marvelous prizes, all closely connected to the story.

A Turn for the Bad by Sheila Connolly

A Turn for the Bad by Sheila Connolly ISBN-13: 9780425273425 Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: Feb. 2, 2016

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
After calling Ireland home for six months, Boston expat Maura Donovan still has a lot to learn about Irish ways—and Sullivan’s Pub is her classroom. Maura didn’t only inherit a business, she inherited a tight-knit community. And when a tragedy strikes, it’s the talk of the pub. A local farmer, out for a stroll on the beach with his young son, has mysteriously disappeared. Did he drown? Kill himself? The child can say only that he saw a boat.

Everyone from the local gardai to the Coast Guard is scouring the Cork coast, but when a body is finally brought ashore, it’s the wrong man. An accidental drowning or something more sinister? Her employee, Mick, thinks that the missing farmer might have run afoul of smugglers. The brother of the missing man asks Maura for help; he has information that he can't share with the police.


My Review:
A Turn for the Bad is a suspense novel. It's the fourth in a series, but you don't need to read the previous books to understand this one. This book spoiled some events from the previous novels, but not the whodunits.

The characters were interesting and realistic. The first half of the story developed various relationships and set things up for suspense of the second half. Maura discovers the probable location of the missing man, but she can't tell the police without putting his life in danger. She and her friends cook up a daring plan to save him. The suspense built up nicely due to the physical danger to those involved and the possibility that the police won't approve of their actions even if they pull it off.

There was no sex. There was some bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this novel.


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.

Broken Banners by Mark Gelineau, Joe King

Broken Banners by Mark Gelineau, Joe King ISBN-13: 9781944015084 ebook: 70 pages Publisher: Gelineau and King Released: Feb. 15, 2016

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description:
As a King’s Reaper, Elinor--and the engineers with her--pull down the unneeded stone keeps in the Marches. They also transfer power to a new lord when an old line dies.

Elinor has been ordered to take her engineers to join the Ninety-Fifth Pioneers at Height's Ward Keep. She expects to find power transferred and the keep demolished when she arrives, but instead she finds soldiers slaughtered and left unburied. The keep still stands and is held by the disinherited son of the old line along with a large band of fighters.

She has no soldiers in her command, but she can't leave the remaining soldiers of the Ninety-Fifth Pioneers as hostages. They will surely be killed if she leaves for no one else will be sent to challenge the new lord...


My Review:
Broken Banners is a heroic fantasy novella. It's the second story in a series, but it can be read as a stand-alone. It referred to several events in the first story, but it didn't spoil the details. I'd still recommend reading "A Reaper of Stone" before this one, though, because knowing what happened adds depth to this story.

Elinor is idealistic and courageous, and her friend Con fully believes in her ability to pull off her crazy, heroic schemes. Another old friend shows up in this story, and he's more complicated. Aldis' plans don't tend to turn out so well, and he's more interested in his own advancement than noble causes. He added a bit of uncertainty and intrigue to the story. The action was mainly a fight against impossible odds using cleverness, courage, and a bit of humor. Very satisfying.

There was a fair amount of bad language (cursing words). There was no sex. Overall, I'd recommend this story of courage to fans of heroic fantasy.


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.

Journey of the Heart by DiAnn Mills / Song of the Dove by Peggy Darty

Journey of the Heart by DiAnn Mills and Song of the Dove by Peggy Darty ISBN-13: 9781630586287 Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: Barbour Books Released: Feb. 1, 2016

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Travel along with Katie Colter as she leaves her Comanche home to join family at the white man’s fort. She leaves behind Lone Eagle, the warrior she was to marry, and tries to adapt to the life of her own people, learning about their strange God and befriending Sergeant Peyton Sinclair. But Lone Eagle won’t forget her, and Katie faces a hard choice. Also included is a bonus historical romance from author Peggy Darty.


My Review:
Journey of the Heart is a Christian historical set in 1857. It's about 192 pages long. The heroine obeys her father's wish for her to return to her relatives at the fort, but she doesn't want to leave the Indians. She's sad, but she tries to be thankful for the kindness shown to her. As time passes, she comes to understand why her father wanted her to return, but Lone Eagle isn't willing to let her go. There's a sense of threat from him that adds an underlying tension to the story. I enjoyed the characters. While there was a romance, the focus was more on the heroine's internal journey.

The Christian element is a major part of the story as Katie learns about God from her relatives. She learns to trust God and recognize that He's at work in her life. There was no sex or bad language.

Song of the Dove is a Christian historical romance set in Colorado in 1861, and it's about 128 pages long. Occasionally the language and behavior felt a little modern for the time period, but there were some interesting details about mission work among the Indians and the Civil War.

The heroine is the daughter of an Ute woman who was raped by a white man, and her mother left her with some white settlers to be raised. She doesn't know of her heritage until her true mother is dying and asks her brother to bring her daughter to her. It's the story of the heroine coming to terms with her mixed heritage, helped along by a handsome missionary. He also has one parent who was an Indian.

The Christian element was the heroine learning about God and finding a sense of secure identity in Him. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend both of these stories.


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.

Pride & Regicide by Cathy Bryant

Pride & Regicide by Cathy Bryant ISBN-13: 9781910510612 ebook: 90 pages Publisher: Crooked Cat Publishing Released: Sept. 29, 2015

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Miss King is dead, and it looks like murder. Three years after the events of Pride and Prejudice, Mary Bennet puts her formidable mind to work to solve the case along with the help of her best friend, Cassandra Lucas, and a nifty suspicion chart involving embroidery. Mary discovers secrets and scandals that may make her the murderer's next victim...


My Review:
Pride & Regicide is a Regency romance/mystery novella. It's set three years after Pride and Prejudice and contained many of the characters from that story, though not Lizzy and Darcy. Mary is still serious, but she's trying to give up moralizing. She puts herself down a lot as being foolish, and she now likes gossiping.

The mystery was pretty straight forward: Mary witnessed the murder, thought over who might benefit from the death, and read through Miss King's diary (at a relative's request) to discover why she was killed. She then set up a meeting with her suspect at the site of the murder without telling anyone what she found or was doing. So, okay, maybe Mary is foolish.

Whodunit and the motive for whodunit didn't mesh at all with my understanding of the characters from Pride and Prejudice. However, I did enjoy the story up until then as it was humorous. Mary had two men paying special attention to her, though she didn't quite believe either was truly interested in her romantically. There was no sex or bad language.


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 of a Lady by Anthony Wynne

Murder of a Lady by Anthony Wynne ISBN-13: 9781464205712 Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press Released: 1931; Feb. 2, 2016

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Duchlan Castle is a gloomy, forbidding place in the Scottish Highlands. Mary Gregor, sister of the laird of Duchlan, is found stabbed to death in her bedroom. The room is locked from within and the windows are barred. A silver fish scale is left on the terrible wound.

The Gregor family and their servants are quick to explain that Mary was a kind and charitable woman. Superstitious locals believe that fish creatures from the nearby waters are responsible. Amateur sleuth Eustace Hailey uncovers a more complex truth, and the cruel character of the dead woman continues to pervade the house after her death. Soon further deaths, equally impossible, occur, and the atmosphere grows ever darker.


My Review:
Murder of a Lady is a mystery novel set in Scotland and originally published in 1931. It's the amateur sleuth, Hailey, that's the main character and who solved the case. It's a "locked room" mystery that could potentially be solved in several ways. There were clues, and you could guess whodunit from the clues, but some critical clues weren't discovered until nearly the end.

I originally guessed something similar to what the second inspector concluded, and my solution still seems more plausible to me than the actual solution. Having worked with the murder weapon before, I think whodunit was extremely lucky that everything happened exactly right to get the desired end and that no one noticed that certain things went missing at the time of the crime.

The characters were more "types" of people or pieces of a puzzle than people to sympathize with or hate. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I still enjoyed reading the story and would recommend this 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.

Veiled at Midnight

Veiled at Midnight by Christine Lindsay ISBN-13: 9781939023261 Trade Paperback: 272 pages Publisher: WhiteFire Publishing Released: October 2014

Source: Review copy from the author.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
The 1947 Indian Independence and desire for Partition is causing riots across India. As the British Empire comes to an end, millions flee to the roads. Caught up in the turbulent wake is Captain Cam Fraser, his sister Miriam, and the beautiful Indian Dassah.

Cam has never been able to put Dassah from his mind, ever since the days when he played with the orphans at the mission as a boy. But a British officer and the aide to the last viceroy cannot marry a poor Indian woman, can he? Dassah may love Cam, but his actions break her heart and she runs away from him.

Miriam rails against the separation of the land of her birth, but is Lieutenant Colonel Jack Sunderland her soulmate or a distraction from what God has called her to do?


My Review:
Veiled at Midnight is a historical suspense novel set in 1946 to 1947 in India. It's the third in a series. You don't have to read the previous books to follow this one, but this book revealed major events from book one and how the romance turned out in book two.

The historical details about the 1947 Partition of India were interesting and added suspense as the characters repeatedly found themselves caught up in the violence and rioting. The characters were interesting, and several changed and grew throughout the book. Cam started out a mess and not very likable. He's obsessed with Dassah and is willing to marry her, but he's also an alcoholic and unwilling to stand up to the pressures that they'll face as a "mixed" marriage.

Tikah is convinced that Cam hasn't legally married Dassah and convinces Dassah to run away from Cam. Unable to find his wife and feeling guilt for letting her down, Cam hits rock bottom. His family is there to help, and God gives him strength to face his alcoholism and become a man worthy of Dassah. It's just a matter of finding her in the midst of upheaval while his rival is trying to win her heart.

I liked that God was an active part of the story by giving people strength and comfort. There were no sex scenes or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this historical novel.


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.

Ashes to Ashes by Mel Starr

Ashes to Ashes by Mel Starr ISBN-13: 9781782641339 Trade Paperback: 256 pages Publisher: Kregel Publications Released: November 27, 2015

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Master Hugh, Kate, and their children attend the Midsummer’s Eve fire. The next morning, tenants collecting the ashes to spread upon their fields find burned human bones. Hugh learns of several men of Bampton and nearby villages who have gone missing recently. Most are soon found, some alive, some dead. But one remains missing, and he was a very unpopular man...


My Review:
Ashes to Ashes is a historical novel set in 1369 in England. It's the 8th book in a series, but you don't need to read the previous novels to understand this one. This novel referred to events from previous novels.

The story contained many details about life during this time period, and these details were worked into the flow of the story. The story was told from a distant viewpoint. We're told what Hugh thought and did like he's telling us the story after the events. The characters were interesting and varied.

Hugh's not clever, but he's determined. He steadily followed up each lead and stuck to his investigation even when it got dangerous. There were plenty of clues, but the difficulty lay in proving things. Some suspense came from physical danger to Hugh and to those who could tell him the information he needed to prove whodunit and why.

The Christian element was mainly in Hugh's internal debate about if it was worth pushing for truth and justice when it's so dangerous to his health. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting historical novel.


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.