Yesterday's Tides by Roseanna M. White

Yesterday's Tides
by Roseanna M. White

ISBN-13: 9780764240010
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Released: January 24th 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In 1942, Evie Farrow is used to life on Ocracoke Island, where every day is the same--until the German U-boats haunting their waters begin to wreak havoc. And when special agent Sterling Bertrand is washed ashore at Evie's inn, her life is turned upside down. While Sterling's injuries keep him inn-bound for weeks, making him even more anxious about the man he's tracking, he becomes increasingly intrigued by Evie, who seems to be hiding secrets of her own.

Decades earlier, in 1914, Englishman Remington Culbreth arrives at the Ocracoke Inn for the summer, but he doesn't count on falling in love with Louisa Adair, the innkeeper's daughter. When war breaks out in Europe, and their relationship is put in jeopardy, will their love survive?

As Evie and Sterling work to track down an elusive German agent, they unravel a story that goes back a generation. The ripples from the Great War are still rocking their lives, and it seems yesterday's tides may sweep them all into danger again today.


My Review:
Yesterday's Tides is a Christian historical set in 1914 and 1942 on Ocracoke Island in America. Both timelines have a full story, but the mystery of the 1942 timeline was about the identity of Evie's parents. Since everyone seemed to be her grandma, aunt, or uncle (even when we knew those characters weren't related), it was sometimes difficult to sort out who was related to whom in what way. Still, you could follow the basic stories just fine.

In 1914, Louisa was poor, did the inn's handyman work, and wasn't sure if she had a black grandma. Remington's rich and visiting on a vacation, but he's intrigued by the beautiful, skilled Louisa. He knew that her ancestry and social status would make it hard for her to fit into his world, but he's attracted to her personality and character. She's also attracted to him, but his relatives will go to cruel lengths to keep them apart. As WWI begins, the war also threatens to separate loved ones.

In 1942, Evie lived in America but helped the British crack enemy codes by using the local Coast Guard telegraph for communication. When British spy Sterling survives a U-boat attack and washes up on her beach, she helped keep his secret and nurse him back to health. She agreed to help him track down an enemy spy (though they spent little time actually doing that). While Evie's willing to answer any of Sterling's questions about her life and past, he's determined to poke around instead and piece together clues until he can figure it out. When the Coast Guard brought Evie coded telegrams, he suddenly suspected her of being an enemy spy...who somehow managed to fool every local resident and Coast Guard into trusting her yet also was the Worst Spy Ever in terms of keeping her "enemy" telegram communications a secret. His belief that she was an enemy when all her actions pointed toward her being an ally made no sense.

Overall, though, the stories were suspenseful as the dangers of two World Wars and relationship tensions stressed the characters. I understood why Remington and Louisa were attracted, though Evie and Sterling seemed more like mild friends until suddenly they realized they loved each other. The characters trusted in God through difficult circumstances. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable historical.


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.

What Happens Next by Christina Suzann Nelson

What Happens Next
by Christina Suzann Nelson

ISBN-13: 9780764240409
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Released: January 17th 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
Popular podcaster and ex-reporter Faith Byrne made a name for herself telling stories of greatness after tragedy--but her real life does not mirror the stories she tells. While her daughters spend the summer in Hawaii with her ex-husband and his new wife, she must manage life on her own. All of that changes when she's asked to spotlight her childhood best friend's missing person case on her podcast.

Dora Crane has never accepted that her younger daughter could be dead, keeping her home looking the same as when her daughter disappeared. But when her husband leaves her and her older daughter intervenes, she agrees to counseling and to pack up her missing daughter's belongings under one condition: Faith Byrne comes to Deep Valley and sheds light on the cold case.

As the long-abandoned investigation moves forward, old wounds and long-buried secrets are exposed. Will these two women, whose lives have never been the same, finally get the answers they need to reconcile the past and the future?


My Review:
What Happens Next is a Christian general fiction with a mystery set in two times. There were several point-of-view characters: The missing girl's viewpoint set in 1987 mostly showed how life was changing for a ten-year-old and the people around her. It's not until the end that the reader can pick up clues about what happened to her and then learn exactly what happened. In the present day, Faith dealt with her life changing in painful and unexpected ways while looking into a summer that ended so badly for her family. In helping to find answers to what happened to her friend, she also found answers to things that were going on with her family at the time. We also got Dora's viewpoint, the grieving mother who can't move on from the pain. She finally moved toward healing as Faith searched for answers.

It's not until the second half of the story that the general fiction feel turned a bit more into a mystery as clues were found and the truth finally unearthed. Despite the hard topic, the story didn't have a depressing feel. Even Dora still had hope, and the others had found some healing. The main characters were well-developed, complex people that acted in realistic ways. There was a Christian element woven into the story, like the 10-year-old girls being surprised that the boy didn't know how to pray before eating and one of the girls repeating a dinnertime prayer said at her home. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this meaningful story about healing from the many types of grief encountered throughout life.


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.

Alaskan Mountain Search by Sarah Varland

Alaskan Mountain Search
by Sarah Varland

ISBN-13: 9781335587503
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
Released: January 24th 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In the Alaskan wilderness, police captain Bre Dayton needs to track a serial killer and she asks one-time close friend, K9 search and rescue worker Griffin Knight. With her niece missing and possibly kidnapped, Bre has to find the murderer known as the Echo Pass Hunter—fast. Even if it means trusting the man who broke her heart…and putting herself in the killer’s crosshairs.


My Review:
Alaskan Mountain Search is a Christian romantic suspense. Griffin blames himself for the death of a woman he was trying to save. He saw her right before a human-triggered avalanche buried her. He wasn't as careful as he should have been so is sure he caused the avalanche. He refuses to do a search and rescue again (or be there for his long-time friend Bre) because he's sure he'll mess up so badly that it's better to hurt others by withdrawing his help than by chancing failure. Bre's life has been full of people leaving her, so it's not surprising to her that Griffin abandoned her when she needed him. But the last family she has left, her niece, is missing and probably the victim of a serial killer. She pesters Griffin to help her until he agrees. As they work together, both come to realize just how insecure the other feels.

Bre respects Griffin's knowledge of how to use K9s for searching while Griffin clearly respects Bre's knowledge and skill as a cop. So it seems like they ought to be a good match in terms of long friendship and mutual attraction and respect. It just saddens me that Bre isn't interested in any man except for the one who doesn't like to open up about what's bothering him and so leaves her baffled by why he keeps leaving her feeling abandoned. They do start working through these issues and improving their communication. It's: run from the killer, then work through their issues while forced to spend time together, repeat.

Bre didn't believe in God because of all the brokenness she's seen in the world. Griffin tried to explain why he still believed in a good, powerful God despite living in a broken world. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable romantic suspense.


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.

Kidnapped in Texas by Virginia Vaughan

Kidnapped in Texas
by Virginia Vaughan

ISBN-13: 9781335587534
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
Released: January 24th 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
After witnessing an abduction, FBI agent Luke Harmon vows to return the teenage victim safely to her aunt, his ex, Abby Mitchell. But Abby has a secret—the girl is their daughter. To rescue his child from a human trafficking ring, he’ll partner with the woman who deceived him. But can he forgive the past before Abby becomes the next target…and his family is lost forever?


My Review:
Kidnapped in Texas is a Christian romantic suspense novel. I liked that Luke and Abby had genuine issues to work through before they could work as a couple. Abby grew up looking out for herself and wanting to be in control. Luke grew up in a situation that left him unforgiving and doubtful about a good God. When Luke learned that Abby didn't tell him about their having a daughter (who was just kidnapped), the trust from their childhood friendship was broken.

Luke accused Abby of not trusting him. He's skilled at working abduction cases, but when Abby didn't see immediate progress, she investigated on her own with mixed results along with increased danger. She came to realize that she didn't really trust Luke (or God) though she cared about him. Luke still cared about Abby but wasn't sure that love was enough for a relationship to thrive without more trust between them. He had to come to value this second chance more than holding on to his anger. This relational conflict continued between the two until nearly the end, so I thought resolving these issues might come too abruptly. However, it worked out believably.

I liked that Abby could think quickly in an emergency. She was often able to rescue herself and others from a burning house and the other suspenseful encounters with the bad guys. Luke tended to show up at just the right moment to help, so he still was a rescuing hero. Abby learned to trust God (rather than feeling like it all came down to her), and Luke learned to give and accept forgiveness. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable romantic suspense.


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.

Hearts of Steel by Elizabeth Camden

Hearts of Steel
by Elizabeth Camden

ISBN-13: 9780764238451
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Released: January 17th 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Maggie Molinaro survived a hardscrabble childhood in the downtrodden streets of Manhattan to become a successful businesswoman. After a decade of sacrifice, she now owns a celebrated ice cream company, but when she offends a corrupt banker, she unwittingly sets off a series of calamities that threaten to destroy her life's work.

Liam Blackstone was once a common laborer but is now on the board of US Steel, committed to overhauling factory conditions for the steelworkers of America. Standing in his way is the same villain determined to ruin Maggie. What begins as a practical alliance to defeat a common enemy soon evolves into a romance between two wounded people determined to beat the odds.

A spiraling circle of treachery grows increasingly dangerous as Liam and Maggie risk their positions for the good of the city. It will require all their wit and ingenuity to navigate the dangerous waters ahead, and their crusade could cost them everything.


My Review:
Hearts of Steel is a romance set in 1902 in America. I keep reading this author's novels because she brings the time period alive in my imagination. The historical details were woven into the story and events from that time impact and motivate those in the story. It's very suspenseful, too. However, I felt so frustrated with the main characters. While they were complex and realistic, they didn't really grow as people.

I loved Maggie's strength of character to keep on working to recover when facing setbacks and her willingness to stand against an evil, powerful man and to sacrifice for the betterment of others. However, Maggie was careful with money to the point of being very frugal. Money made her feel secure. Money and how it's spent became a source of conflict in Maggie and Liam's relationship. Liam assumed she was interested in him because of his money, so she's careful not to ask money from him even when he offered that help. But it's also a pride issue. Look at what SHE did through her own hard work! At the end, she finally accepted some money offered as a gift, but she just couldn't enjoy what that money bought so she demanded that the person allow her to pay it back as a loan. Frankly, I assume Maggie and Liam will be fighting over each other's spending habits for the rest of their lives.

You don't need to read the previous novels to understand this one, but they'd help you to understand Liam. I liked Liam better in the previous two books, where he made a real effort to do what it took to gain his goal of helping others even when it was hard for him to make changes. In this book, he's single-minded in his desire to get revenge on his rival. Helping others was done mainly so he could look better than his rival. He used other people (including Maggie). He demanded things be on his terms even to the point of pushing Maggie to eat expensive food when she had good reason to not want to. He never did learn to tame his quick temper and even admitted that he didn't want to (despite the potential consequences) because it felt good. In the end, he only stopped pursuing his vengeance because family members forced him to stop.

Maggie sometimes prayed the rosary. Liam didn't believe in God but started reading his father's Bible. Liam had a moment when he realized that he did good things for the wrong reasons and liked how he felt when bullying his enemies. Maggie immediately told him that "You need to stop thinking of yourself as a bad person....you've been trying to do the right thing....Sometimes you will stumble, but you always pick yourself up and try again, and that's all God asks of you." No mention of Jesus or of confessing sin to God or of asking God for help. 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.

A Mark of Grace by Kimberley Woodhouse

A Mark of Grace
by Kimberley Woodhouse

ISBN-13: 9780764238024
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Bethany House
Released: January 1st 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Ruth Anniston survived an injury that left her physically scarred, broken, and angry at God. Now she works behind the scenes as a supervisor at the El Tovar Hotel, hidden away from curious eyes. When money begins to disappear from the hotel, Ruth's entire livelihood is put at risk.

Frank Henderson has at last succeeded in obtaining his dream job as the head chef at the El Tovar. But with the continuing thefts at the hotel, and his growing affection for Ruth, Frank's career--and his heart--are in jeopardy. As tensions run high, Ruth and Frank must work together to save the El Tovar and forge a new path for the future together


My Review:
A Mark of Grace is a Christian romance set in 1909 at the Grand Canyon. This is the third book in the series. You can understand this book without reading the previous stories, but these characters exist in the previous novels so you'll better understand them if you read the series in order.

Historical details about what the Grand Canyon and the Harvey Girls were like at that time were woven into the story and brought the story to life. The main characters were complex, likable, and reacted realistically to events. Someone's trying to ruin the El Tovar's reputation, which would cause Ruth and Frank to lose their dream jobs. They're the only ones that their boss trusts enough to help solve who's involved.

Ruth didn't think she cared that she was beautiful until scars marred her face and limited her ability to walk smoothly. Now she won't believe Frank that her facial scars have healed to barely visible and that she's beautiful inside and out to him. She allowed bitterness to fester inside and pride to isolate her, so she's an easy mark when a fancy conman offered her expensive remedies to fix the scarring. Frank did what he could to encourage and help her. He wanted her to understand that she can chose to view her scars as marks of God's grace in that she lived.

Ruth and Frank were both believers who read the Bible. Frank pointed out how Jesus has scars from the cross and isn't ashamed of them. Ruth got her scars when saving another's life. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I recommend this enjoyable historical romance.


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.

Dark of Night by Colleen Coble

Dark of Night
by Colleen Coble

ISBN-13: 9780785253747
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Released: January 10th 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
As if the last few months haven’t been hard enough—complete with threats on her life and the return of her first love, Jon—Annie has to figure out whether or not to believe a woman who claims to be her sister, Sarah, who was abducted twenty-four years ago at age five. Annie’s eight-year-old daughter, Kylie, has plenty of questions about what’s going on in her mother’s life—but there are some stones Annie doesn’t want uncovered.

As Annie grapples with how to heal the gulf between her and her would-be sister and make room in her daughter’s life for Jon, she’s professionally distracted by the case of yet another missing hiker in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. A woman named Michelle Fraser has now been abducted, and though the woman’s estranged husband is at the top of their suspect list, Annie and her colleagues will need to dig deeper and determine whether these recent mysteries are truly as unrelated as they seem.


My Review:
Dark of Night is a romantic suspense novel. It's the second book in a series and a direct continuation of the previous novel, so it's best to read them in order. There were a number of threads to the story: how to get Kylie to warm up to Jon, especially as they need to tell her something that'll be hard for her to accept. How to deal with the bitter woman who claims to be Annie's sister, especially as she blames Annie for not stopping the abduction when they were both young kids. Finally, a woman has gone missing in the woods and several injured women turn up in the woods along the way as they search for her.

Annie investigated who might have motive to harm the missing woman and where she might be now. Annie asked good questions, and Jon did a better job of helping her on occasion (rather than not passing on some potentially useful information like in the previous novel). As Jon and Annie spent time together, they learned to deal with conflict in a better way than in the past. Jon did his best to show love and understanding toward Kylie so she didn't feel so threaten by his love for her mother. They confirmed if the woman is Annie's sister and struggled with how to show her love when they don't really trust her.

The suspense came from the danger to them and others, and we got the missing woman's point of view as she's injured but struggling to get free. The Christian message was trusting God when you get bad news. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this exciting 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.

Last Seen in Santorini by Vivian Conroy

Last Seen in Santorini
by Vivian Conroy

ISBN-13: 9780008549268
ebook: 328 pages
Publisher: One More Chapter
Released: January 6, 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Miss Atalanta Ashford is sightseeing near Venice when a mysterious veiled lady approaches her with the urgent request to look into her daughter's mysterious death on the idyllic Greek island of Santorini. Whilst working as a companion for the eminent Bucardi family, the unfortunate girl took a plunge from the dramatic cliffs during a walk alone. But is all as it seems?

Sailing to Santorini and going undercover as the new companion, Miss Ashford soon discovers that her client hasn't told her the full truth. Someone is watching her. Now she must unravel the mystery and prevent the breathtaking azure sea views from becoming the last she too will ever see.


My Review:
Last Seen in Santorini is a mystery set in 1930 in Venice and Santorini. This is the second book in a series. You can understand it without reading the first book, and this book didn't spoil the mystery of the previous book. Frankly, I kept forgetting that this was a historical as it could have happened in modern day. Even the setting was only briefly described as most of the action happened at the Bucardi house.

After solving one case, Atalanta now felt very confident that her logic could solve any case. She avoided requesting information and advice from her staff or her grandfather (through his letters), which was disappointing as I liked their involvement in the first case. She agreed to the racecar driver going with her to keep her safe, yet she still didn't trust him. He challenged her assumptions when she shared her ideas, but she didn't share everything with him. She was more interested in poking her nose into his past than in realizing that blackmail could be done based on what someone in power might believe, whether true or not.

She spent more time asking herself questions about the crime than in finding answers. She went over the same scenarios again and again in her thoughts, getting stuck on certain assumptions. Basically, she frustrated me, though she was generally likable. Still, there were enough clues that I had no trouble figuring out how the second murder happened and who was most likely to have done it. Further clues only confirmed my guess. I didn't even have trouble guessing the truth about the boy. Atalanta probably wouldn't have figured it out before the reveal if she hadn't finally read some advice from her grandfather. 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.

Secret of the Sonnets by Samantha Hastings

Secret of the Sonnets
by Samantha Hastings

ISBN-13: 9781524419585
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Released: January 2nd 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Miranda Hatch is a scholar, and at the advanced age of twenty-six, she is undoubtedly a spinster. Her single-minded ambition leads her not to seek a husband but to find the lost manuscripts of William Shakespeare. So when she discovers a connection between the Bard and the local dashing marquess, she pens a letter requesting access to papers that might secure her academic triumph.

Lord Robert Hamilton is drowning in debt and must turn things around or risk losing his ancestral home. With the weight of the world on his shoulders, he has little time to bother with a letter from an M. Hatch requesting access to ancestral papers―until he realizes there may be some financial gain in it for him. To his great surprise, M. Hatch turns out to be none other than the lovely Miss Miranda. The pair soon embarks on the trail of a centuries-old mystery, drawn together not only by their shared goal but by their growing attraction. However, someone else is seeking the priceless papers, and they will not hesitate to remove anyone in the way of glory.


My Review:
Secret of the Sonnets is a romance set in 1812 in England. Miranda loves literature and is a scholar with ambitions of finding original documents written or signed by Shakespeare. Robert has inherited a crushing load of debt from his father and sees no way to pay back so much debt...especially as his family continues to spend his money so freely. They suggest he engage in a loveless marriage with an heiress, but he's intrigued by a letter from Miranda. She thinks he may have a document with Shakespeare's signature if he'll search for it. It'd sell for enough to help pay back his debts. Though they have different interests and backgrounds, they're attracted to each other.

The main characters were engaging and reacted realistically to events. Though they didn't share many interests, Robert started reading more to understand the quotes that Miranda and her father tossed around in their lively banter. She's terrified of horses but gamely allowed Robert to not only drive her around but even teach her a bit about driving his beloved horses. They supported each other during their adventurous search for the valuable Shakespeare signature. I cared about what happened to them and wanted them to marry. There was no bad language or sex scenes. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable historical romance.


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.

Critical Threat by Lynette Eason

Critical Threat
by Lynette Eason

ISBN-13: 9780800737344
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Revell
Released: January 3rd 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
FBI Special Agent Grace Billingsley tracks serial killers, using her skills as a psychiatrist and behavioral analyst to get dangerous people off the street and safely behind bars. But prison psychiatrist Sam Monroe knows that just because a killer is incarcerated doesn't mean they're not a threat. His own father, Peter, is a serial killer--in prison but certainly not out of Sam's life, as much as he wishes he was.

When bodies start showing up with Peter's MO, Sam and Grace are both called in to consult. They've met before--and though Grace thought they'd made a real connection, Sam ghosted her. They'll have to get past the awkwardness to solve this case--especially because it's about to get personal.


My Review:
Critical Threat is a romantic suspense. This is the 3rd novel in a series, but it works as a stand alone novel. Grace went through a rebellious period as a teenager and introduced her brother to weed. Now he's a drug addict. She and her parents blame her for his getting started with drugs. She had to deal with this issue while she worked on the serial killer case by viewing the crime scenes and interviewing people to create a profile. Sam was brought in because of similarities to the killings his father committed; is his father somehow involved despite being in prison?

The main characters were engaging, complex, capable, and reacted realistically to events. They had personal issues to deal with in addition to helping narrow down who was the killer. The suspense was high throughout as not only were more women potentially in danger from the killer but Grace was repeatedly assaulted by the killer. He was obsessed with what she said to him (too quietly for him to hear) when she found a recording device at a crime scene. I always appreciate when the female main characters actively contribute toward their own rescue or the rescue of others, and Grace was good at this while still appreciative of help from Sam and her teammates. Grace and Sam enjoyed spending time together and respected each other.

The Christian element was about forgiveness. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this exciting story.


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.