Protecting His Secret Son by Laura Scott

Protecting His Secret Son by Laura Scott ISBN-13: 9781335231901 Paperback: 224 pages Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense Released: Feb. 5, 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
It's a shock to private investigator Mike Callahan to see Shayla O'Hare again, and with a child in tow--especially with shots flying her way. Protecting the pair must take priority over their tangled past. Is she being targeted for her family's crimes--including possibly killing Mike's father? And what will Mike do when he realizes her son is actually his son, too?


My Review:
Protecting His Secret Son is a Christian romantic suspense novel. It's the sixth in a series, but you can understand this book without reading the previous ones.

The romantic pair have a past: they slept together once, got engaged, then Mike accused her family of being involved with the people who killed his father. She left and didn't try too hard to let him know that she was pregnant with his son. Now she's back to visit her father, and someone starts shooting at her. Mike protects her while trying to figure out who is behind his father's death and why they're after Shayla. The secret comes out that he's the father of her son. He wants to be involved in his son's life, but she's still not feeling too cozy toward a man whom she thinks still believes her father and brother are corrupt. I liked the characters, and the Callahan brother finally solve their father's murder.

Both characters prayed to God for protection. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this suspenseful 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.

CrossFire by Jeanette Windle

CrossFire by Jeanette Windle ISBN-13: 9780825441431 Paperback: 617 pages Publisher: Kregel Publications Released: Aug. 26, 2009

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Following a whirlwind romance and impromptu wedding, Sara is whisked off to her husband's palatial family estate in Bolivia. Cultural differences and family adjustments are no match for her fierce love for Nicolas. But Sara soon opens a Pandora's box of questions surrounding the Cortez family's billion-dollar business, becoming ensnared in a deadly clash between her new family, a drug cartel, and the DEA.


My Review:
CrossFire is a Christian suspense novel. The first third of the book was setting everything up: a young gal longing for a loving family (since hers has died) has a whirlwind romance and marries a man from Bolivia. They return to his home, and she's shocked to realize how rich his family is. She accepts the lies that he tells her about his family because she wants it to be true, but soon she realizes that the family business is being used to smuggle cocaine into other countries. Through an English-speaking missionary church, she knows a DEA agent who has offered to help her if she ever needs it.

By about halfway through, she really, really needs help. She's gotten on the wrong side of powerful people determined to contain any damage she might do to them. She's brave, has integrity, and can think on her feet when she has to, so she manages to stay alive despite everything. The DEA agent is a kind and determined fellow who helps as much as he can.

The story is exciting and suspenseful, but I think I would have liked it better if it was a little shorter. We learn a lot about Bolivia and the drug situation there, and these details are what I like about this author's books. However, even right in the middle of suspenseful situations, we get these long lectures about things like what each character thinks about cocaine and how they justify their actions. A lot of this was repetitive, so it didn't add to my understanding of the situation and slowed the scenes.

Sara feels like God is a remote, uncaring deity to allow so much suffering to happen to her family. By the end, she can see how God has been using events to bring about a positive end and has a stronger sense that God personally cares about her. There was no sex scenes or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting 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.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

From Ash and Stone by Julie Daines

From Ash and Stone by Julie Daines ISBN-13: 9781524407469 Paperback: 240 pages Publisher: Covenant Communications Released: Dec. 1, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Lady Margaret Grey of Hartfell was the daughter of a knight with a loving family, wealth, and even a secret romance with the blacksmith's son. But all that was torn from her one fateful night when her home was attacked and her family killed. She escaped but only after a head injury leaves her with a strange and mysterious curse that allows her to feel the thoughts of anyone who touches her.

Now, after six years away, Margaret is returning home for one reason: revenge. She hopes that by avenging her family's deaths, she will somehow be freed from her curse. But the identities of the raiders are still unknown, she has little left to her name, and traveling alone in the Northumbrian hills during the border wars is dangerous. Matters are further complicated by handsome Angus Robson, a Scotsman whose charm threatens to distract her from her plans. Margaret soon realizes that what she believed to be a curse may be the key to finding those she seeks. One touch will reveal the truth.


My Review:
From Ash and Stone is a romance set in 1543 along the border of England and Scotland during the border wars. Margaret's family died in one of the raids common at that time, and she's left with the curse that every time she touches her bare skin to someone else's bare skin, she knows their thoughts but she's left with a bad headache. She wears gloves and avoids human touch, which has left her lonely and miserable. She decides to use the curse to discover who killed her family in the hopes that killing their murderer will lift the curse. And if she dies, at least she will be with her family again.

Two kind and caring neighbors, Angus Robson and his brother, help her with things like food and their watchful protection. She rejects their help and asks them to leave her alone, but their continued kindnesses slowly work on her heart. She cannot marry with her curse, so she's even more determined to get her revenge. Yet Angus repeatedly tries to stop her in order to save her life.

The characters were complex and likable, and I cared about what happened to them. The story was interesting and showed what life was like in the area at the time. The romance develops slowly. The two challenged each other to become better people and find healing from past hurts. There was no sex or 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.

And Death Came Too by Richard Hull

And Death Came Too by Richard Hull ISBN-13: 9781912194995 ebook: 221 pages Publisher: Agora Books Released: Jan. 17, 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
After three nights of celebration in the humid heat of August, four friends weigh up a very particular request to visit Y Bryn House. Tired and restless, they begrudgingly accept the invitation. But upon their arrival, their host is no where to be seen. A man plays an odd game of solitaire, a strange woman wafts in and out of the room before fleeing out of the back door. Becoming all the more concerned for their host’s welfare, their worst suspicions are confirmed when a police constable saunters in, has a drink, and announces that Mr Yeldham has been found stabbed next to a lit fireplace. Who had the motive and means to kill Yeldham?

And Death Came Too is another golden age mystery from the sardonic and sly Richard Hull. Master of the inverted mystery, here he weaves a true-to-style, classic whodunnit.


My Review:
And Death Came Too is a mystery originally published in 1939. The characters were interesting, but this was mainly a puzzle mystery with a focus on sorting out the clues. There are basically eight suspects to the murder, and each had either a motive or the means. The trick is to discover who had access to both the weapon and the man and a motive worthy of murder. The detective worked slowly, but he carefully collected information and sorted out what it meant. People withheld information or messed with the evidence, making the detective's job more difficult. The reader has more information than the detective, so it's possible to guess whodunit a little before the detective.

There was no sex. There were only a few uses of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this twisty 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 Gem Thief by Sian Ann Bessey

The Gem Thief by Sian Ann Bessey ISBN-13: 9781524407735 Paperback: 267 pages Publisher: Covenant Communications Released: Nov. 1, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Gracie Miller is a small-town girl who has landed her dream job in New York City. As jewelry designer for one of the most prestigious jewelers in the world, she completed a particularly stunning piece, a custom setting for a large pink diamond. But when her billionaire client Mrs. Katsaros comes to repair a minor issue with the setting, Gracie is horrified to realize it is not the ring she created. Someone has forged her design, and the priceless diamond is gone.

Mrs. Katsaros has no desire to bring media attention to the jewelry heist, so she recruits her nephew, Quinn, and his FBI agent friend, Steve, to do some sleuthing off the record. When they discover that the missing ring is just one of many forgeries in the widow's collection, they look to Gracie for help. They need her to act the part of Quinn's fiancée. From New York to the shimmering islands of the Mediterranean, amid the search for the elusive thief, she and Quinn find themselves increasingly distracted by their growing feelings for each other.


My Review:
The Gem Thief is a romance with a mystery. Gracie is a jewelry designer who spots that one of her unique designs has been forged and the original piece stolen. The owner of the missing jewelry asked her nephew (Quinn) and his FBI agent friend to discreetly discover who did this. They asked Gracie to check the woman's other jewelry, only to discover that the last three pieces that were bought in Venice have been forged and stolen. They asked Gracie to pose as Quinn's fiancée and accompany them to the yearly jewelry show where those pieces were bought. She regularly checked the newly bought pieces to identify when they were switched out.

Quinn and Gracie spent a lot of time together and started to fall in love while at the jewelry show and on the Mediterranean cruise afterward. They encouraged and supported each other, but Gracie's convinced that Quinn has only fallen in love with her due to the ambience and their acting engaged. Gracie, Quinn, and his FBI friend work together to spot potential bad guys and uncover just how the jewelry is being forged and switched out. It was an interesting mystery and an enjoyable romance. The main characters were all very kind and likable people. Gracie and Quinn are well suited to each other and built each other up. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable mix of romance and 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.

All the Tears in China by Sulari Gentill

All the Tears in China by Sulari Gentill ISBN-13: 9781925700053 Paperback: 378 pages Publisher: Pantera Press Released: Jan. 21, 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Shanghai in 1935 is a 20th century Babylon, an expatriate playground where fortunes are made and lost, where East and West collide, and the stakes include life itself. Into this cultural melting pot, Rowland Sinclair arrives from Sydney to represent his brother at international wool negotiations. The black sheep of the family, Rowland is under strict instructions to commit to nothing. A brutal murder makes that difficult.

As suspicion falls on him, Rowland enters a desperate bid to find answers in a city ruled by taipans and tycoons, where politics and vice are entwined with commerce, and where the only people he can truly trust are an artist, a poet and a free-spirited sculptress.


My Review:
All the Tears in China is a mystery set in 1935 in Australia and Shanghai. This is the ninth novel in a series. This story referred back to events that happened in previous books, but it can be read as a standalone novel. This book did not spoil the whodunits of the previous mysteries. The main characters were interesting, caring people. Interesting historical details were woven into the the story.

Rowland Sinclair is sent to Shanghai to represent the family in a wool deal with the Japanese. He supposed to keep good relations while not committing to any deal. Of course, he's not willing to play nice with the Japanese once he realizes they're friends with the Germans. They don't take his attitude well. Also, someone makes it look like Rowland murdered a Russian woman who claimed to be one of the royal family in exile. He has to clear his name of murder before returning home.

He and his friends search for clues as to who may have wanted to kill the woman. They pass the information they find on to the detective, who clearly wants to put him in jail. Rowland's life is in danger, so they must solve the mystery as soon as possible. I strongly suspected two people of being the murderer, and it became clear which it was by that character's behavior at the end. The main characters took a little longer to figure it out. Of course, it ends with an exciting, suspenseful race to save Rowland's life.

There was some bad language (if you're American) to a fair amount of bad language (if you count British/Australia bad words). There were no sex scenes. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting, suspenseful 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.

Secrets at Cedar Cabin by Colleen Coble

Secrets at Cedar Cabin by Colleen Coble ISBN-13: 9780718085865 Hardcover: 352 pages Publisher: Thomas Nelson Released: Jan. 22, 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Running for her life in the wake of her mother’s murder, Bailey Fleming escapes to the only place she can think of—a remote, dilapidated cabin in Lavender Tides. Intending to finally get to the truth behind the lies of her past, Bailey only finds more questions when bodies are discovered near her cabin hideout along with traces of a dangerous human trafficking ring. In an unlikely partnership with FBI agent Lance Phoenix, Bailey races to find the truth before the murderer tracks her down.

Meanwhile, Lance is determined to rescue his sister, Ava, who was abducted after running away from home as a teenager. An unexpected lead brings him to the remote cabin, and he wonders if Bailey—with her suspicious past and strange connections to his sister’s case—is really who she claims to be.


My Review:
Secrets at Cedar Cabin is a Christian romantic suspense novel. It's the third book in the series. While it can work as a stand-alone novel, the main characters from the previous books play a fairly large role in the current suspense story.

FBI agent Lance works to end human trafficking operations in his efforts to find his missing sister. Bailey's mother has been on the run Bailey's whole life, and now she's been murdered and Bailey shot at. The suspense came from the repeated attempts to kill or kidnap Bailey and the danger that Lance's sister was in as a high-class slave prostitute. The characters were engaging and acted realistically. I cared about what happened to them. Bailey struggled with trusting others because of all the lies that she's been told by the people she loved, but she's still very kind in how she interacts with others (especially elderly people).

The main characters prayed a couple "God, help me" type prayers. There were no sex scenes 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.