Sunday, June 13, 2021

Dark Threat by Kimberly Rose Johnson (Protection Inc. Book 4)

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?

Click here to get your copy!

My Review:

What a riveting and fractionating story! I could tell from the start that the author had done a lot of work on this book. It shows, and it made it so in-depth and real. I didn't want to stop reading. Between the art work, the Agency, the characters, twists and general suspense; I was so pleasantly surprised with this story. You don't have to read the other books, this one will stand alone quite well, but it will make you want to read them all. The mystery and suspense were just balanced so well with the romance and the depth and realistic things happening in this book. Faith was present also.

5 Stars

About the Author My Review:

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.

You can sign up for Kimberly’s newsletter via her website at: https://kimberlyrjohnson.com/

More from Kimberly

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!

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, June 12

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 12

Texas Book-aholic, June 13

Blogging With Carol, June 13

Inklings and notions, June 14

Blossoms and Blessings, June 14

For Him and My Family, June 15

Bizwings Blog, June 15

deb’s Book Review, June 16

The Sacred Line, June 16

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 17

CarpeDiem, June 17

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, June 18

Betti Mace, June 18

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, June 19

Bigreadersite, June 19

Mypreciousbitsandmusings, June 20

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, June 20

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, June 21

Daysong Reflections, June 21

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, June 22

HookMeInABook, June 22

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 23

Kayem Reads , June 23

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 24

Worthy2Read, June 24

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, June 25 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, June 25

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Kimberly is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/10d55/dark-threat-celebration-tour-giveaway

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

Witten Off by Barbara Cornthwaite (Wilkester Mysteries 3)

About the Book

Book: Written Off

Author: Barbara Cornthwaite

Genre: Christian Cozy Mystery

Release date: May 2021

“Break a leg?” They’ll be lucky if they don’t all break their necks!

After years of waiting, Katrina finally has her happily ever after. All is right with her world . . . until hate crimes begin happening in the charming college town of Wilkester. Even more disturbing is the fact that the perpetrator seems to be connected with the writing class Katrina teaches. How can she prevent her rosy visions of the future from turning into broken dreams?

Find out in this third book of the Wilkester Mysteries.

Click here to get your copy!

My Review:

I feel like this book is really different from the first two books in this series. There's not a murder, it's a kind of a mystery, but more so it's all about a "hot topic" for Katrina to deal with. This was disappointing to me. I do appreciate the Christian view point, greatly. This huge change didn't make it a bad read, it just didn't fit with my expectations of what I had hoped for in the third book. I think I would have preferred a book on racism in a different series.

3 Stars

About the Author

Barbara Cornthwaite lives in the middle of Ireland with her husband and children. She taught college English before “retiring” to do something she loves far more; her days are now filled with homeschooling her six children, trying to keep the house tidy (a losing battle), and trying to stay warm in the damp Irish climate (also a losing battle). She is surrounded by medieval castles, picturesque flocks of sheep, and ancient stone monuments. These things are unappreciated by her children, who are more impressed by traffic jams, skyscrapers, and hot weather.

More from Barbara

What Kind of Lessons Could a Mystery Possibly Teach Me?

It’s been a couple decades since I taught a college English class, and writing the Wilkester Mysteries with Professor Katrina Peters as the main character brought back happy memories of teaching. Not enough to want to go back to it—homeschooling my own kids is much more rewarding—but enough that I had to stop myself from writing much longer lectures into the stories! These are my first contemporary novels, and it was nice to write a story without the hours and hours of historical research I usually have to do. But whatever time period stories are set in, people feel the same emotions and have to learn the same spiritual lessons.

Katrina loves literature and can’t help seeing her own life as a story. The only problem is that she keeps thinking she knows what the Author is doing, and she has definite ideas about what the plot should be. She is not unlike myself: over and over I’ve thought I knew what God was doing in my life. And if He was short on ideas, I had quite a few that He was free to use! But He has rarely been doing what I thought He was, and for some reason He never seems to use my ideas about what could happen in my story. Both Katrina and I need to learn the lesson that God’s wisdom is beyond ours, His storytelling is much deeper and richer than ours, and His plots are never predictable!

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, May 31

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 31

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 1

April Hayman, Author, June 1

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, June 2

Losing the Busyness, June 2

Texas Book-aholic, June 3

CarpeDiem, June 3

Remembrancy, June 4

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, June 4

She Lives To Read, June 5

For Him and My Family, June 5

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, June 6

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 6

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, June 7

Inklings and notions, June 7

Labor Not in Vain, June 8

Genesis 5020, June 8

Aryn The Libraryan 📚, June 9

Blogging With Carol, June 9

For the Love of Literature, June 10

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, June 10

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 11

Joanne Markey, June 11

Through the Fire blogs, June 12

Mary Hake, June 12

deb’s Book Review, June 13

Daysong Reflections, June 13

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Barbara is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and a paperback of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/10ca5/written-off-celebration-tour-giveaway

Thursday, June 3, 2021

Windward Shore by Sharon Hinck (The Dancing Realms Book 3)

wiindward shore

About the Book

Book: Windward Shore

Author: Sharon Hinck

Genre: Christian epic fantasy

Release date: May 11, 2020

Hinck - Windward Shore The island world of Meriel faces an old adversary and a new danger. Will the reformed Order die before it has a chance to blossom?

Storm clouds loom on the horizon as Carya and Brantley struggle to overcome wounds of the past and build a future together. The fragile new Order is on shaky ground, with too few dancers and sparse resources. Then trouble erupts—and now an insidious rebellion and a new foe threaten their entire world.

When she uncovers an old enemy behind all the destruction, Carya realizes the past is not done with her. With conflict tearing apart the dancers and villages, rimmers are soon overrun, and Carya must unite her people by leading the battle to protect the very heart of her world … or lose it all.

Click here to get your copy!

My Review:

This has been such an incredible series. This last book included. The fit is just right for the end of the series, and yet I long for more because it's that good. It's also very re-readable. I was so happy to see laws vs grace worked out like it did in this story. I've laughed, and cried, and been swept away with these stories. In this book the characters will finishing stealing your heart, while the messages both break and heal those who read them. I want to tell you more, so much more, but I don't want to mess up anything at all about this story. I'd honestly say, just get this series, and read it the whole thing in order. It's a lovely YA (adult too!) fantasy series with plenty of speculative fiction in it.

5 HUGE stars.

About the Author

Hinck2015 - Author Photo Award-winning author Sharon Hinck writes “stories for the hero in all of us”—stories about ordinary women on extraordinary faith journeys. Known for their authenticity, emotional range, and spiritual depth, her novels include the groundbreaking The Sword of Lyric fantasy series and the imaginative new The Dancing Realms series, which began with the Christy Award–winning Hidden Current and was followed by Forsaken Island. Sharon’s writing has also been honored with three Carol Awards. For this latest series, she drew on her experience as a ballet teacher, dancer, and choreographer.

More from Sharon

Windward Shore is the final book in the Dancing Realms trilogy. In the earlier books, Carya and Brantley have already faced down a corrupt Order, a world that has forgotten truth, and a whole new island that has sold its soul. Yet in this new story, old enemies return—at the worst possible time. Confronting the past becomes a vital part of protecting their future.

We all face trials in life, seasons that are more challenging than we expected, opportunities to deepen our faith as we lean into God, times that test our courage. But I’ve found that sometimes the most difficult problems are those that I think I’ve already beaten—and then they rise up again. I drew from that experience to shape the new battles in Windward Shore.

Q: In the Dancing Realms series, the Maker has given dancers a special gift to serve their world. Why did you choose dance as a means for bringing provision or protection?

A: I was a dancer and choreographer for many years before becoming a writer. Dance is a means of communicating with the whole being—heart, mind, and body. So dance became a beautiful way for Carya to connect with her Maker and serve her world.

Q: What other interests shaped the series?

A: I’ve been studying cults and how people become trapped in lies, and more importantly, how they find freedom. So that concept helped me create the various traps that characters faced in all three books.

Q: What is a key theme in Windward Shore?

A: Although I write “Stories for the hero in all of us,” I recognize that we can’t always be the hero—at least not in our power. Our determination alone isn’t enough. Our Maker calls us to dependence on Him, and often He asks us to lean on others as well. That’s a key challenge that Carya faces in Windward Shore.

Blog Stops

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 29

Worthy2Read, May 29

Texas Book-aholic, May 30

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, May 31

Mia Reads, May 31

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, June 1

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 2

Woven by Words, June 2

Inklings and notions, June 3

For Him and My Family, June 4

Blogging With Carol, June 4

deb’s Book Review, June 5

For the Love of Literature, June 6

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, June 6

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, June 7

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 8

Tell Tale Book Reviews, June 9

Simple Harvest Reads, June 9 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 10

Through the Fire Blogs, June 11

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Sharon is giving away the grand prize package of the first two books of the series in hardcover (personalized and autographed), along with a bookbag, several bookmarks (enough to give to friends) and an autographed bookplate to put in their copy of Windward Shore!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/10ca3/windward-shore-celebration-tour-giveaway

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Fifty Days by Katie Vorreiter

fifty days

About the Book

Book: Fifty Days

Author: Katie Vorreiter

Genre: Christian Spec Suspense

Release date: March 28, 2021

RGB7250Days Three days ago, Maggie Lehman’s beloved mentor and friend, Jarrett Adams, was murdered on live television. Grief stricken, Maggie traverses a Washington DC under curfew, but when she arrives at the morgue, the body is missing—and her presence is recorded on the security video.

As dawn breaks over the city, Maggie encounters Jarrett on the street—and he’s very much alive. Either she’s gone mad—again—or Jarrett really is back.

While the US loses its grip on democracy, government thugs eager to contain what Maggie knows hound her every step, and the good intentions of a man from her past only tighten the noose. The powerless and bewildered Maggie seeks Jarrett and the return to how things were, but finds she must give up what she wants most to gain what she can hardly imagine.

Click here to get your copy!

My Review:

The Jews don't think Jesus has come yet. This story goes with what if Jesus came, right *now*. As in, what if that baby, the Son of God was born not that long ago, instead of 2,000 years ago. What if he was going to die for our sins now, in this time, in this age, instead of then? This book is written as a parallel, or not quite an allegory of a modern day Jesus. It's a very pointed story, that I think can move a lot of hearts, eyes and ears if people will just try. The message of the Gospel is timeless, and I really enjoyed the Jewish "roots" of this emotional story that's a strong reminder of who and what Christ is all about.

4 Stars

About the Author

headshot 6a Katie Vorreiter makes her home in the diverse and beautiful San Francisco Bay Area. She works in high tech as a proofreader as well as a freelance fiction copy editor for a small press. While she admits to being a grammarian, she considers herself a fun one.

After studying and later interning in Madrid, Spain, Katie continues to use and improve her Spanish as much possible—especially when a travel opportunity arises. Aside from that, she DIYs at home with her husband in their almost empty nest, travels to Colorado where their two young-adult children study, and snuggles with her pup who promises not to grow up and go away to college.

Please see Katie’s webpage at katievorreiter.com and sign up for her newsletter for giveaways, sneak peaks, and insider info. Check out her debut novel, No Turning Back, “a propulsive action tale.”

More from Katie

2,000 years ago, a body disappeared from a cave. But what if it happened yesterday?

What would miracles look like in the age of Photoshop? Might our cynicism dismiss a resurrected Jesus as a David Blaine wannabe looking for his 15 minutes of YouTube fame?

Fifty Days was inspired one Easter Sunday as I sat admonishing myself to listen with new ears and to not feel that I’d been there, done that for the most amazing story ever told. But those women at the tomb: I had no concept of what their day-to-day lives were like. I wanted to identify with them, but how could I walk in their shoes when I couldn’t envision their sandals?

I said to myself, “it’s not like the events could take place in my world”… and my imagination took off as Maggie walked into my life. More precisely, she walked through the pre-dawn streets of Washington DC, driven to get to the morgue to see Jarrett’s body. But when she got there, he wasn’t there. His body was missing, and unfortunately for Maggie, she was caught on the security video.

From Easter to Pentecost (hint, that’s a period of fifty days), we see the followers of Jesus experience a huge change. We don’t know much about the weeks that intervened, and we never see Mary Magdalene again in scripture after Easter morning. So that gave me a lot of room to imagine: what would it be like to go from hiding in bewilderment and fear to the bold empowerment of Pentecost?

For Maggie it’s a matter of keeping one step ahead of the thugs pursuing her and the man from her past whose good intentions only create havoc for her, while she searches for a way to clear her name, or better yet, be reunited with Jarrett.

Hebrews 13:8 says Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Thus, whether in a robe, jeans and a tee shirt, or a spacesuit, Jesus and his truth are unfailing, unchanging. Fifty Days isn’t about “updating” those truths. But boy, imagining hanging out with his followers at Starbucks made them seem a lot more three-dimensional to me. And to be honest, I find myself a little jealous of Maggie’s relationship with Jarrett—she is completely sold out. Totally confident in his character and power. There is not only love between them, but affection. Fleshing that out has made me look at my relationship with Jesus in a new light.