Taken by Dee Henderson

It is not often that a book causes me to be captivated the way this one did as each page turns. Nor is it too often that I find the strength that comes from God so strong as it shows with Matthew as he works to help Shannon. Shannon Bliss, missing for eleven years has come back and she has chosen Matthew Dane to help her. Matthew was a cop, and his own daughter was missing for several years. Ann and Paul are going to help. (Readers like me remember them from Full Disclosure, which I really liked!) There are other couples willing to help Shannon as well, and she will need it. This is major! Where has she been for 11 years?! Why, who, how, so many questions and one woman with answers who is strong, and yet oh-so-fragile.

Taken is deep, it isn't shallow. It isn't a race through and read it as a quickly fluffy read. How strong is their faith and how much has been taken? How much can they give back in the middle of a mystery of who took Shannon Bliss and how her coming home will change so very many lives!

At first I was worried about Shannon as a character, too strong after what she went through. Once we find out what she has been doing while she was gone, well it is amazing!

My copy came through NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review, and nothing more.

Carol :)

About the Book 

An investigator who knows tragic loss firsthand,
and his new client, missing far too long...

Abducted at the age of sixteen and coerced into assisting the Jacoby crime family, Shannon Bliss has finally found a way out. She desperately wants to resume some semblance of normal life, but she also knows she has some unfinished business to attend to. She might have enough evidence to put her captors behind bars for a very long time.

When Shannon contacts private investigator Matthew Dane, a former cop, to help her navigate her reentry into society, he quickly discovers that gaining her freedom doesn't mean her troubles are over. If the Jacoby family learns she is still alive, they'll stop at nothing to silence her.

If justice is to be done, and if Shannon's life is ever to get on track again, Matthew will need to discover exactly what happened to her--even if it means stirring up a hornet's nest of secrets.

About the Author

Dee Henderson is the bestselling, award-winning author of nineteen previous novels, including the acclaimed O'Malley series, the Uncommon Heroes series, and the New York Times bestselling Full Disclosure. She is a lifelong resident of Illinois. Visit her at www.deehenderson.com.

Reviews 

Henderson follows her tried-and-true formula in this well-paced tale of slowly developing love, which will please readers who enjoy the pairing of romantic suspense with evangelical Christian fiction.

Booklist

Henderson continues to prove her writing expertise in this psychological thriller.

CBA Retailers + Resources

No Place to Hide by Lynette Eason (Hidden Identity #3)

No Place To Hide has some good suspense! It is one of the reasons I love Eason's books! This series is quickly becoming a favorite of mine among her works. Prepare for some page turning action. 

Ian has been accused of being a terrorists! What?!? How can this be? Jackie went through high-school with him. However, it's been 15 years since then. People can change, but she has to know. Jackie is trying to protect and help Ian, but more issues keep occurring. Ian is working in a lab, and he can't figure out how anyone could think he could or would be involved in terrorism. Soon she finds out the FBI isn't they only group out to get him. Complication, these super bad guys want Ian DEAD. YESTERDAY would have good for them!  

How about a lethal virus! Is it already loose? Can them stop it if not? Is Ian really innocent or has Jackie been totally duped? Who is behind these life altering events anyway? Jackie has to trust Ian, and she has a romantic attachment to him, but it is not the main focus since so much else is going on. What shakes your faith? How much to you rely on God in the good times, and the bad ones? 

I loved Ian's Service Dog. Having trained Service Dogs myself, I have a huge soft spot for them in books. ;) 

My copy of this book came from Revell in exchange for my honest review and nothing more. 

Carol :) 

About

She'll defend her friend until the bitter end--but is she in over her head?

It's not every day you see your childhood friend and onetime crush on national news. Jackie Sellers just wishes it were under different circumstances. She can't believe that Ian Lockwood is wanted in connection with a terrorist plot, and she's determined to find him and help him clear his name. Unfortunately, she's not the only one looking for him. The FBI wants him captured. The bad guys want him dead. Ian just wants to stay alive long enough to prove his innocence and prevent a catastrophe. 

Lynette Eason delivers nonstop action as Jackie and Ian travel a dangerous road--one that may lead straight to destruction.

Praise for the series
"For any reader looking for 'edge-of-your-seat' thrills, this series is the perfect gift."--Suspense Magazine

"Fans of Eason's and readers of Christian suspense will definitely want to check out this new series. I, for one, cannot wait to get my hands on the next installment."--Fiction Addict

"An exciting new series with action and thrilling chase scenes."--RT Book Reviews

Lynette Eason is the bestselling author of the Women of Justice series and the Deadly Reunions series, as well as No One to Trust and Nowhere to Turn. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. She has a master's degree in education from Converse College, and she lives in South Carolina. Learn more at www.lynetteeason.com.

http://www.bakerpublishinggroup.com/authors/lynette-eason/1271

The Wood's Edge by Lori Benton

Well, our reading schedule was changed, so I have not yet read enough to give you the review I want to. 

I'll be back with that update as soon as I can. 

Carol :) 

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Wood's Edge WaterBrook Press (April 21, 2015) by Lori Benton

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lori Benton spent her late teens and early twenties pursuing a career as a wildlife artist, attending the Maryland College of Art & Design before she began painting professionally. When not writing or researching, Lori can be found exploring the mountains of southern Oregon with her husband, Brian. Lori's first novel, Burning Sky was nominated as an ECPA 2014 Christian Book Award Finalist and also received double nominations for 2014 Christy Awards. The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn is her second novel.

ABOUT THE BOOK

At the wood’s edge cultures collide. Can two families survive the impact?

The 1757 New York frontier is home to the Oneida tribe and to British colonists, yet their feet rarely walk the same paths.

On the day Fort William Henry falls, Major Reginald Aubrey is beside himself with grief. His son, born that day, has died in the arms of his sleeping wife. When Reginald comes across an Oneida mother with newborn twins, one white, one brown, he makes a choice that will haunt the lives of all involved. He steals the white baby and leaves his own child behind. Reginald’s wife and foundling daughter, Anna, never suspect the truth about the boy they call William, but Reginald is wracked by regret that only intensifies with time, as his secret spreads its devastating ripples.

When the long buried truth comes to light, can an unlikely friendship forged at the wood’s edge provide a way forward? For a father tormented by fear of judgment, another by lust for vengeance. For a mother still grieving her lost child. For a brother who feels his twin’s absence, another unaware of his twin’s existence. And for Anna, who loves them both—Two Hawks, the mysterious Oneida boy she meets in secret, and William, her brother. As paths long divided collide, how will God direct the feet of those who follow Him?

If you would like to read the first chapter of  The Wood's Edge, go HERE.

Lori can be reached through the Contact link on her Blog 

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1601427328

To Win Her Favor by Tamera Alexander (Belle Meade Plantation #2)

To Win Her Favor is an aptly named amazing read that needs far more than 5 stars can give it. I need a 10 star rating for this book! Appearances or mentions of persons from prior books in this series were skillfully placed and delightful, though this book stands alone exceedingly well. 

Maggie is an strong woman who heart is breaking. She has lost all her family members except her Father. She's even lost the man she might have married. All that's left is their land, some freed servants who are more like family, and Bourbon Belle. Bourbon Belle is an outstanding thoroughbred racing filly. Financial pressures are closing in that could cause Maggie to loose what little she has left, forcing them to have their generational ties that have been poured into Linden Downs,  their land and livestock sold at auction. Their fallen social status lends few options for Maggie Linden and her Father. 

Enter the unexpected. Cullen McGrath, Irish and despised because of his heritage, he is struggling to find land and settle into 1869's Nashville, Tennessee area. He has some past secrets, grief and a broken heart, and he's a bit on the outs with The Almighty. When he meets Mr. Linden all their lives change. Maggie's beloved Dad makes a deal with Cullen, and it involves things no one considered. Maggie needs to wed a man she doesn't know. Now marriage is one thing, but a happy marriage is quite another thing. 

Cullen has secret reasons, big ones, and he wants nothing at all to do with racing horses. He has lost a wife and child and now he faces all this as well. How far must he go and what must he give up in this situation? What will be gained or lost during all this. Lives? Land? Love? Burbon Belle? Maggie and Cullen's relationship sizzles, but it also can be a frozen tundra. Cullen would like to win Maggie's heart, but first he must manage to win her favor. 

I'm ecstatic that this book worked to show a real marriage. Cullen is a husband working to be Christ like, without failing to address parts of married life too often left ignored in Christian books and real life. This book portrays a real, intimate, living, alive marriage relationship that was beautiful to read and made me want to go hug my own sweet husband for all of his similar Christ like ways!  I sure could have used books like this in my teen-aged years as this is an important example of how our lives should be!

In short, this book is a masterpiece among its genera. Although set long ago, it is timeless and current as well. It covers horses (which I love!) and horse racing, being socially outcast, poverty, gambling and other vices, wealth, racism, life, death, love, passion, freedom, loss, judgment, hurt, healing, forgiveness, growth, victory and defeat! The only unanswered questions are just enough for us to be sure to look forward to the next book in this series. 

My copy of this book came through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review, and nothing more. 

An Irish-born son far from home, Cullen McGrath left a once prosperous life in England because of a horse racing scandal that nearly ruined him. He's come to Nashville for a fresh start, hoping to buy land and start a farm, all while determined to stay as far away from thoroughbred racing as possible. But starting over proves harder than he'd wagered, especially when Maggie Linden's father makes him an offer he shouldn't accept yet cannot possibly refuse.

Maggie is certain that her mare, Bourbon Belle, can take the top purse in the annual Drayton Stakes at Nashville's racetrack--the richest race run in America. Maggie only needs the chance to prove it. To give her that chance, and to save Linden Downs from being sold to the highest bidder, Maggie's father--aging, yet wily as ever--makes a barter. His agreement includes one tiny, troublesome detail--Maggie must marry a man she's never met. A man she never would have chosen for herself.

Cullen and Maggie need each other in order to achieve their dreams. But their stubborn, wounded hearts--and the escalating violence from a "secret society" responsible for lynchings and midnight raids--may prove too much for even two determined souls.

The Author's Web site is here: http://tameraalexander.com/
I'll leave you to go to her site to read more about her, and her books, but I pray you don't miss out on reading this one! 

Carol :) 

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