Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Anchored by Death by Catherine Finger (Jo Oliver #3)


Anchored by Death FB banner


About the Book

Book:  Anchored by Death
Author: Catherine Finger
Genre:  Christian Mystery/Thriller
Release Date: June, 2017
Anchored by DeathPolice Chief Jo Oliver needed a little time to herself. But when her escape to Wisconsin turns deadly, she teams up with FBI agent Nick Vitarello, hoping to catch the Bow Tie Killer. Their romantic past and complicated present leads them into uncharted territory as they match wits with a psychopath bent on destroying everything they hold dear.

Click here to get your copy.

My Review:

This is the third book in the series. What does a vacation to get away from a case do? Why, bring romance, no vacation, and another case to solve of course. This book has a more intricate plot. I really liked that! This installment has more romance, but I don't mind. I can't wait to see what is coming next, because I have a feeling it will be back to more focused on the cases since the romantic part is well covered. Faith isn't forgotten and this series has me hooked with the realistic characters and great stories Oh, and in addition to loose ends being tied up with a bow for us. Wink.


5 Stars 


About the Author 

catherine fingerCatherine Finger loves to dream, write, and tell stories. Retired from a wonderful career in public education, she celebrates the ability to choose how to spend her time in a new way during the second half of life. So far, she chooses to write books, ride horses, serve others, and generally find her way into and out of trouble both on the road and at home.  She lives in the Midwest with a warm and wonderful combination of family and friends.

More from Catherine

Thank you for your interest in the Jo Oliver thriller series. Today we celebrate Anchored by Death—book three in the series. The basic plot for this book came as a result of an FBI workshop I attended on how profilers track killers. A particular method was presented that really stuck with me. As I thought it over, I had the idea to combine a map of Wisconsin with the tracking technique I had learned, and I actually built the crime scenes around the theory. I then created a killer who would do the sorts of things I had mapped out, and in that order. This was a satisfying challenge for Josie and I enjoyed my research jaunts throughout Wisconsin while writing the chase and takedown scenes.

When Josie’s off the clock and spending time with family and friends, you can catch our heroine in the kitchen. Ever since her infamous Flourless Chocolate Cake appeared in Anchored by Death, fans have requested the recipe. For the epicurean readers, here is the recipe she used when preparing this special treat:
Ingredients:
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 ½ sticks butter
¼ salt
6 eggs, room temp
1 ½ cups sugar (white granulated or brown will do)
Confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder for dusting top and cake stand
How To:
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare springform or regular round pans with nonstick spray or butter and flour.
Melt chocolate, butter, and salt—microwave will work in a pinch—or add all to heatproof bowl and place over small saucepan of simmering water to melt without burning. Set aside to cool
Beat eggs and sugar until light and thickened, around 6-8 minutes. Fold in melted chocolate mixture until completely combined.
Pour batter into buttered and floured cake pan—springform or regular round—and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 90 minutes, until a toothpick comes out wet but relatively clean.
Allow cake to cool completely before removing from pan. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and cocoa—Jo used a stencil for a quick and pretty design.

Thanks again for celebrating Anchored by Death—and know that I appreciate you. Readers are a special breed. As a lover of the written word and an author, I invite you to enjoy the read.

Blog Stops

Betti Mace, April 27
Holly Jo Morris, April 27
Older & Smarter?, April 28

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Catherine 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.
Posted by at 3 comments:

Friday, April 24, 2020

Terror in the Skies by Alana Terry

Terror in the Skies

 About the Book
Book:  Terror in the Skies
Author: Alana Terry
Genre:  Christian Thriller Suspense
Release Date: November 12, 2019
Terror in the Skies e book coverA hijacked airplane. A fatal disaster. A desperate soul in need of salvation …
Willow’s spirited, carefree, and far too young to die. Trapped on a hijacked airplane with no promise of survival, Willow’s forced to confront her darkest fear as well as her soul’s deepest need.
Terror in the Skies is the first novella in the Turbulent Skies Christian Thriller series, an unforgettable collection of interconnected novellas about strangers traveling together aboard a doomed flight. Find out why Christian fiction readers can’t stop raving about this heart-stopping, fast-paced series you can devour in a single sitting.
If you like harrowing stories of faith and redemption, spine-tingling adrenaline surges, and heart-pounding Christian suspense, you’ll love these edge-of-your-seat novellas by USA Today bestselling author, Alana Terry.
Dive into the breathtaking Turbulent Skies series today. Just be careful … you may not be able to read just one!

Click here for your copy.

My Review:

This is a fast read, it’s a shorter story. It’s all told by Willow, in a first-person view. I think that was necessary because of the book-length, and it’s not my favorite view. It worked okay for this book. It does packs a good bit of action as well as some soul searching. After all, a hijacked plane is not an easy issue and if you don’t have your life right with God, being in a situation like this would definitely be cause for some changes. 

 4 Stars

About the Author 

alana terryAlana is a pastor’s wife, homeschooling mom, self-diagnosed chicken lady, and Christian suspense author. Her novels have won awards from Women of Faith, Book Club Network, Grace Awards, Readers’ Favorite, and more. Alana’s passion for social justice, human rights, and religious freedom shines through her writing, and her books are known for raising tough questions without preaching. She and her family live in rural Alaska where the northern lights in the winter and midnight sun in the summer make hauling water, surviving the annual mosquito apocalypse, and cleaning goat stalls in negative forty degrees worth every second.

More from Alana

I’m excited to share my new Turbulent Skies Christian Thriller novella series with all of you! The inspiration behind this series came when I was taking a flight a few years ago … and indulging in one of my favorite past times – people watching! As I looked at the various passengers around me, I started to wonder about their lives … and it was from that line of thinking this novella series was born!
I first wrote a book about a terrifying experience on board an airplane years earlier, (Turbulence, Book #5 in the Kennedy Stern series) and because many members of my amazing Readers’ Club had been asking me to write a book featuring Willow, one of their favorite characters from the Kennedy Stern series, it seemed fitting that Willow gets to be the star in the first of these novellas.
Terror in the Skies is Willow’s story. She’s a chic Alaskan college student, a free spirit who finds herself sharing a dorm room with a conservative Christian missionary kid. Willow first makes her appearance in the Kennedy Stern Christian suspense series, meaning that over a hundred thousand readers have met her!
I can’t tell you too much about this life-of-the-party aspiring actress (mostly because I don’t want to spoil anything for you if you happen to still be making your way through the Kennedy Stern books). But I can tell you she is the first main character in this six-book novella series that helps answer the question: “Who are you really sitting next to hundreds of feet up in the air?”
Maybe, like me, after reading this series, you’ll never look at your fellow passengers the same way!

Blog Stops

Betti Mace, April 27
Emily Yager, April 28
Genesis 5020, April 28
Hookmeinabook, April 29
Mary Hake, April 30

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Alana is giving away the grand prize of a $30 Amazon Gift Card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
Posted by at 4 comments:

Saturday, April 18, 2020

Dove Strong by Erin Lorence



About the Book

Book:  Dove Strong
Author: Erin Lorence
Genre:  Christian YA
Dove Strong loves God. She loves standing chin up and fists clenched when facing Satan’s attacks. But there’s one thing she doesn’t love—other people. So when this spiritually-gifted, antisocial teenager is chosen to join other believers in a trek across Satan’s territory, rattlesnakes and evil-intentioned Heathen aren’t her biggest challenges.
But failure isn’t an option. In a month, the Christian Councils will decide the Reclaim, a vote on whether there’ll be a war between Christ’s followers and Satan’s to take back America. It is up to Dove, God’s messenger for peace, to reach her Council in time. Because if she doesn’t, things could get bloody.

Click here to get your copy!
 My Review:
Two courageous young girls, both gifted; captured by those who don't know God. In the world in this book, Christians are at war with non-Christians. Labels get used, much like today when we speak up or state a Biblical truth and it causes others to think it's a hate crime. I really like Dove and Melody. I loved their gifts, rooted for them with the many challenges they had to face on this journey. The enemy is sneaky. Dark and Light are well shown. The parallels of this story and today's society are excellently written with many things to think about or discuss with others. 

 I wasn't left high and dry at the end, but just oh-so-ready for the next books in this series. I think, possibly, tweens and up would love this book. I know that I did! 

 5 Stars

About the Author

Erin Lorence grew up in rainy Western Washington, an avid reader and the daughter of a published nonfiction author. She attended Washington State University (WSU) where she met and married her husband, Brian. Together, they recently moved to Apex, North Carolina with their two amazing daughters (who also love to read) and their beagle Charlie (who doesn’t read). Her lifelong love of literature, her gratitude to God, and her enjoyment of hiking in Central Oregon all inspired her to write the Dove Strong Trilogy. Visit her at:  www.erinlorence.com.

More from Erin

I politely smile and keep what I really think inside. But my main character, Dove Strong, doesn’t. She blasts people with the full force of her words. Sometimes Dove’s words sting…but she’s never merely polite or hum-drum boring.
I secretly hug the random and ridiculous moments of life to myself, preserving my appearance of normalcy. But when I write, the true ‘uncool’ me escapes. It is responsible for the caterpillar dangling from a character’s nostril as well as for the little sister who won’t stop harping on about her precious bag of chips.
I write to escape and to help others escape. I write to laugh and make readers smile. I write so ‘the lost’ will wake to find that they crave an intimate relationship with The One who loves them most.
This is why I write. And that is why I wrote Dove Strong.

Blog Stops

Genesis 5020, April 13
Artistic Nobody, April 14 (Author Interview)
Wishful Endings, April 16 (Author Interview)
Simple Harvest Reads, April 18 (Author Interview)
Emily Yager, April 19
Rebecca Tews, April 21
Vicky Sluiter, April 22 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Erin is giving away the grand prize package of paperback copies of Dove Strong and its sequel Fanatic Surviving!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
Posted by at 2 comments:

Thursday, April 16, 2020

Grasping Hope by Heather Greer




About the Book

Book:  Grasping Hope
Author: Heather Greer
Genre:  Contemporary Women’s Fiction
Release Date: March 2019
When dreams turn into nightmares what’s left to hold onto?
Katie McGowan knows her fears are irrational. They’re also beyond her control. Her mind says her fiancé is faithful, but the betrayal of her past love ignites a fear stronger than her trust. Attempts to overcome it are unsuccessful. Nothing banishes her panic attacks for good. Dreading Austin’s response if he finds out about her struggle to trust, Katie hides the truth nearly destroying their relationship.
It takes a lesson in hope to start healing. Katie is released from the nightmares holding her captive to enjoy the blessings God has given. But when tragedies change her life forever, Katie’s understanding of hope is challenged. Unresolved anger and disappointment leave Katie doubting the sincerity of her beliefs. Desperate to prove her faith and minimize her failure as a believer, Katie buries her feelings beneath all the right words. Katie must learn where true hope is found or risk losing her faith under the weight of the things she has lost.

Click here to get your copy!

My Review:
Hope, it's something we can't live without. Fear, something some of us face daily. I had to read this book. How would Katie overcome her fears? What are her fears? I read this book as a standalone and found it to work well that way. What scares one person doesn't always effect the next one the same way, but through it all, there is God. I understand panic attacks and I really felt for Katie and I liked how this story flowed and how much hope was worked into it. 

 5 Stars 

About the Author 

Heather Greer is a pastor’s kid and pastor’s wife from southern Illinois. Though her nest is quickly approaching the empty stage, with three of her four children out on their own, she enjoys the times she gets to spend with all her children, husband, and grandson. Equal mix geek and romantic, you could as easily find Heather watching an episode of Doctor Who as the latest Hallmark movie. Of course, you may find her baking, reading, or crafting too!
Heather’s writing and teaching ministries revolve around a passion to see believers grow in their faith. Though God has used her most often with teens and adults, she has worked in ministries reaching all age groups through the years. It is Heather’s prayer for God to use what she writes in her books and on her blog to challenge and encourage readers in their faith walks.

More from Heather
Often, we throw around the word hope as if it’s a fancy replacement for a wish. Nothing could be further from the truth. Godly hope is more than wishing our circumstances were different without any indication that our desire could become reality. When our hope is based on who God is and what He has promised in His word, it becomes something to anchor us in the troubling times we go through. It is what allows us to give the circumstances that weigh us down to God and go on living life even though physically there may be no changes in what’s happening.
Hope isn’t pretending the bad stuff isn’t there. And it isn’t acting as if the hard things don’t hurt. Hope doesn’t erase the hurt or ignore the problems, but it does free us from allowing our emotions and circumstances to control us. Hope lets us have peace that makes no sense to the rest of the world. Hope allows us to rest in the middle of the trial. Hope based on scriptural truths allows us to live with joy even when things aren’t going our way.
As I wrote Grasping Hope, God took me to places that challenged and grew my own understanding of what it means to have hope as an anchor to our souls (Hebrews 6:19). When I started writing, I had no idea the path God would take me down to show me just how little I understood about hope. It’s something I never want to repeat and wouldn’t wish on anyone. But the lessons I learned grew me as a believer, and it is my prayer that what I learned through this difficult time in my life comes through clearly for everyone who reads Grasping Hope.

Blog Stops

Rebecca Tews, April 9
Pause for Tales, April 11
Artistic Nobody, April 14 (Author Interview)
Quiet Quilter, April 15

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Heather is giving away the grand prize of $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.
Posted by at 4 comments:
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