Thin Ice - Irene Hannon

If Ginny Reed is still alive--who is the woman buried in her grave?
After losing her parents and her sister, Christy Reed has been mired in grief. Now, life is finally starting to feel normal again--until an envelope addressed in her sister's handwriting arrives in the mail. And the note inside claims she is still alive. 

FBI Special Agent Lance McGregor, a former Delta Force operator, is assigned to reopen the case . . . but he's coming up with more questions than answers. Is Christy a pawn in a twisted cat-and-mouse game--or the target of a sinister plot? As Lance digs deeper, one thing becomes clear: someone in the shadows has a deadly agenda. 

My take:

I've been wanting to read a Irene Hannon suspense novel for a while now and when I saw Thin Ice on Revells review list the premise pulled me in. I've always loved figure skating. This book is well researched in this regard, although skating isn't mention much because the heroine is a retired skater. Thin Ice is book 2 in the Men Of Valor series but I read it as a standalone and it wasn't confusing. I liked how fast-paced and well written this book was and the suspense is great but I thought it was kind of stupid the FBI wouldn't protect Christy. I mean isn't that part of their job?! And the villain was really creepy I didn't like reading the parts about him and what he was thinking (shiver) he was mean to his grandma and he tortured mice. But I guess in order to have a good suspense book you need a nasty villain but I didn't exactly enjoy exploring his mind. All in all it was a good book but it could have been better.

* I received this book from Revell Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

Until The Dawn - Elizabeth Camden

Fascinated by Dierenpark, an abandoned mansion high atop a windswept cliff in the Hudson River Valley, Sophie van Riijn sees no harm in setting up a rooftop weather station for her work with the newly established Weather Bureau. While the villagers are suspicious of the mysterious estate and its tragic history, Sophie has come to see it as her own enchanted piece of paradise. 

The first Vandermark to return to the area in sixty years, Quentin intends to put an end to the shadowy rumors about the property that has brought nothing but trouble upon his family. Ready to tear down the mansion, he is furious to discover Sophie trespassing on his land. 

Instantly at odds, Quentin and Sophie yet find common ground when she is the only one who can reach his troubled son. There's a light within Sophie that Quentin has never known, and a small spark of the hope that left him years ago begins to grow. But when the secrets of Dierenpark can no longer be kept in the past, will tragedy triumph or can their tenuous hope prevail

My Take:

I love historical fiction and Elizabeth Camden is by far one of my favorite authors in this genre. I've read four of her books before this one and I've loved everyone of them! But this one just didn't grab my interest as much. It was a good book and I enjoyed the story but I didn't have any trouble setting it down to do other things. The characters were interesting but Quentin and Sophie didn't seem to have the usual banter or chemistry characters in Camden's other books had. All in all, I still think that Until The Dawn is worthwhile reading, Camden knows how to tell a good story. Until The Dawn does have a prequel Toward The Sunrise get it FREE HERE! While the characters in it aren't mentioned much in Until The Dawn it's a really nice intro into Dierenpark and a cute short love story.

* I received this book for free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

Biography

Elizabeth Camden is a research librarian at a small college in central Florida. Her novels have won the coveted RITA and Christy Awards. She has published several articles for academic publications and is the author of four nonfiction history books. Her ongoing fascination with history and love of literature have led her to write inspirational fiction. Elizabeth lives with her husband near Orlando, Florida.

She regularly posts about the joys of the book world at http://elizabethcamden.com/blog

Streams Of Mercy-Lauraine Snelling

Anji's Return to the Red River Valley Offers a Fresh Start--and a Surprising Second Chance at Love. 
Anji Baard Moen, recently widowed in Norway, returns to North Dakota with her children. She quickly settles back into life in the familiar surroundings of Blessing, teaching in the high school and writing articles for the Blessing Gazette. In the midst of an unexpected crisis, Anji is thrust into a role she never imagined. And almost without her even being aware, an old friendship begins to show signs of developing into something more. 

Meanwhile, Thomas Devlin, a minister without a post, has arrived in town. Devlin supports himself as a journeyman carpenter, and with the town growing rapidly, he has no shortage of opportunities. Establishing himself in a new community has its challenges, but as the newcomer gets to know the young widow whose house he's been working on, he thinks he may have found yet another reason to stay. . . . 

My Take:

I've been a fan of Lauraine Snellings books for years. But for some reason I can't seem to appreciate this series!

I like that I can catch up with character friends from other books, but it seems like Lauraine is so into writing this book about the town that the romance that the back cover insinuates is put on the back burner. Anji and Thomas aren't even part of the central plot! To be honest I had a hard time getting through this book the only reason I continued reading is because I'm already invested in and love these characters and wanted to see how things turned out but I'm debating if there is a next book if I'll even bother reading it or not. All in all if your a fan of Lauraines other 'Blessing' books you might like this one.

* I received this book for free from Bethany house publishers in exchange for my honest review.

Hope Harbor By Irene Hannon

Come home to Hope Harbor--where hearts heal . . . and love blooms.
Tracy Campbell never wanted to leave Hope Harbor, Oregon, or the idyllic three-generation cranberry farm where she grew up. But life--and love--altered her plans. Now she's home again--with a floundering farm to run . . . a tragic secret . . . and a wounded heart. Romance is not on her agenda. Nor is it on Michael Hunter's. The visitor from Chicago has daunting secrets and devastating regrets of his own. But when Tracy recruits him to help with a project that is close to her heart, winds of change begin to sweep through Hope Harbor, bringing healing, hope, and love to countless lives--including their own.

My Take: 

This is the first book of Irene Hannon's that I've read and I loved it, I can't wait to read more from this author! 

Micheal and Tracy were both great characters in this book I liked how they were so willing to help people and it was really sweet to watch them overcome their pasts and find a second chance at love. I also really liked Anne's character and I loved how Michael helped her come out of her shell/isolation. And the setting was perfect. Oregon is beautiful! reading this book brought back memories of a vacation my family took there and even though the town of Hope Harbor is fictional it seems to fit perfectly.  The part I loved most of all was the strong message of forgiveness and second chances throughout the book. All of the main characters had hurts and mistakes in their pasts and it was awesome to see how God worked through each of their lives to bring them to a place of healing and love. Everything about this book was wonderful! I can't wait to visit Hope Harbor again in book two! 

*I received this book from Revell Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

TAKEN By Dee Henderson

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. 

My Take: 

If your looking for a different spin on a usual Romantic Suspense book look no further than Taken. Taken is a different book because it reveals what happens when someone who's been missing reappears after 11 years, and the process of what they have to go through to get their life back. 

There were several things I liked about this book.

I like that Shannon's faith remain strong despite her ordeal and I really enjoyed the conversations she had with Matthew about faith.

I enjoyed the developing friendship/romance between Matthew and Shannon.
The plotline dealing with bringing Shannon's abductors to justice was interesting.

I like that Shannon was portrayed as a survivor. Impacted by her kidnapping but not crippled by it.

I like that characters from Dee's other books were in this one.

I liked Matthews prayer before one of the meals towards the end of the book it has to be one of my favorite book prayers ever! Lol!

It's a good book but there were a few things that kept me from loving it.

The story is mostly from Matthew's point of view, and we never see/hear the story from Shannon's point of view. When I'm reading a book, especially a romance. I like hearing the female characters thoughts/voice because it helps me to better connect with both characters and the story.

The plotline is more about uncovering past secrets than solving a present problem. I didn't mind too much because the story was interesting anyway but the back of the book portrays that there is action involved.

I wish there would've been a bit more of what was in the diary.

All in all I like this book, it's a little more on the relaxing side but that's nice every once and a while.  If you haven't read any of Dee Hendersons recent books you might be slightly confused at certain parts in this story. 

Favorite Quotes:

"God decided to create a world where free will was more important than no one ever getting hurt. There must be something stunningly beautiful and remarkable about free will that only God can truly grasp, because God hates, literally abhors, evil, yet he created a world where evil could happen if people chose it. God sees something in free will and choice that's worth tolerating the horrifying blackness that would appear if evil was chosen rather than good. I find that utterly remarkable."

Jeremiah 5:22 

Do you not fear me? Says the Lord. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it. 

"The ocean is vast. Big. Powerful. It's free. I love that. And it's contained where it belongs by God. I love the ocean for what it is, and for what it tells me about my God." 

* I received this book for free from Bethany House publishers in exchange for my honest review. 

Click Here to go to Dee Hendersons webpage


Watch the book trailer Here!

A Love Like Ours By Becky Wade

Former Marine Jake Porter has far deeper scars than the one that marks his face. He struggles with symptoms of PTSD, lives a solitary life, and avoids relationships. 

When Lyndie James, Jake's childhood best friend, lands back in Holley, Texas, Jake cautiously hires her to exercise his Thoroughbreds. Lyndie is tender-hearted, fiercely determined, and afraid of nothing, just like she was as a child. Jake pairs her with Silver Leaf, a horse full of promise but lacking in results, hoping she can solve the mystery of the stallion's reluctance to run. 

Though Jake and Lyndie have grown into very different adults, the bond that existed during their childhood still ties them together. Against Jake's will, Lyndie's sparkling, optimistic personality begins to tear down the walls he's built around his heart. A glimmer of the hope he'd thought he'd lost returns, but fears and regrets still plague him. Will Jake ever be able to love Lyndie like she deserves, or is his heart too shattered to mend? 

My take:

This is the first of Becky Wades books that I've read. It's the third book in the series the Porter family novels. Even though it was the third book it wasn't confusing. 

What I liked:

- The setting: i've always loved horses and horse racing so I loved the storys setting.

- The complex characters. I like that Becky Wade didn't treat PTSD as an "easy fix" where Jake finds love and suddenly has no issues. I also really liked Lyndie. 

What I didn't like: 

Ty is described in this book and  throughout the series as very good-looking. However, in this book, he is married. Yet, Lyndie's friend gets flustered around him because he's so hot and comments/notices his good looks a few too many times. It thought it had an uncomfortable feel to it. 

Missionary dating:

Lyndie starts dating Jake fully aware of the fact that he's not a Christian/committed to the things of God. And then prays that she won't fall in love with him! Well, for 1 that's not logical and 2, does that mean that it would be okay for him to fall in love with her!? This bothered me so much that I put the book down for a while. I finally did pick it up again just to see if it would have a good ending. Thankfully it did. 

Overall this was an okay book. I won't go out of my way to read the rest of the books in the series but if I happen to stumble across one I might read it. 

May free stuff!

I think this was the best month ever for free stuff!

I got this box of goodies free to review from Influenster! 

This book free to review from Bethany House! 

This toilet paper free to review from Crowdtap!

This free box of stuff to try for SampleSource!

And these Playtex Sport Combo sample packs. The top 2 boxes were from Crowdtap and the bottom one was from Pinch Me 

I also got another one in the mail and I have no idea where it came from! I don't remember requesting it and it didn't say where it was from on the label. Anyway thanks if it was you!