Review of Dangerous Passage by Lisa Harris

When two Jane Does are killed on the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia, detective and behavioral specialist Avery North discovers they share something in common--a magnolia tattoo on their shoulders. Suspecting a serial killer, Avery joins forces with medical examiner Jackson Bryant to solve the crimes and prevent another murder. As they venture deep into a sinister criminal world, Avery and Jackson are taken to the very edge of their abilities--and their hearts.

This is my first time reading a book by Lisa Harris. I was not disappointed. Of course, I like the mystery suspense type books and this one was right up there. This is the first book in the Southern Crimes Series. It seemed to have slowed down in the middle some, but the story line still kept me hooked, up until the end.

I did feel like I was jumping into the middle of a book series in how the characters were developed, but I think it's just the way she writes. The characters' back stories do come out and the pieces start to make more sense the further along one reads.

I'm looking forward to reading the 2nd book in this series!

Available August 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

To learn more about Lisa Harris and her books, head over to her website.

Revell Books sent me this complimentary copy to review for them. Opinions are my own.

Review of A Surprise for Lily by Mary Ann Kinsinger and Suzanne Woods Fisher

Change is in the air!
Eleven-year-old Lily Lapp wants her life to stay just the way it is. Instead, it's constantly changing. New jobs, new schoolmates, and new challenges sure keep life interesting. It seems like the only thing Lily really wants to change--Effie Kauffman's mischief making--is the one thing that never does. Effie is up to her old tricks, and Lily is her favorite target.

This is the fourth book in The Adventures of Lily Lapp. This is one of the best books I have read. I like it because Lily has lots of surprises in life like her cousin moving far away. I feel bad for Lily when Effie and Aaron get her in trouble and tease her. I like reading about how different the Amish live and how school is different in a school house.

I would recommend this book because it's very interesting because there are always surprises.

Available August 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

This post is brought to you by Alina who read and reviewed this complimentary book for Revell Books. Her opinion is hers alone.

review of Stranded by Dani Pettrey

When Her Friend Goes Missing,Every Minute Counts
Darcy St. James returns to Alaska to join a journalist friend undercover on the trail of a big story. But when Darcy arrives, she finds her friend has disappeared. Troubled by the cruise ship's vague explanation, Darcy uses her cover as a travel reporter to investigate further. 
The last person Gage McKenna expects to see during his summer aboard a cruise ship leading adventure excursions is Darcy. And in typical Darcy fashion, she's digging up more trouble. 
He'd love to just forget her--but something won't let him. And he can't help but worry about her as they are heading into more remote regions of Alaska and eventually into foreign waters. Something sinister is going on, and the deeper they push, the more Gage fears they've only discovered the tip of the iceberg.

This is book three in the Alaskan Courage series by Dani Pettrey. She picks up the the story line with another brother in the McKenna family, Gage. This could be read as a stand alone book, but it may be a bit difficult to follow the siblings story-lines if the reader hasn't read the first two books.

Pettrey does a great job creating a thrilling story line that keeps the reader engaged and riveted to the book. The quick pace and suspense makes this book hard to put down and keeps one guessing up until the end.

I'm looking forward to reading book four and how Pettrey continues this family story.

Bethany House Publishing sent this complimentary book to me to review. Opinions are my own.

Review of Trapped by Irene Hannon

When librarian Laura Griffith's sixteen-year-old sister disappears on a frigid February day, leaving only a brief note behind, Laura resolves to do whatever it takes to track down the runaway teen. That includes recruiting ATF agent turned PI James "Dev" Devlin to help. But the deeper he digs, the more he begins to suspect that something sinister is at work in the girl's disappearance. And the closer he gets to uncovering the truth, the clearer it becomes that the situation isn't just dangerous--it's deadly.

Irene did it again. Another fantastic book. Much less of the romance and much more of the tense suspense that she does so well writing. I was actually standing and reading this in my house as it sucks you in and you can't put it down.

This is book 2 in the Guardian of Justice Series, but can easily be read as a stand alone novel. The main character was in the first novel as well, but only as a secondary character. The second book shines his character and his story with his co-workers as secondary characters.

I think Irene gets better with each book and each series. I'm already looking forward to the last book in the series (but will have to wait until next summer). If you enjoy suspense, being sucked in and even being a little disturbed, this book and series is for you.

Would you like to learn more about Irene Hannon? Head on over to her website. http://www.irenehannon.com

Want to see how fast you can be sucked in to this book? 

Read an excerpt here: http://www.irenehannon.com/trapped.html#excerpt

Available August 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

RevellBooks sent me this complimentary book to review for them. All opinions expressed above are my own.

Review of Splitting Harriet by Tamara Leigh

Once upon a time, I was a rebel. And I have the tattoo to prove it. 

Then there was the spiked hair–the shade of which changed monthly–“colorful” language that can’t be found in your everyday sixteen-count crayon box, a pack-a-day habit, less-than-modest wardrobe, and an obsession with guitar-trashing, drum-bashing music. 

Did I mention I’m also a preacher’s kid? That’s right. And like the prodigal son after whom I modeled myself, I finally saw the error of my ways and returned to the fold.
Today my life is all about “lead me not into temptation.” When I’m not serving as Women’s Ministry Director at my father’s church, I’m working at Gloria’s Morning Café. I even have worthy goals, like saving enough money to buy the café, keep my Jelly Belly habit under control, and to never again hurt the people I love. No more parties. No more unsavory activities. And no more motorcycles! You’d think I was finally on the right track.

This is an older book, but still super cute. Light and full of laughs, but with an undertone of learning how to forgive one's self and move on. This was a great example of pendulum living. Going from one extreme to another, of which neither are one's true self. Tamara kept the reader moving along with wit and a spunky story line.  She did a great job balancing the characters, keeping the charm throughout the book and not filling it with fluffy gooey romance.

Interested to read more about Tamara and her books (she even has a cooking website!)? Visit her website: http://www.tamaraleigh.com

Would you like to read an excerpt from the first chapter of Splitting Harriet? Click here

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Review of Wishing on Willows by Katie Ganshert

A three-year old son, a struggling café, and fading memories are all Robin Price has left of her late husband. As the proud owner of Willow Tree Café in small town Peaks, Iowa,  she pours her heart into every muffin she bakes and espresso she pulls, thankful for the sense of purpose and community the work provides.                                      So when developer Ian McKay shows up in Peaks with plans to build condos where her café and a vital town ministry are located, she isn’t about to let go without a fight. As stubborn as he is handsome, Ian won’t give up easily. His family’s business depends on his success in Peaks. But as Ian pushes to seal the deal, he wonders if he has met his match. Robin’s gracious spirit threatens to undo his resolve, especially when he discovers the beautiful widow harbors a grief that resonates with his own. With polarized opinions forming all over town, business becomes unavoidably personal and Robin and Ian must decide whether to cling to the familiar or surrender their plans to the God of Second Chances.

I'll be honest and say that this book was a bit long. The theme was: widow has cafe, developer comes in and tries to buy cafe from her. That is the main story line. The same conversations take place over and over throughout the entire book between these two characters, so when the book finally ended one almost sighed in relief that it was done. It seemed like there were a lot of loose ends left undone and wondered what happened a lot of the times in a lot of situations with a lot of the characters. I don't mean to bash this book or the author by any means...it just wasn't my personal favorite.

Waterbrook Multnomah sent me this complimentary copy to review for them. The opinions expressed are mine alone. 

A Big Year for Lily by Mary Ann Kinsinger and Suzanne Woods Fisher

Lily Lapp's family has settled into their new home in Pennsylvania, but life still holds big changes and big steps for Lily. Good changes, like once again living close to her beloved cousin and best friend, Hannah. Bad changes, like a mean girl who plays tricks on her. And no change at all where Lily would most want one--Aaron Yoder sits near her in school and relentlessly teases her. Surprises are in store for Lily as she learns, with Mama and Papa's help, to manage the ups and downs of growing up Amish.

Today's blog post comes to you from Alina, my 9 year old daughter, who read the book. This book is the third in the The Adventures of Lily Lapp.

I like that you always want to know what happens next in the book.

I liked the chapter about the sandwich switch because Lily gets blamed for switching lunches with someone else's lunch and she was brave to stand up for herself because she didn't do it.

I like how the authors describe what's happening and the words they use are just right in understanding what they mean.

I would recommend this book to girls. I can't wait for the fourth book to come out!

Available July 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Revell Books sent me this complimentary book to read for them. The opinions expressed are my daughter's own.

Review of Dolled Up to Die by Lorena McCourtney

When Cate Kinkaid receives a frantic call about a triple homicide, she drives to the scene against her better judgment--aren't triple homicides more up the police department's alley?--only to find that the victims are not quite who she expects. Now she has a new rule to add to those she's learned in her short stint as an assistant private investigator: always find out if the victims actually have human DNA. Because these three do not.
But who would shoot this nice lady's dolls? What possible reason could the shooter have? And then there's the startling discovery of another victim, who definitely does have human DNA . . .

This is the 2nd book The Cate Kincaid Files. The series continues with Cate Kinkaid getting into another sticky situation. A great who-dun-it book that will keep you flipping through to the last page. Lorena does a great job twisting up who you think the murderer is and throws in a lot of humor along the way. There isn't a ton of info from the previous book that would confuse the reader, so this book can stand easily alone on it's own.

If you like a light mystery with a splash of humor and that isn't graphic, this is the book for you. I'm hoping there is a 3rd one!

Available July 15, 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Revell Books sent me this complimentary book to review for them. Opinions expressed are my own.