Lights Out by Natalie Walters

Lights Out is a fast paced, action paced thriller that takes the reader in to the inner workings of the CIA. This is the first book in the SNAP Agency series by Natalie Walters. Walters does an outstanding job of creating a story that keeps the reader engulfed with the passing of each page. The suspense keeps the reader engaged right up until the end. With threads of trust and forgiveness, action and suspense woven through the storyline, this read is the complete package. Walters delivers a fantastic story to set up this series and I look forward to reading the 2nd book!

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

Review of Tacos for Two by Betsy St. Amant

Rory Perez has been given the family's taco truck. Lives depend on her being able to make it successful. The only hitch is, she doesn't like to cook. But she wants to keep her aunt's legacy going. Jude Strong is feeling the pressure from his father to carry on the legacy of the law firm, but what Jude wants to do is cook. Little do these two know is that they are falling for each other via a dating app. When life puts them together at an in-person cooking competition, they try not to fall for each other. Things get complicated and twisted when they realize their on-line relationship is a real-life relationship after all.

Betsy St. Amant has written a delightful story that draws the reader in and warms the heart with every page. With the undertones of You've Got Mail but throwing in a taco truck, a chef, and on-line dating, this cooks up to be a fantastic story where family and love intertwine and difficult decisions change the course of paths and dreams. St. Amant does a great job developing the characters, their stories and the plot throughout the entire book. 

Revell sent me this complimentary book to review and the opinions expressed are my own.

The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery by Amanda Cox

Sarah Ashby is back home. Back at the familiar of the Old Depot Grocery store. Working along side her grandmother and mother. What she's not ready for is the grocery store to be sold. Caught in between her grandmother's wishes and mother's wishes, she begins to uncover many deep secrets that have been kept about her heritage. 

Cox has written an amazing book that toggles between the past and present to build the story that the reader finds themself in. As pieces are revealed about Sarah, her grandmother and mother, the story starts to become clear as to how the relationships are the way they are in this family. With a delicate balance of stringing the past and present together, Cox has created a story the reader can't put down. With a splash of romance, sadness, forgiveness, selflessness and how important family ties can be, this book is all those and more. A great read that keeps the reader captivated and wanting more.

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

Review of A Midnight Dance by Joanna Davidson Politano

Ella Blythe has dancing in her blood. Literally. The daughter of a famous ballet dancer, she longs to be on the stage and in the spotlight like her mother. When her dreams come to fruition, she finds it's a lot less glamorous than she thought. Follow Ella through her journey of discovering who she is and how she finds herself in the midst of what it means to be in the spotlight.

Politano does a great job pulling the reader in to the life of the ballet scene. With attention to detail, the story takes a life of it's own and builds upon the character of Ella. With twists and turns that keeps the reader glued to the pages, the lilt of the story is almost like a dance in and of itself. With the names keeping you on your toes and requiring a bit more attention than most books, the storyline flows seamlessly. If you've read other Politano books, you will enjoy this one.

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

Under the Bayou Moon by Valerie Fraser Luesse

Ellie Fields uproots from her home town and moves to the bayou of Bernadette, Louisiana to become the towns teacher. Upon arriving, she falls in love with the town and not long after, falls in love with the people. Little does she know though that there are sinister choices being made politically to try and split the town in two. Through foraging friendships and a town coming together, Ellie finds herself a new place to call home.    

Luesse has written a sweet story about new beginnings, family and love. Her description of life on the bayou draws the reader right in to the sights and smells that surround the characters. Leusse has a way of story telling with light-heartedness and simplicity that makes this a feel-good story all around. There is a depth of Southern-ness that makes you want to book a flight to the Louisiana and experience life on the bayou. This is a great read if you are looking for a pick-me-up book that lifts the spirits.

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

Review of Beyond the Tides by Liz Johnson

Meg Whitaker is not ready to give up the family lobster-fishing business when her dad tells her he is going to sell it to Oliver Ross, her high school arch nemesis. So begins the competition of who is going to win the coveted boat and family heritage. Meg and Oliver now have to work together for the lobster season to show Meg's dad who would could best run the business. But what they did not count on was the forging of a friendship, unexpected conversations about their pasts and the feelings growing towards each other over early mornings and hard work.

Liz Johnson has woven a sweet story of two people who chose to avoid each other for years over one event in this first book of her new Prince Edward Island series. I enjoyed how she equally gave the spotlight to two main characters instead of just one. The backstory for each of them flowed well in to the present story and helped create some depth for each character. The description of the environment around the characters makes the reader feel they are sitting right there watching everything unfold. I look forward to the next book!

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

Review of The Paris Betrayal by James R. Hannibal

Ben Calix is good at what he does...a spy for the Company. But one assignment turns him in to a wanted man and he finds himself on the run, with a woman whom he doesn't even know. Not knowing why he is being hunted, he learns to trust a stranger while trying to bring down a bioweapon that is getting ready to be unleashed on the world all the while using his training just to stay alive.

This is the first book I have read by James Hannibal and it was fantastic! A bit gory in areas during the intense fighting scenes, but the plot line was creative and kept the reader engaged right up to the end. Hannibal spun a story like no other with plot twists and turns that keeps the reader wondering what is actually going on. With action, suspense and a sliver of romance, the reader stays engaged throughout the entire book right up to the end. 

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

Review of Never Miss by Melissa Koslin

Former CIA sniper Kadence Tolle is on the run. Lyndon Vaile doesn't realize he is will be on the run until he meets Kadence Tolle, who saves his life from a sniper. Kadence and Lyndon's worlds collide as Kadence keeps Lyndon alive so he can figure out who is after him and his scientific research. 

This is the first book I have read by Melissa Koslin and it was a great story! From the first page, the reader is sucked in to the story line of the main character, Kadence. As the story unfolds, it's multi-faceted as the characters are developed, their back stories are shared along with the main story line of staying alive. All the way to the end, the reader is involved in the story. Koslin created a very interesting plot and the reader can tell that the author researched the scientific aspects well. I look forward to reading Koslin's 2nd book!

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

Review of Present Danger by Elizabeth Goddard

Terra Connors is following in her late mother's footsteps as a US Forest Service Special Agent. One case though brings the past back full force when she has to team up with her former flame Jack Tanner to solve a case that's getting more dangerous by the day. Jack and Terra need to lay aside their past hurt to find out who is involved in the dangerous web of murder and theft.

Goddard weaves a story full of characters and mystery with every page that is turned. The storyline builds on itself and keeps the reader engaged until the end. I enjoyed the archeological information and how that was woven in to the story. You can tell the author did her research and it showed in the depth of knowledge that was written in to the story. There were a few times that it was difficult to remember who was who as there were a couple different story lines going on, but it makes sense now thinking back on the book. I look forward to the 2nd book in this series!

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

Review of Unknown Threat by Lynn H. Blackburn

U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Luke Powell should be dead. Surviving an attack against he and his friend, Luke is on a mission to find out who is after him, and who killed three other special agents that were his friends. FBI Special Agent Faith Malone is assigned to oversee the case. Her tenacity of not losing a case has her determined to solve this one. Luke and Faith have to work together, and put aside their differences, to catch a killer before the killer catches them.

This is the 1st book in the Defend and Protect Series by Lynn Blackburn. She does a great job weaving together a thrilling story where the action doesn't stop until the very end. What I did enjoy was you had no idea who the "bad guy" was until the end. I think this kept the reader engaged throughout the entire story. I also enjoyed the crossover characters from her previous series and how they played a small, but integral part, in this book. If you enjoy a page turner that keeps you guessing until the end, you will enjoy the first book in this new series.

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

Review of Facing the Dawn by Cynthia Ruchti

Mara Jacobs is barely holding life together. With her husband on the other side of the world saving people by providing clean water, she is back home raising three kids, two of which are heading down the dangerous paths. Tragedy strikes. Again and again. And Mara is plunged in to grief, despair, depression and does not even know how to begin to hold it together. 

What a beautifully tragic story of how to grow amid walking in grief. This is the first book I have read by Ruchti and she did an amazing job bringing the reader in to the Jacobs' home, in to their lives, their emotions, their grief. This was by far from a light, airy book, but one with heaviness, but redemptive heaviness. You can see the cracks of light shine through the darkness as the story progresses all the way to the end. You can feel the pain, the anger, the love, the forgiveness that takes place within the characters. How forever friends are always there. How new forever friends are formed. How family rallies. A fantastic read by ruchti.

Revell Reads sent me this copy to review for them. Opinions expressed are my own.

Review of Obsession by Patricia Bradley

 

Emma Winters is one of Natchez Trace's rangers and loves her job. With the chance to excavate a site on the land, Emma is in her glory. But all that turns to danger when she is shot at and it appears someone is messing with the excavation site. Assigned to the case is her ex-fiance, Sam Ryker, who isn't completely over Emma. Emma and Sam have to work together to find who is after her and trying to take out Sam.

This is book 2 in the Natchez Trace Park Ranger series and Bradley does a great job of writing a story that keeps the reader flipping the pages in to the late hours of the night. Her whodunnit level of writing keeps the reader guessing and the level of suspense keeps the reader glued to the pages. The characters are well formed and the storyline is smooth throughout the entire book. Any suspense reader would enjoy this book and this series by Bradley.

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

Review of Network of Deceit by Thomas Threadgill

After Amara Alvarez was thrust in the spotlight after blowing open a closed case, her dream has come true with becoming homicide detective. Her first case has her questioning if she's cut out for the job when a teen winds up dead at a waterpark. On top of wanting to prove herself as a great detective, she's trying to figure out feelings towards another detective and carrying the weight of a health diagnosis of her mother - the matriarch of the family. Amara learns quickly of what it looks like to juggle so many balls while trying to find a killer.

Threadgill did a masterful job with the depth and narrative of this story! It can be read as a stand-alone, but the reader would understand much more having read the first book in the series. More so with understanding the main character and the continuation of her growth through trials. Threadgill has written another book that is hard to put down until it's finished. Being a more mystery than suspense read, it has the reader trying to figure out how everything fits together, how the pieces line up and keeps the guessing going until the end. 

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

Review of All That We Carried by Erin Bartels

Olivia and Melanie are each carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders, but in different ways. Not having really connected in 10 years, they decide to go on a week long backpacking trip to reconnect as sisters. What they don't expect is to find so much more about each other and even more about themselves. 

Erin Bartels knocks it out of the part with this emotional book that carries you along on the journey of these two sisters. With so much heartache and soul searching on the main two characters' hearts, you grieve with them and also celebrate with them. Written with some backstory that ties to current conversations, you get a sneak peek in to their lives and relationship growing up. I loved how God was portrayed in this book as being someone who comes along and helps, who listens, who offers guidance and wisdom in a loving way. With depth and layers throughout, the story weaves grace, forgiveness, sister-hood, introspectiveness and deep heart searching that starts both of the characters a new journey. Bartels did a great job of making this feel real life with real emotions and real situations that could happen to anyone. 

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