When Secrets Come Calling

 

About the Book:

When former University of Alabama and Titans wide receiver Dax Carpenter learns his father is accused of a forty-year-old robbery and murder, he turns to the only person he trusts to discover the his ex-girlfriend, Caitlin Fitzhugh.

Caitlin, a cold-case specialist with the Alabama State Division of Investigations, wants nothing to do with the case nor Dax. Not only is the evidence against Dax’s father already condemning, she can’t risk having her heart broken—again.

Caitlin’s boss, however, ignores her arguments, and she begrudgingly takes the consult, convincing herself she can keep the case and her past with Dax separate. But unlike her, longings and memories don’t follow orders. While she lends her skills to the Gulf Shores Police Department in the search for the truth, Dax fends off a possibly career-ending social media hit—leading him to question everything he knows about his father and himself.

As the secrets of both their pasts unfold, they discover whether Dax’s father truly robbed and murdered a man forty years ago but also why Caitlin ended their relationship. Secrets that could drive a wedge between them, forever.

My Review: 

This is a story of a second chance at love for Dax and Caitlin. What brings them together is not something that either one of them would have wanted when Dax’s father risked accused of crimes from 40 years ago. It was nice to see that while bad things do happen, good can come from them. Letting go of the past was freeing and the best thing Caitlin could do for herself and Dax.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through the Launch Team Geek. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.

Rocky Mountain Journey

About the Book

Book: Rocky Mountain Journey (Sisters of the Rockies: Book 3)

Author: Misty M. Beller

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: June 18, 2024

Masquerading as a man, Faith Collins embarks on a perilous journey through the untamed wilderness of the Rocky Mountains in search of the Peigan Blackfoot woman who once saved her father’s life. She joins a group of trappers who may be able to lead her to the place the woman is hiding, but keeping Faith’s identity a secret proves more difficult than she imagined.

Grant Allen is searching for his younger brother, who was separated from him when their parents died many years ago. After receiving word that his brother went west to the Rockies, he unites with a group of trappers, hoping they can lead him to his brother’s location. Soon Grant realizes there’s a woman hiding among the men, and he’s determined to find out who she is, what she’s hiding, and how he can keep her safe in this country of wild animals and even wilder men.

In this rousing conclusion to her Sisters of the Rockies series, Misty M. Beller embarks on an adventurous journey where loyalty, love, and sacrifice intertwine amid the unforgiving frontier.

 My Review: 

Get ‘er done Faith Collins made a deathbed promise to her father to return an heirloom necklace to the Blackfoot woman who saved his life many years  before. I admired her courage and determination to strike out on her own since none of her sisters were able to help find her. She didn’t let anything stand in her way to keep her word. 

I enjoyed the relationship that developed between Faith and Grant Allen. When Faith disguises herself as a man to join a group of trappers, and Grant discovers her real identity he was admirable in allowing her to continue her quest. As long as he could protect her. The dangers they face will keep you turning the pages and anticipating a happy ending for them. 

Things to enjoy: 

Spunky FMC

Adventure

Dangerous men

Faith of the characters

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book provided to me by the publisher through NetGalley and Celebrate Lit. All views are my opinion. I was not required to write a positive review.

Click here to get your copy!

 About the Author

Misty M. Beller is a USA Today bestselling author of romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.

Raised on a farm and surrounded by family, Misty developed her love for horses, history, and adventure. These days, her husband and children provide fresh adventure every day, keeping her both grounded and crazy.

Misty’s passion is to create inspiring Christian fiction infused with the grandeur of the mountains, writing historical romance that displays God’s abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters.

Sharing her stories with readers is a dream come true for Misty. She writes from her country home in South Carolina and escapes to the mountains any chance she gets.

More from Misty

A HEROINE DISGUISED AS A MAN

I love a heroine in disguise! It’s one of my favorite tropes, but I don’t often get to write stories with that plot. It adds so many fun and funny moments to the storyline. J

In Rocky Mountain Journey our heroine goes undercover as a “man” to travel with a group of trappers so she can reach her destination safely. Numbers meant a better chance of survival back in those days. I love that Grant, our hero, was the only man in the trapper group who looked close enough at the young “man” riding with them to realize things weren’t what they seemed at first glance.

One challenge that definitely arises in a story where the heroine is pretending to be a man is the development of the romance between her and the hero. In this case, Faith was pretending to be her (fictitious) brother Frank. Grant had met Faith in an earlier chapter before she took on the disguise, and he immediately noticed the resemblance between “Frank” and the woman whose memory still lingered with him, even days later. Every time he looks at “Frank” while they’re traveling with the trappers, he recalls the memory of Faith by the waterfall…and the attraction to that woman grows a little more every time. What a shocking surprise when he discovered she’s riding just ahead of him on the trail the entire time!

I pray you love Faith’s stint “in disguise” in Rocky Mountain Journey! J

Blessings!

Misty

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, June 18

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, June 18

Life, Love, Writing, June 19

Book Looks by Lisa, June 19

Wishful Endings, June 20

Lighthouse Academy Blog, June 20 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)

Texas Book-aholic, June 21

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 22

Devoted To Hope, June 22

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 23

Happily Managing a Houeshold of Boys, June 23

Betti Mace, June 24

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 24

lakesidelivingsite, June 25

Books You Can Feel Good About, June 26

Mornings at Character Cafe, June 26

Life on Chickadee Lane, June 27

Tell Tale Book Reviews, June 27

Cover Lover Book Review, June 28

For Him and My Family, June 29

Jeanette’s Thoughts, June 29

Holly’s Book Corner, June 30

Blossoms and Blessings, June 30

Lily’s Corner, July 1

Pause for Tales, July 1

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Misty is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2c068/rocky-mountain-journey-celebration-tour-giveaway

The Hudson Collection

 

About the Book: 

Step into the beguiling world of 1926 New York and discover the power of resilience, friendship, and love from award-winning author Jocelyn Green.

Elsa Reisner's lifelong dream of working as an ornithologist at the American Museum of Natural History is fading as the job begins to drain her passion. But fate takes an unexpected turn when she is assigned to catalog the bequest of a recently deceased patron whose Gothic country mansion holds secrets and treasures waiting to be discovered.

As Elsa delves into her task, she forms an unlikely bond with the estate's delightful gardener and her daughter, as well as an architectural salvage dealer who still bears scars from the Great War. Together, they embark on a thrilling treasure hunt for a missing relic intended to safeguard the servants' futures before the estate is sold. At the same time, Elsa's body seems to betray her with new symptoms from a childhood disease that isn't through with her yet.

With the brooding veteran and her handsome colleague joining the search, Elsa must navigate the tangled web of secrets and hidden motives along with the changing state of her health. As her deadline looms ever closer, will she be able to secure a new life for her friends before the estate slips from their grasp?

My Review: 

Author Jocelyn Green has written a world from the 1920’s filled with such rich detail that I wish I could visit the mansion she described along the Hudson River. Choosing a the profession of an ornithologist for the main character, Elsa Reisner, was interesting. I loved the rambling home of a reknown millionaire and his wife, and the task that Elsa is given to catalog and retrieve the birds from their collection. I am familiar with many of the birds that are described and loved learning more about them as well as new ones too. 

The misperception of how Elsa’s family felt about her contracting polio and its aftereffects caused her to see things in a different manner. I loved that she was courageous and spoke with her parents about what took place. I can imagine how freeing it was for all involved to confess their feelings and move forward in their relationship. 

There are so many wonderful characters in this story. Luke, the wonderful, caring, and protective man. I wish everyone had a person in their life like him. He was the perfect match for Elsa. Danielle, a child with autism who could see things in a way that was uniquely her. Tom, a man who was carefree and loving and recovering from the horrors of war. 

The topic of eugenics is part of the story and shows the devastation that it creates. I loved how many of Ms. Green’s characters would be labeled as imperfect but how distinctive each one of them is. I could see the tapestry of  each of them fitting into Elsa’s life.

Other things to love:

Treasure hunt

Mystery and Danger

Faith of characters

Things aren’t always what they seem

Restoration

I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction. It can be read as a standalone even though it is part of the On Central Park series.  I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book provided to me by the publisher through NetGalley and Austen Prose. All views are only my opinion. I was not required to write a positive review. 

Moonlight on the Mississippi

About the Book:

 A lost treasure, a mysterious disappearance, and a deadly family secret—but winning her heart might be the real challenge.

Steamboat Captain Camilla Lockhart discovers a handsome stranger on board with an offer he claims she can't refuse. If he thinks she will get involved in another hopeless treasure quest, he's lost his sunbaked mind. Not after what happened to her father. But with her boat falling apart and her crew about to starve, Mr. Gray's unusual proposal might be her only hope.

Daniel Gray inherited a host of problems, including a clue that could unlock old family secrets and a treasure that’s long since faded to lore. His father left him with only one name—Lockhart. But when he hires the striking, yet unconventional, steamboat captain to help him navigate the treacherous waters of the Mississippi River, he never expects his heart to get tangled in the currents. With a criminal operation’s net tightening around them, the two must battle against time to uncover a lost family treasure and solve a mysterious disappearance before the men hunting them from the shadows discover the dangerous truth.

My Review: 

This is such a fun treat to read! Camilla Lockhart is unlike any female character I have read about due to her profession. She is a female river boat captain who is skilled in navigating the Mississippi River. I loved her honesty and her faith. Camilla’s saying of, “snakes and salt water” had me smiling every time she said it. Her unique sayings and descriptions of people and circumstances really brought her character to life.

The adventure of searching for a family treasure and unraveling suspicions that both Camilla and Daniel Gray have about the circumstances of their father’s brief partnership add a tension to their relationship. As they get to know each other I was happy to see their romance develop.

Things to love:
Unique boat crew
A sweet boy
A lovable dog
The Devil’s Punchbowl
Danger and suspense
Second chances
Faith element

Favorite quotes:
“Papa always said the trials mold a man. He can be shaped into something harder.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Strong endures. It shelters others. A hard man forgets everything but the pain and builds walls to keep others out.”

This is a part of the River Romances series, but it can be read as a standalone since each book is independent of each other. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All views are only my opinion. I was not required to write a positive review.

The Girl from the Hidden Forest

 

About the Book

Book: Girl from the Hidden Forest

Author: Hannah Linder

Genre: Christian Fiction / Historical / Regency Romance

Release date: May, 2024

The nightmares may free her…but destroy the man she loves.

Enjoy another Gothic Style Regency from Hannah Linder.

Eliza Ellis has stayed hidden in Balfour Forest for as long as she can remember. Perhaps her only friends are the trees, or her little dog, or her story-telling father called Captain. But at least she is safe from the cruel world outside, a world Captain has warned her against and protected her from.

That is, until a handsome stranger named Felton Northwood invades her quiet forest and steals her away. Why does he tell such lies? Why does he insist that her name is Miss Eliza Gillingham, daughter of a viscount, who disappeared fourteen years ago after the murder of her own mother? A murder Eliza is said to have witnessed.

When Felton returns Eliza to Monbury Manor and reunites her with a man who is told to be her father, all she remembers are the strange nightmares that have plagued her since childhood. Why have they suddenly grown worse? Are the answers hidden inside her own mind?

As danger mounts and lethal attempts are made on her life, Eliza and Felton must work together to uncover the identity of a killer who has stayed silent for fourteen years. When she finally uncovers the horrendous memories trapped in her mind, will divulging the truth cost her the man she loves—and both of their lives?

 My Review: 

With a heart-stopping opening scene, this story kept me in its grip until the final page. Do not start reading this book at night if you want to get a good night’s rest. I wasn’t able to put it down once I started it. With rumors of murder attached to his family’s name, Felton Northwood will do whatever it takes to clear his name. As Eliza Gillingham enters his life, he hopes nothing will be the same. The build up of the relationship between Eliza and Felton was orchestrated so well and the pacing for their romance was just right. It wasn’t too fast to make it unbelievable, but not too slow either. I could write much more about this book. But, I will give some highlights instead. :) Things to love: Suspense and mystery Complex characters Merrylad the protector Dance lessons Enemies to more Plot twists, spins, and dives Vile villain God’s grace I highly recommend this story if you enjoy well developed characters and romantic suspense. I would love to see this story made into a movie. I can’t wait to read the next book that Hannah Linder writes. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher through Celebrate Lit and NetGalley. All opinions are my own and voluntarily provided.

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Hannah Linder resides in the beautiful mountains of central West Virginia. Represented by Books & Such, she writes Regency romantic suspense novels filled with passion, secrets, and danger. She is a four-time Selah Award winner, a 2023 Carol Award semi-finalist, a 2023 Angel Book Award third place winner, and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). Also, Hannah is an international and multi-award-winning graphic designer who specializes in professional book cover design. She designs for both traditional publishing houses and individual authors, including New York Times, USA Today, and international bestsellers. She is also a self-portrait photographer of historical fashion. When Hannah is not writing, she enjoys playing her instruments—piano, guitar, ukulele, and banjolele—songwriting, painting still life, walking in the rain, square dancing, and sitting on the front porch of her 1800s farmhouse.

More from Hannah

Everyone has been asking me for years: “Can you see yourself in any of your characters?” I guess I’m in everything, interwoven in all of the sentences. Pieces of me are scattered in the settings. Traits and quirks and secret thoughts are dispersed into the minds and souls of my characters.But I always felt the need to say no. I don’t see myself in my characters.

Perhaps because, in the past, so many of my heroines have been so different than me. Ella Pemberton (Beneath His Silence)—outlandish and stubborn and daring, apt to speak her mind, bold in her manner and flawless in her dance. Nan Duncan (When Tomorrow Came)—injured and worrisome, voice like an angel, childishly sweet, yet too eager to please. Isabella Gresham (Garden of the Midnights)—spoiled and excitable, with raven black hair and an art for entering social circles with impeccable grace and exquisiteness.

I love them, sweet characters of mine.

But I don’t understand them. We’re too different. Like sand and sea, we meet, we touch, we sweep back and forth together but we’re of different substance.

But Eliza Ellis—rather, Eliza Gillingham—is the first character I truly resonate with. Not on purpose. In no wise did I pen her with conscious hints back to myself. But as the story progressed, I found my heart reaching out to her, settling into her.

Because she was the same.

The way she thought, the things she imagined, her forest and her pet and her stories. I comprehended what made her hurt. I understood the dream world she lived in, because I live in a dream world too.

So, if anyone asks me, “Do you see yourself in any of your characters?”, I’ll pull The Girl from the Hidden Forest from the bookshelf and hand it to them. I’ll tell them Eliza and I are like kindred spirits, that we’ve bridged a friendship between reality and fiction.

Whether you’re a reader or a writer, I hope you stumble upon a character one day that feels like you. It’s a strange and special feeling indeed.

Blog Stops

Devoted To Hope, May 30

Inspired by Fiction, May 30

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, May 31

Sylvan Musings, May 31

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 1

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 1

Texas Book-aholic, June 2

Mornings at Character Cafe, June 2

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 3

Blogging With Carol, June 3

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 4

Betti Mace, June 5

For Him and My Family, June 5

Alena Mentink, June 6

Splashes of Joy, June 6

Stories By Gina, June 7 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, June 7

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, June 8

Becca Hope: Book Obsessed, June 8

Tell Tale Book Reviews, June 9

Cover Lover Book Review, June 9

Book Looks by Lisa, June 10

The Lofty Pages, June 10

Holly’s Book Corner, June 11

Pause for Tales, June 11

Lily’s Corner, June 12

To Everything There Is A Season, June 12

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Hannah is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon e-gift card and a print copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2bbf6/the-girl-from-the-hidden-forest-celebration-tour-giveaway

When Hope Sank

About the Book

Book: When Hope Sank

Author: Denise Weimer

Genre: Christian / Historical / Romance

Release date: May, 2024

Can Hope Resurface After Evil Tries to Drown It?

Introducing a series of 6 exciting novels featuring historic American disasters that transformed landscapes and multiple lives. Whether by nature or by man, these disasters changed history and were a day to be remembered.

The Civil War has taken everything from Lily Livingston—her parents, her twin brother, her home. Now she works at her uncle’s inn and keeps her head down. Speaking up for her beliefs proved too costly in a part of Arkansas split by conflicting loyalties and overrun by spies and bushwhackers.

Emaciated in body but resilient in spirit, Lieutenant Cade Palmer is crowded onto the Sultana with other paroled Andersonville and Cahaba POWs for the journey north. But a fiery explosion on April 27, 1865, rends the steamer and empties two thousand men into the frigid Mississippi River.

Recovering from wounds that might end his career as a surgeon but clinging to his faith, Cade threatens both Lily’s defenses and her heart. How can she tell him she might’ve prevented the tragedy if only she’d reported a suspected saboteur’s claims? And when the man returns to town and encoded messages pass through the hotel, will Lily follow her convictions to prevent another tragedy?

  My Review: 

Historical fiction based upon true events is the basis for A Day to Remember series and the way that author Denise Weimer has written this story truly causes you to feel that you are part of it. The details that are woven into the story were well done as you see the division between the Confederates and the Unionists after the Civil War. 

The romance between Lily and Cade brought home the fact that differences have to be put aside in order to bring true healing. The faith that both of them exhibited was am integral part of the story and well done. I’d recommend reading this book if you enjoy clean, faith-inspired historical novels. 

I received a I received a complimentary copy of the book through Celebrate Lit. I voluntarily reviewed this book, and all opinions are my own.

Click here to get your copy!

 About the Author

Denise Weimer holds a journalism degree with a minor in history from Asbury University. A former magazine writer, Denise authored romantic novella Redeeming Grace, as well as The Georgia Gold Series (Sautee Shadows, The Gray Divide, The Crimson Bloom, and Bright as Gold, winner of the 2015 John Esten Cooke Award for outstanding Southern literature) and The Restoration Trilogy (White, Widow and Witch) with Canterbury House Publishing. A wife and swim mom of two daughters, Denise always pauses for old houses, coffee and chocolate, and to write any story the Lord lays on her heart.

 

 More from Denise

The first novel I ever wrote was set during the Civil War, inspired by travels to historic sites of the Southeast with my parents and scribbled in my eleven-year-old hand in spiral-bound notebooks. Fresh out of college with my new degree in journalism with a minor in history on my shelf, I narrowly missed signing a contract for another Civil War series. Fast forward another decade or so. I was a young mom writing for magazines and directing a volunteer 1800s dance group when my Georgia Gold Series, literary-style historical fiction set between the Cherokee Removal and Reconstruction, found a home with Canterbury House Publishing. Since then, I’ve written everything from Hallmark-style contemporaries to Rev War romances (including my current Scouts of the Georgia Frontier Series with Wild Heart Books, where I also work as an editor). Everything but Civil War-era stories … until this one.

It feels a lot like coming home.

Some of that also has to do with the fact that I love writing stories that illustrate how God can bring healing and redemption out of the most difficult circumstances. I also endeavor to work as much real history as possible into the plots of my novels. And I love finding a little-known aspect of the past to center a story upon. When Hope Sank embodies all those things.

Reeling from the loss of over 600,000 men in the Civil War and the assassination of President Lincoln just the week prior, the nation hardly noticed when a steamer carrying a couple thousand U.S. prisoners of war exploded in the Mississippi River on April 27, 1865. Over eleven hundred perished in the icy waters that swelled several miles past the normal embankments at flood stage, making the sinking of the Sultana the most crippling maritime disaster in the nation’s history.

The former POWs on their way to muster out at Camp Chase, Ohio, were already emaciated and ill from imprisonment at infamous Andersonville and Cahaba prison camps. A number were badly burned when the boilers exploded, and many did not know how to swim. You can imagine the scene that ensued. While the steamboats docked at Memphis—which had been under Union occupation since the summer of 1862—got up steam, local citizens hurried to help, even those on the Arkansas shore who had fought for the Confederacy. The towns of Hopefield, Marion, and Mound City had suffered harsh reprisals for harboring Confederate guerillas. The area was well-known as a hotbed of spies and saboteurs intent on disrupting Union shipping on the Mississippi.

From this cauldron of chaos, discontent, and pain, an emotionally rich story was born. Focused on survival for herself and her little brother, Lily works at her uncle’s inn and keeps her Union sympathies to herself in her family of Southern sympathizers. The Yankee lieutenant she pulls from the river needs emotional healing even more than physical, though his wounds may compromise his ability to practice as a surgeon. The bond that forms between them from their shared faith and allegiances makes Lily question if she might have another option besides marrying her childhood sweetheart, a former partisan. And when coded message pass through River’s Rest, Lily struggles to find the courage to do what she didn’t the first time—speak out to save lives.

While the sinking of the Sultana may be the inciting event in When Hope Sank, it’s not the main focus. The reactions of the characters in the aftermath are. In our lives as followers of Christ, isn’t that where the real focus should lie? How we respond to tragedy? How we learn to reach for God instead of blaming Him? How, when we walk with Him, He brings beauty out of our ashes? It’s my prayer that the message of When Hope Sank settles deep in your heart.

 

 Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, May 28

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, May 28

Bizwings Book Blog, May 29

Life on Chickadee Lane, May 29

Alena Mentink, May 30

Lighthouse Academy Blog, May 30 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)

Betti Mace, May 31

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 31

Texas Book-aholic, June 1

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 1

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 2

Book Looks by Lisa, June 3

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 3

Life, Love, Writing, June 4

Blogging With Carol, June 4

The Lofty Pages, June 5

Tell Tale Book Reviews, June 5

For Him and My Family, June 6

Blossoms and Blessings, June 6

Stories By Gina, June 7 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, June 7

Cover Lover Book Review, June 8

Connie’s History Classroom, June 8

Holly’s Book Corner, June 9

An Author’s Take, June 9

Pause for Tales, June 10

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Denise is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon e-Gift card and copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2bbf4/when-hope-sank-celebration-tour-giveaway