"Counter Attack," by Patricia Bradley

 "Counter Attack," by Patricia Bradley

Her next move just might be her last

No sooner has Alexis Stone been sworn in as the interim chief deputy for Russell County, Tennessee, than a serial killer dubbed the Queen's Gambit Killer strikes again--this time in her hometown. Pearl Springs is just supposed to be a temporary stop along the way to Alex's real dream: becoming the first female police chief of Chattanooga. But the killer's calling card--a white pawn and a note with a chess move printed on it--cannot be ignored.

Pearl Springs chief of police Nathan Landry can't believe that his high school sweetheart Alexis (he refuses to call her Alex) is back in town, and he can't help wanting to protect the woman he never stopped loving. But as the danger mounts and the killer closes in, can Nathan come through on the promise he makes to himself to bring a killer to justice before it's too late?

This book flowed really nicely, it started at a fast pace and just kept going.  Right from the start the chemistry between Alex and Nathan was on point and they made excellent lead characters.

I will say I guessed who the killer was early on, but the author did mix things up so you did question if you thought you had guessed correctly.  I was laughing to myself about how many times Alex's life was put in danger over a short number of days.  Personally I would have quit the job and gone into hiding!

I know diddly squat about chess so that basically went over my head, all those clues, and as I said I guessed what and why the killings were happening, so you don't need to understand any chess moves.

Stars out of 5 : 4.5 A page turner of a book, but was clueless about the chess moves etc. and this book hasn't wanted me to learn how to play chess!!  

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell , a division of Baker Publishing Group".

"The Weight of Air," by Kimberly Duffy

 "The Weight of Air," by Kimberly Duffy

Two women--bound by blood, torn apart by circumstance--find together that true strength comes in many forms.

In 1911, Mabel MacGinnis is Europe's strongest woman and has performed beside her father in the Manzo Brothers Circus her entire life. When he dies unexpectedly, she loses everything she's ever known and sets off in the company of acrobat Jake Cunningham in hope of finding the mother she thought was dead.

Isabella Moreau, America's most feted aerialist, has given everything to the circus. But age and injury now threaten her security, and Isabella, stalked by old fears, makes a choice that risks everything. Then her daughter Mabel appears alongside the man who never wanted to see Isabella again, and she is forced to face the truth of where, and in what, she derives her worth.

As Mabel and Isabella's lives become entangled beneath the glittering lights and flying trapeze of Madison Square Garden, their resiliency and resolve are tested as they learn the truth of what it means to be strong.

I always feel bad writing a negative review on a book, but like everything in life, not everyone likes the same things.  I enjoyed the growing love story between Mabel and Jake, they were perfect for one another despite all their past hurts.  I also enjoyed reading about the circus.  I understood how Isabella felt about getting old, and wondering what purpose her life would be without the circus.  I understood the underlying doubts and fears a person (the characters) have when dealing with day to day life.

But this book was much too complicated and much too long winded for me.  The story dragged and I got bored with it.  If I wasn't reviewing it I would have given up.  The story took too long to get going.

Stars out of 5 : 2.5 Not my cup of tea, but you may love it.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. 

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

"The Metropolitan Affair," by Jocelyn Green

"The Metropolitan Affair," by Jocelyn Green

For years her explorer father promised Dr. Lauren Westlake she'd accompany him on one of his Egyptian expeditions. But as the empty promises mounted, Lauren determined to earn her own way. Now the assistant curator of Egyptology for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lauren receives two unexpected invitations.

The first is her repentant father's offer to finally bring her to Egypt as his colleague on a new expedition. The second is a chance to enter the world of New York's wealthiest patrons who have been victims of art fraud.

With Egyptomania sweeping the city after the discovery of King Tut's tomb, Detective Joe Caravello is on the hunt for a notorious forger preying on the open wallets of New York's high society. Dr. Westlake is just the expert he needs to help him track the criminal. Together they search for the truth, and the closer Lauren and Joe get to discovering the forger's identity, the more entangled they become in a web of deception and crime.

This book is both delightful and sad at the same time.  It is set in the Roaring 20's of New York; a time of glitz and glamour.  The sad part of the book for me was Lauren's yearning for approval from her father, which only brings her more and more heartache.  Bring in a pot load of mystery and intrigue, and add in some romance and you have a winner of a book.

There were many twists and turns in this book; that when you have finally figured it out, or so you thought, out comes another plot twist.  I loved all the references to Egypt; it brought back memories of me studying that in school.  Thoroughly enjoyed that part of the book.  You must read the author's notes, they were enlightening.

The author's attention to detail brought everything to life for me, you could easily imagine yourself in all the scenes she painted throughout the book.

Stars out of 5 : 4.5  It did take me a couple of chapters to get invested in the book, but once I did I couldn't stop reading it.  A well worth read and is the first book in the "On Central Park," series.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. 

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

"The Sound of Light," by Sarah Sundin

 "The Sound of Light," by Sarah Sundin

Copenhagen, 1940

When the Germans march into Denmark, Baron Henrik Ahlefeldt exchanges his nobility for anonymity, assuming a new identity so he can secretly row messages for the Danish Resistance across the waters to Sweden. American physicist Dr. Else Jensen refuses to leave Copenhagen and abandon her research--her life's dream--and makes the dangerous decision to print resistance newspapers.

As Else hears rumors of the movement's legendary Havmand--the merman--she also becomes intrigued by the mysterious and silent shipyard worker living in the same boardinghouse. Henrik makes every effort to conceal his noble upbringing, but he is torn between the façade he must maintain and the woman he is beginning to fall in love with.

When the Occupation cracks down on the Danes, these two passionate people will discover if there is more power in speech . . . or in silence.

I have to say I really enjoyed this book.  Mainly because I learned something new.  I knew nothing about the role Denmark played in World War 2, and reading a book and learning something new is a win for me.

Hemming and Else were perfect lead characters and totally believable.  I really liked how the author got them to fall in love with one another.  The story had plenty of action and intrigue.  You are sitting on the edge of your seat a couple of times hoping the worst wasn't going to happen.

I liked how the author incorporated one of Denmark biggest tourist attractions The Little Mermaid, having Hemming as an expert rower and him being named Havmand.  All in all a very interesting book, especially if you enjoy stories set in World War 2 and Scandinavia.

Stars out of 5 : 4.5  It did take me a couple of chapters to get everything "organized" in my brain, but once that happened I didn't want to put the book down.  A really interesting read and well worth either buying or borrowing from you Library.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell , a division of Baker Publishing Group".

"Remember Me," by Tracie Peterson

 "Remember Me," by Tracie Peterson

From the Yukon to Seattle, the hope of a new beginning waits just around the corner.

Addie Bryant is haunted by her past of heartbreak and betrayal. After her beau, Isaac Hanson, left the Yukon, she made a vow to wait for him. When she's sold to a brothel owner after the death of her father, Addie manages to escape with the hope that she can forever hide her past and the belief that she will never have the future she's always dreamed of.

Years later, Addie has found peace in her new life as a photographer, training Camera Girls to operate and sell the Brownie camera. During the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Expo in Seattle, Addie is reunited with Isaac, but after the path her life has taken, she's afraid to expose the ugliness of her former life and to move toward the future they had pledged to each other.

When her past catches up with her, Addie must decide whether to run or to stay and face her wounds in order to embrace her life, her future, and her hope in God.

First let me say I am a huge fan of Tracie Peterson's books; but this book didn't grab my attention at all until I was maybe 3/4 of the way through it.  If I wasn't reviewing the book I would have thrown the towel in on this one pretty early on.

It seemed to drag along at such a snail's pace.  It wasn't that the subject matter wasn't interesting, but I knew what was going to happen, there were no surprises along the way.

Stars out of 5 : 2.5  This is the first book in the "Pictures of the Heart" series.  Again I normally love Tracie's books; just not this one.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. 

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

"Yesterday's Tides," by Roseanna M. White

 "Yesterday's Tides," by Roseanna M. White

In 1942, Evie Farrow is used to life on Ocracoke Island, where every day is the same--until the German U-boats haunting their waters begin to wreak havoc. And when special agent Sterling Bertrand is washed ashore at Evie's inn, her life is turned upside down. While Sterling's injuries keep him inn-bound for weeks, making him even more anxious about the SS officer he's tracking, he becomes increasingly intrigued by Evie, who seems to be hiding secrets of her own.

Decades earlier, in 1914, Englishman Remington Culbreth arrives at the Ocracoke Inn for the summer, never expecting to fall in love with Louisa Adair, the innkeeper's daughter. But when war breaks out in Europe, their relationship is put in jeopardy and may not survive what lies ahead for them.

As the ripples from the Great War rock Evie and Sterling's lives in World War II, it seems yesterday's tides may sweep them all into danger again today.

This book goes back and forward between World War 1 and World War 2.  It has many twists and turns to it, that intertwines different members of the family.  It brings to light the racial differences in the States and the class differences in the UK.

Historically very interesting and I liked how it was mainly set on the island of Ocracoke.  Makes me want to visit it.  I did find it hard to get all the characters sorted out in my brain to start with, as there are a lot and some have similar names. Evie and Louisa were both strong lead characters.  

Stars out of 5 : 4 A good book and a book where characters from the author's other books pop up from time to time.  Well worth reading.  Read the Author's Notes at the back of the book, very interesting how this book came about.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. 

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

"What Happens Next," by Christina Suzann Nelson

 "What Happens Next," by Christina Suzann Nelson

Popular podcaster and ex-reporter Faith Byrne made a name for herself telling stories of greatness after tragedy--but her real life does not mirror the stories she tells. While her daughters spend the summer in Hawaii with her ex-husband and his new wife, she must manage life on her own. All of that changes when she's asked to spotlight her childhood best friend's missing person case on her podcast.

Dora Crane has never accepted that her younger daughter could be dead, keeping her home looking the same as when her daughter disappeared. But when her husband leaves her and her older daughter intervenes, she agrees to counseling and to pack up her missing daughter's belongings under one condition: Faith Byrne comes to Deep Valley and sheds light on the cold case.

As the long-abandoned investigation moves forward, old wounds and long-buried secrets are exposed. Will these two women, whose lives have never been the same, finally get the answers they need to reconcile the past and the future?

This book had you going back and forward with who you think was involved with Faith's missing friend Heather.  The emotions of Heather's family, made your heart break.  It also made you think of, what would you do in that situation?

The book bounces back and forward between the past and the present.  It took me a little while to get to the bottom of who was who, but once you did things fell into place.

Some things didn't make sense and some things for me were just too convenient.  There were many layers to this story, that you needed to dig through.

Stars out of 5 : 3.5  It wasn't a horrible book, I just didn't enjoy it as much as I should/could have.  I will have forgotten about it in a couple of days.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. 

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".