Deep Cover by Scarlett Cole

Book Description

"Cole is a genius" - USA Today

ARETHEY IN TOO DEEP?

Ex-Navy SEAL Cabe Moss always comes when called to duty—at all costs. Even though the death of his fiancée nearly destroyed him, Cabe won’t let his past interfere with any work that has to get done. When his latest task pushes him to team up with FBI Agent Amy Murray, a fierce beauty with the undercover skills to match, Cabe must admit that, for the first time in years, he wants to do more than just complete their mission together…

Amy was born ready for this assignment, but working side-by-side with the the strong, silent, and frustratingly professional Cabe seems to be the biggest challenge of all. But when the sparks begin to fly—and the stakes rise to dangerous heights—the only thing Amy is left worrying about ishow she can resist him. Their lives may be in danger, but their hearts hold the biggest risk of all…

My Thoughts:
I liked this book.  Cabe is hurting from losing the love of his life. She fit into his life perfectly and their future had been what they dreamed of.  Amy is trying to leave the stigma of her last job behind as she moves to her new postition in the FBI. With her looks, most people don't take her seriously in her job. Beautiful women are meant to be ogled, not have a brain.
The two of them meet up and the sparks are instant. I liked that there was tension in their second meeting and that Cabe admitted to being a jerk. I also loved how protective he was. He knew she could take care of herself, but he still wanted to be there for her. Plenty of action, romance was hot, and I just really liked all the characters here.
4/5 for me. I'm going to look back into this author's backlist of books!


Thank you to the publisher for the review copy of this book.  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon by Kerrelyn Sparks

Book Description

EIGHT SIMPLE RULES FOR DATING A DRAGON
“Deeply satisfying, delightfully swoon-inducing.”—Publishers Weekly on Kerrelyn Sparks’s Love at Stake series

TRUTH—OR DARE?

Gwennore is an Elf able to track down the cause of a certain illness and heal it—a valuable asset to her people. But when she is thrust into the realm of the dragons, she discovers a haunted place of power, passion, and magic—one that is plagued by an ancient curse. When she meets the smoldering General Silas Dravenko, Gwen knows she’s entered a whole new world of trouble. She’s been raised never to trust a dragon. So why does making a deal with the devil feel so good?

Silas has no way of saving the royal family he’s served for years. But when a beautiful, innocent elf comes bursting into his world, Silas is awakened to desire in a way he’s never felt before. But how can he trust a sworn enemy. . .and how can he live without her, in Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon by New York Times bestselling author Kerrelyn Sparks.

My Thoughts:

I truly enjoyed this book.  Gwennore isn't like her sisters. She is an elf. When her niece is abducted by a dragon, she hitches along for the ride. Then she is rescued by another dragon but finds herself in an unknown kingdom with a ruler who seems completely mad. Everyone in the kingdom believes they are cursed but Gwennore doesn't believe it, her gift has helped her see that the Queen is being poisoned.

Silas has a secret he must keep, along with his men. Unlike them, he doesn't believe the curse is real and is relieved when he meets Gwennore and schemes to get her to stay and help. I loved how close Gwennore and her sisters were. The spin on how all of them are linked was intriguing as well. I will absolutely go back and find the previous two books about the sisters and look for future ones as well. 

It was a 4/5 for me. I love puff!

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy of this book.  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Red's Tangled Tale by Suzanna Lynn

Book Description:

Everyone knows the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Well, at least they think they do. History would have many believe Red was a naïve little girl who brought treats to her grandmother in the dark of the forest. History had it wrong.

After the curse of the wolves came to Timbergard, Red’s father was the only soul brave enough to enter Blakx Forest. However, when the wolves claimed his life, his young daughter took up his bow and began hunting the beasts to fill her need for revenge.

When Captain Hook shows up in the village in search of the rare burning ash that lies on the far borders of the cursed forest, Red agrees to help get him safely through the dangerous land.

The trek through the forest becomes precarious when the group is cornered by a pack of wolves. Red is forced to make a decision that will alter the lives of everyone, including individuals she has yet to meet.

My Thoughts:
I loved this audiobook. The narrator did a fabulous job with the voices and making the story come to life. Red isn't the simple girl we've been told, but a fierce huntress who braves the woods on her own when no one else will. James (captain Hook) comes back to her cursed land to ask her help to free someone the witch took to Oz.
I loved how the author wove in so many of our childhood characters. My son (10 year old) listened to the book with me and enjoyed it just as much as I did. James' change from when Red met him first to now is frustrating but she is going to help her friend anyway. Her grandmother may have been my favorite character! 
Great job by this author 5/5!

Thank you to the author for the copy of this book.  I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

THE FREEDOM CLUB Spotlight

THE FREEDOM CLUB by Cindy Vine, YA, 184 pp., $4.99 (Kindle)

Title: THE FREEDOM CLUB Author: Cindy Vine Publisher: Createspace Pages: 184 Genre: YA

“We could be anybody and everybody. A group of high school stereotypes with one thing in common.  Every one of us has a story.”

Every high school has the bullies, the freaks, and the weird kids that make you feel uneasy.  Rourke High has more than their fair share.  A few months before the end of their senior year, a group of seemingly mismatched kids get together to form The Freedom Club, hoping that they can support the victims of bullying, before they graduate.  As they uncover secrets and lies they plot revenge – and discover love, friendship and truths about themselves, building up to a shocking climax that will leave you reeling.

Do you ever really know the person next to you?

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Chapter 1 Maddie
In Grade 5 my class teacher assigned us all a task. We had to keep a Thought Journal for a period of three weeks. In the notebook she provided, we had to record anything we saw or heard, random things we thought about, newspaper clippings, magazine articles - basically anything that was of interest to us. The object of the task was to have group discussions at the end of the three weeks about the issues that we felt strongly about. The teacher believed that our Thought Journals would help us identify those issues. Once we had discussed them in our groups, we would then be able to decide which issues we had in common and which were the most important to us all. The next step would be to research the important issues we had identified as a group, then put together a presentation which we would show our parents one evening after school.
It sounds good in theory, right? The problem was only a few of us took the Thought Journals seriously. Writing down some very random thoughts the night before the due date defeated the whole object of the exercise. I had never been a ‘Dear Diary’ type of girl, although I had always loved to write. Diaries with little locks on, given to me as presents on birthdays and Christmas, have always remained unopened and untouched amongst other junk in the bottom drawer of my dresser. There was something about them that seemed both frivolous and soppy. I’m sure people who kept diaries didn’t really start each entry with ‘Dear Diary’, but in my mind they did and that’s what made it seem all a little pathetic.
But even though a Thought Journal did the same thing as a diary, it felt different somehow. Thought Journal sounded more serious, more intellectual than a silly diary. Recording my thoughts made me feel important, as if my thoughts really mattered. A notebook instead of a pink hard cover diary with flowers, bows and a lock, made me feel as if I was above silly thoughts about boys I liked and girlie gossip. The notebook made me feel as if I had something important to say and that if the world ended, then the next inhabitants of Earth would find my Thought Journals and know what it was like when I lived. Well, that’s what I thought when I was in Grade 5. Now I’m in my senior year of High School and my Thought Journal is all that keeps me alive.
Chapter 2 Arek
The sirens and flashing blue lights brought everybody outside. There is something about someone else's drama that attracts fellow humans, rather like flies to a pile of dung. Or bees to a can of soda. How many people stop to look at a bad car accident? It's not because they want to help. It's because they want to see. People want to be grossed out. They want to see torn-off limbs propped up next to a car tire. They want to see that body covered in blood and shards of glass. They want to exclaim and gag and gasp at the horror of it all. People are drama queens and that's no lie.
Hot on the heels of the first responders and emergency services are the press. News vans, cameramen and reporters with over-sized mikes. Desperate to display people's misery for the world to see. Shoving mikes in bystanders ́ faces - “What did you see? What did you hear? What do you know about the victim?” And of course the unspoken question, “What little bit of shitty gossip can you share about the victim?” And so the victim of a particular disaster is stripped of everything. Nothing is too sacred or too private not to be shared with the vultures eagerly gulping down every tidbit of information. The worst though, are the people who come forward pretending to have known the victim, making up the anecdotes they share on the fly.
It's almost worth living just to hear the shit they share. Lie after lie. Relating false memories in a sort of parallel universe. Creating their own reality. Pity none of it is true. Fake news, maybe there’s something in that after all.
And so, as Todd ́s gurney holding his body bag is rolled into the waiting ambulance, you can hear the collective sighs of the onlookers. “If only we'd known. If only he'd told us he was depressed we would have helped him. If only he had said he was planning on hanging himself in the bedroom we would have been there for him.”
If only.
If only you actually gave a shit.
If only those fake tears rolling down your cheeks
meant something.
If only you had made the time to actually know
Todd.
If only.
Too late.
Another teen lost to suicide.
Another family heartbroken and emotionally
shattered.
Kids at our high school will try and picture what he
looked like and share reminiscences that are actually of somebody else. And those who should be held culpable will carry on as if nothing happened and even make suicide jokes.
Nobody will be held accountable.
No amount of casseroles and lasagnas dropped off at the grief-stricken family ́s home will bring Todd back. The community rallying around? What a joke! All
they want is to find out the gory details. Nothing is going to change. Nothing is ever going to change.
The crowd swells as more neighbors come to gawk. People start talking to neighbors they haven’t spoken to in years. There’s nothing like someone else’s drama to get communication going again.
Too bad.
How sad.
I was standing behind Principal Timmins when he
turned to an officer and I heard him say, “Thank goodness he only committed suicide and didn't go gun ́crazy at school. At least it's just him and not a whole lot of others.”
Seriously?
We wouldn't want our school to look bad, would we? Good to hear our esteemed principal really cares
about us kids. I moved away before the officer had time to reply to Timmins’s insensitive comment. I always thought Timmins was a dick. Great to know what I thought has been confirmed.
Todd wasn’t my friend and I’m not going to pretend he was. But he was more than just an acquaintance. He always aspired to be one of the Cool Kids, which meant he ignored me at school. But as we lived in the same street, we often walked home together and Todd would try and impress me with the things he got up to with the Cool Kids. So I knew quite a bit about what was going on in his life. I also knew from things he said that he didn’t quite fit in, no matter how hard he tried. What I could never have foreseen, was that he would end up killing himself. Something bad must have happened to make him think that life wasn’t worth living. My gut feeling, is that the Cool Kids are somehow involved.
As I walk away from the crowd and head home to dinner, I mull over in my mind the last conversations I had with Todd. Trying to find clues in the things he had said. Looking for answers. Why kill yourself? What did they do to you?
There are days when I feel what’s the point of everything. Why bother getting out of bed just to go to school to pretend to learn when all you do is try to survive the day unscathed. But even though I often think life is pointless, I’m not sure I’d ever go to the extreme of killing myself. Why give them the satisfaction?
Living might be the only way to defeat them.
Then again, who knows and would they really care? And with that sobering thought, I open the front door to the house where we do not talk to each other.

Cindy Vine was born in South Africa and has lived and worked in many different countries as a teacher.  Cindy is currently living and working in Norway. She has three adult children who have all inherited her love of traveling and who all live in different countries.  Cindy likes to write about the difficult subjects that make you think.  Besides writing and traveling, Cindy loves cooking and fixing up houses.

Her latest book is the YA, The Freedom Club.

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Olympian Challenger by Astrid Arditi

Book Description

A hero’s tournament. A defiant contender. Does one girl have the courage to take on Mount Olympus? 

Hope’s world doesn’t have room for heroes. She barely has time for schoolwork, swim team, and taking care of her ailing mother. But when she’s invited to a mysterious tournament, the all-powerful hosts won’t take no for an answer. 

Transported to Mount Olympus, Hope comes face to face with her new trainers—the pantheon of Greek gods. While other contenders train hard to gain a fighting edge, Hope searches for a way out. Instead, she finds a gorgeous shadow god who may just convince her to stay…

As each round unfolds, the ultimate prize draws closer—the granting of her heart’s deepest desire. If she survives the final challenge, her mother’s cure would be within reach…but only if Hope can ignore the tournament’s dark purpose. 

Olympian Challenger is the first book in a bold YA urban fantasy trilogy. If you like Greek mythology, forbidden romance, and feats of courage, then you’ll love Astrid Arditi’s heroic coming-of-age tale.

My Thougths:
I really, really liked this book.  Hope is a wonderful character. She is courageous, strong, loving, caring and much more. She never wanted to be part of the challenge on Mount Olympus. She was just trying to save someone. I love that she cares so much for her mother that she tries to and actually does defy the gods to try to go home.
The attraction between her and one of the gods was fun for me. I hated what all the challengers went through, but the author did it in such a great way. You will cheer them on as you read and cry for them. The alliances were intriguing. There were some characters I just didn't like and I can't wait to see what the author does next.
It was a 5/5 for me. I cannot wait until the next book is out!

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy of this book.  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Fighter Pilot’s Daughter Spotlight

FIGHTER PILOT'S DAUGHTER by Mary Lawlor, Memoir, 336 pp., $19.95 (paperback) $18.09 (Kindle)

Title: Fighter Pilot’s Daughter: Growing Up in the Sixties and the Cold War Author: Mary Lawlor Publisher: Rowman and Littlefield Pages: 336 Genre: Memoir Format: Hardcover/Kindle

Fighter Pilot’s Daughter: Growing Up in the Sixties and the Cold War tells the story of Mary Lawlor’s dramatic, roving life as a warrior’s child. A family biography and a young woman’s vision of the Cold War, Fighter Pilot’s Daughter narrates the more than many transfers the family made from Miami to California to Germany as the Cold War demanded. Each chapter describes the workings of this traveling household in a different place and time. The book’s climax takes us to Paris in May ’68, where Mary—until recently a dutiful military daughter—has joined the legendary student demonstrations against among other things, the Vietnam War. Meanwhile her father is flying missions out of Saigon for that very same war. Though they are on opposite sides of the political divide, a surprising reconciliation comes years later.

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The pilot’s house where I grew up was mostly a women’s world.  There were five of us.  We had the place to ourselves most of the time.  My mother made the big decisions--where we went to school, which bank to keep our money in.  She had to decide these things often because we moved every couple of years.  The house is thus a figure of speech, a way of thinking about a long series of small, cement dwellings we occupied as one fictional home.

     It was my father, however, who turned the wheel, his job that rotated us to so many different places.  He was an aviator, first in the Marines, later in the Army.  When he came home from his extended absences--missions, they were called--the rooms shrank around him.  There wasn’t enough air.  We didn’t breathe as freely as we did when he was gone, not because he was mean or demanding but because we worshipped him.  Like satellites my sisters and I orbited him at a distance, waiting for the chance to come closer, to show him things we’d made, accept gifts, hear his stories.  My mother wasn’t at the center of things anymore.  She hovered, maneuvered, arranged, corrected.  She was first lady, the dame in waiting.  He was the center point of our circle, a flier, a winged sentry who spent most of his time far up over our heads.  When he was home, the house was definitely his.

     These were the early years of the Cold War.  It was a time of vivid fears, pictured nowadays in photos of kids hunkered under their school desks.  My sisters and I did that.  The phrase ‘air raid drill’ rang hard--the double-a sound a cold, metallic twang, ending with ill.  It meant rehearsal for a time when you might get burnt by the air you breathed. 

     Every day we heard practice rounds of artillery fire and ordinance on the near horizon.  We knew what all this training was for.  It was to keep the world from ending.  Our father was one of many Dads who sweat at soldierly labor, part of an arsenal kept at the ready to scare off nuclear annihilation of life on earth.  When we lived on post, my sisters and I saw uniformed men marching in straight lines everywhere.  This was readiness, the soldiers rehearsing against Armageddon.  The rectangular buildings where the commissary, the PX, the bowling alley and beauty shop were housed had fall out shelters in the basements, marked with black and yellow wheels, the civil defense insignia.  Our Dad would often leave home for several days on maneuvers, readiness exercises in which he and other men played war games designed to match the visions of big generals and political men.  Visions of how a Russian air and ground attack would happen.  They had to be ready for it.

     A clipped, nervous rhythm kept time on military bases.  It was as if you needed to move efficiently to keep up with things, to be ready yourself, even if you were just a kid.  We were chased by the feeling that life as we knew it could change in an hour.

Mary Lawlor is author of Fighter Pilot’s Daughter: Growing Up in the Sixties and the Cold War (Rowman & Littlefield paperback 2015); Public Native America: Tribal Self-Representation in Casinos, Museums and Powwows (Rutgers UP, 2006); and Recalling the Wild: Naturalism and the Closing of the American West (Rutgers UP, 2000). She lives in Allentown, PA and Gaucin, Spain.
Her latest book is the memoir, Fighter Pilot’s Daughter: Growing Up in the Sixties and the Cold War.

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Prayer, Marriage And The Leadership Roles Of The Husband And Wife Spotlight

PRAYER, MARRIAGE AND THE LEADERSHIP ROLES OF THE HUSBAND AND WIFE by Bishop Ken Giles and Pastor Sheila Giles, Christian Living, 98 pp., $19.95 (paperback)

Title: PRAYER, MARRIAGE AND THE LEADERSHIP ROLES OF THE HUSBAND AND WIFE
Author: Bishop Ken Giles & Pastor Sheila Giles
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 98
Genre: Christian Living

Marriage is an institution established by God. God ordains a man and a woman to be husband and wife to fulfill his purpose of expanding His likeness and kingdom through their rule and dominion over His creation. Within the institution of marriage, the man is responsible for carrying out and communicating God’s vision.  The woman enables, strengthens and encourages her husband to carry out God’s vision for himself, the marriage and family. The husband and wife become one flesh. No other human relationship, including that of parents and children, is to have priority or greater importance than that of the husband and wife to one another. The Leadership roles of the husband and wife are paramount to God’s plan of blessings in the marriage, family, generations and broader society. Therefore, obedience to God and His word establishes God’s order and facilitates the proper working and functioning of the marriage and family. Thus, establishing the peace, joy and increase the Lord has purposed in and through the marriage and family.

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Chapter 1

Lack of Prayer Invites Sin in the Marriage

Alack of prayer in the marriage invites sin (disobedience to God’s word and will) in the marriage. When there is sin in the marriage it creates conflict, contention, disorder, obstacles and barriers that otherwise would not exist. The marriage, on the other hand, that exist in obedience to God’s word will obtain benefits and blessings which are derived from prayer and the study of His word (Seeking and Knowing God and His will). It is absolutely paramount for prayer to be in a marriage just as it is paramount for prayer to be in an individual’s life. Keep in mind Genesis 2:23 reveals that the two become one flesh. Therefore, the marriage represents one person that is to go before the Lord in prayer. So be it an individual or two that have become one individual (via marriage), a lack of prayer invites sin in the marriage or an individuals life as a result of not having or failing to obtain God’s input (guidance/direction) in their lives. We can look to Genesis 3:1-5 which reads as follows: “Now the serpent more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And, he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die'.” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely shall not die! “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” From this scripture, verses one through five sets the stage for ultimately what happens in verse six. In verses one through five Eve makes the mistake of walking in the counsel of the ungodly (Psalm 1:1 and 6). However, in Genesis 3:6, the ultimate mistake was obeying the counsel of Satan over the counsel of God. (Romans 6:16). Any counsel, advice or thoughts that are contrary to the word and will of God is automatically to be identified as the counsel of Satan. Many times in our society, we obtain information and ideas via family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, television and radio or even the Internet, but we need to be mindful of the fact that there is a way which “seemeth” right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death (Proverbs 14:12). Therefore, it behooves us to always consult God via His word and through prayer if we are not certain what His will is for our lives at any given time and in any given area or situation. This is wise to do because God is our Maker and Creator and only wills and desires the very best for us. Even when it may be something that is painful to us or something we do not understand.

It is obvious that Eve did not pray before making her decision to eat from the forbidden tree and just as obvious that Adam and Eve failed to pray together prior to making the decision jointly to partake of the forbidden tree as a married couple (Genesis 3:6). If consistent and continuous prayer (Praying without ceasing - I Thessalonians 5:17) would have been undertaken by Adam and Eve individually and/or as a married couple sin would not have had the opportunity to enter their lives individually or their marriage and ultimately their family. The sin Satan purposed to plant in their individual lives, marriage and family would have been shut out of their paradise (place of peace, joy and plenty). However, because they failed to pray individually or jointly, the door for sin to enter was left wide open. All that remained was for Eve and ultimately Adam and Eve to do was to operate based on what they thought and how they felt. It should be noted here that everyone has an opinion, but the only one that matters is God’s opinion (I Kings 18:21). His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our way (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Bishop Ken Giles began full-time ministry in 1993 as an inner-city Missions Leader in Dallas, Texas, while at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship under Dr. Tony Evans. He later served there as Assistant Executive Director of their nonprofit corporation. In 1998, he returned to his hometown of Beaumont, Texas, and served as Pastor of Outreach at Cathedral of Faith Baptist Church and Executive Director of their nonprofit corporation. In 2000, Lincoln Bible Church was planted in the Beaumont/Port Arthur area and is now located in the Greater Houston Texas area where Bishop Ken Giles and his wife, Pastor Sheila Giles provide servant leadership. Bishop Giles has a Master of Education Administration from Prairie View A&M University and a Master of Theology from Southeast Texas Theological Seminary. 

Their latest book is PRAYER, MARRIAGE AND THE LEADERSHIP ROLES OF THE HUSBAND AND WIFE.

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Firestorm by Laura Hilton

About the Book

Title: Firestorm

Author: Laura Hilton

Genre: Christian Amish

Release Date: July, 2018

Bridget Behr and her family migrate from the bustling Amish community where she grew up in Ohio to the mostly unpopulated Upper Peninsula of Michigan after a stalker breaks into their home. While her father and brother try to find work in the area, the family is forced to reside in a borrowed RV until the house and barn are rebuilt. While Bridget is hoping for a fresh start, she’s afraid to trust anyone—even Gabriel, the overly-friendly Amish man who lives nearby. Bridget thinks he’s a flirt who serial dates and doesn’t even remember the girls’ names.

Due to not enough construction work in his Florida community to keep him out of trouble, Gabriel Lapp has been sent to Michigan to work. His father is desperate for his son to settle down. When the family walks into Gabe’s home in the middle of a thunderstorm and he discovers their circumstances, he offers to help with construction. For Gabe, the beautiful girl he teasingly calls “the recluse” once he discovers she doesn’t attend youth events, confuses him like none other.

As Gabriel and Bridget grow closer, they realize there is more to a person than meets the eye. Just as Bridget is finally settling into her new life, and perhaps finding love, tragedy strikes. Now Bridget and her family must decide if they should move to another Amish community, or dare to fight for the future they’d hoped for in Mackinac County.

My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book.  The author has a way with descriptions where you can just 'see' it in front of you. The house that the Behr's buy, oh my goodness! I'm not sure I could have handled seeing it at night much less in the day. I really did like the characters through the book.  Some I wasn't certain about but as the story unfolded, I understood more of their story and their reactions/actions.
I loved the first time Gabe meets the family and then the next morning with chores! Those pants...yeah I giggled on that. Watching Gabe mature, thought he is always a stinker, was interesting. Bridget has her reservations and her father's objections about Gabe but is still attracted to him. The story isn't slow, it will keep you intrigued, guessing what happens next and you will get emotional!
It was a 4/5 for me. I truly enjoyed it.

Thank you to the author/publisher for the review copy of this book.  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Click here to purchase your copy!

About the Author

Laura V. Hilton is an award-winning, sought-after author with over twenty Amish, contemporary, and historical romances. When she’s not writing, she reviews books for her blogs, and writes devotionals for blog posts for Seriously Write.

Laura and her pastor-husband have five children and a hyper dog named Skye. They currently live in Arkansas. One son is in the U.S. Coast Guard. She is a pastor’s wife, and homeschools her two youngest children.

When she’s not writing, Laura enjoys reading, and visiting lighthouses and waterfalls. Her favorite season is winter, her favorite holiday is Christmas.

Guest Post from Laura Hilton

I read a series of books a year or so ago by another Amish author who had set her books in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. As a Michigan native, I was curious, and I researched, but found nothing about Upper Peninsula Amish except a notation that one had tried and failed. So I contacted the author. She told me that she’d never been there, and her research had all been hearsay, so with that lack of firsthand knowledge and no trip to the Upper Peninsula planned, no trip to see for myself would be possible. At least at that time.

Then God intervened. My son who is in the United States Coast Guard was stationed in the Upper Peninsula this past summer (2017.) He saw the Amish driving around in their buggies. And he felt like a stalker as he followed one to see where he went and drove through the area. He even sent pictures. (Shhhh.)

Yes, there are Amish in the Upper Peninsula – at least at the time this book was written.

Okay, as a Michigan native, I used some terms that may not be familiar to non-Michiganders. A Yooper is someone who lives in the Upper Peninsula. A Troll is someone from the Lower Peninsula. A pastie is kind of like a Hot Pocket, except it’s a meat pie made with root vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, and rutabagas. They are so good. And the straits are the area of the Great Lakes connecting Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.

As for the wildfire, the earliest wildfire I could find any documentation on in the Upper Peninsula was in April. It is generally a snowy area — trust me. I lived near the Muskegon area and saw snow drifts in May. We sometimes had over six feet of snow on the ground at one time. So, to get the wildfire when I wanted/needed the wildfire I used artistic license. Yes, fires really happened in Michigan’s history. Just not in the month mentioned in the book.

I am attaching a meme about Michigan seasons. We’ll call the fire set in “fool’s spring.” My son got married during the “third winter” this year. April 21 and there’s snow on the ground. He and his beautiful bride got married at a water fall (Tahquomenon Falls) very near where the story is set.

Thanks for reading Firestorm!!

Blog Stops

Carpe Diem, July 10

Blogging With Carol, July 10

Reading Is My SuperPower, July 11

Moments Dipped in Ink, July 11

The Avid Reader, July 12

Blossoms and Blessings, July 12

Texas Book-aholic, July 12

God’s Little Bookworm, July 13

Inklings and notions, July 13

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 13

Among the Reads, July 14

Because I said so- adventures in parenting, July 14

Chas Ray’s Book Nerd Corner, July 15

Random Thoughts From a Bookworm, July 15

A Reader’s Brain, July 16

Luv’N Lambert Life, July 16

Daysong Reflections, July 17

Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, July 17

Janices book reviews, July 17

Inspiration Clothesline, July 18

lady ansel book blog, July 18

Jeanette’s Thoughts, July 18

cherylbbookblog, July 19

Two Points of Interest, July 19

A Baker’s Perspective, July 19

Pause for Tales, July 20

Ashley’s bookshelf, July 20

amandainpa, July 21

D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, July 21

Bigreadersite, July 21

proud to be an autism mom, July 22

Bibliophile Reviews, July 22

For The Love of Books, July 23

Pink Granny’s Journey, July 23

Little Homeschool on the Praire, July 23

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Laura is giving away

Grand prize: Firefighter Puppet 9 (Melissa & Doug), Copies of Amish Firefighter and Firestorm by Laura Hilton.

First place prize of “I Love You to the Cross & Back” Mug (Gardenfire) & Firestorm by Laura Hilton!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/cf87/firestorm-celebration-tour-giveaway

Cowboy Bodyguard by Dana Mentink

About the Book

Title: Cowboy Bodyguard

Author: Dana Mentink

Genre: Western, Mystery

Release Date: July 3, 2018

In this Gold Country Cowboys novel, Jack Thorn gets a surprise call from the woman he married in secret years ago. Shannon Livingston needs his protection for herself and the baby she’s hiding from a biker gang targeting the mother. Now Jack must help Shannon, even if shielding her means pretending to be a true husband to the only woman he’s ever loved.

My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book.  The series has pulled me in with this family.  This book was different from the others in that I felt there was less of a romantic element and more suspense.  I was rooting for Shannon at the start with her trying to help the young girl and her baby.
I felt terrible for Jack.  I have liked him through all the book, the quiet brother.  Now to hear the back story and how Shannon really didn't have a reason other than selfishness to leave him made me somewhat dislike her.  The bikers were harsh and realistic, as was the danger.  I still love the family here and enjoy following them.  The ending was what I was hoping for but felt a bit rushed.
It was a 4/5 for me.  
Thank you to the author/publisher for the review copy of this book (via Celebrate Lit).  I received this book in exchang for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Guest Post from Dana Mentink

I’ve spent a bit of time in emergency rooms lately. Not to complain, mind you. The asthma related treatments worked like a charm and we were blessed by good care, so I am not grateful. There’s a bonus, too. The emergency room is a great place for people watching! Hour upon hour I spent surveying patients, relatives, nurses and doctors. I came away pondering what it must be like to work in the strange bustle that is an emergency room. That’s where character Shannon Livingston was born.

The E.R doc and nurses must be brilliant problem solvers with nerves of steel because they never know what will roll through their doors. Since they are not responsible for follow up care, they have only a short term relationship with their patients. But what would happen, my fictional mind wanted to know, if one emergency room treatment ensnared Shannon in a “run for your life” scenario? And what if her incredible life saving skills weren’t nearly enough to save her own life, or the baby she’s suddenly become responsible for? Ah me! The perfect scenario for a suspense novel, no? I hope you enjoy Cowboy Bodyguard. I can promise it’s going to be a bumpy ride!

About the Author

Dana’s Bio: Dana Mentink is a two time American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award winner, a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award and a Holt Medallion winner. She is a national bestselling author of over thirty five titles in the suspense and lighthearted romance genres. She is pleased to write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense, Harlequin Heartwarming and Harvest House. Dana was thrilled to be a semi-finalist in the Jeanne Robertson Comedy With Class Competition. Besides writing, she busies herself teaching third grade. Mostly, she loves to be home with Papa Bear, teen bear cubs affectionately nicknamed Yogi and Boo Boo, Junie, the nutty terrier, a chubby box turtle and a feisty parakeet. You can connect with Dana via her website at danamentink.com, on Facebook, YouTube (Author Dana Mentink) and Instagram (dana_mentink.)

Blog Stops

Reading Is My SuperPower, July 12

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, July 12

Lighthouse Academy, July 13

Jeanette’s Thoughts, July 13

Just the Write Escape, July 14

A Good Book and Cup of Tea, July 14

Chas Ray’s Book Nerd Corner, July 15

Power of Words, July 15

Genesis 5020, July 16

Jen Around the World, July 16

Daysong Reflections, July 17

Remebrancy, July 17

proud to be an autism mom, July 18

Janices book reviews, July 18

Carpe Diem, July 19

Ashley’s Bookshelf, July 19

Pause for Tales, July 20

Have A Wonderful Day, July 20

Bibliophile Reviews, July 21

Book by Book, July 21

History, Mystery & Faith, July 22

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 22

A Baker’s Perspective, July 23

margaret kazmierczak, July 23

Bigreadersite, July 24

Texas Book-aholic, July 24

Godly Book Reviews, July 25

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, July 25

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Dana is giving away a Mentink Bundle that includes a horse tote book bag, a three book collection, and a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/ced1/cowboy-bodyguard-celebration-tour-giveaway