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Book Review - Kappy King And The Pickle Kaper by Amy Lillard

6/30/2018

Genre:
Amish / Mystery

Kappy King And The Pickle Kaper
An Amish Mystery book 2
by Amy Lillard

-From Amazon-

Kathryn “Kappy” King is happy being a plain-spoken unmarried odd-woman-out in her Pennsylvania Amish hometown. Her talent is making the special kapps local women use to cover their hair. But her skill at uncovering trouble in this quiet valley is about to be truly tested . . .

At first, young Sally June Esh's tragic death doesn't look like murder. Even in peaceful Blue Sky, collisions between buggies and Englisch cars aren’t unheard of. Still, the Eshes are skilled drivers used to delivering their popular pickles for miles around. And after Kappy notices Sally's buggy was deliberately run off the road, her ex-Amish friend Edie gets strange texts saying the crash was no accident . . .

Kappy won't let her community's silence keep justice from being done. And even though a still-shunned Edie thinks of moving back to the city, she and Kappy start rooting out secrets about the Eshes' long-time neighbors—and new pickle-producing rivals. But when they learn that Sally's brother is secretly courting an Englisch girl, their investigation takes a disturbing turn . . .

ISBN-13: 978-1420142990

Could these pickles literally be to-die-for?

This Book received a 4.5 Bark rating.

Amy Lillard

Author Website

OK, so there was just something about Kappy King And The Pickle Kaper that left me reading late into the night, or rather early in the morning. Maybe it was the growing friendship between Kappy and Edie, the fact that romance is not the main theme, maybe it was the adorably naughty Beagle Elmer....

As more of a cozy mystery this book has a fun vibe to it. Yeah, I know what I'm saying: Is murder ever 'fun'? Well, as a matter of fact, yes, especially when it is such a neat story from author Amy Lillard.

I'll have to make a little confession, while I guessed the killer pretty early on in book one I totally didn't here, though, I actually guessed some of the key circumstances before the big revelation.

I really enjoyed Kappy King And The Pickle Kaper and I can't wait to find out what trouble and adventures Amy Lillard will bring to Kappy, Edie, Jimmy, and Elmer next.

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Kappy King And The Pickle Kaper by Amy Lillard a 4.5 Bark rating.

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Book Review - Reunited With The Bull Rider by Jill Kemerer

6/30/2018

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Genre:
Romance

Reunited With The Bull Rider
Wyoming Cowboys book 2
(Love Inspired)
by Jill Kemerer

-From Amazon-

Goodbye rodeo, hello hometown
But is this Wyoming Cowboy ready to face his past?

Amy Deerson wanted to mentor a child. Her plan did not include former bull rider Nash Bolton—the little girl’s brother and guardian. It’s been a decade since Nash left town without a word, breaking Amy’s young heart. Now they must put their painful past aside to help fragile, traumatized Ruby. If only getting over their first love were that simple.

ISBN-13: 978-1335509543

Can 2 people hurt by the past find family together?

What an incredibly sweet story of love, sacrifice, and second chances. I'm relatively new to Jill Kemerer's books, this is my second I think, but I am hooked on her trademark sweet romance tempered by flawed characters with difficult pasts. And I'm especially hooked on her Wyoming Cowboys series, of which Reunited With The Bull Rider is book 2.

When you read this book you will by turns love and want to shake a little sense into Amy and Nash, but it's little Ruby who will steal your heart. She makes you want to reach through the pages and just hug her.

This Book received a 4 Bark rating.

JIll Kemerer

Author Website

Reunited With The Bull Rider is a wonderful addition to the series, and to Love Inspired's lineup. If you enjoy stories that will tug at your heartstrings check out this latest from Jill Kemerer.

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Reunited With The Bull Rider by Jill Kemerer a 4 Bark rating.

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2018 Goodreads Challenge UPDATE

6/28/2018

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So, I guess Goodreads made a little boo-boo with release dates and the newest one that I've read actually hasn't released yet! I did go back and correct it in my previous 2018 Goodreads Challenge blog post. In case you don't want to go back to it and look, here is the true Newest Book.

Newest Book:
Formula Of Deception by Carrie Stuart Parks
(July 3, 2018)

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Goodreads 2018 Reading Challenge

6/28/2018

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2018 Reading Challenge

Jasmine has completed her goal of reading 75 books in 2018!

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75 of 75 (100%)

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So, I completed my Goodreads 2018 Reading Challenge today! Well, looking at the clock it was more like yesterday, but... I wound up finishing a fraction over 3 weeks earlier this year than last year. Not too bad, considering how busy I've been!

I am by no means done with reading for this year, couldn't stop even if I wanted to, which I don't, so check back at the end of the year to see my total stats for 2018 and whether I break last year's record of 153 total books logged into my Goodreads Reading Challenge.

2018 Stats

Goal: 75 books.
Started: January 1st
Completed: June 27th

Number of Books Ahead of Schedule: 39

Total Pages Read: 18,892

Fiction: 72 Non-Fiction: 3
Print Books: 53 E-Books: 17 Audiobooks: 5

First Book Completed (starting the challenge):
Isaiah's Daughter by Mesu Andrews

Midway Book In The Challenge:
Kappy King And The Puppy Kaper by Amy Lillard

Final Book Completed (finishing the challenge):
A Rebel Heart by Beth White

Longest Book (most pages):
The Backcountry Brides Collection
Shannon McNear, Carrie Fancett Pagels, Angela K. Couch, Debra E. Marvin,
Gabrielle Meyer, Jennifer Hudson Taylor, Pegg Thomas, Denise Weimer

448 pages

Oldest Book:
The Secret Of Mirror Bay by Carolyn Keen
(1972)

Newest Book:
Formula Of Deception by Carrie Stuart Parks
(July 3, 2018)

This one isn't even released yet!

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Book Review - Top Secret Target by Dana Mentink

6/27/2018

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Genre:
Romantic Suspense

Top Secret Target
Military K-9 Unit book 3
(Love Inspired Suspense)
by Dana Mentink

-From Amazon-

Her true identity is a secret
The next explosive Military K-9 Unit thriller

With his ex-wife next on a killer’s hit list, military police lieutenant Ethan Webb and his K-9 partner, Titus, must guard the woman posing as her. But courageous private investigator Kendra Bell refuses to be just bait—she wants to help bring down the killer. Can she play her part without falling for her pretend ex-husband?

ISBN-13: 978-1335490407

To catch a killer they must risk even their lives...

I've come to expect a lot from a Dana Mentink novel. Excitement, danger, intrigue, and of course, romance. Just when I think she has reached the pinnacle, she comes tops it with a new story. Needless to say, Top Secret Target did that and more.

Over the last few years I've read several K-9 unit related books and I have to say that I think Titus was my favorite of all of the K-9's so far. He's a big quirky galoot who knows his job and is loyal to the bone.

This Book received a 4.5 Bark rating.

Dana Mentink

Author Website

I absolutely loved every minute of Top Secret Target, there were so many twists and turns that I was kept engrossed and guessing throughout.

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Top Secret Target by Dana Mentink a 4.5 Bark rating.

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New Release Spotlight & Excerpt - The Reckoning At Gossamer Pond by Jaime Jo Wright

6/27/2018

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The Reckoning At Gossamer Pond
by Jaime Jo Wright

For over a century, the town of Gossamer Grove has thrived on its charm and Midwestern values, but Annalise Forsythe knows painful secrets, including her own, hover just beneath the pleasant facade. When a man is found dead in his run-down trailer home, Annalise inherits the trailer, along with the pictures, vintage obituaries, and old revival posters covering its walls. As she sorts through the collection, she's wholly unprepared for the ramifications of the dark and deadly secrets she'll uncover.

A century earlier, Gossamer Grove has been stirred into chaos by the arrival of controversial and charismatic twin revivalists. The chaos takes a murderous turn when Libby Sheffield, working at her father's newspaper, receives an obituary for a reputable church deacon hours before his death. As she works with the deacon's son to unravel the mystery behind the crime, it becomes undeniably clear that a reckoning has come to town—but it isn't until another obituary arrives that they realize the true depths of the danger they've waded into.

Two women, separated by a hundred years, must uncover the secrets within the borders of their own town before it's too late and they lose their future—or their very souls.

ISBN-13: 978-0764230295
ASIN: B079C1ND2S

The Reckoning At Gossamer Pond
Excerpt

Chapter 9

A low fog settled over the grassy lawn by Gossamer Pond, with the moon a half slit in the sky. Within a few days it would be a moonless sky, like the pall the funeral earlier that day had left over the town. The evening breeze sent a chill through Libby as she paused. The outline of a large tented structure rose alongside the pond, its frame imposing and new. Dusk outlined the rectangular tent, its canvas a dark gray with the front doors pulled wide and fastened back to invite souls inside. Ropes stretched from the corners and midpoints of the structure to wrap around metal posts hammered into the ground. It was almost like a circus tent, only this wasn’t the Big Top, and the entertainment was a different kind of show. It was spiritual.
Residents of Gossamer Grove lined up their various forms of transportation in the field just west of the tent. Motorcars, wagons, carriages, and some lone horses. Men, women, and children alike all gravitated toward the tent’s entrance. Libby knew they were a mixture of curiosity, faith, and trepidation. Tent revivals had been sweeping the nation the last few years and had finally made their way to Gossamer Grove in the form of Jedidiah and Jacobus Corbin. Since the mid-nineteenth century, people such as D. L. Moody and Billy Sunday had been shaking up people’s eternal security. Some, like Moody, seemed well received, with church revival spreading rampantly. Others, like Sunday, were stirring controversy with unscripted tirades from a mouth straight from the baseball field instead of the seminary.
Mitch had told her one paper he’d read said Sunday was so “raw” that they refused to print his words. He used language unfit for feminine dispositions, and even some men were so stricken by his preaching, they were taken from the tent on stretchers, having swooned like a female whose corset was tied too tight.
Libby narrowed her eyes, attempting to catch a glimpse of the Reverends Corbin through the bright lantern-lit inside of the meeting place. Supposedly, the twin brothers had traveled with Sunday for a while and now had struck out to evangelize on their own. Hopefully, tonight’s female attendees had loosened their corsets—assuming the Corbin brothers had picked up on Sunday’s bad habits.
The smell of kerosene from the lamps was pungent as she neared the meeting place. Libby searched for Mitch, but there were so many in attendance, she couldn’t find him. The message he’d left with Paul to have her join him at the tent revival meeting left her scrambling to help finish proofs on the articles going to press that night. She gave Paul a timid reminder to be prepared for Mitch to come busting through the doors at midnight with a special report on the revival. Paul’s sneer told Libby all she needed to know about how he felt about that.
Libby caught a glimpse of Old Man Whistler, the town drunk. She was taken aback that he would even be here, and yet it stood to reason, she supposed. The Corbin brothers were a curiosity.
Whistler brushed alongside her, his shaking elbow knocking into her arm as his knuckles gripped the bulbous end of his cane.
“Come to get yerself saved?” he cackled, and Libby tried to hide her repulsion toward the old man and his musty breath.
“I already am, thank you.” She moved a step away.
Old Man Whistler chuckled. “I’ve a feeling we all will be after tonight. Unless we want to hang along with Deacon Greenwood. Even the good can’t hide their sin forever, you know.”
The elderly man gave her a sideways glance before leaving her side. Libby swallowed hard. Hide their sin? She watched him wobble toward the tent’s doorway. Old Man Whistler probably should not be underestimated. He was a wanderer, and wanderers saw things--knew things. His remark struck close to the obituary’s heart. The insinuation of hidden sins. But, Deacon Greenwood’s slate was so clean, even Mitch had never been able to find a speck of dust on it.
Libby startled as a grating shriek erupted from inside the tent. Gracious, there was an organ! The music began to play, and the shivering tones and airy puffs from the pump organ blasted from the door. Row upon row of attendees lined two sides of the tent with an aisle down the middle covered in sawdust. Libby should have come earlier to find Mitch. There was no way she would now. She stretched up on her tiptoes, but the sea of bowler hats, feathers, bonnets, and bare heads made identifying anyone nearly impossible. The sun had almost completely gone down, and even now, little children were being shushed as ushers made their way up the aisle indicating they were not to disturb with whining and crying.
Libby moved to the other side of the tent, hoping she could edge her way inside and find an unobtrusive spot to stand along the canvas wall. It was hot inside the tent, stuffy with the smells of perfume, sweat, and fresh sawdust. She fumbled with the neckline of her blouse, tempted to remove the cameo brooch and unbutton the lace at her throat.
The organ music whined to a halt.
Silence.
Someone coughed. A child whimpered and was quickly shushed.
Libby strained to see the front. A modest stage, a pulpit, and . . .
“Sin!” The deep voice branded the atmosphere with authority. “It will deceive you. It will drag you to the depths of hell with the claws of demons leading the way.”
Libby froze. The vivid picture the Corbin brother drew had the entire meeting place holding their collective breath. Trepidation spread uninvited through the shelter.
Jedidiah Corbin was a man of medium height, with lamb-chop whiskers along his cheeks and wavy brown hair parted down the middle. He couldn’t be much older the Libby. His early thirties perhaps. The flyer advertising tonight’s event identified this twin as the eldest. His brother, Jacobus, was very obviously missing from attendance.
He stalked across the platform. “The darkness that festers in our souls is like a poison that, but for the grace of God, cannot be squeezed from our hearts.”
Libby scanned the crowd around her, twisting the material of her dress in her hands. Running was implausible, but preferable to being here. There was no comfort—no conviction—in the words. Merely impending doom and destruction. Jedidiah Corbin might as well have combined his message with Edgar Allan Poe’s poetry, and the congregation would have barely been able to tell the difference.
She jumped as Corbin’s foot stomped on the platform.
“But the grace of God is real!” Corbin’s gravelly voice rose with intensity, and he flung his arm forward as if throwing a baseball. “It is the damnable misrepresentation of theology that allows us to sin and wait until we lay on our deathbeds, gasping for our last breaths, to lay penitent before the Lord. That a whore can continue in her sin with a backward confession to cover the last evening’s errancy. That a drunkard may swallow his liquor along with a prayer. That a thief can pocket coins from the offering plate while admitting other sins to his priest. This hypocrisy is from the pit of the lake of fire and must cease before we hang ourselves from the rafters of a house built on lies!”
An audible gasp arose from the crowd. Whether from the language of curses and vulgar frankness mixed with grace or the reference to hanging, Libby wasn’t sure. Murmurs and heads turned toward each other. Libby’s throat closed with the claustrophobic reality that Reverend Jedidiah Corbin danced on the circumstances of Deacon Greenwood’s death.
“May we not die a sinful wretch unforgiven!”
No more. Please, no more.
Libby shoved through the people toward the tent opening. Her breaths came in short, suffocating gasps. The black sky outside, with only the tiny shaft of moon to light the banks of the pond, held little escape from this sense of being squeezed. She hurried to the pond’s bank, staring into glowing waters.
“Libby.”
She shrieked. Spinning around, her arms wrapped across her chest, she squinted in the darkness at the form that had come up behind her. She glanced toward the pond, a deep gray reflection rippling in the water. Being trapped between the water and the shadowy form was intimidating.
The man tipped his head, and as he did, his face turned into the shaft of moonlight.
“It’s you.” Libby’s breath released in a whoosh. She stepped toward him, away from the bank.
“Who did you think it was?” Elijah frowned. “I was almost certain you intended to launch yourself into the pond.”
“The thought did cross my mind, but of course that would be nonsensical, and it wouldn’t help a soul.” Libby abruptly ended her nervous chatter. Her skin had broken out into little bumps.
“I noticed you escaped the revival.” Elijah looked back toward the tent. “I had to as well.”
Libby nodded. “It was quite . . . well, I wasn’t finding myself drawn to salvation. Maybe if I’d stayed I would have. I mean, it’s not that I’m not saved as it is, but if I weren’t—if I didn’t believe in God—I mean, the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ—then I would be going to hell, I suppose.” She stumbled to a halt. Elijah was not standing before her to inquire about the state of her eternal soul.
“Why are you here?” She sought for an avenue of escape from her scattered thoughts.
Elijah took a step closer to the pond, and he watched its dark outline for a moment. “My father was to give the closing prayer.” His quiet voice, so matter-of-fact, explained why a grieving son would attend a revival meeting on the day of his father’s funeral. Not that it would have been enough of a reason to give Libby the compulsion to attend, but Elijah was, after all, a Greenwood. They stood on principle, not feelings.
“Elijah—”
“Don’t, Libby.” His voice dropped an octave, thick with memories and truths long buried between them. Elijah turned to her. His dark eyes were troubled, his newsboy cap tugged down over his hair. “I need to clean up after my father’s affairs. To take over the mill and get it in order. I cannot—” He seemed to struggle to find words. “I cannot pick at an open wound with suggestions of foul play over my father’s own cowardice toward life.”
“That’s unfair,” Libby dared reprimand him. Elijah gave her a sharp look. “One never knows why a person determines to end his life before God chooses. Perhaps there was heartbreak, a sense of lost direction, or maybe--maybe--burdens weighted him down. You mustn’t speak with such judgment toward your father.”
She floundered. But it hadn’t been suicide, had it? She knew it. So, if he were honest with himself, did Elijah.
Elijah’s jaw worked back and forth in the darkness. She could see the sharp outline of his chin, the cleft there, and the sad lack of joy at the corners of his eyes. Libby tried again, mustering the courage to confront the man she far preferred to stay in the shadow of.
“The obituary—”
“No.” Elijah held up his hand.
“But, you cannot discount it!” Libby insisted. “Why would you want to discount it? If it means your father’s life was taken against his will—if someone determined to remove him from this world for feelings of ill will or perhaps a personal vendetta?”
“Oh, the questions! Don’t forget, Libby, what of the note? In the straw? Did my father have secrets? What man doesn’t, I ask? Must he die for them? Or take his own life for them?” Elijah’s voice rose, and he stifled his outburst by running his palm across his mouth and looking beyond Libby toward something unseen. Finally, he met her eyes, the moonlight reflecting in his pupils. “I’m not in a place where I can—where I can contemplate it.”
How very selfish! Libby swallowed back her ire and tried to temper her voice. The words came in a nervous stutter. “W-why ever not? You’re willing to risk another life if they were to strike again by pretending your father’s death was not by another’s hand?”
Elijah tugged his hat down and sniffed. An awful silence was covered by the sound of the impassioned speech of Corbin in the distance and frogs peeping their night song at the pond’s edge. Then the organ started playing, its shaky tones wafting eerily over the night sky with the confessional tune of “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”
She wished Elijah would say something—anything. But he pushed his hands in his trouser pockets instead. Libby couldn’t read his face in the darkness of the night. His shoulders were tense, but finally he drew a deep breath in through his nose and let it out through his mouth. His words were grave, his tone deep, telling, and all too knowing.
“When, dear Libby, have you ever been concerned how others’ lives may be affected by another’s choice?”
It was an unfair question. Hurtful. But burdened with truth all at the same time. Elijah leaned forward, his breath against her face, and his mouth inches from her nose.
“This is what we do. We continue on. We forget what has happened and look toward the future.”
“This is . . . is, well, it’s murder. That’s what it is! To pretend it’s nothing is cowardice!” Libby knew she should not have said the words the moment they filtered from her lips.
Elijah’s eyebrows shot upward. His hand lifted, and he brushed the back of her cheek with his knuckles. “And we both know that you and I are the worst sort of cowards.”
His whispered words hung between them, bringing the horrid truth into the moment and damning their souls in the echoes of the tent revival.

Jaime Jo Wright

Professional coffee drinker & ECPA/Publisher's Weekly best-selling author, Jaime Jo Wright resides in the hills of Wisconsin writing spirited romantic suspense stained with the shadows of history. Coffee fuels her snarky personality. She lives in Neverland with her Cap’n Hook who stole her heart and will not give it back, their little fairy Tinkerbell, and a very mischievous Peter Pan. The foursome embark on scores of adventure that only make her fall more wildly in love with romance and intrigue. Jaime lives in dreamland, exists in reality, and invites you to join her adventures at...

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E-Book Review - Secret Service Setup by Jessica R. Patch

6/25/2018

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Genre:
Romantic Suspense

Secret Service Setup
Security Specialists book 2
(Love Inspired Suspense)
by Jessica R. Patch

-From Amazon-

A federal agent in the crosshairs
Can The Security Specialists protect him?

Secret Service agent Evan Novak becomes the target of multiple hit men when someone puts a two-million-dollar bounty on his head. Is it the gunrunner he’s tracking...or a traitorous agent? Framed and wanted, Evan reluctantly accepts protection from bodyguard Jody Gallagher, his former love who lost her Agency career because of him. But then the bounty is raised to include Jody…

ASIN: B073B7V5Z9

Their past together has come back to haunt them...

Another great story from one of my favorite Love Inspired Suspense authors, Jessica R. Patch! Secret Service Setup had a little bit of everything that makes a good romantic suspense novel, danger, intrigue, betrayal, sacrifice, and of course, romance.

I really enjoyed this book, though, I will admit, I had to warm up to Evan a little bit after learning more about his past history with Jody. Both of them are flawed characters but that only made the story better and more realistic.

This Book received a 4 Bark rating.

Jessica R. Patch

Author Website

After reading Secret Service Setup I just can't wait to find out what Jessica R. Patch has in store for readers next...

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Secret Service Setup by Jessica R. Patch a 4 Bark rating.

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E-Book Review - Framed For Murder by Mary Alford

6/25/2018

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Genre:
Romantic Suspense

Framed For Murder
Love Inspired Suspense
by Mary Alford

-From Amazon-

FALSELY ACCUSED

Framed for helping her partner smuggle guns—and then murdering him—CIA agent Liz Ramirez must find the evidence that will prove her innocence…before she’s caught or killed. So when her squad’s leader attempts to bring her in for questioning, she knows her future depends on convincing Aaron Foster to go rogue and help her. On the run from the rest of her team and the gun dealers who are convinced she knows the location of their missing weapons, Liz risks losing the proof that would clear her name. But will eluding her pursuers—and trying not to fall for the handsome commander—prove to be fatal?

ASIN: B06XBXCK7J

Will they find the truth in time?

What an exciting story! Spanning multiple states, including the vast Alaskan wilderness, Framed For Murder drops you right into the thick of the action. Danger and treachery surround them on all sides, and, if the bad guys don't get them the elements just might.

This Book received a 4 Bark rating.

Mary Alford

As a fan of Mary Alford and her Love Inspired Suspense books I definitely enjoyed this one. The thrilling adventures of the elite Scorpion team make for some pretty spine-tingling reading. If romantic suspense is your thing, like it is mine, this is a book and author to check out.

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Framed For Murder by Mary Alford a 4 Bark rating.

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Book Review - Hiding Places by Erin Healy

6/24/2018

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Genre:
Suspense

Hiding Places
by Erin Healy

-From Amazon-

The Harrison lodge is full of hiding
places where young Kate can discover
all the secrets no one wants her to know.

Eleven-year-old Kate keeps her knowledge to herself—one sister’s stash of marijuana, the other’s petty cash pilfering, her grandfather’s contraband candy bars. She protects her mother and Gran, too, screening out critical comments from the hotel suggestions box. But suddenly the stakes are raised; her grandfather’s best friend is murdered the day after Kate heard the two men arguing.
At the same time, far from the quiet mountain resort, a homeless man sees a robbery gone wrong . . . a gang member seeks revenge for the death of his son . . . and a boy chooses the worst time to wield spray paint on a store window. In a strange and spiraling sequence of events, their disparate worlds collide at Harrison Lodge.
Kate offers shelter to one of them, unaware of the terrible consequences to the family she loves. But people can hide in all kinds of ways, sometimes even in plain sight . . . and some secrets are just waiting to be exposed.

ISBN-13: 978-1401689605

All choices have consequences, sometimes dangerous ones...

This Book received a 3 Bark rating.

Erin Healy

Author Website

I'm going to be honest right off, I really had a hard time connecting with the characters and the story for the first half of the book and as a consequence it took me a LONG time to read it. The second half of Hiding Places, however, really took off and did quite a bit to make up for the slower start. The final showdown in the lodge was tense, dramatic, chilling, and kept me glued to the page desperate to find out if Kate and her family would make it or not.

This was not my first Erin Healy book, and I loved the previous one I read, so I'm not going to let my difficulties with this one deter me from reading more of her books when I get the chance. Hiding Places had a less of a spiritual element, delving more into the lives and thoughts of a very dysfunctional family, especially the oldest and youngest members whom I really came to like by the end of the book.

While this book didn't have a strong Christian message it did have important themes of love, sacrifice, this importance of family, and of doing what is right even when faced with strong opposition and potentially dire consequences.

This gritty and sometimes dark story from Erin Healy is likely to appeal to fans of Ted Dekker so if you enjoy his books, Hiding Places just might be for you.

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Hiding Places by Erin Healy a 3 Bark rating.

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Book Review - The Captured Bride by Michelle Griep

6/24/2018

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Genre:
Historical Romance

The Captured Bride
Daughters Of The Mayflower book 3
by Michelle Griep

-From Amazon-

Mercy Lytton, a scout with keen eyesight raised among the Mohawks, and Elias Dubois, a condemned traitor working both sides of the conflict, must join together to get a shipment of gold safely into British hands.
A brand new series for fans of all things related to history, romance, adventure, faith, and family trees.

A War-Torn Countryside Is No Place for a Lady
Mercy Lytton is a lady like none other. Raised amongst the Mohawks, she straddles two cultures, yet each are united in one cause. . .to defeat the French. Born with a rare gift of unusually keen eyesight, she is chosen as a scout to accompany a team of men on a dangerous mission. Yet it is not her life that is threatened. It is her heart. Condemned as a traitor, Elias Dubois faces the gallows. At the last minute, he is offered his freedom if he consents to accompany a stolen shipment of French gold to a nearby fort—but he is the one they stole it from in the first place. It turns out that the real thief is the beguiling woman, Mercy Lytton, for she steals his every waking thought. Can love survive divided loyalties in a backcountry wilderness?

ISBN-13: 978-1683224747

Can they see past their pain and suspicion?

This Book received a 4 Bark rating.

Michelle Griep

Author Website

Where to start? I've only read a couple of Michelle Griep's books but that was all it took for me to fall in love with her no nonsense writing style. A little on the gritty side, which I really like, her books, The Captured Bride included, are filled with plenty of danger, intrigue, and, of course, romance. In addition the emotional tug of the characters on the reader is unmistakable and probably one of the best parts of the book.

I'll admit that The Captured Bride is the first book, it's actually book 3, that I've read in the Daughters Of The Mayflower series. I did find that while it is part of a series it can definitely be read standalone. Of course, now I have it read it I'm going to have to go back and dive into the first two.

The Captured Bride was another great read from the talented pen of Michelle Griep and I enjoyed every minute reading it. I would definitely recommend it, and this series, to any fan of historical romance.

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives The Captured Bride by Michelle Griep a 4.5 Bark rating.

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E-Book Review - Fatal Recall by Carol J. Post

6/23/2018

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Genre:
Romantic Suspense

Fatal Recall
Love Inspired Suspense
by Carol J. Post

-From Goodreads-

Amnesia stole her memory--
a killer wants her dead

When Paige Tatem loses her memory, she knows just two things: she has a target on her back, and police officer Tanner Brody is the only man she trusts to protect her. As they piece together her past, Tanner wonders what lies hidden in Paige’s mind. And as the truth begins to emerge, it becomes clear that a ruthless enemy wants certain secrets to stay buried.

ASIN: B0769YTQP2

Breathe now, you won't get the chance later...

So, much to my surprise Fatal Recall is the first Carol J. Post book that I've read. And what an introduction! Danger, intrigue, betrayal, and some of the most spine-tingling moments! Not to mention more twists and turns than the river Tanner starts out the book kayaking on. Just when I thought I had it all figured out and the mystery had to have been solved, Carol J. Post took readers in a new and unexpected direction filled with even more danger and drama. As a reader I love to escape everyday life and into a good romantic suspense book, Fatal Recall fit the bill, a quick read, fast-paced, and just right.

This Book received a 4 Bark rating.

Carol J. Post

Author Website

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Fatal Recall by Carol J. Post a 4 Bark rating.

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Happy Father's Day!

6/17/2018

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Book Review - The Golden Vial by Thomas Locke

6/12/2018

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Genre:
Fantasy

The Golden Vial
Legends Of The Realm book 3
by Thomas Locke

-From Amazon-

Lady Shona, the newly crowned queen of the realm, is a leader without a throne. Pursued relentlessly by a dark force, her small contingent of loyal followers must make a difficult choice--flee or fight. Determined to save her land from nefarious threats, Lady Shona decides that she must seek out the enemy and attack them head on--a strategy that leads back to the region of the Three Valleys where Hyam was born.

Alas, Hyam has been struck by a mysterious illness that is silently sweeping through the realm. Known as the wasting disease, the sickness has no cure. But there is one shred of hope for Lady Shona and the realm--and it comes in the most unlikely of forms. A young orphan, untested and untrained, could well mean the difference between victory and total defeat.

Thomas Locke concludes his epic trilogy with a gripping tale of courage that will inspire readers to persevere even when all seems lost.

ISBN-13: 978-0800723873

Is her quest doomed or will she save them all?

This Book received a 4 Bark rating.

Thomas Locke

Author Website

I've been looking forward to The Golden Vial for quite awhile now, ever since I turned that last page of Merchant Of Alyss, so I was quite pleased to finally get my hands on a copy. Even though fantasy is not my genre of choice I've really come to enjoy Thomas Locke's (Davis Bunn) variety, especially in this series.

The only problem I had with the book was that at the end of the story I felt like I had just as many questions as when I started. It seemed like less of a conclusion and more like there should be at least one more book after The Golden Vial. Other than that, I enjoyed the fast paced story, the fascinating characters, and Thomas Locke's ability to transport readers directly into the adventure of the fantasy setting.

If you are a fantasy fan I highly recommend the Legends Of The Realm series. Even though it is aimed more towards to YA market it can easily be enjoyed by adults like myself, or even as a read-aloud storyime with a little bit younger kids.

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives The Golden Vial by Thomas Locke a 4 Bark rating.

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E-Book Review - Of Cash And Cats by Darlene Franklin

6/12/2018

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Genre:
Romance / Fairytale Retelling

Of Cash And Cats
by Darlene Franklin

-From Goodreads-

In this retelling of the classic fairy tale, Puss ‘n’ Boots, the kitten Max Roy finds in a pair of fisherman’s boots brings him good fortune and love. But the going isn’t easy.

When do-gooder Alyvia Bailey meets Max riding a bike and living in a ramshackle fishing shack, she assumes he’s one of the transients she wants to help. She’s puzzled when he refuses pay for working on her project--remodeling a center for those needing a place to stay.

Two cats weave in and out as they move forward to a surprising finish and bring love on kitten paws.

ASIN: B07C5ZNCGB

Two people, two kitties, one old fairytale...

As a kid I loved the old fairytales. I even collected fairytale books for awhile and knew several versions of the best known stories. I'm also a pet lover so I have to admit that the two adorable kitties in the story really stole the show. So, Of Cash And Cats was right up my alley.

Darlene Franklin has penned a sweet fairytale retelling romance that was a short, easy, and fun read. I really enjoyed how the author kept the basic framework of the old fairytale but also made it her own, Of Cash And Cats is not just formulaic rehash of an old tale, it is a sweet story in its own right.

This Book received a 4 Bark rating.

Darlene Franklin

Author Website

If you enjoy fairytale retellings or enjoy books with cute cats you really should check out this little story from Darlene Franklin.

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Of Cash And Cats by Darlene Franklin a 4 Bark rating.

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Prism Book Tours - A Cowboy Of Convenience by Stacy Henrie + Review & Giveaway

6/6/2018

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On Tour with Prism Book Tours

A Cowboy Of Convenience
Wyoming Sweethearts book 2
(Love Inspired Historical)
by Stacy Henrie

Groom by Agreement

A real home--it's what Vienna Howe dearly wants for her young daughter. Yet the ramshackle property she just inherited hardly qualifies. She can't afford the repairs--until foreman West McCall suggests they start a dude ranch together. For propriety's sake, they'll need a marriage in name only...a practical solution for two wary hearts.

Years ago, West convinced Vienna to marry a man of means, never realizing how cruel her husband could be. Guilt-ridden, he intends to secure the lovely widow's future. But despite his reluctance to get close to anyone, this union might do more than fix Vienna's ranch. It could open the door to a warm, loving future...

Paperback & ebook, 288 Pages
June 1st 2018 by Love Inspired Historical

Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Kobo│iBooks│GooglePlay

My Review

Will they find love in a most unexpected place?

I've really been rooting for Vienna and West since I first 'met' them as secondary characters in the previous book so I was excited to find out that A Cowboy Of Convenience was their story. Stacy Henrie treats readers to a story of finding love and family in the wide open spaces of Wyoming.

One theme, well I guess two interconnected themes, that will resonate with readers, I know it did with me, is that of finding your worth outside of the things you do and also of searching for that one place that is yours, where you truly feel at home.

I really enjoyed A Cowboy Of Concenience, it gave me more pause to think than the average Love Inspired Historical, and I'd recommend it and Stacy Henrie's previous books to anyone who enjoys Love Inspired Historical romances.

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives A Cowboy Of Convenience by Stacy Henrie a 4 Bark rating.

(I received a copy of this book from the author. All opinions are entirely my own.)

Stacy Henrie

USA Today bestselling author Stacy Henrie is the author of western romances and the Of Love and War series, which includes Hope at Dawn, a 2015 RITA Award finalist for excellence in romance. She was born and raised in the West, where she currently resides with her family. She enjoys reading, road trips, interior decorating, chocolate, and most of all, laughing with her husband and kids.

Website│Goodreads│Facebook│Twitter│Pinterest

Tour Giveaway

- 1 winner will receive a $40 Amazon e-gift card (open internationally)
- 1 winner will receive a signed print copy of THE RANCHER'S TEMPORARY ENGAGEMENT (US only)

Ends June 13th

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Kappy King And The Pickle Kaper An Amish Mystery book 2 by Amy Lillard

Reunited With The Bull Rider Wyoming Cowboys book 2(Love Inspired) by Jill Kemerer

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Top Secret Target Military K-9 Unit book 3(Love Inspired Suspense) by Dana Mentink

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The Reckoning At Gossamer PondExcerpt

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Fatal RecallLove Inspired Suspense by Carol J. Post

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The Golden Vial Legends Of The Realm book 3 by Thomas Locke

Of Cash And Cats by Darlene Franklin

A Cowboy Of Convenience Wyoming Sweethearts book 2 (Love Inspired Historical) by Stacy Henrie

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Kappy King And The Pickle Kaper
An Amish Mystery book 2
by Amy Lillard

Reunited With The Bull Rider
Wyoming Cowboys book 2
(Love Inspired)
by Jill Kemerer

Top Secret Target
Military K-9 Unit book 3
(Love Inspired Suspense)
by Dana Mentink

The Reckoning At Gossamer Pond
by Jaime Jo Wright

The Reckoning At Gossamer Pond
Excerpt

Secret Service Setup
Security Specialists book 2
(Love Inspired Suspense)
by Jessica R. Patch

Framed For Murder
Love Inspired Suspense
by Mary Alford

Hiding Places
by Erin Healy

The Captured Bride
Daughters Of The Mayflower book 3
by Michelle Griep

Fatal Recall
Love Inspired Suspense
by Carol J. Post

The Golden Vial
Legends Of The Realm book 3
by Thomas Locke

Of Cash And Cats
by Darlene Franklin

A Cowboy Of Convenience
Wyoming Sweethearts book 2
(Love Inspired Historical)
by Stacy Henrie