Christ Fic

Review (and Giveaway): Fatal Mistake by Susan Sleeman

May 1, 2017 by Suzie Waltner 16 Comments

My Review

Filled with an intensity from the first sentence that never releases its grip on the reader, Fatal Mistake is a must-read for fans of romantic suspense.

Author Susan Sleeman weaves high octane action, anticipation, and palpable attraction throughout this book. And the longer word count (from her fantastic category suspense stories) allows her to delve more deeply into the motivations and emotions of her characters.

The detail in this book of weapons, investigative procedures, and military specialties is excellent, giving the readers the feeling of being in the middle of a police procedural show. Sleeman knows her stuff.

I loved the strength of both Tara Parrish and former-SEAL-turned FBI explosives expert Cal Riggins. There isn’t a cowering, simpering heroine in this book. Nope, Tara can hold her own against the intense FBI Critical Incident Response team.

And what a team it is, each member willing to do whatever it takes to protect innocent lives. I can’t wait to read the others’ stories!!

Disclosure statement:

I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Would You Save Your Life or Someone Else’s?

February 16, 2016 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

I’ve been a fan of Terri Blackstock’s writing for years when I was working in a Christian bookstore while in college and stumbled across her Newport 911 series. And then I devoured her books when they came out. But I did not remember her writing most of her books in first person POV (and yes, I went back and looked, most of her books are written in third person POV). But her latest, If I Run (available Feb 16, 2016), proves that she is a master of both styles.

Casey Cox is on the run. There’s no use cleaning up after herself. Her dad was a cop. She knows how difficult it is to cover up evidence when you’ve pre-planned. Not when you’ve walking into your best friend’s house to find him dead and instead of calling the cops, you go into shock, trying to save him, tromping around in his blood. The only option left is to run, to save your family the embarrassment of a murder trial.

Hired by the victim’s parents to find Casey, Dylan Roberts (a soldier with the stigma of PTSD) has questions from the beginning of his search. The girl is smart, always seems to be a few steps ahead of him. But when he begins to dig around, to speak with Casey’s friends and family, he doesn’t believe she’s got the MO of a murderer. Does she have her own form of PTSD? What made her snap?

As Dylan chases the truth, he begins to unravel a conspiracy that goes back at least thirteen years. But can he get to the bottom of it, find all of the evidence before it’s too late for Casey?

This book is intense from the first paragraph with Casey wiping the blood off the soles of her shoes. I couldn’t help but root for her as she used her intelligence and knowledge of police procedures to escape. Dylan seems like a good guy, one who wants to do the right thing, despite his PTSD. He wants to find the person who murdered his friend.

And while the book is written in first person (from both Casey’s and Dylan’s points of view), it does not distract from the story. In fact, getting into these two character’s heads is what gives the story more depth. Some of the people Casey meets as she flees from a murder conviction, and what she believes will be her death, are lovable and friendly. They share the hope of Jesus with her. They want her in the family of God.

She doubts a God who would allow the tragedies that had happened to her to take place. Yet, when she’s in some of her darkest moments, she finds herself crying out to him.

I will warn readers, this book does not have a neat and tidy, satisfying ending. No, there are strings left undone, questions left unanswered, just like in real life. While I’m hoping we may catch up with Casey and Dylan in a future book, this one does not look like part of a series, so it may only be wishful thinking on my part. But still, an entertaining read worth delving into.

***Booklook Bloggers and Zondervan Fiction provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Loves Park’s Valentine Volunteers Strike Again

February 15, 2016 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

I really loved Courtney Walsh’s Paper Hearts and was excited to learn her next book, Change of Heart (due on March 1, 2016), is set in the town of Loves Park, Colorado and the return of the quirky Valentine Volunteers.

As the wife of a Colorado senator, Evelyn Brandt has a life others can only envy. But when the FBI shows up while she’s hosting a luncheon, claiming her husband has embezzled from the state, the mirror of her picture-perfect world is shattered. When the rest of Evelyn’s husband’s indiscretions are revealed to the public, Evelyn wonders if she’s the only one who didn’t know about his affairs.

Trevor Whitney let go of his friendship with Evelyn and Christopher Brandt long ago but when Evelyn’s left with nowhere to go, Trevor offers the guest house on his farm. But can he handle having the woman he once loved live right next door? Will his protective gruffness keep his heart safe?

When the Valentine Volunteers force Evelyn and Trevor to work together, Evelyn begins to realize the ways her marriage to Christopher changed her over the years. Instead of becoming the person she hoped to be, she became the person her husband molded her into—someone she doesn’t like. Does she have the strength to shed that persona and become someone who can stand on her own two feet?

In truth, I’m still not sure how I feel about the whole man secretly loving a married woman for the past ten years thing. But the one thing Trevor allows himself to do (in secret) is romantic and sweet. And Evelyn’s transformation is a powerful one when she realizes what other people think of her doesn’t matter.

Add in the nosy Valentine Volunteer women (Gigi, Doris and Ursula) and you’ve got some entertainment thrown into the struggles of our main characters. I think Ursula, the blunt, tell-it-like-it-is, woman is my favorite of the three. While she doesn’t sugar coat anything, she’s truthful and sees beyond the masks people put in place.

Overall, the story moves along nicely—with some predictability in there—but there seemed to be something missing or maybe some kind of disconnect for me. By no means was this a bad book, just so-so, it was a little bit of a disappointment after Paper Hearts. Maybe just a fluke on the author’s part or perhaps simply where I’m at in my life (I’ll admit that as a single woman in her forties, it’s sometimes hard for me to be happy for someone who gets two chances at love while I’m still awaiting my first one), I’ll most definitely give Walsh another try when her next book is released.

***The Tyndale Blog Network provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Can Losing Seven Months of Her Life Bring Back the Love of Her Life?

February 11, 2016 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

Denise Hunter shared some news today on her website and on Facebook. It’s pretty big. The Hallmark Channel will be making one of her books into a movie. As a long time fan of Hunter’s work, I’m thrilled one of her books (hopefully more in the future) is being made into a film. And I’m encouraged that Hallmark Channel is turning to so many talented Christian fiction authors for material. What a wonderful way to get a message of hope out to many people who may attend a church service.

In Hunter’s second Summer Harbor novel, The Goodbye Bride (available everywhere March 8, 2016), readers will enjoy a little twist on the romance trope. Turns out our main characters, Zac Callahan and Lucy Lovett, were engaged before. Seven months later, Zac is still trying to forget the woman who left him with no explanation when she calls out of the blue asking for his help.

A concussion has left Lucy with no memory of the last seven months or the explanation as to why she left Zac. The one thing she knows for absolute certain is she’s still in love with him. But he’s doesn’t trust her any longer.

The mystery of what happened to Lucy—why she left, how her new life (the one she can’t remember at all)—made if difficult for me to put this book down. Despite their past, Zac can’t leave Lucy alone and homeless (and who isn’t going to fall for that kind of hero from the very beginning?) so he brings her home to Summer Harbor, Maine. As the two interacted, I found myself waiting for them both to admit how they felt.

This is a story of second changes. It shows how burying past hurts can affect all of your relationships in your future, especially those with the people you love the most. Hunter is an expert at pulling emotions from her characters, and those kissing scenes….SWOON!!!

Thank you, Denise Hunter for another fantastic clean read. I look forward to reading Riley Callahan’s story in the future!!

***Thomas Nelson Fiction provided me with a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Power of Grace and Love

February 6, 2016 by Suzie Waltner 1 Comment

Have you ever dwelt on the poor choices and mistakes you’ve made in your past? Perhaps the affects of those sins were far reaching. Despite receiving forgiveness from those you’ve hurt in the process (family, friends, innocent bystanders) and God’s grace, you don’t feel deserving of any of it. In the second book of her Penned in Time series, The Thorn Keeper, author Pepper Basham explores the power of God’s grace and love.

In the midst of World War I, Catherine Dougall walks a fine line between the woman she was a year ago—one who flirted with every eligible man who might secure her fortune, one who brought pain to those who loved her in an attempt to find the approval she never received from her own father—with the one she is now—someone who desired nothing more than to serve. Her family home in Ednesbury, England has been turned into a makeshift hospital and orphanage, and Catherine tirelessly spends her day helping wherever she can, often beside her friend, Dr. David Ross.

There are more hurting people than those with her home, and Catherine finds injustice in the way so many less fortunate are shunned by David’s aunt, the patroness of the town. Her resolve to better the circumstances of the lower social class brings her face-to-face with her own situation and where she could be in months if not for the family and friends surrounding her.

As Catherine brings hope to the soldiers hospitalized in her home and the women in town who need some hope and encouragement, she struggles with her feelings toward the doctor and how her past can ruin the kind, caring, man she’s grown to care for deeply.

By the end of the second chapter of this book, I was both enchanted and endeared by Catherine Dougall. She makes no apologies for the woman she is, the decisions she makes, her stubborn streak, or her tenacity in bettering the lives of those around her. David’s steadfast and caring personality is the perfect complement to Catherine’s fiery one.

The theme of this book is grace and forgiveness—especially forgiving oneself for those past choices. Basham does an excellent job of handling the balance of a renewed life lived for God with a past life lived in self ambition and the lasting consequences of the latter. For those who read the first book in the series, reading The Thorn Keeper will be like visiting old friend and for those who have not, you will still feel like part of the Dougall family as you settle in with this group of people.

***Vinspire Publishing provided me with a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.