Netgalley

Miss Wilton’s Waltz by Josi S. Kilpack – Book Review

May 20, 2018 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

Over the past couple of months, I’ve joined the audiobook fan club. Sometimes it’s hard for me to keep up with all these reviews (I do have a day job that pays for my living, after all) and adding audiobooks to the rotation helps me manage my blog schedule a little more. Mostly because I can listen to some of these books I’m reviewing while I’m at said day job.

One thing I’ve realized is that a narrator can make or break an audiobook (and so far the historical reads have been my favorites). Including new release from Josi S. Kilpack

In My Opinion

I loved this book! Even though I hadn’t read The Vicar’s Daughter, which is about Lenora Wilton’s sister, I was not at all lost.

The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck by Bethany Turner (Review)

October 18, 2017 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

Becoming a Christian is the best and worst thing that has ever happened to Sarah Hollenbeck. Best because, well, that’s obvious. Worst because, up to this point, she’s made her very comfortable living as a well-known, bestselling author of steamy romance novels that would leave the members of her new church blushing. Now Sarah is trying to reconcile her past with the future she’s chosen. She’s still under contract with her publisher and on the hook with her enormous fan base for the kind of book she’s not sure she can write anymore. She’s beginning to think that the church might frown on her tithing on royalties from a “scandalous” book. And the fact that she’s falling in love with her pastor doesn’t make things any easier.

With a powerful voice, penetrating insight, and plenty of wit, Bethany Turner explodes onto the scene with a debut that isn’t afraid to deal with the thorny realities of living the Christian life.

Amazon / Goodreads

The Silent Songbird by Melanie Dickerson

December 11, 2016 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

Once again, Melanie Dickerson has delivered and engaging and unique perspective on a classic fairy tale. This time around, Ariel from The Little Mermaid gets a remodel in Dickerson’s The Silent Songbird.

When Evangeline’s cousin, the King of England, informs her that she will marry his closest advisor (a man twice her age whom she believes is hiding an evil streak from everyone), she does the only thing she can. She runs.

Disguising herself as a mute peasant girl named Eva, she and her companion travel to the village of Glynval with a small group of servants. Their leader, Westley le Wise (anyone else notice the nod to The Princess Bride here?) is both handsome and kind, but Evangeline realizes the secret she carries will end any hope of attachment between them before it can ever begin.

Something sinister is occurring in Glynval which puts Westley’s life in danger. Will Eva reveal her secret to save a man she admires? And if she does, will her send her back when he learns of the lies?

There’s a lot happening in this book (as with most of the Hagenheim series) but it all culminates in a satisfying way. I laughed at some of the escapades as Eva learns to do the servant’s work, grew agitated at the way another person treated Eva, longed for her and Westley to see what is right in front of them, and my heart pounded along with Eva’s when Westley’s life is in danger.

Dickerson is a fan-favorite of these types of books and with the attention to detail and the riveting storylines, there’s no question why that is.

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.

Get Caught in Susan Sleeman’s Web of Suspense

May 12, 2016 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

Book three in Susan Sleeman’s Agents Under Fire Series, Web of Secrets, will leave you wanting to sleep with the lights on. The first two books of the series had some creepy villains but the one in book three, Van Gogh, is the definition of twisted and evil. After this one, I’m left wondering what kind of bad guy Sleeman will dream up next.

Becca Lange has dedicated her life to finding criminals with the FBI cyber team and helping foster children on the side. But one decision, made when she was a teenage, continues to haunt her—and she has the scars to prove her nightmare was indeed real. She has spent years studying and researching the man who held her and her foster sister captive, the man she managed to escape.

When a body of a teenage girl is found with the signatures of Van Gogh, the police ask for Becca’s help with the investigation. Determined to find out once and for all what happened to her friend, her sister, Becca agrees even though it means working with Connor Warren—the man who she can’t deny being attracted to.

From the first page, readers get a peek into the psyche of the villain as he tortures his victim. Throughout the book, his addled mind and skewed perception of reality are laid out in a way that is both unnerving and frightening, especially when he sets his sights on our heroine. Becca’s struggle with her past prevents her from embracing any future happiness—something she believes she might be able to have with Connor.

As a reader, I ached for Becca and what she’d been through, understood why she kept it a secret, and rooted for her to get justice. And I fell a little in love with Connor Warren, a man who works extra hard to put a smile on Becca’s face whenever he can. A man who is determined to protect her, even if it’s from herself.

If you’re a fan of romantic suspense, put this one at the top of your list!

***Bell Bridge Books 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.

Dawn at Emberwilde by Sarah E Ladd

May 7, 2016 by Suzie Waltner 2 Comments

Dawn at Emberwilde

For whatever reason, I seem to have a hit-and-miss relationship with Sarah Ladd and her books. While I enjoyed The Curiosity Keeper immensely, her latest offering, Dawn at Emberwilde had me struggling through the first third. It wasn’t until about midway through the book where the story started to captivate me. With that said, I am glad I kept on reading.

Probably the thing that had me most aggravated about this book was the lack of interaction between the two main characters. Their conversations were brief, the two barely got to know each other beyond polite, formal interactions (some while in groups of people). Even the mystery of the Emberwilde Forest took a while to delve into. There could have been quite a bit more done with this to keep the action moving along.

Isabel Creston is a bit naïve and she doesn’t explore her gut feeling about a certain gentleman when she becomes uneasy around him Thankfully, she is smart enough to not give in to the urgings and expectations of her aunt. Colin Galloway is a good man but he should speak up for himself more often.

I’m sure a lot of this cunning and betrayal within families occurred during this time when land was passed through bloodlines. And again, this could have been explored more. It was almost as if the author had a lot of ideas she wanted to put in the book which led to a general pass over instead of deep exploration—and I would have preferred deep exploration of the relationships between Isabel and Collin as well as Isabel’s aunt and cousin or aunt and uncle.

Not a horrible story by any means, it was entertaining and just intriguing enough for me to keep pushing through the slow beginning. And of course, I had to make sure our heroine got her HEA in the end.

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