zondervan fiction

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.

To Win her Favor by Tamera Alexander

April 21, 2015 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

Maggie Linden loves her home, her father, and her horse but is about to lose them all. With her father’s failing health and the threat of losing their beloved home looming close on the horizon, Maggie’s only hope is for her thoroughbred, Bourbon Bell, to win some races. But when the horrors of the world strike, and her jockey and his family leave, Maggie has little hope.

When Cullen McGrath, an Irishman recently arrived from England, arrives in Nashville, he finds he’s as unwelcome as the recently freed slaves. No one will do business with him, give him a loan, or sell him their property. He visits Linden Downs and Maggie’s father makes him a generous offer—one he is hard pressed to refuse. Pay the back taxes on the property and marry his daughter and the land and everything on it is his.

This is my favorite book by Tamera Alexander yet. There are so many themes running throughout this book—a father’s love for his daughter, prejudice against people who are different, trusting a virtual stranger with your future and your dreams—and each and every one of them is handled well. Both Cullen and Maggie are likable characters despite their flaws (Maggie has been sheltered in her world and blind to the plight of others around, even to the point of prejudice only because of what she’s read and heard from other people. Cullen is bound and determined to leave his past behind, even if it means crushing his new wife’s talent and dreams). The supporting characters are given as much attention to character development as Cullen and Maggie which gives more depth to the story. And, as always, characters from Alexander’s other books make cameos—which I always enjoy.

I’ve been to Belle Meade once, when I first moved to Nashville. After reading To Win Her Favor, which brought the people and land to life, I’m ready for another visit.

Available everywhere May 12

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

How to Catch a Prince by Rachel Hauck

February 12, 2015 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

Love well.

Two little words that can change lives. Two little words that mean you may not end up with the what your heart desires but you are listening to God. American Heiress Corina Del Ray has lived the past five and a half years with loss. She’s lost her twin brother. She’s lost the love of her life. She caught her prince once. And lost him. Now she’s coming out of her fog of grief and her mission is simple: to love well.

“The notion of loving well first came to Corina as she wept on the floor of an old chapel outside Marietta, right after Carlo’s funeral, righ after she’d called Stephen for the umpteenth time with no answer and pieces of her shattered heart feared she’d lost him too.” –How to Catch a Prince by Rachel Hauck

When Prince Stephen of Brighton turns up in Florida, Corina’s past floods her heart. The memories of her short time with Stephen are sweet, special. But when he asks her for something her heart resists, she creates her own terms. With a determination to love well, Corina decides to go to Brighton and show Stephen she is still in love with him. Prince Stephen is fighting his own demons. His time on the rugby field—the one place he can honor his mates—may be coming to an end. His ankle is not healing like it should. He let go of Corina years ago, but without rugby, what does he have left?

How to Catch a Prince, book three in the Royal Weddings series, quickly became my favorite. Prince Stephen’s and Corina’s love story starts in the middle. They’ve had their whirlwind romance, their separation, and now the reader embarks on the rest of the journey with two broken and bruised people. The hero and heroine are real people with real hurts and fears. King Nathaniel and Susannah make a few appearances in the book for those who have followed the royals through this series.

Rachel Hauck drew me into the world of the royals—the security, the opulence, the media frenzy, the struggle of trying to live a normal life—and what girl doesn’t want to be a princess. With some humor, a little bit of social media (twitter hashtags, anyone?), and lots of tension between the couple, this book was hard to put down. But the overall theme was one that is hard to ignore–we should love well because we God already loves us well. You’ll want to be sure to pick this one up on release day—February 24, 2015.

***Zondervan fiction provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.