Fatal Judgment

Irene Hannon is one of my new favorite authors and her new book Fatal Judgment did not let me down. It was superb!!!. She has taken up when Dee Henderson stopped writing. Her stories are filled with suspense, twists, turns, and some romance, usually with a "hunk" as one of the main characters.
This story centers around U.S. Marshall Jake Taylor who has to protect a federal judge and he is not very happy. The judge was married to his best friend who he thinks that she drove his friend to suicide. But as these stories proceed, Jake has to revise his opinion of the judge and find the unknown enemy that wants the judge dead. Won't give any other details away-just head to your bookstore or library and pick this up. You will find it very hard to put down. The author is great at character development and I believe once you read her-she will be one of your favorite authors too.

The Real Skinny on Losing It

Just finished this book by Michelle Mckinney Hammond on as she says "true confessions and divine revelations of a former yo-yo dieter. This was a very easy and enjoyable read. Yes, there were parts that we as "dieters" have heard time and time again, but there was a lot I learned and pondered about as I read this book. She writes very honestly about her struggles and the highs and lows she has experienced with so called "fad diets" and she names quite a few of them. She gives advice and shows how God is at the helm and our bodies are a temple and we need to remember that when we keep throwing junk into it. She explains we want short term, quick fix, drastic diets so we can lose it and be happy!!. Nothing in life is like that so she shows how she finally won the diet battle and what worked for her. I especially liked the chapter on the ABS diet and what all that entailed along with what foods are power foods. Each chapter is devoted to certain topics which were so helpful . At the end of each chapter was a section called Keeping it real which summarized what we read in the chapter and then Diva reflections which were very interesting. I will probably reread these often as I restart my "diet" again for the good of my health. Loved the recipes in back. I appreciate how she helped me understand what the real issue is-my heart and mind. Thank you Tyndale Publishers for sending this free for my honest opinion

The Promises She Keeps

This is the latest book by Erin Healy. I read her first suspense and fell in love with her as an author. I was so excited when this showed up on Booksneeze to order. I think I was expecting this book to be more like her first one so I was disappointed to some extent. This was a storyline I had a hard time staying with. She changed characters in each chapter. Here are some of the characters: Porta, she is an aging witch/sorcerer in search of immortality and thinks Promise is the one she is looking for. Promise-a promising singer with a terminal illness that survives a series of freak accidents at the hand of Porta's son. Chase is an artist who has autism and falls in love with Promise. He draws visions involving trees. Chase also has a twin sister Chelsea that protects him since their mother left them when they were little. I kept with the story since I loved this author but felt it took too long and too much dialogue to keep me interested. The last few chapters did perk my interest and liked the ending. I did learn a lot more about autism which was very interesting. I guess I hope her next one is a suspense like her first one. Thank you Thomas Nelson for the chance to read this book free for my honest opinion.

Dark Pursuit

I am on a Brandilyn Collins book reading kick. I have fallen in love with her writing and since I love suspense, I have found she does it really well. I think this is my third one from her and it was great. Very interesting storyline. A reclusive writer suffering from an auto accident that left him unable to concentrate still wants to write his last novel-his 100th. He so longs to gain his reputation back also. His 22 yr old granddaughter who was a drug addict, stole from her grandad so he cut her off and she left town. She is back but her grandfather does not know it and she needs his help desperately. Her boyfriend, she suspects, has killed two women and she discovers a third. She needs her grandfather to help her trap her boyfriend since her grandfather has lived suspense in his writings. But can the grandfather save her before the boyfriend gets to her to silence her. Very suspenseful and a page turner. Highly recommend this book and the other ones by Brandilyn Collins.

Lady in Waiting

Just finished Lady in Waiting by Susan Meissner and it was a superb read. I saw this on the blogger list and did not order it the first time I saw it. The next time I looked for books and there was only one copy of this book left so I thought I would try it and I loved, loved, loved this book!. I received this on Tuesday and just finished it tonight. Usually books don't grab me and keep me reading but this one surely did. What an interesting storyline since this was a real person back in the sixteenth century. The author made it part fiction and part true history in it's storyline. The story centers around two Jane's. The first Jane is married, living in Manhattan and is an antique dealer. The second Jane -Lady Jane Grey lived in the sixteenth century and was born into wealth but also under a dangerous political and religious time in history. Jane acquired items for her store from a British sale and found a beautiful ring in a box with a Latin inscription and the name Jane on the band. She connects with the ring and tries to find out more about the ring and the original owner. This is where the storyline flows-the author goes from present Jane's story for a few chapters then goes to Lady Jane Grey's story for a few chapters. I found this to be a fascinating way to tell both stories. This really held my interest and the story, especially Lady Jane 's story was an amazing tale. Lady Jane's story is told from her dressmaker and friend Lucy Day and how she loves and cares for her. The book is rich with love, disappointment, standing up for your beliefs and choices we make in our lives. I have had The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner in my bookcase and never read it yet, so that's what I will read next and I 'm sure I will like it too.
Thanks to Waterbrook-Multnomah for sending this free book to me for my honest opinion.

More library reads

I love winter when I can curl up with my blankie and a good suspense book. I have read three lately that were superb; Deceit by Brandilyn Collins, Double Minds by Terri Blackstock and Intervention by Terri Blackstock.
Here is a synopsis of each.
Double Minds--
Struggling to succeed in the Nashville music scene, talented singer/songwriter Parker James finds the competition fierce – even deadly. A young woman’s murder, industry corruption, and a menacing stalker draw Parker into danger and intrigue. Nothing is as it appears, and unraveling the truth challenges everything Parker believes about her talent, her future, and her faith.
Intervention--
This story begins with every parent's nightmare: a drug-addicted teenage daughter is dragged to a rehab facility. When the interventionist is found dead and the teen is missing, mother Barbara Covington tries to find her daughter The villain is somewhat improbable, and the 14-year-old brother of the missing teen is exceptionally clever and poised. But the mother-daughter relationship strikes true emotional notes; the redemptive arc of evangelical Christian fiction is natural and resonant in a story of addiction. This is a powerful story and one that is close to the author's heart and life. This is one storyline I will not quickly forget.
Deceit--
Joanne Weeks knows that Baxter Jackson killed her best friend six years ago along with his second wife and sets out to find the evidence to convict him. But he is a church elder and beloved rich member of the town. She is a professional skip tracer and sets out to locate the only person that can put Jackson behind bars. Melissa was a sixteen year old foster child in the Jackson household when her friend disappeared. This was a fascinating book with the chapters going from present to six years ago throughout which made the storyline so much more interesting. The author had me guessing the end and I never did figure it out and boy was I surprised at the ending. A page turner and well worth a winters read

Possession

I just finished Possession by Rene Gutteridge and was amazed by this book. I love Christian suspense and this tops many books that I have read this year. She has written both suspense and comedy books and I feel her suspense is by far the best of the two. I was so intrigued by the premise of the book. A family starting over in a new town and the movers decide to hold his belongings for ransom. That is not all of the problems-Vance has withheld things from his wife about his past that are being brought to the surface. This story also focuses on the life of a homicide detective and the toll it takes on them. I loved the son Conner who is a real prayer warrior. He teaches his parents that God does answer prayers and demonstrates great faith in the situations he was put in. There are plenty of twists and turns throughout the book and it really is a page turner . I found myself trying to figure out what is really happening and who is the " bad guy". I am not going to tell much more of the storyline but my recommendation is to buy it and you also will be amazed with this suspense story. A huge thanks to Tyndale Publishers for letting me read this free for my honest opinion.