HER SECRET SONG by MARY CONNEALY

Publication date 6/10/20
How lovely to be back on Hope Mountain with the three delightful Nordegren sisters, this time as we follow the oldest sister Ursula's story! This series is one I have really enjoyed and I cannot recommend Her Secret Song strongly enough.
When Ursula finally gets up enough courage to leave her voluntary solitary existence to go down to the Lowlands, pushing aside the fear instilled in her by her grandmother, she comes across the badly injured Wax Mosby and literally prays and sings him back to life, as she helps him up to her cabin!
I love to see the innocence and gentle kindness in this rather unusual and fierce young woman and her strong faith in God, despite her confusion about the second bible! It is also good to see how Wax Mosby, who is feared as a killer, takes his new commitment to Christ seriously.
It is a story about courage, loneliness, overcoming fear, and in Wax Mosby's case, of doing the right thing. There are some really amusing parts, a sweet romance, and some nail biting tension when the Wardens are fighting to regain their land. It is altogether a most worthwhile read.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers. 


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FOREVER BY YOUR SIDE by TRACIE PETERSON

FOREVER BY YOUR SIDE is the third novel in the Williamette Brides series by TRACIE PETERSON.
The story takes place in 1880 and once again the author deals with the Indian situation and racialism in general.
When Constance Browning and her best friend Thomas Lowell are sent by the Smithsonian department of technology to catalog the Indian tribes in Oregon, so that no more of their history should be lost, they are also on the hunt for whoever is inciting the Indians to an uprising and supplying guns and alcohol to the reservation. They also want to clear Connie's parents,
Adam and Mercy Browning, from trumped up accusations against them.
I love the way the family attached to the Portland guest house, together with the delightful residents, make a reappearance. In fact, family values are strongly brought out in the story as well as Christ's admonition to love our enemies. I also like the way Adam Browning explains his faith to Tom, who has become an athiest due to his abusive upbringing. The Christian message flows beautifully through the book, with just the right Scripture verses at the right time.
This book has a bit of everything - great characters, romance, intrigue, politics and some legal drama - and it is a really enjoyable read. I recommend Forever By Your Side to anyone who enjoys Christian, historical, romance novels.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions in this revew are completely my own.

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BACKLASH by RACHEL DYLAN

Publication date 6/10/20
BACKLASH by RACHEL DYLAN is the second novel in the Capital Intrigue series, following after End Game, but both books can easily be read as stand alones. It is an exciting legal drama, full of roller coaster action which will keep you guessing right to the end.
When CIA agent Layla Karam is seconded to the DEA for a hit on the Mejia Cartel and Diego Mejia's younger brother is killed, she seems to become a target. To make matters worse, she is alao being investigated by the Inspector General's office on trumped up charges. Layla plays strictly by the book, is a committed Christian who lives out her faith and tends to think the best of everyone she works with, excepting for her ex boyfriend, Hunter McCoy who broke her heart. He is the PI who is working with the DEA to keep Layla and the other agents safe, and to look into some money that has gone missing since they got back from Honduras.
I love the camaraderie between Layla and her friends, some of whom have their own problems to deal with as well as also being targets.
The novel is fast paced, full of suspense and intrigue and has a strong message of hope and second chances. It is an exciting and worthwhile read and I highly recommend the book to anyone who enjoys this genre.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers.



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WHAT YOU SAID TO ME by OLIVIA NEWPORT

Publication date 1/11/20
Having read and enjoyed the first three novels in the series, I have been looking forward to reading WHAT YOU SAID TO ME by OLIVIA NEWPORT, and am definitely not disappointed! This author has split time story telling to a fine art! It is an enjoyable book, with real depth and a subtle Christian message.
In present time we come across Nolan Duffy, the friendly family advocate and mediator, enthusiastic cook and singer of arias, and father of Jillian Parisi-Duffy, a much sought after genealogist.
Once again their professions overlap when Nolan brings a fifteen year old delinquent home to help Jillian bring order to the hundreds of valuable old documents that overflow the dining room table. Jillian has been employed by the Matthew Ryder Foundation to find children that were stolen and sold by the wicked Judd Ryder. Jillian has no idea how to relate to Tisha Crowder with her bad attitude and really bad home life, and beats herself up every time she says anything that feeds Tisha's feeling of unworthiness. It is only when Tisha gets caught up in the sad stories in the old documents that the work becomes interesting to her.
In 1893, due to the crash in the silver price, Clifford Brandt is forced to move his family from their lovely home in Denver to Canyon Mines where they run a store that they have exchanged for their house. Their family dynamics are really shaken by their change in circumstances.
When a journal is found in the old Brandt building, the past and present are brought together. That is all I am going to tell you as far as the story is concerned.
The characters are realistically drawn and we really get to understand them by the way their thoughts and feelings are described.
It is a thought provoking and inspirational read and one I can highly recommend.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Barbour Publishing.

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LEGACY REDEEMED By ROBIN PATCHEN

LEGACY REDEEMED By ROBIN PATCHEN is the fourth novel in the Legacy series, but the book can easily be read as a stand alone. The story takes place in Nutfield and we come across many of the characters that we got to know before.
Vanessa Baker is a Serbian who was sold by her father into human trafficking
when she was ten years old. With all she has suffered at the hands of unscrupulous men, it is not surprising that trust does not come easily to her. Her main aim in life is to keep her precious seven year old daughter safe, but her lack of trust in the godly Caleb Peterson nearly costs, not only her daughter's life, but that of herself and her sister Nadia, when Abbas, a man who "owned" her in the past, comes back into her life.
This is not just an exciting suspense novel, although there is plenty to keep you on the edge of your seat, but it is a sensitively told story of redemption, forgiveness, friendship, acceptance and love. In fact it is when the Lord reminds Vanessa that she is a daughter of the most high God that we see the healing of her emotions beginning to take place.
Caleb is a godly man who is determined to keep Vanessa safe, in spite of the fact that she cannot stand him. It is only when he has heard about her past that he understands her better. I really like the way his character is portrayed.
I am not going to tell you any more for fear of spoiling the read for you.
The book is really exciting, the plot is good and there is a great Christian meassage running through the story. I highly recommend Legacy Redeemed for everyone who enjoys this genre.



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NIGHT BIRD CALLING by CATHY GOHLKE

Publication date 5/1/21
NIGHT BIRD CALLING by CATHY GOHLKE tells the poignant story of Lilliana Swope, whose experience of marriage has been horrific, with both her mother and herself having married abusive men.
Before she dies, her mother entrusts her with a ruby ring belonging to Grand Aunt Hyacinth Belvidere, together with her address in No Creek, North Carolina, and tells her to make every effort to get there.
After her mother's funeral she overhears a conversation between her father and her husband, Gerald, hearing how Gerald has decided to get rid of her without losing his eldership position in the church, and runs away with just the clothes on her back, carching a train to No Creek.
The story takes place in 1941, with the second world war in full swing in Europe and the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December of that year. Still suffering from the recession, people are pretty desperate to make a living and moonshining is rife, resulting in some fathers being in jail and unable to support their families. There are marital and racial problems, and to make things worse the KKK is very active in the area.
There are some absolutely delightful characters such as Celia Percy, avid reader and budding detective, Grand Aunt Hyacinth who is blind but who sees so much with spiritual eyes, the extremely busy and helpful Reverend Jesse Willard who is quite smitten with the beautiful Lilliana, the brave and kind Jewish doctor, Dr Vishnevsky, and then there are some who are downright nasty and vindictive, such as Ida Mae and Janice Richards, to mention just a few.
It is one of the loveliest novels I have read this year and I highly recommend it for the great story and strong Christian message. This author really shows us the heart of her characters in an understanding and sensitive way. I also love the quotations from Scripture and from Oswald Chambers.
I was given an ARC copy by Tyndale House Publishers from NetGalley. 
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TWO REASONS TO RUN by COLLEEN COBLE

Publication date 8/9/20
TWO REASONS TO RUN by COLLEEN COBLE follows One Little Lie, and I strongly advise you to read these two really great Christian suspense novels in sequence - you will not be sorry - although the book can be read as a standalone.
Jane Hardy is chief of police in Pelican Harbor. Her father, Charles Hardy, was chief of police before her. He lied to her fifteen years ago, when he helped her escape from a cult, saying that her baby son had died. This has made her wary of trusting him to tell her the truth about her mother's whereabouts.
Jane and Reid, the father of her son Will, start out with a really rocky relationship, but when Will's life is threatened after a murder at the Zeus oil rig, and Jane and Reid's investigation into the probability that something bad is about to go down there, they are drawn together.
The suspense is nail biting, the characters are well portrayed and there is a message of forgiveness and of trusting the Lord no matter what, running through the story. In fact Reid and Will's faith is pretty strong.The author has a way of bringing us right into the characters' emotions so that we feel we really know them. 
I cannot wait to see what happens in the next novel in the series and highly recommend Two Reasons To Run to anyone who enjoys romantic suspense.


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