The Line Between

Tosca Lee is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of Iscariot, The Legend of Sheba, Demon: A Memoir, Havah: The Story of Eve, The House of Bathory duology (The Progeny and Firstborn), and the Books of Mortals trilogy with New York Times bestseller Ted Dekker (Forbidden, Mortal, Sovereign). A notorious night-owl, she loves watching TV, playing video games with her kids, and sending cheesy texts to her husband.

You can find Tosca hanging around the snack table or wherever bacon is served.

An extinct disease has re-emerged from the melting Alaskian permafrost to cause madness in its victims.  For former apocalyptic cult member Wynter Roth, it's the end she has always been told was coming.

When 22-year-old Wynter Roth is cast out of self-contained doomsday cult New Earth, a mysterious outbreak of rapid early onset dementia is spreading across the nation.  As she struggles to start over in a world she's been taught to regard as evil, Wynter finds herself face-to-face with the apocalypse she's feared all her life, convinced she's made a terrible mistake.  Until the night her sister shows up with a set of medical samples key to decoding the disease and Wynter learns there is something far more sinister at play.

Now, as the power grid fails and the country descends into chaos, Wynter must find a way to get the samples to a lab in Colorado.  Uncertain who to trust, she takes up with former military man Chase Miller, who has his own reasons for wanting to get close to the samples in her possession, and to Wynter herself.

My Thoughts:

Lee brings a unique gift to the writing world and avid readers should be grateful!  With crisp dialogue and action of a psychological, apocalyptic nature, The Line Between is a steady moving adventure that will keep readers heavily engaged from the first page to the last.  In typical Tosca Lee fashion, Wynter's journey as told in the book will make you think and consider our country's current state of affairs and will touch you in heart, soul, and mind.

Lee is a unique voice that should not be overlooked.  Don't miss anything she writes.

*I was provided a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher.  All opinions stated here are my own.

Happy Reading Ya'll,

Jennifer

Who I Am With You and a Giveaway

Robin Lee Hatcher is the author of over 75 novels and novellas with over five million copies of her books in print. She is known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. Robin is an ACFW Carol Award winner and an eight-time finalist and has won two RITA Awards and been a finalist eleven times. Her numerous other awards include the Christy Award, the HOLT Medallion, the National Reader’s Choice Award, and the Faith, Hope & Love Reader’s Choice Award. She is also the recipient of prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards from both American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America.

When not writing, she enjoys being with her family, spending time in the beautiful Idaho outdoors, Bible art journaling, reading books that make her cry, watching romantic movies, and decorative planning. A mother and grandmother, Robin and her husband make their home on the outskirts of Boise, sharing it with a demanding Papillon dog and a persnickety tuxedo cat.

For more information, visit www.robinleehatcher.com, Facebook: robinleehatcher, Twitter: @robinleehatcher and Instagram @robinleehatcher.

For these two broken hearts, the first step toward love will be a huge leap of faith.

Jessica Mason isn’t looking for love when she meets Ridley Chesterfield. Instead she is still reeling from the tragic, unexpected loss of her husband and daughter—and awaiting the arrival of her unborn child. Harboring the secret of her husband’s betrayal, her pain is deeper than anyone knows.

Ridley Chesterfield is hiding out in Hope Springs, Idaho, avoiding a political scandal and the barrage of false media headlines that have tarnished his good name. The last thing Ridley wants is a relationship—but when fate leads Ridley to form a friendship with his reclusive and pregnant neighbor, he wonders if this small-town hideout might be more of a long-term destination. 

When Jessica begins to read her great-grandfather’s Bible, she finds a connection with a man she never knew. Somehow the verses he marked and the words he wrote in the margins open her heart to healing. And as Ridley and Jessica help each other forgive the people who have broken their hearts, they must decide if the past will define them or if they will choose to love again.

Who I Am with You weaves together a modern-day romance with Jessica’s great-grandfather’s story from the 1930s, reminding us that some truths can cross generations and that faith has the power to transform families forever.

Who I Am with You is the first book in Robin’s new “A Legacy of Faith” series.

My Thoughts:

I always enjoy Hatcher's books, but Who I Am With You may be my very favorite yet!  Jessica and Ridley's journey is so endearing because it is a picture of real life.  The romance in this one isn't sappy but two people who become quick friends and learn to trust each other.  In this first book of her new Legacy of Faith series, Hatcher begins the backstory of Jessica's great grandfather, Andrew Henning, and a Bible that was given to him by his father upon Andrew's college graduation in 1929.  This Bible has been passed on to Jessica and becomes a central point of Jessica's reconnection with her faith.  Ridley, who is in the middle of life circumstances that have challenged his faith as well, has chosen to step away from life in a sense.  The ending is a perfect picture of Romans 8:28; God working all things for His glory and our good.  Hatcher seamlessly weaves the past and the present in Who I Am With You.  I can't wait for book two, I Cross My Heart, due to release later this year.  Who will Jessica end up giving the bible too?

The story is beautiful and you shouldn't miss it!  Awesome start to a series that promises to be another homerun for Hatcher.

*I received a complimentary advanced reader's copy of the book from the publisher.  All opinions stated here are my own.

Enter the giveaway by clicking HERE.

Happy Reading Ya'll,

Jennifer

Chosen People

Robert Whitlow is the bestselling author of legal novels set in the South and winner of the Christy Award for Contemporary Fiction.  He received his JD with honors from the University of Georgia School of Law where he served on the staff of the Georgia Law Review.

You can connect with Whitlow at his website:  RobertWhitlow.com, on Twitter @WhitlowWriter, and on Facebook at RobertWhitlowBooks.

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation...

During a terrorist attack near the Western Wall in Jerusalem, a courageous mother sacrifices her life to save her four-year-old daughter, leaving behind a grieving husband and a motherless child.

Hana Abboud, a Christian Arab Israeli lawyer trained at Hebrew University, typically uses her language skills to represent international clients for an Atlanta law firm.  When her boss is contacted by Jakob Brodsky, a young Jewish lawyer pursuing a lawsuit on behalf of the woman's family under the US Anti-Terrorism laws, he calls on Hann's expertise to take point on the case.  After careful prayer, she joins forces with Jakob, and they quickly realize the need to bring in a third member for their team, an Arab investigator named David Hasan, based in Israel.

To unravel the case, this team of investigators travels from the street of Atlanta to the alleys of Jerusalem, a world where hidden motives thrive the risk of death is real, and the search for truth has many faces.  What they uncover will forever change their understanding of justice, heritage, and what it means to be chosen for a greater purpose.

My Thoughts;
I became a fast fan of Whitlow's while reading his books A Time to Stand and The Choice.  With Chosen People, he has solidified a prominent spot on my keeper shelf.  With mystery, a legal thrill ride, and deeply moving characters that draw you in from the beginning, Whitlow takes readers on a journey of international intrigue with more twists and turns and unanticipated outcomes than you can keep up with.  Whitlow's writing is engaging and full of tension that is palpable to the reader.  His plot is well-developed and his characters are gritty.  He also expertly and vividly paints a picture of the people and places in Chosen People with cultural accuracy.
If John Grisham is the plumbline for legal fiction, then Whitlow has just established a new one with his latest novel.  Relevant and timely, Chosen People by Whitlow is one book you do not want to miss.

*I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher.  All opinions stated here are my own.

Happy Reading Ya'll,
Jennifer

Code of Valor

Lynette Eason is the bestselling author of Oath of Honor and Called to Protect, as well as the Women of Justice.  Deadly Reunions, Hidden Identity, and Elite Guardians series.  She is the winner of three ACFW Carol  Awards, the Selah Award, and the Inspirational Reader's Choice Award, among others.
Learn more at www.lynetteeason.com.

She's living proof that what you don't know could kill you.

What Detective Brady St. John really needs is a relaxing vacation.  Unfortunately, just as the sun is setting on his second day at a friend's cabin on Lake henley, he hears a scream and races to rescue a woman from her would-be killer.  When the killer escapes only to return to finish the job, Brady vows to utilize all of his many resources to keep her safe - and catch those who would see her dead.
Financial crimes investigator Emily Chastain doesn't trust many people.  And even though she's trying to cooperate with the detective who saved her life, there are some things she doesn't know - and some things you just don't share with a stranger.  Little does she suspect that what she doesn't know just might get them both killed.

My Thoughts:
Eason's third installment in her Blue Justice series, Code of Valor, is one fast ride.  She wastes no time and drops readers right in the middle of a story that takes off running and doesn't stop.  I would not suggest starting this one at bedtime because you won't be sleeping but turning the pages as fast as you can!
Eason's St. John family is endearing and Brady is maybe my favorite so far.  Both he and Emily are well-developed characters and their journey is faith-filled and so sweet.  The way they interact with each other is genuine.  I hope we get a glimpse of what comes in the future for them throughout the rest of the series.

*I was given a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

Happy Reading Ya'll,
Jennifer 

Mind Games

Nancy Mehl is the author of more than thirty books, including the defenders of Justice series.  Nancy writes from her home in Missouri, where she lives with her husband, Norman, and their puggle, Watson.
To learn more, visit NancyMehl.com.

You can also connect with Nancy on Facebook.

FBI Behavioral Analyst Kaely Quinn's methods may be highly unorthodox, but her talent is undeniable.  She's done her best to establish a new life for herself after being demoted and transferred to St. Louis when a reporter revealed she's the daughter of an infamous serial killer.  But when that same reporter claims to have received an anonymous poem predicting a string of murders, ending with Kaely's, it seems her old life has followed her.
When a body is found that fits the poem's morbid predictions, Kaely and her new partner, Special Agent Noah Hunter, are forced to move past his skepticism of her approach and work together to unravel the deadly riddle.
With a brazen serial killer who breaks all the normal patterns on the loose, Noah and Kaely must race to catch the murderer before anyone else, including Kaely, is killed.

My Thoughts:
I became a huge fan of Mehl's writing after reading her Mennonite themed books in her Finding Sanctuary and Road to Kingdom series.  I was really excited to see Mehl branch off into a different genre and tackle Romantic Suspense.  Mehl has started off her latest series, Kaely Quinn Profiler, with a bang in the first book, Mind Games.
Mehl drew me in with the very first few lines of the prologue and I had a really hard time putting the book down until I turned the last page.  The story moves at a crisp pace with an eerie atmosphere and suspense that keeps the reader guessing until the very end, an end that you don't see coming and will take your breath away. Mehl's protagonist, Kaely Quinn, is a well-developed and complex character.  All the while I'm trying to figure out "whodunit", I'm at the same time trying to figure out Kaely.  
Mehl has garnered a spot on my suspense keeper shelf with Mind Games!  And the last line of the book...well let's just say, I can not wait to see what comes next for Kaely.

*I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher.  All opinions here are my own.

Happy Reading Ya'll,
Jennifer

We Hope For Better Things

Erin Bartels has been a publishing professional for seventeen years, most of that time as a copywriter.  She is also a freelance writer, editor, and book coach, and a member of Capital City Writers and the Women's Fiction Writers Association.  When she's not writing, she can be found wandering through the woods with her camera, painting landscapes in both watercolor and oil, or reading with a semi-spastic Chihuahua mix on her lap.

Erin lives in Lansing Michigan, with her husband, Zachary, and their son, Calvin.  We Hope for Better Things is her first novel.

The past is never as past as we'd like to think.

When journalist Elizabeth Balsam is asked to deliver a box of old photos to a relative she didn't know she had, the strange request seems like it isn't worth her time.  But as she explores her great-aunt's farmhouse with its locked doors and hidden graves, she soon discovers just how dramatically some of the most newsworthy events of the previous two centuries shaped her own family.  As she searched for answers to the riddles around her, the remarkable stories of two women who lived in this very house emerge as testaments o love, resilience, and courage in the face of war, racism, and misunderstanding.

My Thoughts:
I ended 2018 reading probably the most moving fiction title I read all year.  It may have taken Bartels since 2012 to write and get We Hope for Better Things published (per the author's note in the book), but it was time well spent.

"Worrying won't change things," he said.  "Change happens when the cost of keeping things the way they are is too high."

Bartels tackles the subject matter of racism and the deep effects of racial tension on relationships, families, and communities and the nation at large.  Bartels' time slip novel spans a present-day storyline, 1960s Detroit race riots, and Michigan's Underground Railroad during the Civil War.  Through deeply developed characters and a heart-moving story, Bartels takes readers on a journey that will have them thinking long after the last page is turned.
I was invested in the story just a few pages in and couldn't put the book down.  Engrossed in the stories of Mary, Nora, and Elizabeth, I only came up for air and the "real" world when necessary and spent a couple of nights way past sleeping time to finish the book.  And now, not too many days since I placed the book on my keeper shelf, I still can't get the story to leave me...doubt I ever will.
This is a book not to be missed and an author to follow.

*I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

Happy Reading Ya'll,
Jennifer