Spotlight on Romantic Suspense — Cold Case Arson Investigation

28 Oct
Cold Case Arson JustRead Blog + Review Tour

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Cold Case Arson Investigation by Kerry Johnson, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About The Book

Cold Case Arson Investigation

Title: Cold Case Arson Investigation
Series: Forest Ranger Rescuers #4
Author: Kerry Johnson
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
Release Date: October 27, 2026
Genre: Romantic Suspense

A decades-old crime.

A secret ready to explode.

Trapped in a burning barn, fire ranger Clay Reiger barely escapes with his ex-girlfriend, fire marshal Autumn Jennings, as the inferno rages out of control. Soon a chilling pattern emerges—fires eerily similar to those set by a serial arsonist who disappeared years ago. As the past resurfaces, the danger becomes impossible to ignore. With their lives under attack and a long-buried secret threatening to reignite old wounds, Clay and Autumn must confront their shared history. Can they unravel a deadly mystery and stop a vengeful criminal before more lives are lost?

Excerpt

Autumn cried out as Clay crumpled to the ground. The man in jeans and a black hoodie who knocked him in the back of the head launched at her, grabbing her roughly with arms that felt like tentacles. She shouted, struggling against his iron grip.

Somewhere far away, a woman screamed.

The mom at the playground. Would she call 911?

Autumn fought her attacker until one of her elbows hit its target. She recoiled from the pain then wriggled away from his weakened hold, darting toward Clay. Her assailant lunged after her, yanking her back and dragging her further out on the skywalk. A crack of thunder shook the wood and metal structure, and raindrops blurred her vision. Was he going to throw her off? She swung her legs, tried to use her shoes to grip the wood, but couldn’t stop her attacker’s rapid, determined movements.

She reached for his legs and pinched his thigh hard. He cursed, then his hold slackened and she skirted away.

Two pounding steps and he grabbed her again, slamming her down. Her spine cracked on the wood platform, and stars danced around her vision as pain spiraled out across her ribs.

“Not so fast, are you?” he sneered.

God, please help. Grayson needs me.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Harlequin | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ChristianBook | Bookshop | BookBub

More in This Series

Abducted in the Woods
Targeted in the Swamp

About The Author

Kerry Johnson

Kerry Johnson spent a magical childhood in New England roaming the woods, climbing mossy boulders, and reading everything she could get her hands on. She moved to Florida as a teen, reluctantly exchanging dirt for sand and snow for sunshine. Kerry lives on the sunny, stormy west coast of Florida with her patient engineering husband, two college-aged sons, and her teen niece. Their busy home also includes a lazy boxer, one very temperamental sun conure, a spotted leopard gecko, plus any stray cats who need food and TLC. (She still dreams of owning a horse one day.) She’s a longtime member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) and FHLCW (Faith Hope Love Christian Writers). Her stories have won two ACFW Genesis Awards (2017 & 2020), RWA-Georgia’s Maggie Contest (Unpublished, 2019), and a First-Place Selah Award for Romantic Suspense (2025). She writes for Harlequin/Love Inspired Suspense, and you can find her list of books on her Amazon page Amazon.com: Kerry Johnson: books, biography, latest update

Connect with Kerry by visiting kerryjohnsonbooks.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email newsletter updates.

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a copy of all four books in the Forest Ranger Rescuers series (Hunted in the Forest, Abducted in the Woods, Targeted in the Swamp, and Cold Case Arson Investigation) plus a scripture bookmark & tea bags!

(1) winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card!

Cold Case Arson Investigation blog tour giveaway JustRead

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight October 27, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on November 3, 2026. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

JustRead Publicity Tours

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Top 10 Tuesday — Halloween Freebie

27 Oct

Happy Tuesday before Halloween! Today’s TTT is a Halloween Freebie, and I am featuring books that are great to read when you want something a little bit twisty, or ghostly, or dark-ish, but are a fraidy cat. 😉 You can easily read these books after dark, but maybe with a nightlight burning. They are also certified non-gory. I hope you find one to read this Halloween.

For more Halloween fun, please visit That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Books for Fraidy Cats 😉

The Bookshop of 99 Door/Tempest at Annabel’s Lighthouse by Jaime Jo Wright

Dark Design/Shattered Sanctuary by Nancy Mehl

Death Follows Her/Secrets Chase Her by Rachel Dylan

Deadly Currents by Elizabeth Goddard

The Girl Upstairs by Jessica R. Patch

Out of Time by Irene Hannon

Whiteout by Lynette Eason and Dani Pettrey

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Happy Release Day — The Remnants

26 Oct

Happy release day to Ann Marie Stewart! Her highly personal historical novel, The Remnants is now available.

The Remnants has been 45 years in the making, and with the current issue of Crimea/Ukraine/Refugees/Immigration, it couldn’t be more timely. Ann Marie Stewart’s grandparents left behind a child in the wake of their escape from Soviet Russian, that hard fact begs the question, At what cost is our freedom?

Out of 17,000 Germans trapped in Moscow in late 1929, 5,769 got out.  Only four were admitted to the United States.  That was her family.

Version 1.0.0

“If we don’t leave now, we may never get out.”

Lena and Nikolai Siemens dream of a simple life on the steppes of 1920s Crimea—farming their land, raising their children, and practicing their Mennonite faith in peace.

But as Stalin’s iron fist closes around Russia’s German Mennonite communities, Lena and Nikolai flee toward Moscow in a desperate bid for freedom. Surrounded by thousands of fellow refugees, they wait in disease-ridden camps, watching children die while bureaucrats deny their exit visas again and again.

After months of uncertainty, Nikolai is arrested. Lena takes refuge in a maternity home. And three-year-old Kolja is deported back to Crimea, fifteen hundred miles away.
Then the miracle happens: Exit visas. But only for forty-eight hours. No time to reach Kolja before the door closes forever.

Now Lena and Nikolai face an unbearable choice: Escape with their newborn and trust their family will be reunited . . . or stay in Russia and risk the wrath of Stalin.

Award-winning author Ann Marie Stewart crafts a meticulously researched historical family saga based on the true story of her grandparents’ resilience in the face of overwhelming odds. A powerful testament to the unbreakable bonds of family, The Remnants will captivate historical fiction fans and readers of The Nightingale and Before We Were Yours.

About Ann Marie Stewart:

I’m a sheep farmer, musical theater director, and voice teacher. And I also love telling, hearing, and writing stories with meaning. Stories that inspire me to consider characters and their dilemmas. Because, every good story begins with an underlying question that the reader needs answered by the end of the novel.

“What happens when the worst possible event happens to your family and it might be your fault?” (STARS IN THE GRASS).

“Is it always better to know the truth?” (OUT OF THE WATER).

“What price are you willing to pay for your family’s freedom?” (THE REMNANTS).

RE words capture my favorite themes in literature: reconciliation, renewal, redemption. I spend time writing or reading books that are READeemables–Quality reads that are worth the time to write and to read, and oh so satisfying.

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First Line Friday — The Final Word

23 Oct

Happy Friday! Today I am featuring the 2nd book in Laura Thomas‘s Bite of Betrayal series, The Final Word. This book takes place mostly in a small village in England. But true to form in a romantic suspense, danger can go anywhere! Baker Sophie Brooks’s new beginning is tainted by an old relationship. This novel is perfect for fans of the genre.

Here’s the first line:

The deserted street was deliciously sinister in the glow of a solitary lamp — the perfect milieu for Sophie’s final nights living in Paris.

Terrorized by darkness from her past. Real life is no fairy tale…

When aspiring author Sophie Brooks chooses to trade a vibrant Paris life for the tranquility of a quaint English village, she imagines her final days in the City of Lights will be magical. Sophie doesn’t anticipate a chilling encounter with an old flame—nor does she plan to find a new love on her very last night.

Miles Morgan’s life has been defined as a successful opera singer—until now. His chance encounter with Sophie in Paris ignites renewed hope … if he can figure out his next chapter and if she can accept what his future may hold.

In the heart of the English countryside, Sophie and Miles’ fairy tale romance turns into a noxious nightmare as the darkness of Sophie’s past—and her volatile ex—catch up with her. Both Sophie and Miles must surrender everything to the One they thought had betrayed them as they lean into love and fight for their lives.

Travel from Paris to England in this fast-paced, faith-over-fear story of surrender.

An award-winning Christian author, Laura Thomas writes heartwarming encouragement for your soul… with the ultimate desire to inspire fiction readers in their real lives with her stories of hope.

Laura is a certified writing coach, a book-loving chocoholic mom and nanny, and is married to her high school sweetheart. Originally from the UK, they now live the empty nest life in Kelowna, British Columbia, with their French bulldog!

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Happy Release Day — The Heartfelt Formula

22 Oct

Happy release day to Leslie Kirby DeVooght. Her rom-com Christmas novel, The Heartfelt Formula is now available. If you love Christmas and Hallmark movies, especially Christmas Hallmark movies 😉 , you will definitely want to read this book. When Atlanta lawyer, Hope Elliot decides to make big changes to follow the scripts of TV romances in order to find her forever love, fun follows suit. What can possible go askew if you plan down to the last detail how you are going to end up with the man of your dreams? Plenty! Start the holiday reading out right with this jewel.

She’s got a formula for love… but real life isn’t a Christmas movie.

After another breakup, Atlanta attorney Hope Elliot decides to stop waiting for her happily-ever-after and write it herself. Inspired by her beloved Christmas romance movies, Hope crafts The Heartfelt Formula: a foolproof plan including snowball fights, cookie baking, and a perfectly timed first kiss.

Trading the big city for coastal Georgia, Hope sets out to find her small-town soulmate. But the actors in her carefully plotted scenes keep shuffling—especially when Brennan Taylor, her ambitious co-counsel continues to fill in for Cole Walker, the carefree furniture maker, who Hope cast as her hero.

Between courtroom drama, a mismatched leading man, and a mistletoe mishap, Hope must decide if she’ll trust her formula or accept a plot twist that might leave her all alone, or perhaps, with happiest ending of all.

A faith-filled romantic comedy for anyone who believes love, like Christmas, can still surprise you.

PW Best-Selling Author Leslie Kirby DeVooght writes women’s fiction inspired by romcoms, coastal Georgia, and fried okra! While Leslie and her family live in Jacksonville, Florida, they often visit her hometown of St. Simons Island, Georgia, where she loves to go for long walks on the beach. A graduate of Florida Southern College and Mercer Law School, Leslie is always revising her life from prosecutor to judge to PTA president to author of happily-ever-afters.

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Spotlight on Christmas Romance — The Heartfelt Formula

21 Oct
The Heartfelt Formula JustRead Blog + Review Tour

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for The Heartfelt Formula by Leslie Kirby DeVooght, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About The Book

The Heartfelt Formula

Title: The Heartfelt Formula
Author: Leslie Kirby DeVooght
Publisher: Lanier Price Publishing
Release Date: October 22, 2026
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Women’s Fiction/Romantic Comedy

After another breakup, Atlanta attorney Hope Elliot decides to stop waiting for her happily-ever-after and write it herself. Inspired by her beloved Christmas romance movies, Hope crafts The Heartfelt Formula: a foolproof plan including snowball fights, cookie baking, and a perfectly timed first kiss.

Trading the big city for coastal Georgia, Hope sets out to find her small-town soulmate. But the actors in her carefully plotted scenes keep shuffling—especially when Brennan Taylor, her ambitious co-counsel continues to fill in for Cole Walker, the carefree furniture maker, who Hope cast as her hero.

Between courtroom drama, a mismatched leading man, and a mistletoe mishap, Hope must decide if she’ll trust her formula or accept a plot twist that might leave her all alone, or perhaps, with the happiest ending of all.

A faith-filled romantic comedy for anyone who believes love, like Christmas, can still surprise you.

Excerpt

The Kiss. By far, the kiss was the best part of every rom-com, or for that matter, any movie.

Why couldn’t life imitate fiction?

Why couldn’t my life be like one of these movies? I snatched a handful of tissues and smothered another round of pathetic sobs.

Why couldn’t I, Hope Elliot, get my happily ever after?

With one click, I selected the image on the TV of the happy couple kissing in front of a balsam and holly wreath. It might be counterintuitive to seek solace in sappy romance movies, but it worked for me.

At least my latest breakup happened during the Heartfelt Channel’s annual Christmas-in-July marathon. I needed these movies, these examples of true love happening between unlikely people and against all odds. They gave me hope. Even better when they happened during my favorite holiday—Christmas.PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub

Also Available

About The Author

PW Best-Selling Author Leslie Kirby DeVooght writes women’s fiction inspired by romcoms, coastal Georgia, and fried okra! While Leslie and her family live in Jacksonville, Florida, they often visit her hometown of St. Simons Island, Georgia, where she loves to go for long walks on the beach. A graduate of Florida Southern College and Mercer Law School, Leslie is always revising her life from prosecutor to judge to PTA president to author of happily-ever-afters.

Connect with Leslie by visiting lesliedevooght.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email newsletter updates.

Tour Giveaway

(2) winners will each receive a Coastal Christmas ornament, plus signed copies of Taking a Second Shot, Stealing Magnolias, and The Heartfelt Formula!

The Heartfelt Formula JustRead blog tour giveaway

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight October 21, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on October 28, 2026. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

JustRead Publicity Tours

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Book Review — The Heartfelt Formula

20 Oct

I love a good Christmas story with some romance and a definite merry-vibe. I got that and much more with The Heartfelt Formula by Leslie Kirby DeVooght. If you need a good book to get you in the holiday mood, then I recommend that you put The Heartfelt Formula at the top your TBR list.

She’s got a formula for love… but real life isn’t a Christmas movie.

After another breakup, Atlanta attorney Hope Elliot decides to stop waiting for her happily-ever-after and write it herself. Inspired by her beloved Christmas romance movies, Hope crafts The Heartfelt Formula: a foolproof plan including snowball fights, cookie baking, and a perfectly timed first kiss.

Trading the big city for coastal Georgia, Hope sets out to find her small-town soulmate. But the actors in her carefully plotted scenes keep shuffling—especially when Brennan Taylor, her ambitious co-counsel continues to fill in for Cole Walker, the carefree furniture maker, who Hope cast as her hero.

Between courtroom drama, a mismatched leading man, and a mistletoe mishap, Hope must decide if she’ll trust her formula or accept a plot twist that might leave her all alone, or perhaps, with happiest ending of all.

A faith-filled romantic comedy for anyone who believes love, like Christmas, can still surprise you.

PW Best-Selling Author Leslie Kirby DeVooght writes women’s fiction inspired by romcoms, coastal Georgia, and fried okra! While Leslie and her family live in Jacksonville, Florida, they often visit her hometown of St. Simons Island, Georgia, where she loves to go for long walks on the beach. A graduate of Florida Southern College and Mercer Law School, Leslie is always revising her life from prosecutor to judge to PTA president to author of happily-ever-afters.

My Impressions:

I admit that I am not a Hallmark Movie-gal. I really watch very little TV, preferring to indulge in romance reading instead. That’s not to say I am uninformed on the formulas those movies tend to use to get the characters to an HEA. Leslie Kirby DeVooght has taken the tried and true methods of finding the perfect man (at least by romance movie standards) and translated them into a sassy rom-com that will get you thinking about love and life. The Heartfelt Formula is a great read to begin your holiday season, whether you celebrate from the first nip in the air or wait until after Thanksgiving to trim the tree. On the surface this book is a fun and funny journey with main character Hope as she does everything to create the perfect playbook to get the love of her life. But DeVoooght takes the formula a step further to speak to the deeper meaning of love. This romance has meat! It really is the perfect combo of entertainment and thought-provoking moments that made me ponder my own relationships, especially with the One who really counts. The characters, both main and secondary, are wonderfully fleshed-out, the plot is fresh, and the spiritual truths are naturally woven throughout the narrative. I loved how Hope grew in her understanding of her past and the knowledge that her future was safe and secure. I laughed, I shook my head, and I may have shed a tear or two. 😉

So make sure you put The Heartfelt Formula on the top of your TBR. You’re going to love it!

Recommended.

Audience: Adults.

(Thanks to the author for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

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Top 10 Tuesday — (Not So) Picture Perfect Settings

20 Oct

Happy Tuesday! Today I am changing TTT‘s prompt of Perfect Day, to picture perfect book settings that turn out to be not so much. You know, something like the idyllic vacation spot with cartel killers. I read a lot of suspense, so I have a lot of material to work with. 😉 Hope you find one to love.

For on-topic blogger lists, please visit That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top (Not So) Picture Perfect Settings

26 Below by Kimberly Woodhouse — Alaska and a madman killer

Better Watch Out by Natalie Walters — Christmas in New York City and killers

Cascade by Linda Rodante — Tennessee waterfall hike with a shooting and bear attacks

The Choice by D. L. Wood — luxury yacht with people out to get you

The Girl Upstairs by Jessica R. Patch — small Maine coastal town with ghostly intruders

Mists over The Channel Islands by Sarah Sundin — Nazi invasion

Love Makes Way by Hallee Bridgeman — destination wedding on a cruise ship that is taken over by pirates

Queen of Hearts by Heather Day Gilbert — luxurious WV mountain cabin with a stalker

When The Silence Breaks by Elizabeth Goddard — Cascade Mountains of Washington with a snowstorm and deadly bio-weapon

Whiteout by Dani Pettrey and Lynette Eason — Colorado ski resort with an avalanche and not 1, but 2 (or more) killers on the loose

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Mini-Book Review: Fire Mountain

19 Oct

Fire Mountain, the first book in the Elements of Danger series by Dana Mentink, is a classic example of the man-against-nature trope. In this fast-paced romantic suspense, the two main characters, long-haul trucker Kit and former cop Cullen, battle the elements while trying to elude seriously bad, bad guys. And before you think a volcano erupting is a never-going-to-happen occurrence, just think back to Mount St. Helens. 😉 I loved the two main characters and the secondary characters. There were plenty of times I was concerned for the survival of all of them! The bad guys are tenacious and always seem to be a step ahead, but you can’t underestimate the determination to survive and protect the vulnerable. Fire Mountain is a great choice for those who love their romantic suspense filled with danger, twists and turns, and nightmarish landscapes — it has it all! I loved it and think you will too. Book 2, Raging Waters, is on my TBR wishlist.

Highly Recommended.

Audience: Adults.

(I purchased the ebook for my Kindle. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Fire rains from above as they fight to discover the truth and stay alive. 

In the shadow of a threatening volcano, long-haul trucker Kit Garrido wakes up in her crashed big rig, unable to recall what happened or why she’s suddenly in possession of someone’s baby. Fiercely independent, she has to admit that perhaps this time she could use a little help.

As the threat of eruption grows, former cop Cullen Landry refuses to leave his cabin in the evacuation area, which is why he’s the only one left who can help Kit escape the crumpled cab of her truck. He doesn’t want to get tangled up in the mystery of the beautiful woman with an abandoned infant, but when he sees the bullet hole in the windshield and the bloody handprint on the interior, he realizes that he’s in this thing, like it or not. 

When two armed men with ill intent approach, the race is on to stay alive, discover the truth, and find the baby’s missing mother–all while a deadly mountain rains fire from above.

Dana Mentink is a New York Times bestselling author of more than fifty novels for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense, Revell, Poisoned Pen Press, and other publishers. She lives in sunny California with Papa Bear and close to her two cubs, affectionately nicknamed Yogi and Boo Boo.

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First Line Friday — The Lies We Trade

16 Oct

The Lies We Trade by debut novelist Kristine Delano was a unique read for me. I admit that most of my suspense comes in the romantic version with unmarried main characters. The plots also do not usually include white color crime. Arsonists, serial killers, drug cartels are the usual suspects. The Lies We Trade has none of the above. The main character is married with kids, and the suspense arises from underhanded Wall Street types. I liked it a lot.

Here’s the first line:

I always watch for the pivot — I sense it before I see it and I notice it before the crowd.

A high-powered Wall Street career, a beautiful family in a quiet suburban neighborhood—she seems to have everything. Which means she has everything to lose.

Meredith Hansel should be having the best week of her life. After establishing herself as a portfolio manager at a prestigious Wall Street firm, she’s in the national spotlight for the innovative funds she created. But as Meredith prepares to celebrate, the plates she’s kept spinning for years begin to crash: Her strained marriage reaches a breaking point. Her conscientious teenage daughter acts out under mysterious pressures. Someone vandalizes her home with disturbing graffiti. And Betsey, her most trusted ally at the financial firm, goes rogue, and Meredith is forced to sign a restraining order against her.

Then her worlds collide when she receives a thumb drive and a cryptic note from Betsey threatening to reveal a secret that could have devastating effects on Meredith’s family . . . unless she can figure out what Betsey wants and deliver it in time.

As Meredith begins to dig into the data, however, she begins to suspect that it’s no coincidence her life is crumbling. That maybe what’s happening to her family is connected to what’s boiling beneath the surface at her investment company. Soon Meredith realizes there’s only one way to avoid taking the fall, and it all hinges on Betsey’s true motives. Was she really threatening Meredith or trying to warn her?

Kristine Delano is a former Wall Street executive turned award-winning author of domestic thrillers set in the high-stakes finance world. She hosts the We Talk Careers podcast and mentors women on work-life balance. When she’s not writing or reading, she enjoys scuba diving, playing games with friends, and chasing her family down the ski slopes of western Maine.

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