Tag Archives: Mike Nappa

Top 10 Tuesday — New To Me Authors

6 Dec

2016 has been a great reading year! Lots of favorite authors with new books and plenty of new to me authors to insure many hours of reading pleasure in the future. This week the folks at The Broke And The Bookish are featuring 2016 New To You Authors. To discover a new to you author, click HERE.

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2016 New To Me Authors

 

 

biopicCalled “the suspense author everyone is talking about” by Family Fiction Edge magazine, Zachary Bartels is the author of critically acclaimed supernatural thrillers. An award-winning preacher and Bible teacher, Zachary has been serving as pastor of Judson Baptist Church in Lansing, Michigan, for ten years. He enjoys film, fine cigars, stimulating conversation, gourmet coffee, reading, writing, and cycling.

His debut novel, Playing Saint, has been called an “intrigue-filled thriller” (Library Journal) and “a page-turner from the very beginning . . . gripping and realistic” (RT Book Reviews). His newest book, The Last Con (HarperCollins Christian Fiction, 2015) has met early positive reviews. He lives in the capital city of a mitten-shaped Midwestern state with his wife Erin and their son.

 

71xnmguh8yl-_ux250_A graduate of Taylor University with a degree in Christian Education, and a former bookseller at Barnes & Noble, Dawn Crandall didn’t begin writing until 2010 when her husband found out about her long-buried dream of writing a book. Without a doubt about someday becoming published, he encouraged her to quit her job in 2010 in order to focus on writing The Hesitant Heiress. It didn’t take her long to realize that writing books was what she was made to do.

Apart from writing books, Dawn is also a mom to two precious little boys and also serves with her husband in a premarriage mentor program at their local church in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Dawn is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, secretary for the Indiana ACFW Chapter (Hoosier Ink), and associate member of the Great Lakes ACFW Chapter.

The Everstone Chronicles is Dawn’s first series with Whitaker House. All three books composing the series were semifinalists in ACFW’s prestigious Genesis Writing Contest, the third book going on to become a finalist in 2013.

 

davis_lindabrooks_2016_01-31-copy-2Linda Brooks Davis is the 2014 Jerry Jenkins Operation First Novel 1st place winner. Her debut historical novel, The Calling of Ella McFarland, was released on December 1, 2015. Now working on her second novel, Linda pens stories inspired by her ancestors’ lives of faith and grit, tales that testify to the hope and healing found in Jesus.

Linda was born and reared on a farm in small-town Raymondville in the southernmost tip of Texas. She attended Abilene Christian University where she earned a degree in speech pathology in 1968 and maintained a forty-year career in public schools while rearing a daughter and son who are now veterinarians in practice together. As the eldest student in her post-graduate class, she earned a Master’s degree from Houston Baptist University in 2002.

Now retired, Linda lives in Central Texas with her husband. When not writing, Linda dotes on her six beautiful grandchildren, serves in lay ministry at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, reads, and explores genealogy.

 

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4114506_origCamille Eide writes romantic, inspirational dramas about love, faith, and family. She lives in Oregon with her husband and is a mom, grammy, bass guitarist, and a fan of muscle cars, tender romance, oldies Rock, and Peanut M&Ms. I read her historical/romance novel, The Memoirs of Johnny Devine.

 

 

 

 

amy-matayo-1Author Amy Matayo is an excellent speaker, mathematician, seamstress, chef…and liar. She’s decent at writing books but not much else. Then again, the book thing makes her marginally cool and a whole lot intimidating.

Not really. Not even her kids are afraid of her.

She graduated with barely passing grades from John Brown University with a degree in Journalism. But she’s proud of that degree and all the ways she hasn’t put it to good use.

She laughs often, cries easily, feels deeply, and loves hard. She lives in Arkansas with her husband and four kids and is working on her next novel.

I read The Thirteenth Chance.

 

4129Rachel McMillan is a keen history enthusiast and a lifelong bibliophile. When not writing or reading, she can most often be found drinking tea and watching British miniseries. Rachel lives in bustling Toronto, where she works in educational publishing and pursues her passion for art, literature, music, and theater. Rachel McMillan is a keen history enthusiast and a lifelong bibliophile. When not writing or reading, she can most often be found drinking tea and watching British miniseries. Rachel lives in bustling Toronto, where she works in educational publishing and pursues her passion for art, literature, music, and theater. I read The Bachelor Girl’s Guide to Murder

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611b1ezgmtl-_ux250_For 27 years, Deb Richardson-Moore was a reporter for The Greenville (SC) News, winning three national writing awards and routine recognition from the South Carolina Press Association. She was a wife, mother of three, and that suburban cliche, a minivan-driving soccer mom.

She then took over the religion beat at The News and enrolled in a nearby seminary to learn more about it. Her life was never the same. She left the newspaper and earned a master of divinity degree. Because jobs for clergywomen were scarce in her own Baptist denomination, she accepted a job as pastor of the non-denominational Triune Mercy Center, a crumbling, inner-city mission church to the homeless.

Deb is a graduate of Wake Forest University and Erskine Theological Seminary. She and her husband, Vince, have three grown children. The Cantaloupe Thief was her debut novel.

 

41tko0oljtl-_ux250_Mike Nappa is an entertainment journalist at FamilyFans.com, as well as a bestselling and award-winning author with more than one million books sold worldwide. When he was a kid, the stories of Edgar Allan Poe scared him silly. Today he owns everything Poe ever wrote. A former fiction acquisitions editor, Mike earned his MA in English literature and now writes full time. Annabel Lee was his debut novel.

 

press-kit-headshotSandra Orchard is a multi-award-winning author of mysteries and romantic suspense She is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Sisters in Crime, Romance Writers of America and The Word Guild (Canada). A mother of three grown children, she lives in Niagara, Canada with her real-life-hero husband and writes full time . . . when not doting on her young grandchildren.

 

 

 

kelli-stuart-sqKelli Stuart is a writer and a storyteller at heart. A graduate of Baylor University with a degree in English Professional Writing, and a minor in the Russian language, Kelli has honed her skills in the written word through editing, ghostwriting, blogging, and traveling the world. Kelli has a gift for languages that puts her at ease in other cultures, allowing her to view this creative life from the vantage point of mothers worldwide.

Kelli is a noted blogger and the writer behind the wildly popular blog Minivans Are Hot.com. She has traveled extensively, constantly honing her craft at weaving words into tales as she experiences life and the world. Kelli has written for, and represented, such brands as The Huffington Post, 5 Minutes for Mom, Tonic.com, Disney, American Girl, The MOB Society, Extraordinary Mommy, God Size Dreams, Short Fiction Break, and (in)courage. Kelli has also served as editor-in-chief for the St. Louis Bloggers Guild and as a board member for the St. Louis Women in Media. I read Like A River from Its Course.

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(All author biographical information came directly from their websites.)

What new authors did you discover in 2016?

Book Review: The Raven

26 Sep

41jklpz8chl-_sx322_bo1204203200_As part of his regular street performance, a deception specialist who goes by the name The Raven picks his audience’s pockets while they watch. It’s harmless fun — until he decides to keep the spare wallet a city councilman doesn’t seem to miss, hoping for a few extra bucks. When he finds not money but compromising photos of the councilman and his “personal assistants”, The Raven hatches a plan to blackmail the man. However, he quickly finds himself in over his head with the Ukrainian Mafia and mired in a life-threatening plot code-named, “Nevermore”.

Private investigators Trudi Coffey and Samuel Hill must scramble to sort out the clues — and their complicated feelings for each other — to rescue The Raven and save hundreds of lives from a wildcard bent on revenge.

 

41tko0oljtl-_ux250_Mike Nappa is an entertainment journalist at FamilyFans.com, as well as a bestselling and award-winning author with more than one million books sold worldwide. When he was a kid, the stories of Edgar Allan Poe scared him silly. Today he owns everything Poe ever wrote. A former fiction acquisitions editor, Mike earned his MA in English literature and now writes full time.

 

My Impressions:

Wow! That is the one word I can use to describe Mike Nappa’s novel, The Raven. I thought his debut novel, Annabel Lee, was great, and it was. But The Raven is over-the-top good! Am I gushing? Maybe. But for those who love a fast-paced suspense with twisting plots (yes plots), this one hits all the right buttons. #2 in the Coffey & Hill series earns another very highly recommended rating from me.

Trudi Coffey and Samuel Hill, ex’s with lots of unresolved baggage, are back in Atlanta working their respective cases. She’s a PI and he’s now a police detective after a stint with the CIA. Both are focused on finding the truth and when they stumble upon a mysterious plot, their radar goes up. Just what is Nevermore and what does it bode for the city of Atlanta? Along the way, they are met with Ukrainian mobsters, gangbangers and a small time deception specialist named the Raven. The clues are there, but they don’t add up to a complete picture. But that won’t stop Trudi and Samuel from digging even when their own lives are at stake.

The Raven is suspense fiction at its best. Using both first and third person perspectives, the reader is slowly let into the very complicated goings on. You never can be sure of just whom to trust. Some of the bad guys are very, very bad and have sadistic streaks. While others are just sort of bad — there may or may not be consciences behind their facades. And who knows who the good guys are, except for Trudi and Samuel. Gun-running, gang activity and political campaigns are all part of the plot making this novel’s setting of Hotlanta very apt. My oldest son lives in Atlanta and it was fun visiting familiar places throughout the novel. Characters are as complex as the plot line. You will love Mama Bliss, the 70+ year old woman who is both maternal and calculating. And the title character, the Raven, is an exasperating anti-hero that you will cheer for in the end. None of the characters, good and bad, are without flaws, a realism I very much appreciated. There is a deep spiritual theme that runs throughout the novel. Revenge and bitterness are contrasted with forgiveness and grace, and the characters must choose which they will live and die by. Trudi and Samuel have lots of seemingly insurmountable obstacles in their relationship. The last scene in the book shows just what they may be up against in the future.

A bit gritty, a bit gasp-inducing, and a lot good — that’s The Raven.

Very Highly Recommended.

Audience: adults.

To purchase this book, click HERE

(Thanks to Revell for a review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

 

Top 10 Tuesday: The TV Edition

6 Sep

Thanks to the folks at The Broke And The Bookish for always hosting a fun and challenging theme every week. This week’s theme is a TV inspired Top Ten Tuesday. To find what other bloggers are sharing today, click HERE.

 

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Most of our television watching revolves around sports, sports news or just news in general. But my husband and I do enjoy a good cop show (or PI) — Law And Order, Criminal Minds, Bones, Rizzoli And Isles, The Closer, etc. Whether it involves local police, forensic scientists, or FBI profilers, we love a show that presents and solves a crime in under an hour! 😉 My television choices are influenced by books that I like, not the other way around. And I enjoy spending many hours solving the case! So here are some books you may enjoy if you share my viewing habits.

Top 10 Tuesday TV Edition

The Kristen Connor Series by M. K. Gilroy

Cold As Ice (on my TBR list)

Cuts Like A Knife 

Every Breath You Take 

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The Raleigh Harmon Series by Sibella Giorello

The Clouds Roll Away 

The Mountains Bow Down 

The Rivers Run Dry (on my TBR list)

The Stars Shine Bright 

The Stones Cry Out 

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The Coffee And Hill Series by Mike Nappa

Annabel Lee by Mike Nappa

The Raven (on my TBR list)

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The Gwen Marcey Series by Carrie Stuart Parks

The Bones Will Speak 

A Cry from The Dust

When Death Draws Near 

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I also have on my TBR list The Bug Man Series by Tim Downs

Chop Shop

First The Dead

Ends of The Earth

Less Than Dead

Nick of Time

Shoo Fly Pie

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What are your favorite TV shows?

 

 

Top 10 Tuesday: Favorite Books of 2016 (So Far)

21 Jun

Thanks to the folks at The Broke And The Bookish who weekly host Top 10 Tuesday. This week we are finding out which books are winners in 2016. To see what other bloggers consider the best of the best, click HERE.

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Ten, really? Only ten best books of 2016? This has been a banner year for good books. I’m not sure if I am being more selective or if we are in the golden age of Christian Fiction, but I have read so many wonderful books this year. While these books are from varying genres — history, romance, mystery, literary and women’s fiction, they share a common characteristic — great writing!  So here are 13, a Baker’s Dozen, of novels I have savored.

A Baker’s Dozen of Favorite Books in 2016

 

Annabel Lee by Mike Nappa

The Beautiful Thread by Penelope Wilcock

The Breath of Peace by Penelope Wilcock

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Guarded by Angela Correll

The Hearts We Mend by Kathryn Springer

If I Run by Terri Blackstock

The Inheritance by Michael Phillips

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The Memoir of Johnny Devine by Camille Eide

The Prophetess by Jill Eileen Smith

Sister Dear by Laura McNeill

Step by Step by Candace Calvert

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Thin Ice by Irene Hannon

Water from My Heart by Charles Martin

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Top 10 Tuesday — Five-Star Reads

29 Mar

Thanks to the folks over at The Broke And The Bookish for hosting Top 10 Tuesday every week. There are lots of book bloggers that participate, so make sure to click HERE to find out what they are up to.

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This week’s theme is 10 of My Most Recent 5-Star Reads. I have been inundated with reading blessings this year and have enjoyed lots and lots of great books. The following are the last 5-star books I have read. Make sure to check out the reviews I have linked.

Top 10 5-Star Reads

(In Alphabetical Order)

Annabel Lee by Mike Nappa (suspense)

The Body under The Bridge by Paul McCusker (mystery)

The Fragment by Davis Bunn (historical suspense)

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Guarded by Angela Correll (women’s fiction)

The Hearts We Mend by Kathryn Springer (contemporary romance)

A House Divided by Robert Whitlow (legal drama)

If I Run by Terri Blackstock (suspense)

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The Memoir of Johnny Devine by Camille Eide (historical romance)

The Prophetess by Jill Eileen Smith (biblical fiction)

Thin Ice by Irene Hannon (romantic suspense)

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Book Review: Annabel Lee

24 Mar

UnknownFourteen miles east of Peachtree, Alabama, a secret is hidden. That secret’s name is Annabel Lee Truckson, and even she doesn’t know why her mysterious uncle has stowed her deep underground in a military-style bunker. He’s left her with a few German words, a barely-controlled guard dog, and a single command: “Don’t open that door for anybody, you got it? Not even me.”

Above ground, a former Army sniper called The Mute and an enigmatic “Dr. Smith” know about the girl. As the race begins to find her, the tension builds. Who wants to set her free? Why does the other want to keep her captive forever? Who will reach her first?

Private investigators Trudi Coffey and Samuel Hill need to piece together the clues and stay alive long enough to retrieve the girl–before it’s too late.

41tKO0olJTL._UX250_Mike Nappa is an entertainment journalist at FamilyFans.com, as well as a bestselling and award-winning author with more than one million books sold worldwide. When he was a kid, the stories of Edgar Allan Poe scared him silly. Today he owns everything Poe ever wrote. A former fiction acquisitions editor, Mike earned his MA in English literature and now writes full time.

 

My Impressions:

In the Acknowledgements section of Annabel Lee, author Mike Nappa describes the obstacles he encountered on the road to becoming a published fiction writer. I am very glad that those who encouraged and/or nagged him to his goal were successful. I am a huge fan of the suspense genre, and this book is one of my favorites. Ever. A tension-filled and exhilarating ride from the start, this page-turner thrilled and chilled this reader as well as making me long for more. Annabel Lee earns a Very Highly Recommended rating from me!

If you haven’t already, take a moment to read the blurb about the book. Those are the basics you need to know before you open the pages. Annabel Lee is indeed suspense, and if you are faint of heart this one is not for you. I would describe the many fight scenes, both gun and hand-to-hand, as intense. There’s blood and screaming and enough description to make you wince. The race to discover where Annabel is hidden has life and death implications and the adrenaline flows fast. But in the midst of all the action, Nappa manages to create memorable characters with complex back stories. The bad guys are very, very bad and the good guys have dark pasts, hidden sins and loyalty that makes you glad they are on the side of good. There’s The Mute, an ex-sniper whose goal is to find and protect Annabel no matter what. Then there’s Trudi and her ex-husband Samuel, two PI’s with a joint past etched with love and trust destroyed. And then there is Annabel and Dog. The old acting adage about never working with children or animals because they steal the show rings true here. Annabel is a character that captures the heart immediately. And Dog . . . let’s just say that this ferocious beast proves to be a best friend. As for a faith message, it is there, but you need to be patient. Trudi is the only Christian at the beginning of the book and she clings to her faith. Other characters have questions, but are willing to think about such things at a later date. During her time underground, Annabel discovers a Bible verse that eventually leads her to the truth about her origins and the truth about God.

Whew! I’m not sure this review covers everything, but you get the picture. I loved, loved, loved this book and now have to wait until the Fall for another. Oh the delight and agony of anticipation! In the mean time, go get Annabel Lee!

Very Highly Recommended.

Audience: adults.

To purchase this book, click HERE.

(Thanks to Revell for a review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

 

 

Top 10 Tuesday — Spring TBR List

15 Mar

I can hardly believe it is Spring already! But the time jumped ahead and the azaleas and pear trees are blooming outside my window, so it must be true. Today’s theme for Top 10 Tuesday hosted by The Broke and The Bookish is Spring TBR List. I have lots of fabulous books on my list — including biblical fiction, mysteries, romantic suspense and historical romance. What are you reading in the days ahead?

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Spring 2016 TBR List

Annabel Lee by Mike Nappa

Bathsheba by Angela Hunt

Dressed for Death by Julianna Deering

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A Fool And His Monet by Sandra Orchard

The Hearts We Mend by Kathryn Springer

Lydia’s Song — Katherine Blessan

The Painter’s Daughter by Julie Klassen

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Picture Perfect Murder by Rachel Dylan

Twist of Faith by Pepper Basham

You’re The One That I Want by Susan May Warren

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That’s what I’m reading.

How about you?