DiAnn Mills is one of my go-to suspense authors. I am so excited that she has a new book releasing today! Facing The Enemy looks to be another big winner. Read all about it below and look for more my review in a few weeks.
For the past five years, FBI Special Agent Risa Jacobs has worked in the violent crimes against children division of the Houston FBI. She’s never had reason to believe there’s a target on her back . . . until now.
When the long-awaited reunion between Risa and her brother, Trenton, ends in tragedy, Risa is riddled with guilt, unable to cope with the responsibility she feels over his death. On leave from the FBI, Risa returns to her former career as an English teacher at a local college, only to see her past and present collide when one of her students, Carson Mercury, turns in an assignment that reads like an eyewitness account of her brother’s murder, with details never revealed publicly.
Alarmed by Carson’s inside knowledge of Trenton’s death, Risa reaches out to her former partner at the FBI. Special Agent Gage Patterson has been working a string of baby kidnappings, but he agrees to help look into Carson’s background. Risa and Gage soon discover their cases might be connected as a string of high-value thefts have occurred at properties where security systems were installed by Carson’s stepfather and children have gone missing. There’s a far more sinister plot at play than they ever imagined, and innocent lives are in danger.
For fans of romantic suspense comes a heart-pounding thriller about loss, betrayal, and finding the strength to trust again.
DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She combines unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels. DiAnn believes every breath of life is someone’s story, so why not capture those moments and create a thrilling adventure?
Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests. You can download a list of her published titles by clicking here.
DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a former director of Blue Ridge Christian Writers, and a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She shares her passion for helping other writers be successful by teaching writing workshops around the country.
DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob and roasts her own coffee beans. She’s an avid reader, loves to cook, and believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.
DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers on any of the social media platforms listed at diannmills.com.
Happy release day to one of my all-time favorite authors, Lisa Harris. Her newest suspense novel, The Lies We Believe, book 1 in The Shadow Stalkers series, is available! Find out all about it below.
“Tell me what happened yesterday?”
I shift on the padded chair in my psychiatrist’s office, staring at the abstract watercolor on the wall as an attempt to avoid her question. “I saw my ex-husband, Lucas.”
“And. . .” Dr. Gabrieli prodded.
I don’t answer.
“Riley?
I finally look back at the doctor. “It wasn’t Lucas. Just. . .just someone who looked like him.”
“Exactly. You see, our minds are incredible machines but simply put, they don’t work like computers. Instead, they can unconsciously bend our perception of what is real and fill in the gaps, making it possible to perceive things that aren’t really there.” Dr. Gabrieli taps her pen against her notebook. “Think about an amputee who still feels his missing leg, or how it’s possible to see patterns in chaos. Memories are sprinkled with gaps, then we fill in those gaps with our own created recollections.”
False information.
Distorted memories.
Lies.
But what if my mind can’t decipher what are truths and what are lies? And what if the truth is even more dangerous than the lies my mind believes?
Riley Bishop is a single mother, working at home as a graphic designer to provide for her two children, Sadie and Oliver. But something is very wrong. Riley starts forgetting things—like appointments, where she put her keys, and where she parked her car. And then she thinks she sees her deceased ex-husband while out shopping. But as Riley begins to question her own sanity, her twelve-year-old Sadie goes missing. Soon Riley finds it harder and harder to know what is truth and what are lies as she is forced to question her own reality while she searches for her daughter.
Apprehending fugitives as a part of the SOG team gives Tucker Shaw the purpose and drive he needs to fight the demons from his past. When he’s called out on a mission to track down a group of endangered young girls, he has no idea how drastically his life is about to change. It’s a frantic hunt as the situation quickly spirals out of control with a final twist that has Tucker questioning everything he knows to be true.
USA Today and CBA bestselling author LISA HARRIS is a Christy Award finalist for Blood Ransom, Port of Origin, and Vendetta, Christy Award winner for Dangerous Passage, and the winner of the Best Inspirational Suspense Novel for 2011 (Blood Covenant) and 2015 (Vendetta) from Romantic Times. She has sold over half a million books.
When she’s not working she loves hanging out with her family, photography, gardening, and traveling. For more information about her books visit http://www.lisaharriswrites.com.
Happy Tuesday! Have you gotten your Summer TBR planned? If not (or even if you have 😉 ), I have some new releases for you to add. Don’t worry they are spread across the summer, so you will have plenty of reading time. LOL!
Happy Friday! This week I am in Alaska! Our plans include visiting Fairbanks, so I thought it would be fitting to feature 26 Below, the new suspense novel from Kimberly Woodhouse. I can’t wait to read this book!
Here’s the first line:
The warmth of the summer wouldn’t last.
In her new role as Emergency Operations Center director for Fairbanks, Alaska, Darcie Phillips prevents disasters. But none of her training can prepare her for the terror that’s coming.
As a cybersecurity specialist, Jason Myers is determined to ferret out any threats to the town he now calls home–and that includes his reckless brother and his ecoterrorist friends.
When an old woman’s wild prediction–widespread destruction as soon as the Fairbanks temperature falls to 26 below–hits national headlines, neither Darcie nor Jason sees a real risk to anything but tourism.
Then the bodies start dropping.
Darcie is relying on her experience and intelligence to stop a killer; Jason is relying on God to guide the way. They’ll have to work together to find the truth and prevent their Alaskan town from becoming a city of nightmares. The first in a thrilling new suspense series from best-selling author Kimberley Woodhouse, 26 Below will delight fans of Lynnette Eason, Irene Hannon, and Lynn Blackburn.
Kimberley Woodhouse is the best-selling and award-winning author of more than two dozen books. She is a wife, mother, author, and musician with a quick wit and positive outlook despite difficult circumstances. A popular speaker, she’s shared at more than 2,000 venues across the country. Kimberley and her family’s story have garnered national media attention for many years including ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, The Montel Williams Show, Discovery Health channel’s Mystery ER, The Hour of Power, The Harvest Show, and over 1,000 other TV appearances and radio interviews. She lives and writes in the Poconos with her husband of thirty years. kimberleywoodhouse.com
Happy Tuesday! This week’s TTT topic is Book Turn-Offs. I really hate to hate on books and by extension the authors. So I did a little research into what other readers find to be turn-offs and twisted it up. I’ve listed books that did each category really well.
Some people don’t like “bad” covers. Indigo Isleby T. I. Lowe has a fantastic cover!
Some people don’t like multiple points of view. I do. Especially in dual timeline novels. The Vanishing At Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright is spot on with its POVS.
Some people believe a male author can’t write a strong female character. Tom Threadgill did it twice with his Amara Alvarez series. Collision of Lies is book 1.
Some people don’t like horror. I get that, but Billy Coffey writes stories that sneak up on you. It’s horror without the gore. But there sure are spine tingles. The Devil Walks in Mattingly is excellent.
Main characters that are too perfect turn people off. I guess that would be true of me too, but sometimes an author explores a “perfect” character to show that no one lives a life of perfection. Struggles are real and universal. Becky Wade‘s Stay With Me is a good example.
Some people don’t like long book series. I sure am glad Irene Hannon doesn’t feel that way. I love my return visits to Hope Harbor, Oregon. The latest book, #9!,Windswept Way is a favorite.
Some people don’t like cliff-hangers. One of the biggest I have come across is Life Support by RobertWhitlow. Some of the members of my book club were a little miffed when we read it. But we clamored for the rest of the story in Life Everlasting. Both books are available, so make sure you buy both. 😉
This week bloggers are tasked with listing the reasons why they choose books. Pretty covers tempt, an interesting hook piques interest, and recommendations hold a lot of sway. However, I do have some standards. 😉 So the following are the reasons why I generally acquire a book and books that fit. I have to admit that the authors listed (except Sara Brunvold) are all favorites of mine. And from what I’ve heard about Sara’s book, she will be added to the list as well. 🙂
“A THRILL RIDE . . . AS CURRENT AS TODAY’S
FRONT-PAGE NEWS!” –Colleen Coble, USA
Today best-selling author
A curse.
A killer.
A chill in the air.
Temps are dropping and time is running out.
In her new role as Emergency Operations Center director for Fairbanks, Alaska, Darcie Phillips
prevents disasters. But none of her training can prepare her for the terror that’s coming.
As a cybersecurity specialist, Jason Myers is determined to ferret out any threats to the town he
now calls home–and that includes his reckless brother and his ecoterrorist friends.
When an old woman’s wild prediction–widespread destruction as soon as the Fairbanks
temperature falls to 26 below–hits national headlines, neither Darcie nor Jason sees a real risk
to anything but tourism. Then the bodies start dropping.
Darcie is relying on her experience and intelligence to stop a killer; Jason is relying on God to
guide the way. But they’ll have to work together to find the truth and prevent their Alaskan town
from becoming a city of nightmares.
“An action-packed page-turner that . . . blew me away. If you like stories of intrigue, action,
romance, and biblical hope, this is the story for you.” –Tracie Peterson, ECPA and USA
Today best-selling author
Alaska was huge. Full of resources for the country and the world. It was about time people understood what it took to protect it. The largest state in the United States wasn’t just about tourists venturing to it to fulfill a bucket list as they chased down the highest mountain in North America, took pictures of moose and caribou, and visited Santa’s workshop.
No. Alaska was the most amazing place in the world. Which was why she loved having the opportunity to be in charge of the Emergency Operations Center for her region. Her Interior Economic Region encompassed the Denali Borough, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, and the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area. A large and vitally important region. It covered tens of millions of acres. Larger than most states in the lower forty-eight.
Threat assessment was where she excelled. Not only had she served proudly in the United States Air Force as a weather specialist, but she had spent years studying and training in the fields of health care administration and emergency management. This should be her dream job.
So why did that incident with the group the other day get to her? Why did Mr. Oliver’s words of the past get to her? Why did a woman touting that the end was near get to her?
As she sat behind her desk, she stared out the window. Giving herself a mental pep talk wasn’t doing any good.
Action was needed.
A lot of action, actually. Because the biggest threat around the world nowadays was a cyberattack.
About The Author
Kimberley Woodhouse is the best-selling author of
more than thirty books and novellas, including A Deep Divide, Bridge of
Gold, and The Mayflower Bride, as well as the coauthor of the Heart of
Alaska series with Tracie Peterson. Kimberley’s writing has earned a Carol Award, the Christian
Market Novel of the Year, the Holt Medallion, and many others. A proud former resident of
Alaska, she now makes her home in the Pennsylvania Poconos.
Connect with Kimberley by visiting kimberleywoodhouse.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to
email newsletter updates.
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive a $50 Amazon gift
card!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight
May 15, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on May 22, 2023. Winner will be notified
within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize.
US Amazon accounts only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Happy Tuesday! Today’s TTT topic is a Non-Book Freebie. You didn’t really think I would go without mentioning a book, did you? 😉 Today I am sharing some places I have visited in the past few years and the books I either read while there or read prior to going. It’s a win-win — you get to find out a little more about me and I get to talk books. LOL!
Places I Have Visited (and the books that went with me)
Zion National Park — my whole family traveled there in March of this year. While they were more adventurous in their hikes, I did see some of the park’s beauties. I read America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie while there.
Shetland Islands — last fall my husband and I traveled to the northernmost part of the UK. We even sampled the fish and chips at the northernmost chip shop. I read False Pretense by Heather Day Gilbert while there. That’s Jimmy Perez’s house (if you are a fan of Shetland, you know) and that’s the view from the hotel.
Yellowstone National Park — we went to Yellowstone in the fall of 2021. I have tons of pictures, but I think a geyser says it all. Nope, it’s not Old Faithful, although we did see it erupt a number of times. I read Noble Callingby Rhona Weaver prior to my trip.
Alaska was amazing. We headed up to Talkeetna for a glimpse of Denali, then took a 7 day cruise with fabulous excursions. Glacier Bay pictured below was awesome. I read a number of books prior to that trip, you can find them HERE.
The North Georgia Mountains is my happy place! Yes the mountains may be more like tall hills, but I love them. The pics are of a few visitors we have had in our little slice of heaven. All just outside our windows. I’ve been listening to Turn to Me by Becky Wade, and it calls up all that I love about the area. I’ve just gotten to the part where the treasure hunt takes Luke and Finley to Blood Mountain. It is just a few miles south of our getaway home and a favorite hike of my husband.
Happy Friday! Today I am featuring the deliciously creepy newest offering from Jaime Jo Wright — The Vanishing at Castle Moreau. If you like gothic ghost stories, you need to check this one out!
Here’s the first line:
When I was a little girl, my father would often come to my bedside after my screams wakened him in the night.
A haunting legend. An ominous curse. A search for a secret buried deep within the castle walls.
In 1870, orphaned Daisy François takes a position as housemaid at a Wisconsin castle to escape the horrors of her past life. There she finds a reclusive and eccentric Gothic authoress who hides tales more harrowing than the ones in her novels. As women disappear from the area and the eerie circumstances seem to parallel a local legend, Daisy is thrust into a web that could ultimately steal her sanity, if not her life.
In the present day, Cleo Clemmons is hired by the grandson of an American aristocratic family to help his grandmother face her hoarding in the dilapidated Castle Moreau. But when Cleo uncovers more than just the woman’s stash of collectibles, a century-old mystery and the dust of the old castle’s curse threaten to rise again . . . this time to leave no one alive to tell the sordid tale.
Award-winning author Jaime Jo Wright seamlessly weaves a dual-time tale of two women who must do all they can to seek the light amid the darkness shrouding Castle Moreau
Jaime Jo Wright, multi award-winning author–including the Christy and Daphne du Maurier awards–is a coffee-fueled and cat-fancier extraordinaire. She has entwined her life with the legendary Captain Hook, residing serenely in Wisconsin’s rural woodlands. Her literary vocation involves penning chilling Gothic tales, a baffling change from that of Austenites, with a strong preference to the master of dark, Edgar Allan Poe. Two mischievous urchins adorn their family, who keep their mother on her toes – providing an exhilarating amount chaos.
Happy Tuesday! Today is a REWIND day at TTT, so I am mashing a few of the prompts and presenting my husband’s specially curated TBR list. Curated by yours truly. 😉 I have created a little shelf consisting of books I have read that I think my husband might like, plus books that I purchase for him for birthdays, Christmas, or whenever. His TBR doesn’t dwindle much, but it sure does grow. I hope you find a book that you or that special man in your life may enjoy.
The Barrister And The Letter of Marque by Todd M. Johnson
As a barrister in 1818 London, William Snopes has witnessed firsthand the danger of only the wealthy having their voices heard, and he’s a strong advocate who defends the poorer classes against the powerful. That changes the day a struggling heiress, Lady Madeleine Jameson, arrives at his door.
In a last-ditch effort to save her faltering estate, Lady Jameson invested in a merchant brig, the Padget. The ship was granted a rare privilege by the king’s regent: a Letter of Marque authorizing the captain to seize the cargo of French traders operating illegally in the Indian Sea. Yet when the Padget returns to London, her crew is met by soldiers ready to take possession of their goods and arrest the captain for piracy. And the Letter–the sole proof his actions were legal–has mysteriously vanished.
Moved by the lady’s distress, intrigued by the Letter, and goaded by an opposing solicitor, Snopes takes the case. But as he delves deeper into the mystery, he learns that the forces arrayed against Lady Jameson, and now himself, are even more perilous than he’d imagined.
Blood Mountain Covenant by Charles E. Hill
The factual account of a late nineteenth-century Georgian mountain town, “Blood Mountain Covenant: A Son’s Revenge” is the story behind the gruesome murder of John Lance, a man who preached the word of God and was loved by the friends and family of his small town.
Trouble begins for John Lance and his family when Jim, the narrator of the story and son of the late John Lance, is attacked by a group of notorious outlaws and viciously beaten. This incident serves as the catalyst for John Lance’s outcry of injustice over this violent assault, and ultimately leads to his murder and his son’s revenge on the people who committed this act against his family. With photos, documentary pages and actual testimony from the trial of John Lance’s murder, Charles Hill’s “Blood Mountain Covenant: A Son’s Revenge” paints a detailed picture of the people and daily life of a North Georgian town in the nineteenth century, and one family’s struggle to walk the path of righteousness, while warding off the treachery in their midst.
The Eagle’s Claw by Jeff Shaara
The factual account of a late nineteenth-century Georgian mountain town, “Blood Mountain Covenant: A Son’s Revenge” is the story behind the gruesome murder of John Lance, a man who preached the word of God and was loved by the friends and family of his small town.
Trouble begins for John Lance and his family when Jim, the narrator of the story and son of the late John Lance, is attacked by a group of notorious outlaws and viciously beaten. This incident serves as the catalyst for John Lance’s outcry of injustice over this violent assault, and ultimately leads to his murder and his son’s revenge on the people who committed this act against his family. With photos, documentary pages and actual testimony from the trial of John Lance’s murder, Charles Hill’s “Blood Mountain Covenant: A Son’s Revenge” paints a detailed picture of the people and daily life of a North Georgian town in the nineteenth century, and one family’s struggle to walk the path of righteousness, while warding off the treachery in their midst.
Network of Deceit by Tom Threadgill
After her rescue of nearly fifty kidnapped children made international headlines, Amara Alvarez gets what she’s worked for: a transfer to San Antonio’s Homicide Division. Reality sets in quickly, though, as her first case, the suspicious death of a teenager at a crowded local water park, brings chaos to her personal life.
As the investigation moves forward and she increases the pressure on the suspects, Amara finds herself under attack by cybercriminals. Her every move is being potentially watched online, and she’s forced to resort to unconventional methods to find the killer. With few leads, she fights to keep her first murder investigation from ending up in the cold case files.
Tom Threadgill is back with another riveting page-turner featuring the detective who is willing to put everything on the line to see that justice is served and lives are protected.
The Paris Betrayal by James R. Hannibal
After a rough mission in Rome involving the discovery of a devastating bioweapon, Company spy Ben Calix returns to Paris to find his perfectly ordered world has collapsed. A sniper attack. An ambush. A call for help that brings French SWAT forces down on his head. Ben is out. This is a severance–reserved for incompetents and traitors.
Searching for answers and anticipating a coming attack, Ben and a woman swept up in his misfortunes must travel across Europe to find the sniper who tried to kill him, the medic who saved his life, the schoolmaster who trained him, and an upstart hacker from his former team. More than that, Ben must come to grips with his own insignificance as the Company’s plan to stop Leviathan from unleashing the bioweapon at any cost moves forward without him–and he struggles against the infection that is swiftly claiming territory within his own body.
Award-winning author James R. Hannibal ratchets up the tension on every page of this suspenseful new thriller.
The Scepter And The Isle by Murray Pura and Patrick E. Craig
CHANTICLEER INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS FINALIST — HEMINGWAY 20TH CENTURY WARTIME FICTION
It did not end with Guadalcanal. It did not end with one island. There were more islands… an island with snow-capped peaks, friendly people, blue seas, where Bud found love with his Tongan princess. Where Billy breathed the clean air of mountains where no danger lurked. Where Johnny found a way to drain the hate that drove him mad. They found life again after the death-filled frenzy of Guadalcanal But the God of war was not done with them. More islands sent their siren call from beyond distant horizons and they were cast upon dark shores. Islands with coconut palms, dense green jungle and death. Islands that took more life than they ever gave back. Islands where women killed like men, islands filled with the most brutal soldiers the Japanese Empire could offer. Tarawa. Saipan. Islands that had to be endured. Islands they had to survive. There was no other way to bring the war to an end. There was no other way to get home again.
Spirit of The Rabbit Place by J. R. Collins
Gold can capture the heart of most common men. Its lustful color is said to have been the downfall of many throughout the known history. Few are safe from its deeply rich, heavy, golden pull. The Southern Appalachian Mountains of 1829 laid as a proper haven for the lost ones who would venture there in search of this absolute treasure. Riches beyond their wildest dreams danced in their minds as they trailed to lands they’d never seen. A quest to find streams filled with the easy haul of pure gold nuggets. Jebediah Collins, a lad of Irish descent, and his best friend Wolf, a Cherokee boy of pure ancestry, faced the challenge of living with this invasion of gold lookers. A greed uncommon to their way of life. This coming requires them to fight for their way of life in a valley the Indians call “Place of the Rabbits”. The settlers knew it as “Choestoe”, pronounced Cho-E-sto-E, or “Land of the Dancing Rabbits.” This spirit, known only to a few, but respected by all that experience it, exists in the heart of Chosestoe. The Cherokee knew it as Ga-lv-quo-di-a-da-nv-do Tsi-e-tsi-yi-i. Me and Wolf as . . . Spirit of the Rabbit Place.
Many of the books I review are provided to me free of charge from publishers, authors, or other groups in return for a review. The opinions expressed in the reviews are mine and mine alone. No monetary consideration is given. This disclaimer is in accordance with FTC rules.
I am an Amazon.com affiliate, which means that I earn a small percentage of the sales from products purchased through links on my site. I NEVER recommend a book in order to receive a profit. Proceeds from affiliate sales help to defray operating costs of the blog.
Giveaways are open to persons 18 years or older. All winners are picked randomly. No purchases are necessary to enter a giveaway. All giveaways are for US entries only and are void where prohibited.
GDPR compliance -- the email address you leave when you subscribe to the blog or leave a comment, is used only to notify winners of giveaways or to send an email whenever a post goes live. That's it.
For a more detailed privacy policy for Wordpress sites, go to https://wordpress.org/about/privacy/.
Recent Comments