When Tides Turn (Waves of Freedom #3) by Sarah Sundin

Title: When Tides Turn (Waves of Freedom #3)

Author: Sarah Sundin

Pages: 400

Release Date: March 14, 2017

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: Revell

Format: Paperback (also available in eBook)

Note: I received a free copy of this book from the author. I have chosen to write this review to express my personal opinion.

About the book:

     In a time of war, sometimes battles take place in the heart.

     Tess Beaumont is tired of being thought of as just a pretty face. Eager to do her part for the war effort, she joins the Navy’s newly established WAVES program for women. Perhaps there she can convince people that there is more to her than meets the eye.

     Lt. Dan Avery has been using his skills in the fight against German U-boats and hoping to make admiral. The last thing he wants to see on his radar is a girl like Tess. Convinced that romance will interfere with his goals, Dan is determined to stay the course, no matter how intriguing a distraction Tess is.

     But love, like war, is unpredictable. When Dan is shipped out at the peak of the Battle of the Atlantic, he finds himself torn between his lifelong career goals and his desire to help the beguiling Tess root out a possibly spy on shore. Could this fun-loving glamour girl really be the one?

My review:

     This is a stand-alone story within a series.

     The two main characters in this book have appeared in secondary roles in the previous books. Also the main characters from the previous books make appearances in this one. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how life is progressing for all of these characters.

     We finally find out what makes Quintessa “Tess” and Dan tick. We learn what events from their past shaped them. They each have past memories that act as road blocks to entering into a relationship. I really like seeing how they are trying to figure out what God wants them to do.

     The mystery develops very naturally. Tess is very aware of others around her and the way they act. When their behavior changes she notices. Most people are dealing with heightened patriotic fervor which causes many clashes. Who is hiding sinister motives?

     I love the passion for country that is displayed by many of the characters. I have never given the mixture of nationalities represented within the United States and how they would clash during World War II any thought before reading this series.

     Sarah Sundin has done a marvelous job of bringing this period of time in America to life for me. I have to give this incredible book a rating of 5 stars. I am definitely highly recommending it.

Disclaimer: *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

Murder is No Accident (Hidden Springs Mystery #3) by A. H. Gabhart

Title: Murder is No Accident (Hidden Springs Mystery #3)

Author: A. H. Gabhart

Pages: 352

Release Date: March 14, 2017

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Publisher: Revell

Format: Paperback (also available in eBook)

Note: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. I have chosen to write this review to express my personal opinion.

About the book:

     Young Maggie Greene may be trespassing in the old, empty Victorian mansion on a quiet street in Hidden Springs, but all she wants is some private time in the magnificent tower room to write her stories. Certain she’ll be in trouble if caught, she hides when a realtor shows up. But someone else is in the house too, someone even more worried about getting caught. When Maggie finds the realtor’s body at the bottom of a flight of stairs and the other person gone, Deputy Sheriff Michael Keane is called in. He assumes the realtor’s death is a tragic accident—until a second person is found dead in the house. When Maggie is threatened, Michael must catch the murderer before anyone else dies.

     Cozy mystery fans will love this third installment in The Hidden Springs Mysteries series from an author who knows how to make small-town America sweet, sentimental—and a little sinister.

My review:

     A great small town cozy mystery!

     The mystery story itself is a stand-alone plot. Life is progressing for the main characters, is the only way that this novel fits into the series. If having that make sense is important to you read the series in order.

     I love the quirky characters in Hidden Springs! We meet some new ones in this third installment in the mysterious goings on in town. A family that has lived there forever is brought in and some newcomers show up. The initial interaction between characters from the earlier books and the newly introduced ones are very easy to relate with.

     It is fun to try and figure out who the “bad” guys are. Some of the quirky ones can come across as bad at times and really confuse the issue.

     I thoroughly enjoyed this third installment in the series. I hope that there are more to come. I am highly recommending this wonderful book and giving it a rating of 5 stars.

Disclaimer: *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

Her Baby's Protector: Saved by the Lawman by Margaret Daley / Saved by the SEAL by Susan Sleeman

Title: Her Baby’s Protector: Saved by the Lawman/Saved by the SEAL

Author: By Margaret Daley and Susan Sleeman

Pages: 224

Release Date: March 1, 2017

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Publisher: Harlequin Love Inspired

Format: Paperback (also available in eBook)

Note: I received a free copy of this book from the author. I have chosen to write this review to express my personal opinion.

About the book:

KEEPING BABY SAFE

Saved by the Lawman by Margaret Daley

     As an unknown assailant attempts to kidnap family-court judge Kate Forster’s infant son, police officer Chase Walker thwarts the attack—and vows to keep the pair safe. But who will protect the ex-marine’s heart when the widowed mother and her little boy make him long for a permanent spot in their family?

Saved by the SEAL by Susan Sleeman

     The tragedy that killed Bree Hatfield’s best friends—and left her with custody of their young daughter—has been ruled an accident. But Bree knows it was murder. Scared and alone, she turns to her ex-boyfriend, navy SEAL Clint Reed, who’ll risk everything to protect baby Ella and the woman he never stopped loving.

My review:

     A pair of incredible romantic suspense novellas!

     I thoroughly enjoy when the novellas contained in one book have something in common. In these two stories there is a woman with a child under 2 years old that is in danger. Enter a handsome man who is willing and able to step up to protect both the woman and the child. There the similarities end.

     In both of these novellas the main characters are extremely well developed and easy to understand their fears and hang-ups. I loved all four of the main characters. The children melted my heart and they had to be saved or I was going to be furious with the authors.

     The plot lines in each story are fantastic. I was drawn into the situations and intrigued to find out who was behind the danger and why. Yet each story was short enough to read through in one sitting without even losing any sleep.

     Bree Hatfield in Saved by the SEAL was very easy to understand. She was furious with the danger and jumped right into “mama bear” mode.

     Little Jamie Forster in Saved by the Lawman was delightful. Once he had something he didn’t want to let it go and didn’t understand why at times he had to.

     I loved both of these stories and am giving this wonderful book a rating of 5 stars. I am highly recommending it.

Disclaimer: *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

Life After E.L.E. (Frozen World #1) by J.C. Morrows + a GIVEAWAY

 

Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Book

 

Book: Life After E.L.E.  

Author: JC Marrows  

Genre: Young Adult Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian  

Release Date: November 29, 2016

Extinction Level Event: An event where all species on the planet can become extinct.

If you manage to survive . . . What then?

When a rogue moon was discovered on a collision course with the Earth, we thought we had a solid plan.

To survive. . . to rebuild. . . to go on.

30 Years later… those who managed to survive, emerged from the caves to find a frozen world.

A world where rule number one in the compound is to be inside the gates before sunset. . . or die.

Eve watched the gates close – with her father on the outside – so that should be the easiest thing in the world for her to remember.

But life is not always simple.

Life does not always go as planned.

Now Eve is in a race against time, discovery, and danger around every corner – to find a truth that has been hidden. . . for years.

A truth Eve’s father died to protect her from.

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My Review

This is a very intriguing dystopian novel.

This book is written in first person point of view. The main character is Eve and we really get to know her and how she thinks. Looking through her eyes we gain a very good understanding of a number of the other characters in this book. It is very easy to connect with Eve and her family in relationship to how they feel about her father’s death.

As we go through the story Eve and the other members of her hunting class encounter a number of different things that give us insight into how life is lived in the caves. We meet Jude as Eve becomes friends with him and some of the others in her class.

I did find that at times things seemed to be very repetitious. This was a distraction and made it a little more difficult for me personally to not lose interest.

I am very glad that I stuck with it because the ending definitely had my heart pounding. I will be looking forward to the next book in the series to see what happens next.

I received a free eBook copy of this wonderful story. I have chosen to write this review to express my personal opinion.

About the Author

 

JC Morrows – author of the Bestselling Young Adult Dystopian series: Order of the MoonStone and the NEW Frozen Earth series (Post-Apocalyptic with a Dystopian edge) – spends her days writing, arguing with her evil computer, juggling two kids, and wishing someone would invent a coffee IV.

A storyteller in the truest sense of the word, JC has been telling stories in one form or another her entire life and once her mother convinced her to write them down, she simply couldn’t stop.

And… as a true believer, she gives God all of the glory for her talent and ability!

“And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.” Habakkuk 2:2

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Guest Post from JC Marrows

Life After E.L.E. is one of those stories that I never saw coming. A lot of people might even say it was never meant to be. . .  

But GOD had other plans!  

It was one of those spur-of-the-moment ideas… the kind that usually doesn’t amount to much for me. Over the last twenty years I have started hundreds – yes, you read that right – of stories on the spur-of-the-moment. Until 2011, none of them amounted to anything more than a few chapters. In 2013, I was working on an entirely different series – the first I’d had any measure of true success with – when my mother challenged me to participate in NaNoWriMo [National Novel Writing Month – where you write 50,000 words in 30 days].  

I sat down on November 1st with absolutely nothing on the page and only a vague idea of what I wanted to write about. And, to be perfectly honest, I didn’t expect much. I did not expect to reach the goal and I certainly never expected that the book would be published three years later (albeit after quite a bit of editing and rewriting)  

What’s more is that there is more to this story.  

Last November, one of the stops on Marissa Meyer’s Heartless tour was Nashville, and of course my daughter and I had to go see her… and buy her new book! While there, I gave Marissa an early copy of Life After E.L.E. – after thanking her for being such an inspiration to me.  

Not only did she seem genuinely excited – she made a point to have me autograph it! (cue absolute and utter shock – followed by inner Happy Dancing)!  

Why so excited you ask? Well… there are some authors who think you’re not a ”real” author when you write your story during NaNoWriMo and knowing Marissa’s story was about the only thing that kept me going that year. You can’t get much more REAL than New York Times Bestseller – which Marissa hit with her very first book. She was a tremendous inspiration to me then – and continues to be now. I am truly blessed to have met her!  

And I count myself truly blessed that the right people enjoy the story enough that it has been published. I look forward to sharing part two with readers at the end of this year. And then I have another story to get out there!
 

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To celebrate her tour, JC Morrows is giving away a themed basket including the book and swag and some specially chosen surprises!! Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/b0fd