Death by Darjeeling (Tea Shop Mystery #1) by Laura Childs

Title: Death by Darjeeling (Tea Shop Mystery #1)

Author: Laura Childs

Pages: 256

Year: 2001

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group

Format: Paperback (also available in eBook)

About the book:

     Meet Theodosia Browning, owner of Charleston’s beloved Indigo Tea Shop. Patrons love her blend of delicious tea tastings and southern hospitality. And Theo enjoys the full-bodied flavor of a town steeped in history — and mystery… — It’s tea for two hundred or so at the annual historic homes garden party. And Theodosia, as event caterer, is busy serving steaming teas and blackberry scones while guests sing her praises. But the sweet smell of success turns to suspense when an esteemed guest is found dead — his hand clutching an empty teacup. All eyes are on Theo… who is now trying desperately to save her reputation and track down the real killer. If only she can make sense of it all-before someone else takes their last sip…

My review:

     This is a good cozy mystery.

     I thoroughly enjoyed Theodosia Browning and her employees at the Indigo Tea Shop. There is a nice variety of personalities among this group. They are well developed and easy to connect with.

     The plot is great. There are a number of people that appear to be suspects. It was very interesting to see who the real murderer is and how that person is caught.

     There is one thing that bothered me about this book though. At times I felt that the story was encumbered by all of the details given in the descriptions. There seemed to be long periods that were just description of something or someone followed by another description about something or someplace else. The story seemed to bog down.

     If you enjoy cozy mysteries with lots of twists this book may be your cup of tea. I have decided to give it a rating of 4 stars.

Noah's Navy (Dream Doors Adventures #2) by Douglas Hirt & Terry James

Title: Noah’s Navy (Dream Doors Adventure #2)

Author: Douglas Hirt & Terry James

Pages: 134

Release Date: April 9, 2018

Genre: Children’s Christian Fantasy

Publisher: CKN Christian Publishing

Format: eBook (also available in Paperback)

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

About the book:

     The Millennial Kingdom is a wondrous time to be born into. The world is at peace and has become like the Garden of Eden; beautiful, exciting, and ruled by the Great King Himself who sits on His throne in the golden-street city of Glorania. In such a perfect place, who would expect thieves to prowl at night? It’s those two fumblers again, Lester Mudd and Castor Grout. This time the troublemakers intend to steal a special gift entrusted to Adam Beam by the Great King. Luckily, Adam is startled awake during the burglary. Lester and Castor panic and escape through a carelessly drawn Dream Door, accidentally landing on Noah’s Ark at the time of the Great Flood. It doesn’t take Adam long to figure out where the thieves have gone. At once Adam, his sister Sonia, and their pet Siberian Tiger Toby are in hot pursuit to recover the stolen treasure, only to learn that the gift has fallen into the raging flood waters and is permanently lost. Well, maybe not permanently. Adam has an idea how to find the precious gift, but it will take some clever Dream Doodling, the help of Noah and his family, a navy of friendly sea creatures, and . . . a submarine Dream Doodled from the far future. Naturally, the evil Evils intend to do all within their power to stop Adam from completing his mission.

My review:

     This is a delightful children’s Christian fantasy story!

     It was fun to return to the millennial kingdom of The Great King. I really like Adam, Zonia, and their pet tiger Toby. They are wonderful characters with a great attitude toward doing what they are asked. It was interesting to see how the fact that not everyone in the millennium would be doing the right thing was worked into this book.

     This time they are sent to visit Noah and his family on the ark. They face danger and difficult situations that they have to figure out. At times Noah is the one with answers. But in many ways it is the children themselves that come up with the solutions. The imagination of the authors really shows up in all the details that they suggest for the ark itself. It was a really fun book to read.

     This charming book is getting a rating of 5 stars from me. I am recommending it. It is a fun twist for learning the story of Noah’s ark.

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.*

Kill Shot (White Knights #2) by Susan Sleeman

Title: Kill Shot (White Knights #2)

Author: Susan Sleeman

Pages: 336

Release Date: February 6, 2018

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Publisher: FaithWords

Format: eBook (also available in Paperback)

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

About the book:

     Suspense and romance combine in Susan Sleeman’s thrilling new novel about an FBI agent who must team up with a beautiful therapist to stop a killer with a deadly new weapon.

Some fears haunt you forever….

     As the ballistics and weapon’s expert for the FBI’s special task force nicknamed the White Knights, Rick Cannon has known the Department of Defense was developing self-steering bullets. Rick fears these smart bullets—which have one hundred percent accuracy that can turn even a novice into a lethal sniper—would eventually end up in the hands of the wrong people. But since the ammunition was still in the development stage, he figured they had plenty of time before that happened. He was wrong. Dead wrong.

Until they become reality.

     When a homeless vet is killed with a smart bullet, it’s clear that the ammunition has been stolen, and the knights are called in to find the thief and stop the killings. But they aren’t the only ones desperate to find the killer. Therapist Olivia Hobbs is well known for her success in counseling military veterans with PTSD. When she discovers one of her clients moments after he is murdered, she becomes both the FBI’s prime witness, and suspect.

     Despite the mutual attraction that immediately sparks between them, Rick can’t—no he won’t—let Olivia interfere with his investigation. But when the sniper trains his rifle on her, Rick must recall all the skills he learned as a Marine sniper to make sure the next bullet fired isn’t a kill shot that takes Olivia out.

My review:

     This is an amazing adrenaline rush!

     I loved both of the main characters in this book! Rick and Olivia are so well developed that I was able to really connect with each of them. They each have hang ups that made it easy to just see them as real people. It was comforting to me that Olivia, the therapist that was able to help others sort out their problems, had a ton of problems when it came to dealing with her own family.

     I loved getting to know more about the members of the White Knights team. Seeing how they interact with each other was great. They are the rough and tough protectors. Yet at the same time they had personal vulnerabilities, making them very human.

     The plot of this story was so intense that I was sucked into the story and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to let it go without finishing it. I HAD to find out who had the smart bullets and why they were killing the people that they were.

     This wonderful book is getting a 5 star rating from me. 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.*

Adam's Apples (Dream Doors Adventures #1) by Douglas Hirt & Terry James

Title: Adam’s Apples (Dream Door Adventures #1)

Author: Douglas Hirt & Terry James

Pages: 122

Release Date: March 7, 2018 

Genre: Children’s Christian Fantast

Publisher: CKN Christian Publishing

Format: eBook (also available in Paperback)

About the book:

     Ever wonder what living in a near-perfect world would be like? Bible prophecy promises just such a coming world! The Millennium will be One-thousand years of an Eden-like Planet Earth, ruled by Jesus Christ, the King of Kings!

     Adam Beam, a young boy, and his sister, Zonia, live in a future time, born in an era of a beautiful, Utopian world. The children live in Glorania, the capital city of New Eden, where the Great King rules an almost perfect planet. They face no dangers in this new world. Adam’s pet, Toby, for example, is a Siberian tiger weighing 1,000 pounds!

     Adam, Zonia, and Toby go through a “Dream Door” into the past, as part of Adam’s “Explore Time” adventure, the method by which children of New Eden Time learn history. They pass in and out of Dream Doors by means of the “Dream Doodler”, a fantastic instrument that can draw a spectacularly beautiful picture in midair. The children can jump into the picture they draw, to take them wherever they want to go.    

     Exciting, wonderful adventures await. Going them in their quest to find Adam’s Apples!

     Help get out the message that, for Christians, the future is not gloom and doom, but is God-Guaranteed to be gloriously splendiferous!

My review:

     This is an exciting Christian fantasy adventure for children!

     I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the Millennium Kingdom. The characters are fun and very believable. The fears that they display at times are very typical for the type of adventure that they are undertaking. 

     I loved journeying along as they learned what limits that the Dream Doodler has and figure out how to work around them. The mission that they embark on to find Adam’s Apples is very imaginative. It is an enjoyable way to see what those born into in Millennium will lack in the area of understanding what those who live in the fallen world have to deal with.

     I’m looking forward to seeing what other periods of time and other adventures the authors come up with for this series of books.

     I have decided to give this book a rating of 5 stars. I am recommending it.