"Web of Shadows"
​by Susan Sleeman

FBI agent Nina Brandt loves her job. She has put her entire life into her career. She has brought many criminals to justice, but she never really excepted one of them to try and get rid of her.

Navy Seal Quinn Stone learns that his little brother has hacked into the TSA’s No-Fly List and will likely be arrested for his crimes. Quinn is used to taken action and getting results, so when he finds out about what his brother has done he will not stand idly by. Quinn will do anything he can to help his little brother, but he didn’t realize that he would have to go to his ex-fiancée for help.

Nina agrees to help Ty even though it means having to face Quinn again. When they find out that Ty’s computer has been stolen, they soon realize that the threat to country should the computer fall into the wrong hands could be devastating. Nina takes Ty’s case to her team at the FBI, and they begin immediately trying to track down the missing computer and to fix the damage that Ty’s hacking has caused.

Wiley Fagan has spent the last two years of his life in prison. He blames Nina for destroying his life because she was the agent that arrested him. While he was in prison, Wiley dreamed of one day getting revenge on everybody that has ever hurt him. When he is released from prison, he puts his plans into motion. Wiley learns of a geocache site that promises to have something of great value in it. He convinces one of his friends to go with him to find the cache. He never expected to find somebody’s laptop in the cache; but once he hacks into the computer, he soon realizes that the computer does have great value and will aid him in his plan for revenge against Nina.

Quinn and Nina are doing their best to track down the missing computer, but they keep hitting dead ends. They are both surprised when Nina is ordered off of the case, and they are even more shocked when her fellow agents come to arrest her for being a terrorist. Quinn and Nina take off in order to keep Nina from being arrested. They didn’t think things could get much worse than they already have, but when someone starts trailing them and Nina is accused of murder, they realize that their lives may never be the same again.
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​“Web of Shadows” is book two in the Agents Under Fire series by Susan Sleeman. Like book one in the series, this book is filled with lots of excitement, danger, adventure, and suspense. I have always loved a good mystery, and this book did not disappoint. I was held captive from page one and throughout the entire story. I loved how Nina’s friends never turned away from her and was willing to do whatever they could to help her and protect her. I can’t wait to read the next book in this thrilling series.
 
I received a complimentary E-book from the author through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

"Wedded to War"
​by Jocelyn Green

The United States is divided and the Civil War has erupted. Many people in America want to do their part for their country and for what they believe is right. Charlotte Waverly is among those who want to do whatever they can. Charlotte has been raised in New York with a life of privilege and ease, but when the war breaks out Charlotte wants to find a way to help. She reads in the paper about a hospital that will train women to be nurses in the Union army. Charlotte applies and is accepted for the program against her family’s wishes. After she passes her training, she is sent to Washington D. C. to tend to the sick and wounded in the Union army.

Caleb Lansing is a childhood friend of Charlotte’s who has also given up his life of luxury to provide his services for the Union army. Caleb is a doctor who has been assigned as an army surgeon. He sees more cruelty and suffering than he ever thought possible. When he runs into Charlotte at one of the field hospitals, he is surprised but proud to see her doing her part for the war effort.

Will Caleb and Charlotte be able to survive the war or will they make the ultimate sacrifice for their country?
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​“Wedded to War” is book one in the Heroines Behind the Lines series by Jocelyn Green and it is an exciting start to the series. You can tell from the very first chapter that this is going to be an adventure that you will not want to miss. Jocelyn Green spent a lot of time researching for this book and I learned things that I never knew about the Civil War because of it. I really enjoyed this story and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
 
I received a complimentary copy of this story from Moody Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

"Cold Shot"
​by Dani Pettrey

Four best friends (Griffin, Declan, Parker, and Luke) who thought they had their lives planned out are suddenly torn apart when one of the four mysteriously vanishes. Luke suddenly vanished just before college graduation never to be heard from again. Now years later the remaining three have gone their separate ways and have tried to forget the past. But when circumstances bring them back together, will they be able to work together or will the secrets of the past destroy any chance of reconciliation forever?

Griffin McCray is a former SWAT team sniper now turned park ranger. While he is on patrol at the Gettysburg park, he comes across someone digging up skeletal remains. Upon closer examination, he learns that they are not Civil War–era, but in fact more recent. Griffin calls in Finley Scott and an old friend who works for the FBI, Declan Grey.

Finley Scott is a forensic anthropologist. She has been doing some research at Gettysburg; however, her research makes her cross paths with Griffin several times throughout the day. They get off to a rough start, so Finley is surprised to get a call from Griffin in the middle of the night. When Finley arrives at Gettysburg, she learns that Griffin has stumbled across the skeleton. Upon investigating, she discovers that whoever they found was murdered with a bullet to the head. She calls in a crime scene analyst to help her, but little does she know it is the last person that Griffin ever wanted to see.

Finley did not realize that she was stirring up a hornet’s nest when she called in Parker Mitchell to assist her with identifying the body; however, she soon realizes that it she is not the other one carrying around a lot of baggage. She decides that she will do what she can to help Griffin confront some of the darkest days of his life, but she didn’t realize that he would find his way into her heart. As Griffin and Finley work together to solve the case, they realize that they will have to let go of the hurt from the past if they are going to survive the present.
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​“Cold Shot” is book one in the Chesapeake Valor series. I loved meeting the characters in this story and I can’t wait to find out more about them. While this book is primarily Griffin’s story, we learn about the friendship that the guys had and what tore it apart. I can’t wait to see them restore that friendship and to become the friends that they need each other to be. My favorite part about the book was the story of the four friends. The mystery was good and well written, but I found myself wanting to know more about the characters than I did about the details of the case. Don’t get me wrong the mystery is intriguing and I stayed up all night reading the book because I could not put it down. I can’t wait to see what Dani Pettrey has in store for us in book two of this terrific new series.
 
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

"You're The One That I Want"
​by Susan May Warren

Owen Christiansen used to be a famous NHL player until an injury ends his career. Now he is working on a crabbing boat in Alaska. Everything seems to be going well for him until he meets the captain’s daughter, Elise “Scotty” McFlynn.

Scotty is used to being one of the guys and she does not want to rely on or need anyone. Scotty doesn’t believe that she is marriage material, but when she starts to take a liking to Owen, she begins to second guess herself.

Owen and Scotty both do their best to maintain their distance on the crabbing boat, until a storm throws Scotty overboard. Owen jumps in to save Scotty and everything begins to change. While they are trying to stay alive in the life raft, Owen proposes to Scotty with his dying breath. Scotty says yes and does everything in her power to keep Owen alive. When they are finally rescued and Owen is out of danger, Scotty believes that the marriage proposal was all a joke and Owen doesn’t remember what happened on the life raft.

Casper, Owen’s brother, has finally tracked Owen down, but when he tries to take Owen back home, they find out that Casper is wanted for questioning in connection to a crime in Minnesota. Scotty thought that she had seen the last of Owen, but when she is asked to escort the Christiansen brothers back to Minnesota so Casper can be questioned, she vows to herself that she will not become involved with Owen in any way. However, Owen sees this as an opportunity to court and win Scotty over. Will Owen and Scotty be able to stick with their goals or will they give into each other’s?
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​“You’re the One That I Want” is the final story in the Christiansen Family collection. The series is about the Christiansen siblings and their trials, tribulations, and journeys. I did not read the entire series, just the last two books, so I was slightly confused about who everyone was. The story can be read alone, but it might make more sense to read the entire series. I love how Susan May Warren crafts her characters and stories. She reminds us that none of us are perfect, but with God’s help we will be able to conquer and persevere. I was also reminded several times throughout the book that God always loves us and wants to use us if we will just let Him. Something else that I really loved about this story and the other one that I read, which I am sure is a major part of the other stories as well, is the importance of family and how the Christiansen family took care of each other. Thank you, Susan, for giving us a terrific story and reminded us that even though we are not perfect, we are still redeemable and usable by God’s grace.
 
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for my honest review.
 

"Always Watching"
by Lynette Eason

Wade Savage is being stalked. His father wants him to hire a bodyguard, but Wade refuses thinking he can take care of himself. He starts receiving gifts from an anonymous fan, but when those simple gifts start to turn into life threatening gifts, he begins to realize that maybe his father was right. Despite the threats and everyone’s warnings. Wade refuses to alter his schedule in anyway or go into hiding. This makes things a little more complicated for his protectors, but they will do their best to keep him safe despite the complications

Olivia Edwards, agency owner of the Elite Guardians, becomes Wade’s bodyguard. Olivia and her team must use all of their skills and training to keep Wade and his family safe. When one of the bodyguards is nearly killed and Olivia’s life becomes endangered, they realize that it is not only Wade’s life that is in danger, but everyone that is near him as well. Olivia will do everything in her power to protect Wade and his daughter, but when she is confronted with facing her biggest fear, will she be able to do her job or will she fold under the pressure?
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If you love action and suspense, then this book is definitely for you. I always love a good mystery and this book did not disappoint. Lynette Eason is a master and keep my attention the entire way through her stories. I could not put the book down, and I found myself reading well into the early hours of the morning because I had lost track of time. The story has many different suspects for the reader to follow and try to figure out which one was behind the stalking and gifts. Just when I thought I had figured out who was behind everything, something else would happen and change my mind. I did have it pretty much figured out before the end of the book, but I was surprised to find an added twist involved that I did not suspect.

I must admit when I first picked up the book I had a slight problem with a woman protecting a man, but as the story progressed the man was protecting woman in many ways as well. I immediately fell in love with the characters and in no way did I find Wade (the lead male character) weak in anyway because of his need for a female bodyguard. All of the characters work together nicely and I can’t wait to read the other books in this wonderful new series by Lynette Eason.
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I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

"With This Ring?"
by Karen Witemeyer, Mary Connealy, Regina Jennings, and Melissa Jagears

With this Ring? is a collection of four different novellas.

In the first story, “The Husband Maneuver”, Marietta Hawkins is determined to get Daniel Barrett to propose to her before he quits working for her father to run his own ranch. So, she comes up with a brilliant plan, at least she thinks it is brilliant, to get him to see her as rancher’s wife material. When everybody else on the ranch goes out on the yearly cattle drive, she learns that Daniel is staying behind, so she decides that she will stay at the house instead of visiting relatives like she usually does. Once Daniel learns that she is still at the ranch instead of at her aunt’s house, he tries to send her back, but she refuses to go. Now Daniel must do everything in his power to stay away from the boss’ daughter, but Marietta is making it rather difficult to avoid her.

The second story, “Her Dearly Unintended”, is filled with lots of mayhem when a storm washes out the bridge to Katie Ellen Watson’s house. Katie Ellen has always been very independent and a bit high strung thinking she can do everything by herself and never admitting that she may actually need help from others. Josiah Huckabee has always wanted to help Katie Ellen, but she refuses any kind of help he has to offer. When they are both trapped at Katie Ellen’s house, because of the storm, they must figure out how to get along with each other. But when a mysterious man shows up in Katie Ellen’s living room, Josiah decides that the only way to protect Katie Ellen is to pretend to be her husband. Of course, Katie Ellen wants nothing to do with this scenario, but it may be the only way to save her life and her parent’s house.

“Runaway Bride” is the third installment in this book. In this story we find Carrie Halsey about to be married off to a rather loathsome man in order to pay off her father’s gambling debts. She does not want to be married to this man, so she plans to take her little brother and run away from her impending nuptials. Texas Ranger Big John Conroy was hired to bring Carrie to her sister in Colorado, but once he finds out the real reason for her predicament, he will stop at nothing to protect Carrie and keep her safe.

In the final story, “Engaging the Competition”, we have Harrison Gray and Charlotte (Charlie) Andrews. The two of them have been rivals for practically their entire lives. Charlie has to be the best at everything, and this drives Harrison crazy. Whereas, Charlie doesn’t understand why people can’t appreciate that she is so good pretty much everything. When Harrison’s glasses get broken – which he is nearly blind without them – Charlotte agrees to help him until he can get a new pair. During their time together, they realize that may have been entirely wrong about each other.
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​I really enjoyed reading this book. While there was no obvious connection with the four stories in this particular novella collection, they do complement each other rather nicely. Each story is based on characters from other books and series that the authors have written. While I have not read the books from which the characters are based, I was only confused in one of the stories because of not knowing who the characters are. I found the book very delightful and fun to read. Usually when I read a novella collection book, I usually read them separately without starting the next one immediately following the previous one. This time however I find myself reading them one right after other. I could not put this book down, and I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction, romance, or is looking for a good read.
 
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

"Thin Ice"
​by Irene Hannon

Christy Reed, a former Olympic skater, has been through a lot over the past 8 months: her parents died in a car accident, her sister was killed in a house fire, and now she is receiving ransom notes saying that her sister is still alive. She wouldn’t even believe that the notes are true except the handwriting on the envelope is her sister’s. The first note warns Christy not to go the police if she ever wants to see her sister again, but Christy knows she needs help, so she contacts the FBI.

Former Delta Force Operator, Lance McGregor, is now a FBI agent. Being a rookie on the force, he is being burdened down with a bunch of paperwork. When Christy’s case comes up, Lance is assigned is first case. Lance is excited to have his first real case, and gives all he has to solving it. While he is investigating Ginny Reed, Christy’s sister, he soon realizes that Ginny may not have been the target at all, but that Christy is the intended target. Lance tries to convince Christy of that fact, but she does not want to believe it.

As the case progresses, it becomes obvious that someone definitely has a sinister agenda and fantasy that they are trying to play out. Lance and the rest of the FBI are doing all they can to catch the person before he finishes out his plans, but will it be too late?
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I have always loved reading mystery books, and Irene Hannon is one of my favorite suspense authors.  “Thin Ice” did not disappoint me. The characters were lovable and easy to get into their story, the action is fast paced, and the romance is clean. I could not put the book down. I was definitely held captivated. My only complaint is that ended a little too fast. I felt like the ending was lacking. Oh and I am deathly afraid of mice, so I did not care for those parts either. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read Finn’s story in the next book.
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I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Publishing in exchange for my honest review.