Silent Shadows by Natalie Walters {book review}

The third and final book in the Harbored Secrets trilogy was a pretty good suspense story. The first half seemed much more like a medical romance, as there was a lot less bad-guy movement than usual for the suspense genre, but the dates were fun and surprising, and Maceo was pretty adorable. I really enjoyed Colton’s battle with a movement disorder I was unfamiliar with. I felt I was taught a lot about it within the context of the story in a way that did not feel like being preached at over the topic.

There was some confusion about Pecca’s profession. She was declared to be a nurse, yet she seemed much more like a physical therapist. The only identifier ever given was “nurse.” A friend pointed out that there is such a thing as a “nurse psychotherapist,” whose job description lines up pretty well with Pecca’s behavior with her patients. I wish this job title would have been given from chapter one (or at all), as it’s interesting, different, and something I would enjoy reading about. Since all I was given was “nurse,” it felt like she (or at least her job or title) was misrepresented.

Oh, my heart loved the sports angle. During the COVID-19 illness the world is facing right now (in spring 2020), sports are absent from my life, which is abnormal to be sure. So reading about a child with only one leg being encouraged to play a sport was just what this sports fan needed during the last couple of weeks. Maybe there won’t be any NBA or NHL finals this season, but at least the little Warriors were there to be cheered for!

Characters Who Are... Chased!

Since October is often thought of for Halloween and scary movies, our reading challenge for the month will take on as much of a creepy vibe as you like. That can be little (or none) or much. It's truly up to you. The theme is...

The character could be in a car chase...

... or chased by a dog... 

... or chased by a stalker... 

Living Lies by Natalie Walters

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Reads and a complimentary electronic copy from NetGalley. A positive review was not required. These are my honest thoughts.

Living Lies by Natalie Walters

What an important book for mental health awareness!

I was quite impressed by the author’s handling of depression, suicide, PTSD, and the support (and lack of support) various characters encountered and lived with. I’m eager to see how Mrs. Walters builds on these topics (or introduces us to new ones) in book two of her Harbored Secrets series.

The only characters I truly despised were the leading lady’s parents. Their controlling personalities were written so well that I struggled to get through their scenes because of previous personal experience with that type of people. Not fun memories! But I must applaud the author for nailing it, even if it made the book a bit challenging to get through. (The second half was easier for me to fly through, and I doubt this issue will slow down most readers.)

Plot twists aplenty kept me riveted to my seat and flipping the pages quickly, particularly in the back half. The pace was fairly decent for a suspense novel, though it read much more like a police procedural than the thriller sort of suspense book the cover implied I was getting into. As much as I enjoyed this book, there were spots where characters randomly thought about (and for too long on occasion) about potential romance, and this ground things to a halt in a few scenes.

The faith thread was sprinkled in very lightly. When it showed up, it was strong. I would have liked this to have been a more important aspect of the plot rather than almost as an afterthought.

Content: one expletive, drugs, alcohol, tattoos, dysfunctional family, depression, suicide

Note: There is violence associated with the suspense genre. Nothing I wouldn’t expect.

Code of Valor by Lynette Eason

Editing doesn't always allow extra time for pleasure reading, but there are some books that demand a person make the time for them. Code of Valor by Lynette Eason is one of those. Even though I had many hours of editing over the last three days, I still eked out enough minutes to inhale her latest Blue Justice story.

Here's my review as it appears on Goodreads, NetGalley, and Amazon.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Revell. A positive review was not required. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

Yet another amazing suspense story by Lynette Eason, and, yes, it stole my sleep! The surprises and twists kept me flipping pages way too late into the night, and I was able to finish this one up in only three days. The plot was wonderful and involved many different players and settings and events. I like how mysterious things were; there was definitely a vibe of secrecy going on throughout that intrigued me.

Keep the Lights On - a reading challenge

Autumn is here, and hopefully cooler temperatures will usher in soon. What do you think of during autumn? For me, it’s sweaters, hoodies, hot chocolate, throw blankets, curling up with a few good books, school, hearing the cheers of football games from my house (I live a block away from the local field), costumes, pumpkins, squash soup, and trick-or-treating.

During October in particular, I also think of scary stories. That, most naturally, got me thinking of potential reading challenges for this spooktacular month. Since I don’t support most horror stories but know other people enjoy being spooked by them, I thought this month’s reading challenge should allow for various degrees of fright.

Speaking of scary movies, one of the few horror movies I’ve actually seen [and even better, enjoyed] was The Bat {1959}, starring Agnes Moorehead; it wasn’t really scary to me, more of a murder mystery, but it’s classified as “horror.”

KEEP THE LIGHTS ON READING CHALLENGE

Read books from any combination of these categories:

Called to Protect by Lynette Eason

It's been many years since I first discovered Lynette Eason's suspense novels. I really enjoyed the Women of Justice series, which was the first one of hers I read, and I've been following her career with the publisher Revell since then. When the second Blue Justice book showed up on NetGalley, it took me half a second to request it, because I'd quite liked the first book and was eager to read the next one. I read Called to Protect last week, and here are my thoughts about it, as posted on Goodreads and NetGalley.

FTC DISCLOSURE: I received an electronic copy of this book from NetGalley. A positive review was not required. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

My favorite two things about this book were how much the talents of K-9 officer Hank were featured and that the human trafficking angle was handled so expertly as to highlight the dangers of it while not delving into the nastiest parts. The author handled both of these things like an old pro, with lots of grace, spot-on details, and creativity.

A couple of key things were highly predictable to me, but that did not stop this book from easily sliding into my top-five list of new releases in 2018. There were enough surprises along the way that I was kept intrigued and flipping pages faster and faster the deeper I got into the story. The human trafficking aspect was perhaps the most inspiring angle of all, as there was so much hope for redemption and escape fused into each chapter. This isn’t an easy book by any means, as the aforementioned topic hints, but it is a must-read for all suspense fans.

Imperfect Justice by Cara Putman

by Andrea Renee Cox

Wow! I want to reread this book immediately, but I don’t have the time. Imperfect Justice was so complex and interesting. From stalkers to murders to grief, domestic violence, and custody battles, this book pretty much had a little of everything. Don’t let that intimidate you, though. These things were all balanced out by faith and clean romance. The fact that domestic violence and fighting for folks stuck in those scenarios were featured made this an especially great read. The encouragement to get out of unsafe relationships was well presented, with heart, compassion, and experience. For those who are in the position of being abused, I pray this book will provide hope that you can survive and find joy in a brighter tomorrow.

Without Warning by Lynette Eason

by Andrea Renee Cox

Is it difficult to follow a great novel with an even better sequel?

Yes.

Did Lynette Eason accomplish this with her latest book?

Yes!

The Crimson Cipher by Susan Page Davis + Giveaway!

by Andrea Renee Cox

Reading this book was like inhaling a warm cup of cocoa on a cold winter's evening. It swiftly soared to the top spot on my favorites list. Thoroughly researched and exquisitely written, this book was filled with mystery, suspense, a dash of romance, and intriguing history. I particularly enjoyed the heavy emphasis on code-breaking during WWI (prior to America joining the Great War). Very interesting stuff. Susan Page Davis remains one of my favorite authors, as her stories continue to amaze me at every turn. Highly recommend!

Be sure to stay tuned till the very end, as I'll be giving away one (1) Kindle copy of The Crimson Cipher.

Protecting Her Daughter by Lynette Eason

by Andrea Renee Cox

"Not one of us is perfect or without baggage, but together we can overcome that and build a great life together." ~Aaron Starke; Protecting Her Daughter by Lynette Eason

Would you risk everything, including your own life, to protect your child?

Zoe Collier faces that very scenario in Protecting Her Daughter by Lynette Eason. Not only does her daughter, Sophia, have diabetes, but she's also nearly been kidnapped, and the bad guys have now become even more aggressive and dangerous. At least Zoe has run to Wrangler's Corner, TN. The quiet town is home to the Starke brothers, who head up the protection detail for Zoe and Sophia. But will their efforts be enough to uncover the plot to steal Sophia?

When a Heart Stops

When I began reading When a Heart Stops by Lynette Eason, I expected medical examiner (ME) Serena Hopkins to be under duress in China . . . considering that’s what the epilogue of When the Smoke Clears, book one in the Deadly Reunions series, indicated.

At the very least, I expected her work with the earthquake cleanup in China to be mentioned sometime throughout When a Heart Stops.

Neither of those scenarios happened, but that didn’t distract too much from the whodunit suspense found upon the pages I kept turning long into the night. With each new twist and turn along the journey (none of which I’ll be sharing, so you’ll have to pick up a copy of the book to discover the sneakiness for yourself), my heart beat faster and faster as I attempted to anticipate what would happen next.

I was wrong so often!

But that’s part of the fun of reading a Lynette Eason novel. If they were predictable, they wouldn’t be so addictive.

Book three I recently purchased because I knew I’d want to read it after finishing this one. I was right. I want to read it NOW!

In When a Heart Stops, ME Serena Hopkins and FBI agent Dominic Allen are baffled to discover that the Doll Maker Killer is back—even though he’s sitting in prison. How is this possible? They aren’t quite sure, but you can be certain they’ll use all their knowledge and resources to find out!

This novel is an edge-of-your-seat suspense that will keep you up late, flipping pages while the moon inches higher and higher in the sky—not that you’ll notice. If you haven’t yet read any of Lynette Eason’s books, the Deadly Reunions series is a great one to start with. You’ll be hooked before you know it!

Have you ever read a book that you just couldn’t put down? What drew you into the story so thoroughly? What tips do you have for authors who want to write books that keep you flipping those pages?