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Baby Protection Mission–kidnapping rescue
Baby Protection Mission
by Laura Scott
Jump right into the action as Cade, owner of the McNeal Four Ranch, arrives at the Elk Valley Park in Wyoming to meet his sister Melissa. He is puzzled by her text request as he has been taking care of her one month old baby Danny while she gets caught up on her sleep. Enter a masked assailant and Cade’s sister desperately screaming for him to protect Danny, followed on the scene by police officer Ashley Hanson and her K-9 partner Ozzy, a black lab.
Ashley is there as part of a larger investigation by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies into a cold case that has been revived when two new murders seem to be similar to the five previous murders. She is a rookie with a lot to prove as her father is a top official in the F.B.I. in D.C. Ashley has good instincts, a kind heart, and excellent rapport with her tracking dog.
The kidnapping of Melissa is confusing because it seems she might not have been the intended victim. Ashley, with help from her team’s support group, investigates the many possible perpetrators and their motives. While she does her job of detecting and protecting, she also tries to help out Cade by doing a little cooking and caring for Danny so he can perform the essentials of feeding the livestock twice a day. As there continue to be more life threatening events, Ashley stays at the ranch and alternates guard duty with Cade. Their physical proximity leads to feelings they know they need to keep a lid on.
Cade is a Christian and he prays with Ashley before every meal, a practice that is not part her life. She appreciates, however, that he gives thanks to God for the food and His protection. He also asks God to protect Ashley and the others involved in the search for his sister as well as for the safety of Melissa and Danny.
I enjoyed this story, especially the efforts of several K-9 officers. Watching them work has encouraged Cade to get another dog when everything settles down. Ashley and Cade each have past issues they need to work through before they act on the attraction they have for each other. The other officers in the story are respectful, hard working, and supportive of each other. Surprisingly, there are none of the power plays between different agencies as is often depicted in the movies. I liked the conclusion of the kidnapping thread in Baby Protection Mission. The wider search for the murderer in the cold case was not resolved, and I assume it is a continuing thread in future books in this series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Christian, Romance, Suspense, Mystery
Notes: #1 in the Mountain Country K-9 Unit Series, part of Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense (Inspirational Romance)
Publication: March 26, 2024—Harlequin
Memorable Lines:
Like most people, she didn’t realize many ranches were resource rich, meaning plenty of cattle and other livestock, but cash poor.
“Yet there’s no denying there’s just something about a big strong man holding a baby that makes me melt inside.”
He had to admit, a baby was more work than a dog. Well, maybe not more than a puppy.
The Mystery of Haverford House–multiple timelines
The Mystery of Haverford House
by Rachel Burton
Viola, originally from Australia, has had to reinvent herself several times. She has finally found a place that feels like home—a huge estate in Yorkshire. Her job is to manage Haverford House as a tourist attraction, but it is difficult to maintain it as a viable establishment financially given its size, age, and tax status. The current earl and owner wants to sell it, but his mother, the dowager countess, is sentimentally attached to it.
There is a mystery and legend that Viola emphasizes in her house tours. Annie Bishop, a serving girl at Haverford, disappears in 1933. Was she murdered or did she travel to America to start a new life? As the story unfolds for the reader, much of the status of women during the period between the two World Wars is revealed. There is also a focus on the works of Shakespeare, particularly Twelfth Night, as there is a production of it in both timelines. The characters are fleshed out in both timelines with some villains and heroes in both. It is interesting to see that the Haverford residents in the 1930’s, even the “nice” ones, were disdainful of the servants that worked in the house. There were also those in the lower classes who felt they and their peers should “mind their place.”
My interest in both storylines never flagged. I no sooner finished a chapter with my interest peaked than the focus changed to equally compelling events in the other storyline. This seesaw continues all the way to the end of the book with a number of surprises along the way.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Romance, Women’s Fiction, Mystery, Historical Fiction
Notes: clean in all aspects
Publication: March 14, 2024—Aria
Memorable Lines:
“I don’t know where you all find the time for reading,” Polly says regularly. In my opinion you make time for the things you love but she has no interest in fiction, or books in general. She hated dusting the library, but lucky for her I was always willing to do it.
I wonder if he knows why he is here—I wonder if he realizes how badly the estate needs his father’s money? And I wonder what it must be like for Prunella and Cecily, being duty-bound to marry somebody they might not even like, let alone love.
Viola wanted to run upstairs to her flat, get into bed and pull the duvet over her head. Alternatively if the ground would like to open up and swallow her that would be fine too.
Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds–mystery in the Caribbean
Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds
by Allison Brennan
Mia is a financially conservative accountant who is on the verge of achieving partnership in a New York financial consulting firm. Before she signs a contract and gets her name on the door, the company sends her on a Caribbean vacation. She and her friends expect her to have a sexual fling and return home to her predictable life of work, caring for her financially impulsive grandmother, reading, and loving her two cats.
When Mia arrives on the island paradise, she finds almost everyone there is already in a relationship. She resorts to reading a book left by another guest and flirting with a barkeeper. The book Mia is reading is filled with notes about blackmail schemes handwritten by the deceased previous owner of the novel. Most of the characters on the island are rich and unlikable—by Mia’s standards and mine as well. Mia is determined to break the code in the notes and discover the murderer.
The first part of the book is very focused on Mia’s desire to “hook up” with a handsome man, any handsome man. Later that happens and the reader is brought along through several open bedroom door, or in this case naked romp-on-the-beach, scenes. Romance enters into the relationship but the preoccupation is lust.
Various characters come under consideration as possible murderers, but with some of them murdered themselves along the way, the list of suspects is narrowed.
Trust is a major issue for several of the characters including Brie, the college age daughter of a potential victim of a honey trap. I almost liked her until she showed no problem instigating illegal activities. Regaining trust, being willing to risk all you have in money and reputation, and following your dreams are themes for Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds. The mystery starts out slow, but picks up the pace later. Although I liked the ending resolution for the main characters, the conclusion is fairly sudden and not very believable. My favorite parts of the novel, unsurprisingly, encompass books whether in bookstores or libraries. If you are looking for a good, clean mystery, full of intrigue and interesting characters, then this is not the book for you.
Rating: 3/5
Category: Mystery, Fiction, Romance
Notes: Warning—inappropriate language and sexual content
Publication: June 17, 2025—Mira
Memorable Lines:
I never leave home without a book. The idea that I might be trapped somewhere without something to read gives me nightmares.
I didn’t feel thirty. Sometimes I felt like I was twenty-one and trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, and sometimes I felt forty, set in my ways and wanting to tell everyone to get off my lawn.
My imagination had not only gotten away from me, it had landed on Mars then taken a side trip to Jupiter.
The Protector–mysterious disappearance
The Protector
by Wanda E. Brunstetter
Having read The Peacemaker, the second book in The Mifflin County Mystery trilogy, I immediately turned to The Protector to fill in some of the back story. Now that I have read both books, out of order, I recommend reading this series in order. This Amish mystery-romance centers around the disappearance of Rosa Petersheim and how it affects her family and friends to not know what happened to her. Did she leave on her own because she did not want to join the Amish church or was she the victim of foul play?
This novel centers on the Big Valley in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, where Rosa’s family lives and operates the family business, the Meat and Cheese store. Her father is a bishop in the local church and expects his family to conduct themselves in such a way as to reflect positively on their faith and family. Rosa has been dating Ephraim, but they have an argument at a youth event. She tears off into the night rejecting Ephraim’s offer to see her safely home. When her family discovers the next day that she never returned that evening, the police initiate an investigation. They can find no evidence of foul play or of where Rosa might have gone. They soon decide that Ephraim is not involved in her disappearance despite her older brother’s determination to connect him with Rosa’s vanishing. This brother, Norman, sees himself as the family’s protector and thinks he has let everyone down, especially Rosa. Meanwhile, he neglects his relationship with his girlfriend Salina.
There are many characters and threads. Those that interest me include an unhealthy jealousy Rosa’s sister has, the introduction of an arsonist into the story, and Rosa’s mom’s ill health. The story makes a clear connection between our physical health and our emotional and mental health. The portrayal of the character Rosa is unusual in that she never appears in either of these books. We learn about her through how other characters describe her from her guilt-ridden mother to her angry father and others in between. Everyone has an opinion about her.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Romance,Christian, Mystery
Notes: I recommend you read this trilogy in order.
Publication: August 1, 2024—Barbour Publishing
Memorable Lines:
“If the bad things people do bother us so much, can you imagine the way God must feel as He looks down from heaven at the beautiful world He created and sees so much corruption?”
He remembered hearing Dad say once that TVs and computers were the devil’s playground and nothing good could be found on either of them. Although Norman didn’t miss having those things to use in his parents’ home, he thought there were some good things about both. It was just a matter of how a person used them.
Norman was still a caring person, but the stress of worrying about a matter over which he had no control had robbed him of the ability to care for himself or even enjoy time spent with others.
The Peacemaker–Amish mystery
The Peacemaker
by Wanda E. Brunstetter
Many of the books I read are either cozy mysteries or Amish romances. The Peacemaker is a well-conceived mix of the two.
Ada is a young Amish woman who works in a greenhouse in Belleville, Pennsylvania, but has hopes to one day get married and have a family. Ephraim, originally from the same area, lives in Bird-in-Hand in Lancaster County, where he takes care of his grandmother. Ada and Ephraim grew up together, connected by Ada’s best friend Rosa who has disappeared. Rosa was Ephraim’s “aldi” or girlfriend. When she disappears after they had an argument, Ephraim is briefly accused of murdering her. Even after the charges are dismissed, those in the local community still look on him with suspicion. Ada had always been attracted to Ephraim, but did not express that to anyone because of loyalty to her friend Rosa.
The reader watches the emergence of the gradual attraction between Ephraim and Ada along with family upheavals including other romances, childbirth, and a heart attack. Always in the background is concern for Rosa. Is she dead? Did she run off so she wouldn’t be pressured to join the Amish church? The answers to those questions are not found in The Peacemaker, but perhaps will be in the followup novel, The Pretender, which is set to be published on August 1, 2025.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Christian, Religion, Romance, Mystery
Notes: Because of a mislabeling in my notes, I read this book in the Mifflin County Mystery series first. As #2, it was adequate as a standalone, but I plan to go back to the first one because I enjoyed this one and want to fill in some blanks. I want to know more about the characters I met in this book.
Publication: March 1, 2025—Barbour Publishing
Memorable Lines:
A sense of dread had soured his stomach like spoiled milk.
Although she did not receive the miracle that she had hoped for, Elsie returned to the house thankful that she’d been able to bless a stranger in need on this freezing-cold Christmas evening.
Susan knew he was a bad influence and being in his company inclined her to do things she wouldn’t normally do. She couldn’t get enough of him, though.
The Ghost Orchid–so many questions
The Ghost Orchid
By Jonathan Kellerman
When you want to read a hard core mystery (i.e. not the cozy mysteries I enjoy so much with predictable characters and happy endings), The Ghost Orchid is a good choice. The protagonist of the series is a PhD. psychologist. He has a home office where he specializes in working with judges and divorcing parents when there are issues involving children. He also consults on special cases for the police, especially Milo, a detective with the rank of lieutenant.
I really like Alex as a character. He is both smart and wise and can withhold judgement until everything he needs to see comes to light. I especially like that although he is extremely talented at both detecting in the criminal realm and helping others with psychological issues, he is a humble man.
In The Ghost Orchid, the major plot line is the murder of a man and a woman, both shot while relaxing at a private swimming pool. Just determining their identities, addresses, and family connections is a major puzzling challenge. Whose home are they in and what are their occupations? The usual channels of text messages and social media don’t reveal much, but Milo and Alex keep picking at the pieces until they get some leads. When interviewing subjects, Milo takes the lead as the officer in charge of the case, but sometimes Alex’s perceptive insights are more effective and soften the interviewee. The duo is good at sharing the questioning depending on the situation.
Another plot line involves a young teenager who was adopted out of bad circumstances in Ukraine when he was five. Now, his rich adoptive parents are divorcing. The judge views this situation with compassion for the boy and asks Alex to evaluate, recommend, and treat. This minor plot line does not intersect the main one, but as a reader I found it important for understanding more about Alex. It also allowed me to come up for air after reading the tense and surprising conclusion to the major plot. Hint: when a book begins with two dead people, the ending will not be one of cupcakes and confetti. The journey through the lives of the protagonists as clues are discovered and revealed is a difficult one.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery & Suspense
Notes: 1. #39 in the Alex Delaware Mystery series, but could be read as a standalone. I have only read a few in the series, but I enjoyed all of them and had no problem needing further background information.
2. There is a lot of swearing.
3. The author has a PhD. In psychology, but that in no way turns the novel into something pedantic.
Publication: February 6, 2024—Random House/Ballentine
Memorable Lines:
“Unknown suspect from an unknown place murdering a mystery woman? Gee, thanks for clarifying.”
Rooney’s nomadic life offered an additional fringe benefit: law enforcement tends to think locally so by shifting locales criminals avoid piling up too much iniquity in any one jurisdiction.
Time was nearly up and there’s no point in opening up worm cans unless you’re going to be sitting for a while and fishing.
Revved Up 4 Murder–dangerous auto restoration
Revved Up 4 Murder
By J. C. Eaton
I have read a lot of the cozy mysteries created by the husband/wife writing team called J.C. Eaton. I have enjoyed most of the ones in the Sophie Kimball Mystery Series, but Revved Up 4 Murder lagged a bit for me. The predictability is what got to me. Sophie (Phee) constantly frequents fast food restaurants picking up food for herself and her husband or her co-worker Augusta. Although Augusta can be counted on to get treats like donuts for the office, Phee often purchases their lunches or brings home meals for her husband, a detective in the Williams Investigations firm they both work for. As a reader, the repetition quickly became old.
There are other aspects that were funny in the earlier books, but fell flat for me in this one. Sun City West is a retirement community and Phee’s mother lives there. Both men and women there don’t have enough to do in their retirement years and spend a lot of time stirring up trouble, gossiping, and dramatizing events. Phee’s mother Harriet has a chiweenie dog, Streetman, who is spoiled and neurotic. Harriet brings Streetman along when she ventures out on escapades, and Harriet expects her daughter to solve crimes even though she is an accountant/bookkeeper for Williams Investigations. Despite the predictable phone calls from Harriet to Phee demanding outlandish investigations, there are admittedly some funny scenes with the “book club ladies” and their dogs.
In spite of my hesitations about Revved Up 4 Murder, I must “confess” that there are a lot of credible suspects for the crimes which include murders and the theft of a valuable object from a museum. I didn’t guess the solution to the mysteries which were fairly complicated. The investigative team of two private detectives and a duo of less than stellar detectives from the local police force are aided by Rolo, a computer genius with access to the dark web. His expertise is not cheap, and he insists on being paid in expensive kitchen appliances to support his current food craze.
My conclusion is that the core mystery is much more interesting than the context and setting, but it could be a fun diversion if you need a break from other genres or the news cycle.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery, Humor
Notes: #12 in the Sophie Kimball Mystery Series. There are a number of characters who are introduced in previous books, but don’t stand out as individuals in this book. They function more like a Greek chorus to this plot.
Publication: February 20, 2024—Beyond the Page Publishing
Memorable Lines:
Gossip at the beauty parlor rises exponentially at rates not even seen by mathematicians.
Going to sleep at my normal hour was never going to happen. More thoughts crossed my mind than ants on a watermelon.
When I ended the call, I was certain my mother and her crew of yentas would be camped out across the street from Betsy’s house. Nothing ensures that someone will do something like telling them not to. It’s like a law of physics, only with human nature.
Crime and Cherry Pits–pug brings smiles in this cozy
Crime and Cherry Pits
By Amanda Flower
I needed a break from the more “serious” read that my book club had been working on for 6 weeks. It was a worthy read, with depth, but what I needed was the diversion of a cozy mystery, but not just any cozy mystery. I needed a novel with a strong, intelligent protagonist with an interesting background. I wanted a mystery that would keep me guessing with a little romance thrown in. If there could be a kid and animals, so much the better. I was delighted to see that a cozy mystery from Amanda Flower’s Farm to Table Mysteries was next in my queue.
In Crime and Cherry Pits, Shiloh Bellamy is the owner of the organic Bellamy Farm in Cherry Glen, a little western Michigan town. She has had to work hard to get it out of debt and running again, but she has done so well that she has been honored by an invitation to participate in the annual Cherry Festival in nearby Traverse City. While all seems to be going well, there are so many ways for things to go wrong. She has problems with a new organic farm neighbor who doesn’t really know what he has gotten into. Another neighbor has a darling, precocious daughter Hazel who adores Shiloh. Hazel’s father has known Shiloh since childhood and there is an attraction, but their past always looms between them. Hazel’s parents absolutely do not like Shiloh. Shiloh recently found some stocks left to her by her grandmother who died years ago. She wants to do what is right, not just what is legal, which causes problems with her father and her cousin.
Shiloh has a way of getting dangerously mixed up in murder cases partly because of circumstances and partly because she is nosy. Surely that could not be an issue in this story, because how could someone die at a Cherry Festival? Cue the cherry pit spitting competition! A production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest is produced by Shiloh’s cousin and Shiloh’s father accepts a leading role. There are affairs and lying, three police agencies get involved, and there are death threats. On the positive side, the reader gets to enjoy Shiloh’s cat Esmeralda and her pug Huckleberry who accompanies her almost everywhere. Add to that the farms animals: Diva the chicken and all the other chickens she controls and the flock of five Olde English Babydoll Southdown yearlings, less than twenty inches tall. Is someone out to hurt them? As Shiloh rises to the occasion, the reader can be sure that it won’t happen on Shiloh’s watch.
Crime and Cherry Pits is a cozy mystery that will keep you turning pages to see whodunit. You’ll need to read to the finish for a surprise ending.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: 1. #4 in the Farm to Table Mysteries, but could be read as a standalone because Flower includes background (without being boring).
2. Includes a basic recipe for homemade soap that sounds doable. Hers, of course, includes cherry essential oil.
Publication: February 27, 2024—Poisoned Pen Press
Memorable Lines:
She looked down at Huckleberry. “Is that a police dog?” “In training,” Milan said. “We aren’t sure he has what it takes.” “He’s a pug,” Susan said. “We thought we’d go for unassuming with this one,” Milan said with a straight face. “No kidding,” Susan replied.
My little pug was in tune with my emotions, and he felt my nervousness. I was grateful for his warm presence.
Inside the general store, Huckleberry was living his best life, lying on a plush dog bed and gnawing on a piece of beef jerky. He didn’t even look up when I entered the store. I didn’t blame him. Snacks in bed were my favorite too.
The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels–strange mystery
The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels
By Janice Hallett
This work of fiction is about a true crime writer investigating a closed case that she thinks worth exploring as does her publisher. It turns out to be a complicated story that did not appeal to me for several reasons.
First, it appears to be a twenty-first version of epistolary text. Instead of traditional letters, it bounces back and forth between, text messages, transcribed interviews and phone calls, and pages torn from fictional books purportedly written about the “Alperton Angels.” This is a cult that weirdly seems to want to protect a certain baby to later sacrifice it because it is the antichrist. As I am not fond of epistolary writing, I found that aspect particularly unappealing. At 25% I almost didn’t finish, but I plugged on thinking it would get better. It didn’t.
Second, there was not a single character that I liked in The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels. They were all lying and deceptive people. Full of mixed motivations, none of them were people I wanted to know, root for, or care about in any way. Perhaps for the right reader this would be appealing, but it just didn’t work for me.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 3/5
Category: Thriller, Crime, Fiction
Notes: Epistolary
Publication: January 23, 2024—Simon & Schuster
Memorable Lines:
“Take away talk of angels and demons and you’re left with a very depressing but nonetheless run-of-the-mill story.”
“Electrical and magnetic energy are invisible but we know they exist, right? They can be stored and released at will. Could the force of evil, of negativity, generate an energy that is similarly controlled?”
“He was a lifelong fraudster but needed someone young, pliable, and with no police record to take all the risks.”
Fragile Designs–valuable history
Fragile Designs
by Colleen Coble
I woke up in the middle of the night and continued my reading of Fragile Designs. Unfortunately it did not make me sleepy as I had hoped. Instead I finished the book. I wanted to “help” put all the loose ends together, and it was worth the lost sleep time. What a good read!
The main character Carly is a really nice person, always putting others’ needs ahead of her own. Family circumstances made her take on a mothering role for her sisters, but they ended up resenting her and expecting life on a silver platter. Part of the book revolves around family drama. Several of the characters have breakthroughs and get a new perspective on life and love of all kinds.
When she becomes a widow with a new baby three years into her marriage, Carly is taken in by her grandmother Mary and offered an opportunity along with her sisters to refurbish the huge family home and transform it into a bed and breakfast with Carly as the manager giving Carly a flexible schedule with her baby and perhaps the opportunity to explore writing as a career.
Along the way, Carly becomes reacquainted with the two handsome brothers next door. The murder of her husband who was in law enforcement was never solved, but Carly discovers clues, a Fabergé egg, and a huge secret her husband had been hiding. There is a slow burn, clean romance. Carly’s neighbor Lucas is a law enforcement officer who shows a protective streak for the whole family next door, but especially for Carly and her adorable son Noah, when they are endangered by an intruder, thief, stalker, and murderer. What is worth killing over and who is doing it?
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Christian, Mystery, Romance
Notes: standalone
Publication: January 2,2024—Thomas Nelson
Memorable Lines:
What she’d wanted to do since she was a teenager was to write historical novels. Selling collectable items had seemed a good option instead of putting a toe in the craziness of the publishing world, but the itch to create her own novel had blossomed lately. Maybe was finally ready to try.
She might have been beautiful with the perfect skin that needed no makeup, but the petulant twist of her mouth and the angry slant of her eyes erased anything attractive in her angular face.
She eased down two steps and paused to listen. The headlamps went out, and the bottom of the stairs went dark. With the bat in one hand and her phone in the other, she slipped down two more steps.
education pathways 