The Line Between by Tosca Lee

• Series: The Line Between (Book 1)
• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Howard Books (January 29, 2019)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1476798621
• ISBN-13: 978-1476798622

About the Book:

When Wynter Roth is turned out of New Earth, a self-contained doomsday cult on the American prairie, she emerges into a world poised on the brink of madness as a mysterious outbreak of rapid early onset dementia spreads across the nation.

As Wynter struggles to start over in a world she’s been taught to regard as evil, she finds herself face-to-face with the apocalypse she’s feared all her life—until the night her sister shows up at her doorstep with a set of medical samples. That night, Wynter learns there’s something far more sinister at play and that these samples are key to understanding the disease.

Now, as the power grid fails and the nation descends into chaos, Wynter must find a way to get the samples to a lab in Colorado. Uncertain who to trust, she takes up with former military man Chase Miller, who has his own reasons for wanting to get close to the samples in her possession, and to Wynter herself.

Filled with action, conspiracy, romance, and questions of whom—and what—to believe, The Line Between is a high-octane story of survival and love in a world on the brink of madness.

My Thoughts:

I turned the last page.

I had no words.

Except...NOOOOOOOOO!

It can't end like this! Please tell me you have more, Tosca Lee!

Yes. It really is that good.

The Line Between was far more than I expected, despite being a long time fan of Tosca Lee's work.  I was caught off guard, emotionally wrung out, and delightfully angry when I finished TLB.

Wynter Roth grew up in a very closed environment, extremely sheltered from the outside world.  

A cult.

When she's cast out and shunned, she finds that much of what she was taught was indeed a lie.  But when her sister shows up, having left the cult herself, everything Wynter was raised to believe collides with what really is, and that's when you lose your breath...

...for the entire book!  Prepare for one of the wildest apocalyptic rides I've ever encountered, and block out a HUGE amount of time because once you start you won't be able to stop.

Very much recommended.  Now, about that sequel...PLEASE TELL ME THERE IS A SEQUEL!!!!!

Until the next read,

Deena

* I was provided a complimentary advanced copy of this book from the author and volunteered for the opportunity to provide an honest, impartial review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all thoughts and opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

One Thing I Know by Kara Isaac

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Howard Books (February 19, 2019)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1982103345
• ISBN-13: 978-1982103347

About the Book:

Rachel Somers is America’s #1 relationship coach—America just doesn’t know it. Rachel writes the books, but her Aunt Donna plays the face of the operation. Living in fear of their secret being exposed, Rachel has no choice but to keep up the charade or lose the big money required to care for her father. With the deadline for their next book closing in, Rachel finds herself out of inspiration and running out of time. The last thing she needs is her aunt and publicist concocting a harebrained scheme to join forces with some radio star in the hope it will help deliver the elusive next book idea.

Lucas Grant is a star of late night radio—though it’s come with an unexpected price of hordes of women who keep calling his sports show to ask him for relationship advice. They make his ratings look great, but they also mean he has to waste hours talking to people like Dr. Donna Somerville about feelings instead of his first love: football. When a big-time producer calls, it looks like his hard work is about to pay off. But the offer comes with a catch—the producer is convinced Dr. Donna is not what she seems and he wants Lucas to discover her secret. To do that, he needs to win over her tight-lipped assistant who holds the key to his success and—he begins to suspect—his heart. Can love find a way through the lies that force them apart?

My Thoughts:

In a nutshell...

Lies will eventually undo you.

The truth will set you free.

Have boxes of tissues handy.

Wow.

Kara Isaac is a gifted storyteller with books that hit you right in the feels, and One Thing I Know is no exception.  Dealing with well intended deception and a quest to make a name for oneself, OTIK pulls back the curtain behind the motives to what lies within the heart.

One thing I really cannot stand is being lied to.  What I'm learning is sometimes the most sincere people can get caught up in a web that entangles them and becomes larger than they intended.  The loving thing to do is to help unwrap the lie to get to the truth.

Unfortunately, not every character in OTIK has learned that lesson just yet.  You'll have to read the book to find out who hasn't yet arrived at that conclusion ( I know, I'm so terrible!).

One Thing I Know is highly recommended by ME!

Until the next read,

Deena

* I was provided a complimentary advanced copy of this book from the author and volunteered for the opportunity to provide an honest, impartial review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all thoughts and opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

Breach of Trust by Rachel Dylan

• Series: Atlanta Justice (Book 3)
• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (February 5, 2019)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764219820
• ISBN-13: 978-0764219825

About the Book:

Corporate litigator Mia Shaw suffers the shock of her life when she finds her colleague and friend brutally murdered. Grief-stricken and furious, Mia vows that she will do anything to seek justice and make the killer pay. 

The man accused of the murder is a friend of security tech guru Noah Ramirez, but the evidence just doesn't add up. To save his former ATF partner, Noah needs to convince Mia that the real killer is still on the loose.

Mia soon has more than the criminal prosecution to worry about, however. She is tasked with taking over her friend's last case and learns he was hiding secrets about his client. She thinks she may have stumbled upon corporate espionage that has turned deadly, but she has no idea of the danger involved. Her only ally is Noah, despite their difference of opinion on the homicide case. Can he win Mia over to his side and protect her from ever-growing threats?


My thoughts:

What an explosive finale!  I've enjoyed every book in the Atlanta Justice series by Rachel Dylan, and I was sad this was the final book, but WOW, did Dylan deliver!

Mia is a new believer and caught up in corporate law.  The current case her firm is working on is convoluted, and when she finds her co-worker and the lead counsel dead, Mia is tapped to take first chair (or be in charge).

Noah is friends with the suspect and the man being charged with murder.  Noah doesn't believe he did it and sets out to prove his theory of another culprit.  Mia is dead set on seeing the man on trial convicted.

PLOT TWIST!  

And that's all I'm going to say about that.  Except you really need to read this book.  But read the first two first to get all the feels.

Highly recommended!

Until the next read,

Deena

* I was provided a complimentary advanced copy of this book from the author and volunteered for the opportunity to provide an honest, impartial review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all thoughts and opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

We Hope for Better Things by Erin Bartels

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Revell (January 1, 2019)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800734912
• ISBN-13: 978-0800734916

About the Book:

When Detroit Free Press reporter Elizabeth Balsam meets James Rich, his strange request--that she look up a relative she didn't know she had in order to deliver an old camera and a box of photos--seems like it isn't worth her time. But when she loses her job after a botched investigation, she suddenly finds herself with nothing but time.

At her great-aunt's 150-year-old farmhouse north of Detroit, Elizabeth uncovers a series of mysterious items, locked doors, and hidden graves. As she searches for answers to the riddles around her, the remarkable stories of two women who lived in this very house emerge as testaments to love, resilience, and courage in the face of war, racism, and misunderstanding. And as Elizabeth soon discovers, the past is never as past as we might like to think.

Debut novelist Erin Bartels takes readers on an emotional journey through time--from the volatile streets of 1960s Detroit to the Michigan's Underground Railroad during the Civil War--to uncover the past, confront the seeds of hatred, and discover where love goes to hide.


My Thoughts:

What a gorgeous novel!  Erin Bartels' debut is an ambitious work of fiction about three different eras in our nation's history: The Civil War, The Civil Rights, and today.  Most disturbing is how much I realized that we haven't come as far as we think we have.

The story is educational without feeling teachy, faith laced without feeling preachy, and realistic.  Realistic to the point that I had to stop and cry for a little after different scenes, and mourn for all our nation and our people have suffered over this unnecessary evil.

I had no clue going in what to expect, and for me that was a good thing.  However, in reading a handful of reviews I was shocked to learn that more than enough readers were offended within the FIRST FEW PAGES and bashed the book and the author without even reading the book.

To those readers I say this: To anyone who was offended by the opening pages and stopped reading in order to leave a scathing review or comment, I have one thing to say:

What a journey you have missed! And what a time of learning you could have had! And that’s why we’ll never move forward in how we see one another, how we treat one another, how we help one another heal without inflicting more wounds.

This one simply cannot be missed.  Very highly recommended!
Until the next read,

Deena

* I was provided a complimentary advanced copy of this book from the author and volunteered for the opportunity to provide an honest, impartial review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all thoughts and opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

The God Made series by Hannah C. Hall

• Age Range: Baby - 3 years
• Grade Level: Preschool and up
• Series: Buck Denver Asks... What's in the Bible?
• Board book: 24 pages
• Publisher: JellyTelly Press (January 8, 2019)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1546011994
• ISBN-13: 978-1546011996

About the Book(s):

Featuring beloved characters Clive & Ian from the bestselling video series Buck Denver Asks...What's in the Bible? comes a new series of fun, easy-to-read board books designed just for preschoolers. 

Written by bestselling children's book author, Hannah Hall, this series features charming illustrations and helps parents teach their children about God's Creation and His love for them.

My Thoughts:

I love Clive and Ian!  They are funny and help teach our children important things about God and all He's made for them.  The books are bound just for little hands with thick pages and a good spine. The illustrations are colorful and whimsical.  But most important...

The story is simple and easy to read, yet full of important truths.  Perfect for family devotion time, a class for little ones, or for older siblings to read to the younger ones, you cannot go wrong with Clive and Ian!

Highly recommended!

Until the next read,

Deena

* I was provided a complimentary advanced copy of this book from the author and volunteered for the opportunity to provide an honest, impartial review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all thoughts and opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

Brunch at Bittersweet Cafe by Carla Laureano

• Series: The Saturday Night Supper Club
• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (February 5, 2019)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1496420284
• ISBN-13: 978-1496420282

About the Book:

From the RITA Award–winning author of Five Days in Skye comes a sweet, romantic treat that will leave you hungry for more.

Baker and pastry chef Melody Johansson has always believed in finding the positive in every situation, but seven years after she moved to Denver, she can’t deny that she’s stuck in a rut. One relationship after another has ended in disaster, and her classical French training is being wasted on her night job in a mediocre chain bakery. Then the charming and handsome private pilot Justin Keller lands on the doorstep of her workplace in a snowstorm, and Melody feels like it’s a sign that her luck is finally turning around.

Justin is intrigued by the lively bohemian baker, but the last thing he’s looking for is a relationship. His own romantic failures have proven that the demands of his job are incompatible with meaningful connections, and he’s already pledged his life savings to a new business venture across the country―an island air charter in Florida with his sister and brother-in-law.

Against their better judgment, Melody and Justin find themselves drawn together by their unconventional career choices and shared love of adventure. But when an unexpected windfall provides Melody with the chance to open her dream bakery-café in Denver with her best friend, chef Rachel Bishop, she’s faced with an impossible choice: stay and put down roots with the people and place she’s come to call home . . . or give it all up for the man she loves.

My Review:

Oh, where to begin!  I've been a fan of Carla Laureano's since I discovered her fantasy trilogy.  I adored "Five Days In Skye" and the rest of that series.

But when I read "The Saturday Night Supper Club" I was in love, i love, in love!  So when I heard that "Brunch at Bittersweet Care" was coming out, I couldn't wait.  

I'm very happy to report that BatBC was So worth the wait!  Swoony, delicious, realistic, and rich with luscious food!  Melody is so easy to relate to, and I'll be shocked if you don't fall in love with Justin.  And the story is so captivating you'll be done before you know it, wanting more, more, MORE!

As much as I read, I can honestly say "Brunch at Bittersweet Cafe" is one of the absolute best novels I've ever had the pleasure to read.  BatBC is earning a coveted place on my keep forever shelf.  I highly recommend you pick up a copy of BOTH novels--The Saturday Night Supper Club AND Brunch at Bittersweet Cafe!

You'll be so glad you did!

Until the next read,

Deena

* I was provided a complimentary advanced copy of this book from the author and volunteered for the opportunity to provide an honest, impartial review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all thoughts and opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

When You Look at Me by Pepper Basham

• 
  
• Series: A Pleasant Gap Romance (Book 2)
• Paperback: 297 pages
• Publisher: Independently published (October 16, 2018)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1728674999
• ISBN-13: 978-1728674995
• 
  

About the Book:

An unexpected mother-to-be. A romance-leery composer. And a forgotten melody from the past that holds the keys to their futures. 

When Julia Jenkins' great aunt dies and leaves her a Victorian mansion with decades of secrets, Julia never expects to unearth a World War 2 espionage mystery. Struggling with her own past since an assault left her pregnant, her future as a solo parent leaves her dreams uncertain. 

The inheritance from her great aunt gives Julia the ability to take a step back into her future, but also sends her into the discovery of a love story she’d never anticipated. As she goes through her aunt's treasured possessions, Julia uncovers some oddly written piano music with a musical code she can’t decipher on her own. 

Not to worry, introverted Englishman and composer, Henry Wright, is thrust on the scene by a pair of homespun matchmakers who know the ‘right’ man for Julia’s wounded heart. Henry arrives in Pleasant Gap with the task of composing the soundtrack for his best mate’s newest film. The Jenkins’ family’s southern welcome and gregarious personalities set his reticent nature on edge, but he’s inexplicably drawn to his gentle and music-loving hostess, Julia. 

Uncertain how to build a friendship with the wounded woman, and rather hopeless in communicating well through words, the bond of music becomes a bridge between her uncertainty and his awkwardness. But her broken past and his families’ expectations build a wall much greater than the cultures that separate them. 

As they work together to solve a musical mystery from the grave, will an unlikely romance from the past inspire their hearts to trust in a God who’s written the perfect melody for their lives?


My Review:



A gorgeous love story!  Delightful characters!  Rich setting!  I absolutely love Pepper Basham and her stories!

Basham's second novel in the Pleasant Gap series is even better than the first, and that's huge! Julia's story is exquisitely told, moving from brokenness to wholeness in an applicable and realistic way. Plus, there's just something about a courtship when you're already pregnant that just lends itself to both humor and heart! Henry is simply adorkable and very swoon-worthy in his very unique way.  His fumbling, bumbling attempts to woe Julia are both hilarious and heartwarming.  Every woman needs a Henry in her life! As to the emotional power of their love story...well, make sure you have a full box of tissues handy! I’m thrilled to give WYLAM my highest recommendation and wondering why you're still reading my review when you could be diving between the covers of this book!

Until the next read,

Deena