While I continue
to maintain that I read more YA fiction than anything, it is true that I read a
lot of inspirational/Christian fiction. Not only is this the second
inspirational fiction compilation post of this year, it also purposely includes
books that were all released this year. Interestingly enough, they also
released on the same date (surprisingly enough, that was not on purpose).
*This is the third book in a series.*
As a financial
crimes investigator for a bank, Emily Chastain is no stranger to tracking vast
sums of money. She’s been tracking some accounts with strange movement that
happen to involve someone from her past. Her best friend, Heather Gilstrap, a
reporter, has been putting her investigative skills to use and tracked this
particular someone. Unfortunately, Heather is now missing, and Emily is rescued
by Detective Brady St. John, who’d been trying to vacation in a cabin normally
closed for the winter season, but had sweet-talked the owner-friends into
letting it to him for two weeks. It’s
clear that Emily had been abducted and was likely to be killed. More
life-threatening events try to smother the both of them, so Brady sticks to
Emily almost like glue. The killers clearly want information from her that she
doesn’t have. Why do they think she has that info? What’s more, are there
actually two different groups trying to get to her first?
Mutual attraction is almost
immediate. Brady is handsome, brave, strong and compassionate. He is unlike any
other man Emily’s known, which is why she wants to keep her distance and keep
safe her heart. Emily is no waif and states she’s not even close to a size 6.
She’s always been self-conscious of her size, which is slimmer than it was, but
it remains a struggle. She’s become accepting of herself over the years, but
that doesn’t stop doubts from sneaking in. Can Brady truly see past her
physical appearance to the person beneath? Signs seem to say that he can and
with ease. Will Emily open her heart to him?
This third story in the Blue Justice series further cements how
awesome it’d be if the St. John siblings were real. I’d want to be their
friend. Some may be unmoved by what they feel is a predictable tale, and I
don’t fault anyone for that line of thinking. I appreciated that it was
fast-paced and faith-based without being preachy. Fans will have already
snapped up this story. For those who haven’t found Lynette Eason, give her
books a try if you’re looking for energetic and intense thrillers with strong
faith bases (by at least one main character and definitely both by the end).
Also, thanks to this book, I think I’ll take up scuba diving and earn my PADI
(Professional Association of Diving Instructors) certification. No, I won’t.
But perhaps you will?
Book One: Oath of Honor
Book Two: Called to Protect
Flights of Fancy (Jan. 1, 2019) by Jen Turano.
*This is the first book in a series.*
When she gains
unwanted attention from the lecherous and creepy Duke of Montrose, Miss Isadora
“Izzie” Delafield is sent packing. Not by her family, as her father is abroad
and her mother would love nothing more than for Izzie to marry into a title,
but by her family’s butler and her best friend’s family’s butler. She responds
to an ad for a housekeeper at Glory Manor, though she isn’t qualified in the
least, and is shocked to find that it is a farm. She’s there under the assumed
name of Mrs. Izzie Delmont. She can’t
fake looking old, but she’s sporting hideous spectacles (with clear lenses).
She also can’t fake to know all that she doesn’t, but she’s adept at organizing
and becomes an efficient household
manager, plus the four children that Aunt Birdie and Uncle Amos took in
(permanently) come to love her rather quickly.
33-year-old Ian MacKenzie is a
businessman who expects much of those he does business with. This means Izzie
should’ve been sent packing before her trunk made it in the house, but she gave
him a business proposal he couldn’t refuse. Also, he needed to rush back to Pittsburgh,
so he was desperate for a housekeeper. He’s shocked by Izzie’s not-old age and
is almost offended that she won’t “set her cap” for him. Ian’s long declared
that he’s looking for a woman of a certain social station, so a housekeeper
wouldn’t allow him to marry up. Why, then, does he find himself thinking of
her? And she of him with all of his manly muscles?
Adventure in the American Heiresses series (the year is
1885) doesn’t stem from a high-seas escapade, a dramatic quest or even a
cross-country journey. Instead, it stems from the busyness of country life and
the antics of four children, all under the age of 10. Izzie learns the hard way
how she’s taken the luxuries of life for granted and how demanding she can be,
so it was refreshing to see the positive growth and change in her. It’s also
encouraging to see Ian’s eyes open up as well. Although his early years were
rough, he seemingly forgot what it was like to grow up that way, knowing that
numerous others place themselves in that sort of danger every day to try to
provide for their families, while he’s been striving to increase his impressive
fortune even more. Both have been selfish, but both are open to growth and
betterment within themselves. “Flights of Fancy” is a strong start to a new series,
and I look forward to reading Turano’s next installment.
*This is the third book in a series.*
Ever since her
dad died, everything has been very different. Too different. Her mom’s grief
has turned toward money and overseeing all of the family’s vast business
holdings. Tayler Grace Hale has defied the expectations of society ladies in
1929 and gone to college. Her dad was her biggest supporter as she worked her
way to becoming a highly skilled botanist, naturalist and interpreter. Her
brother, whom she’d been so close to before their dad died, has seemingly
closed himself off from them, returning to New York City after the funeral to
oversee his own successful business holdings. Her mother has turned to trying
to force Tayler into marrying Emerson Pruitt. Having known him since childhood,
they were once engaged. Well, he still maintains that they’re engaged, but she
repeatedly witnessed his womanizing ways a few years back and called off the
engagement. She flees to her job in Colorado and, ultimately, runs away to
Curry, Alaska, when an opening comes about. There, she finds a group of
employees so close-knit as to be a family, blood ties or no. It’s here that she
meets Thomas Smith, one of her coworkers. He judges her because he doesn’t want
to get close to her and wrongly assumes that she doesn’t have the skills she
supposedly totes because she’s a woman, so she deems him brooding and
untrusting, which are both qualities very unlike him. It’s obvious to everyone
before it’s clear as crystal to the two 23-year-olds that attraction – and
perhaps love – have set in. When the part of life she ran away from shows up in
Curry, will Tayler have the grace to forgive and fortitude to stand her ground?
And when someone brings forth unbelievable accusations against Thomas, will his
Curry family stand behind him? Will Tayler?
Just as I have with the first two
books in The Heart of Alaska series,
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It is a story of faith and [work-] family,
camaraderie and teamwork, knowing to listen, being willing to learn, keeping a
smart mind and recognizing whom to trust. There are many dynamics occurring,
thus creating a multi-layered story with distinguishable characters, including
familiar faces from the previous stories. Because of these books, I want to see
where the actual Curry Hotel once stood. I want to visit Denali. Anyone up for
a trip to Alaska?
Book One: In the Shadow of Denali
Book Two: Out of the Ashes
Tracie Peterson is an author that I enjoy reading with heartfelt stories that stay with the reader.
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