Rutabaga's Reads 2026: Part 5

It’s time for the first Christian/inspirational compilation post of 2026. Hooray (if you read that genre)! For those who read from this genre, who are your favorite authors? What or who inspires you to read these books?

All Booked Up (Mar. 17, 2026) by Melody Carlson.

<This is a standalone novel.>

Widowed for almost 18 months, 61-year-old Riva Owen lives in a historic Victorian house that’s been in her family for three generations, but she can hardly afford to keep living there. Riva doesn’t want to give up her impressive personal library. Her daughter, Kenzie, clearly a minimalist, tells her to have a book-burning bonfire (horrifying) and sell the place. Riva can’t just leave the decades of memories nor her books. On a prayerful whim, she opens up her home to renters. Women only. There’s Windy Brewer, who excels in the kitchen and the garden. There’s Laurel Wright, Riva’s friend who’s got her eye on Marcus Millican, Windy’s retired-teacher-slash-handyman big brother. Then comes Fiona Harris, an Irish fiddler who works at her relatives’ bistro. And finally, upon Laurel’s recommendation comes Kitty Brinson, salon owner and woman of a certain age who acts and dresses like she’s a 20-something. Going from one personality in a lonely home to a handful of personalities creates chaos. It’s mostly manageable, but Kitty is the firecracker, especially when she’s been drinking. She’s ultra self-absorbed even as her life is a mess, and she’s especially cruel to Laurel, including honing in on Marcus for herself. Marcus doesn’t seem romantically interested in Laurel or Kitty. Is he interested in ... Riva?

            The latest from Carlson is a Christian fiction, contemporary romance that is expectedly wholesome. There are themes of grief, found family and navigating different personalities under one roof. It’s a story where a bibliophile widow continues to work through grief while suddenly taking on the responsibility of landlord, and it’s also a story of taking second chances on oneself. Fictional Greenwood, Oregon, hosts unexpected changes under this roof, and there’s frustration as well as compassion, uplifting compliments and not-so-little digs. There’s struggle amid enduring faith. Drawn to the book’s title, I didn’t care for the book as much as I hoped I would. Much of it was Kitty, but it was also in part because the main characters are closer to my parents’ generation, so of an age range that I haven’t yet experienced but will, hopefully, one day (just not too soon, please).

Final Approach (Aug. 5, 2025) by Lynette Eason.

<This is the final novel in a series.>

It’s vacation time for Air Marshal Kristine Duncan and her friends. Kristine is on duty when a hijacker tries to get into the cockpit of their plane. Also jumping into action is FBI Special Agent Andrew Ross, and together, they thwart the attack and the plane returns safely to Lake City, North Carolina. Kristine and Andrew both acknowledge to themselves that they’d like to get to know the other, despite personal baggage, but first there’s an investigation to sort through. The two – with their colleagues and friends – are confused from the start. The hijacker only took the “job” out of desperation, but someone else was on the plane watching him. The connection between them is unknown. Andrew’s undercover friend resurfaces and is in danger, but it turns out that the target might not be the undercover agent. With shots coming from different directions and being run off the road, at least one someone is out to interfere with Kristine’s and Andrew’s lives in a big, big way. Then there’s the interference in their personal lives. For years, Kristine has been the moderator between her siblings and their dad, who’s become increasingly controlling since their mother died (and she blames herself for). Andrew is concerned about his parents taking in his wayward cousin with his drug (and therefore money) issues. Their skills will be necessary and vigilance is key to finding truth and justice.

            The final Christian romantic suspense novel in the Lake City Heroes series does not disappoint. It’s an adventure ride right from the launch and doesn’t slow down until the story concludes. Families are complicated, and this story demonstrates that, partly in an unexpected way. The leads must traverse guilt while also sifting truth from trickery. For those who enjoy edge-of-your-seat storylines and clean romance, this series with its satisfying conclusion is sure to sate your literary palate, at least until you pick up your next book!

            Book One: Double Take

            Book Two: Target Acquired

            Book Three: Serial Burn

A Lesson in Propriety (May 20, 2025) by Jen Turano.

<This is the first novel in a series.>

The family’s fortune has been stolen, her fiancé is now an ex, and Miss Drusilla Merriweather’s New York Four Hundred life has been upended. All she can think to do to provide for her mother and younger sister is to open a finishing school on an allegedly haunted castle estate in Chicago that the Merriweather sisters have inherited from an eccentric aunt whom they haven’t seen in two years and is rumored to be dead. There’s a seedy underworld containing unscrupulous developers coveting the valuable land the estate sits on, alarm goats in the spooky home and a neighbor by the name of Mr. Rhenick Wittenbecker. He’s a charming architect who considers Aunt Ottilie his friend but missteps when he proposes that he can solve Drusilla’s problems by declaring they should marry when they’ve only just met. Drusilla forgives him his blunder and declares that he should never broach the subject of marriage again. Trouble is, he’d really like to court this woman whom he finds most extraordinary (yes, all four of his younger sisters were surprised when he used that word, too), and Drusilla is surprised to feel disappointment when he doesn’t. Can this improper proposal be turned proper and the seedy characters of Chicago dealt with so that the Merriweather Academy for Young Ladies can open?

            I can already tell this new series from Turano is going to be a fun one. The Christian fiction, historical romance with its strong female characters, laugh-out-loud banter and mischievous antics set in the Gilded Age is witty and fast-paced. The characters are easily distinguishable and human in their imperfectness. Rhenick stumbles with his spur-of-the-moment proposal, and Drusilla maybe shouldn’t be allowed a firearm. The story is gallant, heartfelt and thoroughly charming. The threatening situations never feel particularly dire, but that’s acceptable in this mostly lighthearted novel. I look forward to the second installment!

Rutabaga's Reads 2025: Part 18

Where there’s a YA fiction compilation, so there will be a Christian/inspirational fiction compilation close behind. Here is the third Christian/inspirational fiction post of 2025.

An Honorable Deception (Nov. 19, 2024) by Roseanna M. White.

<This is the third novel in a series.>

The leader of the Imposters (a private investigative firm that caters to the aristocracy), Lord Yates Fairfax, risks being recognized when his newest client, the beautiful Lady Alethia Barremore, is shot in the church they’ve met in. Lady Alethia is looking for her former nanny (or ayah), Samira, who’s gone missing. Their investigation digs up a truth far more sinister and dangerous than any of them imagined. But maybe Alethia isn’t truly surprised, given the terrifying truth that’s haunted her since she was a little girl being hidden in a locked wardrobe for her safety by her ayah.

            She may have spent years incredibly ill (scarlet fever), but Lady Lavinia Hemming highly suspects that her longtime friends and neighbors, siblings Yates and Lady Marigold Livingstone (née Fairfax), have more going on than meets the eye. When she discovers that they are the esteemed Imposters, she invites herself into the firm. Her own family’s secret continues to weigh on her, and she needs the distraction of an investigation. She wants to be useful and maybe, just maybe, she wants to let herself love Yates. But has Yates moved on from his childhood crush on Lavinia?

            In this final novel in The Imposters series, the Imposters dive into the dark side of society, where it’s obvious that titles don’t equate to noble thoughts and actions. Investigating those that they see in society is a balancing act, and despite the Edwardian-era setting, the struggle with finances is real in any timeline with characters that would be awesome to have as friends and neighbors in real life. The plot matter is not an easy topic, but it makes for a compelling story with a propulsive plot. White writes with the ease of a talented, seasoned writer, and I look forward to reading more of her stories.

            P.S. I was thrilled with the connections to the Shadows Over England and The Codebreakers series, along with allusion to “The Lost Heiress.” I love story crossovers!

            Book 1: A Beautiful Disguise

            Book 2: A Noble Scheme

Serial Burn (Jan. 21, 2025) by Lynette Eason.

<This is the third novel in a series.>

Almost 20 years have passed since Jesslyn McCormick was robbed of her family in a fire when she was only seven years old. As a fire marshal in Lake City, North Carolina (fictional), she’s dedicated her career to investigating fires. Now she’s examining one at her own church. Old feelings are dredged up and planted evidence on-scene provides new clues. There’s been an attempted abduction and attempts on her life. She recently made a passionate and public statement about never giving up on finding her family’s killer. It could be that the killer has been in the area this entire time. FBI Special Agent Nathan Carlisle is called in to work with local law enforcement. He also has a past that involves a fatal fire, which he has no interest in rehashing. Searching for the arsonist is a great distraction, but protecting Jesslyn is likewise a distraction. The spark between them is strong enough to set their lives ablaze, but someone else is setting things alight in real time.

            The penultimate story in the Lake City Heroes series is an inferno of action, danger, investigation and quick-thinking soothed by faith, found family and camaraderie. It’s a Christian romantic suspense novel that grabs hold of you in a vice-like grip, snatching your attention as you race the characters to figure out who the arsonist is before they do. Guilt is a supporting theme of one of the supporting characters and his shining scene is gripping and emotional. From start to finish, Eason takes readers on a thrill ride. One aims for a reckoning; the other’s goal is retribution.

            Book One: Double Take

            Book Two: Target Acquired

Two Seconds Too Late (Apr. 29, 2025) by Dani Pettrey.

<This is the second novel in a series.>

A woman has vanished from a couples’ retreat at a swanky, luxury resort in northern New Mexico. Skip tracer Riley MacLeod and private investigator Greyson Chadwick pose as a couple to seek out clues to the missing woman’s location. Expressive Wellness Retreat and Spa is luxurious and comes with a luxurious price tag. The woman, Kelly Frazier, is on the run and being hunted. What should be a cut-and-dried tracking case takes a sharp turn when Riley becomes the hunted, too. Her home is ransacked, she finds herself stalked, and she and Greyson are somehow tracked to the retreat. The Kelly that Riley thought she knew isn’t the only side of Kelly. Kelly’s desperate for justice, but taking it into her own hands may end her life if Riley and Greyson can’t find her. As the pair work together, their mutual attraction ignites, but Greyson’s deep secrets prevent him from admitting his attraction. From a missing woman to hit men to a questionable retreat, survival is a fight. But so is love, when one’s found one’s soulmate.

            It’s hard to put Pettrey’s books down once I start them, but I do, because I’m one of those who reads multiple novels simultaneously (normally not more than three, but it’s been as many as seven). The second in Pettrey’s Jeopardy Falls series is high-octane and action-packed. The Christian romantic suspense novel barely lets readers get a breath in as the characters get their danger-filled spying on in this wholesome story. The writing is tight, and it gets the pulse pounding, even though you know the outcome will be good for the protagonists. It’s another victory for the author and her faithful characters and a victory; therefore, for her readers.

            Book One: One Wrong Move

Rutabaga's Reads 2025: Part 9

Having just published my second YA compilation post, if you know my blog and me at all, you already expect that a second Christian/inspirational fiction post is not far behind. Here is the second Christian/inspirational fiction post of 2025.

Meeting Her Match (July 16, 2024) by Jen Turano.

<This is the third and final novel in a series.>

Renowned matchmaker, influential member of the New York Four Hundred and an Incomparable during her Season, Miss Camilla Pierpont has vowed to never marry after a devastating heartbreak years ago. After she’s nearly abducted along the Hudson River as she’s with Lottie McBriar, her recently hired paid companion, she’s rescued by a broad, outspoken man who annoys her when he calls her a “little lady,” and she assumes he’s working with the would-be abductors. When it turns out he isn’t, looking the worse for wear after a tussle with an angry mama raccoon (a very exciting morning), Camilla learns that he knows Mr. Walter Townsend and has a note to prove it. This gentleman is Mr. Owen Chesterfield, and he’s there to convince Camilla to sponsor his sister, Miss Luella, and take her in hand. Owen, a businessman, owns Chesterfield Nail Manufacturing, which supplies almost the entire country with nails, but Camilla doubts she’ll be able to help his sister. When she receives a telegram that someone from her past is heading toward New York, and considering the unknown abductors, Camilla decides to travel in Owen’s Pullman car to Wheeling, West Virginia. She goes with stereotypical expectations, but acclimates well to the informal attitude of Owen’s hometown. She even whitewashes a fence and almost gets trampled by Esmerelda, Meemaw’s pig. As it were, danger follows her to West Virginia, and it could disrupt the most spectacular match of all: her own.

            Every time I read a Jen Turano story, I am filled with bubbly delight. The women in her stories are independent, the lead males sometimes bumbling but well-meaning (like Owen), and the antagonists are dastardly but always get their comeuppance. Camilla’s avoidance of a specific recipe is entertaining, as is Meemaw, and the humor throughout accentuates the propulsive narrative, its twists, the budding romance and the local vernacular of this area of the Ohio Valley. Like its predecessors in the series, this Gilded-Age period, Christian historical romance is wholesome, witty, spunky and fun.

            The Matchmakers Book One: A Match in the Making

            The Matchmakers Book Two: To Spark a Match

A Noble Scheme (Mar. 19, 2024) by Roseanna M. White.

<This is the second novel in a series.>

The Imposters have taken on a pro bono case. A young boy has been kidnapped, mistaken for his aristocratic cousin. Sidney Hart’s parents appealed to Mrs. Hart’s late sister’s husband, Lord Philmore Wilfred, but as it wasn’t his son who was kidnapped, he refused to help. Lord Wilfred is a coldhearted, cutthroat, querulous man who tends to see only dollar signs. As it stands, Horace Wilfred is determined to find a way to save his cousin, with or without his father’s help. This case brings Gemma Parks (known to London’s elite as renowned columnist G.M. Parker) and Graham Wharton in close working quarters. The first awful anniversary of a tragedy is approaching, and Gemma has spent that year avoiding Graham and casting vitriolic blame. He admits to his arrogance and his part in the tragedy. It’s pushed him away from God, from believing, but Graham is determined to win Gemma back. He’s only ever loved her. Together with the rest of the Imposters team, they’ll have to devise a noble scheme to rescue the boy, and hopefully, in the process, find the healing they both need.

            Despite the personal turmoil between Gemma and Graham, they have good hearts, just as all of the Imposters do. Money is tight, yet Yates doesn’t hesitate to take the case for free. Glamour resides alongside those in the aristocracy, but glamour is also used as a clever distraction. The second in The Imposters series is a Christian historical romance where not one, but both main characters need faith healing alongside forgiveness. Their emotions are still raw, making the story all the more realistic despite its Edwardian England setting. White’s stories are always quick to draw me in with their shrewd-but-imperfect characters, independent women and forward-moving plots. Immersive and compelling!

            Favorite lines: “Words were wily things – but they were miraculous too. They created, they shaped, they breathed life. God used them to form the universe, and Christ had come as a living Word to write Himself onto the hearts of humankind.” (p. 78)

            Book 1: A Beautiful Disguise

Target Acquired (Aug. 20, 2024) by Lynette Eason.

<This is the second novel in a series.>

Growing up the youngest with three brothers, Kenzie King had to be tough in a household where their mom died when she was a young teen, and their father made everything a competition. Now in her 30s, she’s worked harder than any of the men to prove she belongs on the SWAT team as a tactical medic and the only woman. SWAT team leader Cole Garrison has known Kenzie since she was a kid, as he’s good friends with her brother, Logan. He knows she’s the better qualified candidate; she even carries M.D. behind her name, but not everyone agrees that she’s the best choice. In fact, someone is trying to kill her, going so far as to demand that she quit the team. And if one of her teammates is injured in the crossfire, so be it. Does someone on the team want her off of it so badly that he’ll keep trying to kill her and ambush the team? As if the stress of that isn’t enough, her dad has laid a bombshell on her, and the truth of that past and a further past may have a surprising connection to the here and now.

            A Christian romantic suspense novel, the next in the Lake City Heroes series teems with grit, secrets, past hurts and present-day turmoil. The necessity for the characters to think on their feet aids in the quick pacing of the story. It’s suspenseful and zippy, sometimes biting and emotional, but it’s steered by steadfast faith, lighthearted moments and the support of strong friendships. Eason effortlessly manages to write a contemporary novel with flashback snippets to 1947, weaving a past that has implications in the present.

            Book One: Double Take

Rutabaga's Reads 2025: Part 4

Last fall, I had a library patron ask aloud and disparagingly, “Who reads these books?” The books in question were these types: Christian/inspirational fiction. He was, specifically, poking fun at Amish fiction. I, confidently, because why wouldn’t I be confident in my own reading choices?, and forcefully replied, “I do.” “Really?” he asked. He was actually astonished.

            That’s a long-winded way for me to introduce my first Christian/inspirational fiction post of 2025. Do you read Christian/inspirational fiction? Why or why not?

Double Take (Jan. 9, 2024) by Lynette Eason.

<This is the first novel in a series.>

It’s been 18 months since Physician Assistant Lainie Jackson survived her would-be murder at the hands of her ex. She killed him in self-defense, she knows she did, but a man who looks like him (from a distance) is stalking her. Someone has gone to great lengths to make it look as though he was never deceased, and his parents and brother believe him to be in witness protection. Detective James Cross has worked with the Lake City Police Department for the past couple months, but he hasn’t told his family (parents, two brothers, Keegan and Dixon, and one sister, Steph). He was honorably discharged from the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division due to wounds sustained on active duty. When James rescues two young girls and takes a bullet, his family finds out he’s around when the story’s splashed on the local news. He’s been staying with his good friend and work partner, Cole Garrison, while he figures out his family dynamics. James has always known Lainie, she’s best friends with his sister, but it’s only recently that he’s recognized her as someone other than his little sister’s best friend. Lainie wants to look to the future, one with James in it. Unfortunately, Lainie believes she’s a quitter, but if she quits, she fails, and she’ll die.

            The first in the Lake City Heroes series hits the ground running from the first paragraph and only slows down enough to round a sharp bend on a mountain when your life is in danger. In other words, this high-octane, Christian romantic suspense novel never really slows down. Eason’s skill is such that she seamlessly balances suspense with care, laughter and faith. It’s faith that sustains, not faith that is preachy. The tale is gripping and swift-paced with protagonists you wish were your neighbors and friends.

Love on a Whim (May 7, 2024) by Suzanne Woods Fisher.

<This is the third and final novel in a series.>

Steady, level-headed Brynn Haywood is reeling after an impulsive marriage to a man named T.D. DeLima that she’d known less than 24 hours. She sneaks out while he’s still sleeping and flees to Chatham, Massachusetts, a Cape Cod seaside town. Her loyal best friend, Dawn Dixon Collins, thinks she needs to “fix” Brynn’s problem and find her a lawyer through her mom’s (Marnie Dixon) very good friend, Lincoln Hayes. Lincoln is preoccupied with his daughter’s lavish, over-the-top wedding that comes complete with repeat last-minute decisions from Lincoln’s ex-wife. To put it mildly, he wasn’t an involved parent. The arrival of Lincoln’s estranged son, Bear Hayes, further agitates the challenge-filled days leading up to the wedding. His automatic animosity toward the Dixons and his father’s generosity toward them generates friction. Then the wedding day arrives and Lincoln’s whereabouts are unknown.

            A matrimonial misadventure, a wedding with no spending threshold, individual wedding cakes and Dawn’s Double-Fold Vanilla Ice Cream mix together in this sweet, Christian contemporary romance novel and final in the Cape Cod Creamery series. It features friendship, faith and forgiveness with good humor folded in. Brynn may discover that her impulsive decision shows more resolve than she realizes she possesses, but it won’t be without upheaval. There’s a character that’s in the “dark corner of unforgiveness,” though, as another character states, “Apologies don’t have expiration dates.” This book is charming and is the right amount of sweet to fill the reader up. It’s a delightful ending to an ice-cream-filled series.

            Book One: The Sweet Life

            Book Two: The Secret to Happiness

One Wrong Move (Feb. 6, 2024) by Dani Pettrey.

<This is the first novel in a series.>

Two people forging different paths. A chain of heists that’s turned deadly. Taunting riddles. Andi (Miranda) Forester was once a brilliant FBI forensic analyst until she was set up, and her career was destroyed. She now channels her brilliance as an insurance investigator and encounters Christian O’Brady. He was immersed in a life of crime at a young age by his parents. He gained faith and walked away from his corrupt past to become a private investigator and security expert. The company Andi works for insures Tad’s galleries, and Christian’s the one who installed the security systems in each of the galleries. As the two work together to discover who’s behind the break-ins, they are targeted early on. But why would someone go to the trouble of leaving them riddles as they also try to kill them? Is there more than one entity at play, and they’re not on the same page? The notes are usually left in Andi’s name, save for one with Christian’s, so they also wonder which of them is the prime target. Meanwhile, Christian has convinced his brother, Deckard MacLeod, to take on Andi’s case and prove her innocence. Trouble is, Deckard is the one who ruined her career.

The first in the Jeopardy Falls series is a thrilling plunge at breakneck speeds featuring wholesome protagonists, murderous antagonists, intrigue, ever-present danger and faith with a dash of budding romances against a contemporary Southwest backdrop (Jeopardy Falls is a fictional town in New Mexico). The romance can be cringe (“He arched a sexy brow.”), but it passes quickly enough. I’d recommend any of Pettrey’s stories to readers familiar with Lynette Eason and to anyone who enjoys suspense novels that one knows will have a good outcome at the end.

"Never Fall Again" by Lynn H. Blackburn

Never Fall Again (Mar. 12, 2024) by Lynn H. Blackburn.*

<This is the first novel in a series.>

Three years have passed since Landry Hutton moved to Gossamer Falls, North Carolina, with her daughter, Eliza, now five years old. Landry’s been the artist-in-residence at The Haven, where her best friend, Bronwyn Pierce, is the CEO. Landry’s in a good place in her life and is ready to build her own home with artist’s workspace. She meets with Callum (Cal) Shaw, former Marine and youngest Shaw brother, of SPQ Construction, and, by extension, Maisy, his golden retriever. When a suspicious fire occurs at Favors on The Haven property, Landry is heartbroken. She sells her pottery there, which is a major source of her income. Without it, she won’t be able to build her home on the three acres of land she bought from Bronwyn. It’s situated across from Cal and two of his cousins: Montgomery (Mo) Quinn, a forensic accountant, and Meredith Quinn, the town’s dentist. Suddenly, the safety net that she’s been enmeshed in has been ripped apart. She doesn’t think her late husband’s family knows where to find her, but who else would target her? They’ll have to look closely at The Haven’s guests. Now that Landry and Eliza have met the Quinn/Shaw families, they’re automatically considered family. Both Cal and Landry have been hurt by past relationships, but there’s definitely more than friendship brewing between them. Now, if only they can figure out who’s set Landry as his bullseye.
        Previously, I’d only read a short story by Blackburn, and I’m glad that I finally read one of her full-length novels; this one is the first in the Gossamer Falls series. It’s easy to root for the lead characters, and it’d be spectacular fun to find oneself immersed into the Quinn/Shaw families by having “met a Quinn this morning.” I like the way in which Blackburn addresses Landry’s faith crisis. She’s a believer and knows Jesus died for her. She knows “all the Christianese” and could expound on doctrine at length. Her faith in God is great. Her faith in her fellow Christians is not: “On an intellectual level, she knew she couldn’t lump all church-going followers of Christ into one cesspool of hypocrisy and deceit.”
        “Never Fall Again” is a Christian romantic suspense novel with a focus on family (both found and by blood), faith and trusting others. While suspicious events provide drama here and there, the edge-of-your-seat climax doesn’t occur until the end chapters. And then, the race is on to save ... multiple people in two different locales (you didn’t think I’d name names, did you?). This story will have readers cheering, laughing, cringing and even gasping for breath. I look forward to upcoming installments.
        Notable lines: “Secrets bring despair. Surprises bring delight.” (p. 296)

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

"Countdown" by Lynette Eason

Countdown (Aug. 1, 2023) by Lynette Eason.*

<This is the fourth novel in a series.>

It’s been so long since flight paramedic Raina Price has been Brianne, so long that she’s been running. Somewhere still in the world, there is Kevin Anderson, and she knows that’s not his real name. When she sees a national interview of a young, teenage snowboarding sensation, she prepares for her past to finally catch up to her. She’s been training for it all these years, and looking over her shoulder for her stalker has become second nature. She will sacrifice her own safety to protect the son of her abusive ex-boyfriend.

            US Marshal Vincent (Vince) Covelli is a tracker (of fugitives) and a protector (of his assignees). When Raina is almost killed, he vows to protect her at all costs, even taking personal time off in order to do so. It is apparent that someone wants Raina gone, and that doesn’t settle well with Vince, because he wants to build a relationship with her. He wants her to trust him. And he wants her to give her struggles and fears to God.

            Eason doesn’t write idly on. Nope, she catapults readers straight into the high-stakes melee of this cat-and-mouse game. As readers discover, it turns into more of a cat-and-cat-and-mouse game. There is tension and danger, little moments of whimsy, solid faith and shaky faith, friendships so strong that they could move mountains and the tentativeness of new love. Eason is a master raconteur of Christian romantic suspense, and I can count on her stories to be riveting and hold my attention from first page to last. My only wish is that her stories would showcase some racially diverse characters, as all of the main and supporting characters cue as Caucasian. This novel in the Extreme Measures series features a woman determined to put her traumatic past in the past, while I look forward to a future full of many more stories from Eason!

            Book One: Life Flight

            Book Two: Crossfire

            Book Three: Critical Threat

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

"Blind Trust" by Natalie Walters

Blind Trust (Apr. 11, 2023) by Natalie Walters.*

*This is the third novel in a trilogy.*

She knows she has a reputation for being impulsive at the [fictional] SNAP (Strategic Neutralization and Protection) Agency, but Lyla Fox always jumps in feet first and faces the threat head on, no matter how dangerous the situation. But even Lyla is given pause when she receives a threatening note from a man she helped put in prison along with a busted windshield, and the inmate turns up dead by apparent suicide. There are other situations, too: vehicles following her and shots fired with her as their target. She can’t uncover what’s going on by herself. She’s going to need the entire trusted SNAP Agency team, especially Nicolás Garcia (formerly had a brief career in the Army Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) branch), who’s always the most bothered by her recklessness and doesn’t seem to trust her. The rest of the team includes cyberguru Kekoa Young, team leader Jack Hudson and SNAP Agency Director Tom Walsh. Nicolás has dealt with bombs and knows how dangerous they are, but working with Lyla is just as dangerous.

            My first full-length novel from Walters, I found it to be dramatic and fairly fast-paced with a snappy cast of protagonists (Kekoa is easily my favorite) and antagonists. Trust is a theme and fear is present, too. It’s not a rollicking adventure, more a slow-build with bursts of adrenaline and pulse-pounding scenarios. Faith is there in multiple characters, but not in an overbearing way. The danger is well-balanced with humorous interjections. When it comes to romantic suspense, I prefer Dani Pettrey’s novels, but Natalie Walters has made a strong case with this novel that I read. My only gripe is that Lyla’s impulsivity sometimes grated on my nerves, so I didn’t connect with her character as well. I get that she’s in a profession where she’s sometimes got to make split-second decisions where there isn’t time for thinking, but that impulsivity seems to be her default.

            Standout line: “The woman owns real estate on the edge of risk, and next to her I look like Mr. Rogers.” --Nicolás to Jack (p. 160)

            Previously read: Targeted: Caught in the Crosshairs (a novella)

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

"Critical Threat" by Lynette Eason

Critical Threat (Jan. 3, 2023) by Lynette Eason.*

*This is the third novel in a series.*

A serial killer must be stopped. FBI Special Agent Grace Billingsley, specializing in psychiatry and behavioral analysis, and prison psychiatrist Sam Monroe are both called in to consult. They’ve met before, and Grace thought they’d made a real connection, but Sam never called or texted. Because he was dreading having to tell her that he’s the son of the serial killer Peter Romanos. It comes to light early on, Grace handling the information with, well, grace, and Sam’s the one who turned Peter in. The killer they’re trying to track has an MO that shares similarities to Peter’s. Sam suspects Peter must somehow be involved, but he can’t pinpoint how. Sam may have to do the one thing he’s avoided all these years: speak with his father. It can’t come a moment too soon, because Grace has been targeted by the killer all because he wants to know what she said. There doesn’t appear to be a connection amongst the victims, but the killer’s too organized and methodical for them to be chosen randomly. What is the link?

            This story is a race on a gruesome path to the finish line that stops a serial killer. God guides Grace and Sam and faith strengthens them during their investigation and as trust builds and a deeper relationship grows. Eason deftly manages a swift-moving plot, harrowing suspense, determined protagonists and a nasty antagonist with the comforting undercurrent of faith all working to propel the story to its conclusion. It runs the gamut of emotions through the different character perspectives, from fear to anger, sadness to determination, desperate hate to fierce love. It’s high-octane from Chapter One and Eason’s stories continue be a Christian suspense favorite of mine!

            Lines that made me think: “I think God can do anything, but I also believe he gives us a choice. If the people your dad works with can acknowledge that what they did was wrong and they’re truly remorseful, then yes, I believe that God can ‘fix’ them. Or at least forgive them. So, with that hope, I think your dad’s work is really important. Because they all have souls, and if your dad can reach just one, then that’s a victory for the good guys.” “And a defeat for the enemy.” (p. 139)

            Lines that made me laugh: ”He’d flip, wouldn’t he?” “Faster than an Olympic gymnast.” (p. 181)

            Book 1 in the Extreme Measures series: Life Flight 

            Book 2 in the Extreme Measures series: Crossfire

 

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”