Sunburst Review

 

 

 

About the Book

 When former Navy SEAL and lifelong bachelor Ranger Kingston is called upon to take part in a rescue mission to save his brother Colt, who has been kidnapped by terrorists in Nigeria, he is shocked to find among the hostages a woman he knows and could never forget.

Noemi Sutton was attempting to return a young girl to her family in Boko Haram territory when she and the girl found themselves taken hostage, along with several others.

And while Ranger Kingston may be able to get the hostages away from their captors, he'll need Noemi's help if he ever hopes to get out of Nigeria alive.

Her solution? Pose as husband and wife. But when her uncle discovers the union, he insists on a traditional Nigerian wedding--binding Noemi to a man destined to break her heart. Worse, she's discovered the real reason she was kidnapped, and anyone around her is bound to be caught in the cross fire. Including her so-called new husband.

She'll need to figure out a way to leave the man she loves if she wants to save his life.

USA Today bestselling author Susan May Warren throws you into the thick of the action in this high-stakes, globe-trotting romance. (Goodreads)

BUY HERE

My Thoughts

 

I am LOVING this new series by Susan May Warren. I really enjoy most all of her books but this series has been one of my favorites. This book takes us to Nigeria which I loved because I haven't read many books in that setting. I love the fact that Warren's daughter in law helped her with the details on this story since she is from Nigeria. There is non stop action in this story and there are a lot of tie in details to other books that Warren has written which makes it all the better! I love the characters, Noemi is not your typical cookie cutter perfect type gal which I enjoyed. Ranger and his entire family are just a complete delight to read. There is a lot of growth with both Ranger and Noemi as they are both stubborn and carry a lot of past pain and guilt. There is romance, humor, family, and suspense all wrapped up into these pages. While this is book two you could read it as a stand alone but it really would be better to read them in order. 

Susan May Warren writes fantastic fiction and I highly recommend this book! 

Five Stars. 

"I received this book from Revell for free. All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review."

All That Fills Us Review

 

  

About the Book

Mel Ellis knows that her eating disorder is ruining her life. Everyone tells her rehab is her best option, but she can't bring herself to go. Broken and empty in more ways than one, Mel makes one last-ditch effort to make hers a story worth telling. She will walk her own road to recovery along the lesser-known trails of the North American wilderness.

Though she is physically and mentally unprepared to face the difficulties that lay ahead, she sets off on foot from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and heads toward Mount Rainier National Park in Washington State. During the long journey, she meets strangers with their own stories, as well as ghosts from her past who can no longer be ignored. But though the land she travels threatens her success at every turn, it's her own dark thoughts she'll have to overcome in order to find peace in the life and the body she has been given.

With pitch-perfect timing and delightfully witty self-awareness, debut author Autumn Lytle masterfully leads readers on a journey down the hard path toward healing. (Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts

I had mixed emotions when deciding to read this book. I am always excited for debut authors but I knew this book could be heavy. Emotionally I knew it would bring back a lot of memories and painful reminders of my past with my own struggles. This partly is what made me all the more curious on how Lytle would handle a story about a woman who struggles with an eating disorder. 

This story is not at all what I expected but it is so much better than I could have imagined. Mel Ellis is a unique character that is very real and I think that Lytle did a fantastic job writing her journey. Mel decides to walk from Michigan to Washington State. I love how this book didn't take us on a popular trail. The healing and journey that Mel goes on is realistic as her mindset and thoughts don't change over night. Even by the end of the book the reader understands that while healing can happen, the struggles and mental battles don't just disappear and I appreciate that. One of my very favorite parts of this book is all of the people that Mel meets along her walk. The author does a great job of creating real characters and showing how people live differently. I love that all of these people aren't cookie cutter perfect or even what you would expect. The ending of this book is so well done and I wasn't sure I would like it. I think Autumn Lytle has done a fantastic job and I am eager to read her next novel. 

Five Stars. 

"I received this book from Revell for free. All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Pursuit of God by Tozer

 

 

About the Book

Sometimes the voices that speak most clearly in the present are those that echo from the past. So it is in this Christian classic by the late pastor and evangelist A. W. Tozer.

Tozer brings the mystics to bear on modern spirituality, grieving the hustle and bustle and calling for a slow, steady gaze upon God. With prophetic vigor and flowing prose, he urges us to replace low thoughts of God with lofty ones, to quiet our lives so we can know God’s presence. He reminds us that life apart from God is really no life at all. 

Tozer writes from his knees, a posture fit for presenting the character of God in all its demanding grandeur. "Arise, O sleeper!" is his word to us, and yet if we heed the call, we will see that to arise is not to stand, but to kneel before the God of heaven in humble contemplation. To pursue God is to know Him, and in our knowing be drawn in. (Goodreads)

My Thoughts

 

This is a challenging book to read. Anything by Tozer I have to read in small snippets. This isn't my favorite book by him but still very thought provoking. There was a section that I had to highlight that was my favorite part of this book. It says "promoting self under the guise of promoting Christ is currently so common as to excite little notice." (pg 51) Also, this chapter is talking about sins of the human spirit. "They are not something we do, they are something we are, and therein lies both their subtlety and their power. To be specific, the self-sins are self-righteousness, self-pity, self-confidence, self-sufficiency, self-admiration, self-love, and a host of others like them. They dwell too deep within us and are too much a part of our natures to come to our attention till the light of God is focused upon them. (pg 51)
I did like this book it just is a lot to digest and read.


Four Stars.


"I received this book from Moody Publishers for free. All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review."

 

 

Death Valley Hideout Review and GIVEAWAY with Celebrate Lit Tours

 

 

About the Book

Book: Death Valley Hideout

Author: Dana Mentink

Genre: Christian fiction

Release date: April 26, 2022

 

Running from a murderer

with only the desert as refuge…

Placed in WITSEC while his brother testifies against a terrifying criminal, Tony Ortega must guard his young niece and nephew from the hit man hunting for them. Death Valley local Willow Duke’s hideout might just be the difference between the little family’s life or death. When bullets start flying, can they thwart a killer long enough to survive and become a family for real?

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

 

Dana Mentink is a USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author as well as a two-time American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award winner, and the recipient of a Holt Medallion. She’s written over fifty titles in the suspense, lighthearted romance and mystery genres. She is pleased to write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense, Harlequin Heartwarming, and Poisoned Pen Press. You can connect with Dana via her website at danamentink.com, on Facebook, YouTube (Author Dana Mentink) and Instagram (dana_mentink.)

 

More from Dana

Wooty woo! We’re back in Death Valley again! So excited about this fourth book in the series because Papa Bear and I have actually returned to this amazing place. (Our previous return trip was stalled for a while due to the virus that shall not be named!) People have asked me, “Why do you love Death Valley so much?” I can only respond that you just have to go there to understand. Is it the vastness of the place? The enormous topographical variety? Maybe it’s the profound quietness that permeates the national park and environs. Then again, it might be the panorama of nighttime stars. (Death Valley National Park is a certified International Dark Sky Park due to its limited light pollution.) Could it be the tenacity of people who live there and survive the one hundred twenty plus degree temperatures in the summer? And how about those animals? The Death Valley pupfish is a teeny little endangered fish that lives in precisely one spot on the globe (Death Valley) and only two places within that range, Salt Creek and Cottonball Marsh. Imagine that! So why set a six book series in Death Valley? Because there’s no more hostile and incredible place I can think of. I hope you will enjoy taking a fictional trip with me there too. Enjoy the adventure, reader friends!

Blog Stops

Remembrancy, April 21

Texas Book-aholic, April 21

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, April 22

Bigreadersite, April 22

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 23

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 23

Life, Love, Writing, April 24

For Him and My Family, April 24

Betti Mace, April 25

Inklings and notions, April 25

Locks, Hooks and Books, April 26

EmpowerMoms, April 26

deb’s Book Review, April 27

Blogging With Carol, April 27

For the Love of Literature, April 28

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, April 28

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, April 29

Simple Harvest Reads, April 29 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 30

Vicarious Living, April 30

Bizwings Blog, May 1

Blossoms and Blessings, May 1

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, May 2

Paula’s Persuasion, May 2

Labor Not in Vain, May 3

Through the Fire Blogs, May 3

Pause for Tales, May 4

A Good Book and Cup of Tea, May 4

To Everything There Is A Season, May 4

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Dana is giving away the grand prize package of the first four books in the series-Framed in Death Valley, Missing in the Desert, Death Valley Doublecross and Death Valley Hideout (Paperback for U.S. Only) and a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

 

GIVEAWAY

 

 

My Thoughts

This is another fast paced Dana Mentink novel. The story leaps off the first page and has you invested right away. I enjoyed the twists and turns in this book and the characters are pretty well written. I really liked Tony's character and I enjoyed how Willow didn't realize what she had gotten into at first. There is a lot that is packed into this little book and as always I think Mentink does a great job! Of course I wish her books were a bit longer but for a Love Inspired Suspense this is a good one. 

I highly recommend all of Dana Mentink's books!

 

Four Stars.
 

"I received this book from the author for free. All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review."

Written on the Wind Review

 

 About the Book

Natalia Blackstone is a rarity in Gilded Age America. As a trusted analyst for her father's bank, she is helping finance the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway. From her office in New York City, Natalia relies on a charming Russian aristocrat to oversee the construction of the railroad on the other side of the world.

But while overseeing the work, Count Dimitri Sokolov witnesses the deadly result of the Russian Monarchy's will to see the railway built. To silence him, the state has stripped Dimitri of his title, his lands, and his freedom . . . but Dimitri has a key asset the czar knows nothing about: his deep and abiding friendship with Natalia Blackstone.

From the steppes of Russia to the corridors of power in Washington, Natalia and Dimitri will fight against all odds to save the railroad and share the truth of what happened, but how can their newfound love survive the ordeal? (Goodreads)

BUY HERE

My Thoughts

Elizabeth Camden has written some of my all-time favorite novels. This is book two in a series and while it can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading book one first. This story takes you on an adventure across the globe from New York City to Russia. I love Natalia’s character and Dimitri is a hero that you can’t help but love. The Blackstone family is so fun to read because they are a interwoven mix of personalities. While this story was not entirely what I was expecting, I still really enjoyed it and couldn’t put it down. The witty conversation between characters is splendid and they each have a uniqueness that Camden is so good at creating. With twists and turns and strong willed women I really wasn’t sure how this book would end and was a bit surprised how everything played out. The history aspect is interesting and I felt like I was transported right into New York City.

I loved reading this book and I highly recommend to fans of historical fiction.

Five Stars!

"I received this book for free from Bethany House. All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review."