Thursday, March 6, 2025

Sabotage at Cedar Creek by Janice Thompson (The Little Red Truck Mysteries Book Two)

About the Book

Book: Sabotage at Cedar Creek (The Little Red Truck Mysteries Book Two)

Author: Janice Thompson

Genre: Mystery/Christian Fiction

Release date: February, 2025

Who Would Sabotage the New B&B?

Breathe in the nostalgia of everything old red truck in book two of a new cozy mystery series.

It’s summertime in Mabank, Texas, and the Hadley family’s new antique business is open and running well with Tilly, the red antique truck, as its mascot. Raelynn Hadley enjoys driving Grandpa’s truck around as she seeks out antiques for her family’s store.

Raelynn is excited that her best friend, Tasha, will soon open a new vacation rental to accommodate the area’s growing tourism, but an unexpected act of sabotage threatens to spoil all that Tasha has worked for.

Raelynn immediately gets to work sleuthing out who could be behind the crime. Could it be the bitter neighbor, intent on spoiling Tasha’s plans? Perhaps it’s a nearby resort owner, worried about the potential loss of revenue. Maybe it’s the former owner’s daughter who was left out of the will and believes the home should be hers. Or maybe it’s the squatter who had taken up residence in the home before renovations. Raelynn is determined to solve the mystery for her friend in time for opening day.

Click here to get your copy!

My Review:

This is another wonderful story! I thoroughly enjoyed it and appreciated the humor in places. It's a cozy and it's got a bit of romance. There's plenty of faith in this story, as we follow with Tasha and Raelynn to solve the mystery in time before Tasha's grand opening is a grand closing. It's a fun read with a few twists and left me wanting another book in this series.

5 Stars

About the Author

Janice Thompson hails from south Texas. She is a Christian author and mother of four grown daughters. Janice has written over forty books.

More from Janice

Travel with me to East Texas to celebrate the 4th of July. Let’s meet at Cedar Creek Lake, a vast expanse of water tucked in and around some of the sweetest little Texas towns you’ve ever seen: Gun Barrel City, Mabank, Payne Springs, Eustace, and Seven Points, just to name a few.

Along the edge of the lake you’ll find 320 miles of idyllic shoreline, dotted with homes, campsites, and cabins for rent. And right there, on the prettiest patch of land imaginable, you’ll discover a newly renovated vacation home, recently purchased by a local gal named Tasha. Her quaint fixer-upper is just about ready for its first guests and she’s giddy with excitement.

Also thrilled is Tasha’s BFF, RaeLyn Hadley! RaeLyn has grown up near the lake and loves this place. She can hardly wait to see her bestie’s dream come true.

Of course, not everyone in the Cedar Creek area is happy to see Tasha’s new vacation rental open for business. Behind the scenes, evil lurks. Nefarious plans are already in motion, though RaeLyn and Tasha can’t yet see them.

Days before the house is listed, the beautiful home is vandalized! Clearly, someone wants to stop Tasha in her tracks. But, who would sabotage the inn. . .and why? RaeLyn won’t quit until she’s got answers, but she needs your help.

What role will you play in this tale? Visit the inn. Get to know the gals. Help them figure out the whodunit. Spend time in town with the locals, celebrating the 4th of July. I promise, you’ll have a blast. There are quilt shows, cupcake walks, and more Texas BBQ than you can eat in one visit.

Your belly will never be empty as you set out to help RaeLyn and Tasha solve this crime. Just don’t let all of those handsome Texas fellas distract you from the task at hand. They have a tendency to do that.

Hang on for the ride, folks, because an East Texas tale is one that’s always filled with twists and turns! So, what are you waiting for? Jump into that little red truck and let’s hit the road, headed to Cedar Creek Lake!

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, February 27

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, February 27

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 28

Texas Book-aholic, March 1

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 2

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 3

Pause for Tales, March 3

She Lives To Read, March 4

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 5

Blogging With Carol, March 6

Labor Not in Vain, March 6

Tell Tale Book Reviews, March 7

Stories By Gina, March 8 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, March 8

For Him and My Family, March 9

Lily’s Corner, March 10

Holly’s Book Corner, March 11

Lights in a Dark World, March 12

Leslie’s Library Escape, March 12

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Janice is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon e-Gift card and a print copy of the book!!

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

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54164

Friday, February 28, 2025

The Unraveling of Emlyn DuLaine by Lindsay A. Franklin (The Rivenlea Sphere Book 1)

About the Book

Book: The Unraveling of Emlyn DuLaine

Author: Lindsay A. Franklin

Genre: YA Fantasy

Release date: February 4, 2025

A shattered heart, a fate foretold.

The world undone by tales of old.

Emlyn DuLaine just wants to know what happened to her sister, Camille, seven years ago on the fateful day she vanished—literally. Emlyn witnessed Camille unravel and disappear, but no one believes her. Since they think she’s crazy, the least the cops could do is solve Camille’s case. Is a little closure too much to ask?

But Emlyn’s life is upended when she is pulled through a portal into the fantasyland of her childhood imaginings—a magical library holding the storyworlds of every story ever published. And trouble is brewing in the land of Rivenlea. Rogue characters threaten their plot lines, and broken classics are beginning to crumble, but Emlyn only wants to find Camille.

As she searches for her sister, Emlyn begins to learn the reality of Rivenlea and her own origins. A nefarious plot is afoot, and the line between fact and fiction is becoming hopelessly blurred. The truth threatens the storyworlds, Rivenlea, and Earth—the fabric of creation, itself.

Click here to get your copy!

My Review:

Her sister actually went POOF and she can't give up seeking answers, so what else is Emlyn to do when she is called crazy? Find her sister, find answers, that's what! Emlyn gets sucked into Rivenlea, and it isn't what she expected. The world building is stellar, and the large cast of characters, and a plot that just builds and builds, and when you are sure it will burst, it just keeps building. I was breathless. Character growth and good vs evil, everything is in this story. I didn't want to leave this world. I wanted it on a big screen, and then most of all, I wanted more of this series. It's absolutely amazing.

5 Huge Stars

About the Author

Lindsay A. Franklin is the Carol Award–winning author of The Story Peddler, ECPA best-selling author of Adored, and Managing Editor of Enclave Publishing. She would wear pajama pants all the

time if it were socially acceptable. Lindsay lives happily among therain and evergreens of the Pacific Northwest with her scruffy- looking nerf-herder husband, their three (nearly) grown geeklings, and three demanding thunder pillows (a.k.a. cats).

More from Lindsay

“It’s always been broken.”

Those were the words God put on my heart when I cried out to him in 2020 as I tried to plot The Unraveling of Emlyn DuLaine. My cry and the fact that I was plotting a novel were not exactly connected at first–though outlining does usually result in some weeping and gnashing of teeth for me. But I released my last novel in 2020 and happened to be working on my new series, The Rivenlea Sphere, when the world was suddenly thrown into chaos.

Being creative in the midst of a global pandemic and significant social unrest is not easy. In fact, I found it impossible. I stared at my unfinished outline, asking myself and God, “Why is everything so messed up? Why is this world so broken?” I know the theological answer to that question, but sometimes, the soul aches. Sometimes, it feels like the whole world is falling apart in a way it never has before.

When God reminded me that this world has, since the fall of man, always been broken, he also reminded me that he’s always been in the business of rescuing us, giving us hope, and pointing us toward a better future–one that is complete and holy. One that is fully redeemed.

Over the next two years, an underlying brokenness that begs for solution wove itself into my storyworld. The Unraveling of Emlyn DuLaine is intentionally whimsical and fun, filled with references to beloved classics and packed with wry humor. There’s a magical library, a sassy dragon, a fish-out-of-water protagonist determined to dodge every YA trope being thrown her way. But underneath it all is the idea that this world isn’t what it was originally designed to be–and there is hope on the horizon.

Blog Stops

Madi’s Musings, February 25

Inspired by Fiction, February 26

Artistic Nobody, February 27 (Author Interview)

Book Butterfly in Dreamland, February 27

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 28

Blogging With Carol, March 1

Blossoms and Blessings, March 2 (Author Interview)

The Lofty Pages, March 3

Tell Tale Book Reviews, March 4

Texas Book-aholic, March 5

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, March 6 (Author Interview)

cecereadsandsings, March 6

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 7

For Him and My Family, March 8

Fiction Book Lover, March 9 (Author Interview)

Holly’s Book Corner, March 10

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Lindsay is giving away the grand prize of a $75 Amazon Gift Card and a hardcover copy of the book!!

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

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54162

Miss Blaire in Blackwell's Island by Grace Hitchcock (Heiresses of Adventure Book 1)

About the Book

Book: Miss Blaire in Blackwell’s Island (Heiresses of Adventure Book One)

Author: Grace Hitchcock

Genre: Historical Romance True Crime

Release date: July 31, 2024

Will Edyth prove her sanity before it is too late?

On Blackwell’s Island, New York, a hospital was built to keep its patients from ever leaving.

With her late parents’ fortune under her uncle’s care until her twenty-fifth birthday in the year 1887, Edyth Blaire does not feel pressured to marry or to bow to society’s demands. She freely indulges in eccentric hobbies like fencing and riding her velocipede in her cycling costume about the city for all to see. Finding a loophole in the will, though, her uncle whisks Edyth off to the women’s lunatic asylum just weeks before her birthday. And Edyth fears she will never be found.

At the asylum she meets another inmate, who upon discovering Edyth’s plight, confesses that she is Nellie Bly, an undercover journalist for The World. Will either woman find a way to leave the terrifying island and reclaim her true self?

Click here to get your copy!

My Review:

I'm a big fan of stories like this one. There's something about a woman who's smart, in a time frame when they think being smart means you are crazy. Then meeting an undercover journalist, in a place that no one wants to be, the asylum, that's just amazing and terrifying too! Edyth was so brave and this story stirred up all kinds of thoughts and emotions in me. 1887 New York City is just as scary as the current city is. The suspense and plight of this story, the bit of romance, the tons of thoughts and ideas and things this brings up, had me up for hours turning pages. It's so easy to be deemed "crazy" or mentally unstable, even more so for women in this time frame. I'm so glad things have improved in certain regards. I found it chilling and yet thrilling the way the author told this story. I doubt I'll ever forget it either. Faith wasn't left out, but this story is captivating in ways I didn't anticipate.

5 Stars

About the Author

Grace Hitchcock is the award-winning author of multiple historical novels and novellas, including the American Royalty, Best Laid Plans, and Aprons & Veils series. She holds a Master’s in Creative Writing and a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in History. Grace lives on the Northshore of New Orleans, with her husband, Dakota, sons, and daughter in a cottage that is always filled with the sounds of sweet little footsteps running at full speed. When not writing, or chasing babies, she’s baking something delightful and can usually be found with a book clutched in her fist.

Blog Stops

Pens Pages & Pulses, February 21

Allyson Jamison, February 21

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 22

Devoted To Hope, February 22

Texas Book-aholic, February 23

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 23

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, February 24

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 25

Maureen’s Musings, February 25

Melissa’s Bookshelf, February 26

Books You Can Feel Good About, February 26

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 27

Vicky Sluiter, February 27

Betti Mace, February 28

Cover Lover Book Review, February 28

Blogging With Carol, March 1

Connie’s History Classroom, March 1

lakesidelivingsite, March 2

For Him and My Family, March 3

Mary Hake, March 3

Labor Not in Vain, March 4

Holly’s Book Corner, March 4

Leslie’s Library Escape, March 5

Inspired by Fiction, March 5

Pause for Tales, March 6

Lights in a Dark World, March 6

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Grace is giving away the grand prize of a $20 gift card with FREE SHIPPING to Grace’s Autographed Bookshop!!

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

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54161

Hidden Secrets by S F. Baumgartner (Mirror Estate Series Book Four)

About the Book

Book: Hidden Secrets: A Thriller (Mirror Estate Series Book Four)

Author: S.F. Baumgartner

Genre: Christian Mystery, Thriller

Release date: September 24, 2024

Abducted. Trapped. Hunted. Grace Benson must find a way out… or die trying.

After her harrowing escape from a kill order, Grace thought she’d return to a normal life, only to be abducted from her home.

Meanwhile, FBI investigations into the murders of a congressman and his staff uncover a shocking link to Grace’s abduction, threatening international stability.

Desperate to survive, Grace allies with an unlikely partner—a child who knows the bunker’s secrets—but as they navigate the treacherous tunnel system, a misplaced step echoes through the corridors, alerting a deranged captor who now closes in, gun in hand.

If you like Alex Cross, Gabriel Allon, you will like this unpredictable, fast-paced suspense thriller.

Click here to get your copy!

My Review:

WHEW! This is mega suspense! The author has taken this fourth book in this series to a new level. I didn't want to move, eat, or do anything but read this story. The pace doesn't let up, and neither does the plot. I would highly recommend reading this series in order though, because this doesn't feel like a standalone to me. There's FBI and so much happening in this story, and a precious child too. I want to share so much about this book, but I don't want to give anything away. It's so good, I don't want you to miss it.

5 huge Stars!

About the Author

S.F. Baumgartner writes fast-paced Christian suspense thrillers. Book 1 of her Mirror Estate series, Living Secrets, was selected as one of the Top Picks in the thriller category at Killer Nashville, 2024. Her love for writing comes second only to her love of reading. When she’s not busy writing about complex characters, secretive operatives, and relentless agents, she spends her time binge-watching crime TV shows, such as NCIS, or playing with her cats. If you enjoy James Patterson’s style—specifically short chapters—you’ll love her Mirror Estate series.

More from S.F.

I’m so excited to share Hidden Secrets, the fourth book in my Mirror Estate Psychological Thriller series. For those who’ve been following Grace Benson’s story, this is the next chapter in her journey—a deeply personal one with plenty of the twists, danger, and suspense you’ve come to expect from my writing.

If you’ve read Tangled Secrets, you know that Grace finally uncovered the truth about her birth mother. That revelation opened doors to even more questions, and in Hidden Secrets, she takes the next step: discovering the identity of her birth father. Of course, in Grace’s world, nothing is ever simple. This isn’t just a straightforward search for a man from her past—it’s a journey wrapped in danger, deception, and murder.

Writing this book was such an adventure for me. Grace is a character I’ve grown to love, and putting her through these intense, high-stakes situations is always a mix of excitement and challenge. This time, she’s dealing with abduction, espionage, and a web of lies that keeps tightening around her. Every step she takes toward the truth comes with a cost, and watching her face these challenges while staying true to herself was as rewarding to write as I hope it is for you to read.

But I’ll admit, Hidden Secrets didn’t come together without a few struggles. I rewrote several scenes to make sure the story flowed the way it needed to. The pacing, the tension, and the timing of the twists had to be just right. I love keeping readers on the edge of their seats, but it takes some effort to make sure every piece falls into place.

One of the things I think makes this book stand out is how personal it is for Grace. Yes, there’s plenty of action, danger, and intrigue, but at its core, this story is about family and identity. Grace’s search for her father forces her to confront parts of herself she didn’t even know were missing. I wanted readers to feel that emotional depth while still delivering the suspense and surprises that make a Mirror Estate thriller what it is.

The reviews so far have been incredible. Hearing that readers are loving Grace’s latest journey means the world to me. Some have mentioned how much they appreciated the balance between the emotional moments and the fast-paced action, which makes me feel like all those rewrites were worth it!

If you’re already a fan of the series, I think you’re going to love where this installment takes Grace. And if you’re new to Mirror Estate, don’t worry—Hidden Secrets stands on its own. You’ll get plenty of context to enjoy the story, but starting at the beginning will definitely give you a richer experience.