Smoke Screen by Terri Blackstock

Nate Beckett has spent his life fighting wildfires instead of the lies and rumors that drove him from his Colorado hometown. His mother begs him to come back now that his father has been released from prison, but it isn’t until he’s sidelined by an injury that he’s forced to return and face his past. But that means facing Brenna too.
Fourteen years ago, Nate was in love with the preacher’s daughter. When Pastor Strickland discovered Brenna defied him to sneak out with Nate, the fight between Strickland and Nate’s drunken dad was loud—and very public. Strickland was found murdered later that night, and everyone accused Roy Beckett. When the church burned down not long after, people assumed Nate set the fire to get even for his father’s conviction. He let the rumors fly and left town without looking back.
Brenna is stunned to learn that the man convicted of murdering her father has been pardoned. The events of that night set her life on a bad course, and now she’s fighting a brutal custody battle with her ex and his new wife where he’s using lies and his family’s money to sway the judge. Brenna is barely hanging on, and she’s turned to alcohol to cope. Shame and fear consume her.
As Nate and Brenna deal with the present—including new information about that fateful night and a wildfire that’s threatening their town—the past keeps igniting. Nate is the steady force Brenna has so desperately needed. But she’ll have to learn to trust him again first.

This book is different than other books I've read by Ms Blackstock.  I didn't find it had the suspense as her previous novels.  That said, it was still a good book.   Brenna is having a hard time coping with her ex-husband trying to get full custody of their children.  She turns to alcohol to help her.  Only thing is, it doesn't help.  Nate is back to his home town recovering from burns he received as a hotshot smoke jumper.  The problem is Nate's dad was put in prison for murdering Brenna's dad.  I enjoyed reading this book and recommend it to others.

I was given this book by Thomas Nelson Publishing via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way.

A Distance Too Grand by Regina Scott

Meg Pero has been assisting her photographer father since she was big enough to carry his equipment, so when he dies she is determined to take over his profession--starting with fulfilling the contract he signed to serve on an Army survey of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in 1871. What she doesn't realize is that the leader of the expedition is none other than the man she once refused to marry.

Captain Ben Coleridge would like nothing more than to leave without the woman who broke his heart, but he refuses to wait even one more day to get started. This survey is a screen for another, more personal mission, one he cannot share with any member of his team.

As dangers arise from all sides, including within the survey party, Meg and Ben must work together to stay alive, fulfill their duties, and, just maybe, rekindle a love that neither had completely left behind.

I found this book to be very good.  This is a story about Capt. Coleridge who is looking for a road through the Grand Canyon and Meg Pero who has been hired to be the photographer for the expedition.   When Meg arrives at the fort she is told she can't go along on the expedition because she is a women.  She fights for her right to go as she has a contract.  Unbeknownst to her, the leader of the expedition is none other than the man whose marriage proposal she turned down.  This is the story of how they reconnected and the mapping of the road through the  Grand Canyon. 

This is the first book I've read by this author and look forward to reading more.

I was given this book by Revell Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way. 

The Rebel Bride by Shannon McNear

During the clash between Union and Confederacy, quiet Tennessean Pearl MacFarlane is compelled to nurse both Rebel and Yankee wounded who seek refuge at her family’s farm. She is determined to remain unmoved by the Yankee cause—until she faces the silent struggle of Union soldier Joshua Wheeler, a recent amputee. The MacFarlane family fits no stereotype Joshua believed in; still he is desperate to regain his footing—as a soldier, as a man, as a Christian—in the aftermath of his debilitating injury. He will use his time behind enemy lines to gather useful intelligence for the Union—if the courageous Rebel woman will stay out of the line of danger.

This is a very good book.  It was quite an eye opener about the hardships of the people after a battle was fought.  Not only were the battles fought right on their properties.  But they were expected to take in wounded enemy soldiers and tend them after the battle.  This is what happened to the MacFarlane family.  Pearl has lost three brothers to the war.  Now she is expected to care for those responsible for their death.  Against her will she is drawn to one of the Union soldiers.  This is their story about how they overcome their differences. 

I recommend this book. I was given this book Barbour Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way.

The Wedding Dress Christmas by Rachel Hauck

December comes to quaint Hearts Bend, Tennessee, with a blanket of white and the glitter of Christmas lights.

For JoJo Castle there is no place like home. Her onetime love of adventure ended when her life in the big city came crashing down. Now that she’s home, she never wants to leave again.

Country music sensation Buck Mathews has charmed the world with his smile and his music. However, news of his mother’s illness brought him home to Hearts Bend for the holiday season.

Working with her cousin Haley in The Wedding Shop, JoJo has no aspirations of love. But when her high school crush returns to town, her buried feelings surface.

Busy with his career, Buck hasn’t had time for family and friends, much less love. Seeing JoJo in The Wedding Shop reminds him there are things more important than his career.

But JoJo and Buck have opposing life goals, and there’s no middle ground. Can love, especially the kind that touches hearts at Christmas, overcome her fears and his quest for greatness?

With the help of a very special wedding dress, there just might be a Christmas miracle.

This is a cute continuation of the Wedding Dress series. Buck and JoJo meet up again after years of being apart.  The spark is still there and this book is about their journey to happy ever after.   This can be read as a stand alone book, but characters from previous books showed up to visit in this book. The other Wedding Dress books are good so I would recommend reading them as well. 

I was given this book by the author for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way.

Always Look Twice by Elizabeth Goddard

At the advice of her therapist, homicide survivor Harper Reynolds has traded her job as a crime scene photographer for a more peaceful life taking photographs of the natural world. But her hopes for a life surrounded by the serenity of the outdoors are dashed when she inadvertently captures a murder being committed in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She flees the scene in fear--and loses the camera.

Former Green Beret Heath McKade is a reserve deputy in an understaffed county who has been called in to protect Harper, a childhood friend he is surprised to see back in the area. When Harper learns that the sheriff's department can't find any evidence of the murder she witnessed, she is determined to do what she can to see that justice is done. What neither Harper nor Heath could know is how many explosive secrets from the past will be exposed--or how deeply they will fall for each other.

This is book 2 of the Uncommon Justice series.  There are a few references to the first book in this book.  It's not necessary to read the first book to enjoy this book. 

Harper is trying to get her life back on an even keel.  She is on a leave of absence from her job to do just that.  With her sister they are traveling the country in an RV.  While in her hometown she witnesses a murder and runs for her life.  Heath McKade, an old friend from years ago discovers her.  As a reserve deputy, he is put in charge of her protection.  There are several attempts made on her life and Heath keeps thinking he is failing her.  Harper is learning to stand and fight back against her survivor guilt complex.  Health doesn't want to be classed as a hero because he thinks he always fails.  This book has lots of twists and turns for the mystery lover.  I can't wait to read Liam's story.

I was given this book by Revell Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way.