Collision of LIes by Tom Threadgill

Three years ago, a collision between a fast-moving freight train and a school bus full of kids led to devastation and grief on an unimaginable scale. But a fresh clue leads San Antonio police detective Amara Alvarez to the unlikely conclusion that one of the children may still be alive. If she's correct, everything law enforcement believes about the accident is a lie.

With time running out, Amara must convince others--and herself--that despite all evidence to the contrary, the boy lives. And she will do everything in her power to bring him home.

Amara Alvarez is a police detective in the burglary division of the San Antonio Property Crimes Division.  She would like nothing better than to be moved over to homicide.  She gets her chance when someone tells her their son did not die in a school bus accident that happened three years ago.
At first she has trouble believing it, then as she starts digging deeper odd things start showing up.

This is a suspenseful book.  I am more used to reading high action type books.  This book was more procedural.  Even without the high action I didn't want to put it down.  I have never read any books by Tom Threadgill before. I will look for his books from now on.  This book was sold by a Christian publisher.  There were no religious talk in this book.  There were no foul words or sex scenes at all.   Very clean.  I recommend this book to all mystery readers.

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

Woman of Sunlight by Mary Connealy

After years of isolation on top of Hope Mountain, Ilsa Nordegren may finally be ready to leave. Raised to fear the world, Ilsa and her sisters never planned on coming down, but when the Warden family arrived in need, they had to help. And it may cost them everything.

Having made his fortune, Mitch Warden returned home and found the family homestead abandoned. In a land grab, a ruthless cattle baron had forced his family to escape up the mountain, and when he follows, the last thing he expects is to fall smitten to a black-haired woman who dresses like Robin Hood.

Warden is intent on helping his family reclaim their land, but doesn't realize the risks his past has brought. Dangerous men have tracked him, and rather than risk innocent lives, he's determined to end the danger. But that means a journey to the city--and when Ilsa insists on joining him, the mismatched pair suddenly find themselves on a venture they'll never forget.

Another great book by Ms. Connealy.  This is the second book in the series. It is not necessary to read the first book but it would be beneficial to read it to understand why Ilsa is the way she is.  It was entertaining to see how Ilsa reacted to the world out side her beloved mountain.   She had never been off the mountain and then she travels by horseback and train to Chicago.  Her perspective is really enjoyable to read.  There is also a good mystery involved.  Someone is trying to kill Mitch. Little does he know that Ilsa can take care of herself in a fight.

This is a highly entertaining book and I recommend it to everyone.  It has mystery, romance and laughter all rolled into one.

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

Out of the Embers by Amanda Cabot

Ten years after her parents were killed, Evelyn Radcliffe is once more homeless. The orphanage that was her refuge and later her workplace has burned to the ground, and only she and a young orphan girl have escaped. Convinced this must be related to her parents' murders, Evelyn flees with the girl to Mesquite Springs in the Texas Hill Country and finds refuge in the home of Wyatt Clark, a talented horse rancher whose plans don't include a family of his own.

At first, Evelyn is a distraction. But when it becomes clear that trouble has followed her to Mesquite Springs, she becomes a full-blown disruption. Can Wyatt keep her safe from the man who wants her dead? And will his own plans become collateral damage?

Suspenseful and sweetly romantic, Out of the Embers is the first in a new series that invites you to the Texas Hill Country in the 1850s, when the West was wild, the men were noble, and the women were strong.

I have enjoyed previous books by Amanda Cabot and this is no exception.  Evelyn will do just about anything to keep the little girl she claims as her sister safe.  When a fire at the orphanage kills everyone but her and Evelyn, she does the only thing she can think of to do.  Run.  They end up in Mesquite Springs during a terrible thunderstorm.  Wyatt rescues them and  takes them home with him so his ma and sister can take care of them.

The back of the book calls this suspenseful and sweetly romantic. There is a mystery but I would not call it suspenseful.  It was romantic.  I enjoyed the book and would recommend it.  A nice enjoyable read.

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

The Land Beneath Us by Sarah Sundin

In 1943, Private Clay Paxton trains hard with the US Army Rangers at Camp Forrest, Tennessee, determined to do his best in the upcoming Allied invasion of France. With his future stolen by his brothers' betrayal, Clay has only one thing to live for--fulfilling the recurring dream of his death.

Leah Jones works as a librarian at Camp Forrest, longing to rise above her orphanage upbringing and belong to the community, even as she uses her spare time to search for her real family--the baby sisters she was separated from so long ago.

After Clay saves Leah's life from a brutal attack, he saves her virtue with a marriage of convenience. When he ships out to train in England for D-day, their letters bind them together over the distance. But can a love strong enough to overcome death grow between them before Clay's recurring dream comes true?

This was a great ending to the Sunrise at Normandy series.  This is Clay's story.  He has a recurring dream where he sees himself dying during battle.  He meets Leah and saves her life during a vicious attack.  He marries her to give her respectable after the attack and so that she will have some income from his allotment.  This story also tells of the reunion of the three brothers who fought and haven't seen each other for three years.  If you haven't read the first two books in the series, it would be beneficial to do so.   Its not necessary, but it would give you a better understanding of Wyatt and Adler and why Clay has trouble forgiving his brothers.

I highly  recommend this book and the other two in the series.

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

The Fifth Avenue Story Society by Rachel Hauck

An invitation to join The Fifth Avenue Story Society gives five New York strangers a chance to rewrite their own stories.

Executive assistant Lexa is eager for a much-deserved promotion, but her boss is determined to keep her underemployed.

Literature professor Jett is dealing with a broken heart, as well as a nagging suspicion his literary idol, Gordon Phipps Roth, might be a fraud.

Uber driver Chuck just wants a second chance with his kids.

Aging widower Ed is eager to write the true story of his incredible marriage.

Coral, queen of the cosmetics industry, has broken her engagement and is on the verge of losing her great grandmother’s multimillion-dollar empire.

When all five New Yorkers receive an anonymous, mysterious invitation to the Fifth Avenue Story Society, they suspect they’re victims of a practical joke. No one knows who sent the invitations or why. No one has heard of the literary society. And no one is prepared to reveal their deepest secrets to a roomful of strangers.

Yet curiosity and loneliness bring them back week after week to the old library. And it’s there they discover the stories of their hearts, and the kind of friendship and love that heals their souls. 

I had some trouble getting into this book.  There are a lot of characters and their story had to be set up.  Once I got into the book it was really good.  It was interesting how all their stories seemed to inter twine with each other.  There was only one character that was Christian in the book.  By the end of the book she had the others interested in learning about God.

I recommend this book to everyone.  Just don't give up on the beginning.  It is a very good book.

I received this book from Thomas Nelson Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way.

On Wings of Devotions by Roseanna M. White

All of England thinks Phillip Camden a monster--a man who deliberately caused the deaths of his squadron. But as nurse Arabelle Denler watches the so-dubbed "Black Heart" every day, she sees something far different: a hurting man desperate for mercy. And when their paths twist together and he declares himself her new protector, she realizes she has her own role to play in his healing.

Phillip Camden would have preferred to die that day with his squadron rather than be recruited to the Admiralty's codebreaking division. The threats he receives daily are no great surprise and, in his opinion, well deserved. What comes as a shock is the reborn desire to truly live that Arabelle inspires in him.

But when an old acquaintance shows up and seems set on using him in a plot that has the codebreakers of Room 40 in a frenzy, new affections are put to the test.

I really like this book.  There was a lot of mystery involved.  Phillip is running away from what happened to his squadron and also from God.  He is a very disliked man and he does everything he can to be disliked.  Arabelle is a nurse who sees him walk by her window every day.  When she meets him, she seems to look into his very soul and see the hurting man that he is. As the story unfolds, we learn more about what really happened to his squadron. Also, about the spies at work in England.

I would recommend this book to all mystery buffs who like romance thrown in.

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

The Brightest of Dreams by Susan Anne Mason

Quinten Aspinall is determined to fulfill a promise he made to his deceased father to keep his family together. To do so, he must travel to Canada to find his younger siblings, who were sent there as indentured workers while Quinn was away at war. He is also solicited by his employer to look for the man's niece who ran off with a Canadian soldier. If Quinn can bring Julia back, he will receive his own tenant farm, enabling him to provide a home for his ailing mother and siblings.

Julia Holloway's decision to come to Toronto has been met with disaster. When her uncle's employee rescues her from a bad situation, she fears she can never repay Quinn's kindness. So when he asks her to help find his sister, she agrees. Soon after, however, Julia receives some devastating news that changes everything.

Torn between reuniting his family and protecting Julia, will Quinn have to sacrifice his chance at happiness to finally keep his promise?

There were parts that really took my interest and I had to finish reading that section before doing anything else.  There were other parts that was slow moving.  It was interesting to learn about the orphanages in England and how they shipped children off to Canada for a supposed better life.  Sometimes without the consent of their parents.

I like to go back and reread books.  This is not one that I will be rereading.  That being said, it's not a bad book.  I just prefer mystery/suspense over this type of book.

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