January Giveaway

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BOOK REVIEW: Hidden Dangers by Jennifer Pierce

 

Marji Laine here. 

After reading about the accomplishments and accolades of Jennifer Pierce, I’m a little embarrassed to tell you that she is a new-to-me author. But then, after reading her latest release, HIDDEN DANGER, I can certainly see why she’s received so many accolades!

This book seemed to have a slower start from most suspense that I read, but it lured me into a false sense of relaxation. Boy, did it ever! Every time Maggie and Cody thought they knew what to expect next, the rug was pulled out from under them.

Not that they were always wrong. It was just the process of chipping away at the evidence (or in this case, the lack thereof), while attempting to hide from a stalker who seemed to know and see everything.

Most of the time, mysteries illicit questions like, who would do that, why is she targeted, or how was the attack planned. For me, I always ask, Why now? What has happened or is about to happen that elicited such a violent response? In some stories, the answer is obvious and doesn’t give much help in solving the mystery. In this one, the question just kept coming up in my mind.

And when I did get to the end, I was in trouble! I was listening to the audiobook in my car, while driving. And it didn’t matter that I anticipated what was coming, I struggled to keep my foot light on the gas pedal during the intensity of the final attack. And there were so many police cruisers on the freeway. I'd look down and find I was going way too fast again every few seconds. 

I guess that describes my reaction to this suspense pretty well. LOL! Thankfully, my realization of my speeding usually came before I saw the next cruiser! Whew! 

So to say, “I loved it,” is an understatement. Jennifer Pierce has become a new favorite. I can’t wait to read more of her books!

Here’s a little about HIDDEN DANGER:

All Maggie Jones wants to do is sell her late father’s property and get out of Whitehaven, Texas as fast as possible - before she runs into the one man she’s spent the past six years avoiding. Someone has other plans for her, though. Sinister plans. And when a seemingly harmless act of vandalism turns into a series of menacing threats, she has no choice but to turn to last person on earth she wants to see for help.

Sheriff Cody Smith never expected to see Maggie again, especially after he’d broken her heart all those years ago. Maybe this is the second chance he’s always wanted. But when he realizes Maggie’s in grave danger, he intends to keep her safe at all costs. With lines from an old nursery rhyme as their only clue, he needs to find out who’s behind this deadly game before the rhyme ends and Maggie’s time runs out. Can he protect her, catch the bad guy, and make amends for past wrongs? Or will old wounds get in the way?

Get your copy of HIDDEN DANGER here!

I hope you LOVE it!

FIGHTER, NOT VICTIM

I like writing strong women. I’ve written women who are CIA snipers, underground fighters, and lots of things in between. At a glance, Dangerous Beauty may seem like a departure from that. Liliana was captured and torn from her home. Her family was murdered in front of her. She’s in a foreign country with a limited understanding of the language, no understanding of her legal rights, no money, no transportation, no great skills, and no contacts (literally no one left in the world). She’s seen death. She’s been battered and molested.

But Liliana is not weak. She refuses to see herself as a victim. She understands that as soon as she does that, she’s given up her power and her enemies have won. She’s a fighter, not a victim.

Along the way, she helps others whenever she can. She helps the girlfriend of an enemy, she helps women trapped in the clutches of evil human traffickers, and she helps Meric overcome his past, his origins. Meric is certainly a hero, but Liliana is not a damsel in distress. She’s just as much the hero of the story as he is.

And she does this all while keeping her faith. Not just keep it but live it.

I really wanted to write a different kind of strong woman. Someone soft. Someone without some great talent or skill. Someone poor with little knowledge of the world. She has nothing, literally nothing but the dress on her back (not even shoes), and she frees four women from slavery and one man from his self-induced cage.

Watching Liliana unfold on the page makes me want to be a better person.

She makes me think of what I can do to help others. Not even in some great way. We have opportunities to help others every day.

That clerk at the grocery store who is always in a bad mood, smile at her. Ask her about her unique name on her name badge. Complement her hair or her nails.

Take the neighbors some cookies when they move in. Make an extra loaf of pumpkin bread at Thanksgiving. Give them a tin of goodies at Christmas. (You may notice a theme of sweets with me!)

That HVAC tech or plumber or electrician who went the extra mile for you, reach out to his boss and tell them how great he is, specifically what he does that’s so helpful. Write a great review online.

Just smiling and being kind in every day interactions can have a wonderful effect on the world. What if everyone did that? What if we all set aside our stress and anxiety and put others first, even just for a few moments? Everyone is going through something. You and I are not the only ones struggling. We should never assume our load is heavier than anyone else’s. A lot of people hide how much stress they’re under, how they’re at the end of their ropes. Just be kind to everyone. Maybe the kindness we share with others will help that person hold on just a little longer.

Amazon

Baker Publishing Group

Melissa Koslin is a fourth-degree black belt in and certified instructor of Songahm Taekwondo. In her day job as a commercial property manager, she secretly notes personal quirks and funny situations, ready to tweak them into colorful additions for her books. She and Corey, her husband of twenty years, live in Florida, where they do their best not to melt in the sun.

What's HOT in Inspirational Suspense and Mystery

Wondering what's new in inspirational suspense and mystery? Revell Publishing has just released three romantic suspense novellas, CORNERED, by Lynette Eason, Lynn H. Blackburn and Natalie Waters. Here's a little bit about the book:

Prepare for triple the thrills in these nail-biting page-turners! In In the Dark, an accountant uncovers cryptic clues following a co-worker's "accidental" death. In Downfall, Detective Donovan Bledsoe's ex-girlfriend is endangered while employed at an exclusive resort. And when Lahela Young becomes the target of Perilous Obsession, she turns to former police officer Briggs Turner.

You can buy CORNERED - Three Romantic Suspense Novellas HERE from Revell Publishing.

Hope you have a great week of reading, lovers of inspirational suspense and mystery.

Mary Ellis,  Suspense Sisters

THIS WEEK ON THE SUSPENSE SISTERS

We have exciting things planned for you this week on the Suspense Sisters!

On Tuesday, Mary Ellis shares what’s hot in inspirational suspense.

Wednesday, Suspense Sister Melissa Koslin talks about strong women and kindness. She also shares about her book, A DANGEROUS BEAUTY.

Liliana Vela hates the term victim. She's not a victim, she's a fighter. Stubborn and strong with a quiet elegance, she's determined to take back her life after escaping the clutches of human traffickers in her poor Mexican village. But she can't stay safely over the border in America--unless the man who aided in her rescue is serious about his unconventional proposal to marry her.

Meric Toledan was just stopping at a service station for a bottle of water. Assessing the situation, he steps in to rescue Liliana from traffickers. If he can keep his secrets at bay, his wealth and position afford him many resources to help her. But the mysterious buyer who funded her capture will not sit idly by while his prize is stolen from him.

Melissa Koslin throws you right into the middle of the action in this high-stakes thriller that poses the question: What is the price of freedom?

ORDER IT HERE 

Friday, author Marji Laine interviews author Jennifer Pierce about her book, HIDDEN DANGER.

All Maggie Jones wants to do is sell her late father’s property and get out of Whitehaven, Texas as fast as possible - before she runs into the one man she’s spent the past six years avoiding. Someone has other plans for her, though. Sinister plans. And when a seemingly harmless act of vandalism turns into a series of menacing threats, she has no choice but to turn to last person on earth she wants to see for help.

Sheriff Cody Smith never expected to see Maggie again, especially after he’d broken her heart all those years ago. Maybe this is the second chance he’s always wanted. But when he realizes Maggie’s in grave danger, he intends to keep her safe at all costs. With lines from an old nursery rhyme as their only clue, he needs to find out who’s behind this deadly game before the rhyme ends and Maggie’s time runs out. Can he protect her, catch the bad guy, and make amends for past wrongs? Or will old wounds get in the way?

ORDER IT HERE 

Don’t forget to enter our monthly contest!

THE SUSPENSE SISTERS

WE LOVE BOOKS

HOPE AND WEATHERING STORMS

 by Patricia Bradley

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all - 

Emily Dickinson

 

The poem by Emily Dickinson is one of my favorites...maybe because hope drives me to do the things I do when life tells me it's time to give up. Ever been there? It's like winter in my soul, and lately, it seems to be the only place I can be. So how does one keep going when pulling the covers over our head is so appealing? 

Since it's not fair to ask a question without attempting to answer it, here goes. When life backs me against the wall and kicks me when I'm down, I remember two very different people. 

First, Paul when he and Silas were thrown into prison. What did they do? They sang hymns and praises to God. If you want to see what the prison looked like, click here for photos of the prison. I'll wait for you to check it out...Don't know about you, but I would find it really difficult to pray in a place like that. 

But Paul's hope was in something beyond him. It didn't mean he wouldn't face hardship. It did mean he didn't face it alone. And neither do you. God is always a prayer away. 

Sometimes, we have to have a fighter's mentality, and the second person I think of is...Rocky Balboa. How many times have you seen the clip of him running on the beach as he trained...or the one with his hands raised high in the air in victory? He never gave up. What if he'd quit the last day before his fight?

I wrote for thirty-two years before my first book was published. Along the way, God gave me what I call "God-winks". The very first thing I ever wrote was published by Woman's World. And every time I was about to give up, they bought another story. You can read the last one on my website. Click here. 

But what if I'd given up at the beginning of year thirty? That's when Revell offered me a contract for Shadows of the Past. And this year I return to Logan Point, the setting of the first series with a new book!

Sometimes it's good to revisit our victories when life throws those fastballs, and then do the next right thing. Remember Paul and Silas, and turn to God and praise Him no matter what the circumstances. And then get back up and try again like Rocky Balboa. Remember, winter will pass and spring is coming!

And now back to my writing cave to work on edits for that book that releases in November. 

Leave a comment or a prayer request and I will pray for you...and enter you in a drawing for a Spring garden flag. My daughter makes them so it will be special. :-)