SUSPENSE SISTERS: SEPTEMBER GIVEAWAY

Suspense Sisters: September Giveaway

Come Forth as Gold

 

"But He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. 

          Job 23:10

I don't know how to describe what I am going through right now, a desert time, a season of solitude, a time of waiting and wondering where God is in all this. For some time now, I have felt that something should change in my life with my writing and yet, I feel stuck and not sure what I should do. Also, as a widow, I experience a lot of loneliness and I have felt it more deeply in the past few months. It feels like I'm always having to drum up social interaction texting friends all the time to see if they want to get together. Often, they are busy with spouses or grandchildren. I am longing for a more connected life and for a community of people who are more available. I've been praying for that. And so, I wait and I pray. 

I'm sure that verse in James where it says we should rejoice in our trials came into your mind. I know it always does for me. While I know no one ever does a cheer and yells "Hip hip hooray another trial" I have been trying to practice gratitude in the midst of this feeling stuck. I ask God for the baby steps to do each day to change what my life looks like. And I wait and I pray and I pray some more. And sometimes I grow impatient. This is a trust exercise between me and God and sometimes I don't pass the trust test. 

I love the visual that that verse in Job gives of coming forth as gold. Such a beautiful picture of how trials shape us into something of value. And I am holding on to that. It gives me hope. How about you? Do you recall a desert time or a time of waiting? How did it turn out? Maybe you are in the midst of a trial right now or wondering if God has lost your number. I'd love to hear about it. Leave a comment with your email address. I will choose three people to receive a copy of my Love Inspired Suspense title Defending the Child (USA only).   

Sharon Dunn

WHAT'S NEW in Christian Mystery and Suspense

Marji Laine here. 

Camy Tang's mysteries always hold unexpected turns and a chance to laugh. I can't wait to read this one. 

Sushi and Suspicions

by Camy Tang

---

She knows firearms. He knows criminals. Together they may survive the truth.

Liv Whelan's world ignites into chaos when her California tactical training center is ravaged by wildfires, but suspicions arise that the fire was no accident. Amidst the ruins, Liv’s old college roommate offers an escape to the lush tranquility of Hawaii.

Yet the islands hold their own secrets, and a lucrative job opportunity morphs into a sinister plot framing Liv for the theft of an antique rifle that belonged to one of the Hawaiian princes. Determined to prove her innocence, she hires private investigator Lennox Chang, who is reluctantly impressed by Liv’s gun expertise and help in the investigation.

But as romance blossoms under the Hawaiian sun, so do threats from unexpected quarters. Together, they must trust in God to help them expose the truth connected to the calamity back in California and the perils in paradise.

SUSPENSE SISTERS: AUGUST GIVEAWAY

Suspense Sisters: August Giveaway

THIS WEEK ON THE SUSPENSE SISTERS

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

On Tuesday, Suspense Sister Marji Laine will tell us what’s hot in inspirational suspense and mystery.

Wednesday, Suspense Sister Sharon Dunn will talk about Job and what it’s like when we go through trials. She’s also giving away a few copies of her wonderful book, DEFENDING THE CHILD.

Caught in a mountain blizzard with a child to protect.

After Marielle Coleman’s foster son witnesses his mother’s murder, he becomes a killer’s next target. Escaping into a raging Montana snowstorm, Marielle and her little boy hide at a remote camp—and unexpectedly reunite with her ex-fiancé, Graham Flynn, an undercover DEA agent. Now Graham and Marielle must put aside their distrust to save the child from dangerous pursuers. But Graham’s still hiding secrets from Marielle…ones that could tie them all to a conspiracy that will end their lives.

From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.

ORDER IT HERE 

On Friday, Suspense Sister Mary Alford will share how reading classic gothic suspense authors such as Phyllis A. Whitney, Victoria Holt, and Mary Stewart inspired her love of atmospheric stories filled with mysterious houses, buried family secrets, and heroines who aren’t sure whom to trust. She’ll also talk about what it was like to step beyond her usual romantic suspense genre and write THE MEMORY HOUSE, a psychological thriller with gothic undertones that explores memory, identity, and family secrets. She’ll also give away an eBook copy to one reader.

THE MEMORY HOUSE

Some truths aren't buried.
They're hidden inside us.

When grief counselor Elise Warren inherits Coldwater Hollow, the crumbling Victorian estate of her estranged father, she expects to settle his affairs and finally leave the past behind.

Instead, she finds hidden journals, secret recordings, and evidence that her father’s controversial psychological treatments may have harmed more than they healed.

As Elise digs deeper, fragments of her childhood begin surfacing—memories of a frightened girl named Ivy, whispered warnings from her long-missing mother, and a darkness lurking beneath the house itself.

But the more Elise uncovers, the less she trusts her own mind.
Someone has been inside Coldwater Hollow.
Someone is watching her search for answers.

And someone desperately wants one missing piece of evidence to stay buried. Because if Elise remembers what really happened twenty years ago, she may discover that the greatest mystery was never what happened to Ivy.

It's who Ivy was.

And the truth could destroy everything she believes about herself.

THE MEMORY HOUSE is a gripping psychological suspense novel about memory, identity, and the dangerous secrets families bury in the name of protection.

PREORDER IT HERE 

Don’t forget to enter our monthly contest!

THE SUSPENSE SISTERS

WE LOVE BOOKS

BOOK REVIEW: When the Silence Breaks by Elizabeth Goddard

Marji Laine here. 

I always get excited when Elizabeth Goddard releases a new book. I spent last week with her latest! Oh. Wow! First, I am so pumped that this is the first book of a new series. I can’t wait for February for the next edition of Mercy Ridge!

Second, this book has the perfect mix of intensity, mystery, and romance.

Even the book’s first page twisted up my insides. I have driven mountain roads before. The tension wrapped around my middle and kept tightening with every turn. Then on Sarah Ellison’s brief hike, I felt like the rug was ripped out from under me. To say I wasn’t expecting what happened is putting it lightly. And that was all in just the first chapters.

I love the fact that the author uses not only a criminal element to build suspense, but a natural one to deepen it and send it out of control. And I love the fact, probably because of the natural element, that the Lord is the reasonable call.

Elizabeth Goddard gives a clever mastery of the suspense element. In addition, she has an excellent rhythm for the breaths that a reader needs before the next intensity begins. That’s crucial. Readers need to breathe and have a chance to let down their guard for a bit. Goddard’s timing is perfect!

As for the mystery, that is another stroke of genius that develops seamlessly. The fact that family members would want to protect each other from a volatile truth is completely believable, as is the guilt they might very well have felt. This intrigue stunned me with how real it felt.

And then there is the romance. Sarah seeks out Ryder Goodwin because of his knowledge of the mountain and expertise in guiding people in the area. That and the intel she is able to dig up on him. She doesn’t expect the man to have such deep compassion. I got the feeling early on that his kindness, like with his mom, sort of broke away the callouses on Sarah’s heart.

The fact that he saves lives and is drop-dead gorgeous doesn’t hurt.

And I think he certainly notices her beauty. But he has walls up, a past that still haunts him, and no room for someone else who can cause him pain. Her surprising personality starts carving away the stone. And the life-threatening issues just amplify every emotion.

All of the elements come together like the painting of a master. The story has stayed with me even now, over a week since I finished the book. I’ve even started a few other books, but had to stop them. What can I say? They just didn’t measure up! You have to read this book! 

Here’s a little more about the story:

A deathbed confession. A decades-old secret. A mountain that holds the answers--and danger closing in.

When intelligence analyst Sarah Ellison learns of her grandfather's deathbed confession connected to her brother's murder, she's determined to protect her remaining family. After further investigation, she discovers the disclosed information points to a decades-old government secret buried deep in the Cascade Mountains. With this knowledge, she looks for a guide who knows the terrain like the back of their hand.

After his father's death in a tragic mountain accident, former Navy SEAL Ryder Goodwin no longer guides for the family business. At first, Ryder refuses to help Sarah, but he sees the trouble chasing her and can't stand by while someone brings danger to his small-town mountain community.

Ryder and Sarah gear up to climb the mountain in a race against time and a looming storm. When the danger escalates, their search for answers shifts to a survival mission. Their only chance to make it through involves trusting each other and confronting the truth no one wants them to find.

This gripping romantic-suspense thriller set in the Pacific Northwest from USA Today bestselling author Elizabeth Goddard is a series opener that will sweep you away in a rush of adrenaline.

Get your own copy HERE!