Suspense Sisters: November Giveaway

Bookish Gift Ideas!

 Melissa here! As we are entering the holiday season (yay!), I’m thinking of what to get my family. If you have any book lovers on your list, here are some great ideas. Or…send this list to someone as a hint for shopping for you…

 (All links lead to either Amazon or Etsy.)

Who doesn’t need a bookmark collection?

Monogrammed antique style bookmark

It says for kids, but aren’t we all kids at heart?

Squashed animal bookmarks

Pretty!

pressed leaf filigree bookmarks

 

Nothing else to say. Leave me alone. 😊

Just one more chapter pillow.

Just cool.

Personalized book locket

 

It’s not snarky. You should feel special you were important enough.

I closed my book to be here t-shirt

Truth.

I rescue books t-shirt

This is just neat.

Bookstore ornament (2D)

Yes, you can make your favorite book into an ornament!

Customizable book ornament

I’ve never seen this gadget before. Would be so useful while reading in bed—my hand always cramps!

Personalized book page holder

Comfy.

book scarf

A bookmark my cats (probably) won’t play with. Probably.

Personalized corner bookmark

Which one is your favorite? Or do you have another bookish idea that we book nerds would love?? Please share!

AND OF COURSE, these books are always great gift ideas!

Descended (romantic suspense, borderline speculative)

Ancient bloodlines, secret societies, an attempt on her life, and a familiar yet enigmatic stranger…

The LostLibrary (romantic suspense)

Cali Lebeau and her employer, billionaire recluse Asher Cross, discover a terrorist organization is searching for the legendary Golden Library of Moscow in order to use it for nefarious purposes. It was stolen from them by Calie's ancestor, and she holds a clue to its location. In order to free herself and Asher, Calie must race against the terrorists, find the library, and share it with the world.

DangerousBeauty (romantic suspense)

Meric Toledan keeps his dark past and his secrets to himself. But when he meets Liliana Vela, a victim of human trafficking, he finds himself ready to protect her at all costs--including asking for her hand in marriage.

NeverMiss (romantic suspense)

A female sniper saves a man’s life and, with him, falls into a search for the true source of the Ebola virus before it’s used to cripple America, all while discovering the truth about each other and their pasts.

A DreamWithin A Dream (suspense, final book in the Coffey & Hill series)

Dream is a mild-mannered forger who may or may not also be a brutal murderer. Can he help solve one of the most infamous art heists in history? 

Gratitude as Worship

November has been a month full of gratitude Facebook posts for the last decade. I've not participated in the daily thanksgiving posts, because I know myself well enough to understand that would lose steam around day 3. Not because I don't have things to be thankful for, but because I don't have the follow-through for a 30 day commitment like that. Believe me, that's not something I'm proud of; just being transparent. 

And in the name of transparency, I thought I'd give you a peek into what I've learned about gratitude in 2025. 

Since the upheaval that was 2020, life has taken on a weirdness that wasn't present before. Social media has taken the place of real, human interaction. The forced social distancing has made me comfortable staying home and avoiding people. Wins seem further apart and losses abound. Every year, I think this will be the year things go back to normal. In January, I felt sure that 2025 would be my year. The year a publisher would want to get my books into readers' hands, the year I'd figure out how to solve some things I've been struggling with. Sadly, the reality is that 2025 has been a year packed with rejection from publishers and things just not working out the way I planned them. 

Hopes have been let down harshly. Dreams have fallen apart. Prayers have seemingly been unanswered if not unheard altogether. 

I can't be the only person coming into the Thanksgiving season feeling a like I'm lacking the bandwidth to be grateful. 2025 was hard, and I'm not going to sugarcoat it. But there is One Shining Light that beamed bright in the heavy darkness of this year. His name is Jesus. 

I guess that's what 2025 has taught me. That even though the road is rough, even though different circumstances this year have played out in ways I never would have chosen, even though evidence of the brokenness of the world has appeared bigger this year than others, I haven't had to face the darkness in solitude. I'm not alone. No tear I've shed has gone unnoticed. (Ps. 56:8 "You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?") No prayer I've prayed has hit the ceiling and fallen dead to the floor. (Ps. 116:1 "I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy.") Not only does He hear my prayers, but the Holy Spirit prays for me when I don't have the ability to form words. (Romans 8:26 "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words.")

As I look back on this year, littered with wreckage of this broken world, I see hope amid the loss. Light shining through grief. I feel a peace that comforts in direct opposition to the pain and hurt and difficulty. Because through every hurdle, God's arms wrap tighter around me. His love floods my soul on the hardest days. He brings restoration to my brokenness. 

Somehow this year, my gratitude feels more like an offering to God. A choice to focus on all that He is instead of my circumstances. A decision to look for Him in the hardships rather than letting the darkness swallow me whole. For some reason the decision to be grateful makes the gratitude feel more profound. More like worship. 

I don't know what 2026 will bring. Maybe I don't want to know. Still, even though I have no wish for another year like 2025 I can be sure of one thing. And that is that God is already in 2026. He sees me, He hears me, and He cares. No matter how the year unfolds, I won't be taking a single step alone, and I will have so much to be grateful for, because the Light of Jesus shines the brightest in the dark patches life sometimes throws my way. 

What are you grateful for? Share with me below for a chance to win an ebook copy of The Purple Nightgown! 

WHAT'S HOT IN INSPIRATIONAL MYSTERY & SUSPENSE?

Wondering what's HOT in Inspirational Suspense this week? AMISH BURIAL BLUNDER by USA Today Bestselling Author Samantha Price!!

A funeral gone wrong. A coffin that shouldn’t be opened. And Ettie Smith caught in the middle—again.

Ettie Smith attends what should have been a simple Amish burial—quiet, respectful, and without incident. But when unexpected chaos disrupts the service, the grieving community is left with more questions than comfort.

Something isn’t right.

With murmurs of mistakes and secrets no one wants to speak aloud, Ettie and her sister Elsa-May set out to find answers. But the deeper they dig, the more tangled the truth becomes. Between suspicious relatives, a flustered funeral director, and a detective who’s had enough of Ettie’s 'help,' it’s clear this case won’t stay buried.

If you enjoy Amish cozy mysteries filled with small-town secrets, sharp-witted senior sleuths, and just the right amount of mischief, you’ll need to read Amish Burial Blunder—another unforgettable case in the beloved Ettie Smith Amish Mysteries.

 AMISH BURIAL BLUNDER is Book #31 in the Ettie Smith Amish Mysteries. You can pick up your own copy of this Amish Cozy Mystery with Humor and Senior Sleuths at THIS LINK! 

I hope you LOVE it! ~ Marji Laine

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 A.D. Lawrence writes about gratitude. She’s also giving away a copy of her captivating book, THE PURPLE NIGHTGOWN!

Step into True Colors -- a series of Historical Stories of Romance and True American Crime

Marvel at true but forgotten history when patients check into Linda Hazzard's Washington state spa in 1912 and soon become victim of her twisted greed.

Heiress Stella Burke is plagued by insincere suitors and nonstop headaches. Exhausting all other medical aides for her migraines, Stella reads Fasting for the Cure of Disease by Linda Hazzard and determines to go to the spa the author runs. Stella's chauffeur and long-time friend, Henry Clayton, is reluctant to leave her at the spa. Something doesn't feel right to him, still Stella submits herself into Linda Hazzard's care. Stella soon learns the spa has a dark side and Linda a mean streak. But when Stella has had enough, all ways to leave are suddenly blocked. Will Stella become a walking skeleton like many of the other patients or succumb to a worse fate?

ORDER IT HERE 

Friday, author Melissa Koslin shares “bookish” gift ideas for Christmas. You’ll love some of her great suggestions!

Of course, one of the best gifts to buy for family and friends is a copy of her wonderful book, DECSENDED!

Thousands of miles from home, Isa sees a man who looks intensely familiar. After she thwarts an attempt on her life, she escapes down the mountain with the familiar man, Xander, and he explains about four ancient bloodlines, each with its own unique set of skills: Cicero, Solomon, Sun Tzu, and Lilith. He belongs to a secret society devoted to observing and recording, but never interfering. Until now.

As Isa fights to survive, she grows close to Xander. She learns of her abilities passed down through blood and struggles to uncover the truths of her past. She decides she has to put a stop to the killing of the bloodlines and protect Xander from any further harm…even if it kills her. But will the truth of the killer's motivations and identity be too much to handle?

ORDER IT HERE 

Don’t forget to enter our monthly contest!

THE SUSPENSE SISTERS

WE LOVE BOOKS

You Can Be a Character in a Novel!

I’m attending the JustRead Rendezvous in St Louis tomorrow! If you’re going to be there too, please come by and say “Hello!” If you’re not coming, I hope you go next year. It’s such a great event.

The writing journey I’ve traveled for my next book, FATAL FINALE, has been an experience I never want to face again. The “file corruption demons” destroyed my first manuscript. I had to rewrite my entire story and then do edits to get it ready for readers. FATAL FINALE will finally be available on August 18th, 2026. No matter what bit of advice you want to give me, in the end, I’m emailing my daily work to myself. It’s the only way I feel completely safe. (Almost sounds like a suspense novel, huh? LOL!)

Here's a little about FATAL FINALE.

When bestselling author Erin Delaney's novel gets picked up for a movie deal, she eagerly awaits her friend Kaely Quinn-Hunter's arrival in Tennessee before they head to California to observe the film's production. However, when Kaely does not arrive at the scheduled time and Erin can't reach her by phone, her concern grows.

A cryptic phone call from Kaely's kidnapper confirms her worst fears--Erin has exactly six days to save her friend's life by solving his twisted clues. The man's message comes with a warning: Contact the police or FBI and Kaely dies. But Erin works for the Sanctuary Police Department and Kaely's husband is with the FBI, putting her in an impossible situation. As Erin races against time, she's forced to crack the kidnapper's chilling puzzle before it's too late.

Since FATAL FINALE won’t be available for a while, instead of giving away a book, how about a different kind of contest? Leave a comment and tell me why I should use your name in my next series. I don’t have a title yet for the first book, but it’s a series about police detectives in St. Louis. I’ve always wanted to write about detectives and am very excited to see this dream come to life.

Remember that the character won’t be YOU. I’m just using your name, although I may ask you to describe yourself so I can fold some truth into a character that might be very different from who you really are. However, you can be sure that you won’t be a villain. I don’t do that when I use the names of real people.

If I get time, I’ll check in from the conference, maybe with pictures of some of your favorite authors. That’s it for now! Be blessed!