Explosive Force by Lynette Eason

Military K-9 Unit Series

This book is a page-turner!

Heidi Jenks, reporter, happens to be at the right place at the right time for a story exclusive—except she sees the bomber run from the building. Worse still, he sees her. From then on, she’s in danger.

First Lieutenant Nick Donovan has a duty to protect Heidi even though he doesn’t like or trust reporters. He’s drawn to her despite their differences as his protective instincts escalate to high gear.

Nick saves Heidi’s life and quickly captivates her heart. She fears the bomber yet refuses to allow him to keep her from her job of reporting the news. Her reporter father has been her role model her whole life—and he lost his life tracking down the truth of a story.

She prays it doesn’t come to that for her.

Realistic yet lovable characters quickly endeared themselves to me. Real danger is around every corner for Heidi, making this romantic suspense novel an adventurous read.

I will look for more books by this author.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Christianbook.com

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Home of Our Hearts by Robin Jones Gunn

Christy & Todd: The Married Years Series, Book 2

Sometimes it’s hard to keep a promise.

Christy had promised her best friend that she’d be at her wedding—only it’s in Kenya.

Todd’s long ago promise that he’d be at his dad’s wedding is now coming true. The problem is that the ceremony is in the Canary Islands where his dad will live with his bride. Thousands of miles will separate Todd from his father in the future but that’s not all—the Todd and Christy had been living in his father’s home that must now be sold.

Loss of jobs, financial difficulties, and serious illness of a family member plague the young couple expecting their first child.

This young adult novel is an easy read. Lovable characters easily drew me into their world. They made me want to spend more time with them so it’s great that this is a series.

I enjoyed this story.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Christianbook.com

House of Secrets by Ramona Richards

This Love Inspired Suspense novel kept me on the edge of my seat!

June Eaton is a strong woman, a leader in her community because of her deceased husband’s position as pastor of the church. She moved from the parsonage after his death three years ago, though longing to stay in the Victorian home with all its hidden rooms and compartments.

Sheriff Ray Taylor cares about June—and those feelings shift into overdrive when she finds the new pastor murdered at the parsonage. June is in constant danger from the murderer because she interrupted the pair. Yet the danger opens old wounds for her that are difficult to overcome.

This book is a page turner! I was constantly worried for June and what would happen next. The parsonage fascinated me. Loved these believable characters. The sheriff is a true hero in a tough situation.

Well-written. Recommend!

-Sandra Merville Hart

 

The Silent Noisy Night by Jill Roman Lord

This children’s picture book is a sweet story of the night Jesus was born.

With all the stable animals making noises and the angels singing their praises to God, it wasn’t a very “silent” night at all.

I loved this book and bought it to read to my two-year-old grandson. He loves books about animals and children—I can’t wait to read it to him.

Children up to age six will enjoy this story.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Christianbook.com

Holiday Homecoming by Jean C. Gordon

Part of The Donnelly Brother Series

This Love Inspired novel is a Christmas romance!

Natalie Delacrioix had turned down Connor Donnelly’s marriage proposal at Christmas several years ago to pursue career opportunities in broadcasting. Only things didn’t go as planned. She’s out of a job and back at home helping her mother recover from health issues … and wondering how her first glimpse of Conner since rejecting his proposal will go.

Conner, now the pastor of a congregation, hopes that Natalie volunteering to lead the Christmas pageant as choir director will mend the breach between them … somehow. He can’t forget her rejection of his Christmas proposal. Will he be disappointed again?

I enjoy novels set during the holidays. This lighthearted romance took me to the snowy New England area of the United States. I enjoyed the story.

-Sandra Merville Hart

The Ornament Keeper by Eva Marie Everson

A great book!

This contemporary novella is about a couple separated at Christmas. Felicia and Jackson were nearing their twenty-year anniversary when he moved out.

In spite of the separation, their three children are excited about continuing family traditions of selecting a live tree and decorating for Christmas. Felicia reluctantly agrees but tells them she’ll put on the ornaments herself.

The memories stirred by these decorations take Felicia—and readers—through the painful mistakes both she and Jackson made in their marriage.

I loved this story. The characters are believable though sometimes Felicia’s choices frustrated me. The story is woven in such a way that readers experience the children’s pain and loss as they try to cope with the situation. Though told in Felicia’s perspective, the honesty of the writing showed Jackson’s heartache and loneliness as well.

This well-written story is brutally honest. Inspiring. Recommend!

-Sandra Merville Hart

Christianbook.com

 

A Wreath of Snow by Liz Curtis Higgs

This historical romance is set in Stirling, Scotland, during Christmas of 1894.

Meg Campbell should never have come home for Christmas. She missed her parents, but her brother, Alan, always managed to poison her visits with his bitter remarks. On Christmas Eve, she couldn’t leave Stirling quickly enough.

Gordon Shaw’s business in Stirling had been accomplished without anyone recognizing him as the one who’d caused an accident a dozen years ago that crippled a boy, Alan Campbell. Gordon couldn’t leave Stirling quickly enough.

A chance meeting on a train might have ended there—except for the falling snow that created its own problems.

I loved this multi-layered story with relatable, wounded characters. Higgs reaches deeply to touch their hearts and, in doing so, touches the hearts of readers.

Well-written. Moving. This one will stay with you.

Recommend!

-Sandra Merville Hart

Christianbook.com

 

One Small Donkey by Dandi Daley Mackall

A Christmas story

One small donkey wishes he were big like the horses that pass by on the road near his home.

He is not fast.

Yet this little donkey has a very important job…

This Christmas book will appeal to young children from toddlers to early elementary grades.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Christianbook.com

Liar’s Winter by Cindy K. Sproles

Lochiel Ogle has a mark on her face. Her family hides her away in their mountain home so others won’t see the “mark of the Devil.” Her own mother is afraid of her. Her father is the only one who acts as if he cares for her. Then her brother, Gerald, tries to kill her.

When he finds out she did not die, he is determined to finish what he started.

Lochiel runs for her life and learns some secrets that Gerald had been keeping from her. Life-changing secrets.

This story snagged my interest from the beginning. I have a hard time reading stories with such a cruel character, but I stuck with it because the story compelled me to keep reading. I stayed up late to finish the book because I had to know what happened.

Sproles has crafted a book about so much more than events. Lochiel’s journey of fear is also a journey of discovery—about life, prejudice, superstition, and God’s love.

Well-written. Moving. This one will stay with you.

Recommend!

-Sandra Merville Hart

Christianbook.com

 

To Everything a Season by Lauraine Snelling

Song of Blessing Series – Book 1

The town of Blessing, North Dakota, experiences a growth spurt in 1905. The new hospital keeps its two doctors busy and they request student nurses from Chicago. The doctors will receive help; the nurses will receive training.

Miriam Hastings is in nursing school in Chicago. Her family relies on the little bit of money she can give them. Her younger brothers and sisters do whatever jobs they can to feed themselves and their ailing mother. Miriam can’t go to Blessing and leave the family who needs her. But she must.

Trygve Knutson quits his job leading a construction crew that often keeps him on the road. He falls in love with the new nurse and dreams of their future.

There are multiple story threads in this novel, written in multiple viewpoints. This is book one of a new series, yet it constantly references events that took place in other novels in earlier series. The characters in the huge Bjorklund family are lovable, yet for me, as a new reader to the whole series, I couldn’t keep the characters straight. Nor does there seem to be any one main character—unless she is Ingeborg Bjorklund.

I do believe that readers familiar with the series will catch on to the plot more quickly. There is a Bjorklund Family Tree in front of the book that shows names and family relationships.

Perhaps true to many series novels, it ends with a cliffhanger. It worked! I want to know what happens next …

-Sandra Merville Hart

Christianbook.com