Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: The Dressmaker’s Secret by Michelle Vernal

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE DRESSMAKER’S SECRET by Michelle Vernal on this Bookouture Books-On-Tour blog post.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

1962. Even as she gazes at the silk bridal dresses in the window, the little girl’s eyes fill with tears. She has dreamed about gowns just like that. But now, lost and alone, she only wants to be held. Just a moment ago, she was in the arms of her mother. Now her only hope lies in Brides of Bold Street, where past and present blur…

Sabrina Flooks was lost as a little girl, then raised and trained by talented dressmaker Evelyn. The historic bridal shop on Bold Street is all Sabrina has ever known.

Since the kind shop owner took her in, Sabrina has followed in Evelyn’s footsteps, stitching and bejewelling gorgeous wedding dresses. She’s buried herself in the rich fabrics, closing off her heart rather than face the pain of what happened all those years ago…

Until the sparks that fly between her and handsome Adam Taylor take her completely by surprise. His quiet charm and kind smile encourage her to let her guard down. Just a little.

As love truly begins to bloom, the only way she can overcome the fear of being abandoned again and learn to feel safe in Adam’s warm embrace, is if she finally finds the truth about her identity and her past. And the way to unravelling it all may be closer than she ever thought possible…

Because the rails full of petticoats, veils and skirts hide a secret. One that could have her walking a path through the past.

Could the journey through history give her everything she ever dreamt of? And even if she uncovers the truth, will she make it back to Adam in the present day or will it take Sabrina away from everything she holds dear?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/227890652-the-dressmaker-s-secret?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=45MqWO6o6t&rank=1

Purchase link: https://geni.us/B0DWT4469Vsocial

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE DRESSMAKER’S SECRET (Brides of Bold Street Book #1) by Michelle Vernal is a moving historical fiction/time travel romance with a wonderful young female protagonist who discovers her ability to time slip but does not know how to control it or why she has the ability. This is the first book in a new series, and I cannot wait to get into the next.

Sabrina Flooks was lost at the age of three while on a walk with her mother in 1962. She was found, raised and then trained by the talented bridal gown maker who she calls her aunt, Evelyn Flooks. She has a home she loves with her aunt above their bridal shop, but she still has a longing for the truth about her mother and her past.

When Sabrina catches the eye of the handsome Adam Taylor, she wants to let her guard down and open her heart, but not until she knows the truth of her past can she overcome her fear of abandonment.

I loved all the characters and timelines in this story and how they all circled around each other. Ms. Vernal clearly wrote different historical periods folding into each other during the overall story and I never felt lost or confused. The mechanism of Sabrina’s time slipping does not appear to be in her control but does appear to only allow her to return to her time in 1981 with her successfully helping of a couple in 1928 find their HEA. While the historical romance plotline is resolved, Sabrina’s plotline search for her past is not and will continue. Just as in her Little Irish Village series, Ms. Vernal masterfully pulled me into the protagonist’s world and set me on an emotional roller coaster throughout this beautifully written story.

I highly recommend this delightful and heart-warming historical fiction/time travel romance!

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About the Author

Michelle Vernal is a New Zealand author who writes stories that will take you onto the page with her characters and make you feel part of their lives. She writes with humour and warmth, and her readers describe her books as unputdownable, feel good and funny. Her writing has been likened to Maeve Binchy but with a modern-day vernacular. In 2015 she was shortlisted for the Love Stories Award. In 2020 she won the Reader’s Favorite Gold Medal Award for Chick lit, and in 2021 was shortlisted for the Page Turner Book Awards.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.michellevernalbooks.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michellevernalnovelist

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michellevernalnovelist/

Newsletter sign up: https://www.bookouture.com/michelle-vernal

Feature Post and Book Review: Arctic Pursuit by Anna J. Stewart

Book Description

FBI special agent Ty Savakis keeps his promises. That’s why he’s asked Wren McKenna to join him in an isolated Alaskan town: he wants her help safeguarding a witness he swore to protect. To find the assailant who tried to kill her, Ty and Wren go undercover as a married couple. These partners have always been a perfect team, but sharing an apartment makes it impossible to resist the attraction they’ve both fought to deny. Will the violent criminal they’re tracking give them a chance to imagine a future together?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/211104519-arctic-pursuit?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=LrbO97FZxT&rank=2

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

ARCTIC PURSUIT (The McKenna Code Book #1) by Anna J. Stewart is an exciting page-turner of an introduction to this new Harlequin Romantic Suspense series featuring the McKenna law enforcement family as they solve crimes and find their HEAs. This book and author delivered everything I look for in a romantic suspense genre book.

FBI special agent Wren McKenna has a special relationship with her partner of seven years, FBI special agent Ty Savakis. Her family members believe they should be together in more than just their working relationship, but she does not want to spoil what they have. Ty is supposed to be on leave right now but comes to Wren for help on an old case in a small Alaskan town. Their cover is as a married couple.

Ty swore to protect a witness in a past case and now the criminal she testified against is getting a new trial. When he hears her be run down over the phone, he asks Wren to help him protect her and her family. Wren and Ty are the perfect partners, but will living together as a married couple make it impossible to resist the chemistry that has always been between them as they fight to bring down a dangerous criminal in winter in small town Alaska?

This is a suspenseful introduction to this new series with just the right amount of romance intertwined throughout. The crime/suspense plotline is fast-paced and continually kept me turning the pages and the romance kept progressing at a realistic pace as the danger makes them realize and admit to how they feel for each other. There are sex scenes, but I never felt they were gratuitous because they fit so well into the friendship and feelings they already had, but did not acknowledge. Like all Harlequin Romantic Suspense books, this story is not overly long and easily read in one sitting. I could not put it down.

I highly recommend this first romantic suspense in The McKenna Code series and I am anxiously awaiting more books in this series!

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About the Author

Award-winning, USA Today and national bestselling author Anna J Stewart writes sweet to sexy romances for Harlequin and ARC Manor’s CAEZIK (Kay-Zehk) Romance. Her sweet Harlequin Heartwarming books include the Butterfly Harbor series as well as the ongoing Blackwell continuity series. She also writes the Honor Bound series for Harlequin Romantic Suspense and has contributed to the bestselling Coltons. Her Circle of the Red Lily romantic suspense series, published by CAEZIK, will launch with EXPOSED in November of 2022.

A Holt Medallion winner (BRIDE ON THE RUN), as well as a Golden Heart, Daphne DuMaurier, and National Reader’s Choice finalist, Anna loves writing big community stories where family found is always the theme. Since her first published novella with Harlequin in 2014, Anna has released more than fifty novels and novellas and hopes to branch out even more (horror romance, anyone?). Anna lives in Northern California where (at the best times) she loves going to the movies, attending fan conventions, and heading to Disneyland, her favorite place on earth. When she’s not writing, she is usually binge-watching her newest TV addiction, re-watching her all-time favorite show, Supernatural, and wrangling two monstrous cats named Rosie and Sherlock.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.authorannastewart.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAnnaJStewart

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/annajwriter.bsky.social

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/anna-j-stewart

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Blood Moon by Sandra Brown

Book Description

Detective John Bowie is one misstep away from being fired from the Auclair Police Department in coastal Louisiana. Recently divorced and slightly heavy-handed with his liquor, Bowie does all that he can to cope with the actions taken (or not taken) during the investigation of Crissy Mellin, a teenage girl who disappeared more than three years prior. But now, Crisis Point, a long-running true crime television series, is soon to air an episode documenting the unsolved Mellin case. Bowie has been instructed by his unscrupulous boss to keep to his grievances and criticisms over the mishandling of the investigation to himself.

Beth Collins, a senior producer on Crisis Point, knows what classifies as a great story and when there’s something more to be told. After working on the show for seven years, Collins is convinced that Crissy Mellin’s disappearance was not an isolated incident. A string of disappearances of teenage girls in nearby areas have only one thing in common: They took place on the night of a blood moon. In a last-ditch effort to find out the truth, Beth enlists Detective Bowie to help her figure out what happened to Crissy and find the true culprit before he acts on the next blood moon—in four days’ time.   

With their jobs and their lives at risk, Bowie and Collins band together to identify and capture a perpetrator, while fighting an irresistible spark between them that threatens to upend everything.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Blood Moon by Sandra Brown has her usual style.  The plot is intense, dark, and raw, intertwined with a love story that includes sexual scenes, where the chemistry between the hero and heroine starts from the first page.

Readers will get to know John Bowie, an angry detective haunted by his failure not to solve the cold case disappearance of Crissy Mellin; Beth Collins, the producer of a true crime show, and Tom Barker, the corrupt boss of John.

Crisis Point, the true crime TV series, is going to air an episode documenting Crissy Mellin’s unsolved disappearance. Collins is convinced that Mellin’s disappearance was not an isolated incident. A string of disappearances of teenage girls in nearby areas have only one thing in common: they took place on the night of a blood moon. Detective John Bowie has been instructed by his boss not to talk to Beth or anyone else about the crime he has determined solved and closed. Not listening, he meets Beth and listens to her theories, because he has never felt comfortable with the outcome of the case and didn’t agree with the resolution. They decide to work together realizing that in four days there will be another blood moon, which can mean another girl disappearing or being murdered.  They race against the clock to find the antagonist and possibly save another girl, but in working together they also realize there is an attraction between them that cannot be denied.

This novel is intense, intriguing, and has a thrilling twist.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Did the plot or title come first?

Sandra Brown: I first came up with the title. Then I thought, what is a blood moon?  The next one comes out March 13th.  They only occur every 3 and a half years. It is a strange phenomenon. My editor and I wanted a spring book, so this was perfect.

EC: How did you come up with a story centering on the title?

SB:  I watched true crime shows and thought what a cool job it is to be a producer on one of these shows. This is the profession I gave to my heroine, Beth.  I then came up with my hero, a reluctant police officer, John, who is haunted by a cold case.

EC: What is a blood moon since it plays such an intricate role in the story?

SB: It is an astrological anomaly every 3 and a half years.  To understand, hold both your hands up. The sun is in your left hand. The moon is in your right hand. Right in the middle of them, in perfect alliance, is earth. The sun reflects light onto the moon. But the earth forms a perfect shadow on a full moon, totally covering the moon.  The reason it turns an orangish red is that the sunlight is being filtered through the earth’s atmosphere. The bad guys wanted to make sacrifices to the moon goddess, Luna.

EC: What is numerology?

SB: It goes hand in hand with the blood moon regarding the cases concerning the disappearance of the girls. A person has a core number that guides a person’s decision making.  Like an astrology sign. There are religious and cultural connotations.

EC:  How would you describe John Bowie?

SB: He was a dedicated police officer and is haunted by the cold case.  I wanted to write about his relationship with his teenage daughter and his brotherly-like friendship with Mitch. He is arrogant in a sarcastic and cynical way, intense, outspoken, sarcastic, edgy, stubborn, and cynical.

EC: What is the difference between John and Mitch?

SB: They could not be more different.  John is very serious and contemplative. Mitch always cracks jokes. He is arrogant, humorous, a smart-aleck, loyal, and caring.

EC: How would you describe Beth?

SB: Determined, loyal, savvy, gutsy, ambitious, confident in her abilities, but feeling tenuous toward her career. 

EC: How would you describe the relationship between Beth and John?

SB: They met their match in each other.  They both got under each other’s skin and are frustrated with each other. The have chemistry from chapter one. He puts her totally out of her element. They both were obsessed with this case.

EC: What is the role of the Crissy Mellin case?

SB: Her disappearance messed up Detective John Bowie’s life.  He became remorseful and regretful.  He knew there was more to it but was forced to give in to his boss. This has eaten at him. He desired to get to the bottom of it and find answers.  Beth is frustrated and impatient. She is not getting answers from John because he is not filling in the blanks.

EC:  How would you describe the boss Lt. Thomas Barker?

SB:  Incompetent, sadistic, arrogant, egotistical, and obnoxious.  He knows John has his number and is superior to him.

EC: Next book?

SB:  The next book will feature Mitch, the DEA officer who decides to change jobs and work with John. They are best friends. John and Beth will be in the next book as secondary characters. This story takes place two years after the end of Blood Moon and will be published spring of 2026.

THANK YOU!!

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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Book Review: The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict

My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

THE QUEENS OF CRIME by Marie Benedict is a historical fiction/mystery story featuring The Queens of Crime, their founding and friendship, and a locked room mystery they work together to solve in 1930 London and Boulogne-sur-Mer. Told solely from Dorothy Sayer’s perspective this is an entertaining story with an intriguing mystery.

Mystery writers Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Baroness Emma Orczy, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham band together as The Queens of Crime to be recognized as equals to the male members of the legendary Detection Club. To receive that recognition, they plan to solve an actual murder straight out of the headlines.

A young nurse takes a day trip to Boulogne-sur-Mer, France with a friend and disappears. She went into the ladies room at the ferry terminal and never came out. Her body is discovered several months later in a park with signs of strangulation. Determined to solve the mystery, the ladies use their skills to investigate. As they get closer, Dorothy is threatened with the revelation of a secret from her past and attacked. Will they be able pull all their skills and talents together to solve the mystery before anyone else becomes a victim?

I was really looking forward to getting this book, and while it is an entertaining read, with an excellent locked room mystery intertwined, the Queens are not as fully developed as individual characters as I was hoping for. I felt Dorothy was developed as a good lead character, but the other ladies were lacking. There is a heavy emphasis on their clothes and food, with in my opinion, only minimal emphasis on their personalities. I enjoyed the history surrounding the WWI “surplus girls” and the mystery plot itself, though it started slowly it was filled with interesting twists and red herrings.

Overall, an enjoyable historical fiction/mystery book, just not my favorite by this author.

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About the Author

Marie Benedict is a lawyer with more than ten years’ experience as a litigator at two of the country’s premier law firms, who found her calling unearthing the hidden historical stories of women. Her mission is to excavate from the past the most important, complex and fascinating women of history and bring them into the light of present-day where we can finally perceive the breadth of their contributions as well as the insights they bring to modern day issues. She embarked on a new, thematically connected series of historical novels with THE OTHER EINSTEIN, which tells the tale of Albert Einstein’s first wife, a physicist herself, and the role she might have played in his theories. The next novel in this series is the USA Today bestselling CARNEGIE’S MAID — which released in January of 2018 — and the book that followed is the New York Times bestseller and Barnes & Noble Book Club Pick THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM, the story of the brilliant inventor Hedy Lamarr, which published in January of 2019. In January of 2020, LADY CLEMENTINE, the story of the incredible Clementine Churchill, was released, and became an international bestseller. Her next novel, the Instant NY Times and USA Today bestselling THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE, was published on December 29, 2020, and her first co-written book, THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN, with the talented Victoria Christopher Murray, will be released on June 29, 2021. Writing as Heather Terrell, Marie also published the historical novels The Chrysalis, The Map Thief, and Brigid of Kildare.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.authormariebenedict.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormariebenedict/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/authormariebenedict/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-queens-of-crime-by-marie-benedict

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Two Weddings and a Murder by Alyssa Maxwell

Book Description

As Lady Phoebe and her betrothed say their vows of holy matrimony, a killer has vowed unholy vengeance on the town’s chief inspector . . .

June 1922: The blessed day has finally arrived. Phoebe Renshaw and Owen Seabright are to be wed, and lady’s maid Eva Huntford could not be more delighted for her lady’s happiness. But she is disturbed by one notable absence from the ceremony—her beau, Police Constable Miles Brannock. When Miles finally does appear, breathlessly running into the reception at Foxwood Hall, he brings grim news: he’s found Chief Inspector Isaac Perkins murdered, shot in his home in his favorite parlor chair with his own gun.
 
A policeman naturally makes enemies, especially those of questionable character. In charge of finding his former boss’s killer, Miles reviews the details of the crime scene. The murder weapon has been wiped clean and left on the table next to the remnants of the chief inspector’s breakfast: sausage pasty and coffee reeking of a bit of whiskey. No sign of forced entry. A seemingly peaceful scene—other than the bullet hole in the victim.
 
Before Miles can make much progress in his investigation, a Scotland Yard detective arrives in Little Barlow to take over the case—and promptly focuses his suspicions on the constable himself, who he reasons had motive and opportunity. Coming to their maid’s defense, Phoebe and Owen postpone their honeymoon to join Eva in clearing her beau’s good name and unmasking the identity of the true killer.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Two Weddings and A Murder by Alyssa Maxwell is a great historical cozy mystery. Readers will be sad to learn this is the last book in the series.

The book opens with the wedding of Phoebe Renshaw and Owen Seabright. Her lady’s maid, Eva Huntford, is distraught and worried that her boyfriend, Police Constable Miles Brannock, is not in attendance.  After he finally appears, he brings the bad news that Chief Inspector Isaac Perkins has been murdered, shot in his home in his favorite parlor chair with his own gun. Because of the conflict of interest, an outside detective has been brought in to investigate. A Scotland Yard detective, Mick Burridge, arrives in Little Barlow to take over the case. He promptly focuses his suspicions on the constable himself, who he reasons had motive and opportunity. Phoebe and Owen postpone their honeymoon to join Eva in clearing her beau’s good name and unmasking the identity of the true killer

This series goes out with a bang.  Readers will be riveted to their seats as they turn the pages but will also be disappointed when coming to the last page knowing this will be the last book in the series.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Is there a difference between your two series?

Alyssa Maxwell:  Yes! The period and settings are different.  The “Newport Series” takes place in the Gilded Age in the United States, specifically Rhode Island, while this book takes place right after WWI in England. There is a whole different social dynamic going on.

EC: How did you get the idea for this series?

AM: Downton Abbey influenced me.  My editor came up with the basic idea of Downton Abbey with a mystery twist. I loved the idea of being out in the country.

EC:  What historical events do you emphasize?

AM: After WWI, class lines started to change a bit, and women started in the work force. Some of the old ways of the landlord and the servant, the very strict class boundary was changing.

EC:  Why did you start out with a wedding and end with a wedding in this story?

AM:  In the prior book, A Fashionable Fatality, Phoebe the main character was engaged. Because this is the last book in the series, I wanted to tie up her life and the other main character, Eva.  A happy ending for the series and a happy beginning into the readers’ imagination.

EC: How did you get the idea for this story’s murder?

AM: Chief Inspector Perkins has been a thorn in Phoebe and Eva’s life throughout the series. He does not do his job well and does not appreciate their interference to solve the murders.  I thought this would make a good victim and who better to be accused than his partner, the person who potentially will take his over his job, Constable Miles Brannock.  It also raised the stakes for Phoebe and Eva to solve it because he is Eva’s future fiancé.

EC: How would you describe Phoebe?

AM: She is a modern young woman for that period. She is forward thinking, independent, but not devoid of tradition.  She believes people should be valued by how they live their lives and not what they were born into. Phoebe is caring, impulsive, and analytical. She lost her mother at an early age and Eva has filled that gap.

EC:  How would you describe Eva?

AM:  She is more traditional than Phoebe.  She is set in her ways but realizes she can aspire to more.  Eva is an older woman. She is honorable, loyal, faithful, and dutiful. She sees Phoebe as more of a daughter. 

EC:  How would you describe Miles?

AM: He is fiercely loyal, steady, and dependable. He can look at different sides of the same issue.

EC:  How would you describe Owen?

AM:  He is very honorable. He is cavalier because he has been raised with wealth and privilege.  He is adventurous.  He is completely devoted to Phoebe and accepts her forward thinking ideas.

EC:  What role did Detective Burridge play in the story?

AM: Burridge comes from Scotland Yard. He has tunnel vision, focused on getting a suspect, bringing him in, and proving he did it to close the case.

EC: What did the gypsies in the story represent?

AM: The social changes happening and people set outside of their comfort zones. They had to be adaptable and willing to change to survive. They were not respected, and they followed their own traditions.  They were seen as wild, uncivilized, and unscrupulous. I did envision that they felt trapped behind walls, rules, and closed in. They did not want to be regimented.

EC: Can you explain the quote referring to motive, opportunity, and means?

AM:  These make up a mystery. Opportunity would be when someone could catch the victim off guard.  Means is how the victim is killed.

EC:  Next book(s)?

AM:  There will be another Newport mystery titled Murder at Arleigh coming out in August.  It is based on the real couple Harry and Elizabeth Lehr. Everybody thought they were a love match, and they are not at all.  Elizabeth thinks her husband is trying to kill her.

THANK YOU!!

BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Serial Burn by Lynette Eason

SERIAL BURN

by Lynette Eason



February 10 – March 7, 2025 Virtual Book Tour

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for SERIAL BURN (Lake City Heroes Book #3) by Lynette Eason on this Partner’s In Crime Virtual Book Tour.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book, the author’s bio and social media links, and a Kingsumo giveaway. Enjoy!

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Book Description

She’s out for justice. But the arsonist she’s tracking is out for retribution.

Now the fire marshal of Lake City, Jesslyn McCormick is determined to find the person who started the fire that robbed her of her family when she was just seven years old. As the twentieth anniversary of the tragedy approaches, a string of fires–including at Jesslyn’s church–brings up all those old feelings and offers new evidence.

Because church fires are considered a hate crime, FBI Special Agent Nathan Carlisle is called in to work with local law enforcement. Nathan has his own past–one he’d prefer not to revisit. And focusing on helping Jesslyn track down the arsonist is a great distraction.

As both the case and the chemistry between Jesslyn and Nathan heat up, memories will come flooding in from the past to bump up against hopes for the future. And when Jesslyn comes face-to-face with her worst nightmare, she’ll have to confront her fears and rely on Nathan and her community of friends in order to survive.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214974623-serial-burn

Serial Burn (Lake City Heroes Book #3)

Genre: Romantic Suspense/Thriller
Published by: Revell
Publication Date: January 21, 2025
Number of Pages: 320
ISBN: 9780800741211 (ISBN10: 0800741218) 

***

My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

SERIAL BURN (Lake City Heroes Book #3) by Lynette Eason is a twisted, fast-paced chase to catch a serial arsonist who appears to be seeking retribution against the fire marshal of Lake City. This is the third book in the Lake City Heroes Christian romantic suspense/mystery series and can easily be read as a standalone story, but each book adds more to the entire group of friends’ lives and stories, so I read them in order.

Lake City Fire Marshal Jesslyn “Jess” McCormick has studied, worked, and vowed, since she was seven years old, to become a fire marshal and find the arsonist who killed her family. As the twentieth anniversary of their death’s approaches, Jess does an interview stating her continued intention of finding the person who killed her family and with the help of her aunt, also announces her desire to build a youth center to honor of her father.

Jess gets called to the remains of a fire that has destroyed the church she and her friends attend. Since it was a church that was burned, it is investigated as a hate crime and FBI Special Agent Nathan Carlisle is called in. While investigating this and other arsons, Jess is attacked several times. Nathan goes into protective mode and calls in all their friends to help protect Jess. As the arson continues with each having a rare piece of jewelry dropped at the site, Jess and Nathan discover this is all tied back to her father. Will they be able to interpret the clues and discover the arsonist before Jess joins her family in a fiery inferno?

This story has a slow-paced Christian romance, but it moves quickly with many twists and red herrings in the suspense/mystery plot line. Jess is driven by her past and singularly intent on finding justice for her lost family which impedes her personal life from moving forward. Nathan has his own traumatic incident in his past and one of the subplots is between him and his brother which brings in a discussion of God’s forgiveness. Jess and Nathan have a slow growing chemistry, and nothing is really discussed between them about their budding relationship until after the climax of the arsonist plotline. All the plot threads come together for a suspenseful climax with a twist I was not expecting but was satisfying.

I recommend this addition to the Lake City Heroes series for the suspense/mystery plot, which is intense and intricately plotted, but the chemistry between the H/h left me wanting more.

***

Excerpt

PROLOGUE

Someone had to stop her. She was going to ruin everything if left to do what she had planned. He clenched the steering wheel and narrowed his eyes. He’d have to be subtle. He couldn’t let her find out he was involved. He couldn’t let anyone find out. The price was too high.

And he was already paying a very high price—one he couldn’t afford to pay anymore. Refused to pay it. He could run. At the thought, he kept one hand on the wheel and reached out with the other to touch the bag on the passenger seat. He had enough money to leave, but a life of always looking over his shoulder wasn’t for him. And she’d never stop looking for him. No, it was better this way. Get rid of her once and for all.

His gut tightened, nerves thrumming as he followed her. If he
was truthful, he was afraid of her. Of what she would do if she
caught him . . .

But no. His plan was solid. She’d never know it was him. And at
this point, he had no choice. He had to risk it. She had to be stopped. He fingered the bag once more and thought of all the years of pain and abuse. Of what the bag’s contents meant.

It was his means to the end. Period.

Without putting himself at risk.

He took a deep breath and went to implement the first step in the plan.

_Eason_SerialBurn_JE_nr.indd 9 10/11/24 9:24 AM Lynette Eason, Serial Burn Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, ©2025. Used by permission

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Author Bio

Lynette Eason is the USA Today bestselling author of Double TakeTarget Acquired, and Serial Burn, as well as the Extreme Measures, Danger Never Sleeps, Blue Justice, Women of Justice, Deadly Reunions, Hidden Identity, and Elite Guardians series. She is the winner of three ACFW Carol Awards, the Selah Award, and the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award, among others. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and has a master’s degree in education from Converse College. Eason lives in South Carolina with her husband. They have two adult children.

Social Media Links

LynetteEason.com

Facebook – @lynette.eason

Threads – @LynetteEason

Instagram – @LynetteEason

BookBub – @LynetteEason

Purchase Links

Amazon     https://pictbooks.tours/Qx9mY    
BN    https://pictbooks.tours/rGBFF    
Goodreads     https://pictbooks.tours/QxSen    
BookShop.org     https://pictbooks.tours/Qswth    
Baker Publishing    https://pictbooks.tours/Nw44p    
Baker Book House    https://pictbooks.tours/lT3Ro  

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KINGOSUMO GIVEAWAY 

https://kingsumo.com/g/3qvoj61/serial-burn-by-lynette-eason-lake-city-heroes-gift-card