Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Murder in the Appalachians by Susan Furlong

MURDER IN THE APPALACHIANS

by Susan Furlong


March 17 – April 25, 2025 Virtual Book Tour

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for MURDER IN THE APPALACHIANS by Susan Furlong on this Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tour.

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

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Book Description

On the run in the mountains…
with a killer on their trail.

After unearthing secrets from her late brother’s police notebook, journalist Emma Hayes discovers his death was no accident—he was murdered. Only someone doesn’t want Emma to find out the connection to the cold case her brother was investigating…and they’ll kill to keep it that way. Now Emma must rely on local ER doctor Logan Greer to help her stay alive and follow a trail of elusive evidence. But as they unravel a conspiracy, they realize that the killer could be anyone hiding in the mountains…

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213103156-murder-in-the-appalachians

Murder in the Appalachians

Genre: Love Inspired Suspense – Romantic Suspense
Published by: Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense
Publication Date: April 1, 2025
Number of Pages: 206
ISBN: 9781335980533 (ISBN10: 1335980539)

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

MURDER IN THE APPALACHIANS by Susan Furlong is an edge-of-you-seat Christian romantic suspense/mystery with plenty of action, twists, and surprises. This standalone Love Inspired Suspense book is set in a small ex-mining town in the scenic West Virginian Appalachian Mountains.

Emma Hayes is an investigative journalist living in Washington, D.C. who returns to her twin brother’s mountain cabin after his death. He was a police officer, supposedly killed while handling a traffic stop, but after listening to a message left by him on her phone, Emma believes he was murdered while investigating a local cold case. In her search of his cabin, she finds his notebook but is then chased by a masked man and shot at. She escapes down the river.

On vacation and fly fishing on the river, Dr. Logan Greer discovers a woman on the riverbank freezing. He takes her to his free clinic and his sister, a physician’s assistant, takes care of her wounds, and they take her home. Emma does not know who to trust, but Logan gains her trust as he saves her life more than once. What Emma does not know is that the cold case she is looking into ties to the disappearance of Logan’s youngest sister.

Someone is determined to keep their secrets, and to stop the attempts on their lives, Emma and Logan must uncover the secrets of this cold case and find the killer.

This is one of those stories that pull you in and you just want to read it from start to finish. Emma and Logan are both dealing with trauma and loss and are at different places in their relationship with their faith. They are feeling many of the same things, but Emma’s feelings are fresh while Logan has had more years to deal with his feelings even though he continues to search for the truth of his sister’s disappearance. Their romance and faith journeys both felt realistic and believable. This is a Christian based romance, so there are a few kisses, but no sex scenes. The suspense plot is intense and kept me turning the pages and continually guessing who was involved and who was innocent. I was very satisfied with the resolutions in the suspense plot, the cold case mystery and the HEA.

I highly recommend this exciting Christian romantic suspense!

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Author Bio

Susan Furlong grew up in North Dakota where she spent long winters at her local library scouring the shelves for mysteries to read. Now, she lives in Illinois with her husband and children and writes mysteries of all types. She has over a dozen published novels and her work has earned a spot in the New York Times list of top crime fiction books of the year. When not writing, she volunteers at her church and spends time hiking and fishing.

Social Media Links

www.SusanFurlong.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub – @SusanFurlongAuthor
Instagram – @susanfurlong
Threads – @susanfurlong
Facebook – @SusanFurlongAuthor

Purchase Links

Amazon –     https://pictbooks.tours/UTHi4    
BN –     https://pictbooks.tours/h8qVJ    
Goodreads –     https://pictbooks.tours/c4J3g    
BookShop.org –     https://pictbooks.tours/1GBD3    
Harlequin-    https://pictbooks.tours/tuqwl    

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KINGSUMO GIVEAWAY

https://kingsumo.com/g/1gg4vz1/murder-in-the-appalachians-by-susan-furlong

ARC Feature Post and Book Review: Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts

Book Description

Natural Resources police officer, Sloan Cooper, and her partner had just taken down three men preying on hikers in the Western Maryland mountains. Driving back, she pulled in at a convenience store—and walked right into a robbery in progress. One gunshot from a jittery thief was about to change her world.

After being shocked back to life on the operating table, she has a long recovery ahead, so she moves back to her parents’ peaceful house in Heron’s Rest. As for the boyfriend who dumped her via text while she was in the hospital, good riddance.

She may be down, but she’s not out. So when a woman vanishes, leaving her car behind in a supermarket parking lot, Sloan searches online for similar cases. She finds them, spread across three states. Men and women, old and young—the missing seem to have nothing in common. And the abductions keep happening.

Luckily, the new man in her life shares her passion for solving this mystery. But it will take every ounce of endurance to get to the dark heart of this bizarre case—and she’s willing to risk her life again if that’s what it takes to stop the horror.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217388081-hidden-nature?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=ZVurAHIy6W&rank=1

Hidden Nature

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DDJC6XS2
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin’s Press (May 27, 2025)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 27, 2025
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 448 pages

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

HIDDEN NATURE by Nora Roberts is an intriguing mash-up of mystery, crime thriller, investigation, and romance with a bit of HGTV like home renovation going on throughout. The setting of this story is the beautiful Maryland mountains with a main character who is not only a member of the Natural Resources Police but is a genuine lover of nature and all its varied seasons. This is a standalone novel.

Sloan Cooper grew up knowing exactly what she wanted to do with her life. While her family runs a successful year-round vacation resort in the Heron’s Rest, she has her heart set on a career with the Natural Resources Police of Maryland. After closing a successful case, she and her partner stop at a small-town convenience store. Sloan walks into a robbery in progress and is shot in the chest.

After being shocked back to life, she has a long recuperation ahead. She returns to her childhood home, but even though she cannot return to work, she is bored. When she hears about the case of a missing woman which intrigues her. She decides to do a bit of online searching on her own and soon discovers there are more missing people in the tri-state area of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia that appear to have no connections other than their disappearances.

As the investigation continues with several jurisdictions on the case, Sloan realizes what the connection is between all the missing, but it is so bazaar, others find it hard to believe, but Sloan knows she is right. When a local friend goes missing, she is determined to find him and bring him home and stop the killer or killers because she may be on their list, too.

This is another great all-around, intriguing and satisfying book by Ms. Roberts. I opened this book and could not stop. Sloan is a strong, intelligent protagonist who is put through difficult physical and mental trials and doggedly continues forward. Her family and friends are all fully developed characters that are a strong support system and interesting in their own rights. The HGTV home renovations add a unique twist to the dialogue and focus when they are not discussing or chasing down the missing. I also loved the beautifully integrated descriptions of nature and wildlife in the area. The crime thriller plotline is woven throughout the book at an ever-increasing pace. The perpetrators are seriously scary and depraved and made the hair on my arms stand-up.

I highly recommend this amazing mash-up! Ms. Roberts is one of my all-time favorite authors and I always look forward to her books.

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About the Author

Nora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Shelter in Place, Year One, Come Sundown, and many more. She is also the author of the bestselling In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than five hundred million copies of her books in print.

Social Media Links

Website: https://noraroberts.com/

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

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/hidden-nature-by-nora-roberts

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: The Amish Bride’s Secret and Uncovering Her Amish Past by Patrice Lewis

Book Descriptions and Elise’s Thoughts

The Amish Bride’s Secret and Uncovering Her Amish Past by Patrice Lewis both have female leads that appear to have deceived the male lead.

The Amish Bride’s Secret plot has Cara Lengacher needing to start over after a broken engagement and an out of wedlock pregnancy. She decides to accept Matthew Miller’s advertisement for a mail order bride and move to Montana. But she must navigate her pregnancy and hope it will not affect their relationship.

Uncovering Her Amish Past has Penelope Moore traveling to Pierce Montana to convince the B&B owner, Simon Troyer, to be a part of a franchise opportunity. She does not tell anyone in the community her real profession and passes for a traveling artist. Simon insists she meets his sister-in-law, Sarah, who appears to be the spitting image of her. They both start to investigate and realize they are twin sisters, separated at birth.  Stunned by the similarities between herself and bed-and-breakfast owner Simon Troyer’s sister-in-law, the truth comes to light: she and Sarah were separated at birth. Soon Penelope is welcomed into the Amish community with open arms. And the more time she spends with the Amish bachelor Simon, the more she rethinks her life in the Englisch world. She feels pulled to this community, not just because Sarah is her sister, and the community welcomes her but also realizes she and Simon have feelings for each other. The problem is that they are from different worlds where Simon is baptized, and she is not. Readers will enjoy seeing how they will navigate their relationship.

Both books are touching stories of self-reflection, faith, family, and love. They are heartwarming stories that readers will not want to put down.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: What was your starting point for the story of The Amish Bride’s Secret?

Patrice Lewis: I wanted to give the male character, Matthew, a wife.  The way I did it is to have a mail order bride, Cara.

EC: How would you describe Matthew?

PL: He is based on my husband.  He is nice, kind, transparent, a good listener, extremely handy, always courteous, trustworthy, dependable, and helpful.

EC: How would you describe Cara?

PL: She has made some bad decisions, including getting pregnant out of wedlock. She has a harsh father who blames her. She is desperate to get out of her childhood home, so she accepted the offer. She feels trapped in a corner.

EC: What about the relationship?

PL: It is based on secrets. She deceived Matthew but did not betray him because she had every intention of fessing up to him before the wedding. They eventually fall in love with each other. She is grateful to him and wants to be a good wife to him but is hoping he will be the white knight to her. I put in this quote to explain his feelings, “He wanted to fall in love with her, but also to fall in like with her.” I thought this is the basis for a happy couple. My husband and I after 35 years of marriage are still each other’s best friends.

EC: What about your other book, Uncovering Her Amish Past?

PL: I have three brothers, no sisters.  I have always been fascinated by twins. When I was 7 years old, I tried to convince my friends I was a twin. It was a flop. I did this because I longed for a sister.  This was the genesis of the story.

EC:  How would you describe Penelope?

PL: She is an introvert.  She was desperate to pay off her bills and had no idea that the company she worked for was immoral. She is exuberant and envies Sarah.

EC: What about Sarah, the twin?

PL: She is Simon’s sister-in-law. She is quiet, sedate, calm, and has confidence. Penelope envies her because she feels a lack of belonging.

EC: How would you describe Simon?

PL: Introverted, independent, determined, lonely, and has baggage from his childhood. He is motivated to not fail and get his business going.

EC: How about the relationship?

PL: She was ethical and had no intention of deceiving Simon. Penelope realizes she and Simon can be a formidable team because his business weaknesses are her strength. Being from different worlds is a huge barrier. I did research into what it takes to convert to being Amish. She changes her mindset realizing to be successful she needs the approval of family members and community. She realizes she must put aside the worldly aspects that define success.

EC: You allowed readers to understand how Amish could use technology.  Please explain.

PL: If it does not impact their daily life, they are OK with it, depending on the sects. The very strict have no modern conveniences ever and the liberal communities are more flexible. The idea is that they are competing in a modern world and to overcome the problem they must compromise to have a website and a telephone.  However, if they are allowed to have a business phone, they cannot have it in their pocket all the time.  The same with a website, to put out the product to a wider world, but not to have it daily.

EC: What was the role of the bishop in both books?

PL: He is the perpetual source of wisdom for the community. He is an older man. He and his wife are wise, discreet, trustworthy, helpful, and examples of the community.  They do not breach people’s confidence. They have Amish people coming in from all over the US.  The bishop’s job is to smooth over conflicting habits and traditions.  His job is to blend everyone into the community and for it to be cohesive.

EC: Next book?

PL: The next book is titled An Amish Marriage Agreement, released in Fall 2025. The plot has a baby dumped on a single woman’s doorstep.  She and a construction worker have a marriage of convenience.  The woman’s sister comes back to the Amish community.  The two sisters are very different and have led very different lives.

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.

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Rustler Mountain by Maisey Yates

Book Description

The citizens of historic Rustler Mountain, Oregon, have a history as colorful as the Wild West itself. Most can trace their lineage back to the original settlers, and many remain divided into two camps: outlaws, or lawmen. But none more legendary than the Wilders and the Talbots . . .

Every year, thousands of people come through Rustler for the rodeo, historic home tours, old-fashioned candy making demonstrations, sharpshooter shows—and to see the site of the 1800s shootout in which notorious outlaw Austin Wilder was killed by Sheriff Lee Talbot. Now Millie Talbot, the sheriff’s descendant, wants to bring back the town’s Gold Rush Days. But she needs the current Austin Wilder’s support to make her dream a reality. . .
 
The Wilders are rumored to be as true to their last name as their ancestors. Nonetheless, Austin is agreeable to helping Millie. But he wants something in return. Austin is working to clear his family name by writing the true history of his outlaw ancestors and Millie might just hold the key.
 
When Millie wrangles Austin into helping plan Gold Rush Days, he figures it’s a chance to get to the truth of the past. . . . But when sparks start to fly between this bad boy and good girl, will either of them come out of it unscathed?

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Elise’s Thoughts

Rustler Mountain by Maisey Yates is two stories in one novel.  There is the modern western and it also takes readers back to the Wild West days.

The Wild West was known for its bank robbers, stage robbers and the shootouts as well as the Gold Rush. In the town today they still believe what was told to them about outlaws’ vs lawmen. The journal entries made by the ancestors of a fictional town show how it was the site of an 1800s shootout in which notorious outlaw Austin Wilder was killed by Sheriff Lee Talbot. Now Millie Talbot, the librarian, and the sheriff’s descendant, wants to bring back the town’s Gold Rush Days. Facing resistance, she approaches Austin Wilder who grew up being shunned because his family ancestors were the bank and stagecoach robbers of legend. When Millie asks for his help reviving the history events, he agrees but with the condition that she help him clear some of the false information regarding his family. He plans on doing this by writing a book about his family’s past and what really happened. He needs Millie to help him go through her family’s papers while he gives her access to his family’s belongings. As the two get to know each other, while working to get the facts straight about each other’s ancestors, they cannot ignore the explosive energy they have toward each other.

As usual, this book has the traditional Yates witty banter. The good girl/bad boy dynamic made for a wonderful story. The unraveling of the truth about the Talbot-Wilder feud adds to the story with an enticing mystery.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Was there really a Rustler Mountain?

Maisey Yates: I made it up, but it is very much rooted in the history of the area. I have a good idea where in the mountains it would be if it existed. I place it deliberately in a certain spot, a couple of miles from the real town, Copper Oregon.

EC: What was the role of the ancestor of Austin’s journal?

MY: I am a history nerd.  It is important to understand that people in the past are not functionally different than we are now. Historical romance makes those people real.  I was involved in the historical society, especially the gold rush town, which is like Rustler Mountain. The journal shows how the past echoes into the present day.

EC: How would you describe Millie?

MY: She is trapped by her own reputation. It is a good reputation, but in a toxic way. It is keeping her from responding back to those people who were awful to her. A lot of the story is how Millie found out how to express herself. I based her on my own thoughts of living in a small town and the way people get ideas about you based on what they heard, and the way they know you. She is timid, homely, passionate, a goody to shoes, vulnerable, and a people pleaser. Over the course of the book, she steps out of the people pleaser role, leading with her passion. Her nickname was Millie Mouse because that is the way other people saw her.

EC:  How would you describe Austin?

MY: Like the Tim McGraw song, he was a bad boy but is now a good man. He has a strong sense of family.  He has a lot of integrity. He is more grounded than Millie. I think Austin is a deep thinker, a book worm, and deeply misunderstood. I think he can be defiant and stubborn. He is less cocky than some of my other heroes.

EC:  What about the relationship?

MY: They were both trapped by their reputations, good and bad. Neither one was necessarily the whole story of who they were. On the surface they appear to be opposites but are not. They both love books, have deep connections to the past, and are trying to figure out what that means in the present.  I also think they both want to find someone who loves them for who they are. At first, she is jealous of him, he does not want a commitment which makes her feel rejected and humiliated. There is physical intimacy and now she makes him feel calm while he makes her feel passionate.  At the deep core they offer each other what the other does not have.

EC:  What about their family legacy?

MY: People are more complicated than what is perceived.  Things are not as cut and dry as they appear. They are both people who did good and bad things.  It challenged the truth of the past. Neither ancestor was a great guy. Yet, past Austin loved his wife and children and had a morality. Millie’s ancestor got an outlaw off the streets at any cost. Both are anti-heroes with their own moral compass. Their legacy was based on the person who told their story. They were both heroes in their own minds but villains to the other. Millie and Austin are living out more than just their reputations influenced by their past ancestors. She is not just a mousy librarian, and he is not just an outlaw.

EC: Next book?

MY: The end of this month there is a novella anthology coming out with Lori Foster titled The Two of Us with a focus on rescue dogs and how they brought together two “meant to be couples.” Out in April is The Outsider and in July The Rogue, both part of my “Four Corner Series.”  There will be a woman’s fiction coming out in June. There is another anthology with Linda Lael Miller, a cowboy novella, titled Small Town Hero, out in July.  Outlaw Lake, the sequel to this book, is out in September.

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 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