#angelacarlisle – Avonna Loves Genres

SECONDARY TARGET

by Angela Carlisle

May 6-17, 2024 Virtual Book Tour

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for SECONDARY TARGET (The Secrets of Kincaid Book #1) by Angela Carlisle on this Partner In Crime Virtual Book Tour.

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

***

Book Description

THE SECRETS OF KINCAID

A ruthless murderer. A deadly secret. An unbreakable love.

After the brutal murder of her mother and brother twelve years ago, Corina Roberts built a new life in Kentucky. But when strange things begin to happen, she is thrust into a perilous game of life and death. With nowhere else to turn, her best hope of survival depends on her ex-boyfriend, army veteran Bryce Jessup.

Recently returned from service, Bryce has every intention of staying away from Corina, but when threats close in around her, he isn’t willing to leave her safety to chance. As their search for answers uncovers lethal secrets her detective father kept hidden, Bryce and Corina must untangle the mystery of the merciless killer intent on terrorizing and eliminating Corina’s family before it’s too late.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201908010-secondary-target?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=bnS6LrVMVZ&rank=1

Secondary Target

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Published by: Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date: May 7, 2024
Number of Pages: 336
ISBN: 9780764242502 (ISBN10: 0764242504)
Series: The Secrets of Kincaid, Book 1

***

Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

SECONDARY TARGET (The Secrets of Kincaid Book #1) by Angela Carlisle is an action filled gripping Christian romantic suspense set in small-town Kentucky where danger from one of the heroine’s P.I. father’s cold cases come back to threaten all those she loves. This is a well written start to a new series from a debut author.

Corina Roberts has built a new life with her father in a small Kentucky town. Strange things begin to happen that are increasingly threatening and she also discovers her father has been keeping secrets from her. With her father in the hospital, she turns to her Army veteran ex-boyfriend to assist her in discovering who is after her.

Bryce Jessup returned to his hometown hoping to stay out of his ex’s way, but when Corina is threatened, he is not willing to leave her unprotected. Corina and Bryce must untangle the mystery behind a ruthless killer from her father’s past before he eliminates everyone she loves, including her.

I really enjoyed these characters and the main suspense plot. Corina and Bryce both had communication issues after a tragic accident that ended their relationship, but they slowly resolve these problems even as they are dodging a killer. Corina is also dealing with her father keeping secrets from her, and her loss of faith after the two horrible tragedies in her life. While Corina and Bryce both have moments of prayer and discussions of faith, it did not disrupt the pace of the suspense plot. This is a Christian romantic suspense so there are no sex scenes in this second chance romance. I enjoyed both the well-developed characters and the well-paced romantic suspense plot.

I recommend this exciting Christian romantic suspense and I am looking forward to the next book in this series from this new author.

***

Excerpt

Security alarms shattered the autumn morning’s tranquility.

The mechanical shrieks pierced Corina Roberts’s consciousness, dissipating any lingering fog of sleep.

Not again.

She threw back the covers and rolled from the bed, revolver drawn from the nightstand before her feet touched the polished oak floor. She shoved the holster into her pocket but didn’t bother searching for her phone. Her dad’s security system was configured exactly like her own and would send a notification to the police within thirty seconds of being triggered if they didn’t shut it off. Help would be here soon enough. In the meantime, she’d be prepared to protect herself if necessary.

As she reached for the bedroom door, her German shepherd howled, creating a dissonant chorus with the wailing alarm. Shivers chased themselves up her spine. Her hand tightened around the revolver’s rose–wood–and–steel grip, and a fraction of her tension melted away. The .38 Special LadySmith fit her hand perfectly.

Hopefully, she wouldn’t need it.

She sucked in a deep breath and glanced over her shoulder. “Houston. Quiet.”

The howling broke off abruptly, but agitation continued to radiate from him. Before she had the door fully open, he burst through it, nearly knocking her off–balance in the process.

She slipped into the darkened hallway after him and caught sight of her father already standing at the front door, his own gun held in a ready position as he peered out the peephole. He would have checked the security monitor as soon as the alarms started. Whatever triggered them must be somewhere along the front of the house. The bright glow of motion–sensing lights beyond his position confirmed it.

“What is it?” She raised her voice to be heard over the alarm.

“I don’t know yet. Stay back.” He didn’t look her direction as he crept from the peephole to the edge of a nearby window and parted the blinds with his finger. Seconds passed. They were well past the requisite thirty now. “Turn the alarm off.”

Keeping to the perimeter of the entryway, she did as he asked. Sudden silence engulfed the home, but her eardrums still pulsed with the electronic rhythm of the previous few moments.

She glanced at her dad, and he signaled her to wait. Together they listened, but no sound carried through the door. Whoever had set off the alarm had probably been frightened away. Or were they merely biding their time?

Her dad bent down until his lips were close to her ear. “I’m going out the back to have a look around.”

She latched onto his arm as he started to turn away. “Wait for the police, Dad.”

“If anyone’s still out there, the police will scare them off.”

“Then let them get scared off.” Her voice rose on the last words, and he pressed a finger to her lips.

“Shh. I know what I’m doing. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He extracted himself from her grasp as he spoke.

Something akin to panic wrapped around her chest as he strode down the hallway. She had to stop him from doing something reckless. Something that could get him killed.

She followed him to the spare bedroom and found him unlocking a window. Even with the alarm off, he couldn’t use the back door without setting off the motion sensors. A window was his only option. But a window wouldn’t do much good if he needed to make a quick reentry.

“Don’t go out there, Dad.” Corina tried to still the slight tremble in her voice. She hated sounding weak, but more than that, she knew it would only feed her dad’s protective instincts.

“I need to, Corina.”

“Why? So you can play hero?” She refused to cringe at the implication of her words or take them back. Her dad didn’t play hero—-and they both knew it. But she never understood why he was always adamant about investigating threats on his own. Almost as if he didn’t trust the police to do their jobs.

He didn’t answer her. Just started easing the window upward. He wasn’t going to listen, so she said the first thing she could think of. “Fine. I’m going with you.”

Her wild shot hit its mark. Her dad stopped midmotion and turned back to face her. Even in the near darkness, she could see the steel in his gaze.

“No. You’re not. Stay here and keep Houston close.” Quiet finality rang in his words, but she lifted her chin in defiance, tamping the fear that threatened her control.

“I’m not a child, and if you’re going, so am I.”

“Corina, I know you’re not a child, but I don’t have time to argue with you. Stay. Here.” He fixed her with a look that had once made hardened criminals sweat.

She met it. Matched it. And waited.

The faint sound of a quickly approaching vehicle interrupted their glaring match and saved her further argument. The car stopped at their house, strobing lights announcing the police had arrived.

Her dad frowned and brushed past her to let them inside. He wasn’t happy, but he was safe. She’d stalled him long enough.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Corina leaned back against the wall as red and blue lights bounced around her. She slipped her revolver into her pocket holster, then clasped her arms across her chest to hide the trembling in her hands.

Buried memories surfaced, and she fought a wave of nausea. Not now. She clenched her fists and forced herself to focus on the present until the feeling subsided. She’d dwell on the past another day. Maybe.

Bryce Jessup’s hands stilled in the middle of his fifty–third rep. Police lights flashed outside his front window, and they weren’t just passing by. Not normal for sleepy Kincaid, Kentucky, especially at four in the morning. He lowered the barbell to its resting place and removed the headphones pumping upbeat music into his ears.

He tossed a towel around his neck before moving to peer outside. His heart skipped a beat at the sight of a cruiser parked across the street. Corina doesn’t live there anymore, he reminded himself. His sister had assured him of that.

Her father hadn’t moved, though.

Concern for the overly private man prompted him to step outside. He ignored the midforties temps and focused on the two officers from the local PD standing on the Robertses’ porch. With their backs to him, he couldn’t identify them. Truth was, he might not know them anyway. It had been several years since he’d spent more than a week or two in his hometown. Change in a small town might be stilted, but it was still inevitable.

Will Roberts stepped into view, leaving the door open behind him. Okay, so he was safe. Bryce held his breath, trying to hear the low voices, but he was too far away.

A flash of fur caught his eye as a familiar—-though now fully grown—-German shepherd pushed around Will to investigate the officers and the mess littered about the porch. A mess Bryce hadn’t noticed until now. He eyed the upturned trash can.

“Houston. Inside.” The command came from somewhere behind Will. The feminine voice was one Bryce knew all too well. His gaze settled on a shadow in the darkened doorway. His jaw tensed. So Corina was there after all. Why would Allye tell him she’d moved if she hadn’t?

When his mom had offered to rent him their old home upon his return from active duty, he’d put her off with excuses, not caring to voice the real reason behind his hesitation. Allye wasn’t fooled, though. At least she’d had the decency to wait until their mom was out of earshot before flatly informing him that Corina had moved. She hadn’t called him a coward, hadn’t even insinuated it. But he’d felt like one just the same as he took his mom up on her offer.

Now he just felt like a fool.

He truly intended to seek Corina out at some point—-try to make things right. But he had no intention of seeing her day after day in the neighborhood where they’d shared so many memories. That was asking too much.

Far too much. He cleared his throat, and Houston’s head shot up. Now you’ve done it, Jessup.

“Houston.” Corina’s call was slightly louder this time.

Houston glanced at the doorway. Back at Bryce. Back at the door-way. In an instant, he was off the porch and making a beeline for him. Bryce braced himself for the impact of paws against his chest. “Oof!” Houston had definitely grown since the last time he’d seen him.

He grunted and pushed the excited animal off him. “Down.” Without taking his eyes off the scene across the street, Bryce bent to ruffle the fur on the dog’s neck. “So you remember me, huh, boy?”

One of the officers turned, and he recognized Mike Broaddus, a senior member of their small department and one affectionately dubbed “Officer Mike” whether on or off duty. Although Mike was the type to keep a bag of candy in his patrol car just in case he had a chance to treat the neighborhood kids, he could also hold his own against any criminal likely to show up in this town.

As the man began walking toward him, Bryce straightened and pointed at the Robertses’ house. “Go home, Houston.” The dog sauntered off, taking his time but headed in the right direction.

“Well, if it isn’t Bryce Jessup. I’d heard you came back.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Glad to hear it.”

Bryce nodded, then gestured to the Robertses’ home. “Some excitement this morning?”

“Yeah.” Officer Mike scratched his head. “Something triggered his alarm system. You didn’t happen to see anything, did you?”

“Sorry, no. I was up but didn’t look outside until just now.”

“Figures. Eric’s taking a look around, but there’s no evidence anyone made it inside—-or even tried to, if you discount the alarms.” The man sighed. “I’d better get back over there.”

“You mind if I come with you?” Bryce could have kicked himself the instant the request popped out of his mouth.

Officer Mike quirked an eyebrow. “You and Corina back together?”

“No.” His lips firmed, and he was thankful for the darkness that hid the heat rising in his neck. Officer Mike and everyone else had been aware of their previous relationship. And why it ended.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to hit on a touchy subject.”

Bryce waved him off. “Not touchy. That ship sailed a long time ago.” Five years ago next month to be exact.

“Understood.” Officer Mike turned away. “I suppose it won’t hurt. Just don’t touch anything.”

“Thanks.” Bryce followed the officer across the street, still trying to figure out why he’d asked to come. He paused at the edge of the Robertses’ porch and glanced at the still–open door. No Corina. He wasn’t sure whether he was more relieved or disappointed. As much as he dreaded their inevitable meeting, he couldn’t help wondering how the last five years had treated her.

Will had his back to him and didn’t seem to notice his presence, but the other cop who’d arrived with Mike caught his eye and nodded. Eric Thornton. Of all the guys he’d attended high school with, Eric was the last one Bryce would have expected to hang around Kincaid this long. Maybe things had changed even less than he’d thought.

Bryce returned the nod, then allowed his gaze to travel the area. Might as well be useful while he was here. His eyes landed again on the upturned trash can. This was garbage day, so it had probably been full—-hence the mess. But he saw nothing that should have set off the alarm. Nothing unless . . .

On a hunch, he circled the outside perimeter of the porch, paying careful attention to a muddy patch near one corner. Yep. There they were. He motioned to the men. “Hey, I have some footprints over here.”

***

Author Bio

Angela Carlisle (AngelaCarlisle.com) resides in the hills of northern Kentucky and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and The Christian PEN. Angela is an editor by day and prefers to spend her free time reading, baking, and drinking ridiculous quantities of hot tea. Her unpublished works have won awards in ACFW’s Genesis and First Impressions contests and placed in the Daphne du Maurier contest. Her shorter fiction works, including the prize-winning flash-fiction piece “Mansion Murderer,” have appeared in Splickety and Spark magazines.