Tag: #christianromanticsuspense

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Fatal Pattern by Kate Angelo

FATAL PATTERN

by Kate Angelo

September 14 – 25, 2026 Virtual Book Tour

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for FATAL PATTERN (The King Legacy Book #2) by Kate Angelo on this Partners 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 PICT giveaway. Enjoy!

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Book Description

A COVERT INVESTIGATION

A stalker attacks behavioral analyst Dr. Tori Crew at knifepoint, shattering the fierce independence she’s built since her parents’ unsolved murder. Forced into an off-the-books criminal investigation, Tori must push her expertise–and her fiercely guarded heart–to the breaking point as a killer’s pattern emerges.

A LOOMING THREAT

Homicide detective Blade St. James has been Tori’s friend and protector since childhood. Haunted by his own past of parental abandonment, Blade is determined to build a stable life and find the peace that always seems just out of reach. But when Tori’s life is threatened, his guardian reflexes collide with everything he’s been trying to build.

A HIDDEN MENACE

As the conspiracy rooted in Tori’s past pulls them deeper, the boundaries of their friendship blur, and the truth neither can deny becomes impossible to ignore. Can they unmask the sophisticated serial killer before they become the final, fatal piece in the pattern?

In this gripping romantic suspense thriller, Kate Angelo delivers pulse-pounding psychological suspense and forensic investigations threaded with slow-burn romance and a heart-stopping cold case.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/249031857-fatal-pattern?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=2DSXG553wU&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

FATAL PATTERN (The King Legacy Book #2) by Kate Angelo is a fast-paced, emotional roller coaster of a Christian romantic suspense that delivers more answers tied to the over-arching criminal conspiracy plot from The King Legacy book #1, Girl Lost, and a new romance between two members of the previously introduced group of friends. I recommend reading book one first because of the large amount of crossover between the two books.

Dr, Tori Crew has a stalker. Detective Blade St. James has been Tori’s protector since childhood when they were taken into Stryker’s Warriors program for troubled and or delinquent children. As the stalker escalates, Tori and Blade receive information that this may all tie back to Tori’s childhood and the murder of her parents.

The conspiracy is even deeper than they imagined. Her parent’s deaths are leading them to clues that grow into a serial killer investigation and conspiracy in local law enforcement agencies that tie into organ harvesting which almost got their friends killed previously. But who can they trust, and will their discoveries lead them to the killer or their own deaths?

This second book in The King Legacy series is full of surprises and twists. The characters and the over-arching suspense plot from book one around a criminal conspiracy involved in organ harvesting keeps the plot moving with an ever-increasing sense of dread and peril. The killer’s fascination with fractals made an interesting, and to me, unique plot point. Both Tori and Blade had not only a serious investigation to solve but also had to face many of their childhood traumas to move forward and move from friendship to couple. The romance is a slow-burn romance with no sex scenes due to this being a Christian romantic suspense. The author ties the scripture verse in the preface of the story to the denouement perfectly and does not make the reader feel as if they are being preached at throughout the story. There are still more questions to be answered, and I look forward to reading more books in this series.

I highly recommend this thrilling Christian romantic suspense addition to The King Legacy series.

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Excerpt

1 

THE COLD EDGE OF THE BLADE kissed Tori Crew’s throat, drawing a rivulet of blood that began its descent down her neck. “Don’t move.” The whisper brushed against her ear. Tori tasted bile at the back of her throat, and for one horrifying  moment, she thought she might throw up. Her pulse thumped  against the knife pressed to her carotid. Each beat reverberated  through the steel and deep into her bones. 

The parking lot at the Kingdom MMA Gym stretched dark and  empty around her. It was her stupid idea to meet at 4:30 a.m., and  now here she was all alone. No witnesses. No help. 

Stryker should be here. Setting up folding chairs in a circle near  the boxing ring, brewing that industrial- strength coffee that could  wake the dead, preparing for morning Bible study with the kids  who lived in the residential program. 

But Stryker wasn’t coming. 

Stryker lay unconscious in a hospital bed, his salt-and-pepper  hair loose around his pale face instead of tied back the way he  always wore it. Some lunatic had tried to kill her mentor. One of  the greatest men she’d ever known, and now— 

The blade pressed deeper. “I said don’t move.” 

Her knees wanted to buckle, but she locked them straight.  Stryker had taught her that. Stay strong. Stay focused. The fighter in her knew what to do. Elbow to solar plexus. Heel  to instep. Grab the wrist. Twist. Three seconds and he’d be on the  ground. But he had the knife pressed just right. She couldn’t make  a move without him slicing through a major artery. One wrong  angle, and she’d bleed out before she hit the pavement. She forced her breathing to slow. Fought the adrenaline that  wanted to flood her system and make her do something stupid. Assess. Analyze. Act. 

The mantra from Krav Maga training steadied her racing  thoughts. Observe first. Plan the attack. Strike when the odds  shifted. 

“You’re bleeding.” His breath was hot against her neck. “I’ve  always liked the color of blood.” 

She cataloged details. Male. Less than six feet tall, based on the  angle of the knife. Maybe 5′9″. Right-handed. Gloves. No discern able accent. No alcohol on his breath. Not impulsive. Calculated.  Educated. 

He drew in a breath. “Such a pretty shade of red, don’t you  think?” 

“Who . . . who are you?” She worked to keep her voice steady  despite the tremors threatening to overtake her body. “I’m the one who watches. I’m your . . . shadow. A part of you.”  His free hand clamped around her chest, crushing her arms against  her ribs. The blade pressed deeper, stealing her breath. “You’ve  been busy. Two new cases, six trips to the gym, and you changed  your coffee order to vanilla instead of caramel.” 

Her stalker. The one who’d been leaving notes on her car.  The one who’d been calling and hanging up. The one the police  wouldn’t pursue because the “non- violent harassment” apparently didn’t meet the threshold for a credible threat. 

He’d been watching everything. 

Her stomach twisted, not with fear— she could handle fear—

but with fury. “You think that makes you powerful? It makes you  pathetic.” 

The knife pressed deeper. Not enough to do serious damage, but  enough to elicit another drop of blood. His gloved finger caught the droplet sliding down her neck, then traced it back up to the  wound. 

“Ah. We mustn’t lose too much. Not yet.” 

She analyzed his posture. The way he held the knife. How his  chest rose and fell against her back. “What do you want?” “To show you that I can kill you anytime I want.” His laugh was  soft, almost tender. “This is just the beginning, Dr. Crew. I’m not  done toying with you yet.” 

Fight instinct coiled through her muscles, but her mind weighed  the odds again and overrode them. Information. Get information. Every criminal had a pattern, a motivation. Understanding him  meant catching him. And catching him meant ending this night mare. 

She strained her eyes to the right, trying to catch even a sliver  of his face in her peripheral vision. “Why me?” 

“Because you think you understand the darkness,” he said. “But  you don’t. Not like I do.” 

A pair of headlights sliced through the blackness, white light  stabbing her retinas. The blade lifted from her throat. She spun, fist cocked for a power jab at his face, but she only  struck air. Gone. The coward had melted into the shadows along  the wall, black clothing swallowed by the darkness as he disap peared into the alley beyond. Her chance—blown. She could have  ended this right here, right now. Could have put him down and  dragged answers out of him. Instead, she was standing here bleeding while he slipped away like the roach he was. 

A car screeched to a halt beside her. The driver’s door flew open.  Detective Blade St. James erupted from his unmarked Charger  with his hand on his holstered weapon. “Tori? You okay?” Her fingers went to her throat and came away sticky with blood. She stared at the crimson smear. A savage anger bubbled  up inside her chest. He’d touched her. Cut her. And vanished  like smoke. 

“What the—” Blade’s eyes widened at her blood- slick fingertips.  “You’re bleeding.” 

“It’s just a scratch.” Her knees felt shaky. She’d had every skill  and training to handle situations exactly like this, and she’d let the  stalker get the drop on her. 

“What happened? Who was that?” 

“My stalker.” She pressed the cut to stem the bleeding. “Stalker?” His voice rose in disbelief. “What stalker? Since  when do you have a stalker?” 

“Three weeks, give or take.” A crimson droplet had dropped on  her knuckle. Perfect. Round. Like a bead of glass. “I’ve always liked the color of blood.” 

Ice slid through her veins. 

“And you didn’t think to mention this?” Blade had his phone  out. “We need to call this in. Get you to a hospital.” “No.” She caught his wrist. “The locals are aware, but you know  stalker cases. Nothing they can do.” 

“Tori, he had a knife to your throat.” His voice ticked up. “That’s  attempted murder.” 

“It’s not that simple.” 

“It is that simple. Let’s do this right. Get an officer out here.  Take your statement, photos, dust for prints, canvass witnesses—” “There are no witnesses at four thirty in the morning!” She  swept her arm toward the deserted street and empty parking lot.  “And he wore gloves, so no prints. We’ve got nothing.” “All the more reason to report it. You say this guy’s been watch ing you for weeks, and now he’s crossed the line to physical assault.  He’s escalating.” 

“You think I don’t know that?” She dropped her hand from the  cut and stormed over to Blade’s car.

***

Author Bio

Kate Angelo is the Publishers Weekly bestselling author of Hunting the Witness, Selah Award winner of Deadly Holiday Hijack, and Amazon Top 100 bestseller of Driving Force. Kate works alongside her husband championing stronger marriages and families. Her journey from foster care to bestselling author fuels her fast-paced romantic suspense, where flawed characters discover hope and healing through life’s fiercest trials and relationships. When she’s not putting fictional people through the wringer, she’s out creating real-life happily-ever-afters at conferences and events nationwide.

Social Media Links

KateAngelo.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads – @kateangeloauthor
BookBub – @kateangeloauthor
Instagram – @kateangeloauthor
Facebook – Kate Angelo- Author

Purchase Links

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PICT GIVEAWAY

https://pictbooks.tours/gcp3A3wQ

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Raging Waters by Dana Mentink

Book Description

When Mackenzie Bardine’s brother Aaron was murdered in a drug deal gone wrong, she started a true crime podcast dedicated to exposing “Bullseye,” the drug kingpin responsible. But her protective heart has never let go of the blame she places on herself and Aaron’s best friend, Gideon Landry. On the run to the wilds of Washington to chase a recent lead, she meets none other than Gideon himself.

While conducting a wilderness survival class in remote Washington, Gideon never expected to cross paths with Mackenzie, and he’s certainly not interested in helping her after he’s already declined to participate in her vigilante podcasting. He carries a mountain of guilt about Aaron’s fatal choices, but not for the reasons Mackenzie suspects.

As killers begin to circle Mackenzie like sharks, it’s clear to Gideon she’s in over her head, and in light of his troubled past with her brother, he can’t bring himself to ignore her perilous situation. Then a flood threatens the town, turning their investigation into a race to escape the raging waters and the wrath of a powerful kingpin who wants to sink them both.

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Elise’s Thoughts

The plot for Raging Waters, by Dana Mentink, comes right out of the headlines. A major role in the book is the Air Force SERE tactics. In the news recently the Air Force Colonel who had to eject from his F-15 fighter jet over Iran had to avoid the Iranians who had put a bounty on his head. To avoid the enemy, he used the SERE training. This book’s plot has the hero and heroine trying to evade capture by the enemy, Bullseye, a drug kingpin, by using SERE tactics.  

The book starts out with Mackenzie Bardine (Zee) haunted by the murder of her brother Aaron. Determined to bring the man responsible to light, she pours her heart into a true crime podcast focused on exposing the mysterious drug kingpin known as “Bullseye. She had not forgiven herself or her brother’s best friend, Gideon Landry, for not doing more to help her brother.  

A lead on Bullseye’s identity brings Mackenzie to the remote Washington State town of Oakleaf. There she encounters Gideon, an Air Force SERE instructor, who works in the community. He realizes that Zee is over her head in finding her brother’s killers and decides to help her. This ruthless drug kingpin is intent on destroying them and has people everywhere, making it hard for Gideon and Zee to know who to trust.  It becomes a cat and mouse game where they are after Bullseye who has hired minions to find and kill them.  In addition to having to use SERE tactics to escape Bullseye they must find safety against torrential rains, raging waters, and a dam that is about to break. 

The action in the book is non-stop creating relentless tension. Combining the threat from dangerous enemies and the natural disasters makes for a gripping read. There is heart-stopping danger with twists and turns that leads to a stormy ending. 

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Do you like writing books where the setting becomes a character? 

Dana Mentink: This is my favorite type of story. I think nature is marvelous and terrifying, where it pits the characters versus the environment. My first book involved a volcano. This series books are about surviving the environment. They are wilderness survival stories. I have a fear of water in general and like to write about what scares me.  There is nothing scarier than being trapped in a small town with a failing dam. Besides the dam this story had rain, a chilling river, and the flood from a dam breaking with a major current. It seemed like the perfect place to set a suspense idea.  

EC: Did SERE play an important role in the book? 

DM: It stands for survive, evade, resist, and escape. It is the Air Force survival training where the protagonist is an instructor. It comes in real handy. It is an intense program where they learn cagey skills. I found true testimonies of people who experienced being lost. Makes for a great hero where someone knows what to do.  

EC: Can you explain the book quote, “Fix it, don’t film it”?  

DM: After a disaster there are all these videos.  It occurred to me, ‘why don’t you just put down the phone and go help that person.’ People have become too enamored with social media they forget it is really life.  

EC: Can you describe Zee? 

DM:  Zee is angry, believes the ends justify the means, can be reckless, audacious, stubborn, gritty, determined, charismatic, vulnerable, and a true crime podcaster crusader.  

EC: What about Gideon? 

DM: He is sarcastic, smart, savvy, clever, a warrior, and believes people should not terrorize others. In the beginning of the book, he has no filters. 

EC: What is the role of Aaron, Zee’s brother? 

DM: He shattered lives, never grew up, and did not believe there were consequences to his actions. He does not take responsibility. Zee stopped living her life to get revenge for his murder. She also must come to grips with the image she had of her brother and who he really was. It is difficult for her to accept it. 

EC: What about Zee and Gideon? 

DM: He felt she was not trustworthy. At a younger age she had a crush on him when he was her brother’s best friend. Now she blames him for not helping her brother. While in some ways he blames himself. She does not want him around because he is a reminder of Aaron. There is a lot of guilt to be resolved. She also has guilt because of a blindness to some things about him, feeling she could have prevented his murder if she was more insightful.  

EC: How would you describe the bad guy, Bullseye? 

DM:  Evil, manipulative, controlling, powerful, vengeful, enjoys using fear, violent, and a stone-cold killer.  

EC:  What about your next books? 

DM: It will be the first in a new series, titled Hidden America. It is about a TV scout media team checking out locations for the TV show called “Hidden America.” It is a show about abandoned places. It will come out probably next spring.  

Another book will be a historical cozy mystery coming out in September. It is titled Murders in the Marquee.  It is the first book in a series.  It is set in a San Francisco luxury hotel in 1905 called the Marquee. It has three unlikely crime solvers. 

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: Last to Fall by Lynn H. Blackburn

LAST TO FALL

by Lynn H. Blackburn

March 2 – 13, 2026 Virtual Book Tour

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE LAST TO FALL (Gossamer Falls Book #3) by Lynn H. Blackburn on this Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour.

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

***

Book Description

She’s caught in a deadly game. He’s the only one who can help her win.

Bronwyn Pierce has poured everything into The Haven, her family’s exclusive mountain resort in Gossamer Falls. But when financial discrepancies surface and the numbers suggest something far darker than simple mismanagement, she’s forced to call on the one person with the skills to help her: Mo Quinn, a former Army intelligence officer, her first love, and the last person she ever wanted to trust again.

Mo has spent years avoiding the woman he once loved and the secrets that tore them apart. But when Bronwyn calls, he can’t walk away–especially when it’s clear someone wants her gone for good. As they dig deeper into the treacherous motives behind a blackmail scheme, their proximity reignites long-buried feelings neither of them are ready to face. And when the evidence points to an unexpected culprit, Mo faces an impossible choice: trust the proof in front of him or trust his heart.

With danger closing in and no one else to turn to, Bronwyn must break years of silence with Mo to uncover who’s trying to destroy The Haven. They’ll have to risk everything–including their hearts–to expose the truth before it’s too late.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/236304619-last-to-fall?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=P9RNiFVYk9&rank=2

Last to Fall

Genre: Christian Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Romance
Published by: Revell
Publication Date: March 3, 2026
Number of Pages: 368
ISBN: 9780800745387 (ISBN10: 0800745388)
Series: Gossamer Falls, Book #3

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

LAST TO FALL (Gossamer Falls Book #3) by Lynn H. Blackburn is the exciting third book in the Gossamer Falls Christian romantic suspense series. This series enters around a multi-generational family in Gossamer Falls, North Carolina. Each story features a new complete couple’s romance, but the suspense and crimes in the town continue over all the books as well as many of the characters, so I feel it is best to read them in the order published.

Bronwyn Pierce successfully runs the Haven, an exclusive mountain resort for her extended family. Recently though she has felt unsettled and felt watched as well as feeling there is a problem with some of the resorts accounts. She feels she has no choice but to ask for help from the one man she felt she could never trust again.

Montgomery “Mo” Quinn is a former Army Intelligence officer and now works personally with computers in criminal investigations. Even with all the mistrust, hurt, and noncommunication between them, Mo can do nothing but help the one woman he has always loved. As they investigate, their feelings reignite. But as Mo delves into the Haven’s files, he discovers blackmail payments and money laundering and is put in an untenable situation of trusting his heart or trusting the files. They are in the crosshairs and must risk everything before a killer succeeds.

This is my favorite of the three and they all have been very good. I have been waiting to discover Bronwyn and Mo’s backstories, and I really enjoyed the alternating chapters that revealed everything. Besides being an overall lovely book about forgiveness, family, and love, the author intricately ties the H/h romance story with all the innocence of their childhood infatuation, the perceived betrayals, and then adult forgiveness and understanding into the full family history seamlessly. This is a Christian romantic suspense so there are no sex scenes and just kissing between the H/h. The suspense is well paced with plenty of action and ties together all the missing pieces from all criminal activities from the previous books as well.

I highly recommend this captivating and heartfelt addition to the Gossamer Falls Christian romantic suspense series.

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Excerpt

ONE

Present Day

Whoever said blood was thicker than water hadn’t known about the Pierce family.

Bronwyn Pierce could think of several people she could trust more than her own family, and one of them despised her.

But he was the one she needed now.

He would come. She knew it in a place deep in her core. Despite the pain they’d inflicted on each other for the past seventeen years, he would come.

“This is so messed up.” She muttered the words into the silence of her office, then clamped her mouth shut.

For all she knew, someone was listening.

She propped up her elbows on her desk and rested her face in her hands. Her head ached. Her heart was . . . numb. It had been bruised and beaten so often in her almost thirty- four years that even the magnitude of this current betrayal barely registered.

The light tap on her office door jolted her from her musing, and she barely stopped the scream that threatened to erupt from her throat. Who was wandering around The Haven at three in the morning?

She slid open the middle drawer of her desk and rested her left hand on the small gun she kept there. And wasn’t that just a kick in the pants? She was the CEO of an exclusive resort. She prided herself on how the staff protected the celebrities, politicians, and uber- wealthy visitors who rested in blissful slumber in the elegant cabins that dotted the property. They knew no paparazzi would approach them and no one would harm them while they were here.

But she couldn’t expect the same level of security for herself.

She gripped the gun.

“Ms. Pierce? Are you in there?” The deep voice of Randall, one of the night watchmen, filtered through the thick door.

“Yes. Come in.”

He eased the door open and took one step inside. “Ms. Pierce, are you okay?”

She understood the confusion on his face. She put in well over sixty hours a week, sometimes closer to eighty, but even she didn’t make a habit of being in her office in the middle of the night.

“I’m fine. Thank you.” She didn’t owe him an explanation, but she gave one anyway. Or part of it. “I thought of something that needed to be done on this computer.”

It was no secret that The Haven computer network carried some of the most advanced security available and that some information couldn’t be accessed from remote locations. Not even by her.

“Gotcha.” Randall’s tense smile sent a chill skittering across her skin. “I guess it’s in the air tonight. Mr. Pierce is in his office as well.”

The chill turned into an arctic blast.

“Which Mr. Pierce?”

“Nathan.”

“I see.”

Randall regarded her with an expression she couldn’t decipher. Was it concern? Distrust?

“If it’s all the same to you, ma’am, I’m going to stay in this area for a bit. I’d appreciate it if you’d allow me to escort you back to your home when you’re done here.”

And that didn’t sound ominous. Not at all.

Did he want to see her safely back to her home? Or did he want to take the opportunity to . . . what? What would he do? Surely the situation hadn’t devolved to the point where physical violence was on the table.

Her home was tucked away in an unobtrusive corner of The Haven property. Out of sight of the guests and staff, and off limits to all, but close enough for her to be available in case of emergencies. She’d always appreciated her own private haven at The Haven. But if Randall meant her harm, how long would it be before anyone found her?

She gave herself a mental shake. Randall was good people. He was looking out for her. Nothing more. She hoped.

“Sure. I’ll probably be another ten minutes. I need to send a few emails.”

Randall lowered his head. “In that case, I’ll wait outside.”

With that, he stepped back and closed the door.

Now what?

Her cousin Nathan was in his office on the other side of the property doing who knew what at 3:00 a.m. Probably plotting world domination. Or her painful death. Or both.

After she’d run away at sixteen, Nathan became the heir apparent to their family’s business. He was the golden child. The future of the family. And then he managed to get himself sideways with a guest and had to hide out in Europe for a while.

While his life was spiraling out of control, Bronwyn’s had come together. She finished her degree, worked in the industry in several resorts around the world, and returned to Gossamer Falls, determined to atone for her sins.

Neither she nor Nathan had expected the CEO position to ever be hers, but it was now, and she had no plans to let it go.

Her extended family had never been tight- knit. She’d grown up with competition as the name of the game. She didn’t know exactly when it started, but over the past few years, the Pierces had somehow fractured into separate, warring factions. There was no trust. No love. No sense of togetherness.

Lord, how did we get here? And how do I get out of this mess?

She didn’t know the answer to the first question, but she knew the answer to the second. Or, at least, she knew the first step on the path.

She twisted back to her computer and typed out an email.

With shaking fingers, she hit send, gathered her things, including her weapon, and walked out to meet Randall.

Even after close to two decades of hostility, she knew that while the one person she needed right now wouldn’t speak to her, he would keep her secrets and do everything he could to keep her safe.

And there was no turning back now. She’d placed the charges and lit the fuse. Her walls were coming down. She had to trust that he’d stand with her when the last one fell.

Last to Fall • Lynn H. Blackburn Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group © 2026 used by permission

***

Author Bio

Lynn H. Blackburn is the award-winning author of Never Fall Again, as well as the Dive Team Investigations and Defend and Protect series. She loves writing swoon-worthy Southern suspense because her childhood fantasy was to become a spy, but her grown-up reality is that she’s a huge chicken and would have been caught on her first mission. She prefers to live vicariously through her characters by putting them into terrifying situations while she sits at home in her pajamas. She lives in Simpsonville, South Carolina, with her true love, Brian, and their three children.

Social Media Links

LynnHBlackburn.com
Subscribe to Lynn’s Newsletter
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads – @lynnhugginsblackburn
BookBub – @LynnHBlackburn
Instagram – @LynnHBlackburn
Facebook – @LynnHBlackburn
Pinterest – @LynnHBlackburn

Purchase Links

Amazon – https://pictbooks.tours/Lt9tkcRZ

Kindle – https://pictbooks.tours/0thgmVlg

BN – https://pictbooks.tours/LsxDnLJW

BookShop.org – https://pictbooks.tours/M0xOT6Bw

Christianbook – https://pictbooks.tours/9ZXnsUqt

Goodreads – https://pictbooks.tours/UX1l9ccJ

BookBub – https://pictbooks.tours/GzMqrP5B

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PROMOAMP GIVEAWAY

https://pictbooks.tours/l14J6rCk

Book Review: Break My Fall by Lynn H. Blackburn

My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

BREAK MY FALL (Gossamer Falls Book #2) by Lynn H. Blackburn is the second Christian romantic suspense in the Gossamer Falls series. These books center around a large, multi-generational family in Gossamer Falls, North Carolina. Each book features a Christian romance intertwined with a suspense plot involving illegal activities and corruption in the area. While this story is a complete romantic suspense plot, I feel it is best read after the first book, Never Fall Again, due to continuing characters and criminal plot lines between books one and two.

Dr. Meredith Quinn always planned on returning home to the small town of Gossamer Falls to open her dentistry practice and help the underserved population in the neighboring area with a mobile dental clinic. What she did not expect was the amount of despair and corruption in the neighboring county and the small talk that will ultimately put her life in peril. After a series of incidents, the Gossamer Falls police chief fears for Meredith’s safety, but Meredith does not want him hovering as she fights her personal attraction to him.

Police Chief Grayson Ward has heard rumors about the neighboring county and is helping a covert FBI joint task force with information. When he learns that Meredith has been targeted, he will do anything to protect her, except open his heart to her. He has experienced several losses in his life and is not willing to risk his heart, but Meredith seems able to break down his walls. Can Grayson protect Meredith from those who want to hurt her, or will he end up being shattered again?

This is a solid Christian romantic suspense that has a good balance of two characters fighting their attraction while being thrown together in danger and having their friends and relations help and support them both. I preferred the first book more because this romance has a fairly large portion of the H/h not communicating which is annoying in a couple of their age. This is a Christian romance so there are no sex scenes or premarital sex. The religious aspects were never obtrusive or story stopping but fit in seamlessly throughout the story focusing on family love and forgiveness. The suspense plot was realistic with plenty of tension and apprehension for the main characters.

I recommend this enjoyable second book in the Gossamer Falls Christian romantic suspense series and am looking forward to reading book three.

***

About the Author

Lynn H. Blackburn loves writing romantic suspense because her childhood fantasy was to become a spy, but her grown-up reality is that she’s a huge chicken and would have been caught on her first mission. She prefers to live vicariously through her characters and loves putting them into all kinds of terrifying situations while she’s sitting at home safe and sound in her pajamas!

She’s currently writing the Gossamer Falls series set in the mountains of Western North Carolina. The series will include three novels and one novella and kicks off with Never Fall Again.

Unknown Threat, the first book in her Defend and Protect series, was a 2021 Christy Award finalist, and her previous titles have won the Carol Award, the Selah Award, and the Faith, Hope, and Love Reader’s Choice Award.

Lynn lives in South Carolina with her family.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.lynnhblackburn.com/

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynnhblackburn/#

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/break-my-fall-by-lynn-h-blackburn

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Canyon of Deceit by Diann Mills

CANYON OF DECEIT

by DiAnn Mills


September 8 – October 3, 2025 Virtual Book Tour

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for CANYON OF DECEIT by DiAnn Mills on this Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour.

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

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Book Description

When wilderness survival expert Therese Palmer receives a frantic phone call from former colleague Professor Rurik Ivanov, she is shocked by the news that his young daughter, Alina, is missing—and that Rurik wants Therese’s help finding her. She’s sure Rurik hasn’t given her the whole story . . . especially since he refuses to report the kidnapping to the police. Yet with a child’s life hanging in the balance, Therese can’t turn down this mission. She knows the clock is ticking and she can’t do this alone.

Therese reaches out to Texas Ranger Blane Gardner, whom she met seven months ago during one of her training courses in wilderness survival skills. Blane’s specialized training and background with the Crisis Negotiation Unit make him uniquely prepared for this search-and-rescue mission. He agrees to help Therese and to accept Rurik’s terms to keep Alina’s disappearance quiet, and as the two begin working together, Therese is determined the spark growing between them won’t distract from their mission to save Alina.

Traversing deep into the desert of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Alina’s last known location, Therese and Blane struggle to separate truth from lies within the mix of intel they’re receiving. As they close in on answers that suggest the involvement of Russian organized crime and a high-profile international assassination attempt, they must fight to rescue Alina before she becomes an innocent casualty of a much bigger plot—no matter the risk to their own lives.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/228601396-canyon-of-deceit?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=sjcDT5uSWy&rank=1

Canyon of Deceit

Genre:  Romantic Suspense
Published by: Tyndale House Publishers
Publication Date: September 9, 2025
Number of Pages: 352 (pbk)
ISBN: 9781496485151 (ISBN10: 1496485157) pbk

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My Mini Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

CANYON OF DECEIT by Diann Mills is a suspenseful and intricately plotted Christian romantic suspense/mystery/thriller set in the beautiful and rugged Guadalupe Mountain National Park of New Mexico. The protagonists are Therese Palmer, a wilderness survival expert and Blane Gardner, a Texas Ranger on the hunt for a kidnapped child. This is a standalone story that is tension filled with many surprising twists that kept me on the edge of my seat and turning the pages.

This romantic suspense plot is well paced with physical struggles and obstacles as well as struggles with their faith. What starts as a kidnapping soon turns into a complex web of assassination, murders, and military espionage. Therese and Blane both have traumas in their pasts that lead to their beliefs, but heartfelt, honest conversations occur between the action as both come to care for each other. Therese lives her faith, and she is clear with Blane that she will not compromise her beliefs even for a relationship, but she is not preaching at him. Blane is the protagonist on a spiritual journey in this story. This is a Christian romantic suspense so there are no sex scenes.

I recommend this exciting, well written Christian romantic suspense.

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Excerpt

Chapter One

New Caney, Texas

October, Thursday, Current Day

Therese

The shrill ring of my mobile phone jolted me awake at 2:00 a.m., a haunting prompt that emergencies seldom emerged in daylight. Someone had ventured into the wilderness and needed me to lead a rescue mission. My skills of trekking over precarious terrain to find victims who suffered from physical injuries, dehydration, starvation, or all three, kept me on alert. At times I viewed my life like a Star Trek tagline, “Where no man has gone before.”

I grabbed the phone off my nightstand. Unidentified caller. “Hello?”

“Ms. Palmer, this is Professor Rurik Ivanov from Houston Leonard University. We met nearly a year ago. You taught a course in wilderness survival as an adjunct professor.”

I captured a mental image of the Russian man—gray-blue eyes, stone-gray hair, angular face. “Yes, sir. How can I help you?”

“I apologize for the hour, but I’m in a desperate situation.”

The angst in his voice zapped me into guarded mode, especially when I barely knew the man. I snapped on my bedside lamp. “Are you all right?”

“No, ma’am, which is why I’m calling you. Do you remember my wife and daughter?”

“I met them both at a faculty dinner last Christmas. A lovely family.”

“My wife was murdered today, and kidnappers have taken my daughter.”

I inhaled sharply, and alarm for the professor’s family fired hot from the soles of my feet. “Daria? Alina? What happened?”

“A man called me late this afternoon while I prepared to leave for home. He said he’d taken Alina. Then he sent a link to a video showing my wife’s execution—”

He stopped abruptly, his final words drumming into my senses. The seconds ticked by, and I waited.

“I watched Daria grab her chest and struggle . . . The blood rushed from her precious body—my dear Daria’s life gone forever.” He grappled again to control his tear-filled voice. “He said they would release Alina unharmed if I paid three million dollars. They’d call with instructions. When the man hung up, I hurried home thinking it had to be a terrible mistake or someone had used AI to generate the video. On the way, I phoned Daria and the call went to voice mail. I also redialed the man who’d contacted me. The phone rang repeatedly, but the number offered no way to leave a message. I contacted Alina’s school and learned Daria had picked her up before noon.

“At home, reality rooted. A lamp and a table in the living room lay in pieces. Daria would have fought hard, but there were no signs of blood. I didn’t recognize the place in the video where they killed her. I even checked for geotag information on the clip, but it had been stripped. I later clicked on the link . . . the video had disappeared.”

I ached for his loss. “What do the police say?”

Silence answered me, then Rurik finally said, “Contacting them is impossible. The man warned me against telling anyone who works in law enforcement, or I’d never see Alina again.” He sobbed into the phone. “Please, give me a moment.”

“Take all the time you need.”

The professor taught Russian language and literature at Leonard University and was highly respected and liked among faculty and students. I’d enjoyed our occasional chats, and he’d observed some of my classes. What had he done to upset the wrong people?

“Thank you. I can talk now,” he said. “I have no idea where the killers have taken Daria’s body or how to find Alina. Neither do I suspect anyone.”

I willed my pulse to slow. “Professor, the police are trained in handling confidential matters and how to find who is responsible. They have families and understand what you’re going through.”

“And endanger my daughter?” Panic throbbed in his ragged voice.

“I’m sorry.” My grief over losing Kate many years ago surfaced raw and bleeding. “Are you alone?”

“Yes. At home.”

“Are there family or friends who can stay with you?”

“My family is in Russia, and I do not trust anyone.”

“You could very well be in danger too.”

“My welfare is unimportant.”

“Who are these people, and why has your family been victimized?”

“I have no idea. The man refused to identify himself, but he did say ‘we.’ Maybe he thinks I have money or believes I have done something criminal to my country or to the US.”

What was he not telling me? I tossed off my blanket and stood in my bedroom, shivering, not from the cold but the horror of this unfolding story. “Professor Ivanov, I’m confused. Why call me? This is a job for the police or the FBI.”

“I cannot risk my daughter’s life. You are my only hope to find Alina. You have the skills to get her back.”

I ran my fingers through my hair. “I’m a wilderness-survival specialist, nothing more. I’m not equipped to carry out a hostage negotiation without backup, which is another reason you need to involve the authorities.” More questions bolted into my mental space like a landslide. “How would I find her?”

“That’s where I can help you. Alina has GPS trackers hidden in her shoes. Not even Daria knew about them.”

“Why would you track your young daughter?”

“Alina’s biological mother died when she was a baby, and I’ve been consumed with protecting my daughter ever since. I checked my phone app and learned at one thirty this afternoon, Alina was taken to a private landing strip west of Houston. I called there, and a woman who worked in the small office said no one had filed a flight plan. But she made a mistake. The tracker had stopped registering.” He coughed and asked me to wait while he got a glass of water.

A connection at Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management popped into my consciousness. They had the technology to confirm the date and time a plane took to the skies and where it landed.

“I’m better. I apologize for my lack of control,” the professor said. “My app showed tracking again near an abandoned airstrip in a remote area south of Hobbs, New Mexico. The tracking indicated ground-speed movement for two and a half hours to a section on the north side of Guadalupe Mountains National Park called Dog Canyon. That’s where the tracking ended, and I’ve detected nothing since. I assume the kidnappers parked the vehicle and proceeded on foot with Alina. Research shows the area is off-grid. Ms. Palmer, did they remove her shoes? How would they expect her to walk in bare feet?”

My thoughts trailed to the worst possible scenario. Why take Alina to a remote location unless they planned to dispose of her body there? Another argument lay with logic. Why go to the expense of transporting a kidnap victim there when they had the ability to dispose of her body in their backyard? A morbid idea, except true. Whatever the reason, they risked exposure from security cameras until they reached an off-grid area.

“I can’t stress enough how the authorities have technology and skills to find Alina. They can unravel valid threats and comprehend the danger of taking your story to the media.”

“The man who called me said they’d be watching my every move. I bought a burner phone tonight to call you.”

His anguish rippled through me, interfering with my ability to think clearly. “What about the ransom?”

“I can liquidate assets here and in Russia to meet their demands, but the statistics on kidnappers returning my Alina alive are not good. Perhaps they would accept what I can put together now. I’m sorry . . . I wish I had an answer. Why harm an eight-year-old little girl?”

“I have empathy for your grief.” Daria’s lovely face and the white-blonde-haired little girl refused to leave me alone. “Although I could lead you into Dog Canyon, I have no idea how to pull her out of the clutches of dangerous men. You’d need armed law enforcement and possibly a negotiator.”

“That would draw attention. I’ll pay you whatever you want.”

“Money is not the issue, Professor—”

“Alina means more to me than anything else in this world. What is love but to take ownership of a problem and do all I can to stop those men?”

“What if I fail?” The terror of not finding his daughter alive resurrected an echo from the past that had shaped my career.

“Can you live with yourself if you don’t try?”

Unaware, he’d pressed my weakest button. “I’ll hear you out. But I don’t believe you’ve given me the whole story, and I need the truth before I risk my life.”

“I’ve . . . I’ve given you all of it.”“You’ve stated what you want me to know. What have you done or not done in this tragedy that Daria is dead, Alina is missing, and you can’t go to the police?

***

Author Bio

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who invites her readers to step into stories where suspense meets adventure and romance warms the heart. Known for crafting unforgettable characters tangled in unpredictable plots, DiAnn believes every breath we take unfolds a story waiting to be told—so why not make it thrilling?

Her novels have consistently landed on bestseller lists including CBA, ECPA, and Publishers Weekly, and have won prestigious awards such as the Christy, Selah, Golden Scroll, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol awards.

DiAnn is a founding board member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Conference Advisor for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers. She actively participates in Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, the Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, and International Thriller Writers, DiAnn passionately invests in helping fellow authors succeed through mentoring, book coaching, and editing. She travels nationwide speaking and teaching engaging writing workshops.

A proud coffee snob who roasts her own beans, DiAnn also enjoys diving into good books, experimenting in the kitchen, and unabashedly spoiling her grandchildren—whom she insists are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband make their home under the sunny skies of Houston, Texas.

Connect with DiAnn online for behind-the-scenes glimpses, writing tips, and lively discussions:

diannmills.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads – @DiAnnMills
BookBub – @DiAnnMills
Instagram – @diannmillsauthor
Facebook – @DiAnnMills
YouTube – @DiAnnMills

Purchase Links

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PROMOAMP GIVEAWAY

https://www.promoamp.com/c/canyon-of-deceit-by-diann-mills

Feature Post and Book Review: Fire Mountain by Dana Mentink

Book Description

In the shadow of a threatening volcano, long-haul trucker Kit Garrido wakes up in her crashed big rig, unable to recall what happened or why she’s suddenly in possession of someone’s baby. Fiercely independent, she has to admit that perhaps this time she could use a little help.

As the threat of eruption grows, former cop Cullen Landry refuses to leave his cabin in the evacuation area, which is why he’s the only one left who can help Kit escape the crumpled cab of her truck. He doesn’t want to get tangled up in the mystery of the beautiful woman with an abandoned infant, but when he sees the bullet hole in the windshield and the bloody handprint on the interior, he realizes that he’s in this thing, like it or not.

When two armed men with ill intent approach, the race is on to stay alive, discover the truth, and find the baby’s missing mother–all while a deadly mountain rains fire from above.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/220543424-fire-mountain?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=06uvLcupGA&rank=3

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My Book Review

RATING: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

FIRE MOUNTAIN (Elements of Danger Book #1) by Dana Mentink is a fast paced, edge-of-your-seat Christian romantic suspense/crime thriller with the protagonists and a baby running for their lives on a volcanic mountain getting ready to blow. This is the first book in this new series and a new-to-me author.

Self-employed long haul trucker Kit Garrido wakes up in her overturned big rig with no memory of the accident and bullet holes in her windshield on a mountain road in the evacuation zone on a mountain threatening to erupt at any time. She is hesitant to accept the help of a stranger who offers help, but there is nothing else she can do. As they gather supplies to leave the truck, they discover a baby in a car seat in Kit’s back living area. It is not Kit’s, and she has no idea how it got into her truck.

Former cop Cullen Landry has been putting off evacuating until the last minute. He comes across an overturned big rig and helps the woman inside even though she is reluctant for his help. When they discover the baby, he does not know what to think of the surly, but attractive trucker. When two-armed men approach, they are in for a race for their lives and do not know whether it will be the men chasing them or the volcano that will end their lives.

This is one of those books that keeps you turning the pages because you just need to know if Kit, Cullen, and baby, Tot, will escape the mountain with their lives. The author does a great job realistically describing all the dangers a volcanic mountain can throw at these characters. Both Kit and Cullen are having difficulty dealing with their individual pasts and their belief in God and the author by throwing them together in dangerous and life-threatening situations which have them working together to survive also brings them to a new understanding of their pasts and of their faith. This is a Christian romantic suspense so there are no sex scenes. There are few secondary characters but the crusty old Marine, turned librarian, Archie was amazing and of course baby, Tot. The antagonists were necessary to be the foil to the main characters in the story, and their continued chase was necessary to the suspense and plot, but not realistic. That said, some suspension of belief makes this a story you cannot put down.

I highly recommend this Christian romantic suspense/thriller and look forward to the next book in this new series.

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About the Author

Dana Mentink is a New York Times bestselling author of more than fifty novels for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense, Revell, Poisoned Pen Press, and other publishers. She lives in sunny California with Papa Bear and close to her two cubs, affectionately nicknamed Yogi and Boo Boo.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.danamentink.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dana.mentink

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/fire-mountain-elements-of-danger-book-1-by-dana-mentink