Tag: #lisachilds

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Hostage Security and A Match for the Sheriff by Lisa Childs

Bachelor Bodyguards – Book #14

Elise’s Description and Thoughts

Hostage Security is a suspenseful romance that involves a child being kidnapped. Five years ago, Josh Stafford ended his engagement to Natalie Croft after he pleaded guilty to a crime he did not commit to protect his loved ones.  As he was leaving for prison, he told Natalie that he did not love her, which devasted Natalie.  She does not want anything to do with Josh, so she never tells him she was pregnant with his child, Henry.  Fast forward to the present where Josh is out of prison and working as a security specialist for the Payne Protection Agency as a guard at Natalie’s’ family jewelry store. Now the son he never met is kidnapped. Natalie, Josh, and the rest of those at the Agency must find Henry before it is too late.

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Bachelor Cowboys – Book #8

Elise’s Description and Thoughts

A Match for the Sheriff has single mom Sarah Reynolds raising her 6-year-old son, Mikey, and taking care of the elderly ranch owner, the father of the Cassidy family. She is worried that her son may have started the fire at the ranch they were living in, but he refuses to talk to her. Marsh, the sheriff of the town, wants to get to the bottom of who started the fire or whether it was an accident. After he starts to suspect that his dad’s nurse or her son knew something about the fire, he begins to spend time with them to get answers.  But the longer he is with them the more he starts to care for them. Readers will enjoy finding out what will happen between Marsh and Sarah as well as how the fire mystery will be solved.

Both books are entertaining and will keep readers turning the pages.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Is Hostage Security the first book in a new series?

Lisa Childs: Yes. It is a continuation of my “Bachelor Bodyguard Series,” which has been going for many years.  This is the first book in the “Payne Protection Agency Series,” somewhat of a spin-off. I think there will be five books total. The two brothers heading this Agency, are connected to Penny Payne, the matriarch of the Payne family.   These brothers are a bad-boy characters that were also suspects in the first couple of books. They are Polish and I am half-Polish myself.

EC: How would you describe the female lead, Natalie?

LC: She feels helpless and does not feel like she is in control.  She is scared.  I think she is straight-forward, honest, angry, frustrated, and bitter. She is brave because she will do whatever it takes to get her child back.

EC:  How would you describe Josh?

LC:  Resentful, selfless, has made sacrifices, and he is scared for his son. He knows with hostages they must act quickly to get them back.

EC: What about the relationship?

LC:  When he went to jail, she was devasted. Her trust in him and herself was shaken. She is resentful and mistrustful. They both have lies and secrets that they have kept from each other.

EC: Did you do any research?

LC: I looked up police procedures and spent a lot of time on the FBI website.

EC:  What is the role of Henry?

LC:  Natalie did not want Henry, her and Josh’s son, to visit him in prison. As he was going to prison, he said he did not want anything to do with her, which she assumed meant nothing to do with her and her child. Henry is the something good coming from something bad.

EC: In your other book, A Match for The Sheriff does the fire plays a big role?

LC: It is an ongoing theme since no one knows how it started. Everybody was worried that Cash Cassidy, one of the brothers, started it after his lighter was found.  I was an insurance agent for over twenty years and wrote how the insurance company was dragging out the payment, where the adjuster is notorious for pushing arson charges so that he could deny claims.

EC: Is this a new series?

LC: No.  This is the eighth book in the “Bachelor Cowboy Series.”  I am writing four more books coming out in this series.

EC: Do the cowboy hats the Cassidy brothers wear reflect their differences?

LC:  Yes, they are very different. Readers can tell their different personalities by the different colors they wear with the hats.  Cash wears brown, enjoying being in nature and taking care of animals. Marsh wears white, the lawman and is the peace maker. Colton wears black, he is the fireman that must handle ashes. Collin does not wear one.

EC: How would you describe the hero, Marsh?

LC: Has a sense of humor, calm, and very observant. He felt a loss when his brother Cash went away for all those years.

EC:  How would you describe Sarah?

LC: Strong, resilient, vulnerable, compassionate, anxious, protective, and distrusting.

EC:  What was the role of Sarah’s son Mikey?

LC:  He was bullied and had a rough time in school because his dad was a criminal. Sarah is very protective of him. She is a mama-bear.  He is sensitive, quiet, shy, skittish, impressionable, and loves animals.

EC: What about the relationship between Sarah and Marsh?

LC:  She feels intimidated by him.  They are both uneasy about their feelings. Marsh can read her.  Sarah is very nervous as to why he takes a sudden interest in her. She also cares about Marsh and does not want him to lose the election because he associates with her. In a way she is protective of him.

EC: Next books?

LC:  There will be books about the Lemmon brothers.  The first book has one of them finding a baby on the ranch. It is titled The Cowboy’s Baby Surprise out in July.

Personal Security is the title of the next book coming out in May. It will be Ivan’s story where he is assigned to protect an art gallery. It was once a front for money laundering. The heroine is trying to open the gallery to honor her late dad, but someone is sabotaging her efforts.

THANK YOU!!

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: The Hot Shot Series by Lisa Childs

Book Descriptions and Elise’s Thoughts

“The Hot Shot Series” by Lisa Childs is a two for one. There are two mysteries in each book. A threat against the hero and heroine involving their personal life, and an overriding arc that has someone sabotaging the team. Although the books are in a series, there is sufficient information given in each book that allows each to be read as a standalone. The novels have great banter, murder, deception, and some romance. There is non-stop action with one threat after another.

The latest book, Hotshot Hero in Disguise, starts out with a bang as a stove explodes setting fire to Hotshot Ethan Sommerly’s beard and hair. He is injured and taken to the hospital, where he finds out that his long hair and bushy beard have protected his face from severe burns, but now he must trim and shave them because of the burns. He goes to the beauty salon owned by Tammy Ingles who realizes after completing her work that he has been hiding his identity. Not only does the attraction between them heat up but also the threats. There are several prime candidates, and the tension ramps up as Ethan and the others try to figure out who is involved.

The book before this one, Hotshot Heroes Under Threat, has another team member being threatened, Patrick (Trick) McRooney.  He was assigned to go undercover and investigate why all these “accidents” were happening to the team.  No one knows if the threats are against him or the team. One of the firefighters, Henrietta (Hank) Rowlins is also being threatened.  People are wondering if the assailant wants Hank dead, Trick dead, or the team dead?  It seems every time Hank and trick are together, their lives are threatened.  Even though there is a major attraction between them each tries to stay apart to prevent the other from being hurt, literally and figuratively. What makes the stories heartfelt is how each member of the team eventually has each other’s back. The suspense of the story will have readers turning the pages, wondering how the danger will be stopped.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the series?

Lisa Childs: While in college my husband worked for the US Forest Department. He had gone out to fight wildfires.  When I started the series, my editor told me to make the heroes “hot shot firefighters.”  I went from there. It started as four books, but there will be twelve total books in the series.

EC:  The last two Hotshot books have similar relationships?

LC:  Yes, both heroes tried to have a hands-off attitude toward the heroines because they did not want to endanger her. They are protectors, a part of their personality to save and help people.

EC:  In your latest Hotshot book, Hero in Disguise, how would you describe Ethan Sommerly?

LC: He is mysterious, very quiet, and hides behind his big beard and bushy hair. He is a loner with big secrets.

EC:  What about the heroine, Tammy Ingles?

LC:  She is everybody’s friend, loved by everyone.  She is very supportive, blunt, funny, quick-witted, and likes to be in control of her own life.

EC:  What about the relationship?

LC:  Although Tammy is not looking for love, she is intrigued with Ethan. She enjoys flirting and teasing Ethan to see him get flustered.  There has always been an attraction between them.

EC:  Is the heroine in the book before this one, Hotshot Heroes Under Threat, Henrietta (Hank) Rowlins, like Tammy?

LC:  No, she is very much different. She has flourished in a male dominated career, especially as a Hotshot.  She is very tough, physical, and brave. 

EC:  What about the hero in Under Threat, Patrick (trick) McRooney?

LC: At first, he is resented by the rest of the team since he took the place of their beloved Hotshot teammate who died.  Plus, he is also the boss’s brother-in-law, so people feel there was nepotism involved. He needs to prove himself, that he deserves to be there. Trick also has abandonment issues because his mother took off when he was young.

EC:  What about the relationship between Hank and Trick?

LC: Hank is vulnerable and mistrusting. They dance around their attraction, partly because of the rule there can be no fraternization among teammates.

EC:  Next books?

LC:  Book 9 of this series comes out in December and is titled, Hotshot Heroes for the Holiday and is Trent Miles story with a new heroine, a detective from Detroit.

Book 10 comes out in May 2024 with the hero Rory Van Dam and the heroine, reporter Brittany Townsend.

Book 11 comes out in July 2024 with heroine Hotshot Michaela Momber and the hero, the owner of the bar. This is my 100th book for Harlequin Publishers.

Book 12 comes out in October 2024 with heroine trooper Wyonna Wells.

I also write a bunch of different series, “Bachelor Cowboys” and “Bachelor Bodyguards.” A Cowboys Justice is a Cold Case Suspense novel coming out this April, and the next Bachelor Cowboy book comes out in June, Firefighters Family Secret.

Baby Rescue Mission comes out in September with the heroine a Child Protective Services investigator. 

The “Bane Island Series” is with a different publisher, Kensington. It is a thriller. A former psychiatric hospital has been converted to a posh spa, but bodies start piling up. The final one in the series is out this October. There is a rivalry between the local sheriff and the guy who owns the spa. There is a lot of conflict

THANK YOU!!

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

Book Review: Buried Ranch Secrets by Lisa Childs

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

BURIED RANCH SECRETS by Lisa Childs is an inspirational romantic suspense with a second chance romance and a page-turning cold case investigation. This is a book in the loosely connected Love Inspired Inspirational Cold Case collection. Each book is a standalone HEA romantic suspense.

FBI agent Bethany Snow returns home for the first time in several years to spend Christmas with her parents and to decide on her future with the FBI. After being picked up from the airport, her father, the town’s sheriff, is called to the Shepard ranch where a skeleton has been unearthed. Her father asks for Bethany’s help, which she is eager to give.

Cody Shepard, after years on the rodeo circuit has returned home with his young daughter to take over the running of the family ranch when his father is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. A skeleton is discovered on the ranch and Bethany, the only woman who broke his heart that he could never forget shows up to work the case.

As Cody and Bethany work to discover the identity of the skeleton, the old connection is still there but Bethany plans on leaving again, and Cody needs to protect his and his daughter’s hearts. A chain of discoveries begin to reveal secrets from the past that an unknown killer wants to keep buried at any cost.

This is an engaging romantic suspense with a believable second chance romance and a suspense plot that kept me guessing. Cody is a responsible father, and his daughter is Molly was adorable. Bethany is an interesting heroine, who is at a point in her life where she is making decisions on her future both professionally and personally which I believe many woman can relate to. All the secondary characters are well drawn and satisfying in their pivotal roles in both the romantic and suspense plots.  The inspirational aspects of this story are a romance with no sex scenes, church attendance and volunteering, and praying for the safety of others.

I recommend this inspirational romantic suspense and I am looking forward to reading more in this collection.

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About the Author

Born one dark and stormy Halloween night, Lisa Childs was predestined to write suspense novels. She loves spinning dark and twisty stories that keep readers awake because they’re either too busy turning pages or too scared to sleep. Lisa Childs is the prolific author of more than seventy published novels. In addition to romantic suspense, she also writes women’s fiction, paranormal and contemporary romance.

Social Media Links

Website: https://lisachilds.com/index.html

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lisa_Childs