#romance – Avonna Loves Genres

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Never Fall Again by Lynn H. Blackburn

Never Fall Again

by Lynn H Blackburn

March 4-29, 2024 Virtual Book Tour

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for NEVER FALL AGAIN (Gossamer Falls Book #1) by Lynn H. Blackburn on this Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour.

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

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Book Description

Landry Hutton has spent three years rebuilding her life behind the secure gates of The Haven, an exclusive resort on the outskirts of Gossamer Falls, North Carolina. As the artist-in-residence, and with her pottery prized by The Haven’s guests, Landry is finally ready to settle in permanently. She wants to give her daughter, Eliza, a safe home to grow up in and hires former Marine Callum Shaw to handle the construction.

Cal grew up in Gossamer Falls and always knew he would someday join his family’s business. He longs for a family of his own but has almost given up on that ever happening. Landry is funny, gifted, and everything Cal could ever want in a partner, but he vows to keep his distance. Landry has a daughter and a past. Cal has been down that road before and barely survived when the woman he loved left, taking her two sons with her. He can’t bear to lose like that again.

Before construction on the house can begin, Landry’s pottery is destroyed in a suspicious fire. It soon becomes clear that Landry and Eliza are in grave danger–but because of whom? But, after losing one relationship, he is hesitant to try again.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/182092951-never-fall-again?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=3FD0Jk1kTH&rank=1

Never Fall Again

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Published by: Revell
Publication Date: March 12, 2024
Number of Pages: 352
ISBN: 9780800745363 (ISBN10: 0800745361)
Series: Gossamer Falls, Book 1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

NEVER FALL AGAIN (Gossamer Falls Book #1) by Lynn H. Blackburn is a wonderful start to a new Christian romantic suspense series. Set in small-town Gossamer Falls, North Carolina, this story features a slow burn romance with a focus on second chances, trust, and personal peril. This is a new-to-me author, and I am definitely going to check out her other books.

Landry Hutton is determined to give her five-year-old daughter, Eliza, a safe life after a not so happy marriage where she learns to be very hesitant around religious men. She has rebuilt her life as an artist -in-residence for the last three years at The Haven, an exclusive resort, and her pottery is prized by all. Landry is ready to have a home built for her and Eliza when her pottery shop goes up in flames. It is arson.

Callum “Cal” Shaw is a former Marine and now works with his two brothers in their construction company. When he is hired by Landry to build her home, he discovers Landry is everything he wants, but he keeps his distance due to his past. Before he starts work on her home, the pottery shop is destroyed. It becomes clear that Landry and Eliza are in danger, but from whom? Can Callum protect Landry and Eliza without becoming even more involved in their lives?

This is a fantastic Christian romantic suspense that has a slow burn romance, two individuals trying to fight their attraction due to their pasts, a suspense plot that builds to an exciting resolution, and a faith focus that does not overpower. The author does an excellent job of introducing us to the main characters in Gossamer Falls that will be the focus of future books without going to in depth and losing focus from this book’s plot line. I was also very happy with the inclusion of Cal’s golden retriever, Maisey, who is instinctively an emotional support dog without formal training. This story exceeded every one of my expectations and I cannot wait for the next in the series.

I highly recommend this Christian romantic suspense!

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Excerpt

They passed several offices before they reached an open door.

“Maisy. Stay.” That same deep voice from the intercom floated to the hallway.

“Oooh! A dog!” Eliza dashed into the room.

Her little sprite was fast and already halfway across the office before Landry realized what was happening. “Eliza, wait!” Fortunately, she stopped at Landry’s words.

“I know, Mommy. Never touch a dog without permission. I just want to see.”

Eliza turned her big brown eyes toward the man who had come around his desk and knelt beside a dog now quivering with excitement.

The man—Callum Shaw, she assumed—met her daughter’s eyes and said, “Your mom’s right. You can’t ever rush at a dog, even dogs as gentle as this big baby. But if it’s okay with your mom . . .”

His eyes, which were as blue as the Carolina sky, now met hers. There was humor and gentleness. And shadows. Something dark flitted across his gaze. But then he blinked and it was gone.

Landry nodded her permission, and he turned all his attention back to her daughter. “This is Maisy. She’s a golden retriever. She’s three years old. She loves long walks in the woods, sunbathing, peanut butter, and belly rubs.” He demonstrated the belly rub. Maisy melted under his touch, and Eliza crept closer. “You can pet her. Maisy doesn’t bite my friends.”

Eliza dropped to her knees beside Callum and held out her hand toward Maisy’s nose.

Maisy took a quick sniff and rewarded Eliza’s good behavior with a lick. Callum stayed where he was until it was clear to everyone that Eliza and Maisy were set, then he rose to his feet and extended a hand. “Ms. Hutton.”

“Landry. Please.”

“Landry. A pleasure.”

Landry kept the contact brief. “Sorry, my hands are rough.” She turned them palms up. “Hazards of the job.”

Why had she said that? What did it matter if her hands were a bit on the crispy side? She didn’t have to prove anything to this man. Embarrassment crept across her and burst through her pores, heating her neck and face, and now she had no idea what to do with her hands. Should she put them down? Tuck them behind her back?

Callum glanced at her hands and turned his own up. “Same here.” He heaved a dramatic sigh. “It’s to my eternal despair that I’ll never land that hand modeling contract I’ve always hoped for.”

His easy humor made it automatic to tease him back. “Well, there’s always ditch digging.”

“Good point. If this construction gig doesn’t work out, I’ll have something to fall back on.” Callum turned his attention to Eliza. “And I gather your name is Eliza?”

She giggled with the abandon unique to happy children. “That’s right, but sometimes Mommy calls me Liza or ZaZa, but never Lizzy because that’s too close to Landry, and it gets confusing.”

Landry tried to keep a straight face as Eliza parroted what she’d heard Landry say too many times to count.

“It’s a pleasure, Ms. Eliza.” Callum pressed a hand to his chest. “I’m Cal Shaw. I’ll answer to Callum, but not LumLum because”— he dropped his voice to a stage whisper—“that’s just not dignified.”

Eliza’s laughter filled the room. Bronwyn hadn’t been wrong about Cal Shaw. He was very good with children. Even now, he kept his attention on Eliza. “Are you good here with Maisy while your mom and I talk?”

“Yes, sir.”

Cal grabbed a legal pad and pen from his desk and took the chair opposite the one he directed Landry to sit in. From their seats, they could both see Eliza and Maisy.

She waited for him to start the conversation, but maybe she was supposed to go first?

“She’s a beau—”

“Land—”

They both stopped talking, and his smile seemed genuine as he nodded to her. “Please. Go ahead.”

“I was going to say your dog is beautiful.” She willed her body to stop flushing scarlet, but it refused to cooperate. She didn’t have to see herself to know that her face, neck, chest, and even her feet were on fire. This was why she did best behind the walls of The Haven. She could interact with the patrons there with minimal difficulty. But put her out in public, and she became a tongue-tied, socially inept disaster.

Cal’s grin held mischief, and he leaned toward her. “If all goes as planned, she’ll be pregnant soon. I bet Eliza would love a puppy for Christmas.” His voice was cajoling and teasing, but at least he had the good sense to keep it too low for Eliza to hear.

He winked in a way that was friendly and not flirtatious, and Landry understood why Bronwyn liked him so much. He leaned back and in a normal voice said, “I gathered from your conversation with Carla that you’re going to build nearby.”

“Yes. I have three acres on the edge of Pierce land.” She watched him carefully as she spoke and was unsurprised when his grip tightened on the pen at her words.

“How long have you lived in Gossamer Falls?”

“Long enough to know the Pierce and Quinn families don’t get along.”

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Author Bio

Lynn H. Blackburn is the award-winning author of Unknown Threat, Malicious Intent, and Under Fire, as well as the Dive Team Investigations 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

www.LynnHBlackburn.com
Goodreads
BookBub – @LynnHBlackburn
Instagram – @lynnhblackburn
Twitter/X – @LynnHBlackburn
Facebook – @LynnHBlackburn

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Baker Book House

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KINGSUMO GIVEAWAY

https://kingsumo.com/g/h2ihtj/never-fall-again-by-lynn-h-blackburn/22yze56?

ARC Feature Post and Book Review: Mind Games by Nora Roberts

Book Description

As they do each June, the Foxes have driven the winding roads of Appalachia to drop off their children for a two-week stay at their grandmother’s. Here, twelve-year-old Thea can run free and breathe in the smells of pine and fresh bread and Grammie’s handmade candles. But as her parents head back to suburban Virginia, they have no idea they’re about to cross paths with a ticking time bomb.

Back in Kentucky, Thea and her grandmother Lucy both awaken from the same nightmare. And though the two have never discussed the special kind of sight they share, they know as soon as their tearful eyes meet that something terrible has happened.

The kids will be staying with Grammie now in Redbud Hollow, and thanks to Thea’s vision, their parents’ killer will spend his life in supermax. Over time, Thea will make friends, build a career, find love. But that ability to see into minds and souls still lurks within her, and though Grammie calls it a gift, it feels more like a curse—because the inmate who shattered her childhood has the same ability. Thea can hear his twisted thoughts and witness his evil acts from miles away. He knows it, and hungers for vengeance. A long, silent battle will be waged between them—and eventually bring them face to face, and head to head…

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195791352-mind-games?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=E3m2MFm1v6&rank=2

Expected Publication: May 24, 2024

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

MIND GAMES by Nora Roberts is an amazingly rich and layered multi-genre story. It follows the young protagonist, Thea Fox, between the ages of twelve to twenty-seven from a traumatic family event to her ultimate battle and HEA. This book is a mix of family drama, romance, romantic suspense, murder mystery, generational paranormal psychic abilities all rolled together into an engaging story set in a small town in the Kentucky Appalachian Mountains.

School is out in Virginia and twelve-year-old Thea and ten-year-old Rem are on their way to spend two weeks with their Grandma Lucy in the Kentucky foothills. They always look forward to helping with the animals and gardens, helping with their grandma’s home-based company, and running free in the mountains. But this year, something terrible happened to their parents and they will be staying with their grandma in Redbud Hollow.

Thea has the gift of sight that has passed down through generations of women in her family and she is able to use it to help police capture her parent’s killer. But the killer has the same gift, and he uses it to stay tied to Thea. A mental battle wages between them over the next fifteen years until they are face to face and Thea is ready for a final game.

If you loved the sweeping story in Identity, you will love this story just as much. The parents’ murder is heartbreaking, but the family love between Lucy, Thea, and Rem warms and heals the break, at least partially. Then you get to read how Thea strengthens not only physically, but mentally and learns to deal with her gift as well as how to handle the intrusions and attacks from the killer. I fell in love with all the well-developed characters in this story, especially the son of Thea’s love interest. I loved the ending, not only because it ends on a HEA, but because of Thea’s solution and use of her gift to obtain it even if it could end her own.

I highly recommend this new multi-genre story from the author that never disappoints!

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About the Author

Nora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Hideaway, Under Currents, Come Sundown, The Awakening, Legacy, and coming in November 2021 — The Becoming — the second book in The Dragon Heart Legacy. She is also the author of the futuristic suspense In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.

Social Media Links

Website: https://noraroberts.com/

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/nora-roberts

Feature Post and Book Review: Three Cowboys and a Puppy by Kate Pearce

Book Description

With a thriving cattle ranch and good friends all around, there’s not much Luke Nilsen would change about his life. But when his buddy Noah’s sister comes to visit, Luke begins to wonder if it’s time to change himself—and become the kind of man a sophisticated city woman like her would want. Maybe his female bestie, Bernie Cooper, who runs the local coffee shop, can use her womanly expertise and give him a man makeover . . .

Bernie thinks Luke is just fine the way he is—more than fine, even—aside from being blind to the fact that Bernie is perfect for him. But what’s a BFF to do? Perhaps it’s time for her to finally get over Luke and move on. Yet as Luke helps organize their small town’s Adopt a Shelter Dog auction event, one sweet little puppy seems to be on a mission to help Luke realize that the right woman has been right by his side all along . . .

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123462871-three-cowboys-and-a-puppy?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=fF1o4VAd7b&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

THREE COWBOYS AND A PUPPY (Three Cowboys Book #2) by Kate Pearce is a charming friends-to-lovers contemporary cowboy romance and the second book in the Three Cowboys trilogy. You can read this as a standalone, but I enjoy all the backstory on all the characters, so I read book one, Three Cowboys and a Baby first.

Luke Nilsen is happy running the family cattle ranch with his two best friends from his time in the service. When Noah’s sister visits, Luke is captivated, but she is a city girl through and through. He asks his best friend since childhood, Bernie, to help make him more attractive to her.

Bernie Cooper has been Luke’s best friend since childhood and grew up on a neighboring ranch, but when he asks for her help to change for another woman, she has had enough. Luke has been blind to the fact that his BFF has grown into a beautiful and successful woman who has loved him for years. She feels it may be time to move on.

With the help of family, friends, and a barn full of shelter animals, can Luke figure out how to give Bernie what she has dreamed of for so long?

I really enjoyed this second book in the trilogy and am so excited for the final one. Bernie is a wonderful heroine. She is smart, loving, and caring, but also has so much depth of character with her feelings towards the father that abandoned her and the father that raised her, three successful businesses and her life-long feelings for Luke. Luke is caring and a leader, but with dealing with big financial losses on the ranch after a harsh winter and some type of PTSD from his service which leave him with several phobias, he at first tries to escape his life rather than deal with it. So many realistic problems intrude on this romance with heartbreaking and heartwarming scenes on their journey to HEA. The sex scenes are smokin’ hot and explicit, but not gratuitous. I do wish Luke’s PTSD would have been explored more. It is mentioned with some symptoms and then just mentioned as treated with on-line therapy. I would have liked a little more depth which would have made me even more empathetic to him. All the secondary characters are fully developed and I look forward to discovering what is going on with Max in the next book.

This is a sexy and sweet contemporary cowboy romance with wonderful characters.

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Author Bio

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kate Pearce was born in England in the middle of a large family of girls and quickly found that her imagination was far more interesting than real life. After acquiring a degree in history and barely escaping from the British Civil Service alive, she moved to California and then to Hawaii with her kids and her husband and set about reinventing herself as a romance writer.

She is known for both her unconventional heroes and her joy at subverting romance clichés. In her spare time she self publishes science fiction erotic romance, historical romance, and whatever else she can imagine.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.katepearce.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kate4queen

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/688826.Kate_Pearce

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: The Fearless One by Lori Foster

Book Description

He had it all planned…until she showed up.

Jedidiah Stephens came to the Colorado Rockies for one reason: to uncover the truth behind the fire that killed her family. She’s been chasing down clues, and everything has led her to an isolated campground. Her plan is to get a job there so she can investigate who comes and goes. Getting involved with her boss, Memphis Osborn, the ruggedly handsome groundskeeper, is definitely not part of the plan.

When Jedidiah arrives on the scene, Memphis just knows she’s up to something. He can see the desperation in her eyes and warily agrees to hire her. As they work side by side, Diah triggers his deepest protective instincts—and the chemistry between them ignites.

But the more Diah digs into her family’s past, the more secrets she unravels…and the more afraid she becomes. She lost everything once before. She’ll never forgive herself if now she loses Memphis, too.

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Elise’s Thoughts

The Fearless One by Lori Foster is another home run. Per usual, readers will not be disappointed in this story. The plot has adventure, suspense, and great characters. A bonus is that some of the secondary characters will be familiar to those who have read the first Osborn book or the McKenzies of Ridge Trail series.

The plot begins with Memphis Osborne cleaning up after working on restoring the campground he bought. But to his surprise there is a woman, Jedidiah “Diah” Stephens, and her dog staring at him. He is shocked to discover that his brother and sister-in-law hired her to be his handyperson. What he discovers is that she has nothing but the backpack she carries yet a lot of secrets. She is there to uncover the truth behind the fire that killed her family. She’s been chasing down clues, and everything has led her to an isolated campground. Realizing she needs help; Memphis slowly breaks down her barriers and together they investigate. But it becomes more than that as the attraction between them becomes off the charts.

As with all her suspense books, this one is no different. Readers will find non-stop action, twists, and turns, within an emotional, gripping, and intense story.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for this story?

Lori Foster: When someone asks me where I got an idea, it can be an easy answer – or an impossible one. Sometimes I’m intrigued by a headline, or a social issue, or I just see something, like an RV, and my imagination takes off. For this one, it was pure imagination.

I wondered how difficult it would be to have a dangerous enemy, with no idea why. Or who. Or when they might strike. From there, I knew we needed a champion, someone to help out to keep others safe. The plot of the story evolved from that.

EC: What is the role of Tuff the dog, what characteristics does Tuff have, and how did Tuff and Diah come together?

LF: I’m a big believer that pets play a huge role in our lives. They’re often attuned to us, and they can be far more understanding and compassionate than some people. Diah, who is fearful for her life, needed something or someone that brought her a measure of peace. That turned out to be her rescue dog, Tuff.

For fun, I got the name, and the type of dog, from a reader on my Facebook page. I often ask readers for information on their pets.

Dogs don’t ask questions, which is a good thing because Diah keeps a lot of secrets. As it turns out, Tuff decides to not only trust Memphis, but very obviously like him. That helps Diah to trust him, too. In a way, the dog is her protector, best friend, confidante, and an encourager who leads her into safe adventures – like getting cozy with Memphis.

EC: How would you describe Diah?-what is with her stare?

LF: Diah has had to be wary for much of her life, starting when she was just a girl. She watches people closely to better gauge if they’re a threat. Her stare is so intense it can be intimidating. Thankfully, it doesn’t intimidate Memphis, and in fact intrigues him instead.

She’s also been traumatized a few times, so she can be jumpy in uncertain situations – which actually, makes her incredibly brave for facing her fears and pushing forward, regardless of how it unsettles her. She has strong convictions, a gentle heart, but for her trust is extremely hard won.

EC: Since Jodi was also in the story (YEA) what would you say are the differences and similarities between Jodi and Diah?

LF: Diah and Jodi, who will end up as sisters-in-law, are extremely different.

Diah has remained gentle, whereas Jodi is abrasive. Diah admits to her weaknesses – and in fact thinks she’s weaker than she is, but Jodi would deny having any weakness – even to herself.

Diah has to force herself to face her fear, but for Jodi, not facing it would be impossible. One woman tiptoes into danger and the other explodes into it.

However, they’re both extremely loyal, honorable in their own unique ways, and both would go the limits to protect others.

EC: How would you describe Memphis vs his brother Hunter?

LF: Memphis’s brother, Hunter, is a very intense type of person. Heroic to the extreme, which has been proven. He’s private, and humble, and protective of others.

Memphis, however, has always been easy-going, never really tested in any way because life and success came to him easily. He considers his brother a super-hero and has massive respect for him. Now he wants to do his part. He wants to stop playing it safe and instead use his tech skills to help people, combat crime, and do some good for society. When he made those plans, however, he hadn’t expected Diah to enter his life. She puts a dent in his plans, but it’s all good.

EC: What are the differences and similarities between the relationship of Hunter and Jodi, Memphis and Diah?

LF: There are two books in this set – The Dangerous One, and The Fearless One.

The Dangerous One has Hunter and Jodi, and The Fearless One has Memphis and Diah.

The brothers are close, but have very different personality types. There’s a fun play on the titles, because you don’t know who’s more dangerous: Hunter or Jodi.

And you don’t know who’s more fearless: Memphis or Diah.

They complement each other with their conflicting manners.

Jodi had a truly horrendous experience that naturally makes her extra guarded – but then, Hunter did, too. They each want different things from their experiences. Jodi wants to blend in and become like other people, whereas Hunter has retreated and wants solitude. Together though, they mesh perfectly.

Memphis wants to be as heroic as his brother, to be able to make substantial changes that will help others since his life has always been so blessed. Diah wants to face her fears and stiffen her backbone so she can avenge her family – a family she wasn’t close to, but she feels an obligation. Besides, if she can’t figure out what happened to them, the same could happen to her. For Memphis and Diah, each sees the best in the other. Diah knows Memphis is already incredibly heroic, and Memphis thinks she’s brave to the point of being foolhardy. Together, they’re the whole package, each boosting the other.

EC: What is the relationship between Memphis and Madison?

LF: Memphis and Madison are both scary-good at anything tech. They can hack like professionals, gaining access to other people’s privacy whenever they want, although Memphis knows Madison is ten times better than him.

For Madison, it’s great to be able to chat with someone who understands the working of her brain. She’s madly in love with someone else, and Memphis has shown no interest in a personal relationship, so they’re able to be very good friends without the complications of a romance.

If one needs the other, they’re there.

EC: Next book?

LF: My publisher wanted something all new, so I am considering my options.

Thanks!

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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.

Feature Post and Book Review: Decoy Training by Caridad Pineiro

Book Description

His fresh start is about to be interrupted by a threatening foe.

Former marine Shane Adler’s used to perilous situations. But he’s stunned to find danger in the peaceful Idaho mountains—especially swirling around his beautiful dog trainer. After tragically losing her hero husband, Piper Lambert’s rebuilt her life. Now it’s up to Shane—and his loyal K-9 in training, Decoy—to make sure a mysterious enemy won’t derail her new beginning…or his.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60695858-decoy-training?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=yInUlUlSLy&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

DECOY TRAINING (K-9’s on Patrol Book #1) by Caridad Pineiro is a romantic suspense in the Harlequin Intrigue line featuring a wounded ex-military man and his dog looking for what to do next with his life and a military widow working as a dog trainer in small town Idaho. This is the first book in the new K-9’s on Patrol series featuring heroes, heroines, and their canine companions.

Sharpshooter Shane Adler left the military after being wounded and no longer able to use his shoulder without pain. He did work to bring home the dog, Decoy, he befriended in Afghanistan and who found Shane in the building rubble after the bombing. They have come from California to Idaho for training to find out if Decoy can become a Search and Rescue dog for this next chapter in their lives.

Piper Lambert has worked the last four years to rebuild her life after the death of her military husband in Iraq. She now works as one of the trainers for her college friend’s canine training facility. When assigned to Shane and Decoy, she has problems with Shane’s military background, but they go on to work well together.

Piper is having feelings of being watched and there have been strange things happening around her home. Shane is concerned and works with local police to discover who is the danger to Piper before his plans to leave to join an SAR in Montana in a month.

I absolutely loved every character and dog in this romantic suspense. The romance is slow with both Piper and Shane hesitant to start anything, especially with Piper still not sure if she is ready for a romance and Shane planning to leave in a month. Shane is also undecided on his future and still has nightmares every night since the explosion. For me, all these reasons make this slow-moving romance plot realistic. The suspense is paced well throughout the story and a believable scenario with Shane involving local law enforcement. I am looking forward to the next book in the series and the continuation of these characters, both human and canine.

I highly recommend this well written romantic suspense.

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About the Author

I’m a transplanted Long Island girl who has fallen in love with the Jersey Shore. When I’m not taking long strolls along the boardwalk, I’m also a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author of over 50 novels and novellas. Some friends will introduce me and say “She’s got a million books published,” and I’m always quick to shy away from that claim. I still find it hard to believe that I have sold that many books since my first release in 1999.

I am passionate about writing and helping others explore and develop their skills as writers. It’s why I helped found the Liberty States Fiction Writers and love to do workshops to share what I’ve learned over the years. I also love to keep on improving my own skills as a writer and meeting new people by attending a variety of conferences during the year. You can find out more about where I’ll be by visiting my Events page.

Where else can you find me? I retired from my day job as a lawyer and owe New Jersey Transit a big thanks for letting me write on the commute to and from New York City. If I’m not writing, I’ll have my nose stuck in a romance novel since I am a hopeful romantic and truly believe there is a Happily-Ever-After for everyone. Even vampires and other things that go bump in the night.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.caridad.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Caridad.Author

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/caridad-pineiro

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Their Road To Redemption and The Amish Midwife’s Bargain by Patrice Lewis

Book Description – Their Road to Redemption

To put their pasts behind them…

Can they find forgiveness together?

Moving to Montana is the chance Thomas Kemp needs to open his own business and seek a wife—while keeping his shameful past hidden. Except the beautiful Amish widow who catches his eye wants financial independence, not marriage. When Emma Fisher’s toddler bonds with the newcomer, she believes Thomas is everything she wants in a husband. But can she accept his past…for the chance at a future together?

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Book Description – The Amish Midwife’s Bargain

An accident on a stormy night

Will change the course of their lives…

Grieving after the loss of a patient, midwife Miriam Kemp returns to her Amish roots and vows to leave her nursing life behind. But when she accidentally hits Aaron Lapp on a rain-drenched road, she offers to help the scarred and handsome—if somewhat cranky—bachelor while he recovers. Could this arrangement allow them to heal…while finding a love they never expected?

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Elise’s Thoughts

Their Road to Redemption and The Amish Midwife’s Bargain by Patrice Lewis continues the story of the Kemp siblings. Both are books about forgiveness, hope, and how choices made can influence someone’s life.

Their Road to Redemption is the second book in the series. Thomas Kemp travels to the Amish community in Montana to redeem his life. He is ashamed of his criminal activities of the past. Now working as a bookkeeper, he meets an Amish widow and single parent, Emma, who has vowed never to get married. But her toddler, Hannah, bonds with Thomas and they become attracted to each other. He questions if she will accept his past where the three can become a family.

The Amish Midwife’s Bargain has one of the Kemp siblings, a nurse, Miriam, grieving after losing a patient. She decides to visit her Amish brother, Thomas, after vowing to leave the nursing profession. But when she accidentally hits Aaron Lapp on a rain-drenched road, she offers to help him recover. He has his own scars literally, after having his face burned in a barn fire. This story will remind readers of “Beauty and the Beast.”

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story, Their Road to Redemption?

Patrice Lewis: I had a three-book series of siblings, and this is the middle sibling. This is a story of redemption and making better choices. Everything someone does from morning until sleep is a choice. I wanted to show how the hero, Thomas, had his bad choices catch up and then his good choices turned it around.

EC: How would you describe Thomas?

PL: He was a juvenile delinquent when younger, but now he is redeemed. He is broken, subdued, quiet, shy, scarred, and humble.

EC: How would you describe Emma?

PL: High-spirited, outspoken, a go-getter, confident, independent, passionate about her skill of making soap, and determined.

EC: What about the relationship between the two?

PL: Emma does not want to rely on a man for financial support. She is gun-shy since her late husband was emotionally abusive, selfish, and stubborn. Emma is determined to remain single. She and her late husband never wanted to be married, but after she became pregnant, they did marry. Both she and Thomas have secrets and hold each other at arm’s length. Yet, they do admire each other. Thomas does not think he is worthy of her.

EC: What is the role of a secondary character, Jeremy?

PL: He is another redemption. In Thomas’ backstory, he feels he must pay it forward. He sees in Jeremy himself and wants to help him to redeem his life.

EC: What about the role of Hannah, Emma’s young daughter?

PL: She is instrumental in bringing Emma and Thomas together. Hannah sees Thomas as a father figure and becomes attached to him. Emma starts thinking maybe her daughter sees something in Thomas that she doesn’t. Hannah saw his kindness.

EC: What about the second book, The Amish Midwife’s Bargain?

PL: This is about the third sibling, Miriam, a nurse. I saw this reference to a private nurse, which enabled me to have Miriam and Aaron get closer. She helped him after she accidentally hit him with her car. This led me to a “Beauty and the Beast” theme. It became effortless to write. Hands down it is the favorite story I have written so far. My mother used to be a nurse and I saw how some have painful journeys.

EC: How would you describe Aaron, the hero?

PL: He has been terribly disfigured in a barn fire. Now he wants to be left alone. His became bitter with a very scarred face. He can be stubborn, grumpy, with emotional pain, prickly, lonely, and likes animals more than people.

EC: What was the role of the scar?

PL: I wrote two ways that children responded to his disfigurement. Hannah accepted him and never saw his scars. Then there was an “English” boy who runs away from him in terror. He realized with Hannah’s reaction that some could be accepting of him and not consider him a monster, a beast.

EC: How would you describe Miriam?

PL: Determined, patient, and a helper. She responds to those in pain, emotional and physical. She was devastated and doubted herself after she lost a patient.

EC: What about the relationship between the two?

PL: Miriam feels she must get past Aaron wanting to live in solitude. She wanted to show him that his outward scars did not diminish who he was as a person. Aaron helped her to realize she lost a patient because they were beyond help. Both have scars, admire, and respect each other. Both helped each other to get back on “their horse.”

EC: Next books?

PL: A book will come out in March, titled The Amish Beekeeper’s Dilemma. It is about a woman who became a property keeper for an old man. His nephew came to take over the farm. A conflict develops around it. Another book that has no release date but is titled, Uncovering Her Amish Past. The main character, Penelope, is “English.” She is adopted and an only child. She went to an Amish settlement, staying at a Bed & Breakfast. It turns out she is a twin to an Amish woman. THANK YOU!!