Review & Giveaway: Burden of Proof by DiAnn Mills

BURDEN OF PROOF

FBI Rapid Response, #1

by

DiANN MILLS

Genre: Inspirational /Mystery / Suspense / Romance
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers

Date of Publication: October 9, 2018

Number of Pages: 416

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Reeling from a negotiation gone wrong, FBI Special Agent April Ramos is caught off guard when a frazzled young woman shoves a crying baby into her arms, then disappears. Worry for the child’s safety quickly turns to fear when a man claiming to be the girl’s father abducts them at gunpoint. April puts her hostage negotiation skills to use to learn more about who she’s dealing with: Jason Snyder, a fugitive accused of murder. 

As Jason spins a tall tale about being framed for the killing of his business partner, April must sort through his claims to find the truth. A truth that becomes all the more evident after April overhears a conversation between Jason and the local sheriff and realizes something more sinister may be happening in their small town of Sweet Briar, Texas. But aligning herself with a known fugitive to uncover the burden of proof could cost April her job . . . or worse, her life and the lives of other innocent people.

PRAISE FOR DiANN MILLS:
“The tension level rises as layers of lies are peeled away in multiple plot twists.” —Library Journal

“DiAnn Mills is a master of fast-paced and intricately plotted romantic suspense.” —Colleen Coble, Bestselling author

“[A] fast-moving, intricately plotted thriller.” —Publishers Weekly

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I was excited to get a copy of DiAnn Mills’ latest book because she never fails to capture my undivided attention. I get a little breathless when gripped with suspense or excitement, and this book is filled with so many moments that make your heart skip a beat. Mills is especially skilled when it comes to writing dialogue. Each characters’ speech sounds natural and flows just as well as the non-dialogue text. When Mills switches the point of view, there is no confusion because the character’s voice shines through very clearly and the writing style is concise.

I can say with all honesty that Mills’ books are all very unique. Although I’ve read several FBI-mystery-romance books by her, they are all very different from each other, as well as books by other authors in the same genre. You would think that there are only so many meet-cute scenarios that can happen between an FBI agent and a paramour, but Mills will raise you another. In fact, she will keep them coming since this is the first book of a new series.

I’m Filipino, so I’m excited to see a Filipino protagonist whose ethnicity is not central to the plot. Sure, Mills throws in an Adobo reference – you should try this dish if you haven’t yet (it’s not the same as the Hispanic Adobo dish) – but April could be any ethnicity really. But since she’s not just any ethnicity, I’m going to nitpick a little. April is uncomfortable during long prayers, but most Filipinos are (or were at one time in their life) Catholic, so super long prayers – Hail Mary, anyone? – should be no biggie. April’s parents would prefer that she was a university professor rather than an FBI agent. Are you kidding? Filipinos love to brag and most of them love guns as well. And they live in Texas? Game over. They have guns of all shapes and sizes. And they would bring all those guns to the range to show their friends while they proudly talked about their FBI agent daughter.

But overall, I’m really amazed at how Mills’ characters spring to life in every book, this one especially. I think she is very successful with her portrayal of April’s struggle to do the right thing because I was constantly second guessing myself on what was the “right” or best thing to do in that situation too. I feel lucky to not have to make decisions that place my family on one side of the scale and the community on the other. I suppose most normal Joes like myself don’t have to.

I look forward to reading the next book. While you wait for the next installment, I suggest you pick up one of her FBI Task Force novels.

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She combines unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels.

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne du Maurier, Inspirational Reader’s Choice, and Carol Award contests. Firewall, the first book in her Houston: FBI series, was listed by Library Journal as one of the best Christian fiction books of 2014.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She is co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, where she continues her passion of helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. 

DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob and roasts her own coffee beans. She’s an avid reader, loves to cook, and believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas. DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers.

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VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

10/9/18	Excerpt	Hall Ways Blog
10/9/18	Author Video	Kelly Well Read
10/10/18	Review	That’s What She’s Reading
10/11/18	Top List	The Page Unbound
10/11/18	Top List	Story Schmoozing Book Reviews
10/12/18	Character Interview	Chapter Break Book Blog
10/13/18	Review	Missus Gonzo
10/13/18	Excerpt	All the Ups and Downs
10/14/18	Playlist	StoreyBook Reviews
10/15/18	Review	Momma on the Rocks
10/16/18	Review	Reading by Moonlight
10/16/18	Excerpt	Books and Broomsticks
10/17/18	Video Guest Post	Sybrina’s Book Blog
10/18/18	Review	The Clueless Gent
10/18/18	Review	Forgotten Winds

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Review & Giveaway: Beyond Control by Kat Martin

 

BEYOND CONTROL

The Texas Trilogy, Book 3

by

Kat Martin

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Zebra
Date of Publication: May 29, 2018

Number of Pages: 368
  

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Present Danger

When Victoria Bradford got engaged, she told herself to give love a chance. Six months later, she’s on the run from her angry, abusive ex-fiancé with her four-year-old daughter and nowhere to go.

Seventy miles north of Dallas, the Iron River Ranch is pretty much nowhere. That’s what its new owner, Josh Cain, wanted when he came back from Afghanistan. Big skies, quiet nights, no trouble.

One look tells Josh the pretty redhead with the adorable little girl will give him trouble of the most personal kind. But he’s seen trouble before, and he doesn’t scare easy. Not when “accidents” start happening around the ranch. Not when Tory’s best friend back in Phoenix is abducted and brutalized. Not even when it looks like their current problems are only the tip of the iceberg.

But if he gets too close to fierce, determined Tory, Josh knows his nights are going to be anything but quiet. And that’s one possibility no amount of training can prepare him for…

PRAISE FOR BEYOND CONTROL:

“As the excitement in Iron Springs continues, two strangers with tragic pasts form an unbreakable bond. Beyond Control is the last installment in the Texas Trilogy. It’s delightfully fast-paced, riveting, and amazingly compelling. Martin has outdone herself with unpredictable twists and suspense that will leave readers panting for more. Definitely a must-read for readers who enjoy mystery, thrills, and romance to spice up their life.” – RT Reviews Top Pick

“Bestseller Martin brings her Texas Trilogy … to a hair-raising finish with the gripping tale of a single mother on the run and the Marine veteran who offers her a second chance at happily-ever-after. Martin has a consummate skill for developing the most loveable and the most despicable characters; readers will cheer when sadistic Damon meets his well-deserved end. Martin’s finely described Texas is a delight.” – Publishers Weekly

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I promise that I am not exaggerating when I say that I could not put this book down. From the onset, my heart went out to this young widow with a small child who thought that she found her second true love. I know what it feels like to be swept up in an all-consuming love affair, and I also know what it feels like when things start going terribly wrong. Unfortunately for Tory, her new fiancee is a closet psychopath who takes pleasure in abusing her. My heart sank to hear how he would stalk her and managed to find her no matter where she ran. So when her resources were all but depleted and she found safety on Iron River Ranch, I couldn’t help but sigh in relief.

As I waited for the crazy ex to find her, I luxuriated in the sensual descriptions of Josh Cain and fanned myself after every heated encounter between him and Tory. Just when I thought that Martin couldn’t possibly come up with another way to describe how rugged and manly Josh looked in a T-shirt and jeans, she proved me wrong. She was also able to emulate the inner workings of the male mind when she would describe how tempting Tory looked in her bedazzled jeans and figure-hugging tops. I swear, there is only one or two not good looking people in this book. But looks aside, you become invested in the characters.

I like the pace of the story and the subplot that comes in, which makes you question just how diabolical a person can really be. Martin does a great job of throwing a wrench into the works just when you think you have things all figured out. The love scenes were blush-worthy yet tasteful. (Although I wonder if Martin has children since I don’t know many 4-year-olds that never wake up in the middle of the night looking for mom.) I almost wanted to say that the choice to include love scenes of another couple was maybe a little gratuitous, but I think that Martin wanted to shed some additional light on the struggles of a particular population in our country. I would say more but I don’t want to ruin the surprise of another great coupling.

Some might think it’s a bit on the nose, but I love the story arc of Tory’s relationship with Josh’s dangerous horse, Satan’s Star. I like how Martin uses the horse’s issues to parallel those of the humans around him. I just like animals in general, so I always got a cozy feeling when the horses were in the scene.

I highly recommend this book to people who enjoy romance and/or suspense novels. It definitely makes me want to read the other two books in the trilogy.

 

New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History. Currently residing in Missoula, Montana with her Western-author husband, L. J. Martin, Kat has written sixty-five Historical and Contemporary Romantic Suspense novels. More than sixteen million copies of her books are in print and she has been published in twenty foreign countries. Kat is currently at work on her next Romantic Suspense.

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VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

5/11/18	Promo	Texas Book Lover
5/12/18	Review	Missus Gonzo
5/13/18	Excerpt Part 1	The Page Unbound
5/14/18	Review	StoreyBook Reviews
5/15/18	Excerpt Part 2	Books and Broomsticks
5/16/18	Author Interview	Nerd Narration
5/17/18	Review	Reading by Moonlight
5/18/18	Author Interview	The Librarian Talks
5/19/18	Top Ten List	Tangled in Text
5/20/18	Review	Chapter Break Book Blog

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Review & Giveaway: Chasing Secrets by Lynette Eason

CHASING SECRETS

Elite Guardians, Book 4

by

Lynette Eason

  Genre: Romantic Suspense / Christian

Publisher: Revell

Date of Publication: August 1, 2017

Number of Pages: 336

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Intensity. Skill. Tenacity.

The bodyguards of Elite Guardians Agency have it all.

When a photo leads investigators in West Ireland to open a twenty-five-year-old cold case, Elite Guardians bodyguard Haley Callaghan’s life is suddenly in danger. Haley knows how to take care of herself; after all, she’s made a career out of taking care of others. But after she has an uncomfortably close call, Detective Steven Rothwell takes it upon himself to stay with her—and the young client she has taken under her wing. A protector at heart, he’s not about to let Haley fight this battle alone.

In a sweeping plot that takes them into long-buried memories—and the depths of the heart—Haley and Steven will have to solve the mystery of Haley’s past while dodging bullets, bombs, and bad guys who just won’t quit.

Praise for the Elite Guardians Series:

“A thrill ride from the first page until the last.”

—RT Book Reviews, top pick, 4½ stars for Always Watching

“Witty dialogue and a simmering attraction will have readers flying through this tension-laced thriller.”

—Family Fiction on Without Warning

“Fast, furious, and flirty, Lynette Eason’s relentless suspense barely gives her readers time to catch their breath.”

—Relz Reviews on Moving Target

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Girls who kick butt have been all the rage for a while now, and I will admit that this isn’t the first novel that I’ve reviewed here featuring a beautiful, law enforcing woman. But this book proves to be in a class of its own when we find out that Haley Callaghan, a member of the all-female Elite Guardians agency, might be the lone survivor of a massacre 25 years prior. If Haley is Aileen Burke, then she is the heiress of Rock Moran Castle in Ireland and stands to inherit a fortune.

When Haley is off duty from her bodyguard gig, she mentors troubled teens at a center she runs on the rough side of town. It seems that as soon as she tries to help a new kid who crosses her path, the bullets start flying. Haley thinks the neighborhood thug is behind the attempts on her life, but we know that someone has been tailing her for some time and is probably trying to figure out her true identity.

Lucky for Haley, she is friends with local law enforcement who have her back. Steven, the new guy on the town’s police force, especially has his eye on her. Steven grew up in the area but hadn’t lived there for years. Eason shares what memories haunt Steven gradually as she also allows Haley to remember snippets of her escape from a violent demise. As Haley tries to help heal Steven of his past, Steven tries to prevent Haley’s past from stealing her future.

I have to stop here because I don’t want to ruin the end. I can usually guess who the bad guy is, but I was wrong on this one. Drop me a comment if you guessed right. This book was all kinds of suspenseful and I plan on reading the rest of the Elite Guardians books.

Lynette Eason is the bestselling author of the Women of Justice, Deadly Reunions, and Hidden Identity series, as well as Always Watching, Without Warning, and Moving Target in the Elite Guardians series.

She is the winner of two ACFW Carol Awards, the Selah Award, and the Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award. She lives in South Carolina.

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8/1	Excerpt 1	Storeybook Reviews
8/2	Review	My Book Fix Blog
8/3	Author Interview 1	The Librarian Talks
8/4	Review	Missus Gonzo
8/5	Guest Post	Chapter Break Book Blog
8/6	Character Interview	Hall Ways Blog
8/7	Review	Reading by Moonlight
8/8	Author Interview 2	Books and Broomsticks
8/9	Review	The Page Unbound
8/10	Excerpt 2	CGB Blog Tours

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Review: The District Manager by Matt Minor

THE DISTRICT MANAGER

by

Matt Minor

Genre: Political Suspense

Publisher: Dead Tree

Date of Publication: June 30, 2016

Number of Pages: 266

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“Doing the right thing means you don’t eat”

So begins the sweltering narrative of District Manager, Mason Dixon, a haunted man serving Texas House District 100. After a constituent reaches out to his office with disturbing information about twisted activities going on in district, Mason finds himself drawn into a game of cat and mouse with a malevolent entity.

While these events unfold, Mason begins dating a county judge’s assistant. Brenna is a single mother who is ready to start the next chapter of her life. Can she and the stoical Mason connect? Or will she become collateral damage to his unorthodox, occupational hazards?

Mason soon finds that the danger has reached the highest ranks of the district, and that the century-old structure where he offices is not haunted, but instead possessed by an all too real menace.

Can a man who is profoundly broken restore order when the very core of order itself has been corrupted? 

“Matt Minor knows Texas politics from the inside, and he weaves a devious tale of deceit and death and even a little romance. Buckle your seat belt and hang on for the ride.”  — Bill Crider

 

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I’m embarrassed to admit that I haven’t retained much from my Texas history or government classes. I went into this novel unsure of what exactly Mason Dixon did for a living, but I remembered the significance of his namesake at least. And this might be a misstep, but I like to have a clear picture of each character so that while I read, I have a movie playing in my head. For some reason, I pictured a Matthew McConaughey type sweating buckets (perspiration is big in this book because the Texas heat is practically a character on its own). But a chapter or two in, Mason turned into more of a Chris Pratt because I found out he’s a lot younger than I thought (35 if I remember correctly), and still acts like a college guy in some respects.

So once I solidified Mason’s looks, I tried to understand what exactly his job was. His boss is this political guy with a very political name (Halliburton Crane), and yet he seems to involve himself in some messy business. I definitely didn’t peg him for someone to actually go out to the middle of the boon to check out a complaint on possible dogfighting with pit bulls. I got the feeling that most people who share his job description were more pencil pushing, phone fundraiser-types, but Mason was anything but that. He can dig into files, but the man knows how to shoot a .38 accurately.

The mystery behind the absent wife sort of unfolds slowly, I suppose to explain his trepidation of starting a relationship with the very sexy Brenna. Maybe it also has to do with Minor’s decision to slowly reveal Mason’s opinion of bad cops. I don’t know how long it took Minor to write this novel, but I found that Mason’s feelings about law enforcement are very timely with what is going on in our country right now. In fact, all of the ugly things in this novel are very relevant today: political corruption (here and Mexico), human trafficking, marijuana (should it be legalized?), and animal abuse.

I would be curious to see what else Mason Dixon gets himself into in the future. I hope that Minor plans on making a series about the guy.

Matt Minor presently serves as a Chief of Staff in the Texas House of Representatives. He has worked as a political campaign manager and is a well-regarded public speaker. Matt has authored official state publications, oversees syndicated editorials, and is a speechwriter and district radio legislative commentator. Prior to his life in state politics Matt was a professional musician and entertainer. Matt’s hobbies are centered on the arts, including the craft of poetry, an interest that has brought academic recognition and numerous awards.

His first novel, The Representative was an Amazon Political Fiction Bestseller the summer of 2015. It was accepted and archived into the Texas State Legislative Library. In April of 2016 The Representative won an IPPY Gold medal for Southern-Region Fiction.

Matt Minor resides with his wife Stacy on their ranch property in Wharton County, Texas. He lives in Austin during legislative session.

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CHECK OUT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

7/13     Country Girl Bookaholic – Review

7/14     The Page Unbound – Guest Post #1

7/15     StoreyBook Reviews–  Author Interview

7/16     Missus Gonzo – Review

7/17     Blogging for the Love of Authors and Their Books – Promo

7/18     Reading By Moonlight  – Excerpt

7/19     It’s a Jenn World – Review

7/20     Forgotten Winds – Guest Post #2

7/21     The Crazy Booksellers – Promo

7/22     My Book Fix Blog– Review

 

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Copper Lake by Ann Swann

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COPPER LAKE

 

Book Three in the Stutter Creek Series 

 

by

Ann Swann

 

They call him the Killer Cartographer because he carves the map coordinates of each victim on the femur of the one before. Then he tattoos the information on his skin.  Can detective Kendra Dean bring him in or will she become his next tattoo?

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Ann Swann was born in the small West Texas town of Lamesa. She grew up much like Stevie-girl in The Phantom Pilot series, though she never got up the nerve to enter the haunted house. Ann has done everything from answering 911 Emergency calls to teaching elementary school. She lives in Texas with her husband, Dude, one rescue dog, two rescue cats, and a part-time box turtle named Piggy. When she’s not writing, Ann is reading. Her to-be-read list has grown so large it has taken on a life of its own. She calls it Herman.

Books by Ann Swann

2011 Stevie-girl and The Phantom Pilot – Cool Well Press

2012 Stevie-girl and The Phantom Student – Cool Well Press

2013 Stevie-girl and the Phantom of Crybaby Bridge – Createspace

2012 All For Love – 5 Prince Publishing

2013 Stutter Creek (Book One) – 5 Prince Publishing

2015 Lilac Lane (Book Two) – 5 Prince Publishing

2016 Copper Lake (Book Three) – 5 Prince Publishing

2016 Takers: Apocalypse in Eden – coming soon

Short Fiction

“Bamboozled” Alfred Hitchcock Magazine

“Aftermath” Binnacle Magazine

“The Gap” and “In Search of Water” The Rusty Nail (previously published in The Sandstorm)

“Soul Gardener” Timeless: Cool Well Press, Anthology

“The Fee” A World of Terror: Grey Mouse Publishing, (formerly titled The Warning)

“SleepAway Pounds” Seasonal, Sweet, and Suspenseful, Anthology

“Chems” Createspace

 

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I’ve been doing these tours for a few months now, and I’ve gotta say that they’re making me love suspense/mystery novels. Swann’s latest installment of the Stutter Creek series thrilled me in the way that The Lovely Bones did. If you read the blurb, you know that Ken is going to be the next victim, but the mind reels with how she will fall into his clutches.

Swann’s set up is pretty damn great too. You meet the killer in the first chapter and get a good picture of his twisted mind right away. But then she makes you wait for confirmation on who he is and a general idea of how he picks his victims. (You don’t meet too many male characters, and Swann doesn’t throw a bunch of false leads out there. So figuring out whodunnit was kind of easy.) The anticipation of waiting for our heroine to fall into the psycho’s clutches is probably comparable to his anticipation of getting found out. You know it’s going to happen and you’re excited/scared.

I like how Swann doesn’t let the romance between Ken and her partner muddle everything. There’s nothing I can’t stand more than delving into sex when the story is getting good. But there’s enough tension there to explain how they could possibly have a strong enough connection to achieve some incredible breakthroughs in this case. Intuition and mind reading (sorta) really win the day.

One nitpicky thing that got me: The killer’s wife never noticed his unusual scars (not to mention tattoos of coordinates…) between his legs. I’m not a Fifty Shades of Grey kind of girl, but you’re sex life is pretty vanilla if you don’t know nearly every inch of your lover. But that detail aside, I am crazy about this book and look forward to reading the other two I missed.

Check out all the great blog stops on the tour!

 

1/28       Books and Broomsticks — Author Interview

1/29       bookishjessp — Promo

1/30       The Page Unbound — Promo

1/31       Missus Gonzo — Review

2/1         All for the Love of the Word – Author Interview

2/2         My Book Fix Blog — Review

2/3         Hall Ways — Promo

2/4         Because This is My Life Y’all — Review

2/5         The Crazy Booksellers — Promo

2/6         Texas Book-aholic — Review

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