mystery

Free and bargain books July 31, 2021

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BookRunes has a FREE suggestion for us today. This is a long book by an author I’ve not read before. The reviews look good though.

Training Lord Somerset (The Heart of Dorset Series: Book 1) A Clean & Sweet Regency Historical Romance Novel

Amazon quote:

He will see past her scars; she will look past his fear to the brave soul inside…But are their hearts strong enough to seize their one chance at happiness?

A terrible accident left Lydia Stanley in charge of her younger siblings and a Duchy to boot! Two years later, the scar on her face is the only reminder of the day she lost everything: her parents, her innocence, and all marriage prospects…

As the new Earl of Somerset, Humphrey Berkeley is expected to know everything about running an estate. But his father’s indifference towards his youngest son has left Humphrey not only emotionally traumatized but also untrained in running an estate…

The late Duke of Dorset’s steward-and daughter- seems like the perfect tutor for the young Earl, but their business arrangement never included falling in love…

Will they find it in them to conquer their inner demons and claim their happiness, or will they succumb to fear and live forever in misery…?

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My current read has just been started so it’s a little early to tell but I’ve enjoyed other books by this author so I’m expecting good things. It’s still on offer at a bargain price.

Fatal Strike

There’s a killer on the loose in Galveston, targeting law enforcement officials and using a fatal injection of snake venom to take them down. Authorities have reasons to believe the Veneno gang is behind the hits, and FBI Agents Leah Riesel and Jon Colbert team up to track down those responsible. Their best lead is an eyewitness who identifies a young man dumping the third body on a church doorstep. But their suspect has gone into hiding, and those closest to him are reluctant to reveal anything that might help investigators find him.

As Leah and Jon check connections among the victims and dig deeper into motives, they discover appearances may be deceiving. Someone is desperate to keep their secrets hidden, and Leah and Jon must face their greatest fears in order to stop the next fatal strike.

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Happy reading …

… on this Saturday with weather that can’t decide what it wants to do or be.

Read and enjoyed July 30, 2021

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This collection was my favorite recent read and there was even a favorite in the midst of these six. Book 5 Sharp as Steele was, without question, my favorite. I managed to finish the whole thing sooner than expected as books 3 and 6 appeared somewhere else along my reading path and I didn’t feel the need to read them more than once.

Tightrope by Mary Alford and more

Amazon quote for book 5:

SHARP AS STEELE
A too handsome for his own good private investigator.
A stalker who claims she is his.
A new job turns deadly.
A final confrontation could end it all.
Can Lana and Lance out run a man filled with an insane desire to claim Lana as his own?

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What’s next? It’s a tough decision.

Maybe I’ll try the Western cowboy style read this time. I’m looking for a single book rather than a collection for a read or two. It should help things move along a little faster, hopefully. I don’t believe I’ve read this author before either. I’ll try and let you know what it as like.

Cassandra and the Cowboy (Texas Treasures Book 1) 

Cassandra Pickett is one prayer away from giving up on God.

The tragic death of her father and the devastating results of the Great Drought of 1886 have centered the family ranch in the crosshairs of the Goose Neck Ridge Bank of Texas. Desperate to save the Triple P, Cassandra sees only one option: marriage to Phillip Brigham, the local cattle baron, who has promised to repay her father’s loan.

Matt Atkins is a man driven by his mission.
When the enigmatic cowboy shows up looking for a job, he convinces Cassandra that he’ll be an asset to the ranch. As they work side by side, Cassandra’s feelings for Matt deepen, and she envisions the possibility of marrying for love, not for necessity. But her dreams are shattered when she discovers that Matt harbors a hidden agenda for the Triple P. Will Cassandra have to turn to Phillip after all, or will God take the shards of her broken dreams and create something beyond what she dared hope for?

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Happy reading y’all.

Bargain books July 29, 2021

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As promised, today we have the collection mentioned in the last post. And, with a little extra sleuthing two more collections showed up. It turns out, we have a nice variety of authors between the three of them. Cynthia Hickey shows up in all three collections.

To Serve and Protect 

Amazon quote:

THE SCENT OF FEAR
Secrets in Amish Country…

She’d fought her way through eight long years of terror. Now she’s back home amongst her Amish people, yet Rebecca Nissley feels like an outsider. She’s lost so much. Her friends. Time with her Mamm and Daed. The possibility of a future with the man she loves.

Deputy Sheriff Sawyer Beiler thought this day would never come. After two young Amish women were murdered, and Rebecca Nissley disappeared while on Rumspringa years earlier, Sawyer believed he’d lost Rebecca for good. With the pain too much to bear, Sawyer left the Amish faith behind and joined the sheriff’s department, determined to find out what happened that summer day long ago. Now Rebecca is back…

SCHOOLHOUSE JUSTICE
The teacher had apparently walked in on a robbery and been killed in his classroom Resource Officer Lanell Rhodes is determined to see justice for the young man.

Pilot Connor Prescott is shocked to learn of the death of the young teacher his sister has been dating. But when he arrives at the school and seeks information, he is warned by the attractive Resource Officer that he is not to meddle in police business.

AFTER THE STORM
Kayla Denton wants only to make a success of the new up-scale resort her grandfather put in her charge of. Detective Chase Mitchell goes undercover as Kayla’s maintenance man to catch a hired killer after the resorts important guest. A hurricane threatens to ruin both of their plans.

When Kayla’s life is put in danger, and Chase’s identity revealed, their future together starts to crumble on the sandy beach of Maui. Can these two survive a mad man and a storm to realize what they need is right in front of them?

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For a change of pace we will put the romance collection in the middle.

Love Draws Near 

Amazon quote:

Adversity leads to love in these five romantic novellas by best-selling author.

MAUI MAGIC
Join Amanda and Drake as things come to an explosive conclusion in Paradise.

SUDDENLY
Can a shy teacher and a sad widower stand strong in their love when danger threatens?

HILLBILLY CINDERELLA
Can she set aside prejudices from a bygone time and embrace her happily ever after?

I’D RATHER KISS MY HORSE
Danger strikes. The two of them must work together to survive. Will the love they refuse to acknowledge be enough?

SUSPICIOUS MINDS
Can these two set aside their suspicions and regain a tender love?

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And, finally …

Terror at Sea: Three mysteries aboard a cruise ship

Amazon quote:

CABIN FEVER
Ready for some rest and relaxation at the end of the school year, seventh grade teacher Autumn Spencer gets on a cruise ship, hoping it’ll whisk her away to Paradise so she can clear her mind. Instead, she encounters nosy fellow passengers who won’t leave her alone, more drama than she sees in her hormonal students … and a couple of attempted murders. No matter what she does to avoid the crazies, she keeps getting thrown right smack dab into the middle of all the action.

DON’T ROCK THE BOAT
Annie Peterson is supposed to be on vacation. . .not in wedding planning mode and certainly not in mystery solving mode. But when she meets a bride-to-be aboard the Navigator of the Seas cruise liner, Annie can’t help herself. She’s ready, willing and able to help with plans for the big day. And when the bride goes missing just hours before the ceremony, it’s Annie to the rescue! Who’s responsible for spiriting away the elusive bride? The maid of honor? The emotional mother of the bride? An over-the-top best man? The groom-to-be? A total stranger? Someone’s done the deed and it’s up to Annie to locate the MIA bride before the ship returns to port. Surely, with the Lord’s help, she can solve this mystery. Join Annie on this high seas adventure where everyone on-board is a suspect and no good deed goes unpunished.

EXPOSURE AT SEA
THE SEAS GROW ROUGH WHEN A CRUISE PHOTOGRAPHER IS TARGETED FOR MURDER.

After a painful breakup, Molly Nicholson accepts a job as a cruise ship photographer. As she is taking photos of passengers arriving to board the ship, she accidentally snaps a picture of a murder. Her dream job turns into a nightmare as she tries to stay alive amidst the beauty of Hawaii. A handsome detective on medical leave volunteers to be her bodyguard until the killer is caught. Can their blooming romance survive murder on the high seas?

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11 books! We definitely have enough to keep us going for a good long while. It will be interesting to see what else could possibly show up today.

I’ll let you know if there is more.

Happy Reading.

Bargain books July 28, 2021

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A fruitful search unearthed some awesome titles. Both of them are mystery/thrillers. I’ve read three books by DiAnn Mills but it’s been a long while and I’m looking forward to meeting her again.

Fatal Strike 

Amazon quote:

There’s a killer on the loose in Galveston, targeting law enforcement officials and using a fatal injection of snake venom to take them down. Authorities have reasons to believe the Veneno gang is behind the hits, and FBI Agents Leah Riesel and Jon Colbert team up to track down those responsible. Their best lead is an eyewitness who identifies a young man dumping the third body on a church doorstep. But their suspect has gone into hiding, and those closest to him are reluctant to reveal anything that might help investigators find him.

As Leah and Jon check connections among the victims and dig deeper into motives, they discover appearances may be deceiving. Someone is desperate to keep their secrets hidden, and Leah and Jon must face their greatest fears in order to stop the next fatal strike.

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I’ve read two books by Dani Pettrey, one of them only last year. Now, after reading the first part of chapter one I’m excited to read this one.

The Killing Tide (Coastal Guardians Book #1)

Amazon quote:

When one Coast Guard officer is found dead and another goes missing, Coast Guard Investigative Service special agent Finn Walker faces his most dangerous crime yet. His only clues are what little evidence remains aboard the dead officer’s boat, and the direction the clues point to will test Finn and the Guard to their limits.

When investigative reporter–and Finn’s boss’s sister–Gabby Rowley arrives, her unrelenting questions complicate an already volatile situation. Now that she’s back, the tug on Finn’s heart is strong, but with the risks she’s taking for her next big story, he fears she might not live through it.

Thrown together by the heinous crime, Finn and Gabby can’t ignore the sparks or judgments flying between them. But will they be able to see past their preconceptions long enough to track down an elusive killer, or will they become his next mark?

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I came across a small 3 book collection as well but I think I will save it for tomorrow.

Enjoy these two. They are long enough and exciting enough to keep us busy for a nice long while, I’ll bet.

Happy Reading

Read and enjoyed July 28, 2021

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Most recently read and enjoyed was a four book series. All of them were good reads but books 1, 2, and 4 stood out as favorites. Of those three, book 4 rose to the top of the podium for me.

Southern Hearts Series: Books 1 – 4

Book 4 Blown Together

When love storms in…Wealth manager Sam Conrad is accustomed to his domineering father ordering him around, especially at the bank where they both work. But when his father demands that Sam manage the inheritance of his bossy ex-fiancée, Sam has finally had enough.

He leaves in search of a new life, and attorney Big Roy Bosarge from Mobile, Alabama, agrees to mentor Sam on his quest for direction. Sam didn’t expect to be thrown together with Roy’s eccentric daughter.

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I liked the well developed characters best in this book. The story moved along at a steady pace, never stalling out with filler details. The plot with it’s twists and turns was full enough all on it’s own to easily spread over the required pages.

Stories are like people, we enjoy some more than others. That’s part of the reason for my enjoyment of the last story. My favorite people lived here.

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Currently, I’m reading a recent mystery download. It is a cozy whodunit. People keep dying and the PR lady is trying to figure out who is responsible. The police aren’t being all that helpful.

The Treble with Murder: a cozy amateur sleuth mystery (The School of Hard Rocks Mysteries Book 1) 

Amazon quote:

Camryn Paine has an ear for music . . . and for trouble.

When public relations expert Camryn Paine’s alma mater requests her help, she agrees to do some image intervention for the music conservatory. She’s thrown into the thick of things her first day on the job when she witnesses a student drop dead during a talent show sound check.

Camryn’s unique auditory abilities lead her to suspect foul play. The more questions she asks, the clearer it becomes that something is amiss at the school. She’s determined to crack the case before any more dead bodies are found.

Unfortunately, her abilities also make Camryn a threat to a killer who doesn’t want anyone to hear the truth. Will she solve this case and redeem the conservatory’s reputation? Or will her body be the next one to take center stage?

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I haven’t seen any interesting bargain suggestions yet today but will share if it happens later.

Happy Reading

Free and bargain books July 27, 2021

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LPCBooks has several FREE suggestions for us. Both with authors new to me.

Retribution Road 

Amazon quote:

Gabe Jones—an underwater investigative diver with an unusual gift—has a way of finding trouble. This time though trouble finds him.

Carol Evans helped Gabe Jones survive his last adventure. Now they are a couple and Carol needs his help. Carol’s son, Paul, has made some decisions recently that have led him straight into a deep dark world of trouble. His disappearance has the whole family questioning what this kid has been up to and who exactly is the dead girl in his truck, which was submerged in a watery tomb. As they try and unravel Paul’s disappearance, the answers they uncover lead them on the chase of a lifetime that crosses state lines and national borders.

Carol and Gabe also find themselves needing help and support from Carol’s dad Tom, a retired Texas Ranger, who has a few problems of his own. A plane flown by family friends and the son of a well-known senator has crashed into Texas waters. When Gabe dives on the wreckage, he discovers a Pandora’s box of evidence that links Tom’s friends to Paul’s disappearance into a world filled with crime and violence. Homes and families are destroyed. Every action brings retribution until it appears no one will be left standing. Only total annihilation—or a miracle—will stop the killing. Someone must make the hard choices. Who will it be?

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This next one is from a new YA writer.

Fade to White

Amazon quote:

Thea Fenton’s life looks picture-perfect, but inside, she is falling apart. Wracked by anxiety no one seems to understand or care about, she resorts to self-harm to deflect the pain inside.

When a local teen commits suicide, Thea’s anxiety skyrockets. Unexplainable things happen, leaving her feeling trapped within her own chaotic mind. The lines between reality and another world start to blur, and her previously mundane issues seem more daunting and insurmountable than ever.

Then she meets Khi, a mysterious new boy from the coffee shop who seems to know her better than she knows herself—and doesn’t think she’s crazy. His quiet confidence and unfounded familiarity draw her into an unconventional friendship.

Khi journeys with her through grief, fear, and confusion to arrive at compassion for the one person Thea never thought she could love.

A deeply transformational novel from an authentic new voice in Christian young adult fiction.

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1531 Entertainment has a bargain suggestion for us.

Melody of Love: Story of Hope, Redemption, and Second Chances (The Potter’s House Books (Three) Book 4) 

Amazon quote:

She’s fleeing an abusive relationship, he’s grieving his wife’s death…

When Melody Grayson escapes a verbally and emotionally abusive relationship, she flees with her four-year-old son to her brother’s home in the seaside town of Windmaroo.

Broken and scarred, she starts rebuilding her life amongst the tightly knit Christian community.

And with the help of her brother’s best friend, Tim Rogers.

Tim lost his wife and unborn child in a car accident four years earlier. He finds solace in surfing, and in his band, Heaven Bound. He’s still grieving his loss, but he knows that God has a plan for his life. When he meets Melody, he wonders if she might be part of it.

When an awful accident occurs, Melody and Tim are thrust together, but can she learn to trust God and open her heart to love?

Melody of Love is Book 4 in The Potter’s House Books Series Three. Stories of ‘hope, redemption and second chances.’ Read this Contemporary Christian Romance today and be blessed.

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Not a bad day for books.

Happy Reading!

Bargain book July 26, 2021

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Favorite author, Christy Barritt, has another new book out and I’m looking forward to it with great anticipation.

The Treble with Murder: a cozy amateur sleuth mystery (The School of Hard Rocks Mysteries Book 1)

Amazon quote:

Camryn Paine has an ear for music . . . and for trouble.

When public relations expert Camryn Paine’s alma mater requests her help, she agrees to do some image intervention for the music conservatory. She’s thrown into the thick of things her first day on the job when she witnesses a student drop dead during a talent show sound check.

Camryn’s unique auditory abilities lead her to suspect foul play. The more questions she asks, the clearer it becomes that something is amiss at the school. She’s determined to crack the case before any more dead bodies are found.

Unfortunately, her abilities also make Camryn a threat to a killer who doesn’t want anyone to hear the truth. Will she solve this case and redeem the conservatory’s reputation? Or will her body be the next one to take center stage?

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This is the only one coming up for me at the moment and it’s OK, I’m more than happy with it. I can promise you, it will definitely be a soon read.

Happy Reading!

Good morning. July 26, 2021

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It is a good morning … even though we have had no new interesting bargain suggestions yet today. Who knows, something may show up later. If it does I’ll be sure to share with you.

It has been a good weekend for reading. It’s been much too hot to spend time working outside, this meant even more time for reading. Very good news for reducing my over full TBR pile. I’ve lost track of how many books were conquered but there were at least three or four. Some were shorter than others.

One stood out above the rest and I wouldn’t mind reading the sequel. I found this story difficult to put down, which was a good thing given my goal to make it through as many books as possible before the weekend was over.

The Accidental Guardian (High Sierra Sweethearts Book #1)

When Trace Riley finds the smoldering ruins of a small wagon train, he recognizes the hand behind the attack as the same group who left him as sole survivor years ago. Living off the wilderness since then, he’d finally carved out a home and started a herd–while serving as a self-appointed guardian of the trail, driving off dangerous men. He’d
hoped those days were over, but the latest attack shows he was wrong.

Deborah Harkness saved her younger sister and two toddlers during the attack, and now finds herself at the mercy of her rescuer. Trace offers the only shelter for miles around, and agrees to take them in until she can safely continue. His simple bachelor existence never anticipated kids and women in the picture and their arrival is unsettling–yet enticing.
Working to survive the winter and finally bring justice to the trail, Trace and Deborah find themselves drawn together–yet every day approaches the moment she’ll leave forever.

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Two more read recently, but prior to the weekend. I’ve enjoyed both of these and don’t think I’ve shared them yet.

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Currently, I’m reading a four book collection. I finished book 1 this morning and have moved on to book 2. In some collections each book will have new characters, in this one it’s a continuation of the group story. Same people doing life with a different focus in the leading roles.

Southern Hearts Series: Books 1 – 4 

Book 2 Going Up South

No one told him he had a son. Actor Dylan Conner is furious. Not only has he been left out of his child’s life, the baby boy has been given another man’s last name. Determined to be a better father than the sorry guy who’d left him and his mother, Dylan fights to ensure a significant place in his son’s life. Unfortunately, his bad-boy reputation overshadows his good intentions.

Only one woman in this small town sees beyond his Hollywood image. And he’s falling for her. Too bad she’s the custody mediator.

After her scandalous divorce in the small town of Oxford, Mississippi, attorney Cassie Brooks has no intentions of practicing law again. The humiliating experience left a bitter taste for love, marriage, and her profession. Now friends need Cassie’s help in a custody negotiation, and her role demands she remain objective. 

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There will be a part two post if anything else shows up.

In the meantime…

Happy Reading

Free and bargain books July 17, 2021

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BookBub has a bargain suggestion for us. I’ve seen this author before, she writes some interesting stories and this one looks promising.

The Rose of Winslow Street

Amazon quote:

Romance and Drama to Capture the Heart in This Emotional Tale

The last thing Libby Sawyer and her father expected upon their return from their summer home was to find strangers inhabiting a house that had been in their family for decades. Widower Michael Dobrescu brought his family from Romania to the town of Colden, Massachusetts with a singular purpose: to claim the house willed to him long ago. Since neither party has any intention of giving up their claim, a fierce legal battle ensues between the two families.

When important documents go missing from the house, Libby suspects Michael is the culprit. Determined to discover the truth behind the stolen papers, Libby investigates, only to find more layers of mystery surrounding Michael and his family. Despite their rivalry, Libby finds herself developing feelings for this man with the mysterious past.

As a decision about the house looms in the courts, Libby must weigh the risks of choosing to remain loyal to her family or give her heart to a man whose intentions and affections are less than certain.

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This first book led to another that caught my interest. I’ve read this author as well but it’s been a while. I’m excited about this story because I’m partial to lady spies.

Ring of Secrets (Culper Ring Book 1)

Amazon quote:

This exciting romantic spy novel from Roseanna M. White combines fascinating cloak-and-dagger secrets with a tale of love and intrigue during the Revolutionary War.

Winter Reeves is an aristocratic Patriot forced to hide her heart amid the Loyalists of the City of New York. She has learned to keep her ears open so she can pass information on British movements to Robbie Townsend, her childhood friend, and his spy ring. If she’s caught, if she’s hung for espionage…well, she won’t be. Robbie has taught her the tools of the trade: the wonders of invisible ink, drop locations and, most importantly, a good cover.

Bennet Lane returns to New York from his Yale professorship with one goal: to find General Washington’s spy hidden among the ranks of the elite. Searching for a wife was supposed to be nothing more than a convenient cover story for his mission, but when he meets Winter, with her too-intelligent eyes in her too-blank face, he finds a mystery that can’t be ignored.

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This next one is a FREE novella that bridges books 1 and 2 in the Culper Ring series

Fairchild’s Lady (Culper Ring) 

Amazon quote:

This bonus romantic novella is set in the intervening years between Ring of Secrets and Whispers from the Shadows by Roseanna M. White.

In 1789 General Isaac Fairchild travels across the Channel on a very special assignment. After surviving the American Revolution, he is now gathering information on life at King Louis XVI’s court. But he must also locate a countess and her grown daughter and escort them back to England before revolution explodes in France.

He knows danger is in the task set before him, but when he meets the beautiful Julienne, a new peril beckons him deeper into the intrigue of Versailles.

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This has been an excellent day for books.

In the meantime, I have a little writing on my mind. I’ll let you know if it turns into anything.

Happy Reading

Read and enjoyed July 16, 2021

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It’s time to do another read and enjoyed post.

I don’t have a favorite of the week this time but all four were still good reads.

Of these first two, Rock and a Hard Place was my favorite. There was substance to the story, the characters were well developed. The story moved along well and was believable. There was more angst than I would like but aside from that it was a good experience.

The next two were also good reads but my favorite was Faith in the Mountain Valley. The secrets were revealed layer upon layer, which is the best, in my estimation. There was a great cast of characters and in the end I loved them all. Even the villains.

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I’ve just started a new book. I’m not far enough along, though, to make a judgement call on the story but since it’s by one of my favorite authors I’m expecting to love it. It is still a bargain too.

I won’t make it through this read as quickly as I did on the last four. This one is nearly 400 pages long.

I’m not complaining.

Oath of Honor (Blue Justice Book #1) 

Police officer Isabelle St. John loves her crazy, loud, law-enforcement family. With three brothers and two sisters, she’s never without someone to hang out with–or fight with. And she knows they’ll be there for her when things get tough. Like when her partner is murdered and she barely escapes with her own life.

Determined to discover exactly what happened, Izzy’s investigation sends her headfirst into a criminal organization, possibly with cops on the payroll–including someone from her own family. With her dead partner’s handsome homicide detective brother Ryan shadowing her every move, Izzy’s head is spinning. How can she secure justice for her partner when doing so could mean sending someone she loves to prison? And how will she guard her heart when the man she’s had a secret crush on for years won’t leave her side?

With her signature fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat action, Lynette Eason invites readers into a captivating new series where justice is a family affair.

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Happy Reading on a happy Friday.

Mind you it’s nearly over. Maybe I should just say have a good weekend!