Cara Putman's "Imperfect Justice" - advocating for the helpless

Attorney Emilie Wesley is waiting at the courthouse to help get her client out of an abusive situation at home, when word comes in that she reputedly shot her two daughters and herself, with only the youngest surviving in critical condition. Emilie is sure that her client couldn't have done such a thing, not when she was so close to getting out--and the woman's brother, Reid Billings agrees. They look into the case, hoping to prove differently and grant the girl's custody to Reid, but there is precious little evidence to help them. Can they find justice for the dead woman and protect her daughter from the girl's father?

This legal suspense is very different from the first book in the series, focusing on a totally different aspect of law, yet they share the same love of justice and desire to fight for those who can't fight for themselves. In this case Emilie works with women trapped in abusive situations, and you can feel the author's heart for these women in her writing, as well as the toll these cases take on the advocate--not all end happily.

Emilie and Reid make a cute couple. To me, Reid's financial business was a little boring, but I'm really not into finances. However, I did feel that the characters were well-developed, with their professions, interests, and groups of friends, and even if Reid's work isn't my thing, it fit with his character and proved he has a significant life outside of his interactions with Emilie.

I've been enjoying this group of supportive, young lady attorneys. It's nice to read about women who, though they could be rivals, choose to build each other up instead. I'm hoping the next book will be about Caroline!

Thank you Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for a free e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

Hidden Justice
1. Beyond Justice
2. Imperfect Justice
3. Delayed Justice
4. Forbidden Justice (2019)

Splickety SPARK: Picture Perfect

For those who love to read and have no time (or who love to write and enjoy a challenge), I've discovered a wonderful publication called Splickety, a magazine devoted to flash fiction (stories of 500-1,000 words, or roughly one page). There are three different imprints--Havok (sci-fi and fantasy), Spark (romance), and the original Splickety (adventure, mystery, suspense, etc). Each issue is on a theme, and November 2017's is comprised of stories revolving around romance within the arts, titled Picture Perfect.

Each edition features a popular published author (often those who publish Christian fiction), one story by an editor of the magazine, and the rest are written by anyone who has the courage to submit. This month features a story by Kristi Ann Hunter (author of the wonderful Hawthorne House series), and one by yours truly--my fifth story published with Splickety.

The blurb:
Art touches us. It speaks to the human spirit and inspires us to greater things. And what’s greater than love? In November’s Spark Magazine, you’ll find romance at the museum, ballet, and library. Sparks fly between a crystal maker and an apprentice. Opera reunites a musician with his lost love. And make sure you check out feature author Kristi Ann Hunter’s historical story about a clumsy woman and the painter she dreams of. Whether you’re looking for the beauty in color, joy in dance, or truth in music, you’re sure to find it in this Picture Perfect issue.

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My story, "Song to the Moon," is strongly tied to Dvorak's opera Rusalka, specifically the Rusalka's aria, "Song to the Moon," where she is asking the moon to tell the prince of her love. My tale, though, is more about the actress who portrays the Rusalka and her love among the musicians than the opera itself. I'd encourage you to check Splickety out, whether for love of reading or love of writing (or, regarding this episode, a love of the fine arts). Some stories are lighthearted, others serious--a quick and entertaining assortment.

Hard copy & digital: http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/1364797

Kindle edition: http://amzn.to/2hirSyS

www.facebook.com/splicketylove/
www.twitter.com/SplicketyLove

Jen Turano's "Out of the Ordinary" - funnier than ever

Gertrude Cadwalader's job is to keep her employer happy--she's a paid companion, after all. That means wearing Mrs. Davenport's extremely creative fashions in public--not for the easily humiliated--and occasionally returning a pilfered item that somehow ended up in her light-fingered employer's possession. Harrison Sinclair has long admired Gertrude's practicality and spunk, and when his own mother accuses her of thievery, he leaps to her defense. Through outlandish escapades and grand romantic gestures, he hopes to turn their friendship into something more.

I love the quirky characters that Turano comes up with. Not just the main characters, but all those meddling little old ladies, the spunky sisters, the friends who are only trying to help (with comically disastrous results). I knew Mrs. Davenport had to have some kind of backstory to her kleptomania, but I didn't expect anything so tender. I'm glad she sees restoration too.

The romance is sweet, the cast delightful, but best of all is the author's sense of humor. Which leads me to . . .

The List of Romantic Gestures. I laughed so hard. I tried explaining to my husband what was going on (seeing as he was looking at me with concern while I appeared to be having a fit on the other end of the couch), but I could hardly get the words out. Every time I looked back at the page I started laughing again. When I finally got it under control, I turned the page to the next scene--and it started all over again. Brilliant.

If you love the old, clean romantic comedies, or humor akin to The Importance of Being Earnest, then this is the book for you. Though I do recommend reading the prequel and Behind the Scenes first for the deepest enjoyment of this quirky series.

Thank you Bethany House for the free book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

Apart from the Crowd
0.5: "At Your Request"
1. Behind the Scenes
2. Out of the Ordinary
3. Caught by Surprise

Julianna Deering's "Death at Thorburn Hall" - perfect end to the series

Drew and Madeline Farthering are vacationing up in Scotland for the British Opener when their host--a man who invited Drew for the purpose of investigating his business partner--dies in an accident. Or was it an accident? Of course, Drew can't keep his nose out of the investigation, especially when it becomes clear it was murder. But how do German spies, gigolo golf caddies, and phony Russian thieves all tie together?

This was the perfect final book to the series, where all those little things--like Nick and Carrie's relationship and a certain mystery I had completely forgotten about--are finally resolved. I loved the sense of the international scene in this one--not so much the golfing (a very minor part of the story, anyway), but how people are keeping an eye on eastern Europe and the new regime growing in Germany, and how it is a controversial topic and growing point of concern. The clock is noticeably ticking down toward WWII.

I really appreciate how the author portrays Drew and Madeline's relationship. They got married three books ago, and yet somehow the adventure hasn't ended! Plus they're still cute and romantic, even after several years of marriage (the climbing up to the window scene was adorable and funny). Like all married couples, they've had to work through issues, but they've also found their rhythm and now they get to help Nick and Carrie work through their issues, having experienced much the same things themselves.

This was a case where I really had no good guess on the murderer. Now that it's solved, I can see why Drew was a confused as I was; it was a sneaky trick on the author's part. I heartily approve. Complex, yet the clues were really all there, if I had only recognized them as such.

If I'm wrong about this being the last Drew Farthering mystery, then I won't be disappointed.

Thank you Bethany House and NetGalley for an e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

Drew Farthering Mysteries
1. Rules of Murder
2. Death by the Book
3. Murder at the Mikado
4. Dressed for Death
5. Murder on the Moor
6. Death at Thorburn Hall

Lisa Harris's "Vanishing Point"

Garrett Addison's first week on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation leads him to the murder scene of a teenage girl--the third victim in a string of disappearances with one thing in common: a Polaroid picture found at the crime scene. With FBI agent Jordan Lambert, his old flame from the police academy, he begins a decade-long investigation into the serial killer dubbed the Angel Abductor. When no leads turn up and more girls go missing, can they keep up their hope of ever catching the killer?

Now I understand why this book is labeled a Nikki Boyd novel as opposed to one of the Nikki Boyd Files. Rather than being another of Nikki's cases, this is the story of the ultimate case--the Angel Abductor and murderer, starting with its beginnings, working through the disappearance of Nikki's sister, and ending in the present day when the case is ultimately solved. As such, the focus is on the main investigators of the case--Jordan and Garrett--rather than Nikki herself, though she takes active part in the latter days of the investigation.

Because the case is strung out over so many years, the book reads a bit differently than the average suspense. It's still fast-paced--really, quite a feat for something that is essentially a cold case--but one can feel the frustration and hopelessness as yet another girl is abducted and murdered, with no leads to follow until the next victim is chosen. Like the case, Jordan and Garrett's romance starts and stops--starts and stops--and ultimately doesn't go anywhere until the end either, when in this situation, a bit of impetus and some communication might have gone a long way. I didn't feel that either of them wanted it enough to take a risk or make the sacrifice to make it work (neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm . . . )

I did enjoy the book, since it filled in all the details and provided closure on the big, unsolved case of the Nikki Boyd Files. It wasn't my favorite, but it definitely has an important place in the series.

Thank you Revell and NetGalley for the free e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

Nikki Boyd Files
1. Vendetta
2. Missing
3. Pursued

4. Vanishing Point

Lynn Austin's "Where We Belong"

Rebecca and Flora Hawes, brought up by a somewhat eccentric father, both long to find their place in life, even when the roles for Victorian women are extremely limited. In spite of the dictates of society, the girls have a love of travel, history, and adventure that sends them to Europe, Egypt, and the Holy Land. Thirty years after their first foreign adventure, they find themselves, their starchy young butler Soren Petersen, and their fiery maid Kate in a desert sandstorm, dependent on a sheikh with possible alternate motives for helping them. As their journey becomes more uncertain, they each sift through their memories that led them to this desert.

I definitely wouldn't call it a fast-paced novel; the vast majority of the story is told in flashbacks (thankfully all done chronologically, except for when it jumps back to the present), so it reads more like a memoir, with Rebecca being the main focus, but Flora and, to a lesser extant, Soren and Kate having their share of memories. There's no real sense of urgency to the plot, and as such I had no problem putting the book down to go do other things.

The history behind the story was fascinating--two adventurous women really did go off on their own to travel the Holy Land and discovered a palimpsest of the bible, written hundreds of years before. Knowing that it was loosely based off history made the story more interesting. I've always taken it for granted that the bible is proven true and unchanged since forever, but this book reminded me that there was a time--not so very long ago--in which ancient scrolls and codices that prove the authenticity of the bible had not yet been discovered by the modern world.

The story is littered with spiritual references, and it's good to see the sisters relying on God, whatever the adventure they find themselves in. Each of the four characters is searching for the place where they belong, though the place may not be where modern society deems it should. I wish there had been a little more spark to the story, but it wasn't bad by any means. Just long and rather slow.

Thank you Bethany house and NetGalley for a free e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.