Showing posts with label Kristi Ann Hunter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kristi Ann Hunter. Show all posts

Friday, January 11, 2019

February Releases Part 1

  Have you ever has a favorite author or maybe a series you're reading and wonder how long do I have to wait for the next book?  Well, I do all the time.  Then I will see a review and think how did I miss this one.  Today I'm going to post about books that will be released from some publishing houses that I'm looking forward to reading or at least buying to put in my TBR pile.  Remember some of these books come with gifts if you pre-order them.  I know Never Let Go has a link to it, so let me know if you would like it. 
As most who follow my blog know I love suspense, but I also enjoy many other genres.  I love reading, but I want a good, clean read.  I want to be drawn into the story.  Many authors I review do this with ease by just weaving words together that bring both character and setting to life.  Occasionally I will read a book blurb and become interested to only find while reading the author sometimes adds explicit scenes. While I don't particularly like this, by no way does it come into play when I'm writing a review.
 Here are just a few that will be released in February and next Friday I will bring more being released in February.  Can you guess I am going to need a new bookshelf.lol

Okay, here we go.......


When an Open-and-Shut Murder Case Gets Complicated,
Can She Overcome Her Need for Justice?
Corporate litigator Mia Shaw suffers the shock of her life when she finds her colleague and friend brutally murdered. Grief-stricken and furious, Mia vows that she will do anything to make the killer pay.

The man accused of the murder is a friend of security tech guru Noah Ramirez, but the evidence just doesn't add up. To save his former ATF partner, Noah needs to convince Mia that the real killer is still on the loose.

Mia soon has more to worry about than the criminal prosecution. She is tasked with taking over her friend's last case and learns he was hiding dark secrets about his client. She thinks she may have stumbled upon corporate espionage that has turned deadly, but she has no idea of the danger involved. Her only ally is Noah, despite their difference of opinion about the killer's identity. Can Noah win Mia over to his side and protect her from ever-growing threats?

Expected publication: February 5th 2019 by Bethany House Publishers 


She Has Always Moved Between Worlds,

But Now She Must Choose a Side

The daughter of a Mohawk mother and French father in 1759 Montreal, Catherine Duval would rather remain neutral in a world tearing itself apart. Content to trade with both the French and the British, Catherine is pulled into the Seven Years' War against her wishes when her British ex-fiancé, Samuel Crane, is taken prisoner by her father. Samuel claims he has information that could help end the war, and he asks Catherine to help him escape.


Peace appeals to Catherine, even if helping the man who broke her heart does not. But New France is starving, and she and her loved ones may not survive another winter of conflict-induced famine. When the dangers of war arrive on her doorstep, Catherine and Samuel flee by river toward the epicenter of the battle between England and France. She and Samuel may impact history, but she fears the ultimate cost will be higher than she can bear.


Expected publication: February 5th 2019 by Bethany House Publishers  


Daphne Blakemoor was content living in her own secluded world for the last twelve years. She had everything she needed--loved ones, a true home, and time to indulge her imagination. But when ownership of the estate where she works as a housekeeper passes to a new marquis with an undeniable connection to her past, everything she's come to rely upon is threatened.
William, Marquis of Chemsford's main goal in life is to be the exact opposite of his father. Starting a new life in the peace and quiet of the country sounds perfect . . . until his housekeeper turns his life upside down. 
Both Daphne and William have spent their lives hiding from the past. Can they find the courage to face their deepest wounds and, perhaps, forge a new path for the future together?

Expected publication: February 5th 2019 by Bethany House Publishers  



Baker and pastry chef Melody Johansson has always believed in finding the positive in every situation, but seven years after she moved to Denver, she can’t deny that she’s stuck in a rut. One relationship after another has ended in disaster, and her classical French training is being wasted on her night job in a mediocre chain bakery. Then the charming and handsome private pilot Justin Keller lands on the doorstep of her workplace in a snowstorm, and Melody feels like it’s a sign that her luck is finally turning around.

Justin is intrigued by the lively bohemian baker, but the last thing he’s looking for is a relationship. His own romantic failures have proven that the demands of his job are incompatible with meaningful connections, and he’s already pledged his life savings to a new business venture across the country—an island air charter in Florida with his sister and brother-in-law.

Against their better judgment, Melody and Justin find themselves drawn together by their unconventional career choices and shared love of adventure. But when an unexpected windfall provides Melody with the chance to open her dream bakery-cafĂ© in Denver with her best friend, chef Rachel Bishop, she’s faced with an impossible choice: stay and put down roots with the people and place she’s come to call home . . . or give it all up for the man she loves.

Expected publication: February 5th 2019 by Tyndale House Publishers



Only God can heal our heartsLife is full of twists and turns. Relationships falter, careers fizzle, health fades. We may be faced with choices we never wanted to make or have situations pushed upon us we never expected. Yet in all of it, God is at our side--even when He feels far away.

Drawing on her extensive research into women of the Old Testament, novelist Jill Eileen Smith turns her pen to what we can learn about trusting God from women like Eve, Noah's wife, Sarai, Hagar, Lot's wife, Rebekah, Rachel, and more. You'll discover what these ancient women did right--and what they did wrong--when faced with dashed expectations and deferred dreams. And you'll come away with the confidence that God loves you and is forming you through your trials into the woman He longs for you to be.

Expected publication: February 19th 2019 by Fleming H. Revell Company



The case may be cold, but things are about to heat up
Forensic genealogist Willow Anderson is following in her late grandfather's footsteps in her quest for answers about a baby abducted from a hospital more than twenty years ago. When someone makes an attempt on Willow's life to keep her from discovering the truth, help will come from an unexpected source.

Ex-FBI agent--and Willow's ex-flame--Austin McKade readily offers to protect the woman he never should have let get away. Together they'll follow where the clues lead them, even if it means Austin must face the past he's spent much of his life trying to forget--and put Willow's tender heart at risk.

Expected publication: February 5th 2019 by Fleming H. Revell Company



Every saint has a past. Every sinner has a future.
Luke Schrock is a new and improved man after a stint in rehab, though everyone in Stoney Ridge only remembers the old Luke. They might have forgiven him, but nobody trusts him. He has been allowed to live at Windmill Farm under two conditions. First, he must make a sincere apology to each person he's hurt. Second, he must ask each victim of mischief to describe the damage he caused. 
Simple, Luke thinks. Offering apologies is easy. But discovering the lasting effects his careless actions have caused isn't so simple. It's gut-wrenching. 
And his list keeps growing. Izzy Miller, beautiful and frustratingly aloof, also boards at Windmill Farm, and Luke's clumsy efforts to befriend her only insult and annoy her. Eager to impress, Luke sets out to prove himself to her by locating her mother. When he does, her identity sends shock waves through Stoney Ridge. 

Expected publication: February 5th 2019 by Fleming H. Revell Company



Numbed by grief and harboring shameful secrets, Lt. Adler Paxton ships to England with the US 357th Fighter Group in 1943. Determined to become an ace pilot, Adler battles the German Luftwaffe in treacherous dogfights in the skies over France as the Allies struggle for control of the air before the D-day invasion.
Violet Lindstrom wanted to be a missionary, but for now she serves in the American Red Cross, where she arranges entertainment for the men of the 357th in the Aeroclub on base and sets up programs for local children. Drawn to the mysterious Adler, she enlists his help with her work and urges him to reconnect with his family after a long estrangement.
Despite himself, Adler finds his defenses crumbling when it comes to Violet. But D-day draws near. And secrets can't stay buried forever.

Expected publication: February 5th 2019 by Fleming H. Revell Company



Monday, September 14, 2015

Hawthorne House

Lady Miranda Hawthorne acts every inch the lady, but inside she longs to be bold and carefree. Entering her fourth Season and approaching spinsterhood in the eyes of society, she pours her innermost feelings out not in a diary but in letters to her brother's old school friend, a duke--with no intention of ever sending these private thoughts to a man she's heard stories about but never met. Meanwhile, she also finds herself intrigued by Marlow, her brother's new valet, and although she may wish to break free of the strictures that bind her, falling in love with a servant is more of a rebellion than she planned.
When Marlow accidentally discovers and mails one of the letters to her unwitting confidant, Miranda is beyond mortified. And even more shocked when the duke returns her note with one of his own that initiates a courtship-by-mail. Insecurity about her lack of suitors shifts into confusion at her growing feelings for two men--one she's never met but whose words deeply resonate with her heart, and one she has come to depend on but whose behavior is more and more suspicious. When it becomes apparent state secrets are at risk and Marlow is right in the thick of the conflict, one thing is certain: Miranda's heart is far from all that's at risk for the Hawthornes and those they love.


#1: A Noble Masquerade   -     By: Kristi Ann Hunter
 
 Published September 8th 2015
 by Bethany House 
5 Stars 

When Bethany House notified me of books available to review this cover caught my attention.  The vibrant colors just drew me to the cover then the pensive look behind the character made me want to find out what she was thinking.  I loved the cover as much as I loved the story inside. 
I know I review a lot of contemporary, but did you know there was a time when all I read were historical books.  I love getting lost in the past.  Regency romances are some of my favorites.  I love this era for many reasons, but I think it's the social norms that fascinate me the most.  
A Noble Masquerade is a wonderful title and gives the reader a hint at the story inside.  My first thought was a masquerade ball, and yes it has one of those, but that's not it at all.  It's about a young man trying to serve his country and put a stop to secret information being shared with the enemy.  
This story takes place in Hertfordshire, England in the early 1800's.  The author uses vivid imagery to bring the setting alive.  She will quickly sweep the reader into the story and keep them entertained through her quick wit.  The characters and setting are both detailed and perceptive.
Lady Miranda Hawthorne captivated me from the beginning.  As an 8 year old she shows her spirit and her spunk.  
"Fat tears well up in Lady Miranda Hawthorne's eyes as she stared at the cake now resting forlornly on the ground.  Her little hands curled into angry fists at her sides.
"You're a cad, Henry Lampton!" Miranda scooped the cake from the ground and hurled it at the laughing boy, her cheeks wet with tears.  The was something satisfying about seeing the creamy dessert smear across his shirt and the smile fall from his face."
I can just picture this scene in my mind.  
  At an early age she had learned that any misbehavior would always be followed by a stern lecture from her mother on deportment and these lectures became a constant in her formative years. She tried to behave she really did, but it was still hard to contain all her emotions.    She needed an outlet and needless to say she found one, but of course it wasn't a conventional one.  For years she had been writing down her frustrations in letters to the Duke of Marshington, her brother's roommate.  Of course she would never mail these letters, but keep them under lock and key because it was unacceptable by society for a young lady to correspond with a gentleman who was not family or a fiance'. 
Miranda at age 20 is considered almost a spinster, esp. since her sister is about to make her debut to society.  Oh she's had offers, but not the proposals she was looking for.  A woman of any age wants to be wanted for herself, not what can be gained through her.  Miranda wants someone who is going to love her flaws and all.  
Ryland, Duke of Marshington, lost his mother at an early age.  His years growing up in Marshington Abbey were not filled with happiness thanks to his Aunt Lady Marguerite.  She was his uncle's widow who  along with her son, Richard,  had moved into their home to serve as hostess for his father.
After leaving school abruptly the Duke went into seclusion from society and his family.  He had plans of returning to society on his terms and no one could sway his decision.  
I loved this story!
From the engaging characters, who you can't help but love, to the beautiful images the author weaves into the story.  This is not just a romance, but a story that has humor, mystery and suspense.  I do wish the journal letters from Miranda had played a bigger part in this story, but to be honest they may have taken away too much away from the plot.
This is a debut novel for author Kristi Ann Hunter.  I will definitely be watching for more of her books. I recommend this book to anyone and can promise they will love it.
I did received this book from the publisher for a honest opinion without bias or outside influence as stated above.  I would like to thank Bethany House for this opportunity. 
    
 http://www.kristiannhunter.com/
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Kristi Ann Hunter graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in Computer Science but always knew she wanted to write. Kristi is an RWA Golden Heart contest winner, an ACFW Genesis contest winner, and a Georgia Romance Writers Maggie Award for Excellence winner. She is a founding member and the coordinator of the Regency Reflections blog and lives with her husband and three children in Georgia.