EmpowerMoms

“The Captain” is book 2 of the new “Griffin Force” series by author Julie Bellon. First, I LOVE the cover of the book! It is so vibrant which caught my eye immediately. I read book 1 when it was released last year so I remembered how fantastic that story line was, so I was expecting this book to be just as good. I was not disappointed!

“The Captain” is about the Griffin Force characters from book 1, but mostly focuses on Brenna and Colt (who we met in book 1). Although the same characters are mentioned in both books, I feel like this book could be read as a stand alone since it has its own plot.

Of course, I recommend reading them all in order because the character developments and flow of the story lines will be more intense and dramatic.

I really liked how Brenna, Colt and the team work together. There is alot of action and drama-very steady and intense. There is mention of prisoner torture and methods, so I would not recommend this series to young adults. However, I do let my 14 year old read books by this author since I know all of her books are clean and free of bad language and he is a mature reader.

I can’t say enough good things about this series and I can’t wait to read book 3 when it’s released later this year. This is definitely a series I’ll be keeping on my bookshelf to read again and again!

**Clean, suspenseful, action packed fiction**

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media-all opinions are my own.

My book review of “The Captive” (Griffin Force #1) is here:
http://empowermoms.net/2016/01/the-captive-griffin-force-1-by-julie-coulter-bellon-book-review.html

About the book
Captain Colt Mitchell is part of the elite Griffin Force team hunting down terrorist Nazer al-Raimi. After an attack on the Canadian Parliament buildings, the team gets good intel on Nazer’s whereabouts. They plan to grab him, but when the mission goes wrong, Colt is captured and dragged away. Bruised, restrained, and disoriented, Colt is stunned to see Brenna Wilson, the Canadian intelligence officer who broke his heart years ago, standing next to Nazer. But how deep is she in the operation and can she help Colt escape?

After the devastating attack on Canadian soil, Brenna is recruited to go undercover to find out what Nazer is planning next. She’s close to her goal until her former flame Colt Mitchell is taken hostage. Walking away from him has always been her biggest regret and she knows she has to save him, even if it blows her mission. Taking matters into her own hands, she pulls off a daring escape, but Colt and Brenna must learn to trust each other again if they want to stay alive. With their hearts and their lives on the line can they survive long enough to stop Nazer from ravaging another country’s sense of security?

Biography
Julie Coulter Bellon is the author of more than a dozen romantic suspense novels. Her book All Fall Down won the RONE award for Best Suspense and Pocket Full of Posies won a RONE Honorable Mention for Best Suspense.

Julie loves to travel and her favorite cities she’s visited so far are probably Athens, Paris, Ottawa, and London. She loves to read, write, teach, watch Castle, Hawaii Five-O, and eat Canadian chocolate. Not necessarily in that order.

Julie offers writing and publishing tips as well as her take on life on her blog ldswritermom.blogspot.com You can also find out about all her upcoming projects at her website juliebellon.com

Religion and politics-two hot topics you typically stay away from discussing in public or a group setting. However, this fun story takes you front and center to the world of politics and religion mixed together.

The main characters Summer and Benson are both strong and passionate about their political beliefs which are unfortunately opposite of each other. They battle it out many times over politics and religion even though they go to the same church.

Unfortunately, Summer leaves her church for awhile after several people acted hateful towards her family because of her fathers political stance; but Summer never loses her faith or love for God. She just needs help with finding her way and Benson wants to be the guy to help her with that.

Political back stabbing, drama, lies, love, forgiveness-this book has it all!

There are references to the Mormon LDS religion through out the book. It is a clean romantic story, light romance, free from bad language.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Covenant Communications in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media-all opinions are my own.

About the book:
As the daughter of a well-known senator, Summer Knight is all too familiar with the nasty side of politics. She’s always stayed out of the drama, until an incident involving her fellow Mormons drives her out of her hometown—and out of the Church. What she needs is a change of scene, and sunny California seems like just the place.
Enter Benson Hardy. He’s just her type—until she finds out who he is. Not only is Benson a nephew to her father’s political rival, he’s also a devout member of the Church. The last thing Summer wants is to be mixed up in politics—or religion. But Benson challenges her like no one else, asking the tough questions about her inactivity. Though their incompatibility is clear, their connection is undeniable, and soon Summer finds the embers of her faith reigniting. Just as it seems that the pair might be on the road to romance, a series of embarrassing misunderstandings—and the appearance of a handsome charmer determined to sweep Summer off her feet—knock the couple completely off course. As Summer finds herself at a crossroads, she must decide if she’s willing to set her pride aside for a shot at true love.

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Penn lives with her two aunts after a tragic plan crash kills her family. Penn and her aunts have a wonderful relationship and strong bond, but Penn has allowed fear and trying new things affect her life and relationships. She meets the new Mars resident John and things start to heat up until she find out that he’s a pilot.

Penn has to decide if taking a chance on love is worth the risk and possible heart ache. She has to learn to have faith and now let fear rule her life.

This was a clean, christian romance with lots of funny, quirky moments between all the characters. It had a steady plot and was fun to read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media-all opinions are my own.

About the book:
A meddling horse, paper bag floors and a flying saucer on the town square. The little town of Mars has it all—including a brand new resident who might spell heartache for one of its own.

Twenty-something Penn Davenport yearns for an exciting life in the big city and wants to shed the label of orphan that she’s worn for years. To achieve that dream, she must pass the CPA exam then move away from the two aunts who reared her after her parents died in a plane crash.

When John Townsend—full of life and the joy of living—moves to town, he rattles Penn’s view of herself, her life, and her dreams . . . which isn’t such a bad thing until she falls for him and discovers he’s a pilot.

About the author:
Hope Toler Dougherty holds a Master’s degree in English and taught at East Carolina University as well as York Technical College. A member of ACFW, RWA and SinC, she writes for Almost an Author. Before writing novels, she published non-fiction articles on topics ranging from gardening with children to writing apprehension. She cheers for the Pittsburgh Steelers, ACC basketball, and Army West Point Football. Hope and her husband, Kevin, live in North Carolina and chat with their two daughters and twin sons through ooVoo.

Travel to the small town of Mars, where you’ll find a meddling horse, paper bag floors, and a flying saucer on the town square—in Hope Toler Dougherty’s book, Mars . . . with Venus Rising. Penn Davenport dreams of passing the CPA exam and moving away from the two aunts who reared her after her parents died in a plane crash. When John Townsend—full of life and the joy of living—moves to town, he rattles Penn’s view of herself, her life, and her dreams . . . which isn’t such a bad thing until she falls for him and discovers he’s a pilot.

Celebrate Hope’s Mars . . . with Venus Rising blog tour with a Kindle Fire Prize Pack giveaway!

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of Mars . . . with Venus Rising
• A $25 Amazon gift card
• A Kindle Fire

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry! The giveaway ends on May 18th. The winner will be announced May 19th on Hope’s blog.

The Inheritance (Secrets of the Shetlands) by Michael Phillips

This is a historical fiction set in in the highlands of Scotland in the 1920s and then jumps to 2005. After the patriarch dies leaving no will, the families are left to fight over who is in control of the Island.

“The Inheritance” is the first book in the “Secrets of the Shetlands” story with more to come. The story has short chapters but is a pretty long book-over 400 pages. The font seemed small to me making it hard to read. I also had a hard time getting into the Scottish dialect and story line-I wasn’t able to finish the book. I felt like the plot was too slow and didn’t keep my interest.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media-all opinions are my own.

ABOUT THE BOOK
The death of the clan patriarch has thrown the tiny Shetland Islands community of Whale’s Reef into turmoil. Everyone assumed MacGregor Tulloch’s heir to be his grand-nephew David, a local favorite, but when it is discovered that MacGregor left no will, David’s grasping cousin Hardy submits his own claim to the inheritance, an estate that controls most of the island’s land. And while Hardy doesn’t enjoy much popular support, he has the backing of a shadowy group of North Sea oil investors. The courts have frozen the estate’s assets while the competing claims are investigated, leaving many of the residents in financial limbo. The future of the island–and its traditional way of life–hangs in the balance.

Loni Ford is enjoying her rising career in a large investment firm in Washington, DC. Yet in spite of her outward success, she is privately plagued by questions of identity. Orphaned as a young child, she was raised by her paternal grandparents, and while she loves them dearly, she feels completely detached from her roots. That is until a mysterious letter arrives from a Scottish solicitor. . . .

Past and present collide in master storyteller Phillips’s dramatic new saga of loss and discovery, of grasping and grace, and of the dreams of men and women everywhere.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael Phillips is a bestselling author with more than 70 of his own titles. In addition, he has served as editor/redactor of nearly 30 more books. He is known as the man responsible for the reawakened interest in George MacDonald of the last 30 years. In addition to the MacDonald titles adapted/edited for today’s reader, his publishing efforts in bringing back full-length quality facsimile editions also spawned renewed interest in MacDonald’s original work. Michael and his wife, Judy, spend time each year in Scotland but make their home near Sacramento, California.

Jessica Smith posted a new cardio walk last week and I love it! Hope you like it as well!