“Star of Persia: Esther’s Story” by Jill Eileen Smith
I love reading biblical fiction and I especially love this author’s books and writing style so I was very excited to read this!

I have read the story of Esther from other authors, but I love her story and knew Jill Eileen Smith would do an amazing job and I was right! Of course she included biblical facts that we know about Esther, but the extra fictitious liberties made the character and story so alive and wonderful to read.

I also enjoyed reading about Queen Vashti along with the other characters like Mordecai. Thrilling, dramatic and easy to read. Highly recommend! Absolutely loved it!

I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.

About the Book:
In an effort to complete a war his father had planned to win, King Xerxes calls every governor, satrap, and official in his vast kingdom to his palace in Susa to strategize and feast. When they finally leave, he decides on one more week of frivolity, which ends in the banishment of his favorite wife, something he never intended to do. But when he discovers Esther, Xerxes is sure he has a second chance at happiness.

In her wildest dreams, Esther could never have imagined that she would end up as queen of Persia. Yet she knows better than to become complacent. Another of Xerxes’s wives is vying for position, and his closest advisor has a deep and dangerous grudge against Esther’s adoptive father. Caught in the middle of palace politics, Esther will find herself in an impossible position: risk her life or consign her people to annihilation.

About the Author
Jill Eileen Smith is the bestselling and award-winning author of the biblical fiction series The Wives of King David, Wives of the Patriarchs, and Daughters of the Promised Land, as well as The Heart of a King and the nonfiction book When Life Doesn’t Match Your Dreams. Her research into the lives of biblical women has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times. Jill lives with her family in southeast Michigan. Learn more at www.jilleileensmith.com.

“Chasing the White Lion” by James R. Hannibal

Lots of action and suspense from beginning to end! This story is book 2 of the Talia Inger Book Series but can be read as a stand alone novel. On the edge of my seat the entire time with interesting characters, explosive action, thrilling chases; although somewhat complicated. This story does involve human trafficking which may be too much for some readers.

Overall, I enjoyed the action and story line and recommend it to anyone who has read his books in the past. I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.

About the Book:
Young CIA officer Talia Inger has reconciled with the man who assassinated her father, but that doesn’t mean she wants him hovering over her every move and unearthing the painful past she’s trying to put behind her. Still, she’ll need him–and the help of his star grifter, Valkyrie–if she hopes to infiltrate the Jungle, the first ever crowdsourced crime syndicate, to rescue a group of kidnapped refugee children.

But as Talia and her elite team of thieves con their way into the heart of the Jungle, inching ever closer to syndicate boss the White Lion, she’ll run right up against the ragged edge of her family’s dark past. In this game of cat and mouse, it’s win . . . or die. And in times like that, it’s always good to have someone watching your back.

Former tactical deception officer and stealth pilot James Hannibal takes you deep undercover into the criminal underworld where everyone has an angle and no one escapes unscathed.

About the Author
James R. Hannibal is no stranger to secrets and adventure. A former stealth pilot from Houston, Texas, he has been shot at, locked up with surface-to-air missiles, and chased down a winding German road by an armed terrorist. He is a two-time Silver Falchion Award winner for his Section 13 mysteries for kids and a Thriller Award nominee for his Nick Baron covert ops series for adults. The author of The Gryphon Heist, James is a rare multisense synesthete, meaning all of his senses intersect. He sees and feels sounds and smells, and hears flashes of light. If he tells you the chocolate cake you offered smells blue and sticky, take it as a compliment.

Out of the Embers (Mesquite Springs Book #1) by Amanda Cabot

This was a delightful story of Evelyn and her young charge Polly and their journey to start a new life. After their orphanage burns to the ground, they flee to another town called Mesquite Springs, Texas and come across kind hearted Wyatt and his family. As Evelyn and Polly start a new life and home together, Evelyn can’t help but feel “The watcher” has found them and once again is trying to kill them.

Steady plot, great characters, light suspense and romance throughout the story… loved the small town feel and townspeople. The ending was unpredictable which was nice and the story kept my interest from beginning to end. I really enjoyed it!

I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.

About the book:
Ten years after her parents were killed, Evelyn Radcliffe is once more homeless. The orphanage that was her refuge and later her workplace has burned to the ground, and only she and a young orphan girl have escaped. Convinced this must be related to her parents’ murders, Evelyn flees with the girl to Mesquite Springs in the Texas Hill Country and finds refuge in the home of Wyatt Clark, a talented horse rancher whose plans don’t include a family of his own.

At first, Evelyn is a distraction. But when it becomes clear that trouble has followed her to Mesquite Springs, she becomes a full-blown disruption. Can Wyatt keep her safe from the man who wants her dead? And will his own plans become collateral damage?

About the Author
Amanda Cabot is the bestselling author of A Stolen Heart, A Borrowed Dream, and A Tender Hope, as well as the Texas Crossroads, Texas Dreams, and Westward Winds series. Her books have been finalists for the ACFW Carol Awards, the HOLT Medallion, and the Booksellers’ Best. She lives in Wyoming. Learn more at www.amandacabot.com.

I have read other “Royal” books by this author but they can be read as stand alone stories. She is an incredible author and I love her books!

The chapters alternate between different characters and their view’s of current events, but the story mostly focuses on Princess Cassi and Levi. Nice steady plot with lots of interesting characters, beautiful setting and lots of suspense from beginning to end.

I really enjoyed this clean, on the edge of your set, romantic suspense royal story! Highly recommend whether you have read her other stories or not.

I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.

About the book:
Within a fairy-tale palace overlooking the azure waters of the Mediterranean, Princess Cassandra of Sereno leads a charmed life—until that life is nearly cut short in an assassination attempt. Desperate to protect his daughter, the king sends the princess to safety in the one place he trusts: the neighboring country of Meridia. There, Cassie’s life is placed in the hands of a man who possesses the skills to protect her. CIA agent Levi Marin has years of experience pretending to be someone he’s not, but posing as the boyfriend of a real-life princess is new, even to him.

With the CIA and Interpol hot on the trail of the assassin, Levi and Cassie do their best to blend in in Meridia and to remain professional amid their charade. Yet despite their best efforts, the charade begins to feel all too real. Their chemistry is undeniable, but forgetting the dangerous reality of their situation could prove a deadly mistake. Cassie’s would-be killer is still at large, and her search for answers is leading her ever closer to a shocking revelation that will rock the monarchy of Sereno to its core.

Biography
Traci Hunter Abramson was born in Arizona, where she lived until moving to Venezuela for a study-abroad program. After graduating from Brigham Young University, she worked for the Central Intelligence Agency for several years, eventually resigning in order to raise her family. She credits the CIA with giving her a wealth of ideas for suspense novels as well as the skills needed to survive her children’s teenage years. She has gone on to write a number of bestselling suspense novels that have consistently been nominated as Whitney Award finalists. She considers shoes an optional accessory which became evident when she won her first three Whitney Awards in 2013 (Code Word), 2014 (Deep Cover), and 2016 (Failsafe.) Safe House won Whitney Awards for both the mystery/suspense category as well as 2017 Adult Novel of the Year. She currently lives in Virginia with her family where she enjoys sports, travel, writing, and coaching high school swimming. Follow Traci on BookBub at https://www.bookbub.com/profile/traci-hunter-abramson and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tracihabramson/

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