Bethany House; 348 pages; Buy Link; Blog Tour

Now available from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group, is the historical romance The Captain's Daughter, book one in the London Beginnings series, by Jennifer Delamere.

The novel begins at Dartmoor Coast, England in 1873, where a seventeen-year-old Rosalyn Bernay finds herself leaving the orphanage that she has called home for many years. She's also leaving behind her two sisters, Julia and Cara. Now considered an adult, she must venture into the world to find her place, which for her it happens to be working as a maid for Mrs. Huffman in London.

Six year later, Rosalyn finds herself penniless on the streets of London. Luckily, she stumbles upon a job working backstage at a theater as a dresser. She has always had a passion for music, so she fits right in at the there.

Nate Moran arrives in London to help out his brother, who had broken his leg working backstage at the theater. Nate is going to fill in as a stagehand, so his brother won't lose his job. He had previously served in the army regiment in India before injuring his hand, so working temporarily at theater should be an easy task. Of course, his plans on returning to the army as soon as hand is healed, but plans for the future changes after he meets the beautiful Rosalyn.

Riverhead Books; 400 pages; Amazon

If you've been following this blog for the last few weeks, then you would know I've been reading the new novel Into The Water by Paula Hawkins, the author of The Girl On The Train. I had checked out the book from the library and it has taken me over three weeks to finish it.

From just looking at the cover art, you can clearly tell the novel is a murder mystery, and that's exactly what it is, well, sorta. The plot centers on the mysterious death of a woman, Danielle Abbott, who was found at the bottom of the river, otherwise known as the Drowning Pool to the locals.

Over the years, many people have died in the Drowning Pool, so it was no shock to anyone that Danielle died there. However, she isn't the most recent death there, as the body of a teenage girl was found in the Drowning Pool earlier in the summer. Are the two deaths connected?

Revell; 383 pages; $14.99; Amazon

Now available from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, is Naomi's Hope, book 3 in the Journey To Pleasant Prairie series, by Jan Drexler.

Set in LaGrange County, Indiana, in 1846, the novel centers Naomi Schrock, a single Amish woman who had taken in a young boy Davey after his family had been killed. Getting married is not an option for her, because she believes no man would be interested in a woman with an adopted kid. Well, her thoughts begin to change after Cap Stoltzfus moves into the area and starts a friendship with Davey.

Cap comes with emotional scars, as he had loss his family back in Ohio. Despite his heartache, he journeyed to Indiana to start anew. The last thing he was looking for was love, but he that changes once he meets Naomi.

Cap's and Naomi's future is tested when Preacher Shem Fischer moves to the county and causes a whole set problems.

Crown; 448 pages; Amazon

Probably the best way to hear about a new book is  by word-of-the-mouth, which is exactly how heard about The Fifth Petal by Brunonia Barry. I kept noticing other book bloggers were reading the title, so I signed up to review an electronic galley several weeks ago.

Set in Salem, this murder-mystery centers around a teenager boy being murdered on Halloween night. John Rafferty, aka the chief of police, believes the boys death is somehow connected to the notorious cold case known as "The Goddess Murders," in which three young women, all descendants of accused Salem witches, were murdered on Halloween night in 1989!

John teams up with one of the 1989 victim's daughter, Callie Cahill. While all the clues points to the local historian Rose Whelan as the killer, John and Callie believe someone or something else is the murderer. Maybe even something supernatural!

Redemption Press; 348 pages; Buy Link; Blog Tour

I have a bad habit of choosing new books to read by just their cover art alone, and that happens to be exact case with The Great Chattanooga Bicycle Race by Mike H. Mizrahi. I didn't even read the blurb for the book before I signed up to review it. I made my decision strictly on the cover alone.

Set in 1895, the novel centers on nineteen-year-old Anna Gaines, a young woman who's still conquering her fears after being thrown off her horse years ago. After visiting her aunt in Brooklyn, she takes up a new pastime called bicycling, which is something she would have never attempted back home in Chattanooga, Tennessee, as the sport is scandalous for southern women. Any sports activity is strictly for men. However, Anna is determined to change things after she returns home.

This is a romance tale, so of course there is a male lead in the story, which happens to be Peter Sawyer, owner of the local grocery store and the president of the Cycling Club. He has been eyeing Anna for awhile, but every time she walks into his store, she just ignores him. After learning about her plans of trying to change the society's rules against women cycling, he supports her, even though he's jeopardizing his future in the Cycling Club.

Thomas Nelson; 352 pages; $15.99; Buy Link; Blog Tour

Originally, I wasn't planning on signing up to review "The Things We Knew" by Catherine West after I had received the blog tour announcement from LitFuse, mostly because the cover art just didn't appeal to me. It looked like it was a contemporary novel with a beach setting. Before I attempted to delete the email, I went ahead and read the synopsis. To my surprise, it caught my interest, so I signed up to review the novel.

The Things We Knew centers on Lynette Carlisle, a young woman who was left with the responsibility of taking care of her father after her four older siblings had left their Nantucket home with no plans of ever returning. Their mother had died twelve-years ago and that tragic event still haunts them.


Just as her father's health, as well as their income, begins to fail, a familiar face from the past returns - Nicholas Cooper, who she once had a crush on.

After being away for five years, Nicholas has returned to Nantucket to work at his father's bank, but he's also there for another reason - to restart his friendship with Lynette. Plus, he's also there to help unlock the secret behind Lynette's mother's death; a secret that might in fact tear them apart.

Crooked Lane; $25.99; 304 pages; Amazon

I had first heard about the Anna Carlisle's debut novel a few months ago when I saw it in a Doubleday Book Club flyer (Yes, this club is still around!). I was intrigued by the cover art from the get-go, but after reading the blurb, I knew I wanted to review the book.

Dark Road Home centers Virginia "Gin" Sullivan, a medical examiner who gets a shocking call from her old high school boyfriend, Jake, informing her that the body of her younger sister, Lily, was found in the woods buried inside a cooler.

Lily had gone missing in 1998. While there several suspects (including Jake), nobody was ever connected to her disappearance.

Gin quickly packs her bags and travels back to her hometown of Trumbull to be with her parents. Of course she has another agenda up her sleeve, she wants to lend her medical skills to help the local authorities find the killer.

Several twists and turns occur, along with another murder, which leads Gin to unravel a startling dark secret from her family's past.

Harvest House; 224 pages; $12.99; Buy Link; Blog Tour

Though I do like all animals, I am more of a cat lover than a dog lover. Nevertheless, I went ahead and signed up to review Fetching Sweetness by Dana Mentink through the Litfuse Publicity. Honestly, I wasn't very intrigued by the cover art, but after reading the blurb, I did become interested in reading it.

Fetching Sweetness, book 2 in the Love Unleashed series, centers on Stephanie Pink, a literary agent who has been sent to a small town in California to pick up Agnes Wharton's new manuscript. Agnes had written the bestselling novel "Sea Comes Knocking" over fifteen years ago, and the agency had promised to handle her next book, which is where Stephanie comes into the picture.

What she thought would be a quick trip to get the manuscript, becomes a huge hassle. As soon as she arrives, Agnes's canine companion, Sweetness, escapes for the woman's home at the trailer campgrounds, and of course Stephanie has accepted the task of  retrieving the dog.

After spending more time than she wanted to there, Stephanie is still looking forward to reading the manuscript. Unfortunately, there is a little catch - Agnes needs her help in taking Sweetness back home to Eagle Cliff, Washington. Since Agnes has lost her driver license, so they must ask her neighbor, Rhett, to drive them there.

Thomas Nelson; 336 pages; $15.99; Buy Link: Blog Tour

I've been trying really hard to have my reviews for blog tours written and posted a few days before whatever specific date is assigned to me, but that isn't the case for this one. I'm a little under the weather this week, so my review is being written today, which happens to be my blog's turn on the tour.

What am I review today?

Well, I'm reviewing the mystery thriller When Death Draws Near by Carrie Stuart Parks (You can find information about her at the very bottom of this review!). The book was published by Thomas Nelson and was released to bookstores last week (August 2nd).

The novel centers on forensic artist Gwen Marcey, who takes a temporary job in the small town of Pikeville, Kentucky. While at first it sounds like she wouldn't have much to do there, she quickly learns that the town has had several recent crimes (some accidental). Her first assignment is to draw a sketch of a serial rapist. However, before she can finish the drawing, one of witnesses disappears.

While the sheriff is looking into the incident, Gwen decides to do her own investigation that might link the "accidental" deaths to the serial rapist. Also, along with her teenager daughter, Gwen goes undercover a serpent-handling church to undercover illegal activities.

Despite Gwen's already busy life, she is a thrown a curve-ball when she learns that her breast cancer has returned.

Scholastic; 192 pages; $7.99; Amazon

While Halloween is less than three months away, many publishers are already releasing books set around All Hallows' Eve. Scholastic released "Goosebumps Most Wanted: Special Edition: The Haunter"  by R.L. Stine last month, which just happens to have a Halloween theme.

Similar to other Goosebumps Most Wanted titles, "The Haunter" opens up with a short prologue where R.L. Stine points out the readers to the "The Haunter" Most Wanted poster. Instead of telling the story himself about the monster, he quickly introduces us to Sammy Baker, the main character of this story.

Twelve-year-old Sammy is dreading Halloween, which is only days away, mostly because he's afraid of anything that is scary! He's not the most popular kid at Grover Cleveland Middle School, though he does have one good friend, Bill "Buzzy" Buzzner, who is the complete opposite of him as Buzzy is not afraid of anything. 

Out of the blue, Sammy's teacher, Miss Flake, announced that the class will split into groups for a Halloween-themed assignment, and of course he is given a scary subject to write about - "Are Haunted Houses Real?" 

The Good News: 

• Sammy's crush, Summer Magee, is in the group.

• Buzzy is also in the group.

The Bad News:

• Sammy's nemesis, Rubin, is in the group.

• They are going to play "Ghost Hunters" and explore the haunted Marple House on Halloween Night!

Jimmy Patterson; 384 pages; $14.99; Amazon

With the 100+ degree weather this week, I had some free time to sit down with a cup of coffee and read a good book.
What title did I pick out to read?

Well, I grabbed the recently released Treasure Hunters: Peril At The Top Of The World by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein. Yes, I'm well aware the title is a kid's book, but like the other three installments in the series, this one is written for any age group, even adults.

The Treasure Hunter series is told from point-of-view of a twelve-year-old named Bick Kidd, and the illustrations in each book is supposed to be illustrated by his twin sister, Beck. Along with their older siblings Tommy and Storm, the Kidd kids travel around the world in search of their missing treasure hunter parents.

Now reunited with their parents, the Kidd family are on a brand-new adventure in Treasure Hunters: Peril At The Top Of The World. This time they are in Moscow, Russia, where they are investigating the disappearance of several famous painting from the Hermitage Museum. With several clues let behind for them to follow, Dr. Kidd suspects the Enlightened Ones, a secret club who keeps all the worlds treasures for themselves, is responsible for the thefts.

Unfortunately, the Enlightened Ones are always one step ahead, and before long the entire Kidd family is thrown into a Russian prison. Of course they find away to get out, but the damage had been done as their father, Dr. Kidd, had been framed for the crimes.

Zonderkidz; 18 pages; $8.99; Amazon

Arriving in bookstores on August 2nd from Zonderkidz is the  picture-board book, titled Pumpkin Patch Blessings. Written by Kim Washburn, the 18-page book features illustrations by Jacqueline East.

Yes, it's still summer, but the stores will be getting autumn clothes as well as Halloween goodies on their shelves next month. Zonderkidz is jumping the gun a little early with the August 2nd release of Pumpkin Patch Blessings. However, it'll give the title plenty of time to find young readers before autumn actually begins.

Like most Zonderkidz titles, this book does mention God a few times. There's not really an actual plot here, but the narration explains to the reader that autumn is God's creation; though the illustrations shows a young brother and sister exploring all the wonders of what the Fall season brings; such as crunching on the falling leaves, eating corn on the cob, going on a hayride, and picking out a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch.

St. Martin's Giffin; 288 pages; $18.99; Amazon

During my middle school years in the early 1990s, I always had a Point Horror novel in my backpack. I was addicted to those horror stories and I just couldn't get enough of them. One of my favorite book series back then was called "Fear Street" written by R.L. Stine.

The series centered on a fictional town of Shadyside, Ohio, where the "Fear Street" was located at. Centuries ago, an evil man named Simon Fier (later changed to Fear) killed innocent souls on the land where Fear Street now lies, and the street just happens to be cursed.

Many of the "Fear Street" books are standalone stories; though there are a few spinoffs with continuing storylines, like 99 Fear Street; Cheerleaders; Fear Street Sagas, etc.. R.L. Stine revived the series in October 2014 with Party Games; followed by Don't Stay Up Late, and The Lost Girl.

Now available to purchase in bookstores from St. Martin's Griffin is the newest installment, titled Can You Keep A Secret?: A Fear Street Novel. The novel centers on Emmy (Emma), a high school teen who has suffered from nightmares ever since she was bitten by a dog when she was a little kid. As a teenager, she is into everything a girl her age should be into, like driving around town and hanging out with her new boyfriend, Eddie.

Ever since his step-father was suspended from the police department, Eddie has been trying to provide for his family; which means he takes any job he can get, including working at a pet cemetery.

Late one night, Eddie and Emmy head out to the Fear Street woods to hang out with their friends and drink beer. That's when they stumble upon a bag full of hundred-dollars bills. Eddie instantly believes this is the answer to his family's money problems, but Emmy convinces him to hide the money until they can figure out if someone had stolen it.

With the money hidden safely in the pet cemetery, Eddie, Emmy and their friends are going to wait it out before splitting the money. However, something terrible happens - the money disappears from the hiding spot. Did one of their friend's take it? Or has the original owner come back to claim the money?

Zonderkidz; 22 pages; $3.99; Amazon

While today is the first day of summer on the calendar, the stores will begin stocking the aisles with school supplies next month. While some kids dread going back to school (I know I always did!), others enjoy going back.

Now available in bookstores tomorrow from Zonderkidz is The Berenstain Bears: School Time Blessings by Mike Berenstain.

The 22-page picture book centers on Brother and Sister Bear getting ready to go back to school, while their little sister Honey is getting ready to start nursery school. Both Brother and Sister are excited about seeing their classmates. Brother can't wait to learn more about history and Sister is looking forward to showing off her math skills.

Sadly, Brother and Sister aren't very good at some subjects, so Brother helps Sister with her history lessons and Sister helps Brother with his math.

Meanwhile, Honey is extremely nervous about going to school and she fears she will miss her parents as soon as they drop her off.

Abingdon Press; 320 pages; $14.99; Buy Link; Blog Tour

It's not a secret that I love to read a good mystery now and then. From a Sherlock Holmes classic to a James Patterson crime novel, pretty much all mysteries appeal to me.

Now available to own in paperback is the medical suspense novel Medical Judgement by Richard L. Mabry, M.D., the author of the Prescription for Trouble Series.

Medical Judgment centers on Dr. Sarah Gordon, a woman who is still grieving the deaths of her husband, Harry, and their two-year-old daughter, Jenny. It's been over eight months since the accident occurred that destroyed her life, and now another tragic event happens - her house catches on fire.

Well, to be more precise, somebody sets her garage on fire. Why who would somebody want to kill Sarah?

This is where Bill Larson comes into the picture. He is a recovering alcoholic, and he's also the detective assigned to investigate the arson case. It doesn't take him long to realizes that someone is targeting Sarah. With the help of attorney Kyle Anderson (who was also the best friend of Sarah's husband), they try to unravel the mystery.

Thomas Nelson; 20 pages; $9.99; Amazon

Arriving on my doorsteps this afternoon was a package containing the children board book, titled I Love You Just Because written by Donna Kieth with illustrations by Allison Edgson. Published by Thomas Nelson, the book will be released to bookstores tomorrow.

The first two "I Love You" books (I Love You All the Same and I Love You Even When) have sold over 75,000 copies.

I Love You Just Because You Are centers on a bear couple who have three different bear cubs - Brown Bear, Polar and Miss Panda.

The three young cubs are learning that even though they are siblings, they all have their own tastes and likes. Brown Bear and Polar likes to eat fish, but Miss Panda likes to eat bamboo. They quickly learn that while they aren't all the same size and look alike, they are all loved by their parents and by God.

S&S; Nook; Kindle; BAM; IBookstore; Google Play

Available today from Pocket Star EBooks is From This Day Forward ($1.99) by USA Today Bestselling Author Lauren Layne. It's a 99-page prequel to The Wedding Belles series - To Have and to Hold (POCKET Books paperback; July 26, 2016; $5.99), For Better or Worse (POCKET Books paperback; August 30, 2016; $5.99), and To Love and to Cherish (POCKET Books paperback; October 18, 2016; $5.99).

From This Day Forward centers on Leah McHale, a young wedding photographer in New York. She mostly gets her jobs through the Wedding Belles, an elite wedding planning agency. She is more than excited when she is asked to fill in for another photographer at the last moment for a huge wedding event.

Who's getting married?

Well, the bride-to-be is a former First Daughter!

Remember, this is a love story, so of course there is romantic interest for Leah - Jason Rhodes, the other photographer that was hired for the wedding. They have a past together, which left Leah heartbroken, Jason thinks he might just have a second chance with her.

The Captive Condition
by Kevin P. Keating
Publisher: Pantheon Books
Pub. Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0804169288
Pages: 288
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Have you ever run across an old Gothic novel from the late 60s or early 70s that had an eerie cover of a young woman running from something? Well, that's exactly what I pictured when I started reading the mystery thriller The Captive Condition by Keven P. Keating last month.

Set in a Midwestern college town, the novel centers on Edmund Campion, a young man takes on odd jobs while attempting to get his master's degree. The one thing that he never expected is to get caught up in a murder mystery, but that is what happens when Emily Ryan, who was having an affair with Professor Kingsley, is found dead in a pool.

Edumund enters a dark world of betrayal as he becomes obsessed with the murder, leaving him to learn about all the town's dark dirty secrets.

Goosebumps Most Wanted: Special Editon 3 - Trick Or Trap
by R.L. Stine
Publisher: Scholastic
Pub. Date: July 28, 2015
ISBN: 978-0545627788
Pages: 192
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:
 
It's almost hard to believe that the first Goosebumps title by R.L. Stine was published in 1992. I was nearly twelve-years-old when I stumbled upon "Welcome to Dead House" in the book section at a Walmart and I've been a fan of the series ever since. This is a big year for Goosebumps fans as the first feature film will released in October with Jack Black playing a fictional version of R.L. Stine. Until then, fans can entertain themselves with the newest book - Goosebumps Most Wanted: Special Edition #3 - Trick Or Trap!

This installment centers on Scott Harmon, a twelve-year-old that is afraid of almost anything, especially his little sister, Rita, who is always playing tricks on him and his best friend, Amanda Gold. Rita isn't the only one that likes to bother them as the school bullies, Morty and Mickey, are always trying to scare them, which they always succeed in doing.

To prove that he isn't a scaredy cat and that he has the guts to standup to the bullies, he talks Amanda in going with him to the old abandoned house near the cemetery that everyone thinks is haunted! The plan is to have Amanda take a picture of Scott inside the house, but things don't exactly go as planned.

A Heart's Home
Journey of the Heart, book six
by Colleen Coble
Pubisher: Thomas Nelson
Pub. Date: August 4, 2015
ISBN: 978-0718031695
Pages: 112
Buy Link: http://bit.ly/1Iyr7Im
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/ccoble

Review:

It's been a very busy month and I almost forgot about reading the final book in the Journey of the Heart series by bestselling author Colleen Coble.  If I remembered correctly, the six-part series started back in March with A Heart's Disguise, which focused on Sarah Montgomery, but starting with the fourth book, A Heart's Betrayal, the main character changed to Sarah's friend Emmie Croftner.

Emmie had high hopes of having a wonderful marriage, well, that is until her husband died and she later learned that he was actually married to another woman. Heartbroken, she left her home for a new life in the Wyoming Territory, where her old friend Sarah and her husband Rand kindly took her in. Shockingly after arriving, Emmie realizes she is pregnant.

After winning the affections of a solider, Isaac Liddle, Emmie is looking forward to getting married and raising her child. Life is full of twists & turns, especially when a friend dies and Emmie is forced to make a life-changing promise.