Into the Fire (Undaunted Courage #1) by Irene Hannon

ISBN: 9780800741884
Paperback | $18.99 US

My thoughts: Such an interesting book to read as it lets the reader peek into the intense and challenging world of fire investigators who look deeply into the bits and pieces left behind consuming fires and then decide if the fire is intentionally set by an arsonist or not. Then once it is determined that perhaps an arsonist is responsible, they find the criminal and see that the laws of the justice system take care of the misdeeds.

As Bri begins her new job, she inherits the left overs of a retiree who was captivated by a series of cold cases in the hot world of arson crimes. Nagging thoughts of connection between a series of fires unproven as arson but that might be arson by the same arsonist snag Bri's attention as well.

A series of events, mishaps, and relationships have Bri going deeper and deeper and unknowingly into the world of an arsonist and murderer with deep relationship mental issues.

A Royal Christmas: A Christmas Novella by Melody Carlson

My thoughts:  I found A Royal Christmas to be a bit of fairy tale story of a modern college student whose life of living in a stinking apartment as a financially struggling law student whose life is given a complete turn around as she becomes queen to a small principality. A rags to riches tale that includes friendship, classy castle life, Christmas fun, budding romance, and dastardly intrigue. 

The story moves quickly and in a couple weeks time our "Cinderella" is crowned queen to succeed her deceased father who was the reigning king. What's interesting is her mother and the king never married as the then-reigning-king didn't approve of an American for his son. Also interesting is that an American who has nearly finished law school should take upon themselves the role as a new queen of another country. This raises international law and citizenship issues. But then, this is, of course, a "fairy tale" type of story.

Countdown (Extreme Measures #4) by Lynette Eason

ISBN: 9780800737368
Revell Books | $17.99 paperback

My thoughts:  I always look forward to reading new books by Lynette Eason. In the Extreme Measures series, we met a contingent of characters whose lives are interwoven in their daily activities as well as in that of solving crime and saving lives. In Countdown the story of Raina gets told and it wraps up the series.

Raina has had a complicated and tainted life. She currently is living a fast paced life working as an Advanced EMS team member. Her sordid past involves a horrific life experience with a "love" who beat her senseless and left her to die. The result was that she had to develop new identities in an effort to escape the clutches of this past partner who sought to kill her.

Blind Trust (The SNAP Agency #3) by Natalie Walters from Revell Publishing

ISBN: 9780800739805
$16.99 Paperback

My thoughts: The trio series about "The SNAP Agency" (think CIA and other alphabet governmental agencies) concludes with Blind Trust in  a convoluted, multi-storyline that features the dynamic duo Lyla and Garcia. This duo was one team of several in The SNAP  Agency and their relationship - working and personal - was most elusive.

The story opens with a threatening letter to Lyla from a man she helped put in prison (a crime-stoppers ongoing fear), and then that threat opens the door to cavernous situations and challenges both personal and professional for Lyla, Garcia, and other SNAP Agency team members.

Under Fire (Defend and Protect series) by Lynn H. Blackburn

ISBN: 9780800737979
Paperback $16.99

My thoughts:  From the very opening pages of this Secret Service themed book, the characters hit the ground running and the run is exciting and dangerous.

Set in my own home state's capital, Raleigh, North Carolina, I can sense the reality of each scene, character's development, life styles, and basic living. A bit of modern southern charm seeps in but the female lead is no weak southern belle. She is a strong individual both mentally, physically, and spiritually despite a flawed background and past.

The Maid of Ballymacool by Jennifer Deibel

My thoughts: Set in pre-WWII Ireland on an old estate converted to a boarding school for girls, the story of a lovely young lady who serves as lowest of the lowest as a servant in the school. Laboring from predawn to late at night, young Brianna is the brunt of hateful overlording by other servants and especially the head mistress of Ballymacool.

It is bewildering to her that she is the recipient of such misuse, but she accepts it as her status and knows no other life. Having no parents or other family to whom she can appeal, she does as she is told.

One of the boarders is a mischievous girl from a local, influential family. They send her grown, male cousin to Ballymacool to stay for awhile to try and get to the root of the girl's troubles. While there, he meets young servant, Brianna, and is appalled at her treatment. To further compound the girl's distress, she is injured during a storm and must heal before reassuming her responsibilities.

The story goes forth from there and is a true rags to riches story. I enjoyed reading this book and found it interesting in its portrayal of the abuse of the servant class in Ireland in the 1930s. The romance is sweet. The mystery surrounding Brianna and Ballymacool interesting.

About the book: Brianna Kelly was abandoned at Ballymacool House and Boarding School as an infant. She has worked there since she was a wee girl and will likely die there. Despite a sense that she was made for something more, Brianna feels powerless to change her situation, so she consoles herself by exploring the Ballymacool grounds, looking for hidden treasures to add to the secret trove beneath the floorboards of her room.

When Michael Wray, the son of local gentry, is sent to Ballymacool to deal with his unruly cousin, he finds himself drawn to Brianna, immediately and inescapably. There is something about her that feels so . . . familiar. When Brianna finds a piece of silver in the woods, she commits to learning its origins, with the help of Michael. What they discover may change everything.

Fan favorite Jennifer Deibel invites you back to the Emerald Isle in the 1930s for this fresh take on the Cinderella story, complete with a tantalizing mystery, a budding romance, and a chance at redemption.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.

The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz [Review & Giveaway]

ISBN 9780800740672
Revell Books

My thoughts: What a delight when I saw that Laura Frantz had a new book - The Rose and the Thistle - coming into print. I could hardly wait to get my hands on a copy. Her writing is luscious, skillfully weaving a thread of story with history embedded into the very core. I delighted in anticipation for this book because it is set in Scotland (mostly) and involves rivaling royalties during the Jacobite uprising in the early 1700s. It also is part of the author's family history drawn from her Scottish roots, family history, and castles.

As with probably many of the readers, I also have Scottish roots. I can't truly trace mine back as specifically as Ms. Frantz but it's there and my roots are Houston "clan." What a joy it would  be to be able to really make a connection. Back to the book.....

I love how even though the two main characters are from opposition sides of the Jacobites, there is also a connection the predates the current conflict. I love the scene where Blythe has escaped armies attacking her family home and fled using the perilous back roads amid a torrental rain and ensuing muddied roads to arrive  in the middle of the night, personally drenched and shivering cold. She is greeted roughly and rudely by the "laird" of the castle and escorted to an isolated tower room.

The story is long. The characters deftly woven and fleshed out. The political tumult (closely tied to the religious conflict between ruling Catholics and Protestants) frightful. The danger breathtakingly frightful.

I totally enjoyed the book and congratulate Laura Frantz on another treasure and glimpse into history. Well written. Clean. Delightful. 

About the book: In 1715, Lady Blythe Hedley's father is declared an enemy of the British crown because of his Jacobite sympathies, forcing her to flee her home in northern England. Secreted to the tower of Wedderburn Castle in Scotland, Blythe quietly awaits the crowning of a new king. But in a house with seven sons and numerous servants, her presence soon becomes known.

No sooner has Everard Hume lost his father, Lord Wedderburn, than Lady Hedley arrives with her maid in tow. He has his own problems--a volatile brother with dangerous political leanings, an estate to manage, and a very young brother in need of comfort and direction. It would be best for everyone if he could send this misfit heiress on her way as soon as possible.

In this whirlwind of intrigue, ambitions, and shifting alliances, Blythe yearns for someone she can trust. But the same forces that draw her and Everard together also threaten to tear them apart.

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DISCLOSURE: I was provided a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given. Winner's copy is provided and shipped directly to the winner by author, publicist, or publisher. Chat With Vera is not responsible for lost or misdirected prizes.