romance

Have your read TRAPPED by Irene Hannon?

/ Dora Hiers / 2 Comments
Purchase Link –
DeeperShopping.com

About the book~
When librarian Laura Griffith’s sixteen-year-old sister disappears on a frigid February day, leaving only a brief note behind, Laura resolves to do whatever it takes to track down the runaway teen. That includes recruiting ATF agent turned PI James “Dev” Devlin to help. But the deeper he digs, the more he begins to suspect that something sinister is at work in the girl’s disappearance. And the closer he gets to uncovering the truth, the clearer it becomes that the situation isn’t just dangerous-it’s deadly. 

Sharing my thoughts~Besides strong main characters, this book also has multidimensional secondary characters, and I especially enjoyed the camaraderie between the three PI’s and Nikki, the office manager. I also feel like I got to know Darcy as well as Dev and Laura. After Darcy’s free-spirited mother died, and then her elderly father, Darcy moved in with Laura, who didn’t know anything about raising a teen. Stifled by Laura’s old-fashioned rules and feeling responsible for her father’s death, Darcy runs away, headed towards Chicago, but a storm grounds her in St. Louis. Little clips showing Darcy’s transformation from obnoxious to grateful as the story unfolded helped me better understood her motivation. 

“Even if Laura’s intentions were good, rules were for kids. If she had stayed, they’d keep clashing, just as she and her dad had. And look how that had ended.”


At one point in the book (not giving away any spoilers here!), I felt Laura acted irrationally for the danger she was in, but since she was worried about her sister, I decided to cut her some slack. If I’d been faced with a similar predicament, I probably would have rushed into the same situation. How many times have I made spur-of-the-moment decisions and then regretted them later? 

What a fast-paced, chilling thriller made even more frightening because it’s something that happens in real life! We inherently trust people because they look “safe” or because of their occupation. Scary! I picked up Trapped one evening while my husband was gone, and at times, my palms were sweating and my heart pounded with fear, but did that stop me from reading? Noooo. I just had to keep reading because with every page I flipped, the situation was too intense to put the book down. While the plot moved along at extreme speed, I felt the romance was a bit on the lean side, only really heating up at the end of the book, but I guess that’s to be expected with the amount of action in this one. The faith thread was a gentle strand, weaved subtly through the book. 

Trapped is the second book in the Private Justice series, but can be read as a stand alone. I just don’t recommend reading it alone. I’m still turning on lights and checking doors. 🙂

Disclosure: Sending a big thanks to NetGalley and Revell for providing me with an advance review copy. The opinions expressed in this review are my own, and I received no monetary compensation.

I’m Super Excited to Announce that …

/ Dora Hiers / 4 Comments

Pelican Book Group has contracted my Harmon Heritage Series, where three grieving siblings struggle to find healing and peace.

Rori’s Healing ~ Book 1

Still stinging from the publicity surrounding her father’s death, social phobic Rori Harmon prefers the solitude of her animal sanctuary, accepting that marriage isn’t in her future. Racecar Driver Graham Decker refuses to be wrangled into a relationship by another money-hungry female. On a philanthropy mission, he arrives just in time to assist Rori with a llama birthing, but his appearance thrusts her into the media spotlight again. Has Graham found a woman who doesn’t care how deep his wallet extends? Has Rori finally met a man who will stick around when times get tough? Is healing for a hurting heart finally within Rori’s reach?

Burn survivor Savvy McCord doesn’t blame her best friend for running away. She can’t even look at her scars without wincing. When Beck’s disappearing act spans years, she relinquishes dreams of love and marriage. Unable to face Savvy’s expectations of happily-ever-after, Beck Harmon deserts her, far away from the rumors that he’s just like his father. When the wanderer returns, dreams of forever blossom in Savvy’s heart, but she worries he’ll leave again. Can Beck convince Savvy that her true beauty comes from her inner strength and faith? Will his idea to help burn victims regain their self-confidence restore Savvy’s trust in him? Will love be what the wanderer needs to find peace for his hurting soul?

Deputy City Manager Burk Harmon has always been the strong one for his family, but recently those responsibilities have dwindled. When Lacie Heatherton, Assistant Director for Parks and Recreation, ropes him into a city-sponsored trip to the mountains with fifty seniors, Burk has two things on his mind: considering a possible promotion and wooing Lacie past friendship and into a future. Lacie has emotional scars and a thirteen-year-old daughter to remind her that men can be cruel and unforgiving. Can Burk convince Lacie to relax her “no dating” policy or will he surrender his dreams of family and love?

If you click the links on the titles, you can peek into the stories by heading to my Pinterest boards. 🙂

I’ll be sure to keep you posted with release dates and cover reveals.

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LOTS to LOVE about AMBERLY by Mary Elizabeth Hall

/ Dora Hiers / 6 Comments
Purchase Link-
Deeper Shopping

Amberly, The Crestmere Series, Book 1
In a world that might have been… 
Snatched by coldblooded enemies as a declaration of war, Eleanor Williamston finds herself caught in a deadly snare-miles from home and lost in the wilderness. Her heart is drawn to the handsome palace guardsman who rescues her, but is torn when he challenges her political ideals-and then reveals something he’s kept hidden that will make her choice even more difficult. Marsten longs for a God-fearing wife, but cannot marry the lady he desires. The sassy young schoolteacher he rescues catches his eye, but he fears she’ll turn out to be like the beautiful women who’ve broken his trust in the past. Journey with them through the spectacular but treacherous Aspian Mountains while they evade enemy pursuit and wrestle through the challenges of wilderness and budding love, only to run headlong into Ellie’s anti-royalist family-and a whole new onslaught of foes. 

Sharing my thoughts~

“I’m beginning to wonder if you were truly abducted,” he chided again, “or just given away.”

Fast-paced, flirty dialogue and wonderfully vivid descriptions will whirl you away into the world of Bretalia.

“Behind them, pale violet mountains marched toward the distant horizon, and crows cawed while they circled. Mist rose in swirling ribbons from the water. Wildflowers swayed in a gentle breeze which stirred along the rocky bank, sending forth a fresh, earthy scent.”

When Marsten rescues Eleanor Williamston from an evil Norlander’s clutches, Eleanor can’t help but fall in love with the handsome royal guardsman. But as the daughter of Amberly’s mayor, an anti-royalist and Freedom Falcon leader, she’d grown up believing Bretalia would be better off without the Crown’s rule. Marsten strives to convince her that God ordained monarchy for her beloved country. She debates revealing her identity, and Marsten is keeping a few secrets of his own.

“Honor God through adversity–He’ll bless you for it…Life is but a breath–preparation for the next.”


Simple spiritual sentiments weaved throughout the story, not overbearing or preachy, but with gentleness and love, even as Marsten and Eleanor debate politics.

Although I felt the declaration of love occurred a bit too soon, that didn’t mean the conflict ended or that the romance resolved. No, the author just ramped up the conflict, all the way to the last page!


Fast and furious, with a compelling plot to keep your turning pages, Amberly is a great read for anytime of the day or year!

Disclosure: I purchased this book. All opinions in this review are my own, and I received no compensation.

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