Happy Friday, friends! It’s time for another First Line Friday linkup, hosted by Hoarding Books. Today I’m featuring Lisa Harris’ new release, The Traitor’s Pawn.

“Watch your back… this isn’t over.”

The Traitor’s Pawn by Lisa Harris

The Basics

Title: The Traitor’s Pawn

Author: Lisa Harris

Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

From the Back Cover: When FBI agent Jack Shannon arrives in Corpus Christi, Texas, he is focused on one thing: find the man who has been selling encrypted government secrets to the Chinese through online birding chat rooms. But when a senator is shot during a hunting trip and the woman he was with is abducted, Jack agrees to join the search–especially when he discovers that the kidnapping victim is Aubrey Grayson, a woman he was once in love with.

As the search continues, it becomes clear the senator may not have been the intended victim–and Aubrey may be connected to the other case Jack is supposed to be working on. Can Jack untangle the knots before it’s too late? And when he learns the truth, will it be too painful to get past?

Join the hunt for the truth–and a traitor–in this tension-laden story of secrets, betrayal, and second chances.

My Thoughts

This book started off with high intensity and lots of action, with a plot twist right at the beginning that drew me into the story! It’s part suspense and part spy thriller, with the added intrigue of Aubrey’s personal connection to a member of the spy ring she and Jack are hunting. The high-stakes action moments are nicely woven in with quieter, more reflective moments where Aubrey and Jack reconnect. The way their relationship develops feels authentic, as they work through the issues that drove them apart years earlier and she struggles to forgive her father. The story is full of twists and turns that kept me guessing right until the end! I really enjoyed this book, and I’m eagerly awaiting Lisa Harris’ next release!

Now it’s your turn! Please share the first line of the book you’re reading in the comments below, and don’t forget to head to Hoarding Books to see what first lines other bloggers are sharing, or to share your own!

If you’re shopping for books this weekend, check out Baker Book House! They’re offering some great sales, and free shipping!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Happy Friday, friends! We’ve made it through another week! I hope you’re staying safe and healthy, and finding time to relax with a good book. If you’re looking for a hopeful, encouraging story, Robin Jones Gunn’s upcoming release would be a great choice! Today I’m linking up with First Line Friday, hosted by Hoarding Books, and featuring Being Known.

“Whenever I close my eyes and think of my mother, I see her red toenails. Her perfectly manicured toes flaunting her signature nail-polish color, Oh My, Cherry Pie.”

Being Known by Robin Jones Gunn

The Basics

Title: Being Known

Author: Robin Jones Gunn

Series: Haven Makers (Book 2)

Publication Date: April 28, 2020

Genre: Christian Women’s Fiction

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

From the Back Cover: After her mom passed away, Jennalyn was in the midst of moving, having a baby, and helping her husband work toward his dream job. At the time, she thought she processed the shock and loss, but only now that Jennalyn has two small children, a lovely new home, a lucrative side hustle with her art, and a husband who is always working does she feel the full impact of the loss.

Enter an old boyfriend who knew Jennalyn well and who shares many fond memories of her mom. Jennalyn begins to doubt her marriage and all her other life choices ever since her mom passed away. It takes the power of truth, close friends who know her well, and a series of choices at the heart level before Jennalyn can surface from the confusion and see with clarity where her life is headed.

My Thoughts

 I am so glad Robin Jones Gunn is still writing stories featuring her beloved character, Christy Miller Spencer! This is the second book in the Haven Makers series that follows a group of five friends, including Christy and her friend Sierra from another one of Robin’s series, who call themselves the Daughters of Eve and support each other through all the changes and challenges their lives bring. This story is focused on Jennalyn, the one who brought the group together. It’s definitely a character-driven rather than plot-driven story, with characters who feel so real and relatable I can imagine I might run into them at the park if I went to their California town!

I love the premise of the series, about the women who fill in the gaps for each other when they don’t have mothers or sisters to turn to. Reading this beautifully written, heartfelt story made me feel welcomed into their group wish they were real! The author deals gracefully with some tough topics that so many women face in friendships and marriages, and shows us how good friends are instrumental in helping you through the tough times – if you have the courage to be honest and vulnerable and share your heart with them.

Note: although there’s nothing graphic, there is some content that’s more mature in this book; I would recommend it for older teens and up.

Now it’s your turn! Please share the first line of the book you’re reading in the comments below, and don’t forget to head to Hoarding Books to see what first lines other bloggers are sharing, or to share your own!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Happy Friday, friends! We’ve made it through another week! I don’t know about you, but I’m glad we have this fun tradition of First Line Friday linkups, to help keep a sense of routine and normalcy in these crazy times. Thanks to Hoarding Books for hosting!

Today I’m featuring Linsday Harrel’s upcoming release, The Joy of Falling. I’m cheating a little and sharing the first two lines 😉

“Once upon a time, color had dominated Eva Jamison’s days. Now she stared at a white wall, with nothing but a black computer screen, a pen holder, and a stapler decorating her tiny world.”

The Joy of Falling by Lindsay Harrel

The Basics

Title: The Joy of Falling

Author: Lindsay Harrel

Publication Date: April 14, 2020

Genre: Christian Contemporary Fiction

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

From the Back Cover: It has been fifteen months since Eva and Angela lost their thrill-seeking husbands in a scuba diving accident. Both women are trying to navigate their way through the grief, but neither one is making much progress. Angela is barely making ends meet, angry at her husband for leaving her to raise three children on her own. Meanwhile, Eva is stuck, unable to move forward after losing the love of her life and her source of inspiration.

But then Eva gets a life-changing phone call. Before Brent and Wes died, they had signed up for a race of a lifetime—an ultra-marathon in beautiful New Zealand. Eva begs Angela to run the race with her in their husbands’ place, and Angela finally agrees, hoping to finally understand her husband’s choices.

Training is exhausting, and the race is even more demanding. Their journey grows more complicated by the presence of two men—Marc is Brent’s best friend who is running the race with Eva and Angela, and Simon King is a writer who is covering their inspiring story. With every step, Eva and Angela must ask themselves questions that they haven’t had the courage to ask before. As the women literally put one foot in front of the other, they wonder: Is it possible to find their way forward in hope?

My Thoughts

Lindsay Harrell has written another heartwarming story filled with faith, purpose, and personal transformation. There were so many layers to the story – from the different family dynamics, a restored relationship between grieving sisters-in-law, finding purpose after tragedy, and a second chance at love when the person you thought you’d love forever is taken from you.

The juxtaposition of Eva and Angela’s ways of dealing with their grief – Eva’s idolization and romanticization of her late husband, and Angela’s anger at hers – helped to provide rich characterization and a realistic picture of the different forms grief can take. Their journeys of spiritual, emotional, and relational transformation were beautifully reflected in the physical transformation they underwent training for the ultra marathon. I think this is Lindsay Harrell’s best book yet!

If you haven’t ordered this book yet, Baker Book House would be a great place to get it! They’re offering some great sales and free shipping, so it’s a perfect opportunity to stock up on books for the next few weeks 🙂

Now it’s your turn! Please share the first line of the book you’re reading in the comments below, and don’t forget to head to Hoarding Books to see what first lines other bloggers are sharing, or to share your own!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.