BEA'S BOOK NOOK "I can't imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once." C. S. Lewis “If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.” ― Oscar Wilde

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Bea Reviews 2 Romantic Suspense Books: Murder Under the Mistletoe by Terri Reed & Deadly Christmas Secrets by Shirlee McCoy

Publisher: Love Inspired
Series: Northern Border Patrol #3
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: November 3, 2015
Challenges: NetGalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | ARe* | iTunes* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

AGENT UNDERCOVER

DEA agent Tyler Griffin must stop a drug cartel that's using an Idaho Christmas tree farm to smuggle narcotics across the Canadian border. But to do his job, Tyler needs the cooperation of farm owner and widowed mother Heather Larson-Randall—whose informant brother died on Tyler's watch. Tyler knows a crucial piece of evidence is hidden somewhere on the property. But getting the protective mother to trust him is the hardest part of his mission. As threats against Heather mount, he vows to keep her and her child safe…and clear the farm of danger before Christmas.

Northern Border Patrol: Keeping the US-Canadian border safe.

Bea's Thoughts:

I somehow failed to realize, when I requested this book, and the one below, that they were Christian themed. However, it wasn't a large part of this story though their faith was important to both Tyler and Heather.

I've heard good buzz about this author but this was my first story by her. I enjoyed the story but wasn't wildly impressed. Much of the story was predictable, there were few surprises, and Tyler the DEA agent was not particularly competent. At one point he gets attacked and taken out by a civilian with a frying pan, after first failing to verify the premises were empty, several people including one of the bad guys figure out that he's a DEA agent although he's allegedly undercover, and the bad guy practically waves a neon sign at one point identifying themselves and it goes right over his head, he's not the least bit suspicious of that person. I think he needs a new job.

Now the romance, while sweet, was fast paced, and I didn't buy it. Had it progressed more slowly, I could have bought into it. But the pace was too fast, especially given how Reed established the characters. Despite that, I was rooting for them as I liked both Heather and Tyler. It was a sweet story and their faith and doubts were nicely handled.

Publisher: Love Inspired
Series: Mission: Rescue #4
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date:  December 1, 2015

Challenges: NetGalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | ARe* | iTunes | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

THE CHRISTMAS TARGET

When new evidence surfaces that Harper Shelby's niece is possibly alive, Harper doesn't expect it to endanger her life. For her protection, she has to put her much-guarded trust in Logan Fitzgerald, the man who unknowingly led a killer to her doorstep. Hired to track Harper down, security and rescue expert Logan doesn't like that he's been used to find a woman who someone apparently wants dead. Now he won't leave Harper's side until he can guarantee her safety and untangle the truth from the lies regarding her sister's and niece's murders. The closer they get to finding answers, the more intent the killer becomes on making sure that there won't be a family reunion—or happily-ever-after—for Harper this Christmas.

Mission: Rescue—No job is too dangerous for these fearless heroes

Bea's Thoughts:

This one gets off to an explosive start, calms down for a while, then picks up again. The premise is intriguing and the characters interesting. There were a few characters that I was sure I knew where McCoy was going with them and then she surprised me. :) One in particular seemed cliched at first but then McCoy spun him around. I did have a little trouble buying his redemption at the end but it was nice to see. 

The villain was obvious to me as soon as they walked on the page but it took Logan and the police longer to figure it out. And, ya know, they needed evidence. :P Still, the mystery kept me engaged and it took me a while to figure out the hows and some of the whys. I loved the security company and its people; I'll be looking for more in this series.

The romance was sweet, fast paced but believable. It was subtle, not a large part of the story line, but it fit. I didn't even realize until after I finished that it wasn't a larger part of the story. 

"Deadly Christmas Secrets" had danger, intrigue, animals, spirituality, and romance all neatly tied. It was a pleasant way to spend several hours.

2 comments:

  1. I don't think I've read any of the Christian themed but these sound good. I don't mind if it's just that faith is important to the characters and it sounds like it works in this case. These look like fun reads!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, faith is important but it's just one aspect of the characters and the stories, not the focus.

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