Trial & Tribulations

I received a copy of Trial & Tribulations by Rachel Dylan from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
High-powered attorney Olivia Murray faces the biggest test of her career when she is assigned to represent Astral Tech, a New Age tech company, in a lawsuit filed by its biggest competitor. While Olivia is accustomed to hard fights in the courtroom, she arrives in Windy Ridge and discovers there is much more to this case than the legal claims—forces of darkness are at work.

Windy Ridge quickly turns from quiet Chicago suburb to spiritual battleground, and Olivia must rely on her faith to defend against legal and spiritual attacks. Although they are enemies in the courtroom, Olivia finds a friend and unlikely ally in opposing counsel, Grant Baxter. Once a skeptic about faith, he ultimately comes to her aid when she needs it most.

The battle between evil forces heats up in and out of the courtroom, pushing Olivia to the breaking point. Will she be able to help good triumph over evil, or will the town of Windy Ridge be torn apart?

I really enjoyed this book but didn't like the ending.  I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series.  Olivia and Grant become fast friends even though they're each defending New Age tech companies in an active lawsuit.  Neither are prepared for the fight of their lives that the lawsuit is going to put them into.  Is their bond enough to keep them alive?

Santa Fe Sunrise

I received a copy of Santa Fe Sunrise by Tanya Stowe
from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Brett Fraser has quit his job, loaded his earthly possessions into his black sports car and headed out to find himself in the great Southwest. Somewhere on his successful climb up the corporate ladder, he lost sight of the man God intended him to be. But Brett intends to find himself again.
Rafaela De Silva has an art gallery to run, a sprawling piece of family property with back taxes due, and a younger sister to care for who suffers from anorexia. She doesn't have time for broken shoe laces, sprained ankles or tumbling into the arms of a handsome stranger, especially one whose past involves scandal.
Brett's determined to help the beautiful runner he rescues from a fall. After examining the smooth edges of her broken shoelace, he's convinced her accident wasn't accidental. But if he's going to help her, he'll have to convince her to trust him'a difficult task given his past.
Under the sun-kissed skies of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Brett must rediscover his purpose in life before he loses Rafaela forever. Who is trying to harm Rafaela? Will she live long enough for Brett to win her heart?

Great book that got me hooked at the very beginning.  Brett has load himself and is trying to find himself.  Rafaela is doing her best to keep her family afloat.  She owns and runs an art gallery, keeps her family property up and does her best to keep her sister well.  When she falls while running and finds herself in the arms of Brett she struggles to accept help.  Can she do it all without falling for Brett?

Deadlock

I received a copy of Deadlock by DiAnn Mills from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Two murders have rocked the city of Houston. Are they the work of a serial killer, or is a copycat trying to get away with murder?

That is the question facing Special Agent Bethany Sanchez, who is eager for her new assignment in violent crimes but anxious about meeting her new partner. Special Agent Thatcher Graves once arrested her brother, and he has a reputation for being a maverick. Plus, their investigative styles couldn’t be more opposite: he operates on instinct, while she goes by the book.

When hot leads soon fizzle out, their differences threaten to leave them deadlocked. But an attempt on their lives turns up the heat and brings them closer together, and a third victim might yield the clue that will help them zero in on a killer. This could be the case of their careers . . . if they can survive long enough to solve it.

Another great book by DiAnn Mills.  She does a great job of making her characters relatable and so real.  I had a very hard time putting down the book.  This was another case where I didn't see most of the twists coming and couldn't guess who Scorpion was until the very last. 

Strong and Kind

I received a copy of Strong and Kind by Korie Robertson from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It has never been more important to teach your children well.
Many parents want to see positive character traits in their children but wonder how to instill them. As stars of the hit reality show "Duck Dynasty", Korie and Willie Robertson receive loads of letters and messages from fans asking how did they raise such good kids. As Korie will tell you, it wasn't easy, but it is possible.
A straightforward approach to parenting, Strong and Kind helps parents identify the character traits they want to see in their children along with the tools for putting them in place. For instance, strong means “resilient” and “sturdy.” In the same way that muscles can be resilient and sturdy, our inner confidence can and should be too. Kindness to others always requires good manners, sharing, patience, forgiveness, and joyfulness, which are also character traits we want our children to possess. Then there's treating others with respect and love, which is the second greatest command.

"Strong and Kind also covers the ways parents can implement these positive traits. Korie identifies nine specific character traits that parents will want to focus in on with their kids. Besides strong and kind they include: self-control, honesty, loyalty, humility, compassion, patience, and being joyful. And by modeling the best behavior, parents will increase the chances of their kids catching on. Ultimately, the stars of "Duck Dynasty" recommend you do what they do at the end of every episode: hand your children over to God's loving arms in prayer every day.

This was a different book that I expected.  Korie went into great detail of how parents can train their children to become the adults that God intended them to be.  She admits many time how our culture is heading in the wrong direction when it comes to raising children.  I totally agree that raising a child is hard but very rewarding work.  Many people want to take the easy way out and pay for it in the end.

The Dog That Saved Steward Coolidge

I received a copy of The Dog That Saved Steward Coolidge by Jim Kraus from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A light-hearted love story about a young couple brought together by a four-legged bandit.
When a stray dog helps himself to a bone from a display in the supermarket, he doesn't know his actions will brand him a criminal and spark a romance between two humans. Stewart Coolidge works as a bag boy at the store, and his outraged boss offers a reward and demands Stewart catch the thieving animal. He fails at that, but now he finally has the perfect excuse to talk to his cute neighbor, Lisa.

Lisa has always dreamed of being a journalist and asks Stewart if she can interview him for the local paper. As she gets to know Stewart, she likes him more and more, and she's delighted to learn he shares her Christian faith. Stewart can't bring himself to tell her she's mistaken, that he's not religious at all. And that's not Stewart's only deception. When the dog shows up on the doorstep of their building, Stewart decides to harbor the furry fugitive. But this is no ordinary dog, he has a divine sense of how things should be--and recognizing how much Stewart needs Lisa, he decides to do all he can to bring them together.

This was a slow book.  If it wasn't for Hubert the dog I'm not sure I would have made it through to the end.  Stewart is an average Joe who is working as a bag boy at the local grocery store.  Hubert is a stray who steals raw hide bones from the store and becomes the talk of the town.  Lisa lives in the same building as Stewart and Hubert brings them together.  Can they see that the three make a team that can't be broken?

Love in the Details

I received a copy of Love in the Details by Becky Wade from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
When Josh returns to his hometown of Martinsburg, Texas, to help his best friend get married, he didn’t intend to run into church wedding coordinator—and ex-girlfriend—Holly. He can’t help but pine after the girl he never got over.

Holly broke up with Josh years ago in an attempt to ensure his future success. But she loved him then and still loves him now. As she helps him plan his best friend’s wedding, she can’t help but feel horrible for the pain she caused him. And even though she longs to be with Josh, she doesn’t feel worthy of his big-time lifestyle when she is more comfortable in her small town world. Will Josh and Holly be able to keep things as they are when their true feelings threaten to surface at every turn?

Another great book b Becky Wade.  Can seeing each other after so long be a good thing?  Holly and Josh were high school sweet hearts that still love each other after all this time.  Josh comes back to town for his best friends wedding.   Holly is the church wedding coordinator for the wedding of the century.  Can they work together without letting their feelings show?