The Legacy
by Dan Walsh & Gary Smalley
Rating: 3/5
Book 4 of the Restoration Series
Revell – Contemporary Fiction

Doug Anderson has been living a double life. While at home, he portrays a good son who goes to church and doesn’t drink or do drugs. While at college, Doug has a gorgeous girlfriend that sleeps over and friends that party hard. Doug’s father feels he is to blame for the rift between father and son. Doug feels like he can never live up to his parents’ expectations and all their religious rules. Christina, a family friend, can’t ignore what she’s been seeing on social media about Doug and who he’s hanging out with. When Doug’s double life is discovered, everything starts to spiral out of control. Can Doug find his way back as the Prodigal Son did? Can his father make the right decisions regarding Doug’s life choices? Can Christina find a way to bring him back to his faith?

While I’ve never read anything by Dan Walsh, I have read some books by Gary Smalley and love his writing and insight. I was disappointed by this story though but that could be because this is the fourth book in a series that I’m unfamiliar with. They jump into the story and characters with very little introduction. I had a hard time connecting with Christina and Doug as characters. Doug’s father’s choices also grated on me as I yelled at him through the pages. Obviously, I have a different perspective of how the tense situations should have been handled, but he made me so frustrated. I finally did enjoy the last third of the story enough to grant it 3 stars but unfortunately, the story really felt like it was missing something and didn’t really hook me in the beginning. The book gets 3 stars because despite its faults, it is still a story that needs to be told and I loved the ending.

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Creole Princess
by Beth White
Rating: 4/5
Book 2 of the Gulf Coast Chronicles
Revell – Fiction | Historical Romance

In 1776, the British controlled Mobile, Alabama, where a young (mostly) French girl, Lyse Lanier, grew up as the best friend to the daughter of a British commander at Fort Charlotte. Smart, well read, and opinionated, Don Rafael is quickly impressed after meeting Lyse. Don Rafael is a rich Spanish merchant from New Orleans, who travels along the Gulf Coast. As the colonies begin their journey to independence, Lyse must decide whose side she wants to be on. Tensions are escalating as war seems imminent. What side will Spain take in the war? Can Lyse trust this new man in her life?

Beth White does it again! I absolutely could NOT put the book down once I started reading. The rich details of the time are woven throughout the story in a way that transports the reader to a little known piece of American history. The author is a master at bringing these fictional characters to life. The story was so interesting and intriguing that I had to keep reading late into the night and morning. I had to know what happened between Rafa and Lyse. Their characters were so complex and endearing. I loved learning about Mobile and its role in the American Revolutionary War. I have a special place in my heart for history and was so impressed with all of the research that the author had to do to get all the details just right in her writing.

As much as I enjoyed Book 1, The Pelican Bride, I think I enjoyed The Creole Princess even more. I look forward to reading more from Beth White and hope she never stops researching and writing.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction with some romance and intrigue.

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for a review.

Buried Secrets
by Irene Hannon
Rating: 4/5
Book 1 of the Men of Valor Series
Revell – Fiction | Romantic Suspense

As a small town police chief, Lisa Grant expected life to be pretty easy and tame compared to her years as a homicide detective with the Chicago PD, but when a construction crew discovers unidentifiable buried remains on the outskirts of town, she calls in some help from county. When they send Detective Mac McGregor, an ex-Navy SEAL, she gets more than she bargained for. As the two of them work together to find out who the victim was and what happened, this cold case quickly becomes more than just another case to be solved. As the attraction and admiration between Lisa and Mac grows, they both are determined to stay professional until they close the case. As they dig deeper into the case, someone with a lot to lose seems determined to keep this case buried.

I am such a huge fan of Irene Hannon; she is such a great storyteller when it comes to romantic suspense. Her characters were well rounded out and felt like people I would want to get to know and have as my friends. The beginning of the story wasn’t as attention grabbing as some of her other books but after the first third of the book, the plot got more exciting. I always love the way she weaves faith into her stories and the way she introduces characters that will be in the next books in the series. She is an expert at foreshadowing and introducing new characters.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys clean, fictional, romantic suspense.

I received this book for free from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for a review.