Dragonfly Ashes by C.C. Warrens Review

 

Oh my goodness, she's done it again! Dragonfly Ashes is another awesome Christian suspense by C.C. Warrens. I absolutely loved it.

Noelle is an author who is struggling with coming up with an idea for her next book. She is living in the house she purchased at the beginning of the first book, Firefly Diaries, but she now has an adopted daughter, Skyler, living with her who she is determined to keep safe. Thankfully she doesn't have to protect her daughter all by herself. There is also Walt, the old guy who lives on the property and Noelle's boyfriend Derek, who also happens to be a police captain.

But when a stalker (or is it more than one stalker) appears, and barns are set ablaze, and murders occur, will Noelle be able to keep her daughter and herself safe, even with the help of Derek and Walt? Will they be able to discover who the murderer/arsonist is before more people die? Are the stalker and the arsonist connected? And how exactly does it all connect to the Dragonfly killer from decades ago?

The author gripped me with the first line and I remained rivetted to the story. 

I've been in love with the author's Holly series since I read the first book. And now I'm loving reading her Cherry Creek Mysteries. I loved Firefly Diaries, but this one was even better. It has the author's wonderful storytelling, including edge of your seat suspense and witty humor. I found myself literally laughing out loud multiple times, and constantly highlighting quotes, and sharing them with my family.

The mystery in this was intriguing and the suspense was intense. I DID NOT see the ending coming at all. Quite the twist. And faith is integral in the characters' lives.

I loved revisiting the characters from book one abd getting to see relationships evolve.

Definitely a book I highly recommend, but make sure to read book one first. 

I received an e-copy of this book as a member of the launch team and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.

Friday Fun - November 1, 2024

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays, the Friday 56, and First Line Friday.

This week I have two books to share with you.

I started an ARC of Dragonfly Ashes by C.C. Warrens, the second book in her Cherry Creek Mysteries series. This book will release on November 2nd.

I'm also reading Sookie's Silence by Marisa Masterson for a reading challenge.

        Book Beginnings on Friday     

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

and

First Line Friday

(Please join C arrie for First Line Friday.)

Here are my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selections:

  Dragonfly Ashes by C.C. Warrens:

"A shrill sound pierced the night, sweeping through the house like the unearthly wail of a banshee."

Living next to the firehall in our town, my first thought was wondering if it was the fire siren. But then I wondered if it was someone screaming, as the author had used the word "wail." I needed to keep reading to find out what was going on. C.C. Warrens definitely grabbed my attention from the first line.

Sookie's Silence by Marisa Masterson:

"The baby sobbed in her bed." 

I needed to know what was wrong with the baby. 

Now for:

The Friday 56

The Friday 56 is normally hosted over at Freda's Voice. But Anne from My Head is Full of Books is taking over for a while. 

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here are my Friday 56 selections:

Dragonfly Ashes by C.C. Warrens:

 

"'That is not how the Emory family fixes houses, young lady. We do not cut corners with super glue, hot glue, or that abominable substance known as duct tape.'"

Sookie's Silence by Marisa Masterson:

"Sookie tapped his arm lightly and pointed to her sister. When he looked to Wren and then back at her sister, the older one ducked her head and made a muffled sound near Letty's ear. As far as he could hear, the odd rasping had no actual words to it. Still, the little girl reponded well, relaxing into the crook of his fiancee's arm."

Reviews:

Last week I shared two books in my Friday Fun post. Here are the links to the reviews:

Christmas in the Cascades by Marissa Adams, April Kidwell, Marline Williams, Chris Daniel, and Cali Black

Never Forgotten by Hannah Linder 

Never Forgotten by Hannah Linder Review

 

Never Forgotten by Hannah Linder is another wonderful Christian historical romance set during the Regency era. This book was full of suspense and danger and mystery, with plenty of suspects and suspicious characters to keep the reader guessing exactly what was going on and who was guilty of what.

We first meet Simon Fancourt as a young man who is desperate to get away from his strict, seemingly meaningless life in London, England. He makes his way to America, breaking his engagement to Georgina Whitmore against his father’s demands. The next we see him he comes upon his wife being brutally murdered, finding himself suddenly a widower with two children and desperate for vengeance and truth to be revealed, so he heads back to England where he soon discovers that even though he thought he evaded his father’s demands he was sadly mistaken.

Georgina, who has felt abandoned, now finds herself face to face with the man who left her. But after all this time, she has to figure out if she wants him or not.

Decisions need to be made, but can their relationship ever move beyond that of acquaintances? And at the same time, Simon is desperate to solve the mystery of his wife’s murder, bringing danger upon himself and those he cares about. The author has woven a tangled web that the reader is going to need to have unraveled. And there are twists and turns that I did not see coming that left me in suspense.

There were times I cringed due to the violence, some from the bad guys, but also from Simon who is so bent on revenge that he jumps to conclusions and lashes out. I kept thinking, “um, perhaps he needs to remember that the Lord said vengeance belongs to Him.” I admit I was a bit disappointed at the extent of violence he would bestow as someone who was supposed to be a Christian, and the “good guy.”

Quite the emotional book, and one that will keep the reader flipping or swiping pages to see what is going to happen. Definitely a book I highly recommend. And my favorite by this author so far.

I received an e-copy of this book through NetGalley and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.

Friday Fun - October 25, 2024

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays, the Friday 56, and First Line Friday.

This week I have two books to share with you.

I'm reading Christmas in the Cascades, A Romance Novella Collection by five authors. This book releases today.

I'll be starting an ARC of Never Forgotten by Hannah Linder. This book releases on November 1.

        Book Beginnings on Friday     

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

and

First Line Friday

(Please join C arrie for First Line Friday.)

Here are my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selections:

  Christmas in the Cascades by Marissa Adams, April Kidwell, Marline Williams, Chris Daniel, and Cali Black:

"Swirling snowflakes tumbled, mounding in front of Papa's foundry across the street."

I was curious why she was focused on her father's foundry.

Never Forgotten by Hannah Linder:

"He must get out of here." 

I needed to know where this person was and why he was so anxious to leave...

Now for:

The Friday 56

The Friday 56 is normally hosted over at Freda's Voice. But Anne from My Head is Full of Books is taking over for a while. 

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here are my Friday 56 selections:

Christmas in the Cascades by Marissa Adams, April Kidwell, Marline Williams, Chris Daniel, and Cali Black:

 

"Consternation burned its way across my face, but my fingers grew cold. I pressed them against the back of my neck in vain, trying to cool myself. A headache began forming.

'Miss Craven? Are you all right?'

'Don't you know who I am?' I snapped"

Never Forgotten by Hannah Linder:

"Smoke.
Simon caught the taste in his mouth as he jogged up the stairwell of Gray's Inn. On the second floor, he hesitated. Maids scurried about the hazy corridor, some coughing into their hands, others toting brass buckets."

Reviews:

Last week I shared two books in my Friday Fun post. Here is the link to one of them (as I already shared the link to the other review last week). 

Return to the Wilderness by Andrea Byrd

Plus, I got my reviews posted for the books I shared two weeks ago:

The Trials of the Title by Joy Crain

Unexpected Witness by Penny Zeller

Unexpected Witness by Penny Zeller Review

 

I really enjoyed Unexpected Witness, the first romantic suspense by Penny Zeller. I started reading her historical romance stories and one of her contemporary romcoms a year or so ago, and I really enjoy them. But romantic suspense is my favorite genre, so I was so excited when I learned about this book. 

In this story, the first in a series I recently learned (more excitement woohoo), Mila witnesses a murder as she is leaving work. She ends up being hidden on a ranch that Sheriff Brodie's family owns, though his brother, Roarke, isn't too pleased as he is concerned for the safety of their family. 

We see the story from both Mila's and Roarke's point of view.

I could definitely understand Roarke's concern, as could Mila, who didn't want to put the family in danger. I admit, that decision, along with others in the story, made me scratch my head a bit. But I loved getting to know Roarke and Brodie's family, and loved the relationship that developed between them and Mila. 

The story begins with suspense and it continues throughout the story, though their are periods of calmness, though the reader, along with Mila, will wonder when danger will appear next. I will say, there wasn't anything that was too extreme or intense, but it definitely had action. There wasn't much of a mysery to solve, as the police were working behind the scenes to solve the murder and string of crimes related to the case. As a reader we only saw the bad guys when Mila was in danger. Though if you have read lots of suspense like I have, you could probably deduce some of the people involved. 

And of course, the book is romantic suspense, so you know the main characters are somehow going to fall for each other. I did enjoy seeing their relationship evolve as they learned to trust each other and overcome obstacles from their past.

This was a story where the main characters were Christian and they believed and trusted in the Lord, it was part of who they were. There is a scene where they go to church and the message hits close to home for the characters.

I recommend this book and can't wait for the next book in the series. 

I  received an e-copy of this book as a member of the launch team and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.

The Trials of the Title by Joy Crain Review

 

I loved this second book in the Royals of Andelar series by Joy Crain. The Trials of the Title focuses on the brother of Aiden, who was the crown Prince we read about in book one. Alexander was introduced in book one, but this is his story, after Aiden decides not to abdicate the throne, which sort of leaves Alexander feeling like a spare.

It is also the story of Princess Sara from the neighboring, Asian island country of Harmon. The story opens by informing the reader that her father, the king is dead. We discover quite quickly that he was nowhere near the kind of king Andelar has, and Sara is next in line to become queen, as long as she marries a royal. Unfortunately, it is an arranged marriage looming in her future.

Both royals need time and space, and head to America. It's not really a surprise that they will eventually meet up, but the reader has to wonder if and when and how they will tell the truth about themselves. And of course what obstacles they will have come between them and their happily ever after.
I have to say, I loved the way the author had both of them be royals. So many times royal romances have one of the couple being the Royal, and the other being a commoner and then they fall in love. This story had plenty of other obstacles thrown at the couple. So, even though some things were a bit predictable, there were plenty of surprises along the way.

I loved that we got to see Aiden and Missy and get caught up with their story. And there were other characters we had met before, plus new ones that I grew to love.

And faith played an important part in the story, which I always appreciate.\

Great story, and one I highly recommend. Just make sure you've read book one.

Friday Fun - October 18, 2024

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays, the Friday 56, and First Line Friday.

This week I have two books to share with you.

I read Terminal Danger by Jerusha Agen as a member of the launch team. This book releases on October 24th. . 

I'll be starting an ARC of Return to the Wilderness by Andrea Byrd. This book releases on October 22.

        Book Beginnings on Friday     

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

and

First Line Friday

(Please join C arrie for First Line Friday.)

Here are my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selections:

  Terminal Danger by Jerusha Agen:

"The child would die."

Well, that doesn't sound good at all. No matter what the reason. Though the second sentence adds to the suspense, "Every second wasted spelled her doom."

Unexpected Witness by Penny Zeller:

"Muireall's hands flew to her mouth, stifling the scream that came as a scraggly man leapt from within  the branches of a red maple as her sister passed." 

I needed to know if this "scraggly" man had evil intentions or if someone just startled them..

Now for:

The Friday 56

The Friday 56 is normally hosted over at Freda's Voice. But Anne from My Head is Full of Books is taking over for a while. 

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here are my Friday 56 selections:

Terminal Danger (page 56) by Jerusha Agen:
 

"'Tell me that isn't what I think it is.' Special Agent in Charge Rhonda Carney aimed her dark gaze at the stapled paper Callum held in his hands as he sank into the chair facing the SAC's desk. She sat on the other side, steepling her fingers as she lifted her attention to his face."

Terminal Danger (56%) by Jerusha Agen:

"Without being asked, the undaunted K-9 had immediately followed the children's unseen trail as it wound along the edge of the drop-off and then curved around to the western side. There, the ground sloped down steeply but gradually enough for the hostages to have scrambled down."

Return to the Wilderness by Andrea Byrd:

"She tried to shake the gloom as John led them over the next rise and down another, but no matter how the countryside around them greened with the coming spring, discomfort and fear still swirled inside."

Reviews:

Last week I shared two books in my Friday Fun post. I'm still finishing those books up, as I decided to read Terminal Danger first. However, here's a link for the review of one of the books I shared a few weeks ago::

A Boy Named Rindy by Olivia Talbott

I also already shared the review for the first book in today's Friday Fun Post:

Terminal Danger by Jerusha Agen