Friday Fun - April 10, 2026

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 three books to share with you.

I read an eARC of Crossbones by C.C. Warrens. This book releases on May 15th.

Then I read Dark Design by Nancy Mehl, the second book in the Erin Delaney Mysteries series.

I am currently reading The Rancher's Stolen Past by Tabitha Bouldin.

        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 Carrie for First Line Friday.)

Here are my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selections:

 Crossbones by C.C. Warrens:

"A fist cut through the air toward my head, and a startled squeak escaped my throat as I flinched reflexively."

Oh dear. What was going on?

Dark Design by Nancy Mehl:

"I was only nine years old when I knew I was destined to be a serial killer."

Well that's disturbing.

The Rancher's Stolen Past by Tabitha Bouldin:

"Molly Peterson had enjoyed a few good ideas - and more than her share of bad ones - in her life."

I wondered what kind of idea was going to be shared. Good or bad? And why?

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:

Crossbones  by C.C. Warrens:

"The beat-up envelope arrived three days ago, post-marked from Maine. There was no return address, but I knew who sent it. 

The fragrance infused in the paper was so deeply intertwined with some of my worst memories that it made me queasy. I had only ever smelled that signature blend of tobacco in one place - the Wells' house, where Collin's father smoked his pipe and listened to music to drown out the horrors happened mere feet away."

Dark Design by Nancy Mehl:

"Erin sighed. 'That's exactly what Kaely said. I find that not only frightening, but it makes me wonder if I should be writing about things like this.'

Nick smiled at her. 'Look, like I said, authors aren't responsible for the actions of psychopaths, Erin. We can't make it illegal to write books or produce movies that deal with certain subjects because some crazy person might use it as a way to express the evil inside them.'"

The Rancher's Stolen Past by Tabitha Bouldin:

"Six years had dulled the pain of his passing but not eliminated the truth that her future no longer resembled the one she'd planned so carefully. He'd never heard Luke's laugh or seen the dimples in his cheeks. He'd never changed a dirty diaper or stayed up all night watching him sleep.

And she had missed him, every moment of every day. Even now, the pinch of his absence threatened to steal the sunshine from the sky and cast her into perpetual gloom."

Reviews:

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

Imperfect Justice by C.C. Warrens

Cross the Line by C.C. Warrens

Crossroads by C.C. Warrens

And here is my review for Crossbones by C.C. Warrens

Crossbones by C.C. Warrens Review

 

Crossbones is another awesome Holly novel by C.C. Warrens. This series is just amazing. I love these characters, they're so real to me. Even though Holly is becoming more sure of herself, we still get plenty of Marx and Holly time. And I love the relationship development between Holly and Jordan. Though the Jordan/Marx animosity is maybe getting a bit old. And I love the continued best friend rivalry between Jordan and Jace.

Jace plays quite the important role in this book as she is the one who hires Jordan and Holly to investigate what happened to her brother four years earlier, an attack we learn a bit about here and there in the series, but takes center stage in this book. Make sure you've read all the books in the recommended reading order. Don't miss the short story, Winter Memorial as there is some important information shared that comes up in this new book. 

This investigation starts out with a tragic situation and the danger just ramps up from there. It's obvious that someone (or maybe more than one someone) doesn't want the truth coming to light. At the same time Holly is approached about finding a missing homeless person. Which leads to more danger. And Holly's ex-foster father is still trying to get a hold of her, increasing the tension. So yeah, there's danger coming from multiple sides but Holly stays true to form. Rushing to help others without thinking about the consequences, showing Christ's love and sharing His truths. 

There were also some intriguing twists, one of which I had an inkling of before it was revealed. Death and dead bodies play a part in this story, as does mention of abuse and physical violence. Not as intense as in Crossed Off, but still a part of the story. 

I admit, I was hoping to see Cassie a bit more. But I realize she has to make her own life and doesn't really play a part in this story. 

I loved this book and zinged through it just like the others. 

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 - April 3, 2026

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 three books to share with you.

I continued my reread of the Holly series by C.C. Warrens in anticipation of reading her newest book that releases this May, Crossbones. I zinged through book two of the Seeking Justice series, Imperfect Justice.

I also zinged through the next book of the Holly series, Cross the Line.

And I finished book five, Crossroads, this morning. If you couldn't tell, I love this series and it is almost impossible to put down.

        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 Carrie for First Line Friday.)

Here are my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selections:

 Imperfect Justice by C.C. Warrens:

"The bloody footprints materialized on the sidewalk as the rising sun crept slowly over the city - small, feminine, and uncoordinated."

I remember being confused about this scene the first time I read it. Reading it this second time, I knew who the bloody footprints belonged to.

Cross the Line by C.C. Warrens:

"Flush against the wall, I peered around the corner and up the staircase at the hallway."

When I first read this book I wasn't sure what Holly was up to. And this time around? I couldn't remember. But I think it came to me faster than the first time I read it.

Crossroads by C.C. Warrens:

"Despite the warm May temperature, memories shivered through my bones - bones that had been bruised and broken under the roof of the two-story structure in front of me."

I knew where she was and it was heartbreaking to think about. 

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:

Imperfect Justice  by C.C. Warrens:

"Holly shifted closer, her complexion growing paler with concern. 'Are you okay? There's a lot of blood.'

'I'm all right.'

The paramedic sat back on his heels, clearly annoyed. 'You're not all right. You have a concussion, and I think you need stitches.'

Rick stood. 'Sounds like we're goin' to the hospital.'

The paramedic grunted. 'Good luck with that. She's refusing to get in the ambulance.'

Holly fished the keys out of Rick's jacket pocket. 'I could drive her.'

Shannon grimaced. If Holly drove her to the hospital, they would probably arrive with more injuries than they left with."

Cross the Line by C.C. Warrens:

"He paused to observe one of the girls flirting with a driver, then flicked away the smoldering nub of his cigarette, grinding it into the sidewalk with a boot. He glanced toward the shop, noticing me, and I stiffened. 

Even without Tandi's warnings, one look at this man would've told me I didn't want to be alone with him long enough to ask a question.

'Don't tell me this isn't your problem. If something happens to her on this street, it is all of our problem, Clayton,' the woman said, her voice reminding me that I needed to find another exit.

Crossroads by C.C. Warrens:

"Marx leaned back against the counter, arms folded across his chest, and studied me as the coffee pot warmed. My sweaty appearance in his air-conditioned house no doubt betrayed my nightmares.

'What's on your mind, sweet pea?' he asked, skirting the question he really wanted an answer to: What happened to bring you to my door in the middle of the night?

He knew if he grilled me for an explanation every time fear or anxiety drove me to their house in the middle of the night, I would be less likely to come back."

Reviews:

Last week I shared two books and a short story in my Friday fun post. I'm still reading the one book, but here is the link to the other review:

Crossed Off by C.C. Warrens

Injustice for All by C.C. Warrens

Holly Jolly Christmas

Injustice for All by C.C. Warrens Review

 

Injustice for All is another awesome book by C.C. Warrens. Though it's a "Seeking Justice" novel, it's the continuation of Holly's story, taking off after Crossed Off finished, but in third person, mainly from Marx's point of view, but also from the POV of a new killer. It took me awhile to get used to reading it from third person POV because I was so used to reading the books from Holly's perspective. So, at first it didn't quite feel the same, but I guess that is why it is a separate, yet connected series. You really do have to read the Seeking Justice books between books three and four of the Holly series. Even though the description states that it can be read as a standalone, I would not recommend that. Because there is so much backstory and character development and connections that you will be missing. 

The serial killer storyline had quite a lot of suspense and kept me guessing. I loved all the twists and misdirection. The reveal of the killer definitely took me by surprise. 

While we don't see this story from Holly's POV, she is still very much a part of the story. I love seeing her relationship with Marx develop. He is a father figure to her. And of course, we get to see the other awesome characters who have become Holly's "family." Jace and Jordan and Sam. Which of course means we get all the awesome character interactions.

Yep, another wonderful book by C.C. Warrens.

Crossed Off by C.C. Warrens Review

 

Crossed Off by C.C. Warrens is another awesome Christian suspense book in the Holly series. Both times that I read it, I could NOT put this book down. Book two ends on a intense cliffhanger so the first time I read it, I had to know what happened. And once I got into the book, I just had to keep going. This time around, even though I knew what was going to happen, I was still utterly engrossed in the book, anticipating what was going to happen. 

In this book, we unfortunately know that Holly's sadistic abuser has caught up with her. And neither Holly nor the reader know exactly what he is going to do next. But Holly knows it's not just her that is in danger. It's never been just her. It's those she loves. Which means characters the reader has come to know and love are now in danger as well. 

As with the first two books, it was a roller coaster of emotion. Lots of suspense, still learning about Holly's past that she'd rather keep hidden, watching her trying to deal with it and then to have a huge setback. But there was still the humor added in. Which was definitely helpful. Warning though, it was very intense at times.

Imperfect Justice by C.C. Warrens Review

 

I just finished my reread of Imperfect Justice by C.C. Warrens and I have to say, I still agree with my original review. So here it is:

Oh my gosh, I lost sleep last night. Not just because I couldn't put the book down, but because of how twisted my nerves were wondering if Holly was finally going to see some justice. I wasn't sure where the author was going to go with it. So many twists. I was so frustrated with the way the trial was going, the lies Collin was spewing. I wanted to knock some sense into the judge. It reminded me of dealing with court, not for any criminal case, but for family court and my child custody hearing over 15 years ago where my ex, because he is so good at lying, twisted things to make himself look good. I realized that this morning. Looking at how the justice system doesn't always work. Not that I'm comparing my situation to the horror Holly lived through. But just realizing why it was getting to me so bad. And not knowing if Collin would finally get punished, seeing as Holly believed he wouldn't as he had gotten away with everything so far. Not knowing if we'd have another cliff hanger or not. And then to add more bad guys, one who was expected, the other a bit of a surprise, but adding even more suspense. And then that finally twist at the end. 

Just an awesome book.

Unexpected Target by Penny Zeller Review

Unexpected Target is another great Christian romantic suspense book from Penny Zeller.

Oaklee is one of quite a few people who has their house broken into, yet in all cases, nothing appears to be stolen. However, as Oaklee attempts to just live her life she is suddenly the target of different attacks that keep escalating. She has no clue why she has been targeted. 

Grayson is the third of three Brenneman brothers that are the male main characters in this series. He is in law enforcement and is handling Oaklee's case, though he also knows her because he takes the cycling class she leads at the gym. He is determined to find out who is targeting her and realizes he is falling for her along the way. 

Faith plays an important part in this story, as it does in all of the author's books. We also see the importance of redemption and forgiveness. 

I loved getting caught up with the previous characters in the series and I loved the furry characters. 

There was a good amount of suspense and danger, and I loved that Oaklee was not a helpless female. She tried very hard to take care of herself and get herself out of danger, though that didn't always work. There was a huge cast of possible suspects, the mystery was knowing exactly what they were up to, though things were slowly revealed as the book progressed. There were some things that were obvious, and others that had me wondering. I admit I wish the reason for her being targeted was a bit stronger. It seemed that she was being targeted before she really should have been. 

All in all, this was another awesome, faith-filled book by the author.

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.