My Review - The Legacy

3.5 out of 5 stars

THE LEGACY is the final installment in The Restoration series from Dan Walsh & Gary Smalley.

THE LEGACY centers on Doug Anderson, the youngest son in the Anderson Family. Doug’s life as a college student has him making choices that he knows his parents won’t appreciate. As he tries to balance two different lifestyles, his parents catch on to the fact that Doug is drifting away from not only his Christian faith but his family as well. The harder his parents try to get a read on Doug, the more Doug pushes them away. When things finally come to a head, Doug pretty much closes the door on his parents and Christina, one of his best friends. Doug soon learns going it alone isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. But it takes a tragedy for him to be willing to turn his life around.

I enjoyed THE LEGACY, even though I thought the pacing at times was slow. I feel a little more depth in Doug’s character would’ve made him more likable. His nonchalant attitude towards his relationship with Courtney bothered me a bit, and made Doug seem cold and unfeeling. I liked Christina’s character so I want to go back and read, THE DESIRE, to see if I can learn more about her background.

Overall, enjoyable. Just not riveting.

Book provided for review purposes.

Available April 2015 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

My Review - Buried Secrets

5 out of 5 stars

BURIED SECRETS by Irene Hannon is the first installment in the Men of Valor series. Ms. Hannon took a different approach in this romance/suspense storyline; one that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Lisa Grant is the chief of police for the small town of Carson, though that is not where she honed her detective skills.  Originating from Chicago, Lisa is a keen detective who refuses to let a twenty-four year old mystery go unsolved. With the help of county detective, Mac McGregor−a former Navy SEAL, Lisa might be able to firm up two mysteries: the death of a college student, and what’s missing in her personal life. Immediately attracted to McGregor, Lisa knows the dangers of mixing business with her personal life. Solving this crime’s importance is two-fold. Bring closure to the family involved, and see if a relationship with a certain detective is in her future.

Mac MacGregor might have started on awkward footing with Chief of Police, Grant, but that is quickly overlooked by the seasoned professional. And working on an a cold case−that has just caught fire−with the beautiful Lisa Grant has just up the ante in solving what appears to be more than just a missing persons. MacGregor left the SEALS because he realized what was missing from his life−someone to share it with. Convinced that someone is Lisa Grant gives Mac the added incentive to solve the case.

Two things that were different about BURIED SECRETS. One−we know from the beginning who the culprit is. Two−our hero and heroine don’t beat around the bush where their interest in each other is concerned. While some have said knowing who the perpetrator was took away from the suspense, I enjoyed seeing the case and evidence come together while watching the offender squirm and eventually tip their hand. I also appreciated the way our two main characters came right out and admitted their attraction for each other. So many times, in romance books, the cat and mouse game is played right until the very end. This frustrates me to no end. Instead of internalizing all the dialogue and masking their feelings, there was dialogue between the characters that−to me−legitimized their relationship.

A great start to a new series. Looking forward to book two in the series, coming out in Spring 2016.

Book provided for review purposes.

Available April 2015 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.