Inspirational Fiction Archives

Book Review: Rescue Me

April 26, 2017April 24, 2017hollycombs

I’m a fan of contemporary Christian author Susan May Warren and her suspense fiction. Her latest series, Montana Rescue, is set in my beautiful state of Montana (I say “my” state because I love it so…and I did live there for four years in college) and my most favorite of all national parks, Glacier.

Book one, Wild Montana Skies, was definitely worth picking up for a bit of fun and suspense, so I eagerly awaited book two in the series, Rescue Me, which released this past January.

When Deputy Sam Brooks commits to something, nothing can sway him–not just on the job but in his private life. He’s the one who stuck around to take care of his mother after his father’s accidental death. And he’s the one–perhaps the only one–who believes Sierra Rose is the perfect girl for him. Safe, practical, and organized, she’s nothing like her hippie, impulsive, bleeding-heart sister, Willow.

Willow, however, has been in love with Sam Brooks for as long as she can remember. But she wants her sister to have a happy ending. Besides, Willow has other things to focus on–namely, nabbing the job of her dreams. Best thing for her to do is to purge Sam from her heart.

Neither can predict the events that will bring them together in a fight for their lives in the forbidding wilderness of Glacier National Park. Stranded, injured, and with the winter weather closing in, Sam and Willow will have to work together to save a crew of terrified teenagers. As they fight to survive, they might just discover a new hope for love.

As always, Warren is an accomplished writer with a knack for creating suspense and likable characters. And while her Montana Rescue Series isn’t my favorite series of hers, I am enjoying the novels. Read more →

Book Deal: Dani Pettrey

April 12, 2017hollycombs

Right now Submerged, the first book in Dani Pettrey’s Alaskan Courage series (you can read my review here!), is available to download for your Kindle or Kindle app for free on Amazon right now!

Book Deal: Ronie Kendig

March 15, 2017hollycombs

Hey all, just a quick update to mention that The Warrior’s Seal, the prequel to Ronie Kendig’s Conspiracy of Silence (which I reviewed last month), is available to download for free on Noisetrade right now!

Book Review: Pursued

March 3, 2017February 24, 2017hollycombs

Nikki Boyd is back in action in the third installment of The Nikki Boyd Files, Pursued by Lisa Harris.

Nikki Boyd’s flight into Nashville was routine–up until the crash landing at the airport. When the dust settles, Nikki discovers that the woman who had been seated next to her on the plane is missing–and no one will admit she was ever there. Erika Hamilton had been flying to Nashville with an air marshal as a key witness in an upcoming grand jury trial. When she flees from the crash, is she running from trouble or straight into it? Before Nikki can even see her family, she and her team are pulled into a missing persons case where the motives are as unclear as the suspects.

I will readily admit that I sometimes struggle with willing suspension of disbelief, but I do try. Pursued stretched my capability though. One of the major incidents within this novel could be fodder for an entire book, one after another is just too unrealistic. Plane crash? Held hostage? Targeted by a sniper? All in a few days work in Nikki’s life apparently. Read more →

Book Review: Conspiracy of Silence

February 26, 2017February 24, 2017hollycombs

Conspiracy of Silence by Ronie Kendig piqued my interest with it’s promise of a suspenseful adventure and an intriguing take on modern events.

This Is the Way the World Ends.

Four years after a tragic mission decimated his team, Cole “Tox” Russell has been disavowed by the United States. And that’s fine–he just wants to be left alone. But when a dormant, centuries-old disease is unleashed, Tox is lured back into action.

The biggest struggle with this novel is that, although it is the first in a series, the reader comes into it almost expected to be familiar with past happenings in these characters’ lives. I learned later that Kendig released a prequel that it appears covers some of these events, which I think would have made following the story line of Conspiracy of Silence much easier. Read more →

Book Review: The Kill Fee

February 23, 2017February 23, 2017hollycombs

I enjoyed reading The Jazz Files by Fiona Veitch Smith last January, in part because it was the first novel I cracked open after my daughter’s birth (the name Fiona was coincidence) and in part because the foray into 1920s London was a lot of fun. So I snatched up the opportunity to read Smith’s second installment of the Poppy Denby Investigates series, The Kill Fee.

Poppy’s career is moving along with a permanent “beat” covering arts and entertainment at The Daily Globe. But in true Poppy Denby form, she stumbles into a mystery involving Russian aristocracy, priceless treasures, assassins and more. Will she be able to identify the murderer and find the missing Faberge Egg before anyone else gets hurt?

Poppy remains a likeable, root-for-able heroine. She continues to learn along the road of her adventures. And she may be stumbling through the mysteries that arise, but she has the curiosity of a cat and the loyalty of a best friend. Read more →

Book Review: Maybe It’s You

January 3, 2017December 30, 2016hollycombs

With a threatening past, a young girl in trouble, and a romance on the horizon, Maybe It’s You has all the makings of a good romantic suspense novel.

ER nurse Sloane Ferrell escaped her risky past — new name, zip code, job, and a fresh start. She’s finally safe, if she avoids a paper trail and doesn’t let people get too close. Like the hospital’s too-smooth marketing man with his relentless campaign to plaster one “lucky” employee’s face on freeway billboards. Micah Prescott’s goal is to improve the Hope hospital image, but his role as a volunteer crisis responder is closer to his heart. The selfless work helps fill a void in his life left by family tragedy. So does a tentative new relationship with the compassionate, beautiful, and elusive Sloane Ferrell. Then a string of brutal crimes makes headlines, summons responders . . . and exposes disturbing details of Sloane’s past. Can hope spring from crisis?

Candace Calvert’s latest novel tends to be rather middling, neither compelling nor boring, interesting but a little bit forgetable. I appreciated the inclusion of a “regular” job — Micah’s position working in marketing for the hospital (I myself work in media for a nonprofit). This novel had something of a slow start, but progressively improved as the story deepened. Read more →

Book Review: Dressed for Death

December 30, 2016February 16, 2017hollycombs

Having read Rules of Murder a few years ago, when I had the opportunity to check out the latest in the Drew Farthering Mystery series by Juliana Deering, Dressed for Death, I snatched it up.

Amateur detective Drew Farthering and his young wife are invited to a special Regency-era house party being hosted by old friends. While a bit unusual (no vehicles allowed, only authentic Regency era resources), the fun is unabashed. Until someone dies. Was it a drug overdoes? An accident? Intentional? Was it murder? Drew sets about to help his friend (and satisfy his insatiable curiosity) by solving the puzzle. But what he finds leads to more bodies and more questions…

I think perhaps jumping straight from book 1 to book 4 has caused me some issues. I felt as though I was expected to know some of these characters (even secondary characters), their relationships and quirks before I opened the pages of this book. Truly, I think there is a way for authors to neither bore their followers nor leave new readers in the dark, so I was somewhat disappointed that I felt like the new person in the Farthering world, unaware of who the players were.

Otherwise, though, Dressed for Death, was a fun affair — if murder can be considered fun! The Regency era party sounds delightful. Who wouldn’t want to dress up and pretend to live in another era for a weekend of fun and frivolity? But the illusion comes to a crashing halt when Drew’s best friend’s fiancee is found dead. Read more →

Book Review: All is Bright

November 1, 2016February 23, 2017hollycombs

I am absolutely loving this Advent coloring book. Might this be the one that finally pushes me to complete an entire Advent season of devotions??

All is Bright, by Nancy Guthrie and Lizzie Preston, is a beautiful adult coloring book and devotional for the Christmas season.

Grab your colored pencils, cozy up with your favorite blanket and a cup of tea, and settle in for a night of peace and wonder with All Is Bright.

I have already admitted my love of coloring, and when I saw this special holiday coloring book focused entirely on “a devotional journey to color your way to Christmas”, I thought this would be right up my alley. Sure enough, it’s a lovely collection of reminders of anticipation of our Lord’s birth (and, in fact, all the way to December 31). Most of the coloring pages are absolutely lovely, a few leave something to be desired. But I think that’s typical, as not every drawing is going to speak to every person.

The author of the devotionals, Nancy Guthrie, is familiar to me through the GriefShare program that she and her husband developed and host and through a women’s conference where I heard her speak. I know her teachings are Biblical and on point. Read more →

Book Review: Zacchaeus and Jesus

October 10, 2016February 23, 2017hollycombs

I love children’s books, and now that I have a child of my own, I have an even better excuse to pick them up at every chance! I sometimes shy away from “Bible” story books, only because I have several storybook Bibles for my daughter and I was raised with plenty of Sunday school experiences to show me how cheesy these books can be.

But when I received Zacchaeus and Jesus by Dandi Daley Mackall and illustrated by Lisa Manuzak, I had a feeling it would be different. The story is the age-old, familiar tale of Zacchaeus climbing the sycamore tree to see Jesus. But, it’s told with a bit of a twist to capture my little one’s attention.

Read from the front to back, it is the tale told from Zacchaeus’ perspective, but from back to front it is told from Jesus’ perspective. I love this device to teach my child not only a Biblical story, but also to help her understand perspective, point of view, and perhaps how we see ourselves vs. how Jesus sees us. To help her learn more than just a story.

This book has large, colorful pictures and just enough text to tell the story without taking too long to flip the pages (very important for an impatient little one!). I would recommend this book to Christian moms and dads thanks to its new and innovative storytelling technique!

Want to win your own copy of Zacchaeus and Jesus? Enter here! (Open to U.S. mailing addresses only, entrants age 13+.)

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I received a complimentary copy of Zacchaeus and Jesus from Tyndale House Publishers, but I was not otherwise compensated for this review. All writing, thoughts, and opinions are solely mine.

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