BOOK REVIEW: Dangerous Christmas Memories

It's been some time since I've read one of these Love Inspired Suspense books. A few years ago I was very much into this series--and I usually stuck to reading only the Christmas ones. As a writer myself, I found the pacing and style a perfect crescendo of entertaining fiction. Much like the cozy mysteries I so often read, there was a good genre style and formula going on here. I've never been one for reading a straight romance, but add in some thrills and I'm willing to board the train.

Well, I stopped reading them for a while for one reason or another.

However, this year as I've been shifting gears in my own writing career, I've gotten excited about reading this and other Harlequin books again. I can immediately say that I have not been disappointed.

This is probably one of the best in the series I've read. The writing is taut and intense. Romantic bits and tension are sprinkled in between the thrills at just the right rate. I had been reading the book before bed, but soon quit doing that since the story got my heartrate up with how stressful some of the situations ended up being with a killer hunting the main character. Also, you never get to see who is hunting her until near the end. It reminds me of one of the old Halloween movies, especially the scenes in the hospital.

I only had two small troubles with the book.

The first one is the fact that there just wasn't enough Christmas in the book. I find this is often the case with holiday-themed mysteries and thrillers. Despite having Christmas in the title, you only sort of remember it is Christmastime when the character notes some Christmas lights on a house--which is the extent of the holiday spirit you get here. I would have liked more festive moments and scenes. As it is, it almost feels like Christmas was an afterthought to the story.

Second, the prayers from both the main characters seemed a bit off-putting for me. I may not be Christian myself, but I tend to enjoy Christian media because I know it will be wholesome (when I'm in the mood for that sort of thing). Unfortunately, the prayers seemed a little out of place. I thought the book had a nice wholesome Christian vibe without having to completely stop the action for a moment of prayer.

However, I KNOW Christian readers will enjoy this aspect. So, good on the author for having them there.

Overall, for those who love suspense and thrills without the blood and swearing, this is a great choice for you. However, if you're looking for a Christmassy book, maybe try one of the straight holiday romances instead.

NEW 4th of July Murder Mystery Only 99 Cents!

Happy 4th of July to all my American friends and readers! In honor of this holiday weekend, my new book is only 99 cents! Also, if you purchase the paperback version, the Kindle e-book will be free! Happy Independence Day! Here is the blurb:

It’s going to be an explosive 4th of July for Detective Holiday. Detective Harrison Holiday has experienced a lifetime’s worth of violence and crime in his time on the force, and he’s had enough. Despite only being thirty, Harrison is retiring from police work to pursue his lifelong dream--of running a hot dog food truck. To say goodbye to his cop buddies, he’s having one last hurrah by participating in a theatrical reenactment of The Battle of Lexington at the city’s annual 4th of July celebration along the Missouri waterfront. Unfortunately, for a man like Holiday, murder has a habit of tracking him down--and when a local celebrity gets blown to kingdom come during the festivities, Harrison quickly finds himself dragged down into the crime-ridden world of murder once again.

This Month in Murder (April 2019)

This Month in Murder is a new video podcast I decided to do about horror, thriller, and mystery fiction. It has three parts. The first is where I discuss the books I'm reading, the second is where I show the books I've purchased, and the final is where I talk about upcoming books being released that same month.

In this episode I talk about: 

• Mother's Day Mayhem: https://www.amazon.com/Mothers-Mayhem... 
• Death Waits in the Dark: https://www.amazon.com/Death-Waits-Wr... 
• A Witch to Remember: https://www.amazon.com/Witch-Remember... 
• Antiques Ravin': https://www.amazon.com/Antiques-Ravin... 
• Murder in the Reading Room: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Reading... 
• Death of a Wedding Cake Baker: https://www.amazon.com/Death-Wedding-... 
• Murder on Trinity Place: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Trinity... 
• Thread on Arrival: https://www.amazon.com/Thread-Arrival...