Welcome to my Fan Girling with Narelle podcast and YouTube show.
In this episode, I’m talking about why I recommend ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS CAROL by MELODY CARLSON to Christian fiction readers who like contemporary Christmas novellas.
Here are the links to my book recommendations for the books by Melody Carlson that I mentioned in the episode.
A rescue team searches for a missing young girl and suspects all is not as it seems in this high-stakes romantic suspense novel from the author ofLethal StandoffandFacing the Enemy.
When wilderness survival expert Therese Palmer receives a frantic phone call from former colleague Professor Rurik Ivanov, she is shocked by the news that his young daughter, Alina, is missing—and that Rurik wants Therese’s help finding her. She’s sure Rurik hasn’t given her the whole story . . . especially since he refuses to report the kidnapping to the police. Yet with a child’s life hanging in the balance, Therese can’t turn down this mission. She knows the clock is ticking and she can’t do this alone.
Therese reaches out to Texas Ranger Blane Gardner, whom she met seven months ago during one of her training courses in wilderness survival skills. Blane’s specialized training and background with the Crisis Negotiation Unit make him uniquely prepared for this search-and-rescue mission. He agrees to help Therese and to accept Rurik’s terms to keep Alina’s disappearance quiet, and as the two begin working together, Therese is determined the spark growing between them won’t distract from their mission to save Alina.
Traversing deep into the desert of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Alina’s last known location, Therese and Blane struggle to separate truth from lies within the mix of intel they’re receiving. As they close in on answers that suggest the involvement of Russian organized crime and a high-profile international assassination attempt, they must fight to rescue Alina before she becomes an innocent casualty of a much bigger plot—no matter the risk to their own lives.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Canyon of Deceit, a heart pounding romantic suspense novel set in Texas. Therese is a wilderness survival specialist who’s contacted by a university professor colleague who needs help finding his kidnapped daughter. He’s Russian and he tells Therese that his wife was murdered, a ransom was demanded, and the tracking device on his daughter has pinged her location near a remote West Texas canyon wilderness area.
Blane, a Texas Ranger and negotiator who briefly dated Therese, agrees to assist Therese in rescuing the girl. They embark on a wild and dangerous mission, fighting an unknown enemy to stay alive and find the young girl. Therese and Blane are both dealing with past emotional baggage and they have trust issues that are complicated by the horrendous circumstances and situations that arise during the story.
I loved journeying with Therese and Blane and seeing them overcome enormous obstacles to stay alive and complete their mission. Their second chances romance is sweet and I appreciated how their faith journeys played out on the page.
I recommend Canyon of Deceit to romantic suspense readers who like second chance romances with danger, high octane suspense, Texas Rangers, a kidnapped child, unknown enemies, and strong faith elements in the story.
Many thanks to Tyndale for the advanced reader copy.
Happy Friday! I’m sharing a selection of books that are on preorder in a weekly post.
Please check the price before preordering. Amazon will always give you the lowest preorder price and bill your payment method on release day.
Click on the book cover to preorder the ebook at Amazon USA. Direct Sales Links (if listed under the book category) will take you to the author or publisher’s website or a universal link to multiple book retailers.
Thanks for stopping by. Please leave a comment if there’s a book in my post that’s on your TBR (to be read) list. Or, if you’ve already had the pleasure of reading an advanced reader copy. I’m always looking for book recommendations.
3.99
August 31
Historical Romance
Christian
3.99
September 3
Historical Fiction
Christian
2.99
September 4
Contemporary Romance
Christian
9.99
August 26
Regency Romance
Christian
Shannon’s Book Bargains Roundup – Visit my friend Shannon Taylor Vannatter’s blog, check out her SATURDAY weekly book bargains posts, and discover book giveaways, sales, and more.
Disclaimer: Book information is provided by third parties. Book prices are subject to change. The inclusion of a book in this post is not necessarily an endorsement.
Authors and Publishers: If you’d like to submit a book for consideration for a future post, please fill out the Google form here.
Can a tropical escape from holiday blues turn her Christmas into a snowy wonderland filled with joy and cheer?
Carol Langstrom hates Christmas. Growing up in a dysfunctional home, with a birthday on December 25 and too many dashed childhood expectations, the holiday season is something she would rather avoid. And working in the design industry where she manages seasonal decor for wealthy, entitled clients certainly hasn’t helped!
So, this year her goal is to flee to the Bahamas–by herself–bah humbug! But bad weather and God’s radically different plan redirect her flight to blustery Michigan, where she gets stuck on her aunt’s farm and discovers a different kind of Christmas–one wrapped in love, family, and holiday spirit.
Melody Carlson’s Christmas novella delivers all the charm of a holiday Hallmark movie, is rooted in Christian faith, woven with sweet romance, and features A Christmas Carol themes.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Once Upon a Christmas Carol, a delightful Christmas novella set in Michigan. Carol plans a two week Christmas vacation on her own in the Bahamas where she’ll celebrate her fortieth birthday on Christmas Day. She hates Christmas and wants to avoid seeing her dysfunctional family.
Carol’s vacation plans are derailed when her flight from Seattle to Miami is diverted to Grand Rapids, Michigan, due to poor weather conditions. She’s stuck in Michigan and remembers that her narcissistic mother is estranged from her older sister who Carol has never met, and who might still live in Michigan.
Carol’s desire to connect with her aunt, purely for practical reasons because the airport is closed and overnight accommodation is impossible to find, is a catalyst for Carol to start unpacking her emotional baggage from her dysfunctional family relationships.
I loved the white Christmas setting and the small town community who celebrate the festive season. The story includes cute misunderstandings, quirky characters, mean girls causing trouble, and a sweet romance bubbling along in the background.
I recommend Once Upon a Christmas Carol to contemporary fiction readers who like charming Christmas novellas with the stranded trope that include Scrooge and Cinderella story elements, family drama, low angst friends-to-more romance, and faith threads with forgiveness themes.
Many thanks to Revell and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.
Happy Friday! I’m sharing a selection of books that are on preorder in a weekly post.
Please check the price before preordering. Amazon will always give you the lowest preorder price and bill your payment method on release day.
Click on the book cover to preorder the ebook at Amazon USA. Direct Sales Links (if listed under the book category) will take you to the author or publisher’s website or a universal link to multiple book retailers.
Thanks for stopping by. Please leave a comment if there’s a book in my post that’s on your TBR (to be read) list. Or, if you’ve already had the pleasure of reading an advanced reader copy. I’m always looking for book recommendations.
Disclaimer: Book information is provided by third parties. Book prices are subject to change. The inclusion of a book in this post is not necessarily an endorsement.
Authors and Publishers: If you’d like to submit a book for consideration for a future post, please fill out the Google form here.
When forty-one successful manhunts make you a legend, there’s only one way left to go—down.
J.J. Westin, the infamous Rustler Hunter, goes undercover at Arizona Territory’s largest cattle ranch to expose the rustlers bleeding it dry. The thieves aren’t just stealing cattle. They’re trusted cowboys operating from inside the bunkhouse.
What he doesn’t expect is Hayley Harper, the tough-as-nails cook with secrets of her own. She’s a Pinkerton agent working the same case and the daughter of notorious outlaw Galen Harper.
When their covers are blown, they uncover something far deadlier than rustling. A corruption network spanning three territories. With enemies closing in and bullets flying, the legendary manhunter and the outlaw’s daughter must survive the badlands of 1898 Arizona, where trust is deadly and justice comes at gunpoint.
In the shadow of Canyon Diablo, where the historic Aztec Land & Cattle Company’s Hashknife outfit controlled over a million acres of the Arizona Territory’s most lawless land.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading The Rustler Hunter, the first book in R.J. Sloane’s Harper’s Justice historical western series set in Arizona in 1898. J.J. Westin is a famous rustler hunter and the story opens with J.J. fearlessly hunting an outlaw on a passenger train.
J.J. takes a job working undercover on an Arizona ranch where law enforcement suspect a gang of outlaws are rustling cattle. Hayley is a Pinkerton agent who’s also working undercover at the ranch as a cook and cleaner. She’s there with her brother, who’s a federal marshal, and they’re trying to infiltrate the criminal network. Hayley’s father was a notorious outlaw and she’s close to her siblings despite their difficult upbringing. Many of her siblings work in law enforcement and they’re all committed to seeking justice and apprehending outlaws.
J.J. and Hayley are drawn to each other, but they try to ignore their feelings. They both have trust issues for different reasons and their romance simmers in the background as they focus on their dangerous undercover work. They need to solve the mystery of who’s involved in the cattle rustling operation and dismantle it. The action packed twists and turns in the story kept me turning the page to find out what happens next.
I recommend The Rustler Hunter to historical fiction readers who like classic westerns with action, adventure, danger, suspense, and romance that include a cattle rustling mystery and relevant faith elements in the story.
Many thanks to the author for the advanced reader copy.
Happy Friday! I’m sharing a selection of books that are on preorder in a weekly post.
Please check the price before preordering. Amazon will always give you the lowest preorder price and bill your payment method on release day.
Click on the book cover to preorder the ebook at Amazon USA. Direct Sales Links (if listed under the book category) will take you to the author or publisher’s website or a universal link to multiple book retailers.
Thanks for stopping by. Please leave a comment if there’s a book in my post that’s on your TBR (to be read) list. Or, if you’ve already had the pleasure of reading an advanced reader copy. I’m always looking for book recommendations.
Disclaimer: Book information is provided by third parties. Book prices are subject to change. The inclusion of a book in this post is not necessarily an endorsement.
Authors and Publishers: If you’d like to submit a book for consideration for a future post, please fill out the Google form here.
