This year in the first part of the Summer Book Fair, I will be revisiting some of the new books on the shelves promotions for the last six months. It offers not just an opportunity to boost the book but also to share a follow up review. Later on in the series I will also be sharing my recommended books from the last 12 months and one of their more current reviews. Not all the books are newly published but they are new to the Smorgasbord Bookshelf.
The first book today, released in January is by Lisette Brodey – a contemporary novel All That Was Taken
About the book
All That Was Taken is a contemporary fiction novel that delves deeply into love, loss, and healing but comes with a suspenseful twist.
For eight years, John Hennessey has lived in near-solitude on Catalina Island. He keeps his world small, for every precious thing in his life has been taken from him. But when his peaceful existence is threatened, he buys a cottage farther up the California coast in the sleepy town of Teal Beach.
There he meets Sunny Harrison, owner of the Teal Beach Sundial Inn where he stays until his cottage is ready for move in. The connection between them is magical, though both are surviving painful pasts and are afraid to trust … especially as an undercurrent of darkness dwells in their midst.
In no time at all, their quiet lives explode. Sunny receives ominous phone calls while John grapples with his own unsettling communications. Their bond strengthens as dangerous enemies threaten.
New guests at the hotel appear to have ulterior motives, and with each passing day, more and more feels eerily out of place. As tensions escalate and the enemy comes into focus, John and Sunny know they face grave danger from people with no conscience. Yet, they have no idea what diabolical plans lie in wait for them.
One of the reviews for the book
All That Was Taken is a beautifully written story about love, sacrifice, betrayal, loss, and the possibility of new beginnings. John Hennessy has lost faith in the goodness of humanity. He knows what it means to have everything he held dear stripped away. Consequently, except for one longtime friend, John secludes himself from the world. It’s a safety mechanism to hold on to what little peace he has in his lonely life. When he feels the dark influences are getting too close, he moves to an isolated beach town, Teal Beach, and buys a cottage on the ocean. But he soon realizes his attempts to withdraw and remain anonymous are an illusion. He underestimates the lengths jealous people who are driven by rage will go to to destroy what little he has left.
John spends his first week in a small hotel while his cottage is being renovated. That’s where he meets the owner, Sunny Harrison, who has had a tragic life of her own. There is an instant connection and the two bond over music. They share similar tastes, and both use music to bring comfort to their lonely lives. I really enjoyed the subtle symbolism Ms. Brodey uses in her descriptions to set the mood and give us more understanding.
Teal Beach is a perfect place for John to land with quirky, lovable, and welcoming residents and close friends of Sunny. These characters are authentic and relatable. I enjoyed the humor, wit, and strong bond the core friend group formed. The heartache and losses both Sunny and John have suffered is slowly revealed and poignantly written. The way the music is intertwined with each meeting added an extra layer to the emotional depth of the characters. The relationship between the two is well timed and grew organically, making it more believable. When the past comes roaring back to haunt these two characters, the danger escalates. There are many twists and turns and surprises filled with suspense that will keep you one the edge of your seat and guessing to the end.
I really enjoyed this book by Lisette Brodey and highly recommend it.
Head over to buy the book at this Universal LInk All That Was Taken
A selection of other books by Lisette Brodey
Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – Follow Lisette: Goodreads – Website/blog: Lisette Brodey – Twitter: @LisetteBrodey – Facebook: Brodey Author – Instagram: ca_lisette
Another book released in January was by Daniel Kemp…a thriller What Comes Before (Heirs And Descendants Book 3)
About the book
Lord Harry Paterson, Sheriff of the County of Yorkshire, is coerced back to work for the British Security Services after witnessing the macabre death of a beautiful, young woman at a grouse shoot hosted by his friend and ex-fellow army officer, Viscount Winston Bottomly.
Unbeknownst to Harry, the woman – the Viscount’s fiancée – had stolen a top-secret file from the French consulate in London, containing information about an innovative encryption method called post quantum signal cryptography. With the power to endanger every communication method in use between allied nations, the document – in the wrong hands – could completely change the balance of power between East and West.
To avoid a technological threat to world safety, Harry is instructed to find the file and eliminate all those who have seen its contents. But does he still have what it takes to get the job done?
A review for the book
Exquisite writing with an eye for detail makes this a superb stand-alone story, that’s also part of a series. If you haven’t read the other two then I’m sure it won’t be long until you do.
Head over to buy the book: Amazon UK – And: Amazon US
A selection of books by Daniel Kemp
Read the reviews and buy the books also in audio:Amazon UK – And : Amazon US – follow Daniel:Goodreads – Website: Author Danny Kemp –Facebook: Books by Daniel – Twitter:@danielkemp6
The final book today released in February this year is by Gwen Plano, a thriller with science fiction and religious elements – Redemption: A Father’s Fatal Decision
About the book
Family secrets can be deadly. When Lisa visits her parents one fateful Saturday morning, she hugs her father and takes her suitcase to her childhood bedroom. The doorbell rings, and one minute later her father lies dead on the floor—three bullets to the chest. The death of Eric Holmes sends shockwaves throughout the quiet neighborhood. But for the Holmes family, it is devastating.
In this fast-paced psychological thriller, Lisa and her brother embark on a quest to solve the mystery of their father’s murder. The journey takes them into a secret world where nothing is as it seems. Once the puzzle pieces begin to coalesce, they realize that their father had multiple lives. As the facts unravel, the siblings discover the true meaning of Redemption.
One of the reviews for the book
Gwen Plano’s latest novel, Redemption: A Father’s Fatal Decision, provides readers with a compelling integration of thriller and family drama with a Christian worldview.
The book opens with an overwhelming sense of foreboding as Lisa reluctantly agrees to make a visit home after a long absence. It’s clear there is something very, very wrong going on with this family. And that’s before someone comes to the door and shoots both her parents, killing her father and wounding her mother.
In her shock and grief, Lisa has a decision to make. Does she focus on moving past her father’s death and support her mother and her brother Trace as they try to do the same, so they can become a strong family of three–or does she go on a mission to find out who murdered her father and why?
Trying to unravel what led to the murder of a parent would appear to be driven not only grief and a need for justice but also a certain amount of fear for oneself. When the world we knew is shaking and rolling beneath our feet, where do we stand? This is the position Lisa finds herself in, and she decides to undertake that mission for answers with the help of her brother Trace and his friend Ryan.
Plano weaves a complex web of a plot, featuring at various times a childhood hidey hole, a Cabbage Patch doll named Priscilla, bugged hotel rooms, GPS trackers, a mysterious priest, and a cache of documents suggesting nefarious dealings with persons unknown. Despite the complexity of the plot, the novel moves at a good clip, and the action scenes are not overdone, which I always appreciate. Because clues and subsequent discoveries are introduced at regular intervals, I was able to follow the plot easily, with no confusion as to what was happening and who the players were.
As Lisa and Trace investigate their father’s presumably illegal activities, they must also try to make sense of his father’s past behavior toward the family, which doesn’t appear to be connected to his murder. Memories, nightmares, and details of their past family life are also introduced at regular intervals as this second mystery unfolds.
I particularly enjoyed the bond between Lisa and Trace and between the siblings and their mother. Their father may have done a lot of damage to the family but he didn’t destroy the love they have for each other. Moreover, as the siblings unravel their father’s life, it becomes apparent just how much of herself their mother has sacrificed for them.
In addition to the familial bond, one of the greatest strengths of the novel is how much attention and care are given to the denouement. After the climactic scene where the bad guys are unmasked and defeated, the book takes the time needed to resolve all the plot points leading up to the father’s murder and not leave the reader with unanswered questions.
The denouement also gave me as a reader the opportunity to reflect on questions of redemption and forgiveness and how one misguided decision (the mother’s marrying the father) can lead to so much hurt and pain. (No one sets out to marry a monster.)
As the book drew to a close, I appreciated being asked to seriously consider what a Christian worldview means in the lives of a family that has been seriously wronged by another member of their family.
The ultimate message from the book is that we can–and should–do everything within our power to redeem ourselves when we have wronged others, but redemption doesn’t happen until those we’ve wronged have forgiven us. The way this message unfolded toward the end of the book was a welcome surprise.
Head over to read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK
Also by Gwen M. Plano
Read the reviews and buy the books: : Amazon UK –and : Amazon US – As Gwendolyn M. Plano: Amazon US follow Gwen : Goodreads –website:Gwen Plano – Twitter: @gmplano
Thanks for dropping in today and I hope you will be leaving with some books.. Sally.
Smorgasbord Blog Magazine 