Hidden Currents

Hidden Currents

By Christy Barritt

Romantic suspense at the beach! It’s the perfect summer read.

I picked this up not knowing anything about the writer or the series. In fact, I didn’t even know it was a series. But what a find! The story begins when an undercover cop has a price put on her head for taking down a gang. She needs a place to hide until she can testify in court, so she finds an island in the outer banks of NC.

The setting is perfect (as a North Carolinian, I loved it!). She basically pretends to be someone new and it’s fun to see how difficult the acting becomes for her. Part of her cover is that she drives the ice cream truck and sells ice cream to the tourists. Locals won’t buy ice cream from her and she can’t figure out why. Lots of fun stuff here, including a hunky next door neighbor who happens to be a former Navy Seal. She can’t seem to say anything right around him and he manages to get under her skin all the time.

While the mystery is solved at the end of this book, the story is not over. In fact, it is part of the Lantern Beach Mysteries, a 6 book series. So for some, this will be great news – you can stay with these characters through 5 more books! And these characters will be fun to follow.

I recommend this to anyone wishing they were at the beach, anyone going to the beach yet this summer, and anyone else who likes the beach (doesn’t this include everyone?) A quick read and great story.

What's your favorite beach? Or do you prefer anything but the beach? Leave us a comment for a chance to win this week's giveaway!

Review by Jennifer Fromke, an aspiring novelist who writes from NC where she pines for colder temperatures all year long. Northerners by upbringing, she and her husband of 26 years have raised three Southern-ish children, much to their amazement. Jennifer also reviews books at Shetalksbooks.com. She writes contemporary women’s fiction and email. Lots of email.

The Mountain Between Us

 By Charles Martin

You guys. This book. It has all the feels and all the fuzzies flowing off every page.

First of all, we meet two fine people who hire a small plane (and pilot) to get them out of Salt Lake City just ahead of a mammoth snow storm. The plane crashes. One of them breaks a leg. The other one does everything possible to save them both.

While it’s an incredible survival story (albeit fiction), we also learn about the wife and the fiancé who don’t know that these two people even stepped onto the small aircraft which filed no flight plan before taking off. They are utterly lost in the wilderness. And as the situation becomes worse every day, we follow two amazing individuals and what their lives were like pre-plane crash.

The emotional current throughout is infectious, engaging, addictive. I lost sleep over this story and it was my second time reading it! Yes, you’ll have to suspend belief just a bit…but the powerful emotional journey is second to none! 

Obviously, this book was made into a movie (Yep - I used the Movie cover). I have not seen the movie. The reviews from readers who I know loved this book: mixed. But one thing I find wonderful about the whole thing: the movie has introduced a slew of new readers to an amazing author who is unapologetically Christian, though he's published in both the Christian and general markets. His stories reflect his faith, though not always in an overt manner, and his skill as a writer is unparalleled. 

I am addicted to reading this author. Charles Martin. His stories always resonate deeply and are finely crafted from start to finish. I can easily recommend anything I’ve read by him and I think I’ve only missed one.

This book has been out awhile, but if you've not read it, I think you'll love it! And if you have read it, try something else by the same author. His stories get better with every book.

Do you re-read books? I don't very often, but some books are just worth re-visiting. Leave us a comment for this week's giveaway. 

The Prayer Box

In The Prayer Box, Lisa Wingate tells the story of a storm-tossed girl who runs away to a storm-tossed community hoping for a way to heal. I loved lots of things about this book. 

First, it takes place in North Carolina, home for me. And it’s the outer banks, which I’ve always wanted to visit, but still haven’t made that trip. 

Second, I love the symbolism woven throughout. 

Third, the concept of prayer boxes is a beautiful thing. One character keeps a box full of written prayers for every year of her life after meeting Christ. 

Fourth, the story of an elderly woman teaches much to the younger woman. I love it when generations mix for the benefit of all.

Fifth, people help people. In today’s crazy-busy world, we’ve lost the art of seeing people and moving to meet their needs. This week, I’ve experienced this first-hand as I recovered from surgery. People I never expected to give me a second thought have offered help and prayers and concern for me and not only is this encouraging, but it can be life-changing. The Prayer Box artfully displays this phenomena through engaging characters who make me want to “see” others more and better and then reach out with a helping hand. 

What if we all did this today? Let’s do! And pick up a copy of Lisa Wingate's The Prayer Box while you're at it. Better yet, share a copy with someone else! You can find it here. To learn more about Lisa, visit her website.

When was the last time somebody offered you a helping hand at a serious point of need? When was the last time you did this for somebody else?