Musings by Erin

I was recently invited to help launch a debut novel by author Natalie Walters. Since mystery and suspense is my genre of choice, I jumped at the chance to read this one in advance. I mean, just look at that cover! I was absolutely floored that this was a debut novel. It was so well written and had a great deal of depth in the story-line, the characters and emotions. In addition to the mystery/suspense element, there was also a sweet romance. Normally, I don't like the romance aspect of romantic suspense, but I thoroughly enjoyed Lane and Charlie's story. There was also a strong faith thread throughout that was not at all preachy, but got to the heart of the matter. One of the things that struck me was the raw reality of the mental health aspect. The heroine struggles with depression and there's another character with PTSD. Their feelings and thoughts were definitely true to life. Here's the back cover blurb in case you need more to entice you: In t...

Roseanna M. White is well known for her historical fiction that includes adventure, mystery and romance. This one is no different from that. One of the things I love best about historical fiction are the tidbits I learn about history that I never knew before. This book examines the work of the cryptographers in London's infamous Room 40. Margot, the main character, is an exceptionally gifted mathematician and one of the city's top cryptographers, which was highly unusual for a woman. The main male character, Drake, is an intelligence asset who reports to the same command as Margot. I thoroughly enjoyed not only the story-line, but the character of Margot, who sees the world in mathematical equations and trusts in God because "He is the only one that she knows for a fact is smarter than she is". I loved how Drake responded to who she is in how he pursued her and I loved that God spoke to Margot in numbers. This book touched on the true measure of love as well as h...

Sweet On You is the last book in the Bradford Sisters series and follows the story of the youngest sister, Britt Bradford. While romance has never been my genre of choice, and I especially shy away from contemporary romance, Becky Wade has won me over with her witty characters, fun writing style and in-depth story lines that go beyond just the romance story. The romance portion is believable as well, and not at all eye-roll-worthy as many romance books are (to me, at least). While I didn't enjoy Britt's story as well as her other sisters, I think it's because Britt's severe independence reminded me of myself and I didn't like what I saw there. Characters that share a negative quality with you always turn you off just a little, but are often the mirror you need to see. Here's the back cover blurb for anyone who is interested: Britt Bradford and Zander Ford have been the best of friends since they met thirteen years ago. Unbeknownst to Britt, Zander has bee...