Something Old and Something New...

I want to tell you all about a new Indie author--Terri Tiffany!

No, Terri is not a new author—she’s been around the block more than a time or two with published stories in many Chicken Soup books, magazines, etc, and even had a novel titled The Mulligan hit the shelves two years ago—via the traditional route. But now Terri has ventured into the land of self-publishing, with her first novel published last week. She has also stepped out of her usual genre into her true love—suspense.

 

 

 This story grabbed me from the start! 

Tiffany does a great job of making the MC’s special “gift” truly believable. Kate Song is a photographer who sees mystifying details that others can’t in her photographs—a puzzling phenomenon she was left with when she became the sole survivor of an massive explosion. Kate has spent her life running from the fame that event brought her—determined to shed the name Miracle Girl.

The setting for this story—the town of Bend, PA—is nothing short of eerie. The perfect backdrop for a suspense novel, complete with a cult-like community. The people of the Bend totally creep me out!

You can tell Tiffany's a seasoned writer. Her descriptions drew me into each scene. The story moves along at a good pace with lots of action—a real page-turner.  The characters are well-developed, and the tension between them kept the story engaging between the action scenes. There are plenty of interesting secondary characters to round out the tale. Tiffany does a great job of creating multiple suspects to keep me guessing the identity of the "trainer".

Tiffany also does a great job of wrapping up all the loose ends. Disappointing—I would have loved a sequel!

Did I mention this one is clean? Yes, a book that you won't be afraid for your teen to flip through. Refreshing to find a suspense that isn’t filled with sex and foul language. This story will appeal to a broad audience. My husband started reading it last night. He said, "Wow. This is a really good book."

Yes, it is a really good book. It's available now as a paperback and for Kindle and Nook. You can purchase The Bend at Amazon, and at Barnes & Noble.

I look forward to reading her next book. Terri Tiffany is an Indie author to watch!

Review of Forever Safe by Jody Hedlund

After an introductory novella and three novels, author Jody Hedlund has gone the Indie route for this next (and likely final) installment of the Beacons of Hope series. 

This book brings full circle the story of a wooden cross and a letter penned by Isabelle Thornton that began with the novella Out of the Storm, and are passed along in each book of the series. You can read this book as a stand-alone, yet still enjoy the legacy of the cross by reading Isabelle’s letter on Hedlund’s website. 

This installment is a little more focused on the romance and a bit less on the historical aspect. The plot is not as intricate as Hedlund’s past books, but she crafts the story well, building tension between the main characters. 

Spoiled heiress Victoria Cole is quite distinct from the other women in this series set in the 1800s. Though blushingly chaste, she is much more forward—to the point of being the pursuer in many of the romantic situations. Bodyguard Tom Cushman is tricked into having young Victoria as a client—a fact that sets the tension between the two from the beginning.

Lighthouses make awesome settings for romantic stories, and with Hedlund’s descriptive writing, it’s easy to visualize gazing out from the tower across the crashing waves of the sea. A huge difference in this fourth book is that the setting has been moved from the Great Lakes lighthouses of Michigan to Cape Cod’s Race Point Lighthouse in Massachusetts. I think the more-refined east coast setting is a great fit for the story. 

It’s not every day that secondary characters come close to being your favorites. Tom’s parents, James and Zelma, were wonderfully in love, with bold displays of affection and much advice for the young. They added a delightful element to the story.

I'm sorry to see the Beacons of Hope series come to an end. Wouldn't it wonderful if Hedlund had a story for every lighthouse in the U.S.?

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and highly recommend it to fans of historical romance. It is available for pre-order and will release June 1.