Operation: Restoration: second chances, suspense and faith

Operation: Restoration is the first book in the Wayside Ranch series by Kari Trumbo. Junior works at a special ranch that helps rehabilitate victims of human trafficking. When his boss is challenged to fix his one regret, he challenges everyone to do the same. Junior’s one regret: Gabby. Desperate to see her again; but how can he explain that he is not the same man? Gabby Loftens has become a counselor when Junior calls out of the blue and asks for her help with a new patient. Gabby is skeptical, why now? However, she wants to help and maybe it gives her the opportunity to learn why Junior walked out of her life. Maybe she can move on with her life once she learns this information. But when a trafficker threatens her patient, the ranch and everyone there, Junior and Gabby must find a way to protect them all. 

When I read the synopsis of this story, I was intrigued and looked forward to a story of redemption, hope and maybe a second chance romance. However, from the beginning, I felt the story dragged on and it was very hard to get into it. I didn’t care for Gabby as she was annoying and made odd decisions. I felt more for Junior who obviously was dealing with deep emotional wounds. Although the sensitive issues like human trafficking and PTSD were dealt with care, I felt Junior’s story was discussed far too quickly without any depth. Overall, I did not connect with this story. The story didn’t feel like the first book in a series. I felt as if I started in the middle. I will not be continuing the series. However, if you enjoy a clean, faith based drama, you may enjoy Operation: Restoration. 

Operation: Restoration is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Love on the Edge: suspense, faith and healing

Love on the Edge is the first book in the Crane’s Cove series by Kerry Evelyn. Lanie Owens has survived a horrific attack by an obsessed stalker. Her grandfather, a retired army colonel, decides to hide her at a remote resort in Maine so she can heal in peace away from the constant fear and threat. She is horrified to learn that he has hired a bodyguard to pose as her new husband. Matt Saunders is an Army Ranger who has spent the last year recovering from a battlefield injury. Anxious to prove he is ready to go back overseas, he accepts the bodyguard job. While the resort is tranquil, safe and certainly a place to heal, their own individual debilitating nightmares stay with them. As they open up to each other, they realize they have a lot in common and help each other heal from their traumas. Soon a crack in their security net allows the stalker to find her, they must fight their psychological demons in order to confront the very real threat in front of them. 

Kerry Evelyn’s books have been hit and miss for me. I haven’t been able to truly connect with her characters or writing style. However, Love on the Edge is a definite hit! A friends to lovers, bodyguard, fake marriage romance, it is sweet, suspenseful and deeply emotional. Ms. Evelyn doesn't hold back as she describes the PTSD Lanie experiences after the brutal attack as well as Matt’s own PTSD as a soldier. My heart broke as Lanie and Matt breakdown under the weight of their hurts. However, I loved that despite their breakdowns, they refused to give up and they fought back. I love that, despite the character’s religious faith, they still struggle with doubt as they try to reconcile their trust in God and the horrible events which they have experienced. It is an honest and real depiction and Ms. Evelyn doesn’t sugar coat it. The build up to the stalker finding Lanie and the final confrontation was very suspenseful. I look forward to the rest of the Crane’s Cove series. I highly recommend Love on the Edge.  

Love on the Edge is available in paperback and eBook

Rewrite the Stars: marriage, PTSD, and finding happiness

Rewrite the Stars by Christina Consolino is a story of Sadie Rollins-Lancaster, a mom of three who is struggling with her crumbling marriage. Her husband, Theo, had initiated a divorced but wishes to try and salvage their marriage as he struggles with PTSD. Though they are still married, they live together and yet live apart. When a chance encounter with a handsome stranger ignites feelings she never expected to feel again, Sadie finds her world turned upside down once again. She is torn between Theo, wanting the man he once was, and the man who keeps her awake at night. Will Sadie fight for the future she wants? Will Theo defeat his demons and win Sadie back?

Rewrite the Stars was touted as “an honest, moving portrayal of life and love that reminds us how much of our happiness lies within our own grasp.” While it is a brutally honest portrayal of PTSD and how it affects the individual and their families, the rest of the story fell horribly flat for me. I didn’t care for most of the characters, especially Sadie. The only character I had any sympathy for was Theo. Sadie was unlikable and selfish as she complained about how much she did and took care of and yet the children were constantly being handed off with a babysitter. What exactly did she do? Unfortunately, it was not the story I was expecting. I do not recommend Rewrite the Stars. 

Rewrite the Stars is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

Once Gone: a fast paced mystery

Once Gone by Blake Pierce is the first book in the Riley Paige series. When women are turning up dead in rural Virginia, killed in grotesque ways, the FBI are stumped. With a serial killer on the loose, they know there is only one agent who could possibly crack the case: Special Agent Riley Paige. But after an encounter with the last serial killer, Riley is on paid leave, suffering from PTSD. When the FBI calls, reluctantly asking for her help, Riley comes aboard, needing to battle her own demons the only way she knows how: catching the bad guys. As she chases every clue, she realizes that the killer is far more twisted than she thought and when another woman disappears, she is in a race against time. Pushing herself to her limit, putting her job on the line and losing her fragile hold on reality, she refuses to quit. Will she find the woman before it’s too late? Will the killer slip away once again? Can she catch him before she completely snaps herself? 

I’ve been a reader of Blake Pierce for quite awhile and usually they are good thrillers. However, lately, I’ve noticed that the stories are becoming formulaic. Once again, a strong woman is the only brains in law enforcement, the only one who can catch a killer and the men who stand in her way. While I enjoy Blake Pierce’s books, they are fast and engaging reads, but it’s easy to figure out The mystery formula of “arresting one wrong guy after another and the men rushing to close the case despite the objections of the main character” gets old fast. Overall, I enjoyed it. I was engaged. And there was a nice hook at the end to intrigue the reader to get the next book. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Riley and her teenage daughter, April. And Riley’s struggles with PTSD and the memories of her last case felt very real. If you haven’t read any of Blake Pierce’s books, I recommend checking them out. They are entertaining, even if you begin to sense a pattern in her books. 

Once Gone is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

Arise and Restore: a great local charity working to help our military vets

My husband and I are proud supporters of our military and our military vets. My late father-in-law was a Korean War vet and both my grandfathers were WWII vets. We both have other family members who are active military or vets.  This year my husband and I went to the Los Angeles County Fair in Pomona, California. While we were walking among the different shops and exhibits, one particular exhibit caught my husband’s eye. It was filled with military merchandise and signs. The exhibit was being run by the Arise and Restore ministry. 

Arise and Restore ministry is a non-profit organizations which provides help for vets especially vets with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) in partnership with FrontSight Military Ministry. Their mission is to “establish an environment whereby military service members who are lost, hurting and in search of support and guidance can meet with former and active duty military men and women in a setting of mutual trust and understanding” (FrontSight ministry pamphlet). This wonderful organization offers a gym, counseling services as well as recreation center where their members can come and talk and interact with fellow vets. 

The ministries provide support and guidance specially dedicated to the military community from a Christian perspective. Their mission comes from the Biblical verse, 2 Chronicles 20:17, “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord who is with you.” A verse to help remind and encourage these vets that they are not alone. 

Arise and Restore runs a thrift shop with all the proceeds going to help run the facilities for their members and provide the help that they so desperately need. Please visit their website for items they accept for donations as well as other ways you can help these deserving men and women. 

Arise and Restore 

 www.ariseandrestore.org

FrontSight ministry,

 www.frontsightministry.org

or if you are in the LA/Inland Empire area, 

visit the Arise and Restore Thrift Shop at: 125 S Mountain Ave, Ontario, CA 91762