The Barrister and the Letter of Marque by Todd M. Johnson

 

“Just ink and parchment, but with the seal of the English Crown, a source of power for a captain of only thirty-three years to act with the authority of the greatest empire on earth. Such was a Letter of Marque.”  

The Barrister and the Letter of Marque by Todd M. Johnson is a legal thriller set in London during the Regency era.  Barrister William Snopes is an advocate for the downtrodden he usually defends.  Lady Madeleine Jameson is trying to save her estate and her cousin, Captain Harold Tuttle. Tuttle is the captain of the Padget, a ship that had a Letter of Marque to take cargo from French traders operating illegally in the Indian Sea.

Lady Jamison is heavily in debt and the profits from the Padget’s successful voyage were going to be the answer to solving her family’s money problems. Unfortunately, the Letter of Marque is nowhere to be found, her cousin is in jail, and her creditors are wanting answers. Lady Jameson desperately needs help.

Barrister William Snopes reluctantly accepts this complicated case.   He has very little time to sort through the facts and prepare for his day in court.   

 As I read this action packed read, I had a wonderful time trying to solve the mystery right along with Barrister Snopes.  I was on the edge of my seat right up until the end.  The Barrister and the Letter of Marque is a well written and exciting read that I highly recommend.  

Pre-Order as this story comes out August 3, 2021.

 I was thrilled to receive a copy from NetGalley and Bethany House Publisher and the opinions in this review are my own.

Todd M. Johnson has been a practicing attorney for over 30 years. Todd’s passion for writing blends well with his legal career, and his novels are drawn closely from his personal experiences as a trial lawyer.

A graduate of Princeton University and the University of Minnesota Law School, Todd taught for two years as an adjunct professor of International Law and has served as a US diplomat in Hong Kong.

Todd lives outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his wife Catherine. They have two children, Ian and Elizabeth.

The Cowgirl's Sacrifice by Tina Radcliffe

 I always feel like I'm on a wonderful trail ride when I read one of Tina' Radcliffe's books. I get to see amazing scenery, have an enjoyable time, and meet wonderful people that I want to hang out with on the trail.  The Cowgirl's Sacrifice was no different, and one of my new favorites that Tina Radcliffe has written.  

The main character Kate Rebel is a spunky character with purple tipped hair who was injured in her job as a rodeo clown.  While she is healing she comes back to work at her family's Rebel Ranch and finds out she is reporting to Jess McNally, her ex-boyfriend.  Their banter it's great and our hope is that they rekindle their romance as they sort through their history. Tina paints a picture of life in small town Oklahoma that makes me want to move to Oklahoma.   All members of the Rebel family make an appearance and it felt like coming home.   

The Cowgirl’s Sacrifice by Tina Radcliffe is an endearing story about second chances. The story is entertaining, funny, and heartwarming. I highly recommend you read this story!  

I was given this book by the author and not required to write a review.  

Originally from Western, N.Y., author Tina Radcliffe left home for a tour of duty with the Army Security Agency stationed in Augsburg, Germany and ended up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. While living in Tulsa she spent ten years as a Certified Oncology R.N. A freelance writer for over twenty years, Tina was a founding member and the manager of Seekerville, a 13 author blog, from 2008-2017. Seekerville has been a Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers award winner 2013-2017. 

An RWA Honor Roll member, Tina is also a two-time RWA Golden Heart finalist, a 2012 ACFW Carol Award finalist for Oklahoma Reunion, a 2014 ACFW Mentor of the Year finalist, and a 2014 ACFW Carol Award winner for Mending the Doctor's Heart. 

Tina is thrilled to announce she is the 2018 ACFW Mentor of the Year and a 2018 ACFW Carol Award Finalist for Claiming Her Cowboy. 

She has also finaled/or won over twenty RWA chapter affiliated contests in her career. As a short story writer, she has sold over two dozen short stories to Woman’s World Magazine. 

Tina is a member of Romance Writers of America, including the Kiss of Death Chapter, FHL Chapter, Desert Rose Romance Writers, and the Valley of the Sun Romance Writer

A Soul as Cold as Frost by Jennifer Kropf

It’s Christmas in July!  I would not mind a little snow and colder temperatures today!  I am sharing a book reviewed and read by my daughter, A Soul as Cold as Frost by Jennifer Kropf What do you like about Christmas and winter?  

About the Book:  Sixteen-year-old Helen Bell understood tragedy better than most kids growing up—she knew what it was like to wear clothes from donation bins and be mocked by the beautiful girls in school. She thought these brutal experiences made her ready for anything. But she wasn’t ready for this.

After an eccentric girl opens Helen’s eyes to let her see the realm of Winter—a world with intersects tucked carefully into the cracks of our own where monarchs have risen and fallen, it’s forbidden to mention the name of The Dead King of Winter, and the currency is gold rings—Helen realizes that nothing is as it seems anymore. When Helen receives a summons from the Crimson Court to enter into The Quarrel of Sword and Bone; a traditional duel performed before one thousand witnesses that leaves only one survivor, she’s forced to finally pay attention to the handsome boy who’s been following her around with a warning on his tongue.

But other forces are at play as well; a deep feud of ancient powers runs beneath the snow while a rivalry between the Red and Green Kingdoms thrashes above, and a historic Truth speaks in whispers impossible to hear past the chorus of noise. In a race across Winter, Helen is forced to navigate through the voices so she can make it to the key room and unlock a lost message of hope before she’s captured and forced to face the Queen in the bloody duel.

Review by amazing daughter, Eliana:  A Soul as Cold as Frost by Jennifer Kropf is an action packed, adventure for young adults.  The story is an allegory similar to The Narnia Chronicles.  The book magically tells the story of Helen as she navigates the realm of winter.  The story tells of duels, sacrifices, and true friendship.   I can not wait until A Heart as Red as Holly, the next book comes out. It’s a wonderful Christian Christmas-themed fantasy book for teens! 

Canadian author Jennifer Kropf recently founded Winter Publishing House, a private publishing company with plans to expand.

November 2020 was the official launch of Book #1 of the Winter Souls Series, A Soul as Cold as Frost, which hit the #1 spot on two bestsellers lists the day it became available and is now available all around the world.

Jennifer went to college for marketing and figured out pretty quick that getting a job in marketing was not going to satisfy her book-hunger in the slightest, so as soon as she started having kids, she began to write her debut novel and form the tale that eventually turned into the Winter Souls Series.

She is married with three kids, lives amidst lush Ontario farmland, and attends a fabulous church in the Wilmot Township that is intent on showing the love of God to the Wilmot community.

Her favourite authors are C.S. Lewis for the life he lived and his passion for God and writing, and J.M. Barrie for introducing her to Peter Pan and Neverland, and Stephanie Garber for giving her the Caraval experience, and also Marissa Meyer, Adrienne Young, and Marie Lu for writing books she could not put down.

In her spare time (which isn’t much) she aims to encourage unplugged family time in the home, especially around the Christmas season, and loves offering new family traditions to adopt into people’s homes during the holidays. She also gives mad props to all moms out there who have kids at home and also try to write books or work from home.

A Soul as Cold as Frost was written with the intention of encouraging parents to read to their kids before bed each night during the holidays–as she plans to do just that with her own kids each year.

Follow her on Instagram @authorjenniferkropf
Facebook Jennifer Kropf Books
Twitter @KropfJen (Though, she’s not a big “tweeter”)
Or, do the regular old Email thing.

“Since it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage.”
– C. S. Lewis

Room at the Top by Kristin Billerbeck

 I was so excited to read Room at the Top.  I am a long time Kristin Billerbeck fan and the story was everything I expected and more.  Room at the top is a wonderful romance with great dialogue, interesting characters, and a true to life family dynamics.  Room at the Top kept me laughing and I can not wait for the other books in the series.  I recommend.  

About the Book: From the author of "What a Girl Wants" comes a funny and romantic new series that celebrates family and sisterhood, even when the relationship seems impossible.Sophia Campelli likes the structure of her predictable life in a rundown Victorian house in the San Francisco neighborhood of North Beach. She’s always told herself her father can keep his wealth and his acknowledgement of her and her twin sister. She’s surrounded by her noisy but lovable Italian family, and that’s all she needs.When she and Gia receive the news their fraternal grandfather has left them something in his will, they meet their three half-sisters for the first time—and receive the astounding news of a massive inheritance.

Kristin Billerbeck is a best-selling, award-winning author of forty published novels Her work has been featured in The New York Times and on "The Today Show." When not writing, Kristin enjoys good handbags, bad reality television, and annoying her adult children on social media

The Nature of Small Birds by Susie Finkbeiner

The Nature of Small Birds by Susie Finkbeiner is a well-written and thoughtful time slip story. Mindy, who joined her family through adoption during Operation Baby airlift at the end of the Vietnam war, decides to go back and find her birth family.  This starts their family on a journey.

This beautiful story weaves together three distinct timelines from Mindy's Mom, Dad, and her sister as they reflect on their life with Mindy as a part of their family. The three perspectives give the story richness and depth and flow together seamlessly. The descriptive settings for each era are so well written I felt like I was actually in that time period. 

The story took me on a journey through the themes of the challenges of growing up, the after effects of grief, parenting, building a family through adoption, and loving your extended family through hard places.   Highly recommend The Nature of Small Birds. It is  exquisitely written!  

I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a review.

Susie Finkbeiner is the CBA bestselling author of All Manner of Things, which was selected as a 2020 Michigan Notable Book, and Stories That Bind Us, as well as A Cup of Dust, A Trail of Crumbs, and A Song of Home.Her next novel The Nature of Small Birds releases in July, 2021.She serves on the Fiction Readers Summit planning committee, volunteers her time at Ada Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and speaks at retreats and women’s events across the country. Susie and her husband have three children and live in West Michigan.

Find her at Facebook, Instagram, and BookBub.