Discretion

From the “female John Grisham” (The Providence Journal)—a new legal thriller exploring the intersection of sex and power in Washington, D.C.’s most secretive worlds.

From former federal sex-crimes prosecutor and critically acclaimed author Allison Leotta— a new thriller exploring the intersection of sex and power in Washington, D.C.’s most secretive worlds

When a beautiful young woman plummets to her death from the balcony of the U.S. Capitol, Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Curtis is summoned to the scene. The evidence points to a sexual assault and murder. The victim is one of the city’s highest-paid escorts. And the balcony belongs to Washington, D.C.’s sole representative to Congress, the most powerful figure in city politics.

The Congressman proclaims his innocence, but he’s in the middle of a tough primary fight, and the scandal could cost him the election. For Anna, the high-profile case is an opportunity. But as the political stakes rise, she realizes that a single mistake could end her career.

At the same time, her budding romance with Jack Bailey, the chief homicide prosecutor, is at a crossroads. Determined to gain respect in the office, Anna wants to keep their relationship under wraps. But the mounting pressure and media attention that come with the office’s most important case will inevitably expose their relationship—if it doesn’t destroy it first.

The investigation leads Anna to Discretion, a high-end escort service that caters to D.C.’s elite. But with each break in the case, the mystery deepens. And the further Anna ventures into D.C.’s red-light underworld, the larger the target on her own back.



From the secret social clubs where Washington’s most powerful men escape from public view to the asphalt “track” where the city’s most vulnerable women work the streets, Discretion is a gripping exploration of sex, power, and the secrets we all keep.


Praise for Allison Leotta’s Law of Attraction:
“With this riveting debut legal thriller, Leotta, a federal sex crimes prosecutor in Washington, D.C., joins the big leagues with pros like Lisa Scottoline and Linda Fairstein.” —Library Journal (starred review)

Allison Leotta’s debut novel, Law of Attraction, was named one of the best legal thrillers of 2010 by Suspense Magazine. A former federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., Leotta left the Department of Justice in 2011 to pursue writing fulltime. Visit AllisonLeotta.com.


My Thoughts:

If you LOVE a good Suspense Novel, or maybe fast paced crime stories! Well, let me tell you "Discretion" has it ALL!!! TRULY, this is one to recommend to those who love to read murder mysteries and have uninterrupted time to read, because they won't be able to put this book down!!

Thank you Ashley Hewlett w/Touchstone Publishing for allowing me this complimentary book in exchange for my honest review!

♥Happy Reading♥

Wedded to War

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Wedded to War • River North; New Edition edition (July 1, 2012)

by Jocelyn Green



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jocelyn Green is a child of God, wife and mom living in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She is also an award-winning journalist, author, editor and blogger. Though she has written nonfiction on a variety of topics, her name is most widely recognized for her ministry to military wives: Faith Deployed. Her passion for the military family was fueled by her own experience as a military wife, and by the dozens of interviews she has conducted with members of the military for her articles and books, Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives and its sequel, Faith Deployed...Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives. She is also co-author of both Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan and Stories of Faith and Courage from the Home Front (forthcoming, May 2012). Her Faith Deployed Web site and Facebook page continue to provide ongoing support, encouragement and resources for military wives worldwide.













ABOUT THE BOOK

When war erupted, she gave up a life of privilege for a life of significance.

Tending to the army's sick and wounded meant leading a life her mother does not understand and giving up a handsome and approved suitor. Yet Charlotte chooses a life of service over privilege, just as her childhood friend had done when he became a military doctor. She soon discovers that she's combatting more than just the rebellion by becoming a nurse. Will the two men who love her simply stand by and watch as she fights her own battles? Or will their desire for her wage war on her desire to serve God?



Wedded to War is a work of fiction, but the story is inspired by the true life of Civil War nurse Georgeanna Woolsey. Woolsey's letters and journals, written over 150 years ago, offer a thorough look of what pioneering nurses endured. This is the first in the series "Heroines Behind the Lines: Civil War," a collection of novels that highlights the crucial contributions made by women during times of war.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Wedded to War, go HERE.


My Review:

Wedded to War is a phenomenal read! Life during the Civil War or any war for that matter, was such a difficult time! Charlotte was living a wonderful and privileged life, though it seems, but traded that in to serve those sick or wounded in the local hospitals. Charlotte wanted to make a difference! Her Mother wanted her to stay. Stay with the man whom she approved of for Charlotte. Charlotte had other ideas altogether and fought hard to do what she knew she wanted.

Her story is based on a true Civil War Nurse named Georgeanna Woolsey. In Wedded to War you will be able to read letters and journals written by Mrs. Woosley! It is quite amazing to read of her journey during the Civil War!

I LOVE the way Jocelyn Green tells this tale. At times I felt as if I was right there with the wounded, or heart broken for those in a prejudice situations, and definitely Charlottes determination can be felt through those pages!! Hope springs forth and you see God do HIS good work despite the circumstances that these people faced each day the battle continued.

This is a definite 5 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥'s from HeartofaBookworm

I look VERY FORWARD to the next "Heroines Behind the Lines" book! You won't want to miss this Series, so hurry...Check this out or run to your bookstore and read this one!
You will be so glad you did :)

Reunion by Lauraine Snelling

About the Book:

Keira Johnson, a 50-year-old mother of two grown sons, believes she lives a good Christian life without secrets-- until she discovers a life-jarring fact her late mother kept hidden all her life. Kiera was born out of wedlock, and the man she had always known as her father had adopted her as an infant.

Meanwhile, Keira's beloved 17-year-old niece, Kirsten, has just discovered an unwanted pregnancy. Her boyfriend, Jose, is bound for college and Kirsten does not know what to do. As the family comes together for a reunion, Keira and Kirsten struggle with their fractured pasts and jumbled present. Will truth and honesty be the catalysts that allow the entire family to find peace?

Inspired by events in Lauraine Snelling's own life, REUNION is the author's finest novel to date.

About the Author:

Lauraine Snelling has been writing since 1980, with over 65 books published, both fiction and non-fiction, historical and contemporary, for adults and young readers. Her books consistently appear on CBA bestseller lists, and have been translated into Norwegian, Danish, and German. A hallmark of her style is writing about real issues of forgiveness, loss, domestic violence, and cancer within a compelling story. Lauraine and her husband, Wayne, have two grown sons, and live in the Tehachapi Mountains with a watchdog Bassett named Chewy. Visit her Web site at www.laurainesnelling.com.


My Thoughts:

Reunion is such a wonderful and powerful book! I wish everyone could read this book! Lauraine delves into very real and very emotional issues.

Keira and Kirsten walk through some very difficult trials but neither one of them does it alone. With the unconditional love and support of family, they face the truth and consequences of their actions, as well as the actions of others. They learn that facing the "truth" is not always the easy thing to do BUT it is ALWAYS the BEST thing to do!


To me, when unconditional love is given, it provides a strength that allows me to face things that otherwise I wouldn't be able to. When that unconditional love is coupled with forgiveness... WOW! Love and Forgiveness are universal ~ Reunion is a great testimony for both!


Sarah Reck and HachetteBookGroup/Faith Words ~ Thank you sooo much for allowing me to read this complimentary book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Rare Earth by Davis Bunn

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Rare Earth Bethany House Publishers (July 1, 2012) by Davis Bunn




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born and raised in North Carolina, Davis left for Europe at age twenty. There he first completed graduate studies in economics and finance, then began a business career that took him to over forty countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.



Davis came to faith at age 28, while living in Germany and running an international business advisory group. He started writing two weeks later. Since that moment, writing has remained both a passion and a calling.



Davis wrote for nine years and completed seven books before his first was accepted for publication. During that time, he continued to work full-time in his business career, travelling to two and sometimes three countries every week. His first published book, The Presence, was released in 1990 and became a national bestseller.



Honored with three Christy Awards for excellence in historical and suspense fiction, his bestsellers include The Great Divide, Winner Take All, The Meeting Place, The Warning, The Book of Hours, and The Quilt.



A sought-after speaker in the art of writing, Davis serves as Writer In Residence at Regent’s Park College, Oxford University.



ABOUT THE BOOK

Marc Royce stares out of the helicopter, a sense of foreboding rising with the volcanic cloud. Below, the Rift Valley slashes across Africa like a scar. Decades of conflicts, droughts, and natural disasters have left their mark.



Dispatched to audit a relief organization, Royce is thrust into the squalor and chaos of Kenyan refugee camps. But his true mission focuses on the area's reserves of once-obscure minerals now indispensable to high-tech industries. These strategic elements--called rare earth--have inflamed tensions on the world's stage and stoked tribal rivalries. As Royce prepares to report back to Washington, he seizes on a bold and risky venture for restoring justice to this troubled land.



But this time, Royce may have gone too far.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Rare Earth, go HERE.

Thank you for Flying Air Zoe ~ Review

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fasten Seat Belt sign has been turned on, but feel free to ignore it, because sometimes life is best lived on its dizzy edges. Your cruising altitude today will be sky high, and you will be flying at staggering speeds as you travel alongside Zoe Tisdale, former Valley Girl and rock star turned bored butter saleswoman.
On the heels of a brush with mortality, Zoe concludes that she’s been letting time pass her by. Realizing she needs to awaken her life’s tired refrains, Zoe vows to recapture the one chapter of her life that truly mattered to her – her days as drummer for The Flip-Flops, a spirited, sassy all-girl garage band that almost hit the big time back in 1987. But reuniting the band won’t be easy. The girls who were once the whiz kid guitarist, the prom queen bass player, and the hippie lead singer grew up and became women who are now a reclusive dog trainer, a wealthy socialite, and a sociopathic environmentalist. Will Zoe bring the band back together and give The Flip-Flops a second chance at stardom? Is it possible to fully reclaim the urgent energy of youth?

As you follow this wild flight path, please know that your destination could be anywhere at all, complimentary oxygen is provided upon request, and baggage flies free. We hope you enjoy the ride, and Thank You For Flying Air Zoe.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Erik Atwell started his writing career in grammar school, where a one page history class assignment ballooned into a forty page fictional account of a politically controversial silversmith in Boston circa 1776. Daring to follow up such an auspicious debut, he later graduated to short stories while living in New Hampshire, screenplays upon moving to Los Angeles, then finally novels when he ultimately landed in Seattle. He is currently gearing up to escape city life and return home to New Hampshire with his rock-star wife and eight month-old son, whose only musical claim to fame thus far is sleeping through an entire Go-Go’s concert. But in his defense, he was three weeks old, and the stage was a quarter-mile away. Thank You For Flying Air Zoe is his first novel, and he hopes to write a second novel before the little guy is old enough to read it.

And yes, he was once in a band. For twelve minutes.

It wasn't pretty.

To purchase Thank you for Flying Air Zoe, you can go here

To find Erik:

His Facebook is here

His Blog is here

MY THOUGHTS:

What a Fun read! I just love when you can connect with a character and Zoe is definitely someone I connected with right away! Zoe is faced with a situation that causes her to really reflect on her life. You know the saying, "IF you always do what you've always done, you'll always be what you've always been." How many people say they want to change, but sadly, they never do? Well, Zoe wasn't happy with where she was, and so she did something about it!

Zoe has some great BFF's. Back in the day, they were all in a band together. Zoe really hopes to reunite the band and play @ the Whisky. It would be, a lifelong dream fulfilled, if they did it. Going back in time and learning more about these girls, and their band was so much fun and certainly brought about some of my own memories.

It was such a treat to be able to read and review this book! I was so inspired and enjoyed every page! This is Erik Atwell's debut novel! WOW- What a great way to kick off your career as an author!! Hands down, Heart of a Bookworm rates this a 5 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥'s

Thank you SO MUCH TLC Booktours for allowing me this complimentary book in exchange for my honest review! I will be recommending this one to EVERYONE!!


♥Happy Reading♥

The Deposit Slip

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Deposit Slip Bethany House Publishers (July 1, 2012)

by Todd M. Johnson



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Todd M. Johnson has practiced as an attorney for over 30 years,

specializing as a trial lawyer.



A graduate of Princeton University and the University of Minnesota

Law School, he also taught for two years as adjunct professor of

International Law and served as a US diplomat in Hong Kong.



The Deposit Slip is his debut novel. He lives outside Minneapolis,

Minnesota, with his wife Cathy, and children Ian and Libby.









ABOUT THE BOOK

$10,000,000 Is Missing.



Erin Larson is running out of options. In the wake of her father's death, she found a slim piece of paper--a deposit slip--with an unbelievable amount on it. Only the bank claims they have no record of the money, and trying to hire a lawyer has brought only intimidation and threats. Erin's last chance is Jared Neaton.



How Far Will One Lawyer Go to Find the Money?



When Jared wearied of the shady ethics of his big law firm and started his own, he never expected the wheels to fly off so quickly. One big loss has pushed him to the brink, and it's all he can do to scrape by.



And How Far Will Someone Go to Stop Him?



He's not sure if Erin's case is worth the risk, but if the money is real, all his problems could vanish. When digging deeper unleashes something far more dangerous than just threats, both Jared and Erin must decide the cost they're willing to pay to discover the truth.



If you would like to read the first chapter of The Deposit Slip, go HERE.