Lone Witness by Rachel Dylan

She is the only witness to a brutal crime. Now she can't outrun the target on her back.

Hey Readers,

I cannot believe that we are about halfway through 2018 and I have not even made it through half of my “Must Read” list!  There are just too many amazing books and not enough time in the day. That being said, I want to tell you about my latest “Must Read”  Lone Witness by Rachel Dylan.  It is a Lawyer/Law Enforcement romantic suspense novel and a definite "must read" - I would recommend this book if:

• You like to read books by similar authors Irene Hannon, Dani Pettrey and DiAnn Mills.

• You read the first book in the Atlanta Justice Series.

• You like to watch shows like Law and Order or Chicago Justice.

• You want to check out an amazing new series.

• You just want to read a great new story that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

Here is the story,

Prosecutor Sophie Dawson is on the top of her game. She recently joined the White Collar Crime Unit of the Fulton County District Attorney’s office and is working on a case against a bank manager who has been stealing from his clients and charging exorbitant fees on transactions in a way that was not clear to his clients that they were being charged. Tired and hungry after finishing up some closing arguments from a previous case, Sophie decides to stop at a local convenience store for a snack. Unfortunately while there, she witnesses a double homicide. When she identifies the murderer in a line up, it turns out to be Ricky Wade - the younger brother of Juan Wade, who is the head of the most notorious gang in Atlanta.  Although shaken up by the experience, she does not think that her life is in danger because she is only an eye-witness and it would be too much of a risk to harm without making Ricky look guilty. However that theory is proven false when she is attacked while getting into her car, thankfully Cooper Knight was watching out for her and was able to stop the attacker before he killed her. (Cooper was her security detail - hired by her father without her knowledge) Then they discover that someone put a hit out for Sophie so she is not allowed to leave her house. Even though her boss and co-workers seem to think she cannot handle her case load, Sophie is determined to dig deeper in the Shelton case. (the above mentioned bank manager case) There is just something about the numbers in the documents that the bank gave her to review that do not make sense.
Cooper Knight had met Sophie once, before becoming her bodyguard - but he has heard how stubborn and determined she can be. He admires her pursuit for justice, he just prays that it does not get her killed. After the first two attacks on Sophie, Cooper is tightening the circle of people who know where she is and recommends that she works from home. Even though she has limited resources, he knows that Sophie will be able to find the evidence she needs to get a guilty verdict. Strangely enough though, he wonders if she is not only being targeted by Juan Wade's gang but also  by someone who does not want her looking into the banks records. Could the CEO of the bank be in on the corruption?
Danger creeps behind every wall and shadow, Will Sophie be able to be the star witness they need her to be?
And what will happen when a trusted friend betrays them all?



What did I think?
I thought the book was AMAZING! I have never read any books by Rachel Dylan, so I was extremely excited by how awesome the book was. It is a part of the Atlanta Justice series however I read it as a standalone and did not have any issues following the story. The characters are great, I LOVE how they don't just talk about their faith -  they actually live it out. I really liked that Sophie and her dad have a great relationship. So many books right now ether trash talk the parents or the characters don't really care about their parents. The plot itself was fantastic, it starts on the first page and then - just when you thought that nothing else could happen because the story is coming to an end... BOOM there is a major plot twist. I won't say anymore because I don't want to post spoilers. Overall I think the book was awesome and am very excited for the third book that is scheduled to come out in early 2019!!!  I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars *****



Readers,
if you want more information about this book or this amazing author, here is the link:
https://www.racheldylan.com/category/books/

  

Here is the book trailer if you want to check it out! 

Happy Reading:)

 I would like to thank Bethany House for allowing me to read and review this book in return for a free copy and I was not asked to write a favorable review, Just a honest one.

The Orphans Wish by Melanie Dickerson

 "I want to make my fortune, to prove I am not just a poor orphan foreigner"...

Hey Readers,

Happy first day of Summer!
I wanted to take a second to show you my latest "Must Read" for this month, The Orphans Wish by Melanie Dickerson! The really cool thing about this series of books by Mrs. Dickerson is that she takes fairy tales such as Aladdin, Snow White or Rapunzel and intertwines bits of those stories into her books without the magic or sorcery that is typically in fairy tales. :)

I would recommend this book if you:

• Like to read any books by Melanie Dickerson,

• Like to watch TV shows like Once Upon a Time,

• would like to read a romance novel full of courage, loyalty and friendship,

• Just want to check out a new book!

So here is the story

Ala ad'din was orphaned when he was about 5 years old.  A "Street Rat" as he was called by some - and he would still be on the streets if it weren't for the grace he was shown by Priest when he was spared the punishment for stealing. Priest took Aladdin (because Priest could not say his name correctly, it was changed from Ala ad'din to Aladdin) from his home in the Holy Land to live in the town of Hagenheim. Shortly after he arrived in Hagenheim, Aladdin had the opportunity to meet the Duke's daughter, Lady Kirstyn who was a couple of years younger than he was and he was positive that she was an angel!  The two of them became best of friends and were inseparable while they were kids, especially after Aladdin saved Lady Kirstyn’s life. Now that they are older, Aladdin wants to leave Hagenheim so that he can make his fortune and hopefully become worthy enough to marry Lady Kirstyn.
Lady Kirstyn's heart felt like it was ripped out of her chest the day that Aladdin decided to leave. She begged him to stay but understood that he felt like he had to leave so he could find his way in the world and then he would no longer be seen as a "Street Rat".  However several days after Aladdin left, Lady Kirstyn was betrayed by someone close to her and kidnapped while attending a festival with her family.  Will she be able to escape? Will her family or Aladdin find her before it is too late?
Meanwhile Aladdin feels blessed on his journey, because shortly after he left Hagenheim, he met with and saved a merchant from Luneburg who was being robbed. Herr Kaufman was so thankful for Aladdin and Sir Sigmund that he invited Aladdin to live with him and become his steward. Seeing this as an amazing opportunity and a way to earn his fortune, Aladdin goes to live with Herr Kaufman and after a short time became an amazing steward. But all that changed when he hears that Lady Kirstyn was kidnapped months prior and no one has seen her since. He takes leave from his job and searches high and low for her for months until the trail is too cold and it appears that Lady Kirstyn was killed. Aladdin feels like his heart has been torn in too because he never once told Lady Kirstyn that he loved her… Was it too late to save her?  Wouldn’t he know in his heart if she really was dead?


So, what did I think?

So ask I mentioned before, this is Mrs. Dickerson's version of the story of Aladdin and though the book is part of her Medieval Fairy Tale series - it's written to be read as a stand-alone. So I know that typically you should not judge a book by its cover, but I love the cover of this book! The colors, the script for the title and the overall Arabic design - give the book an adventurous feel and it absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately although the book was good and the plot was very well written - it's not one of my favorite books that Mrs. Dickerson has written.  I feel like there were too many flashbacks from when Aladdin and Lady Kirstyn were younger and it caused the story to lag a bit in the middle, However it did pick up towards the end of the book and I loved it when I could I see a piece of the fairy tale intertwined into the story.
Overall, the characters were great and the plot engaging, I give the book 4 out of 5 stars ****



If you would like to check out this book or any of Mrs Dickerson's other books, Here is the link!
http://melaniedickerson.com/my-books.html


Happy Reading! :)

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.