Ambush of the Heart
From two-time Carol Award winner Mary Connealy, Ambush of the Heart is the start of an exciting Western series that captures the perils of Colorado’s frontier at the end of the 1800s through the hair-raising adventures of brave characters.
When the book opens, a team of U.S. Marshals is escorting an accused murderer to Cheyenne, Wyoming, for sentencing. Along for the ride are Delaney Bridger and her brother, Boone. The siblings are traveling to be reunited with their parents. After the party is attacked and several wounded, Marshal Owen Riley must lead them through the wilderness, striving to outmaneuver the outlaws pursuing them.
The stark wilderness setting creates natural obstacles that require the group to team up for survival and intensify the conflict between Owen’s party and the outlaws. Each character’s strength and fortitude are tested and highlighted, as even injured characters help in guarding captured prisoners and fighting the outlaws. The Rocky Mountains’ rugged terrain and majestic natural beauty make the scenes more cinematic.
As they spend time together while traveling, Owen and Delaney’s forced proximity leads to familiarity and friendship, and they become attracted to each other. Their romance feels organic, growing through bonding over shared challenges. Delaney leans on Owen’s strength while tending to Boone’s injuries, and her strategic thinking, along with her hunting and tracking skills, make her an asset to Owen throughout the journey. Their blossoming attraction flows alongside the story’s thrilling, high-stakes adventures. Both plotlines are immersive, creating a balanced narrative where neither aspect overshadows the other.
Readers who want the full range of stomach-swooping action and heartstring-tugging connection will love Ambush of the Heart.
Deadly Currents
Bestselling author Elizabeth Goddard offers a nautical romantic suspense story shrouded in secrecy, deception and danger in Deadly Currents, the third installment of the Hidden Bay series.
Cressida Valentine has been traveling across the world doing research for her late father’s unfinished book about ghost ships, shipwrecks and the mysteries and lore surrounding them. Her next stop is Hidden Bay, Washington, to investigate the Specter’s Bounty, a sunken vessel her father, a maritime historian, had been looking into before his death. In Hidden Bay, county detective Braden Sanders awaits Cressida’s arrival. Secretly, he’s been sent by a high-level government official as part of a deal which will help him acquire the experimental drug his niece needs to stay alive. In return, he is to protect Cressida from the ruthless forces determined to silence her and stop her research.
On arrival in Hidden Bay, Cressida is attacked. Her quick thinking saves her but the experience leaves her shaken. This suspenseful opening scene sets an energetic tone for the story, signaling the high stakes that lie ahead. As Deadly Currents unfolds, additional attacks and newly revealed details heighten the tension, keeping readers on the edge of their seats. Cressida and Braden are forced to reassess what they thought they knew about Cressida’s father’s death and the mysterious lost ship.
In teaming up to uncover the truth, Cressida and Braden find themselves drawn to each other. Both are set on discovering who Cressida’s attackers are and what they are trying to conceal. But Braden keeps his motive for protecting Cressida a secret, which leads to mistrust and complicates their growing bond. Though his withholding of information is driven by duty, Cressida struggles to understand his reasons and trust him again after learning the truth. Their emotional resolution alongside the plot’s exciting conclusion make the ending of Deadly Currents even more powerful and memorable.
The Lies We Trade
Debut author Kristine Delano worked on Wall Street for over 20 years—and now she’s bringing that experience to her novel The Lies We Trade, a layered thriller stocked with cutthroat professional rivalries and familial tension.
Outwardly, Meredith Hansel’s life seems picture-perfect, but below the surface, events are brewing that threaten to undo everything she’s worked to build. At home, Meredith cannot seem to communicate with her husband, and their teenage daughter is keeping secrets from them. Meanwhile, Betsey, her friend and mentee at their leading Wall Street firm, is behaving erratically. As trust erodes within her professional inner circle, Meredith tries to resolve the mystery surrounding Betsey’s sudden change while tackling her family issues.
Following unexpected actions from Betsey, Meredith is asked to sign a restraining order against her. The suspense only grows as situations continue to escalate in every aspect of Meredith’s life. Her home is vandalized and she is threatened multiple times. She suspects that someone is trying to frame her at the firm and that her daughter is hiding something alarming and potentially dangerous.
Meredith emerges as a strong, realistic character whose challenges feel familiar. She struggles to balance different demanding roles, wanting to be successful in all of them. Though Meredith’s career as a respected portfolio manager is impressive, she is humanized by her crumbling marriage, her parental challenges and the chaos of her work life. This combination of strength and vulnerability results in a character with psychological depth whose fortitude is inspiring.
The Lies We Trade’s climax is surprising and rewarding, and Delano brings the story to an excellent conclusion.