Welcome to Friday Reads!
Rhonda has offered to give away a print copy of Rocky Mountain Revenge (US ONLY) or an electronic copy. You can enter by using the Rafflecopter link at the end of my blog post. (Giveaway ends August 7, 2020. Share on X
If you are the randomly chosen winner, I’ll contact you.
Blurb for Rocky Mountain Revenge…
To survive her deadly homecoming, she’ll need to trust a man from her past…
Temporarily home to help at her family’s vet clinic, Grace Porter has no intentions of staying—but someone’s determined she won’t live long enough to leave. With both Grace and her sister in the crosshairs, her ex-boyfriend, Police Chief Evan Bradshaw, must protect them. But can the single dad lawman uncover the truth about why a killer’s out for vengeance before time runs out?
The story behind the story…
When the Love Inspired editors announced, in February 2019, they were hosting The Great Love Inspired Author Search, I knew I had to enter. After all I’d spent the last six years targeting the Harlequin Love Inspired lines. This would be my fourth time entering one of their pitch contests, my third pitching to Love Inspired Suspense. The only problem was I didn’t have anything new to enter. They’d already seen all of my manuscripts.
I follow the Love Inspired editors on social media, so I had read several posts on themes and settings they’d like to see. One editor had even mentioned Colorado as a place she’d like to see in a book. This started my wheels turning because my husband, who I lovingly refer to as Mountain Man, and I lived in Colorado for a few months when we were first married. I knew I wanted the setting to be an imaginary small town named Blackberry Falls and that the heroine, Grace Porter, had to be a veterinarian who had run away from her small-town roots. And what’s a homecoming story without a reunion romance? Enter, Police Chief Evan Bradshaw, the man Grace had left behind. Once I had the main characters and the setting in place, everything else just kind of evolved from there.
Excerpt from Rocky Mountain Revenge…
A truck came speeding up behind them. He couldn’t be sure because they were out in the country and there weren’t any streetlights, but it looked a lot like the truck that had tried to push them into the oncoming train the night Chloe had been attacked. Evan sped up. He had to lose them before they reached the turnoff to the cabin.
Grace twisted in her seat to look out the rear window, but didn’t say a word.
Evan’s phone rang. He hit the answer button on the steering wheel. “Chief Bradshaw here.”
“We lost Avery Hebert.” Agent Ingalls’s voice sounded over the speaker.
Evan glanced at Grace, her eyes still focused on the vehicle tailing them. “I think we found him.”
“Where are you?” Ingalls asked.
“County Road 11. About fifteen miles north of the Flying V Ranch.”
Grace screamed, “He’s going to hit us!” She twisted around in her seat, facing the front as the truck rammed into the back of Evan’s vehicle. Metal crunched against metal, and his tires skidded on the wet pavement.
“Bradshaw, what’s happening?” Ingalls asked urgently.
“He’s trying to make us crash.” Tightening his grip on the steering wheel, Evan spared a brief glance at Grace. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. But how are we going to stop him?” She looked over her shoulder and then back to him again. “Can I hold the steering wheel, and you shoot his tires or something?”
“Don’t do anything reckless,” Ingalls yelled across the speakers. “We’ve notified the sheriff’s office, and I’m on my way.” The call went silent.
Evan sped up, putting a little distance between him and the truck, but the other driver soon closed the gap, ramming into them again. This time the impact shattered the back window, but Evan had been able to hold the Jeep steady without skidding.
Evan raced away again, driving dangerously fast on the wet road. His headlights flashed on a bright yellow diamond-shaped road sign, and an eerie, sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. A quick glance in the rearview mirror showed the truck was still barreling down on them—and they were fast approaching the Hangman’s Noose curve.
My review…
Rocky Mountain Revenge is a strong debut from Starnes, showing she has a bright future with Love Inspired Suspense.
Faith, love, and vengeance abound in the small town of Blackberry Falls, Colorado. Veterinarian Grace Porter returns to her hometown, only to find her sister after a brutal attack. Grace now finds herself in the crosshairs, and she will have to work together with her ex-boyfriend, Police Chief Evan Bradshaw, if she hopes to stay alive.
Action starts early on, and the pace stays active, to keep the reader engaged and guessing along as Grace and Evan sleuth things out. I liked that the heroine had a bit of an unusual career (not that the career itself is unusual, but it’s not one I see in a lot of the books I read). I also really enjoyed Barkely and the fact that the romance angle wasn’t overwhelming.
If you enjoy clean suspense stories, this is one to add to your TBR pile. I look forward to reading future books from this author.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy, but I wasn’t required to leave a positive review.
About Rhonda…
Rhonda Starnes is a middle school language arts teacher who has dreamed of being a published author since she was in seventh grade. She lives in North Alabama with her husband, who she lovingly refers to as Mountain Man. They enjoy traveling and spending time with their children and grandchildren. Rhonda writes romantic suspense with rugged heroes and feisty heroines.
Where you can find her online…
https://www.facebook.com/RhondaStarnesAuthor/
https://www.instagram.com/rhonda_starnes/
https://twitter.com/Rhonda_Starnes
Rules for giveaway can be found here.
Oh this soynds so good! I love a good suspenseful book!
Thank you Leslie for showcasing a new author for me! ?
You’re welcome, Jean. It’s a really good book. I think you’ll enjoy it. Good luck!
Thanks, Jean. I also think it’s pretty great Leslie is showcasing my debut. ?
You’re very welcome, Rhonda!
I loved your testimony, Rhonda! I’m so inspired to hang in there. It just seems to take a long time.
I agree. Very inspiring.
Good luck, Yvonne. Thanks for visiting my blog.
Yvonne, I absolutely understand the frustration of things not happening in the time frame that we expect. Hang in there! And keep writing!
Rhonda did a good job on this. I was especially impressed with the minute details of veterinarians’ life and work, and also the research that went into the horses’ performance drugs. Don’t enter me in the drawing, I have it.
Thanks for stopping by and weighing in. I’m glad you enjoyed it, Kathy.
Thanks, Kathy. I always love learning new things when I’m doing research for a book.
Since I’ve lived in many Colorado towns, I especially like stories set in the beautiful mountains of this state. The setting of Blackberry Falls immediately drew me in, as did the fast paced action! Great job, Rhonda! I appreciate your perseverance in reaching your dream. Cheering for you!
I’ve heard that it’s beautiful there, Sherida. I’d love to visit one day.
Thanks for stopping by, Sherida. Colorado is a beautiful state. I’d love to visit it again one day.