Tag: Irene Hannon

7 April 2023

First Line Friday #279 | From This Day Forward by Irene Hannon

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m quoting from From This Day Forward by Irene Hannon, one of her earlier women’s fiction stories.

Here’s the first line from Chapter One:

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About From This Day Forward

They thought their marriage was over—but can forgiveness open the door to a new future?

After his surgical career ends in tragedy and his marriage shatters, Dr. Sam Martin leaves Philadelphia for a new life in Oak Hill, Missouri. But he’s never stopped loving the woman who stole his heart. Determined to win her back, Sam invites Cara to recover at his home after she suffers a trauma of her own.

Desperate to find a way to conquer the panic attacks that are paralyzing her, Cara accepts—though she wants no part of the husband who betrayed her. Deep in America’s heartland she discovers a changed man—but can she and Sam find a way to build a new future from the ashes of their past?

In this HOLT Medallion winner, bestselling author Irene Hannon takes readers on an uplifting journey that illustrates the healing power of love…and hope.

Find From This Day Forward online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

18 October 2021

Book Review | Labyrinth of Lies (Triple Threat #2) by Irene Hannon

It’s been a while since I read any of Irene Hannon’s romantic suspense novels. They were what first got me hooked on her as an author, but I found they started to get a bit of a “samey” feel and stopped reading them. Instead, I started reading more of her excellent women’s fiction/romances.

But Labyrinth of Lies looked interesting, so I requested a review copy. The idea of a woman in her thirties going undercover as a high school student in an exclusive boarding school appealed to me (you can thank Johnny Depp and 21 Jump Street, and Drew Barrymore in Never Been Kissed). I was doubly hooked when I realised her lost love was also undercover in the same school, but working a different case for a different agency.

I very much enjoyed the interactions between Cate and Zeke.

What I enjoyed less was the additional characters: the school counsellor, the janitor, and the security guard, and the evildoer themselves (who I won’t identify because #spoilers but I did roll my eyes at the big reveal). I guess the point of having Will and Eduardo as major characters was to show how one “minor” bad decision can lead to a whole lot of trouble. But I just found it distracted from the Zane plot because knowing what the evildoers thought and were planning destroyed much of the tension.

It also puzzled me that the students smoked (it seems very last century—I’m told students in New Zealand have switched to vaping because it’s cheaper and tastes better), the students didn’t wear school uniform, even in a posh boarding school (and didn’t even seem to have a dress code—or is that normal for all American schools?), and the school didn’t provide housing for staff. They made a point of saying the school was in a fairly remote setting (although still within easy driving distance of a larger town).

Yes, the Christian message was excellent, but I thought the message was delivered at the expense of the plot and the development of the main characters.

Thanks to Revell and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Irene Hannon

Irene Hannon is the best-selling author of more than 35 novels. Her books have been honored with the coveted RITA Award from Romance Writers of America, the HOLT Medallion, the Reviewer’s Choice Award from Romantic Times BOOKreviews magazine and the Daphne du Maurier Award for mystery/suspense. Irene and her husband make their home in Missouri, USA.

Find Irene Hannon online at:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

About Labyrinth of Lies

When the daughter of a high-profile businessman disappears from an exclusive girls’ boarding school, police detective Cate Reilly is tapped for an undercover assignment. It doesn’t take her long to realize that beneath the veneer of polish and wealth, things are not as they seem at Ivy Hill Academy. But the biggest surprise of all? The only man she ever loved is also working at the school.

Zeke Sloan has never forgotten Cate, but now isn’t the best time for their paths to cross again. When their two seemingly disparate agendas begin to intertwine–and startling connections emerge among the players–the danger escalates significantly. But who is the mastermind behind the elaborate ruse? And how far will they go to protect their house of cards?

Queen of romantic suspense Irene Hannon invites you to scale the heights of human folly and plumb the depths of the human heart in this second gripping book in the Triple Threat series.

Find Labyrinth of Lies online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

10 August 2020

Book Review | Starfish Pier (Hope Harbor #6) by Irene Hannon

This is the third or fourth book I’ve read in the Hope Harbor series. Note that each novel in this series is a standalone, and you don’t have to read the earlier stories for this one to make sense.

Starfish Pier has Charley and his fish taco stand (I would love to try one of his tacos!), seagulls Floyd and Gladys (what else do you name a pair of seagulls?), and the ongoing banter between the Catholic priest and the Protestant pastor readers have enjoyed in the earlier books in the series.

But the banter hid a serious message.

Holly Miller is a first-grade teacher who volunteers at church and is staunchly pro-life. (So she’s both anti-abortion and anti-capital punishment … which makes sense to me). Steven Roark is a ex-Army sniper who now runs a fishing charter business. He moved to Hope Harbor to watch out for his brother, a budding alcoholic.

Yes, Starfish Pier is a romance.

But it also has some of the bigger issues that are more often dealt with in women’s fiction. Patrick resents his high-achieving big brother, and there are definite elements of the Prodigal Son about the story in his actions. But Steven isn’t the self-righteous big brother he could be. He’s a man with his own history, a history he’s not entirely comfortable with.

Then there’s Holly. She’s mentally and spiritually strong, but has a history of medical problems she’s trying to overcome. I admired that about her. She wasn’t prepared to let her (real) issues get in the way more than necessary. Instead, she was willing to share herself and her history, and make a difference where it mattered.

Overall, Starfish Pier is an intelligent and timely look at modern issues through a Christian lens that shows but never preaches.

Recommended for romance and women’s fiction readers.

Thanks to Revell and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Irene Hannon

Find Irene Hannon online at:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

About Starfish Pier

A year ago, ex-Delta Force operator Steven Roark left the rigors of combat behind to run fishing charters in Hope Harbor, decompress, and talk some sense into his kid brother. Business is good–but making peace with his past is more challenging than he expected.

First-grade teacher Holly Miller leads a quiet, low-profile existence–until she’s recruited to advocate for a cause that’s dear to her heart. When she solicits Steven’s assistance, sparks fly–especially after they find themselves on opposite sides of an issue that disrupts their placid seaside community.

As these two seemingly incompatible souls search for common ground, might they discover a deeper connection–and find that love can banish darkness and light the way to a future filled with promise?

Bestselling and award-winning author Irene Hannon invites you back to Hope Harbor–where hearts heal . . . and love blooms.

Find Starfish Pier online at:

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

Read the introduction to Starfish Pier below:

24 July 2020

First Line Friday | Week 145 | Driftwood Bay by Irene Hannon

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from Driftwood Bay by Irene Hannon, the fifth book in her Hope Harbor series. Here’s the first line of Chapter One:

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About Driftwood Bay

After tragedy upends her world, Jeannette Mason retreats to the tiny Oregon seaside town of Hope Harbor to create a new life. Vowing to avoid emotional attachments, she focuses on running her lavender farm and tea-room–until a new neighbor with a destructive dog and a forlorn little girl invades her turf. But she needn’t worry. Dr. Logan West is too busy coping with an unexpected family, a radical lifestyle change, and an unruly pup to have any interest in his aloof and disagreeable neighbor.

Yet when both Jeanette and Logan find themselves pulled into the life of a tattered Christian family fleeing persecution in war-torn Syria, might they discover that love sometimes comes calling when it’s least expected?

Bestselling and award-winning author Irene Hannon invites readers back to the charming seaside town of Hope Harbor, where they are sure to find peace, healing, and a second chance at happiness.

You can find Driftwood Bay online at:

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

Click the button to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today:

You can then click the link which will take you to the master page of all this week’s #FirstLineFriday posts.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

And don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

6 December 2018

#ThrowbackThursday | Thin Ice by Irene Hannon

It’s Throwback Thursday! Today I’m resharing my review of Thin Ice by Irene Hannon. This review originally appeared at Suspense Sisters Reviews.

Thin Ice started with a bang and didn’t let up all the way right to the last page. Lance McGregor is a brand new FBI agent who finds himself with a mystery involving Christy Reed, an attractive ice skater who appears to be receiving letters from her sister, who supposedly died in a house fire two months earlier. Lance and Christy are both excellent characters, and their mutual attraction almost sizzles on the page.

Hannon adds to the tension by including scenes from the viewpoint of the kidnapper, and these were well done: too many novelists give their evildoers horrific childhoods, as though that is to blame for their adult actions. Hannon shows that while this antagonist did have a difficult upbringing, he was also a cruel boy who has grown up to be a cruel man who blames others for his less-than-perfect life.

It’s classic Irene Hannon

A strong hero with a military background (and the emotional baggage that brings), a beautiful yet self-sufficient heroine who understands people (especially the hero), a suspense-driven plot with plenty of unpredictable twists and turns, and a strong underlying romantic tension. Add in a good dose of Christian faith, and you’ve got a classic Irene Hannon novel. She’s one of my favourite romantic suspense authors, and she delivers another winner with On Thin Ice. Recommended for romantic suspense fans.

Thanks to Revell and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Irene Hannon

Find Irene Hannon online at:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

About Thin Ice

After losing her parents in a car accident and her sister to a house fire, Christy Reed has been mired in grief. Life is finally starting to feel normal again when an envelope arrives in the mail–addressed in her sister’s handwriting. And the note inside claims she is still alive.

FBI Special Agent Lance McGregor, a former Delta Force operator, is assigned to reopen the case, but he’s coming up with more questions than answers. If Ginny Reed is still alive–who is the woman buried in her grave? Where is Ginny? And is Christy a pawn in a twisted cat-and-mouse game–or the target of a sinister plot? As he digs deeper, one thing becomes clear: whoever is behind the bizarre ruse has a deadly agenda.

You can find Thin Ice online at:

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

You can read the introduction to Thin Ice below:

4 April 2018

New Releases in Christian Fiction from ACFW | April 2018

Welcome to April! Today I’m sharing the new releases in Christian Fiction from American Christian Fiction Writers for April 2018. More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website.

Which of these books are you planning to read this month?

Contemporary Romance:

Pelican Point by Irene Hannon — After inheriting a crumbling lighthouse, ex-Army doctor Ben Garrison wants to sell it. But Hope Harbor Herald editor Marci Weber is determined to save the town landmark. Can these two romance-wary souls finds a meeting of the minds…and hearts? (Contemporary Romance from Revell – A Division of Baker Publishing)

An Amish Heirloom by Amy Clipston, Kathleen Fuller, Kelly Irvin, and Beth Wiseman — From bestselling Amish authors come four novellas about the meaning and tradition found behind every family heirloom. (Contemporary Romance from HarperCollins Christian Publishing)

Historical Romance:

This Wilderness Journey by Misty Beller — He’s been sent to retrieve the new missionary… But she’s not at all who he expects to find. (Historical Romance, Independently Published)

The Accidental Guardian by Mary Connealy — Deborah and her sister and two little children survive a wagon train massacre. Trace finds them and takes them home. He finds himself their accidental guardian. He must protect them all and gain justice. When he does, all these friendly visitors–especially Deborah–will leave him forever. (Historical Romance from Bethany House [Baker])

First Love Forever Romance Collection by Susanne Dietze, Marcia Gruver, Cynthia Hickey, Carrie Fancette Pagels, Martha Rogers, Lorna Seilstad, Connie Stevens, Erica Vetsch, and Jennifer Uhlarik — Coming face to face with a lost love can be awkward when the heartstrings are still holding on to the “what ifs.” In settings from 1865 to 1910, nine couples are thrown back on the same path by life’s changes and challenges. Can love rekindle despite the separation of time and space? (Historical Romance from Barbour Publishing)

All Things Beautiful by Keely Brooke Keith — It’s 1868 in the settlement of Good Springs, and Hannah Vestal is passionate about writing fiction and keeping her stories to herself. When her father asks to read her work, she decides to have it printed secretly for his 50th birthday. Hannah tries to arrange the printing with the settlement’s pressman, but the witty and dapper Henry Roberts has better things to do with his ink.

In order to secure settlement support for his printing press, the elder council says Henry must print an error-free copy of the New Testament before the settlement’s 8th anniversary celebration. He is determined to meet their challenge, but when the enigmatic Hannah proves to be a beguiling distraction, Henry longs for something more than a life at the letterpress. (Historical Romance from Edenbrooke Press)

This is on my to-read-and-review pile. It’s classified as historical fiction, but it also has speculative elements, as the settlement of Good Springs is in the hidden Land from the Uncharted series.

Adoration by Olivia Rae — Sir Darrin de Longue is desperate to get his lands back from Lady Faith de Sainte-Marie, the woman who betrayed him and may have had a hand in his father’s murder. But King Richard discloses on his deathbed that Lady Faith is the king’s daughter and then issues an ultimatum Darrin must obey. In order to reclaim his lands, he must marry Lady Faith and get her with child in a year’s time.

Lady Faith has loved the rowdy and bold Sir Darrin since childhood, but cannot be a true wife to the bitter, angry man whom she has wed. In order to gain his trust and love, she vows to find the truth about his father’s murder. But when she stumbles upon deadly secrets, will she be able to prove her innocence–and his–to erase the past and win Darrin’s heart? (Historical Romance from HopeKnight Press)

Under Prairie Skies by Cynthia Roemer — Illinois prairie, 1855. Unsettled by the news that her estranged cousin and uncle are returning home after a year away, Charlotte Stanton goes to ready their cabin and finds a handsome stranger has taken up residence. Convinced he’s a squatter, she throws him off the property before learning his full identity. Little does she know, their paths are destined to cross again.

Quiet and ruggedly handsome, Chad Avery’s uncanny ability to see through Charlotte’s feisty exterior and expose her inner weaknesses both infuriates and intrigues her. When a tragic accident incites her family to move east, Charlotte stays behind in hopes of becoming better acquainted with the elusive cattleman. Yet Chad’s unwillingness to divulge his hidden past, along with his vow not to love again, threatens to keep them apart forever. (Historical Romance from Mantle Rock Publishing)

The Pirate Bride by Kathleen Y’Barbo — The last time New Orleans attorney Jean-Luc Valmont saw Maribel Cordoba, a Spanish nobleman’s daughter, she was an eleven-year-old orphan perched in the riggings of his privateering vessel proving herself as the best lookout on his crew. Until the day his infamy caught up with them all and innocent lives were lost.

Unsure why he survived but vowing to make something of the chance he was given, Jean-Luc has buried his past life so deep that no living person will ever find it—until a very much alive and very grown up Maribel Cordoba arrives on his doorstep and threatens all he now holds dear. (Historical Romance from Barbour Publishing)

General Contemporary:

Shadows of Hope by Georgiana Daniels — Crisis pregnancy worker Marissa Moreau suspects her husband is cheating, but little does she know how close to home her husband’s infidelity hits. College student Kaitlyn Farrows is floundering after a relationship with her professor leaves her pregnant. Soon she lands a job and a support system at the local pregnancy resource center and things seem to be turning around.

But when Marissa and Kaitlyn become friends, neither one knows they share a connection—Colin, Marissa’s husband and Kaitlyn’s former professor. When their private lives collide, the two women must face the ultimate test of their faith and choose how to move forward as they live in the shadows of hope. (General Contemporary from Barbour Publishing)

I’ve already read and reviewed this—it’s excellent. Click here to read my review.

Romantic Suspense:

Secret Past by Sharee Stover — With gunmen at her doorstep, Katie Tribani learns her true identity. She’s been in witness protection since childhood, and now her crime-lord father has found her. (Romantic Suspense from Love Inspired [Harlequin])

Young Adult:

Chase by Glenn Haggerty — Tyler, a middle school newbie, shadows drug runners to rat out the methamphetamine dealer before his friend turns into a brain-dead druggie. (Young Adult, Independently Published)