Forgotten Secret: A Psychological Suspense Thriller by S.F. Baumgartner (Mirror Estate Series Book 2)

About the Book

Book: Forgotten Secret: A Psychological Suspense Thriller

Author: S.F. Baumgartner

Genre: Christian Suspense, Thriller

Release date: January 8, 2024

For two decades, forty-four-year-old magazine writer Clara Khoury has lived with missing pieces of herself—her memory. When the recent discovery of a young woman’s remains triggers her, she’s compelled to investigate. Now, her disturbing past threatens her contented present, someone frames her husband, and their daughter is abducted. If she can’t uncover the truth, she might lose everyone she loves.

Locked within Clara’s shattered mind are the keys to crimes past and present. Can she recover the forgotten secret before losing her family?

 

Click here to get your copy!

 My Review:

Secrets are something else sometimes and this is one of those cases. This story gives us good Christian suspense. Twenty long years ago, something happened to Clara. Now, that's all coming back to the forefront again. What does she not remember that she needs to remember?  All the characters were great, and even the balance of good vs evil stands out in this story. What is this ghost? There are so many fun and exciting things in this story. I'm now hooked on this series. 

5 Stars 

About the Author

S.F. Baumgartner is a Christian suspense thriller author. She graduated from the University of Hawaii and the University of Cincinnati. When not writing, she enjoys spending time with her cats, staying active, and binge-watching crime TV shows. She lives in Ohio with her family

 

 

 

 

More from S.F.

Why I Wrote “Forgotten Secret”: The Continuation of a Thrilling Journey

Writing a sequel can be a daunting task, especially after a book like “Living Secrets” leaves readers hanging on the edge of their seats. But when your mind is brimming with ideas and the story just won’t let you go, you have to give in and write the next chapter. That’s precisely what happened with “Forgotten Secret,” the second book in the Mirror Estate series.

After penning “Buried Secrets” and “Living Secrets,” I found myself immersed in a world of untold stories and unresolved mysteries. “Living Secrets” ended with what some called a cliffhanger – a term I might softly contest – but undoubtedly, it set the stage for a compelling follow-up. I knew I had to deliver on that tease, and the journey to “Forgotten Secret” began.

The seed for this story was planted in a bonus scene of the prequel, hinting at a character’s disappearance. I had a rough outline: a disappearance, an aunt’s involvement, and a human trafficking angle. However, the real story was still elusive, waiting for that spark of inspiration to ignite it.

And then, as fate would have it, I stumbled upon something about amnesia. Suddenly, the plot began to take shape, transforming these disjointed ideas into a coherent, thrilling narrative. This serendipitous moment was a reminder of how stories can evolve from the most unexpected sources.

Writing “Forgotten Secret” was an adventure in itself. Scenarios would pop into my mind unbidden, each vying for a place in the story. Some made the cut, while others were set aside, perhaps to be revisited in future works. The suspense thriller genre doesn’t traditionally lend itself to “fun” in the conventional sense – it’s all about tension, suspense, and that edge-of-your-seat feeling. But that’s exactly the kind of excitement I wanted to capture in this book.

I’ve always been intrigued by the unpredictability of the thriller genre. As an author, you’re constantly walking a tightrope between revealing too much and not enough, all while maintaining that relentless pace that keeps readers turning pages. It’s a challenge, but one that I find incredibly rewarding.

In “Forgotten Secret,” I’ve tried to create a roller-coaster of emotions and plot twists. I want readers to experience that heady mix of anticipation, shock, and satisfaction as they journey through the book. My hope is that they find themselves fully immersed in the story, living through each revelation and cliffhanger as intensely as I did while writing them.

Thank you for joining me on this thrilling ride. I hope “Forgotten Secret” keeps you guessing, leaves you breathless, and, above all, lives up to the secrets it promises to unveil.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 15

Texas Book-aholic, May 16

Stories By Gina, May 17 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, May 17

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 18

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 19

Betti Mace, May 20

Lily’s Corner, May 21

Tell Tale Book Reviews, May 22 (Author Interview)

Blogging With Carol, May 23

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 24

For Him and My Family, May 25

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, May 26 (Author Interview)

The Lofty Pages, May 26

An Author’s Take, May 27

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 28

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, S.F. is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and an eBook copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2b7cb/forgotten-secret-celebration-tour-giveaway

Mabel and the LIttle Green Men by Susan Kimmel Wright (Mysteries of Medicine Spring)

About the Book

Book: Mabel and the Little Green Men

Author: Susan Kimmel Wright

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Release date: October 5, 2023

The last thing Mabel needed was a flying saucer, not to mention a rash of similar sightings all over town. Her life’s already been upended by getting fired and moving to Grandma’s old house in Medicine Spring. So far, the deceptively sleepy village has delivered several murders—and romance with a handsome private investigator. Are little green men next?

While Mabel tries to get to the bottom of the apparent space invasion, she also gets herself caught between competing candidates for township supervisor. Small-town politics call for more diplomacy than she has—not to mention the ability to duck, run, and hide.

And unfortunately, her UFO investigation only raises more questions. Long-buried secrets surface, all tied to one night in 1958 and another seeming alien attack. But something more troublesome than any Martian invasion is on its way. A film crew descends, bent on producing a documentary on the historic UFO crash. Hordes of tourists follow, all infected with flying saucer fever. When an all-too-human body turns up at the alleged alien gravesite in a local cemetery, Mabel realizes murder is bound to follow her, whether of this world or not.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 My Review:

I love Sci-Fi and UFO's! I always have. For this book, we have it all together. The lights, the murder, the mystery, even some scrabble. I find the slightly X-Files, just a touch of it, mixed with a Murder She Wrote kind of feeling to make this book just pure fun and adventure. I love Mable's age and how she handles things. I am so glad I got to read a second book in this series. I think I may have to read them all, this one was so very much fun. 

5 Stars 

About the Author

Susan Kimmel Wright began her life of mystery as a child, with reading. That led to writing kids’ mysteries and eventually to Medicine Spring with Mabel. A longtime member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, Susan’s also a prolific writer of personal experience stories, many for Chicken Soup for the Soul. She shares an 1875 farmhouse in southwestern PA with her husband, several dogs and cats, and an allegedly excessive stockpile of coffee and tea mugs.

 More from Susan

It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s a…UFO?

Have you ever looked up at the night sky and seen something you couldn’t explain? What did you—or would you—do? Call a friend? The police department? Post a picture on social media? Or maybe you’d keep it quiet, trying to convince yourself it was a figment of your imagination.

In Mabel & the Little Green Men, I had so much fun giving Mabel a UFO encounter and then seeing where it led her, while more sightings and the arrival of a TV documentary crew turned the small town of Medicine Spring topsy-turvy. Wacky characters and situations kept surprising me too!

My best friend has had UFO encounters—twice. Once, while sitting at her desk studying, she looked out to see a strange light hovering beyond her window. Another time, she spotted a large object in the sky ahead of her while driving home alone from a movie. Alas, though I’ve scanned the skies for years, this has never happened to me!

My friend is far from the only sane person to report seeing a UFO. Every year, hundreds of sightings are reported in the US, including many from police, ministers, military pilots, and others not known for fabrication or flights of fantasy. The term UFO (unidentified flying object), as well as the now-preferred term UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), both simply refer to an airborne object that can’t be readily identified. Neither term has anything whatsoever to do with flying saucers or “little green men.”

Most UFOs are eventually explained—some as atmospheric events, deflated balloons, or experimental aircraft. But the mystery fascinates me—especially for the handful that have never been satisfactorily explained.

While I’ve never personally seen a UFO, many people in my area reported the 1965 crash of the Kecksburg “space acorn,” an event now celebrated with an annual festival benefiting the fire department. Do you have a UFO story in your town?

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, May 17

Stories By Gina, May 18 (Author Interview)

The Lofty Pages, May 18

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 19

Texas Book-aholic, May 20

Tell Tale Book Reviews, May 21 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 22

Blogging With Carol, May 23

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, May 24

Vicky Sluiter, May 25 (Author Interview)

Pause for Tales, May 25

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 26

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 27

Lily’s Corner, May 28

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, May 29 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, May 30

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Susan is giving away the grand prize package of $50 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2b7cd/mabel-and-the-little-green-men-celebration-tour-giveaway

Tennessee Wildcat by Robynne Elizabeth Miller and J.D. Rushmore

 

About the Book

Book: Tennessee Wildcat: On the Trail of Laura Ingalls Wilders’ Mr. Edwards

Authors: Robynne Elizabeth Miller and J.D. Rushmore

Genre: Nonfiction/Historical Biography/Literary History

Release date: August 24, 2023

Mr. Edwards … that colorful Tennessee Wildcat Laura Ingalls Wilder so deeply loved. He helped Pa build the family’s cabin, saved Christmas by carrying presents across a raging creek, and spit further than Laura thought possible. Though he was a little rough around the edges, Laura simply adored Mr. Edwards. Through her vivid, heartwarming stories, we came to love him, too.

But who was he? Virtually all Laura’s Little Housecharacters were real people … even those whose names were changed to protect their reputations.

Mr. Edwards, however, wasn’t so easy to track down. In fact, he’s the sole Little Houseenigma … the only mentioned character that hasn’t clearly surfaced via historical records.

Was he fiction, for the sake of illustrating pioneer stereotypes? Was he a composite character, built from several men Laura knew during their time in Kansas? Was he a loose collection of memories and family lore, cobbled together for the sake of the narrative? Or was he a real man, whose full identity had previously evaded discovery?

We wanted to know the answer …

So, we dusted off our boots and headed out … hot on the trail of the wildcat from Tennessee!

 

 

Click here to get your copy!

My Review:

The writing style of this book is more of a documentary than a novel, but I still liked it a lot. I grew up with Little House on the Prarie as one of my most treasured sets of books and I also liked the TV series.  This is a deep dive into history and many things from Laura Ingalls Wilder. It has many tidbits of information that I didn't know or just found fascinating. I can easily recommend it to any fans of this series, or anyone who's interested in more of the history behind this amazing author and mysteries we have long pondered. 

5 Stars 

About the Authors

Robynne Elizabeth Miller holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction and Fiction and a B.A. in English Literature. She’s the author of ten books and countless articles, including Tennessee Wildcat, From the Mouth of Ma, and The Three Faces of Nellie.

Along with speaking nationally, Robynne is a writing and publishing coach and mentor, a writing teacher at writers conferences, workshops, and retreats, the Writing Track developer and director for Unbound, and the director of the Vision Christian Writers Conference at Mount Hermon.

She’s passionate about helping writers bring their stories and messages into the world and delving into the real people and places which populated the stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

 

J.D. Rushmore is a history and genealogy buff, with a particular interest in American history before 1900. He’s enamored with the opening of the west, pioneers, the gold rush, the Oregon trail, etc. He’s particularly passionate about researching historical mysteries, especially when they relate to the Little House series of books.

He is a musician in his spare time, as well as an “at everything” father, husband, and friend. He prefers the smell of historic archives to fresh air (unless it involves poking around a remote historic cemetery!) and has a knack for reading handwriting on historical documents that is illegible to others. Nothing thrills him more than finding the one tiny detail that, after being overlooked for decades, or even centuries, changes EVERYTHING.

More from Robynne

If you’re a Little House fan like us, you know how risky it was to delve into Mr. Edwards. Rumors have flown for decades as to his real identity, and some folks have double-downed on who they believe he was … declaring a particular name with certainty.

But it just didn’t add up. Through all our team’s collective Little House research and general love of 1800’s history, the name that had been put forward just didn’t make sense.

So, we had a choice.

We could avert our eyes, go about our other writing projects, and leave this mystery untouched. Or, we could, with as much neutrality and meticulous research as possible, see if Mr. Edwards’ true identity could be established.

We risked two things: upsetting some people if our findings didn’t support their theories, and crushing our own hearts if Mr. Edwards turned out to be the one character who Laura Ingalls Wilder constructed purely from her imagination.

We hope our respect for previous researchers, and the strength of our newly discovered information, helped avoid the first worry. And, the second? We were thrilled to discover Mr. Edwards almost certainly wasn’t a work of fiction!

Blog Stops

Alena Mentink, May 10

Lots of Helpers, May 10

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 11

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 12

Holly’s Book Corner, May 12

Lighthouse Academy Blog, May 13 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 14

Texas Book-aholic, May 15

Mary Hake, May 15

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 16

Blogging With Carol, May 17

Tell Tale Book Reviews, May 18

For Him and My Family, May 19

The Lofty Pages, May 20

Life on Chickadee Lane, May 21

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, May 21

Connie’s History Classroom , May 22

Cover Lover Book Review, May 23

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, May 23

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Robynne is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon Card, copy of Tennessee Wildcat and The Three Faces of Nellie, and a goodie bag of Laura Ingalls Wilder related gifts, including a piece of the actual Loftus Store, mentioned prominently in The Long Winter!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2b591/tennessee-wildcat-celebration-tour-giveaway

The Chaos Grid by Lyndsey Lewellen

 

About the Book

Book: The Chaos Grid

Author: Lyndsey Lewellen

Genre: YA Science Fiction

Release Date: April 9, 2024

Cross the grid. Survive the storms. Let your destiny burn. 

When mankind’s attempts to control nature backfire, Texas descends into a wasteland. Storms rage and ravenous beasts roam the Outer Grid. The only safe havens rest inside the tech-obsessed domed cities. But when her parents are murdered inside the Plex City dome, seventeen-year-old Juniper Conway wants revenge.

Ties to her extended family threaten to pull her back as she runs from city to city. The Plex is endangering its citizens by legalizing a deadly nano drug, and Juniper’s family needs her help to deliver the counteragent. Saving the city who orphaned her goes against everything she stands for. The only way out is to brave the wasteland.

Juniper joins a shipping crew fearless enough to transport food across the Outer Grid. But when a string of bad luck turns lethal, she fears something, or someone, is dragging her back to the Plex. As her world sinks into chaos, Juniper must decide if revenge is worth the lives of the crew she has come to love.

 

Click here to get your copy!

My Review:  

Brace yourself, this is epic-level stunning! What an amazing world, so well built and crafted, with so much action and tons of moral dilemmas. There has to be more in this series because it's that good. If there isn't, this is still well worth the read. We have a princess and so many characters to love in this story. I already love Sci-Fi and this one is rather dystopian as well. There's so much I want to say about it, but I will not risk spoiling anything. You just have to read this one, it has everything amazing that is possible in it. 

5 MASSIVE Stars 

About the Author

Lyndsey Lewellen grew up on a healthy dose of comic books, punk music, and sci-fi. She infuses all three loves into novels written for young adults. Inside her “what if” worlds, her characters take risks, grow, and fight for what matters. When she’s not writing or whittling down her endless TBR, she designs novel covers and paints on shoes. She lives on a small Texas farm with her best friend/husband, five children, and what some might call a zoo of animals (especially after meeting the peacocks).

 More from Lyndsey

“‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.” – Matthew 21:29

No. It’s a word I’ve heard many times over in my early days of parenting five children. In fact, after mama and dada, no was one of their earliest exercises of the English language. My eldest son held the word on the tip of his tongue like a cowboy during a high-noon showdown. Clean your room. No. Do your homework. No. Say you’re sorry. No. My children’s fondness of the word no is not a fluke, they come by it honestly. When something seems too difficult or overwhelming, I let loose the word no without giving it a second thought. At least in my heart I do. Yet, these days, I find myself saying yeswhile the no lingers on. Which, unless I actually do it, I’m sure is worse.

I think it is easier to follow a no with a yes when you can clearly see your wants are wrong. But what if the no seems justified? Then what?

In The Chaos Grid, Juniper Conway runs into this problem. Growing up in a domed city with all the comforts of weather regulation and short distance teleportation, on the surface, Juniper seems to want for nothing. Nothing except revenge. After her parents are murdered in the city that was supposed to keep her safe from the wasteland outside, she vows never to lift a finger of help for anyone under the Plex City dome.

Her plan goes well at first, bouncing from domed city to domed city, never returning to the Plex. But one day, she is plagued with visions calling her to either help those who took away her family or watch Plex City burn to the ground. Deep emotional wounds cloud Juniper’s judgement.  She could never rescue people who caused her such trauma. So, out comes the no.

Only, to say no, Juniper chooses a path through the dangerous Texas wasteland, known as the Outer Grid, filled with mutated beasts, wild storms, and vicious nano drug smugglers. Her only hope of survival rests in the shippers, truck drivers who deliver natural food from the protected farms to the domed cities. But becoming a shipper carries its own costs. Unfortunate events rain down on her as she crosses the Outer Grid, spilling over onto the crew. Eventually, she can no longer write the chaos off as bad luck and must face what it really is—discipline.

It’s in those realizations that we come to a crossroads. When we know our parents, bosses, or especially God disciplines us for what we do wrong, do we change course? It’s a humbling action, I know, specifically when you feel so strongly that you were in the right. But we humans don’t live in a vacuum. The actions we choose today tend to splash consequences onto others, whether good or bad. When that happens, it may cause us to look at ourselves with more of a critical eye. Am I being refined during this difficult time? Or is there a no I’ve said when I should’ve said yes?

For this reason, I believe the Psalmist writes, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” – Psalm 139: 23-24

As far as my children go, I’ve noticed wonderful changes as they grow. My son, for instance, now in high school, still answers my instructions with no at times. But more and more, he stops, assesses the situation, and comes back with a yes, doing what was asked over simply telling me he’d do it. And while I’d like to say his corrective behavior is due to my parenting skills, I know it comes from the Holy Spirit urging him to follow the commands God set up in the beginning. But I think it also comes from watching those in his church community do the same. When we do what we should do, others see it. The practice of doing God’s will over simply saying you’ll do it, whether anyone sees you do it or not, can greatly change our culture. Because God sees it. And His discipline is loving.

Sometimes it takes a good smack upside the head for us to recognize His loving discipline. For Juniper, a wild ride through the post-apocalyptic wasteland might just do the trick. I hope you will follow her down a road of twists, turns, and the journey to do what’s right when every fiber of you being tells you not to.

Buckle up and relish the drive,

Lyndsey

Blog Stops

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, April 30

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, May 1

Simple Harvest Reads, May 2 (Author Interview)

Exploring The Written Word, May 2

Through the Fire Blogs, May 3 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, May 4

Artistic Nobody, May 5 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 6

Splashes of Joy, May 7 (Author Interview)

The Lofty Pages, May 7 

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 8

Tell Tale Book Reviews, May 9

Wishful Endings, May 10

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, May 11 (Author Interview)

Blogging With Carol, May 12

Guild Master, May 13 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Lyndsey is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and hardcover copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2b35c/the-chaos-grid-celebration-tour-giveaway