COVID - 19 Projects

On March 18, 2020, it was announced by my employer that we'd be going to a skeleton staff of essential employees only for the next month (at least) in response to the ever-increasing dangers of COVID-19 in our area. It's going to be an interesting time since we're in the middle of an annual audit and implementing new financial/personnel management software with a 'Go-Live" date of June 1st. Working part-time (essentially 20 hours per week) to get just the essential duties completed like cutting checks to vendors would be hard enough but keeping up with the audit and the new implementation was going to make this an adventure.

Even so, with the extra time COVID-19 has provided since we are pretty much stuck at home and the reduced hours at work, I decided to work on some craft projects that have been needing my attention as well as getting some books reviewed. My craft projects can be found at https://kristalsingletaryartprojects.blogspot.com/ while the book reviews will be posted here at The Review Room. The following list of projects/reviewed will be updated as I post. ENJOY!

March 20, 2020 - "No Safe Place" By Sherri Shackelford (5 Star Book Review)

March 23, 2020 - "Killer Amnesia" by Sherri Shackelford (5 Star Book Review)

March 25, 2020 - 1965 Chevy Stepside Truck (Model)

March 28, 2020 - Hope Flowers (Truth Be Told Art) Painting

April 2, 2020 - Lantern (Diamond Gem Painting)

April 8, 2020 - My COVID-10 Model Truck Fleet

April 12, 2020 - Fear Not Painting

April 15, 2020 - Topiary (Truth Be Told Art) Painting

April 22, 2020 - The Last Supper (Diamond Gem Painting)

April 26, 2020 - Butterfly, Lotus Flower, and Dragonfly Paintings

April 28, 2020 - Faith over Fear (Truth Be Told Art) Painting

May 24, 2020 - Coffee Cups (Truth Be Told Art) Painting

July 26, 2020 - Kobe, Michael & LeBron (Diamond Gem Painting)

Killer Amnesia by Sherri Shackelford (Released October 2019) 5 Star Review

 Create in me a clean heart, O God: and renew a right spirit within me. ~ Psalms 51:10

Deputy Liam McCallister's undercover work in the Gang Unit of the Dallas Police Department has him directing traffic in small-town Redbird, Texas as Deputy McCourt. Then a seemingly random but potentially fatal car accident puts him back into investigative mode. 

Journalist Emma Lyons awakens after the accident with no memory of who she is or what happened. Was it a disgruntled ex or someone she's investigating for her next book? When the old man Emma had talked to shortly before her accident turns up dead, the threats against her ratchets up considerably and keeps you turning pages long after you should be.

Tossed from foster home to foster home as a child and failing a friend resulting in her death, Liam feels undeserving of a normal life. Lying about who he is, keeps him distant but his hang-ups and insecurities make him just flawed enough to be relatable. Emma's emotional (and physical) journey to remember her past was written so skillfully you could almost feel her pain. The romance seemed a little rushed but the suspense came from trying to solve what happened to Emma -- as well as the potential for Liam to be called away to testify in Dallas. 

The overarching dilemma revolves around the frequent question of why God sometimes allows bad things to happen, stressing the need to trust in God when life seems out of control. The who and why of the story keeps you hooked from the beginning but the characters really drive the story. I highly recommend this story and the author is quickly becoming a must-read for romantic suspense.

Bonus: Supporting character Blanche Slattery is the owner of Blanche's B&B as well as Liam's landlady while in Redbird. She is an absolute hoot. Someone I'd love to spend an afternoon sitting on the porch sipping tea and listening to her stories. 

Definite 5 Stars!

Author's Page: Sherri Shackelford

Purchase Page:   Amazon   |   Apple iBooks  |   Harlequin

"No Safe Place" By Sherri Shackelford (Released January 2019) 5 Star Review

For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? ~ Mark 8:36

Raised by a cop, Beth knows she has to do something when she finds suspicious financial activity involving an offshore bank account. This isn't the first time she's encountered the name Cayman Holdings Limited. When she shared information about the company with her mentor, Timothy Swan, he ended up dead. She knows the only way to report the illegal activity without encountering the same fate she has to use the three-day weekend to disappear. Only things don't go as planned when she's attacked and nearly kidnapped in the parking garage on her way out. Co-worker Corbin rescues her from the assailants but his appearance itself brings up concerns for Beth. She's been burned before by an audit client who romanced her with the expectations she wouldn't turn him in for fraud. Could he be working for Cayman and trying to find out what she knows? 

Undercover for homeland security, Corbin has been watching Beth for weeks. She may seem innocent but her name keeps showing up in connection with other investigations and the evidence keeps stacking up against her. He'd been the case agent for Tim Swan before he was killed and worried his judgment has been clouded by his attraction for the pretty accountant. 

Ms. Shackelford's "No Safe Place" provides a compelling moral dilemma for Beth. She learns that the company she's working for is engaged in illegal activity but coming forward as a whistleblower might cost her life as well as her job. She's put into an almost no-win situation. She can't let the company get away with what they've been doing but in bringing them to justice, she's going to have to go on the run for the rest of her life. Even for someone without family, like Beth, that's not an easy decision. She's going to have to give up every friend she has, every relationship she's built as well as be wary of anyone she meets in the future. What if they recognize her? What if she accidentally reveals part of her past and it gets her (or someone else) killed? She's already lost her mentor Timothy. 

When the bullets start flying, Beth starts to second guess her decision, having to rely on her faith to stay the course. Then she finds out the one person she's gotten close to while dodging those bullets (Corbin) has been lying to her and maybe even believes she's at fault. 

Ms. Shackelford is no stranger to romance having written several historical romance novels but her contemporary romantic suspense debut takes you for a wild ride from the start and you better hold on tight.

5 STARS!!!

Author's Page: Sherri Shackelford

Purchase Page:   Amazon   |   Apple iBooks  |   Harlequin