Brandilyn Collins

There’s a dog in it – I’m bound to love this book. The dog in question is a very opinionated Yorkie. And the Yorkie will have to like the girl, if she’s going to marry the boy. But this book is much deeper than romance, and much broader than family drama. A lonely protagonist is thrown into big family dynamics, while struggling to hide the darkness of her past. A wayward son thinks he’s found “the one” and makes too many assumptions. The strong daughter might not be as strong show more as she looks. And the mom? In this zanily real family, she’s a matriarch with a glorious sense of humor. And she’s almost as important as the dog.

The story starts with family – so many members, adults, children (and dog) – and smelly feet. But it soars when wounded Christina arrives, changing the whole dynamic, demanding to hide yet ever being seen. Faith, family and fun combine as Christina’s terrors subside. Painful hardships, cruel misunderstandings, and lobsters give the story a genuine edge. Meanwhile the combination of sharp and sweet ends up offering just the right flavor. With wise advice and genuine heart, the book is “Unexpected. Different. A little more than ... bargained for,” just like genuinely meeting the Dearings. I shall hope to read more.

Disclosure: I bought this in the Women of Heart collection and I offer my honest review. show less

I chose an oldie, but a goodie, for my morning walks when I downloaded the audiobook of Brink of Death, the first book in Brandilyn Collins’ Hidden Faces series. Published back in 2004, this novel kicks off a four book series featuring Annie Kingston, a recently divorced mother of two. Seeking to protect her children from bad influences back in the San Francisco Bay Area, Annie moves them to her late father’s (a controversial and hated defense attorney) home in an exclusive fly-in show more neighborhood. But bad things can happen in good neighborhoods too, as Annie soon discovers when her neighbor is murdered.

Told in Annie’s first person voice and the 3rd person POV of the bad guy, the reader gets a good look into Annie’s fears and doubts and the maniacal thinking of the psychopathic murderer. Collins promises Seatbelt Suspense, and she delivers with this book. Annie, a courtroom artist, is recruited to come up with a composite of the murderer from the eyewitness account of the victim’s daughter. Annie’s discovery that she has seen the man before sets her on a investigation of her own. The action comes fast and furious as Annie uncovers the motive behind the murder. I loved that Annie explores the field of forensic art — lots of great info and insight shared. Annie is a non-believer going into the story, but her neighbors’ witness in a time of trauma kindles her interest in a God who promises always to be at her side.

Brink of Death is a great choice when you just need a suspense-filled book. It’s a quick read that keeps you turning the pages and staying up past your bed time. 😉 It is also the first book in a series that promises more of the same. And the good news is all the books are out — binge-reading here you come! Brink of Death is currently $2.99 on Kindle, and the other 3 in the series are discounted as well — all 4 for less than $18!

Recommended.

(I purchased the audiobook from Audible. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) show less

Jessie’s mother did everything right, but never felt good enough. She loved God, but never felt she measured up. And now Jessie, orphaned, graduated from college, and determined, plans to continue her mother’s job, to honor or mend her memory.

In a small American 1960s mill town, lives and jobs are depended on salaries paid by the owner. But a new owner, with a big house to maintain, might not have enough left over to offer a raise. When livelihoods are threatened, tempers begin to boil show more over and trouble brews.

“We don’t want a union,” the townspeople say, determined that no one but they should give orders, yet afraid that neighboring people might take their jobs. They do want change, and they do want action. And Jessie does want to get away. But she’s the niece of one worker, and falling in love with another, and time’s running out.

Author Brandilyn Collins contrasts small town poverty with large-world questions of peace, war and violence, bringing characters on all sides of the divide to life, and offering a convincing view of Christian faith in a very real world – faith that’s frequently flawed, but powerful just the same. With a blend of first and third-person narration, honest dialog, and fascinating relationships, she offers a story of genuine emotion, real scares, and honest Christianity. It’s a really good read.

Disclosure: I bought a copy after hearing the author speak, and I offer my honest review. show less

Originally Reviewed at: http://empyreanedge.com/archives/3034 (Mother/Gamer/Writer)
Review Source: NetGalley
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Controllers

I can’t think of a better way to describe Gone to Ground other than PERFECT! Author Brandilyn Collins sure knows how to hook a reader’s attention and take them on a journey they will think about long after the story is over. With its laugh-out-loud funny quotes from Cherrie Mae, Collins gave this page turner the WOW-factor which made it a show more heart-stopping, adrenaline pumping, turbulent, whirlwind sleuthing mystery. Once I started, I couldn’t get enough of each Southern Bell and the choices they had to make, fears they had to overcome, and the murder that brought them all together.

Gone to Ground is told in the first-person perspective from three women who live in the small town of Amaryllis, Mississippi. Each woman, with ages ranging from 19 to 60’s, contributes to the unique southern charm and highly contagious dialect of the novel. Cherrie Mae, a housekeeper for just about everyone in the town, has to be one of the strongest and wisest people in Amaryllis. With this character, Collins captured the heart and soul of southern African American women. She was a sassy, comical, no-nonsense, you-better-listen-to-me-I’m-your-elder kind of lady. Often throughout the story I pictured her to be a few different women from my own church. I loved it! It excited me, and brought out my own Southern Girl Attitude! She was definitely the voice of reason and the glue that held the characters together.

Trully and Deena are the other two women MC’s in the story. Trully, a teenager about to give birth to her first child with her abusive husband, starts off as a shy and frightened young woman. Because of her love for one man she makes choices, albeit some were better than others, which essentially affect her marriage. Hanging on to the hope that her husband will change, she is forced to decide between doing the right thing and protecting the man she loves. Over the course of the novel, I enjoyed her transformation from humble to courageous. It was genuine, well constructed, and relatable. Deena, a hairdresser, was also a delight to read. She was passionate, witty, and never let any of the men around her push her into doing something she didn’t want to do. And once these women teamed up, they became unstoppable, bringing not one but TWO killers to justice, and ridding a town of corrupt criminals.

Overall, Gone to Ground is a novel I expected nothing from. I didn’t even expect it to be good. However, I am pleasantly surprised by the amount of enjoyment I received from devouring this novel over the course of a few hours. It’s definitely a quick read with a satisfying conclusion. And a wondrous break from the usual paranormal romance books I read. I recommend this book to everyone, men and woman alike, in hopes that you will find these True Southern Women a great addition to your reading collection. show less