My over-stacked, ever-brimming, never-clearing bookshelf

I can't think of an author who's not a reader, but if you ask many authors, I'm sure you'll hear of the challenge it is to carve out time to read, let alone write, keep up with everything else in life. That said, my TBR (To Be Read) pile never grows smaller.

So, my topic today is book recommendations. I love to read all kinds of genres (right now I'm reading my first James Patterson novel—so far, so good) and the fun thing about romance novels is you're not limited to reading “just” romance.

You can have mystery, history, small-town America, suspense, you name it in a romance novel.

Recently I've finished reading Elizabeth Goddard's latest romantic suspense, Submerged, an October release from Love Inspired Suspense.

Beth and I have been friends for almost fifteen years! We figured that out, a while back. We met in 2001 at a two-day writers' conference in Austin, Texas, when our mutual friends Kathleen Y'Barbo and DiAnn Mills introduced us.

Beth and I hit it off and have been pals ever since, from those early writing days when we were still figuring things out as we hiked along to publication.

Beth has written contemporary romance, but lately she's primarily written romantic suspense. I was thrilled for her when she landed her first contract with Harlequin's Love Inspired Suspense several years ago. She hasn't looked back, either.

My writing path has taken me in a bit of a different direction for now, writing both contemporary and some historical romance. I've worked on romantic suspense and while I've not succeeded in selling one of those proposals (yet?), one thing I've enjoyed is seeing Beth work on her books.

We keep in touch with each other regularly—or not, depending on my crazy news-writing schedule!—and we bounce ideas off each other, commiserate or cheer depending on the situation, and generally spur each other on to keep doing what we're doing. Because, we're still figuring things out as authors.

Back to Submerged –

Submerged is a fun read. There's a heroine and hero with a history, and she struggles with forgiveness, just as he's struggled with forgiving himself. Oh, and someone is trying to kill her at every turn—blowing things up, trying to drown her. There's creepy faces at the window, some jumping off cliffs, treasure hunters, caves that can fill up water. Then, there's the secret of what her father was looking for in an old shipwreck—or not.

The book is part of a series, but you won't feel lost if you pick this one up first before the others. In fact, you'll probably want to pick up the earlier titles to follow the other characters.

Here's the back cover copy:

With Christmas just around the corner, Cobie MacBride wants closure in the case of her missing father. But when a visit to the last place he was seen leads to an attack by a masked assailant, Cobie knows she's in over her head. Running for her life, she never expected to find safety with Adam Warren—the man she blames for her brother's death. Seeking answers leads them to a treasure ship, buried secrets…and deadly danger. Christmas could find them starting a new future—if they can avoid getting trapped in the perils of the past.

MOUNTAIN COVE: In the Alaskan wilderness, love and danger collide

As an aside, I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week here in the U.S.! How did that happen so quickly? If you're celebrating next week, I hope you have a great one. I'm nearly ready to dust off my favorite recipes for that day. Until next time, happy reading!