Happy Release Day!
Title: Concealed IdentityAuthor: Jessica R. Patch
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
Release Date: January 3, 2016
Genre: Inspirational Contemporary Fiction / Suspense
Genre: Inspirational Contemporary Fiction / Suspense
DEEP-COVER ASSIGNMENT
After Holt McKnight's criminal informant disappears, the DEA agent must go undercover to get close to the missing man's sister, who may know more than she's letting on. But when Blair Sullivan's attacked, it's up to him to protect her—without blowing his cover. Blair isn't sure she can trust her new neighbor, Holt. After all, the last charming and handsome man she fell for was her late husband, and he turned out to be the brother of a ruthless drug lord. Yet when it's clear the target on her back is somehow linked to her past, she has no choice but to accept Holt's protection. Even if getting close is the last thing her scarred heart can handle.
"Choosing was better than doing nothing." (208)
So choose Concealed Identity by Jessica R. Patch. Yep! With a car chase, topped with gunshots and people not who they seem, this is one suspenseful ride packed into a story that you won't forget easily. Our hero, Holt is one yummy character, always to the rescue, but our main protagonist, Blair is not someone to take lightly either. Having been lied to in the past, and blinded by sweet words and outer appearances, Blair now makes a point to be cautious and stay under the radar. She needs to protect herself and her family, but will trouble find her? I'd tell you, Blair is one tough cookie and her interactions with Holt makes for some interesting dynamics. As they begin to fall for each other, will each of their secrets halt all their sizzle before it flair?
Not only with romance and suspense, Concealed Identity cannot conceal how well it shines with themes of trust and hope. You will not be disappointed. I sure wasn't!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. This is my honest opinion.
TO PURCHASE A COPY
Jessica R. Patch lives in the mid-south where she pens inspirational contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels. Readers will identify with characters that are flawed but redeemable.
Jessica grew up in southern Illinois. She attended Central Bible College where she met her husband, an ordained minister with Destiny Ministries. She's served as a Biblical Studies teacher, Women’s Ministry leader, Regional Women’s Representative, co-pastor with her husband of the Young Adult Ministry as well as taught workshop and spoken to Women’s groups. Currently, she teaches the new & growing believers class with curriculum she wrote. She is a member of the ACFW, and Byhalia Christian Writers Group, a chapter of American Christian Writers.
When she’s not hunched over her laptop or going on adventurous trips in the name of research with willing friends, you can find her sneaking off to movies with her husband, watching way too much Netflix with her daughter, dominating her son at board games, and collecting recipes to amazing dishes she'll probably never cook. She's the author of the Seasons of Hope series, Fatal Reunion, and Protective Duty. Jessica is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary Management.
When she’s not hunched over her laptop or going on adventurous trips in the name of research with willing friends, you can find her sneaking off to movies with her husband, watching way too much Netflix with her daughter, dominating her son at board games, and collecting recipes to amazing dishes she'll probably never cook. She's the author of the Seasons of Hope series, Fatal Reunion, and Protective Duty. Jessica is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary Management.
Now, you've read something about the book, my review, and about Jesse.
So let's hear a little more from her in the following interview.
Annie: Hi! Thanks for dropping in on Just Commonly! Is it Jessica, Jess, Jessie?
Jesse: Thank you, Annie! It's great to be here. I actually go by all three but I spell it Jesse like a man. lol
Annie: LOL. Jesse it is! Happy Book Birthday! I'm a fan of Concealed Identity after reading it. I couldn't put it down until I finished it.
Jesse: Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. :)
Annie: So for my readers that yet to have the pleasure of reading your book, can you give us your 30 seconds spiel on it? Jesse: Concealed Identity is about an undercover DEA agent who is trying to find out what happened to his missing colleague and criminal informant--who happens to be the brother of my heroine. His job is to get close to her, but she has trust issues since her late husband turned out to be the brother of a drug lord. It's also about the beauty of God resurrecting dead dreams and hopes.
Annie: How was Concealed Identity developed? Personal experience or purely fiction?
Jesse: I'm sure there's some real life influence in every book I write, but this was developed from the TV show STORAGE WARS. I had to ask what would happen to someone who bid on one of those units and discovered something inside. Something that was worth being killed over.
Annie: From Storage Wars?! I've always thought that would be interesting to find something unexpected in those storage units, but something worth killing for?! Great job!
So, what does a horse have to do with concealed identity? I know why based on the story, but was it difficult to choose this cover versus a person on a cover, which is more typical of Love Inspired books? (I think it's awesome, since there's no identity to be at play on the cover.)
Jesse: I wondered that same thing! Hahahaha. I know some LIS books have people on them, but my editor always tells me to pick 3 outdoor scenes. I fill out an online form that's several pages and I get to send her some images to help the cover designers. I did send in a barn but no horses. But hey, it's a stable so horses are there, right? I think the design team does a great job and I've always been pleased with what they send me. But yeah...there's no real interaction with horses in this book. :)
Annie: O, cool. I didn't know that's what authors do for cover ideas! Thanks for sharing!
Ever had those dreams of being a part of those James Bond or fighting crime action stories we read and see on TV/Movies? Were you a villain or the hero or the damsel in distress?
Jesse: YES! James Bond movies, mostly the old ones with Sean Connery or Roger Moore, are my faves. Usually I'm a female spy in my day dreams. I don't mind being in distress, but I like to be able to hold my own and help out my male counterpart. I'm never the villain but I LOVE to write them. I especially loved writing about Hector in this book. He was complex and warped. Ha!
Annie: O yes!! Sean Connery was great as James Bond. Roger Moore, classic too! Female spy. Nice! I'd bet you can handle your own with Hector. Readers, he's quite the character in Concealed Identity!
Since you write suspense, ever thought of ways to conceal your identity if you were our main character in the book? Want to share some?
Jesse: You know, I haven't! Maybe I should. ;)
Annie: Really? I think you should! Use it as research in your next suspense! ;)
Is suspense your favorite genre to write? What other genres do you write or hope to dive into?
Jesse: Anything with romance is my favorite. I also write contemporary romance/romantic comedy. I have four small-town series novellas out and one more coming out in a collection in March. I adore writing both. I guess my favorite is what I'm writing at the time.
Annie: O, I'll need to look those up now!
I really enjoyed your personal note at the back of Concealed Identity about faith and time to trust Jesus. What other themes can we expect in your other books?
Jesse: My "tagline" if you will is Experience Hope. You'll find hope in every book I write because with God there truly is hope for everyone. No matter who you are, what you've done, or how much you've made a mess of your life. There is always hope for a fresh start. Hope to forgive, to be forgiven, hope in God's promises. So. Much. Hope! Did I mention hope?
Annie: Hope it is, then! ;) What's next in the works? Jesse: 2017 is a busy year for me in a good way. Unleashing Love, a romantic comedy, comes out in a 9-novella collection in March, Final Verdict (Beckett Marsh's story from Concealed Identity) comes out in April, a devotional from Guideposts (Everyday with Jesus) also comes out in April, and the first book (Deep Waters) in a new series with Love Inspired Suspense called The Security Specialists comes out in July. I'm currently working on the plot to the 2nd book, Dark Web. Phew!
Annie: WOW!! That is some year! And did you say there's a story for Beckett?! I might need to hound you for an early glimpse! ;)
To end, how about a little something about you that not many people know? Something quirky?
Jesse: Well, there's the time I crashed into a cop car. I'll never forget it. I shattered his window all over his lap so he couldn't even get out of his cruiser. Another cop pulled up and asked me if I was okay. I was. I asked if the cop in the car I hit was hurt. He said, "Oh, just his ego." My pastor drove by and did a double-take. And once I climbed on the fridge to clean and couldn't get down because I'm scared of open heights. Thankfully, I had my phone on me and called my husband. He left work and came home and got me down. I know right? He's a keeper. Thanks so much for having me, Annie! It's been fun!
Annie: A double wow! I feel like I know you and remind me to watch the road when you're driving. *double wink. (Just kidding!) Thanks for sharing and dropping by!
Enter away!
Due to shipping costs, only US mailing addresses are considered.
Well, the obvious one: change you name or go by a different name. Thanks for the chance :)
ReplyDeletehahah. definitely one! ;)
DeleteI LOVE Jessica's books and I can't wait for every word she writes.
ReplyDeleteNICE! You're ahead of me. Concealed Identity is the first book of Jesse's I've read, and it DEFINITELY won't be the last! You've got great taste!
DeleteThanks again for having me today! It's been so much fun. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by! We'll need to have you over again! =)
DeleteColored contacts, different color hair and hairstyle, different style of clothing, maybe even change speech if possible.
ReplyDeleteWow.. you've given it some thought! *wink wink.
DeleteSounds like a great read :)
ReplyDeleteO it is!!! I need to get my hands on Final Verdict!
DeleteI have chicken pox scars on my forehead, which I conceal with wearing bangs! Oh, this book sounds so appealing!
ReplyDeleteJanice Moore
pjrcmoore@windstream.net
I understand Janice! My pox scars are on my face too! Smack in the middle. Unfortunately for me, hard to conceal. However, I've come to embrace it as something different, special and sets me a part. =)
DeleteI would say living an opposite lifestyle. If a city person go to the country, changes in hair color and using contacts is a great idea too. fishingjan(at)aol(dot)com
ReplyDeleteNice, Jan!!
DeleteChange your hair color and maybe use hair pieces or extentions to change your hair style and dress in a totally different way than usual.
ReplyDeletediannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
Extensions is a good idea!
DeleteSomething quirky is I like everything in its place and clean. I even mop the garage. 😂
ReplyDeleteThank you for the chance.
leliamae54(at)aol(dot)com
Lol. Clean is good. =)
DeleteI have lots of scars, so that gives me distinction ;)
ReplyDeletemia2009(at)comcast(dot)net
Special - that's what I say about my scars.
Deletechange your name, situation, background would help in concealing the identity.
ReplyDeleteI talk really fast when I excited about something - and I have my masters in military history.
:)
NICE! So can we catch up to you when you start talking military history??!
DeleteI have a strawberry birthmark on the inside of my right elbow.
ReplyDeleteSweet. I have one too on my elbow too!
DeleteI would have a hard time concealing my identity, because I'm not a good actor. I'd have trouble changing my habits. Jessica, your book sounds fascinating.
ReplyDeleteI've been told I don't have a poker face. So I'm with you on that!
DeleteChange hair color/style. Eye color can be changed with contacts. Pay attention to the details! Sometimes it's something small that can give you away. Would love to win Jessica's book!
ReplyDeleteSmall... mannerisms! Good luck!
DeleteMy quirk is that I am the most sensitive person I know! Sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes not so good! :)
ReplyDeleteGood. Think positive! =)
DeleteInspired suspense are really great reads. I'll have to get a copy of this and add it to my never ending pile of TBR books. I have a couple small scars that would identify me plus a lovely scar on my knee from a bike accident when I was 10. LOL
ReplyDeleteI agree. Our TBR is never-ending! =)
DeleteScars makes us unique and special. I guess there's no concealing those!
I would say to change your style of living(clothing,speech,hair color,home location if possible). It would be hard for me in a way because I have an identical twin. I don't know if that would be a help or a hindrance. People are always saying hi to me in a store and I say hi back but they usually can tell I don't know them. Sometimes when I don't know them I say, "you think I'm Darla", and then I tell them I'm her twin. She has the same thing happen to her too. We wore name tags to school until the third grade. People ask us if we like being a twin and we tell them it is hard to know how it would feel if we weren't.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I can see that happening. I've read a good number of stories relating to identical twins. It's interesting.
DeleteWould be fairly easy to change hair color/style and fashion but more difficult to alter dialect.
ReplyDeletea mask
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by!
DeleteI love the whole Love Inspired Suspense line and try to read the ones that catch my eye. This one sounds pretty exciting! Adding to my TBR now...thanks, Annie!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Bekah. I think you'll enjoy this one for sure!
DeleteI am retired, avid reader and read 141 books last year! Would like to read Jessica's books in 2017. Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
DeleteSounds like a great book! You could probably move here to Datil, New Mexico & never be found. In fact, I think some of my neighbors are living under a new identity!
ReplyDeleteLol! Shhhhh...you don't want to give it away for them!
DeleteTo me concealing identity would start with physical features. Then I'd probably move somewhere else to get "lost".
ReplyDeleteLost in lost or lost in somewhere posh posh? Lol
DeleteEverything seems obvious: hair color, contacts , clothes, glasses, hats, passport, drivers license? Different habitat, local, car. Love to read stories like this...Jason Bourne?
ReplyDeleteHahha. I'm think of spies...
DeleteGo the drastic route: plastic surgery. Even if it's a small change, you'd probably look different.
ReplyDeleteWow! What about paperwork and witnesses? very drastic indeed!
Deletebesides the obvious, you can also use an alias , move to new location and start new life. apply for new birth certificate and social security under new name. i love suspense stories and think this would be an awesome read. i love finding new authors and new books.
ReplyDeleteYea..suspense are fun reads!
DeleteThe book sounds really good!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the chance to win.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
DeleteI would say if you change your hair color and length. If you skin put on extra clothes to make yourself look heavier. Pad you bra to make your chest bigger.LOL
ReplyDeleteNice!
DeleteBasically change your appearance.. Now a days no one would look for me with pink/purple spikey hair :)
ReplyDeleteHahah. Deanna, did you just tell us your concealed look?
DeleteUse some one else's name and change your looks.
ReplyDeleteNice!
DeleteThere are alot of things about me that are quirky and distinctive, but one thing that really stands out is my love for coffee - I barely drink anything else, and I drink alot of it!
ReplyDeleteI think you'll find lots of fellow coffee addicts amongst readers! 😉
DeleteCutting and coloring your hair, wearing fake glasses if you don't wear them, add an accent if you don't have one.
ReplyDeleteAccent. Nice
DeleteI think a good way to conceal your identity is to, as many others said, change your hair color and style. I have two sisters that looks similar to me, (but not that similar!) and if we had the same clothes, glasses, and hair style, I am sure most people wouldn't be able to tell us apart. I would say a quirky thing about me is that I like eating carrots right before I go to sleep.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!
CutePolarBear
Aww. That IS quirky but cute, just like your name, Cute Polar Bear! Thanks for sharing!
DeleteNot really quirky but when I was in high school, I always said I would NEVER marry a farmer or live on a farm. Well.....fast forward to two months after graduation, I met that farmer & we married a year and a half later. I actually knew about him for several months(my brother knew & told me about him) but I wanted nothing to do with him because well, he was a farmer. I love the farm life but I only wish we actually lived ON the family farm, it would be so much easier. We've been married 26 years & have two beautiful daughters, one got married in May and the other is our farm girl :)
ReplyDeleteawww. that is soooo sweet! And God works in mysterious ways!
DeleteI have a scar on my thumb on left hand where i was playing monkey on the furnace door when i was young. Shelia Hall
ReplyDeleteeek! That must've hurt!
DeleteIs it quirky to carry a book and crocheting (I make Chemo hats) with you where ever you go?
ReplyDeleteNot at all! Good for you too!
DeleteI would not want to change my identity. I like being me. IMy quirky would be the bunny tattoo on my leg
ReplyDeleteGood for you!thanks for sharing!
DeleteOne quirky thing about me is a small bump on my eyelid. It's so small that I don't think anyone else notices it, but it really bugs me!
ReplyDeleteDianna
Lol. Isn’t it funny how some things we just notice ourselves while others don't at all?!
DeleteMy quirky laugh! I hated it growing up. Now I appreciate that in a crowd of people anybody who knows me could find me if I laughed. If I ever had to hide my identity I would have to never laugh LOL
ReplyDeleteHahhahahha! SARAH! I need to know your laugh! You made me laugh!
Delete