This book was really good! It took me back to my Nancy Drew Days. The story was a thrilling treasure hunt full of adventure. The plot was unique and unexpected and the romance between the main characters was really sweet. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book!

This book started off with a bang and drew me in to flipping pages over and over again. At about the 50% mark it started unravelling and I had a hard time making it through to the end.

What bothered me first was the detailed scenes of native religious ceremonies. The early ones were easily skipped, so I just flipped past those parts and kept on with the mystery. After the halfway point, it got creepier and creepier and the native stuff (chants, dances, native worship) just couldn't be avoided--it was all mixed in with the narrative and the clues.

It was weird enough when the hero guy gets a dream of warning and clue from seeing the native religious ceremonies, but there also wasn't any reason from that dream that would have him suddenly start believing in God. It also definitely wasn't a Christian repentance. For all we know of his character in the book, he's simply gone from atheist to deist. Landry is troubled; in chapter 23 she asks her friend Marcie, "Marcie, so you believe God uses anything to do His will? Even things we don't understand or think might be in contrast to religion itself?"

Her friend answers, "God created everything...Why would we think there's a limit on His power in what He chooses to use?"

Ummm….that limit is found in the Bible. God spoke to us through His word and came to us through Jesus. Shamans and demon-dreams and chants are against everything Jesus came to do for us on the cross. <b><I> This book is not Christian fiction and should not be marketed as such. </I></b>

And then the ending. <spoiler> What was it? What happened? What was the dream? Why is Gopan attending the wedding? Why? Where is the mine? </spoiler>

Seriously? A book with zero ending? Nah. Spare me. I read thrillers to get answers.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free review copy. A favorable review was not required.

I had a little difficulty getting into this book. It didn’t grab my attention like I thought it would from the description. The premise was good, but the pacing was a bit uneven. The main characters were interesting, and I enjoyed watching their relationship develop. I enjoyed learning more about the area, the Superstition Mountains and the story of the lost mine, but, for me, the suspense wasn’t compelling enough to keep me reading late into the night. Obviously, from the reviews, others have enjoyed this book more than I did, so go ahead and try it if it intrigues you. It was just an “okay” book for me.

I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

While I enjoyed the overall premise of this novel—two recovery specialists being pitted against each other in a race to find a map that would locate the legendary Dutchman’s Lost Gold Mine—the story itself didn’t hold my attention the way I wanted it to. I think expectations can impact your response to a book, and I went into this expecting a suspense—something I felt like I didn’t get until the end. Mystery, yes; some threats, yes; and the initial tension between the two main characters, yes; but overall it moved at a leisurely pace, and I wasn’t turning the pages to see what happened next until toward the end of the novel. And if I'm going to be completely honest, the romance felt a little clichéd, not to mention a rather fast about-face.

There were also two aspects of the plot that troubled me a little. First of all, while Landry (the heroine) is a Christian, Nickolai (the hero) isn’t, and there’s no real indication that he becomes one beyond calling out to God to save Landry in last minute desperation and subsequently being thankful. If a character is going to experience a conversion, I prefer it to be less circumstantial than that. Secondly, there were scenes throughout the novel that depicted Native American mystical rituals—something which wouldn’t bother me in and of itself, except that the story seemed to give too much credence to the mysticism, particularly at the end.

**VERY MINOR SPOILER**

Most peculiarly, when Nickolai calls out to God to save Landry, it is actually the shaman Gopan who appears to him in a vision and intervenes. It is also the shaman who seems to oversee the final scene and give his blessing, which struck me as particularly odd for a Christian book, given what the last scene depicts.

**END SPOILER**

This one was more of a miss than a hit for me.

Suspense, romance w/ a hint of mystery....A great recipe for a wonderful story. Five stars.

This is the first book by Robin Caroll that I have read and I was quite impressed. I love inspirational romantic suspense and have quite a few authors that are my favorites; Ms. Caroll will join that list of favorite authors. The book was well-written, seemingly well-researched (though I don't know much about Apache tribe and its traditions and beliefs), fast-paced with a bit of romance thrown in. The book also had a strong thread of faith woven into the storyline which I appreciated. Anyone who enjoys contemporary romantic suspense would love this novel.

The plot is action-packed and left me breathless at moments. The characters are flawed but deeply layered with hurts and mistakes that haunt them. Landry comes off at first as a know-it-all who is prickly just because she can be. She needs a large amount of money to keep her recovery company afloat and she wants to do this for her father's legacy. Nickolai is a retired cop now working in the recovery industry who first acts like an arrogant jerk, full of himself and his abilities. He needs a large amount of money to take his younger sister out of the hospital into a halfway house that is believed to be able to help her reintegrate into the real world. A wealthy patron hires them both and pits them against each other to recover a map to a legendary gold mine that was stolen when the patron's husband is murdered. Throw in a handful of possible suspects for the murder with Landry and Nick's developing feelings for each other, and we have a pretty awesome read that can't be put down.

I received a copy of this book from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley. I was not required to write a favorable review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.

Landry and Nickolai are pitted against one another to find the location for the Old Dutchman's lost mine with the hazards and pitfalls of finding a common ground. Interesting story and characters for the first book I have read by this author.

Ebook from Net Galley and publishers with thanks. Opinions are entirely my own.

Who doesn’t want to read a book full of mystery, murder, treasure and romance?

This was one of those books that you want to sit down and read all the way through it in one sitting!

The main characters, Nickolai and Landry both Recovery Specialists, were pitted against one another when a woman’s husband is killed after purchasing a map to the Dutchman’s Lost Gold Mine. They both need the Recovery money being offered.

Landry and Nickolai begin to develop feelings for each other. Landry’s relationship with God is a concern. Nickolai has blamed God for allowing his sister’s illness and his parent’s death.

As things heat up in the search for the map it becomes apparent that someone wants them to give up and go home. You’ll have to read the book… no spoiler alerts here!

***I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

While I liked this book, I can't say exactly that it is a favorite. It does have good, intricate main characters. Both Landry and Nickolai were really well fleshed out and the reader got a really good idea of who they are. Their family history is explained early on so that you begin to see what each of them is dealing with. And I found the name Landry unusual for a woman, but it worked for her and I liked it. Before I go any further I would like to say that I thought the cover for this eBook was really attractive.

Anytime someone says Treasure Map, you know people come out of the woodwork trying to get a piece (or all) of it. This story doesn't disappoint with that truth; it gets to the point where you're not sure who to trust. Well, except Nickolai and Landry that is. The story does have a slow start though as I was trying to sort out all the players.

Something that added more to the story was the Native American aspect. Native American rituals, religion, shamans and Medicine Man included.

If I was listing what categories this book would be described as, it would go in this order. Mystery, romance, and faith (beginning with Landry).

Something that I thought was unusual was the fact that they were both hired as competition against each other. Whoever got the job done got paid. Only one of them got the big pay off although their expenses were paid. It's just not something that you usually run into in a story.

A good twist at the end and also a charming end of the book with a H.E.A

I enjoyed reading Weaver's Needle by Robin Caroll. There was something for everyone in this book. I enjoyed the suspense and adventure with a bit of romance tossed in. I found Ms. Caroll's knowledge of Navaho customs fascinating. She wove themes of faith throughout the story without coming across as a sermon. I usually don't care for books set in the south, but this book is the exception. So grab a cup of tea and curl up for a good read.

https://www.amazon.com/Weavers-Needle-Extended-Robin-Caroll-ebook/dp/B06Y2W32WV/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1506477318&sr=8-2&keywords=weavers+needle

From Amazon:

Two recovery specialists.
One murder.
A hunt for the Dutchman's Lost Gold Mine becomes a race of survival.

Former Army MP Landry Parker fell into the recovery specialist role quite by accident—to help her ailing father. Now that she’s on her own, she is determined to prove herself and honor her family legacy.

After being shot in the line of duty, former police officer Nickolai Baptiste became a recovery specialist, and he’s good at his job—maybe even the best.

A potential client pits Landry and Nickolai against one another to find the Dutchman’s Lost Gold Mine map that was stolen from her murdered husband, and the potential payday is too enticing to pass up. The trail takes them from New Orleans to Weaver’s Needle in Arizona where legend claims the mine is hidden. Landry and Nickolai are no strangers to adventure, but the unlikely partners quickly discover there’s someone after the treasure and there are those who want to ensure the lost mine in Arizona’s Superstition Mountain stays lost forever.

Can Landry and Nickolai work together despite their distrust of each other to save the legend before more innocent lives are lost? Will they find the real treasure isn’t the gold, but something more valuable. . .true love and understanding?

About the author:


Robin Caroll
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Biography
"I love boxing. I love Hallmark movies. I love fishing. I love scrapbooking. Nope, I've never fit into the boxes people have wanted to put me in." ~Robin Caroll is definitely a contradiction, but one that beckons you to get to know her better.

Born and raised in Louisiana, Robin is a southerner through and through. Her passion has always been to tell stories to entertain others. Robin's mother, bless her heart, is a genealogist who instilled in Robin the deep love of family and pride of heritage--two aspects Robin weaves into each of her 30 published novels.

When she isn't writing, Robin spends time with her husband of twenty+ years, her three beautiful daughters and two handsome grandsons, and their character-filled pets at home--in the South, where else?

She serves the writing community as Executive Director/Conference Director for ACFW.

Her books have finaled/placed in such contests as the Carol Award, Holt Medallion, RT Reviewer's Choice Award, Bookseller's Best, and Book of the Year.

On her faith, Robin says, "I love Jesus and will follow Him wherever He leads me."

An avid reader herself, Robin loves hearing from and chatting with other readers. Although her favorite genre to read is mystery/suspense, of course, she'll read just about any good story. Except historicals!

I almost didn't read this book, and I am so glad I did. Weaver's Needle, by Robin Caroll, is one of the best books I have read this year. This intriguing mystery pulls the reader into an old Native American legend while following the twists, turns, and dangers of unravelling a crime in the pursuit of a stolen document; and yes, there is a little romance thrown in.
 
Landry Parker, former military police, and Nickolai Baptiste, former city police, are recovery specialists charged with finding a missing document -- an old map passed down through generations. The map was recently purchased, then stolen, and the new owner murdered. The fee is $50,000 going to the one who locates the map. In the process, their competition throws them together in an unexpected way, and they soon realize their distrust of each other has slowly vanished.
 
Caroll, author of twenty-five novels, and winner of many awards for her fiction, weaves both her Christian faith and the faith of the Apache nation into her stories in such a way that the reader willingly goes along on the journey filled with examples of compassion, love, guilt, forgiveness, and second chances. The story is a prime example of the struggle between good and evil, as Nick and Landry risk their lives in trying to solve this crime of theft, murder, and greed.
 
If you enjoy a good mystery, you will love Weaver's Needle. It should be next on your "books to read" list. Look for me online as The Grumpy Book Reviewer.

I enjoyed this action story with Christian and Native American spirit elements. My rating 4.0.

The blurb lays out the scenario so I won’t repeat it. Landry and Nickolai are competitors following separate leads to find the map. There are two associates of the murdered business magnate that may be trying to help the search…or not. Others living near the mine have taken advantage of the newest information and someone wants them to drop the search. When verbal threats turn to deadly accidents, Landry and Nickolai decide to collaborate by sharing their clues.

Nickolai feels he has failed to protect his family, especially a much younger sister who needs special medical attention. He soon finds himself trying to protect Landry even as she tries to resist their mutual attraction. Landry is a Christian and knows that she should not be drawn to a man who is not a believer.

Nickolai has some dream visions that convince him to continue the search to locate the map, if not the mine, before more innocent lives are taken. Their determination has them stepping directly towards a killer as they draw closer to the mystery of the mine.

I really like the idea of a treasure map/treasure hunt. The first half of the story is a bit slower but the action picks up well in the second half. There were interspersed scenes of a Native American (Apache) going on a dream journey to become a guardian shaman. Although this might be considered against the Christian message, I didn’t take it that way.

I enjoyed the nicely developing connection between the two strong characters, Landry and Nickolai, and appreciated that Landry was hesitant to rush into a relationship with an unbeliever. This is an easy read and I recommend it to readers who enjoy Christian mystery with a clean romance.

I have been a fan of Robin Caroll’s novels since I first discovered them through a Love Inspired books subscription. Those novels were enjoyable so I was happy to see her later novels released in trade fiction format. When “Weaver’s Needle” showed up in my Amazon Vine queue it was a no-brainer to request it immediately.

“Weaver’s Needle” is a modern suspense novel based upon the legend of the lost Dutchman’s gold mine believed to be located somewhere in the Superstition Mountains. Two recovery specialists are hired to find a stolen map believed to lead to the mine by the widow of the man who owned the map. There is one catch though. The only one who will be paid is the first to find the map. Both Landry Parker and Nickolai Baptiste are good at their jobs and they both desperately need the $40,000 offered by the client. Which of them will prevail?

As is always the case with Caroll’s novels, I found myself immediately snared by the story. It was exciting to read about the individual progress Landry and Nickolai made in their quest for the lost map as the competition grew more heated. Several surprising twists kept me engaged and the Indian lore that was inserted occasionally into the narrative made it all the more interesting. There was never a time that I had it all figured out and I love it when that happens.

Strong characters, a well-planned plot, and plenty of drama, danger, and romance combined with a strong message of faith worked together to earn “Weaver’s Needle” a permanent space on my keeper shelf.

This book was okay. I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it.

Pro's: The friendship between the two main characters developed naturally. Though they started out as competitors, the book took time to soften their different viewpoints and bring about their friendship and love interest. This was a very clean book with high morals and standards, which I greatly appreciate. I also like the faith-based Christian story.

Cons: The book was a little hard to follow and keep track of what was happening. It seemed to jump around. There were some foreshadowing events that fell flat. The end was rushed and kind of cheesy.

Great story about legends, danger, faith and romance.

I'm really struggling with this review. The description grabbed my attention when I saw it available on NetGalley. Seriously? It's a mystery people! What it had it description however left it lacking in other areas. I choose to read through some other reviews for a bit of inspiration in getting my thoughts to screen. And realizing that I really need to trim my fingernails to help cut down on the typos! I digress. I found reviews I agreed with wholeheartedly. I found reviews that I'm not sure we read the same book. I found reviews that brought up issues I'd never thought about. And then I realized that I was simply procrastinating. I needed to write this review, I was just hesitant to do so because I knew there wouldn't be a good way to get my thoughts to the screen. I'm pretty sure it's all gonna come out sideways and I'm sorta OK with that.

I want to end on the positive so I'm going to cram a lot of drawbacks here in the middle. Pace. The book had a few pacing issues. It seemed to drag along, throw in unnecessary details, and things that could have built suspense didn't quite show up to the party. Tires and fires and brakes...weren't quite the oh my they needed to be. While these were dragging down the story the romance between the competitors and main characters was on FIRE! It was just a smidge too fast for me. I get that drama brings people together but I mean for gravy sake they didn't know each other, the are pitted against each other but the 'flame' appears in a week or so? Really? I don't think so!

Let's talk about faith for a moment. This is a Christian book from a Christian publisher. That doesn't mean I have huge expectations of faith at every corner, honestly it's hard to tastefully pull that off without feeling like you are being beaten with it. I have a couple problems with the faith elements in this book. First and foremost, the introduction of faith and basically the way it was addressed through easily the first half of the book felt awkward. It's wasn't just sorta sitting there and it wasn't just sorta discovered. It felt abrupt and awkward. It got better in the second half but it felt more like a Bible beating at that point because of the weak introduction earlier on. The other thing that sorta bothered me was the shaman angle with the Apache. Please, don't think I'm judging, as it is a huge part of our cultural history. The fact that it's there doesn't bother me in the slightest. The weird interspersed chapters of this spirit journey kinda bother me as they didn't connect anything until the end, by then it was too late to redeem them. What bothers me about them is that they carry the conclusion. What could have been a converging of faith and ideas became the opposite. I feel like the Apache vision overshadowed what God could have accomplished and detracted from any Christianity that could have been taken from the story.

All that said, if you are still with me, I did enjoy the story. Even through the bumps and bruises and potholes and awkwardness this book has the potential to be something amazing. In the right hands it will be a well loved story. The characters grew on me, the intrigue did develop and embrace me, and I have hope for the future of these characters and wouldn't mind another trip through the pages with them.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

Weaver's Needle is a mystery, Suspense, adventure with romance all rolled up into one story - which took me aback because there was so much going on and yet the author was able to weave in the Romance into so much that was going on all around them yet in the midst of them - This book is abounding in fun, addicting so you can't put it down, abundantly absorbing - I didn't even hear them call me for lunch, colorfully creative. The author sure knows how to pull you in and most of all they keep you there - it is a book that talks to you especially about THE most important thing - FAITH - how could you go wrong with GOD as your leader? Amen? This book has twists and turns and surprises and love - yeeeehaaaa.........

Alright, team. I finally finished Weaver's Needle. And... It was a rough, rough go of it. It wasn't for lack of being able to read it. It wasn't that it was long--it's actually fairly short as novels go. It just was one of those books that I'd rather be reading anything else on my TBR--to be read-- list. But it also wasn't terrible.

I loved that it wasn't an insta-love, but it was the classic troupe of "I can't stand you" to "I adore you." Which is predictable and boring. Nikolai was suave and handsome and likable. Landry was smart and determined. They both had a fleshed out background with some pretty solid and understandable motives for taking on a dangerous case to earn the recovery fee.

The book is a mystery first, Christian second. Until about 50% of the way through I felt lied to about the Christian aspect, because there was nothing there beyond snippet prayers you'd find in any book where the protagonist feels like they need help from whatever higher being they believe in. After the 50% mark, though, it's Christian side showed through in a pretty incredible way.

The author did her research and spent time respecting the Apache traditions and culture and seamlessly wove it into the opinion that God uses everyone and everything for His greater purpose.

Other than that, this book just fell...flat. It wasn't an engaging writing style, it described things it didn't need to while telling things it should have described, and the big mystery reveal was not a massive surprise. I think my biggest problem was that it didn't feel original. In fact, if you've read or played the computer games for Nancy Drew, it reminded me so much of Secret at Shadow Ranch that I couldn't take it seriously. But, it made me nostalgic and I could still appreciate the retelling.

Thank you to NetGalley, Robin Caroll, and Barbour Publishing, Inc. for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book! Highly recommend this book to read.

This author is an auto-read for me and many of my patrons.