Life, Love and Books

Beyond the Tides By Liz Johnson The first installment in the Prince Edward Island Shore series, we meet the only daughter of the owner of Whitakers lobster fishing business. Meg Whitaker is not pleased to find out the her father is selling the family business. She is even more determined to stop her fathers plans, when she finds out he business is  being sold to her high school arch nemesis Oliver Ross.  Oliver Ross is no longer the angry young man that he was in High School, He now has the opportunity to salvage his families name and provide for his mother. So when Meg's father thwarts his plans Oliver has to take another look at the past. Meg pushes thru her battle with seasickness to save her fathers buisness, but what she did not know was she would also have to deal with her growing feelings for Oliver. Meg's father decides that both Oliver and Meg need to work together to see who will end up with the business. As Oliver and Meg go thru the harsh daily work of lobster fish...

Standoff By Patricia Bradley In the newest book by Patricia Bradley, she takes us to the Natchez Trace and we meet the Park Rangers that serve that area. Brooke Danvers is getting ready to change positions and join her father as a Park Ranger. Before she can be sworn in her father is found dead and his death is ruled a suicide.  Determined to find out who killed her father, Brooke starts investigating on her own with the assistance of her childhood friend Luke Fereday. Luke has been working as an undercover park ranger, trying to infiltrate a drug origination to stop the flow of drugs into the area. When he gets a phone call from Brookes dad informing him of a drug drop. But he arrives on the scene to late to help his old friend, determined to figure out who killed Brooke's dad.  When Luke realizes that Brooke has now became the target of the person who killed her father, he has to do the r...

The Happy Camper by Melody Carlson When she goes looking for a place to find healing, Dillon Michaels thought she would be able to find it by returning to her childhood home. But when she arrives she finds her mother has taken over her childhood bedroom.  Resigned to sleeping on the couch, Dillon is not sure if this is the best thing to do, when she has to sleep on the couch for a time period. But when her dear aging grandfather gifts her with a very unique present of a rundown vintage camper, things start to look up for her. With the help of the handsome local hardware store owner, Jordan Atwood, they embark on a project that may lead to something more.  When she thinks things are starting to look up for her, in walks her ex-boyfriend with flowers and a ring. Will Dillon be able to find the healing she has been searching for  so long. This book is full of fun, love and a very quirky cast of characters that will have you wanting more. "I voluntarily re...

An Uncommon Woman  by Laura Frantz I am a big fan of historical reads and this one from Laura Frantz did not disappoint me. Also I was even surprised to find some areas mentioned that seemed very familiar to me. So it was very interesting to find that the area was being written about is now part of Pennsylvania.  It takes place the mountains of western Virginia territory in 1770, we meet the heroine  Tessa Swan, who was raised with 5 brothers. So she has learned to be tough and face the challenges straight on. One day into her life walks Clay Tygart, the one man that can truly intrigue her like no other has. But he brings back into her life her long lost friend, Keturah. This adds a little confusion to their lives, the stigma of being an Indian captive can cause a lot of issues for her friend. But Tessa is willing to help her dear friend to acclimate back to living in her old life.  As a former Lenape Indian captive himself, Clay ...

End Game by Rachael Dylan This author does not disappoint a suspense reader, she writes a book that  you will not be able to put down. In the installment of Capital Intrigue we meet so many cool new characters, that I hope we will get to know more about in the next book. We meet FBI Special Agent Bailey Ryan and NCIS Special Agent Marco Agostini as they are dealing with a killer who is targeting elite members of the military. When all the evidence starts pointing a member of the elite SEAL team, but something does not still seem like they have found there suspect. As the team is formed to dive deeper into the evidence, they started to realize that they may have found a bigger mystery than just a few murders. As Marco and Bailey start finding more clues that are pointing to a bigger cover up, then just several murders. When Bailey is targeted by someone, it becomes clearer that whoever is behind all of this is willing to do anything t...

Unscripted by Davis In the latest release by award winning author Davis Bunn, we meet the main characters Danny Boyd and Megan Pierce. It delves into the glittering world of Hollywood with the storyline. Both characters are dealing with brokenness and seeking redemption in their lives. Danny is a line producer who is well known in the movie production world for being savvy and creative in getting projects done. As a LA lawyer, Megan has put her all into proving to impossible bosses that she can get the job done. When life throws these two go-getter a curveball, they each have to take a second look at their careers and lives. With his reputation in tatters, Danny is given the one chance to redeem himself and restore what was lost.  An unbeatable opportunity drops into Megan's lap, she realizes that she needs to grab it.  Megan has to take Danny's case and defend him in court; but they didn't realize that they bo...

       

Listening to Love by Beth Wiseman   In the second installment of the Amish Journey series, we find englischer Natalie Collins and Lucas; the older brother of Levi Sheltar having friday night suppers together. As time passes, the two have become very much best friends to the concern of their family and dear friends Levi and Mary. The opinions of those around them, starts to frustrate Natalie, who adamantly says that it is friendship only. But deep down she is realizing that her feelings have grown toward love for Lucas.  Lucas loves getting to talk with Natalie in the late night hours, but time has come that he has to face the truth of the struggle between their two ways of life. To leave would cause so much pain for his family. Also he knows that asking Natalie to walk away from her plan to become a veterinarian, would break her heart. But the more time they spend together the truth starts coming out that they have feelings for each other When Natal...

                  Until The Mountains Fall (Cities of Refuge Book 3) by Connilyn Cossette In the third installment of the Cities of Refuge series we revisit Kedesh, where Malakhi is now faced with marrying the one woman he has loved since he was a child. The only thing is she had been  his older brothers wife, who was now a widow and being commanded by the law to marry the younger brother of her deceased husband. Rivkah has no interest in marrying her deceased beloveds  younger brother and makes a decision to flee the city of her childhood. With plans of using her talents as a scribe to provide for herself, she escapes what she thinks is going to be her worst nightmare. There is a price for leaving the protection of her father and the safety of the city of refuge, this price takes a toll on Rivkah. After the disappearance of the one woman he has ever loved, Malakhi throws himself into t...

               Cross My Heart By Robin Lee Hatcher In Cross My Heart, we meet Ashley, the owner of a horse rescue farm and Ben, who is starting up a equine therapy farm. When Ashley and Ben first  meet, they find they have several things in common. Having been both raised by single mom's and sharing a passion for helping those who are hurting. While Ashley and Ben work together to bring forth Ben's dream, they both feel drawn toward a deeper relationship. But there is a big issue that is standing in their road toward this. Being that they both have very broken pasts that have affected their choice's in life. Carrying these burden's  can also drive them apart instead of bringing healing to their lives if they do not face the truth. Will they choose to hand these burdens over to the one who can handle them or walk away from a beautiful thing in each of their lives? This is a beautifully written story about he...

Breaking the Power of Negative Words by Mary C. Busha Growing up I have always heard the old adage " Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words will not ever hurt me". In my experience words have been very harming to me and the ones I love.  Other times words have been used to encourage me or have been brought together to entertain us. This book helps us to turn around the negative words that have been spoken over our lives and find healing in positive words.  Mary C. Busha gives us steps toward finding healing from the barrage of negative words that have built up in our lives. She also gives us accounts of other people who have struggled and overcome the negativity in their own lives. At the end of each chapter, there is questions to answer that help you apply the concepts to your life.  I would recommend this book to anyone dealing with the negative words that have harmed us from childhood to present. Healing is obtainable, we...

Thief of Corinth by Tessa Afshar In the newest novel about the Biblical time period by Tessa Afshar that is based in the city of Corinth. We are introduced to a young woman Ariadne who chooses to run away,  when she finds out she is going to be forced to marry a very mean man.  She finds safety in the home of her estranged father in the bustling rich trade  city of Corinth. Longing for a close relationship with Galenos, she stumbles on a very dark secret that had destroyed her father's marriage. Galenos is a Greek of high birth but he is also the infamous thief who has been robbing from the corrupt of the city.  When her fathers life is in danger,  Ariadne chooses to risk everything she has longed for to become Galenos apprentice. Blessed with a very unusual talent of athletic ability, she uses this to continue her fathers exploits leading her deeper into dangerous territ...

Judah's Wife: The Silent Years #2 By Angela Hunt In the second installment of "The Silent Years" series we meet a young Leah on the eve of the time for a choice to be made of who is to be her husband. To her surprise the man who had rescued her and her friend from a young group of Hellene's. This man that her father has chosen for her to marry, is her way out of the home of strife and contempt. But then the peace that Leah has longed for is interrupted by Judah's Father's plan resist the King's decree. This resistance leads to a war that costs her father in laws life and put Judah, in charge of the resistance.  The one thing Leah has longed for is a home that is full of peace is being taken from her by her husbands choice to fulfill his fathers dying wish. She can not understand why her new family has chosen to stand for the One True God. Also, Leah does not understand what kind of God would destroy her chance at peace.  This story is told th...

Becoming Resilient  by Donna Gibbs Resilience is something we all long for in our lives, each of us have faced some kind of difficulty at some time. Disappointment, rejection, injustice, loss and grief is part of our lives. This suffering can leave us broken inside, while going thru the motions on the outside. We can remain stuck in negative patterns or choose to move forward toward healing.  Donna Gibbs brings to the table twenty years of experience as a professional counselor. Drawing from that experience, she shares the secrets of building your resilience to change your experience of suffering. By offering practical tools and effective coping strategies to with whatever life throws at us. Using these tools and coping strategies can help you move through suffering and come out on the other side stronger. Grief and loss is part of our life, at some point we all have had to face this.  This book helps us deal with all of this in our lives. I would r...

Freedom's Ring by Heidi Chiavaroli This book was one of the best books that I have ever read, it grabbed my attention from the first page. It is written in two very different time periods that at the same time connect thru the struggles that face each of the female characters. We meet Annie David in 2015 and Liberty Caldwell in 1770, both living in Boston in two different time periods.  Still dealing with the aftermath of the Boston Masscare, Anne is struggling to find healing in her life. The guilt that weighs her down, over the injuries that her niece has suffered with from the bombing. When she learns the identity of the person who rescued her during the bombing, her life is turned upside down. She starts searching for the history of the original owner of the ring that has been in her possession since her accident. When Liberty is rescued by a very unlikely rescuer, her life takes a different turn. Under the protection of a British Lieutenant, she finds herself...

Beauty Begins:  Making Peace with Your Reflection by Chris Shook and Megan Shook Alpha A Mother and daughter team bring to us a fresh look at the struggle girls and women are facing today. Diving into a very hard topic that bombards us everywhere from billboards to magazines in the grocery store checkout line. Exploring the origins of true beauty, while challenging all women to trade the pressure to meet a certain perfect look, for what God has provided for us in perfect love.  Our culture has taken a precious thing and created it into an obsession that has made us into objects more than humans. It does not matter where we turn we face images that feed us that beauty is all about looks. I, myself have struggled with this issue to the point I could not see the truth in the mirror.  The mother and daughter team share from their life experiences and struggles with body image and appearance. Drawing from what they have been thru they give us ...

Behind The Scenes  "Apart from the Crowd" by Jen Turano Here is another delightful read by Jen Turano which delves into a time period where High Society ruled the ballrooms of New York City. We meet Miss Permilla Griswold, the daughter of a very rich mine owner. Introduced to the high society by her Stepmother, while having to be on the outskirts of her stepsisters hunt for a husband. When Permilla was approached with an amazing opportunity to use her position as a wallflower as a way to earn some income. But her position as a wallflower also has put her into a very dangerous situation.  Upon overhearing a conversation between two men that leaves her fear the for life of a well-known merchant Asher Rutherford. With help of some very unlikely friends, Permilla sets out to keep Asher safe from harm. The more time they spend together, Asher starts to realise there is more to his wallflower than what he sees on the outside.  Will they be able t...

Pursued by Lisa Harris In the third book in the Nikki Boyd Files, finds a very excited Nikki flying home from Nashville. Looking forward to getting to spend time with her dear friend Tyler Grant. When suddenly the plane she is on has to make a sudden crash landing. Nikki instincts are kicked into gear when the passenger beside her disappears.  When Nikki is drawn into assisting the FBI with finding the missing passenger, she starts to see that things don't seem to add up for the investigation. As the time ticks down on the clock, the more rocks are overturned that leaves more questions than answers for Nikki and her TBI Team. Nikki has longed for some quiet family time and it seems that will be on hold for awhile till she can solve this case. It seems someone is determined to keep them from finding Erika Hamilton. Now Nikki is the one who is targeted by the bad guy! Pursued brings a high action packed story line, that makes you want to not stop till you get to the ...

Deep Extraction: An FBI Task Force Novel by Diann Mills  Deep Extraction brings another thrilling read that dives into the deep world of oil drilling. The story follows an FBI agent and US Marshall who are investigating the mysterious death of a businessman and friend. When an oil and gas magnate Nathan Moore is found dead by his wife, she becomes the main suspect in the murder case.  Special Agent Tori  Templeton is torn between choosing to stand by her dear friend Sally's side or focus totally on finding the person who has killed Sally's husband. Joining Tori and her partner is recently reinstated Deputy US Marshall Cole Jeffers, who has just come back from a time away.   As more clues are unearthed that reveal a secret lifestyle that was unknown by victim's family it gets to be more difficult for those investigating the case. The more the team sift thru the clues it seems they are finding that the case may be more of a maze of bad new...

Love Bears All Things (An Amish Secrets Novel) by Beth Wiseman In the second installment of the An Amish Secrets series, we find Charlotte Dolinsky needing time to recover from a bad breakup with her boyfriend. When suddenly the answer to her troubles shows up on her doorsteps in the form of her Amish friend's brother. Turning away from all of her life issues, she focuses on helping this young man in his time of struggle. In the midst of all the things going on. Charlotte chooses to be very deceptive of what is going on. But she is not the only one that is hiding secrets from their friends. Daniel Byler lives with a struggle to heal every day in his beloved Amish community, after being betrayed by his fiance. Now his pain has turned to fear after he discover's that another of his family members is in danger of being shunned.His only hope is to turn to the most unlikely person for help, an  Englisher, Charlotte Dolinsky. As the two spend time together,...