I had a mini-vacation planned during the time that I was reading this book, and I just have to say that it was very hard not to continue to read, even surrounded by family. This book is that good! Lila Bennett is an attorney for a prestigious law firm and is working hard to make a name for herself. But the reputation that she is getting may not be the one that she ultimately wants to have, as she finds herself kidnapped and apologizing for all of her wrong actions. This book is absolutely mesmerizing in the way that it goes back and forth from Lila in her free state and when she is captured. She is busily engaged in trying to figure out who has kidnapped her in every other chapter; in the other chapters, she is trying to straighten out her selfish life. This book teaches life lessons to all of us and makes us imagine what would happen if we were captured and forced to atone for all of our wrongdoing. Thought provoking doesn’t even begin to cover it! What a wonderful book for all readers, especially those drawn to women’s fiction with a twist. This is a fascinating book that will be hard to put down, so set aside some time to read and enjoy it!

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I purchased a copy of this book from Amazon. The opinions expressed are my own.

This fascinating tale is available now at your local bookseller and is free on Kindle Unlimited. Enjoy!

This is not the cozy mystery that it seems to be just by looking at the cover. Rather, it is a story of spying, politics and a possible Fourth Reich with the goal of world domination. When Fitz Donavan befriends his elderly neighbor, Mrs. W, all he expected to find was another bibliophile. Instead, she tells him that her life is in danger and asks him to return later so that she can reveal her secrets. Before she can do so, however, she is brutally tortured and murdered. Thus, Fitz, a retired NYC police chief, is pulled into discovering her secrets and why an old lady would be tortured and killed. Fitz calls on his daughters, granddaughters and their friends to help him discover Mrs. W’s past, the secrets that got her killed. The plot is unbelievable but very well-written so that I was quickly drawn into the story, feeling an urgency to discover the secrets that Mrs. W held so close. The book had the usual mystical and psychic elements of the author since Maeve, Fitz’s daughter, has a “second sight” and other abilities that lead to clues to solve the mystery. Fitz is helped by some really quirky and likable characters, many of whom have surreal abilities with science and computers, but all of which are necessary in order to solve the mystery of the elderly neighbor’s death. This book combines mystery with a conspiracy theory and is actually a very dark novel that leads us to a conclusion that is satisfactory but somewhat abrupt. I think that readers of novels with a lot of weblike elements that unravel slowly will enjoy this book. There were some slow parts in the book, but for the most part it was fast-paced and amusing, with a quality of “what the heck just happened?”

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

This is a very dark mystery novel and is not for everyone. I had trouble reading the parts with the psychic descriptions since I don’t believe in those abilities and believe that they are “dark arts.” Nevertheless, I persevered to read and write a review since I had promised to do so. The four-star rating is because the author wrote a good story, but the content was not really for me.

This is a romance, but it is so much more! It is a commentary on how we treat others who are different than we are. It is a book about family and relationships and the importance of encouraging our children to follow their dreams. It is a book to be read and savored, as one savors a fine wine. Thomasina Waycott, nicknamed “Hitch,” is different from others in so many ways. Her lip is malformed, her limbs are crooked and she has difficulty walking. What she doesn’t have difficulty doing is dreaming of a future that includes a home for herself and someone to love. When the story opens, Hitch is working at her family’s B & B, a young woman who has not yet found her place in the world. Grayson Potts comes to stay at the B & B, a young man who is also looking for a dream. Grayson and Hitch form a friendship that turns to romance. However, what we think is absolutely meant to be and will mean a quick ending to the story leads to more conflict as the two young people have to come to terms with their commitments to the past and their dreams for the future. The character development of this book is the story and made the whole thing realistic and heart-breaking. I loved the story of Thomasina and Grayson and hope to read more about them in future books!

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

This book is available now from your local bookseller and online.

Sorry, everyone, for my extended absence. I have been trying to post this review since I got back from MD and it would not upload. I had to get help from WordPress and ended up having to reinstall the app. Sigh!

I am not a Bible scholar, but I have studied the Scriptures about the building of the temple in Jerusalem by Solomon. I just read in my devotions today that David desired to build a temple, but God sent the prophet Nathan to tell David that he should not do so but that his son would. I looked up the facts online and found out that it took seven years to build the temple. For many years, the Israelites had wandered in the wilderness and had a tabernacle, a structure like a tent, that they used to offer sacrifices and worship God. Then, the great temple was built, with cedars from Lebanon, bronze and gold. So many riches were brought and presented to Solomon that he had all kinds of resources to make a wonderful temple. And so it was, until its destruction by the Babylonian Empire in the 500’s B.C. The Babylonians didn’t just destroy the temple, but they also sacked it, taking with them all that was of value inside it. What a travesty! But we must remember that God allowed this to happen because of the sins of the Israelites. Now, I have said all of this to say that today there is a temple for God. We are His temple!

So, whatever we do, we need to be aware that the Holy Spirit is right there inside us! There is nothing mystical about this experience, so I don’t want people who don’t believe in the sanctity of the Holy Spirit to misinterpret what I am saying. We are God’s children and have His Spirit residing in us, just as Jesus promised.

The Holy Spirit resides in us to teach us and remind us about the things of God. Sometimes, I feel like I need to just take a break from all of the noise and confusion in the world and just sit and relax in the presence of the Lord. That is when I hear the still, small voice of His Spirit speaking to me, giving me encouragement and blessing me with His Words of instruction for my life. He is alive inside me, but I can’t hear Him all the time because of the interfering noise of the world.

John the Baptist knew what was coming for the believers and told us plainly. First comes belief in Jesus as the Savior, the Only Son of God and then comes the Holy Spirit to reside in us. That’s a wow statement! It’s one that I have had to meditate on many times…God’s Holy Spirit lives in me and in you…in all believers. WE are His temple!

The Holy Spirit is a gift from the Father, our Comforter and Advocate, the One who leads us in the way we should go, if we would only listen to Him. He resides in us because we are the temple of the Lord. The building in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians, but our temple is not one built by the hands of man. We are His creation and are being built daily by the Lord God, from the inside out.

We must remember, though, that God is a gentleman and He does not come in or stay where He is not welcome. We are to daily seek Him and find His will so that we are following the Holy Spirit’s desire for us to love the Lord God and to show our love for Him in our regular lives. We are His temple, the replacement for the one that was destroyed in Jerusalem. Do you think for one minute that the destruction of the temple took God by surprise? Of course not! He charts the course of history and knew what was going to happen. Yet, He did nothing to stop its destruction. Why not? Because He knew that a better temple would be built, one created by the hands of God and one that can live eternally with Him. We are His temple!

You know that everything is not going right with my life, and I’m sure that it’s not all hunky-dory in your life either. But that doesn’t matter. We choose to praise God regardless of our circumstances! Here are some Scriptures to get us started.

I have read through the Holy Bible numerous times, but this is the first time that I took time to read the praise that is in I Chronicles. I usually go right to the Book of Psalms to look for praise passages, but this was my devotional this morning. Very appropriate and timely! Blessings on your day of praise and remember to be thankful because God is God in your life!

This is book #5 for Jane Tennison and her saga goes back in history from the Prime Suspect series that the author is noted for. The setting is 1980 and the historical elements add to the intrigue of the story. Jane is tasked to be the first female member of the Flying Squad, a group of male detectives with the reputation of being “the Dirty Dozen.” Jane faces sexism and finds herself relegated at first to helping the forensics expert instead of being in the middle of the investigation. But Jane’s tenacity and intelligence lead her to follow clues to a huge robbery that has been planned. Jane doesn’t know who or where of when, so she goes undercover to investigate. This book is entertaining, realistically written and intriguing for the reader as Jane follows the clues and establishes her reputation with the “big boys” in the Flying Squad. I recommend this book to fans of Lynda La Plante as well as to new readers of her books who enjoy police procedurals with more than a touch of humor.

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via BookishFirst.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

This book is available today at your local bookseller!

Aubrey Finch was a stay at home mom with a lot of secrets. Unable to live with the people she loved the most while carrying all of her past secrets around like a heavy burden, Aubrey decides to move out on her own, leaving behind her bewildered husband Paul and her darling toddler Charlotte. Aubrey still sees Charlotte for visitation and that is when she meets another mom in the park with a cute little boy. Than begins the trip down the rabbit hole. On a different day in the park, Aubrey sees what she thinks is the little boy being kidnapped. Then she sees on the news that the mom was murdered. Aubrey is determined to track down the little boy, just because she is a concerned Good Samaritan. Her desire to restore a family will endanger her and everyone she loves. This book was not at all like the Rockton series that I have read from this author in the past, but it was an excellent book, with many twists and turns. I liked that Aubrey was a reluctant heroine and that she was willing to sacrifice her own happiness so that her family could continue without all of the weight from her burdensome past. Fans of psychological suspense will enjoy this book and want to read more like it from this author.

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I checked this book out on the Overdrive App from my local library. I was not required to write a positive review.

This book is available now and is mostly a clean read, with some bad language but not an excessive amount.