This book is a good start to a new cozy mystery series. Set in Mississippi, it is a southern mystery, with the setting of Sugar Springs. The town is getting ready to have a big high school reunion, with the guest of honor the famous writer and alumni, Wally Harrison. Arlo Stanley and her friend Chloe own the local bookstore and are happy to sponsor Wally’s homecoming. Unfortunately, Wally ends up dead on the sidewalk in front of the bookstore. Since Chloe was the last to see him alive, and has a history of a relationship with him, she is the prime suspect and is ultimately arrested. Arlo’s Friday Night Book Club, consisting of septuagenarians and older, are determined to prove Chloe’s innocence. Thus the plot is set and the funny romp through the twisted clues begins. I loved the parrot in the bookstore, named Faulkner, and the book club member Helen. All of the characters were portrayed in a delightful way that made the book come alive, It was an easy and quick read and I will look forward to more books in this series. Fans of cozy mysteries will really enjoy this one!

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 will be available to purchase on October 29, 2019.

I awakened this morning with a subtle heaviness on my heart. I knew what the day was and what it meant. It’s 9-11, the day that America the Beautiful was attacked and would never be the same. It is the day that eighteen years ago, I was sent home early from school, only to receive a frantic call from our son who lived in New Jersey at the time. His pregnant wife worked only four blocks from the World Trade Center. All of the phone towers were inoperable and he couldn’t contact her to make sure that she was all right. Our daughter-in-law saw some horrible sights that day and cannot even talk about it or watch a single memorial about the awful events. But thanks to the hero firefighters and paramedics who saw that she was pregnant, took her out of the fray of the rushing crowds trying to flee and washed all of the dust off of her, wrapping her in blankets and eventually putting her on a ferry home about midnight. Those were long hours of not knowing where Melissa was and how our first grandchild-to-be was doing. But imagine with me how long the day was for the victims, their families, and survivors, for the first responders, for the administration in Washington deciding the American response. The tragedy continues because so many are still dying from the effects of the dust from 9-11. There are others suffering from PTSD after having witnessed the horrors of the event and also the survivors who may be living with the guilt of surviving while so many others died. I am posting these images not to horrify you, but to ask that you remember and give thanks for a country that is still free, for a country that has “In God We Trust” as our motto and for the grace of God that has kept the rest of us safe for the last eighteen years.

From Facebook yesterday:

❤️On this day 18 years ago . . . 246 people went to sleep in preparation for their morning flights. 2,606 people went to sleep in preparation for work in the morning tomorrow. 343 firefighters went to sleep in preparation for their morning shift. 60 police officers went to sleep in preparation for morning patrol. Eight paramedics went to sleep in preparation for the morning shift of saving lives.

None of them saw past 10:00am on Sept 11, 2001. In one single moment life may never be the same. As you live and enjoy the breaths you take today and, tonight before you go to sleep in preparation for your life tomorrow, kiss the ones you love, snuggle a little tighter, and never take one second of your life for granted.

💔

Images are from, in order from top to bottom, Fox News, 911memorial.org and 911blogger.com

Those who committed these horrific acts were no less than evil, but God is good and will walk with us through the shadow of today. I pray for the first responders, for the survivors, for the witnesses and for Americans to remember the unity that came after this event and to return to God. I pray that you will be touched by this post and pray, also, for those who survived, for the families of the victims, for the witnesses and for the United States of America. Evil still lives, but God is greater and always will be!

Just about every summer since I can remember, we have gone to the beach, at least for a few days. This summer was an exception, and I missed seeing the endless waves hitting the shore, knowing that God had set the ocean there and put it in motion for us. But it made me think this morning about His Word. God’s Word has so many promises for us, promises that we need to claim and remain steadfast in our belief that He will bring it to pass. Many others make promises that they never intend to keep; God doesn’t do that. If the promise is in His Word, He makes sure that it happens. Now, I am NOT talking about “a name it and claim it” kind of belief. I’m talking about the things that God put in His Word that are His will, those things He will bring to pass because He has ordained them. Salvation of our souls is the most important promise in His Word.

God’s Word makes me think of the ocean coming in and going out again. God’s Word comes into us, those who are believers, and goes out again to those who need to hear it. Then we return to the Word to get more truth to share, and out we go again. Just like the ocean waves, a never-ending cycle of motion. I love God and His Word and I want to learn more from it daily, not so that I can sit with it and meditate (though that is useful, of course), but so that I can share what I have learned with other believers and those who are seeking His truth but aren’t quite there yet. Are you part of a wave in the ocean or just a drop in a lake that doesn’t move but is waiting for God to fill you again? Did you know that you can stagnate if you don’t move? I want to be part of the wave, don’t you? I hope that this post has made sense today. I feel like I have rambled, but I hope that I made my point and that it was understandable. Blessings for a day filled with new insight into God’s Word that you can share with others!

In one of the last meetings that Jesus had with His disciples, He told them that those who receive the ones He sends are also receiving God. After all, the Father sent Jesus to save us and then Jesus sent the disciples and all believers to others. So, I am one of the sent. When I feel rejected because of the message that I am trying to tell others, I have to remember that it is not me who is being rejected but the Lord. That is a hard thing for me to deal with because I have never dealt well with rejection of any kind. I listened to some harsh words from my mother as I was growing up and as a result, I never felt that she really loved or accepted me. Then, when I became a Christian, I finally felt loved, like I belonged. He has sent me to tell the Good News to others and I have to put myself “out there” and if I am rejected, I have to remember who it is that is really being rejected. So, I will continue to try to be one of the sent and not worry about what others think or say about me. It is my sacred duty to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and share as He gives me the boldness and the words. I hope that is what all of you who know the Lord as your Savior are doing. Share as the Spirit leads and expect God to bring the harvest. Blessings on your day! And remember to say a prayer for the Bahamas!

The conclusion of the Evelyn Talbot series left me breathless, anticipating the worst but hoping for the best. In this final book, Evelyn has been kidnapped and Amarok is determined to move Heaven and earth to find her and his unborn child. The mastermind that has her is equally determined to keep her as his own and goes to great lengths to cover his tracks and to force her to do his bidding. The action is fast-paced and non-stop, so this book delivered everything I would want in a romantic suspense novel. At times, with all of the actions of the perpetrator, the book seemed more like a thriller, a book that was almost impossible to put down. I really wanted to read this book slowly, knowing that it was my last book in the series that is my favorite. But my mind would not let me put it down until I had read the last page and discovered what happened to Evelyn and to Amarok after her capture. What a thrilling book! Breathless! Absolutely breathless! Fans of Novak will definitely want to read this book and new fans will want to read the entire series, beginning with HANOVER HOUSE. Loved it and recommend it to all of my friends, family and others who like a good book that is tautly written, with characters that you either love or hate.

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I purchased a copy of this book from Apple Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.

This fascinating book is available now from your local bookseller or online. Caution to my readers: this book deals with violent psychopaths, so there is a lot of violence portrayed in the book.

This is the debut novel by Tari Faris, but I was not able to tell it. The author painted lovely word pictures of a small town in Michigan called Heritage. Hannah, the female protagonist is on a mission to save her hometown and want the help of her longtime friend, Luke. In order to help Hannah, Luke has to face his past, the sad tale of an orphan whom no one seemed to want, not even his foster mother. This is a poignant love story, but it is also the story of the people who live in this small town. There are heroes, heroines and villains. The villains, of course, are the members of the family who want to buy up all of the property in the town and develop it, razing the historical homes and replacing them with the modern buildings that they think will draw new life to the town. This novel is an absolutely clean read, with faith sprinkled throughout. I enjoyed the portrayal of the characters in the diner and the give and take between Thomas and Janie. Thomas broke up with Janie before she went to Europe and now has a new fiancée. But, as we see in the novel, he may be regretting this life choice. In fact, making choices that affect our life as well as the lives of those around us is a central theme of the novel, along with love for history and our “heritage” that is found in our hometown and our background. Fans of Christian romance will enjoy this book and look forward to more from this author.

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, Revell Books. 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 clean Christian romance is available now at your local bookseller or online.

This novel reads more like a memoir than a novel, a book of poetry, a book that is about books. Robin has been sent to a grandmother whom she has never met once her parents are sent to prison for murder and accessory to murder. Trying to hide her identity, Robin weaves fantastic stories of who she is and where she came from. She only tells the truth to Peter, a young football player who shares her love of books and also lost a parent since his mother recently died. The setting where they meet was not at all romantic since they met at a cemetery. This book was a beautiful story of a young girl who faces her past and who finally accepts it. I really enjoyed the way the author seamlessly wrote about the past and the present, telling Robin and Peter’s stories. I really enjoyed the mention of all of Robin’s favorite books, bringing to my mind how much I liked or disliked some of them. My most enjoyable part of this book were Robin’s poems, the ones she wrote for Peter in payment for the books he gave her during their high school years of finding friendship in each other. I expected a lot from this book because I have read Erin Bartels’s previous novels, and this book did not disappoint. It was by far by very favorite, telling the story of books and the story of an unlikely heroine who has to rise above the reputations of her parents and create her own life, declaring an independence that is vulnerable and reaching out to others at the same time. I loved this book and I am confident that fans of the author and readers who just want to read an excellent story that will touch your heart will savor this book. It’s not just a book; it’s a masterpiece!

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Books, the publisher. 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 amazing book is available now from your local bookseller or online and is appropriate for teens and adults. It is a Christian book, so it is a clean read.

This book just tore my heart because of its subject matter. Dr. McDonough was a teen tasked with taking care of his family when his dad was out of town. That’s when the fire occurred that burned him badly and killed two members of his family. This is the story of the pain he endured on his way to healing, both physically and mentally. It is also the story of a young man who learns to cry out to God. He suffered the worst way imaginable and was able to come through with a new vision and purpose for his life. The story was hard for me to read because my father was burned badly when I was a young child. I knew that my dad spent over a year in a burn unit and had scars for the rest of his life. This book gave me insight into the horrible treatment that my father had to undergo and, honestly, there were times when I could not see the print through my tears. I am thankful that this memoir gave me this insight and I think that all who want to empathize with victims of great tragedy should read it; it will certainly open your eyes to the suffering that burn victims go through and the changes that they have to accept in their lives. My father passed away two years ago; I wish that I had had this book before he died so I could talk to him and just tell him that I understood his pain more clearly. I hope that all who read this review will pick up this book and read it with an open mind and an open heart.

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, Revell Books. 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 heart-wrenching book is available now at your local bookseller or online. Because of the graphic descriptions of the author’s suffering, I would only suggest that mature teens and adults read it.

No, this is not going to be a regular thing. Or, at least I don’t think so. But I have limited time this morning and it just came to me that I should share some favorite quotations about life. I hope that they make you think, just as they have done so for me. Have a blessed day!

This is the second book in the Kaely Quinn series, but it can be read as a standalone. It could be romantic suspense, but there is not a lot of romance, so I would just call it suspense. In this book, I found out a lot more about Kaely’s background, where she came from and why she has such a difficult time with her mother. Kaely goes home to Darkwater, Nebraska, to help her brother Jason care for their mother Marcie, a cancer patient who is dying. In this little town, FBI profiler Kaely manages to discover that the repetitive fires occurring around the town are the work of a serial arsonist. At this point, her partner and romantic interest, Noah Hunter, appears to help out with the arson cases. Although Noah loves Kaely, there is no real declaration of love here nor any really romantic scenes. They are just working together to solve the mystery of the fire starter. There is not enough suspense for me in this novel and not enough resolution at the end. The family troubles still exist and the relationship between Noah and Kaely is still up in the air. Nevertheless, it is a good, clean read that will entertain fans of Christian suspense. I am looking forward to the next book in the series because Mehl does know how to tell a story that enthralls her readers.

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 clean Christian book is available now at your local bookseller or online.