I am a Christian, a retired teacher, a mother and a grandmother. I love to read and I love the Lord Jesus Christ! Unless otherwise specified ,all visual illustrations are from the YOU VERSION APP of the Bible.
This is a contemporary romance that is unlike any other book in this genre that I have ever read. It was light, humorous, mysterious and just plain fun to read! Joy Evers is going on a cross-country road trip from CA to NYC when she meets Dylan Westfield at a small diner in Arizona. Dylan’s car has broken down, and on the spur of the moment, Joy invites him to share her ride with her. They establish rules for their road trip that were spontaneously made but which made a big difference in their 10-day road trip acquaintance. Rule 1: No last names. Rule 2: Whenever one wants to go on a side trip, then they both must agree to go. Rule 3: What happens on the road stays on the road.
I really enjoyed the two points of view, that of Dylan and that of Joy. I looked forward to both equally because both added to the story in such an imaginative way! There were also two timelines, during the road trip (called before) and after the road trip. The books is not just a fluffy love story either since it makes you think. Do you need to plan out your life, and what if your plans change? Should everyone have a bucket list? Joy was using her deceased sister Judy’s bucket list when she met Dylan. Fate or accident? The entire plot was woven together so intricately well that the two stories of the main characters meshed perfectly. This is the perfect read for laughing, thinking and listening to some good music along the trip down life’s road, with unexpected turns and stops that will have you wanting more, even at the end!
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.”
My rating is based on how enjoyable the book was. It is NOT a completely clean read, since there are sex scenes and some expletives included.Coming on July 7, 2020 to a local bookstore near you and online!
I am delighted to be participating in the Harlequin Blog Tour for this book.
My Review
Anytime I get a new Debra Webb book to read, I get excited because I know that I am in for a treat of tautly written suspense as well as romance that captures my heart. WITNESS PROTECTION WIDOW presents the suspense and the romance in just the right mixture to intrigue fans of both genres. Allison has married into the powerful and ruthless Armone family, unaware that her husband is part of a major Atlanta crime syndicate. Barely escaping with her life after her husband is killed, now Ali is ready to testify against her father-in-law, if she can just stay alive to do so. U.S. Marshall Jaxson Stevens has the enviable task of protecting the new widow until she can get to court. Jax and Ali have a shared past that plays well into the whole intriguing and compelling plot. Fans of romantic suspense will not want to miss out on this one!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author. 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.”
My rating is based on how entertaining it was and what a quick-paced, keep me on the edge of my seat it was. There is a hint of sex, but there are no really sexually explicit scenes that would have turned me off. Author Debra Webb is just as kind and generous as anyone you could ever meet. She has a Facebook page and a street team. Go check them out!
Book description
WITNESS PROTECTION WIDOW: Can the witness protection program keep her identity secret?After Allison James finally escapes her marriage to a monster, she becomes the star witness in the case against her deceased husband’s powerful crime family. Now it’s up to US Marshal Jaxson Stevens, Ali’s ex-boyfriend, to keep the WITSEC widow safe. But as the danger escalates and sparks fly, will Jax be able to help Ali escape her ruthless in-laws?
About the author
Debra Webb: DEBRA WEBB is the award winning, USA Today bestselling author of more than 150 novels, including reader favorites the Faces of Evil, the Colby Agency, and the Shades of Death series. With more than four million books sold in numerous languages and countries, Debra’s love of storytelling goes back to her childhood on a farm in Alabama. Visit Debra at http://www.DebraWebb.com
EXCERPT: She shivered. The fire had gone out. She kept on her jacket while she added logs to the fireplace and kindling to get it started. Within a couple of minutes, the fire was going. She’d had a fireplace as a kid, so relearning her way around this one hadn’t been so bad. She went back to the kitchen and turned on the kettle for tea. Bob growled low in his throat and stared toward the front door. She froze. Her phone was in her hip pocket. Her gun was still in her waistband at the small of her back. This was something else Marshal Holloway had insisted upon. He’d taught her how to use a handgun. They’d held many target practices right behind this cabin. A creak beyond the front door warned that someone was on the porch. She eased across the room and went to the special peephole that had been installed. There was one on each side of the cabin, allowing for views all the way around. A man stood on the porch. He was the typical local cowboy. Jeans and boots. Hat in his hands. Big truck in the drive. Just like Marshal Holloway. But she did not know this man. “Alice Stewart, if you’re in there, it’s okay for you to open the door. I’m Sheriff Colt Tanner. Branch sent me.” Her heart thudding, she held perfectly still. Branch would never send someone to her without letting her know first. If for some reason he couldn’t tell her in advance, they had a protocol for these situations. She reached back, fingers curled about the butt of her weapon. Bob moved stealthily toward the door. “I know you’re concerned about opening the door to a stranger, but you need to trust me. Branch has been in an accident, and he’s in the hospital undergoing surgery right now. No matter that his injuries were serious, he refused to go into surgery until he spoke to me and I assured him I would look after you, ma’am.” Worry joined the mixture of fear and dread churning inside her. She hoped Branch wasn’t hurt too badly. He had a wife and a daughter. She opened her mouth to ask about his condition, but then she snapped it shut. The man at her door had not said the code word.
You can get this book in paperback form as well as e-book. Check out the links below to purchase:
Like many of you out there in the blogosphere, I am a planner. I keep multiple calendars, including a master calendar of mine and my husband’s activities and appointments and a calendar on my phone and my computer. The latter two are very useful since they give me notification reminders. However, no matter how much I plan, sometimes things don’t work out for me to accomplish what I had planned that day.
In my Bible study for the last week or so, I have been reading about Job. I read with horror as he was serving and praying to the Lord, and then he lost everything he owned. Today, in my devotional before the Bible reading (it’s in the YouVersion Bible App and it’s the devotional by Nicky Gumbel), I read that even from the beginning of Job’s troubles, God had a plan. I had never thought of that before. God knows what we will go through and He already has a plan. Kind of mind-blowing, isn’t it? It also helps me to relax more when things are going wrong, or at least in a direction that I think is wrong. God is taking care of His plan and I’m a part of it! Hallelujah!
These are two versions of the same verse. One is the NIV version and the second one is the GNT. I think I needed both of them to understand what God was saying to me. His plans cannot be stopped. He carries them out no matter what obstacles there are. Even in the life of Job that seemed that it would be a mercy for the Lord just to let him die, God had a plan, and a much better one at that! I am convinced that God has a plan for me, a better one than mine could ever be. So, friends, today, I go in to the hospital for a spinal epidural injection. Prayers are appreciated, but I am confident that God has a plan for my life and He is carrying it out. God is in control, and I can rest in Him, and so can you! Blessings for a great day and the realization that God has a plan for YOU!
Honestly, I did not think that loving my enemies was a problem for me. After all, each time someone comes to my mind with whom I have a difference, I pray for them, asking God to bless them. Then, it happened. I saw a clip this morning of Speaker Nancy Pelosi showing her ripping up the President’s State of the Union address. What utter disrespect and animosity she demonstrated! The anger in my heart rolled. I did not pray for her; I wished for her to lose her office, her fortune, her health, whatever she could lose. But then, in the middle of my mental wrath, I was reading my emails and got the latest one from Dr. Denison. Stopped in my tracks!
Now, I am praying for Nancy Pelosi. She isn’t my enemy. She is not the enemy of the people. She is just a sinner who needs to be saved by grace in spite of the fact that she touts to everyone that she is a Christian. Just like many of us. Maybe she really is a Christian. I don’t know. I’m not the final judge. I do know that she should repent of her attitude towards the President, but I don’t think that will happen. Nevertheless, the only person whose attitude I have any influence over is me! So, that’s the one I am working on this morning.
Finally, whoever is bothering you enough to make it so you can’t even pray for them, the one who is always “yanking your chain”, that one is the one that you need to forgive and pray for because they are controlling your emotions. I don’t want to be controlled by anyone here on earth, so I am letting go and letting God work on them while I work on me. Blessings for a good day, filled with love and forgiveness for all!
This book is a one-of-a kind, realistic look at what happens when people face tragedy and pain and are forced to come out the other side. Greer Hadley is a talented musician who has lost her chance in Nashville and returns to her hometown of Madison, TN with her “tail between her legs.” Because of multiple wrong choices, she ends up having to do community service. Thus, the stage is set for a wonderful love story, told with so much pathos that the emotions jump off the pages. One of the persons that Greer is supposed to help is Ally, a sarcastic and bitter teen whose father has just died. She also is assigned to help Emmett, a soldier home from the war who is wounded in body and spirit. The path that Greer takes to help the two of them find joy in life again is amazing! Greer demonstrates sarcastic wit and wisdom in her interactions with those whom she is supposed to help. The characters are well-crafted in such a way that their weaknesses are believable. The drama in the book is slowly revealed, like an old Polaroid photo that slowly becomes colorful and detailed. I loved the entire book, and as the wife of a retired military member, it is hard to impress me with a book having anything to do with war victims. This is a cheerful, clean romance that will uplift the readers and make us all beg for more from this talented author.
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.”
Author Laura Trentham. Although this is her second book in this series, it can easily be read as a standalone.My rating is based on content and how entertaining this book was. It was easy to read and a clean read! I was blessed to be chosen to participate in this blog tour.
You can buy this book today at the following sites or at a local bookstore:
This is a charming romance set in a town that is a vision of what we all would like to live in, Redemption, Texas. The characters in this town were funny, realistic and at times markedly boisterous in their beliefs. Tucker McBride has come back home after serving as a U.S. Army Ranger. He has a plan to use his skills to set up a wilderness training school. Setting up his shop next to Gillian Thacker’s Bridal Bliss boutique, Tucker is immediately taken by the boldness of this young woman. The conflict comes when both want to use the same space in the small town. Although this is part of a series, I can attest to the fact that it can be easily read as a standalone since I have not read any of the other books myself. My favorite character was Tucker, a strong protagonist with strong beliefs about his own talents and what he wants from life. The theme seemed to be the importance of family and learning to trust others after being burned. I thoroughly enjoyed my first glimpse into the lives of the McBrides and will search out the other books in the series to check out their heroes. Fans of clean, light romance will enjoy this book.
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 charming romancewill be released on February 25, 2020. My rating is based on the fact that the book is a clean read, has great characters and was totally entertaining.
I’m going to be totally honest here. It has been hard to rejoice lately because of problems with my spine causing extreme pain and because of some things going on in my family. But, I have been trying to do so because God tells us to rejoice.
Photo from Pinterest.com
This same scripture says to pray continually. I liken that to picking up my spiritual phone in the morning and talking to the Father and then just keeping Him on the line and talking to Him throughout the day. I read a devotional this morning that said that some people say it’s hard to pray continually. The devotional pointed out that we check our cell phones constantly. That is what being in touch with God is like…always checking in for messages from Him and sending Him messages about how our day is going.
The final thing we are supposed to do is to give thanks in all circumstances. ALL circumstances! When I am in pain and not able to sleep during the night, instead of moaning as I am accustomed to doing, I should be giving thanks. When circumstances in my family are overwhelming me, I should give thanks. That does not mean that the circumstances are going to change, but it does mean that my heart will. Thus, that is my plan from today on.
This is the other Scripture that spoke to me this week. I want to be like a tree, trusting in God no matter what is happening around me. No worries! Do you see that? No worries! I’m just supposed to keep on bearing fruit for the Lord. And that is your job, too, if you are a child of His! Just grow, send out deep roots, keep your contact with the Lord and grow so that you can bear fruit for Him. I’m feeling blessed and energized now, and I pray that you have received some truth from reading this post today.
Blessings to you as you go check in with the Father and keep that line open!
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 