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 the first Tactical Crime Division book that I have read and the first book by this author. I liked the TCD part of the book, although I must say the whole team was not very involved in solving the case. This was more a solo act by Agent Ana Ramirez who is called to help Benning Reeves find his kidnapped children. The children were adorable and very precocious, seeming to me to be too far advanced for six year olds. Benning and Ana have a romantic history and when she is not going into action with guns, knives and whatever other weapon you can think of, she and Benning are engaged in what can only be termed as foreplay. In addition, there was a lot of blood and gore and violence so this book would not be for anyone who want a clean read. The action was non-stop but not at all believable since I was supposed to believe that Ana could take on all of the bad guys single handedly, be wounded seriously and repeatedly and keep coming back for more. The ending seemed rushed, with a fast beginning a fast middle and a rush to the finish. I liked the premise of the story, but the entire story was too much make-believe and too little realism for me. Also, I hesitate to say this, but I was put off by the author’s dedication of the book to herself at the beginning. Arrogance is never a way to impress me! Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Harlequin 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 the entertainment value of the book, in my own opinion.The main characters is so strong physically that she can be seriously hurt and keep on ticking. Just like the energizer bunny!
About Nichole Severn: Nichole Severn writes romantic suspense with strong heroines, heroes who dare challenge them, and a hell of a lot of guns. When she’s not writing, she’s injuring herself running and practicing yoga.
Although this is book #6 in the Hope Harbor series, it can definitely be read as a stand-alone. The captivating story of thoughtful new teacher Holly Miller had me from the first page. Then, enter stage right, hunky Steven Roark, and the story just got more interesting! Holly has a physical limitation while Steven has hidden mental wounds from being a combat veteran. Both of these main characters are the most giving people you could ever hope to meet anywhere! Holly jumps right in and volunteers wherever she is needed, and Steven has come to Hope Harbor to try to help his brother Patrick beat his problem with substance abuse. It was a real pleasure getting to know these characters; they practically came out of the pages of the book and introduced themselves. Such is the talent of Irene Hannon in characterization and creating a believable plot that just kept me reading so that I could find out what was going to happen to my new book friends. My favorite character was Pete, the lonely widower who lives next door to Holly. A surly old curmudgeon who has a lot on his mind, Pete is not able to escape Holly’s positivity and desire to make him feel cared for. I loved, loved, loved this story and was sad to see it end! Irene Hannon is a master of telling a tale of forgiveness and second chances, making me want to live in a neighborhood just like Hope Harbor! Fans of contemporary romance will really enjoy this book and want to read all of the other Hope Harbor books, too. Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell as part of their Revell Reads Blogger program. 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 entertainment value to me as well as the fact that this was a completely clean Christian read and suitable for ALL readers who enjoy contemporary romance.I am blessed to be part of this excellent blogger program that allows me to read and review Christian books that are well-written and absorbing as well as based on faith and Christian values.Doesn’t this cover just make you want to step right into the picture? This book is available now at all of your local retailers and online. Here are a link for you to use to purchase:
Everyone talks about it. It’s on all of the social media pages and the news daily. The global pandemic is changing the world and how people in the world live and operate. Businesses have been forced to close and file bankruptcy. People are in long lines to get food from food banks. Elderly people are dying in nursing homes without saying goodbye to their loved ones. And the latest news is the new strain of the virus that affects young people. All bad news! Nothing good is being talked about.
Well, I’m here today to offer hope and encouragement. This pandemic did not catch God by surprise. He did not say, “Well, I’m taking some time off and just letting these sinful humans work out how to survive this pandemic on their own.” Not in the least! God is the Lord of all, including this world that is suffering though a viral crisis. The God who came to the earth in the form of man and who was crucified, dead and buried and then resurrected is the same. He has not changed! Whatever is going on in our lives, God is still God and is close to those who call on His Name.
One of the things that we should be talking about is our testimony of what God has done for us. It is in this way that we encourage one another. For me, He saved me when I had no idea that I was lost. I was just starting a new job as a teacher in a new place, on my own for the first time. I had moved into a tiny one bedroom apartment, but it was the first time I had been alone, so it was a big deal to me. My next door neighbor, a lady named Verna, talked to me daily outside our adjacent entrances. Daily, she spoke to me about Jesus and salvation. She ended up giving me a copy of THE HOLY BIBLE and told me that I should read the Book of John. Well, as everyone who knows me could tell you, I am an avid reader, but I had never thought about reading the Bible. Nevertheless, it was Friday night, and I was all alone, so I went into my bedroom and began reading. I can’t tell you exactly what happened, but by the end of the Book of John, I was on my knees and sobbing before the Lord, repenting of my sins and asking for His forgiveness. The next day, I told Verna what had happened and she invited me to church with her. I accepted the Lord as my Savior on February 28, 1973. That was the day that I was born again and my life changed. What is your testimony? How did your relationship with the Lord begin? Every story has a beginning, and that was mine.
God didn’t just leave me there, alone in that apartment. He allowed me to develop a loving relationship with my husband and to have three healthy children. He has brought me a long way from that little apartment in Smithfield, Virginia! I have always been shy so it has been difficult to meet new friends and to go to new places. Guess what? My husband was in the military, and we moved twenty five times. This girl who hated new places learned to depend more on God each time we moved. I had to come out of my shyness shell and speak to people in order to find my way around in my new world. You see, what generally happened when we moved is that my husband would be deployed for training or a military excursion soon after we arrived. And there I would be in a new place, with children to take care of and no family there. So, I did what God was giving me the courage to do. I went to a church and I met people there. I told them I was alone, and I met other wives who were like me. I stepped out of my comfort zone and introduced myself to new neighbors. God did not ever leave me to do a solo flight in a new place! He was there the whole time! When has God shown you that He is there with you, in new places or challenging times? God doesn’t change and He isn’t bothered with new places and new faces!
I have also had health challenges my entire life. I was born with asthma, so that means that I have difficulty breathing sometimes and I get bronchitis and pneumonia easily. In fact, when we lived in Maine, I got pneumonia six times in the four years that we were there, resulting in multiple hospitalizations. However, God took care of me. He taught me that He breathed life into me to begin with and He was giving me the breaths that I needed each day, each hour, each minute. God was faithful to me during some of the weakest times in my life! When I had my stroke three years ago, the school nurse tried valiantly to reach my husband so that he could come and ride with me in the ambulance. Not able to reach him, she and the school resource officer helped load me into the emergency vehicle and reassured me that I would be okay. I was feeling anything but okay. I couldn’t move my right side at all and I couldn’t speak. So, as the paramedics did their thing with IVs and instruments, I was praying. That, I still could do…silently between myself and God. I didn’t know how or what to pray, but the Holy Spirit did and so I prayed during my very fast ride to the nearest hospital. My husband met me there and the diagnosis was a massive stroke. We had my daughter on the phone and the neurologist who was diagnosing me via Skype said that I could receive the TPA clot busting shot. It could kill me or maybe help me. We prayed together (me silently still) and I decided to have the shot. Well, the shot was a miraculous answer to prayer. I can do everything now that I could do before the stroke. I am a little slower at some things, but I can do them! God was right beside me, in the hospital, in rehab and during the long months of recovery. He never turned away from me and told me that I was a lost cause, that I had too many health issues for Him to deal with. He was there for me, and I’m sure that you have a testimony of all the times that God was there for you.
God has always been my provider, too. As a teacher, moving did not correlate well with my vocation. Each state that we moved to, I had to pass a new test and get a new teaching certificate. Discouraging? Well, honestly, yes. But there was never a time when I wanted to teach that God did not provide a job for me. In the state of Maine, there is an enormous county named Aroostook. In that county, there was one Spanish teacher. “Coincidentally,” he retired the year that I arrived in Maine with my family, so I was able to teach there for the next three years. I put “coincidentally” in quotation marks because I know, and I hope that you do, too, that God prepared the way for me.
I have written today’s blog just to remind everyone that God does not change. The world changes. The circumstances in our lives change. But God does not change. He is with us all the time, no matter what we’re going through. He doesn’t always calm the storm happening in our lives, but if we ask Him, He will calm us so that we can hear His voice telling us what we are supposed to do next. During this pandemic, I hope that you are listening to His voice and remembering all that He has done for you. The Lord God is sovereign and He can get us through this crisis, too!
What a pleasant way to spend a day reading! This is a short, quick read about two people who went different ways with their lives and are now back in their hometown at the same time. Evan Hawke is repairing his mom’s house so that he and his brother can sell it. Addie is renovating her Tito and Tita’a old B&B so that she can establish a future for herself and her small son Sawyer. With a tight budget and not much know how about fixing things, it is a natural progression for her old boyfriend Evan to offer to help Addie get her place ready for the big grand re-opening. The response of Sawyer to Evan was immediate and endearing. Of course, there is no mystery here about what should happen between the two. The difficulty lies in the terrible secret that Addie is keeping hidden from Evan, a problem so soul-wrenching that it may tear the two apart again before they can really get together. I loved the interaction between Evan and Sawyer and how natural it was. I also enjoyed Sawyer’s precocious antics as he squirmed his way into Evan’s heart and played with Evan’s dog Belay as if they were best friends. The whole story was just a feel-good story, with a definite conflict that had to be resolved. With a theme of forgiveness and redemption, it is the perfect tale to read to offer feelings of hope and joy. Fans of light romance with a Christian perspective will definitely 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. 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 totally clean read and is suitable for all who love to read light, inspiring romance.
About Jill Lynn: Jill Lynn pens stories filled with humor, faith and happily-ever-after. She’s an ACFW Carol Award-winning author and has a bachelor’s degree in communications from Bethel University. An avid fan of thrift stores, summer and coffee, she lives in Colorado with her husband and two children, who make her laugh on a daily basis. Connect with her at Jill-Lynn.com.
I heard a news story this morning that made me gasp in dismay. Dr. Oz was interviewed on Fox News and said that the most vulnerable population may have to shelter in place until the virus is completely gone. I started to get upset about not seeing my children and grandchildren for a year or more. Then, I read my Bible and God spoke peace to my heart. After all, He is in control.
No matter what is happening around us, we can have complete and total confidence in God. He is the light in our darkness, the song in our hearts and the whisper in our ear in the quiet of night. Let God speak peace to you today and be blessed by His presence!
This is a decently written historical fiction by an author who is passionate about art history. There are dual stories in the book, the first one that of Soli who is part of the Resistance and working to hide art from the Nazis. The second story is like a biography of Caravaggio, a master artist. The description of the artist’s technique, chiaroscuro, was fascinating. The story of Soli and the other members of the Resistance was well-told but a little slow paced at times. Fans of historical fiction will enjoy this book, and I look forward to the next installment in Soli’s story.
Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this 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.”
This was a clean read and very enjoyable. The author did a good job of writing in English, although it was obvious at times that this was not her native language.
Here is the link for guidelines about how to pray for America today. I hope that you will join me in praying for our nation and for other nations around the world.
My rating is based on entertainment value to me as well as the fact that this was a completely clean Christian read and suitable for ALL readers who enjoy contemporary romance. 
I am blessed to be part of this excellent blogger program that allows me to read and review Christian books that are well-written and absorbing as well as based on faith and Christian values. 
Doesn’t this cover just make you want to step right into the picture? This book is available now at all of your local retailers and online. Here are a link for you to use to purchase: 
No matter what is happening around us, we can have complete and total confidence in God. He is the light in our darkness, the song in our hearts and the whisper in our ear in the quiet of night. Let God speak peace to you today and be blessed by His presence!
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 