This is a delightful romance about two women who have been friends since college. Jenna and Maureen have accepted that they have no romance in their lives, but they are challenged to start looking for love. They have been friends since college and share everything, so they both decide to start dating again after their last child leaves the nest. Jenna was married to a successful doctor and a philanderer, so she knows that she doesn’t really want to date a doctor. Maureen is a slightly uptight and oh-so-proper librarian who wants someone sophisticated in her life. What both women find in love is a surprise and the escapades they go through are very funny, especially Maureen. Without giving away a lot of the plot, I will say that this is a clean read and is a love story that will have you cheering for both women and their “gone from the nest” children. Debbie Macomber always knows how to tell a good story that will captivate your heart and your imagination! This book is for all who still believe that love is possible, even after a certain age.

Disclaimer

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

This book is available now at your local bookseller or online. It is a clean read!

This was a well-written and suspenseful book about how the past can haunt you. Claire seems to have the perfect life, with a loving husband and two sons. When she was in high school, she was initiated into a group called the Queen Bees, otherwise known as the “mean girls.” It is this choice to belong to this group that comes back and smacks Claire in the face when she least suspects it. The story is all about how past choices can affect your current life, when you least expect it. This well-written novel was written with a steady pace, using a dual timeline and increasing intrigue about Claire’s past. The clues were spot on and the book was a gripping and realistically told tale. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy psychological suspense.

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 not a Christian book although it does teach a good lesson. Some of the content is not suitable for all readers. Just FYI.

There are many things about God for which we should all praise Him, but not the least of which is His mercy. I have been pondering His great mercy and what would happen if I received what I deserve. It’s like the policeman who stops you for speeding and lets you go with only a warning. That was mercy. Or maybe it’s like your autistic granddaughter taking gum from a store without paying for it. When you go in to explain to the clerk what happened, he says, “It’s no big deal. Never mind.” That’s mercy. But God’s mercy is so much bigger and more important because our actions can have eternal circumstances. His mercy, the grace that He extends to us for all of our sins and weaknesses, is what keeps us from falling from life to death, to eternal damnation. We are saved from that by His mercy. How many times a day do you slip and need to call on God’s mercy? Lately, I’ve been calling on Him repeatedly and asking for His forgiveness and mercy. I have been very frustrated this week because my husband and I can’t find dates to visit our distant grandchildren. Nothing seems to work. I can’t drive myself because of the distance and the traffic and the fact that driving in heavy traffic stresses me and gives me a headache. Since I had a stroke, I’m supposed to avoid stress when possible. So, we seem to be stuck and in my frustration, I have verbally attacked and blamed my husband. The whole situation is not any more his fault than it is mine. Thus, I am calling on God’s mercy to be forgiven for my losing my temper with my spouse and his help as we continue to look for an alternative solution to our problem. Honesty, my friends, my foot has been slipping, and each day, each hour, each minute, God has reached out His hand to me and showed me mercy.

I pray that God is showing you the same mercy and grace in your daily struggles in your life. Blessings on each of you for reading this, and I ask for prayers for wisdom so that we can plan a trip to see our grandchildren, even around all of the appointments and commitments that we have.

THE POISON GARDEN is a book that has a twisted and fast-paced plot. It is a suspense tale about a woman who is married to a man who is unfaithful. Returning from a trip to the mainland, Elise inherited a small fortune from her mother when she died and married her mom’s physician Dr. Kieran Lund. Ready to celebrate her first anniversary, Elise is caught unaware when she walks in on a very disturbing scene. She continues to run her mother’s herbal remedies garden and pharmacy while dealing with the infidelity of her husband and his pleas to be accepted again. This is a domestic thriller like no other! It will keep the reader up late trying to find out what Elise decides to do about her marriage and her life in general. There are other very important characters, including Elise’s neighbor and friend Chantal and her ex-husband Brandon. All play an extremely important role in bringing this book to a satisfying and surprising conclusion. Fans of domestic suspense with some psychological drama thrown in will love this book! I know that I did! It is basically a clean read, although there is some violence although it is not graphically described so it is not off-putting.

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 on October 22, 2019. I recommend it as an almost clean read. There is some violence, to be expected since it is a domestic thriller, but it is not graphic.

One of the problems in the United States today is the division that is rampant, among the political parties as well as the general populace.

Image from Patheos

I am concerned about out nation because we were once a nation that was devoted to religious freedom and founded on Biblical principles. How far we have strayed! Now the Congress is determined to impeach the President, no matter how divided it makes the country. What is impeachment and is it a good idea? I will let Dr. Denison answer that question. Here is the link to his article today.

https://www.denisonforum.org/columns/daily-article/the-latest-on-impeachment-two-biblical-imperatives/?utm_source=The+Daily+Article&utm_campaign=5b635ecd35-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_04_16_05_39_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_51f776a552-5b635ecd35-275095033&mc_cid=5b635ecd35&mc_eid=dac620ebcf

I myself will continue to pray for President Trump, Nancy Pelosi, Jerry Nadler and all of the other leaders that our nation is counting on to lead the country, not to bicker among themselves. Since Congress is determined to do this, it will happen, but what will be the cost to our nation? Pray for our leaders as you go about having your blessed day!

Now that my hair is gray, I feel that I have learned a lot of lessons along the path that is called life. First, I have learned to always put God first. Always! Then family and then others and I’m last in the whole order of things. Mostly, I’ve learned and I’m still learning that God is the One who makes the final decisions about everything in my life. I am learning that it is not the things that we have, but Who we have in our lives that really matters.

For many years, I chased the dream of more, more, more. Now, I am learning to be content with what I have and to know that I can’t take any of that “more” with me when I die. The Spirit that lives in me gives me eternal life with the Father. I have also been impressed lately with the brevity of life. My former student who is very young and had a heart attack made me reflect on the fact that life can be gone in the time it times one to snap his/her fingers. That quickly! Gone! Snuffed out! Never to be seen again on this earth doing anything! (By the way, Megan is doing well now, but is still in the hospital as they continue to run tests and try to get her fever under control.) God determines the beginning and the end of the lives of all people, so although we cannot know when and how we will die, we need to live every minute as a gift from God and be thankful.

God is my everything, my all in all. I am continuing to grow in wisdom daily, with some days better than others. I hope that you all are growing in wisdom, too. As the saying goes, “If you aren’t going forward deliberately, then you will be going backwards before you know it.” Blessings for a day of going forward!