Knowing that Dani Pettrey was going to write a new series was like a real gift to me since I love all of her books. This one, like the other books in her other series, is a clean read with romance, suspense and not a few thrilling scenes. Finn Walker is a member of CGIS and is busily engaged investigating the death of another member of the Guard. Then he is tasked with keeping investigative reporter Gabby Rowley safe since she is being targeted by a drug kingpin. There is a lot of action in this tale and many new characters for the series are introduced. I enjoyed getting to know Gabby and about her trauma in Sudan and Finn and his feeling of hopelessness since he has not been able to save everyone in danger. The stories of Rissi, Noah, Mason and Emmalynne all promise to keep the series alive and burning in the readers’ hearts for several years to come. As the quintessential hero, Finn will long live in the hearts and dreams of those who read this book and see him for the Godly man that he is. I highly recommend this book to fans of Dani Pettrey and to anyone who loves a good romance without all of the bad language and graphic sexual scenes!

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author 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 blockbuster book will be available on August 6, 2019. No warnings about reading it because it is Christian fiction and is a totally clean read! If you pre-order before the release date, you will receive several perks. Also, part of your purchase price goes to support the Coast Guard Foundation!

This book was a wild, weird and totally unexpected ride into the world science fiction, suspense and psychological thriller. Combining a warning against Artificial Intelligence and a husband’s determination to have a perfect wife, this book is not at all believable, but it was definitely entertaining and absorbing. Abbie awakens in a hospital without any memory of her life, but her husband informs her that she had a terrible accident and is a great mom to their autistic son, an surfer and a talented artist. Abbie knows that all is not as it seems, and her memory evolves as does the book. This is probably the most original story that I have read in a long time. It reminded me of “The Stepford Wives” but it has so much more depth to it. Abbie actually has a personality and wants to make choices. This is a domestic thriller with so many secrets to be revealed and so much deception to be uncovered. Fans of contemporary psychological thrillers will enjoy this book, especially the twists and the unexpected revelations.

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 August 6, 2019.

July 8, 2019

Many thanks to Stu for nominating me for this award! I think that this is my favorite award because of the word “encouragement.” Since that is what I try to do, this award encourages me to “keep on blogging.” Thank you, Stu, for your encouragement that you have given me!

Stu’s blog is amazing, folks, because of all of the topics that he unashamedly tackles. He is a man who loves deeply and you can see his love for God and His children in his posts. Check it out now! Something to Stu Over

You have been chosen for this award because of the encouragement and inspiration you bring to your readers.

How this works:

Thank the person who nominated you, and share their blog.

Think of five bloggers that encourage and inspire you and nominate them.

List five things about yourself.

Finally, ask your nominees five questions. Why five? Because it is the number that signifies grace.

5 things about me:

I am the middle child and seem to still want to prove myself sometimes.

I love my husband, children and grandchildren deeply. They are second only to God in my life.

I continue to try to exercise at least 2-3 times per week in spite of my physical limitations. I to cardio chair boxing and swim aerobics.

Reading is a passion of mine and has been since I was a child. I share book review because I am sharing my love for books.

My favorite thing to do other than read and be with family is to watch birds and butterflies. They are so beautiful and so free.

Here are Stu’s five questions:

1. Who in your life is your biggest encourager?

That would be my daughter, Hope. She drove nine hours alone to come encourage me through the dark days after my stroke, when I first got home and spent most of my days sleeping. I could barely speak and was learning to move around again. I also was discouraged about my new diet. Hope gave me a new outlook on life. Then, when my father died two years ago, she and her family started calling me on Sunday afternoons because they knew that was when I would miss him most because that was when I always talked to him. She encourages me through all of my trials and I am blessed to call her my daughter and my friend!

2. How do you see yourself as being an encouragement to others?

Any encouragement that I give to others is through the leading of God and His Holy Spirit. I am way too shy to encourage others by myself, but with God, I can use His Word to encourage the downtrodden and those who just need to know His love.

3. When was the last time someone gave you words of encouragement?

This last weekend was difficult for me because of some problems with my sister. My brother and my daughter encouraged me to persevere and not let her get to me.

4. When you are down, what encourages you to get back up and keep pressing on?

I listen to Christian music when I am down and God’s Word through the talented musicians like Chris Tomlin and Lauren Daigle encourage me to just keep pressing on.

5. Who was your greatest encourager when you first accepted Christ?

That was my neighbor, Verna Doyle, who gave me a Bible, told me about the Lord, invited me to church and befriended a lonely young woman on her own for the first time.

Here are my nominees:

Sim Chen Xing

Clyde Herrin

Sue Love

Big Sky Buckeye

Brenda

My questions:

1. What is your favorite thing to do in order to encourage others?

2. Where (what physical place) do you go when you are discouraged?

3. What are the best words of encouragement that you have ever been given?

4. Why do you encourage others?

5. What kind of activities do you enjoy that encourages you and others?

To my nominees: Please do not feel obligated to participate. I nominated you because of the encouragement that you have been to me and I wanted to acknowledge that. Blessings!

July 4, 2019

Thank you again, Stu, for the nomination. I am honored that you nominated me and will do my best to answer your questions. Those of you who have not yet discovered Stu’s blog need to give it a look and a follow. He writes from the heart and is a man of God, struggling just like the rest of us to overcome sin.

Here are the rules:

• Thank the person who nominated you and provide a link back to him/her.
• Answer the 11 questions provided by the blogger who nominated you.
• Nominate 11 other bloggers and ask them 11 new questions.
• Notify the nominees by commenting on one of their blog posts.

Sometimes, in the early morning hours as I have my devotions, my mind is not totally focused on God. It just runs away with me, like a train barreling down a track, as I think of all I have to accomplish that day and the people that I have to talk to. Hosea is an interesting book of the Bible because at the beginning of the book, God tells Hosea to take a wife who has prostituted herself. He wants Hosea to feel the betrayal that God Himself feels when we turn away from Him to other things, to other gods. Anything or anyone that is more important in our lives than God is becomes an idol, another god to us. So, God tells Hosea that He is in His place, just waiting for the people to repent and seek Him. Then, He says something that caught my full attention this morning: In their affliction they will earnestly seek me. Isn’t that true? When we are having problems, we turn to God and ask for His intervention. But when life is going along smoothly, we have a tendency not to even acknowledge God’s presence in our lives. God desires that we get to the point in our lives that He is a part of our everyday routine, no matter what is happening to us. I hate that the world has taken the Lord’s name and uses it in vain constantly. OMG is heard everywhere and seen online almost daily. That is NOT earnestly seeking God! In fact, it is using His name in a way that is disrespectful. We who hear this epithet daily have begun to just overlook it as what it is. I used to tell my students who said this, “Okay. You have His attention because you called on His name. Now, tell Him what you want or tell Him ‘Never mind’ because God is busy tending to His creation.” Some in my class would then snicker while the offending student would try to figure out just what I was saying. I was telling them in my own way that God desires that we earnestly, wholeheartedly seek Him. After all, the Word tells us that we will find Him when we seek Him with our whole hearts. God doesn’t want us just using His Name and then moving on with our life. He needs us to pause, to reflect on who He is and why He is great and to be praised. We have a tendency to ask God to bless the mess that we have made of our lives and to get us out of trouble. Then, when He does, we just keep on digging holes for ourselves to get stuck in. What would it be like if we truly sought the Lord about what He wants us to do that day, what He desires that we accomplish? Maybe sometimes, all He wants is for us to sit at His feet and worship, to learn more about His character. I am sure that God does not want His children to suffer, but I am equally sure that He allows us to get ourselves into trouble because He allows us to operate in the free will that He has given us. If you have ever been around small children, you know that they want to try new things. And in so doing, many times they get into trouble and call out to you to help them escape whatever mischief has captured them. That is us! We get into trouble and we call on God. However, in my devotional this morning, God has spoken clearly to me that it would be so much better if we would call on Him before the trouble begins, before we take that step that gets us into a situation that is untenable. God wants us to earnestly seek Him daily and then to live our lives, knowing that His Holy Spirit goes with us wherever we go and whatever we do. I’m trying to do what this verse says and I’m waiting with expectation for what my Heavenly Father will do. I hope that you have that same expectation and excitement as you wait for God to act! Blessings on you and your day.

One Thing by Hillsong Worship

This novel started out with a very fast pace. There was lots of action as Joshua Fields leaves the ordinary routine behind to pursue the elusive and mysterious woman he meets in the bar at the airport. Then the story gets very complex and is hard to follow, with lots of characters that are not fully developed. For example, Simon is a bad guy but we never find out his back story or what he is doing when the story ends. Overall, I found that the book was an okay read, but I probably would not have chosen to read it had I not won it. It really drags in the middle and then the ending is like, boom! Gotta conclude! I liked the character of Joshua Fields and his pursuit of the truth. I just wish that he had been a more mature character who actually chased his dreams instead of waiting until they knock him over. Readers of contemporary fiction will enjoy this book.

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I won a copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway, so I appreciate Penguin Random House for sending me a copy. 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 tomorrow and I would rate it a very strong PG-13 because of violence, some language and some sex scenes.

Every day is a new day, filled with possibilities of new things to explore and do, new people to meet and hopefully, to touch their lives for Jesus Christ. Most of us, including me, get up every morning a little grumpy and not really wanting it to be morning. But, lately, God has been dealing with me about a new perspective He wants me to have. Each day that I have on this earth is a gift from the Heavenly Father, so I need to be thankful for it and look for ways in which I can serve Him and make His love known to others. For this elderly woman here, this seems impossible. But, not for God! He allows me to reach out and touch others using technology that was not even there when I was born. He allows me to have online friends with whom I can share the love of Jesus. He is allowing me daily to write a blog that I hope touches the hearts and minds of others. So, every day has its blessings and its challenges. Those of us who know the Lord and cling to the truth that is in His Word know that the challenges can never defeat us because the Lord is fighting right beside us.

I think that this Scripture has been misappropriated by many in the circle called “Name it and claim it.” They preach that we can pray for whatever we want or need to happen and God will answer. Well, I’m not a proponent of God being a genie in a bottle. I know that He is much bigger than that and I also know that He is not my servant. I am His! And as His servant, I am to look for opportunities to serve Him. It is within those opportunities, when I am doing His will, that I can ask and God will answer. He doesn’t send me a big car or a nicer home or any of those physical things that others seem to think is so important. No. He sends me His love and His desire for me to be a better person, to show that new person to others and to offer them His free gift of eternal life. You see, I guess that I have a simplified version of the Gospel. Jesus came to die for me and to set me free from sin. Now that I am free, I am to tell others about His great love and gift. In so doing, God will work out the impossible things that keep me from doing that which is His will. God is sovereign and can do the impossible at any time. We, however, need to know what it is that God wants us to do and start doing it. As we meet obstacles, that’s when God steps in and does the impossible. After all, He didn’t part the Red Sea until the Israelites were there and needed Him to do so. God is the God of the impossible and that makes anything possible in our lives. Isn’t that a wonderful truth to wake up to every morning? I hope you have a blessed day filled with God doing the impossible for you and your loved ones!

Photo from Surfertoday.com