Yesterday was Father’s Day, and of course, my mind was filled with thoughts of my father who went to be with the Lord two years ago. I still miss my phone calls with him every Sunday and his laughter as we recalled some of my childhood mistakes. No matter what I did, though, daddy never stopped loving me and accepting me. He made a lot of mistakes himself, but in the end, he owned up to his need for a Savior. That was so important to me because I really wanted him to end up in Heaven, after a lifetime of making wrong choices. His sister, my Aunt Loree, implored me on her death bed to never lose contact with daddy, regardless of what he was doing wrong. So, I kept in touch and acted as an intermediary to get my siblings to stay in contact with him. Drugs had almost destroyed him, but in the end, he gave his soul to the Lord, and I am thankful that my little brother was with him when he died and that they had reconciled. I say all of this so that everyone will know that bad things happen. Things change. The person you may almost idolize, as I did my father, may make choices that are sinful, awful in fact. As someone once said, “How are the mighty fallen!” My father fell far, from a successful businessman in a small community to a drug addict and dealer in a large city in Florida, implicated in the death of my mother. Yes, he fell far and had many sins to ask forgiveness for. But don’t we all? I didn’t stop believing that the same hope that God gave me for eternal life was possible for my father, the one at whose knee I felt loved and cherished.

There were several years, after my family had fled to Florida, that I didn’t know where they were. And once I got in touch with them again, the changes in my father were readily apparent. He was so addicted to drugs that every decision he made was based on getting that need met and lying became his normal. But I believed in the living hope of Christ and continued to pray and to keep in contact with him, just as my Godly and loving aunt had requested. God’s mercy was indeed abundant for my father; He acknowledged his sins and his need for a Savior. So I believe that He is with our Father in Heaven now, all because God gave him a new birth. Jesus Christ was resurrected, so I have the living hope that my father was resurrected and that one day, I will meet the King of Heaven when I am resurrected. I am serving God today as a born again Christian. My father didn’t make that choice until he was lying on his death bed. Nevertheless, I believe that God doesn’t care when you repent, as long as you do so with your whole heart. Life is hard, but we all have a living hope if we just grab hold of it. Jesus Christ died and was resurrected and therein lies our hope for eternal life. I pray that you have realized how much you need the Lord in your life and will turn to Him with your whole heart. Blessings for a day filled with His living hope!

This book is the second in a series. I definitely think that I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the first book, but the author did a good job of filling in the gaps. This book is available NOW from your local bookseller, and it is a clean read!

Although I missed the story of the first Daughtry sister, I did not feel that I absolutely had to go back and read it since the author does a masterful job of filling in the gaps for the reader. This historical fiction is set during the Reconstruction Era, when the south is still reeling from having lost the war and all of the changes that this means to their lifestyles. The author does a wonderful job of portraying such explosive topics as the rights of the freedmen to be educated and to vote. Joelle Daughtry, the main character in this second book in the series, is a writer who pens articles about the inhumane treatment of others, writing under a pen name and trying to keep her identity secret. Through a series of unfortunate events, Joelle finds herself engaged to Reverend Gil Reece, a man of noble character but not very interesting. She is helping her sisters to set up the old homestead as a bed and breakfast, having the financial backing of Schuyler Beaumont, a young man who has to grow up quickly when his father is killed. Joelle and Schuyler feel an attraction to each other, but as childhood nemeses, they don’t act on their attraction, but rather choose to pretend that it does not exist. The story of Joelle is fascinating and told with what seems to be total historical accuracy. I would highly recommend this book to those who enjoy historical fiction. I gave it four stars because I was a little lost at the beginning, having not read the first book in the series.

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell. 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 is definitely the book that I would want my children and grandchildren to read about family life during the Vietnam War era. Told with truth and empathy, this historical fiction is worth reading and keeping! Available at your local bookseller NOW!

This book is the perfect portrayal of family life in the United States during the Vietnam era. It is a story of courage and of hope and of faith. The Jacobsen family is a family that struggles with real life, like a father who walks out without explanation and a grandfather suffering from dementia. They struggles with finances, with the mom and the daughter both working to make ends meet. Mike joins the army and writes letters home as he is trained to go to the battlefield in Vietnam. Since I lived during this era, the book was made that much more real to me. I loved the depth of the characters. The detail about each main character was given in such a way that by the end of the book, I felt like I could walk into their living room and introduce myself, feeling a part of their lives. I enjoyed the subtle message of faith that was throughout the novel, just a total belief that God is in control and He will take care of things for them. I enjoyed particularly finding out more about why Frank, the father, had deserted the family and why he was willing to return. All in all, this was a good book to read about family life in the late 60’s and early 70’s, an era when family was important and extended family was close by in case you needed them. I highly recommend this book for those who enjoy historical fiction and books with some drama to them!

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, Revell. 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 a fantastic mixture of romance, suspense and mystery! The Wolfe Security team is hired to protect Brock Logan and all who are working with him on the Ava Quinn murder case. Kira Vance is a private investigator who finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time, and maybe also working the wrong case, because now her life may be in danger. None of the team member of Wolfe Security are hard on the eyes, but Jeremy is the man assigned to Kira and she feels her heart thump harder each time she sees him. As they work together to solve the case of her co-worker Ollie’s murder, both learn to respect what the other does and the differences in offering security and being a PI. Although I did not read the first book in the series, I was able to understand everything in this book, so it could be a stand alone. It was certainly a page-turner, with murders, a mob and a surprise villain! I enjoyed the playful interaction between Kira and Jeremy as well as how intelligent and strong she was in the face of enemies that could have her killed. Her resourcefulness and skill made her a great heroine, and she even learned how to play nicely with Jeremy before the book ended. I look forward to more books in this series as not only was I entertained, I also learned a lot about law, mob bosses and protecting yourself from the mob.

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 book will be available on July 2, 2019 from your local bookseller and online. I would rate it PG as it does have some sexual content, but it is tastefully presented.

Although it took me about a third of the way through the book before I really got invested in it, I have to say that this is one of the best mystery/suspense books that I have read in a long time. The pacing was slow at first but picked up very quickly once there was a murder and the “nearly normal family” was involved. I really liked the characters, particularly the 18 year-old daughter Stella. She was portrayed as a girl who was hard to trust and who had acted badly in the past. Nevertheless, I really liked her and her steadfastness and unselfishness. I enjoyed the themes of family loyalty and love that ran through the book. Having the book divided into sections in which the father, Stella and the mother were the narrators was illuminating and a unique way to present the murder case and the evidence. I would highly recommend this book to those who enjoy mystery, suspense and police procedurals. I actually felt bad for the police in this story because they just could not get to the truth, no matter how hard they tried. You will have to read it for yourself to find out if you can figure out who the real murderer is….it will probably surprise you!

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, both via Netgalley and physically. 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.”

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This book will be available on June 25, 2019. This was the first Swedish mystery that I have read and it was a very good one. Cautions: deals with mature topics like physical abuse and rape.

I was thinking for the last few days how often I ask God to bless me or family members or friends. But I have not been blessing God. How do I do that? I give Him the praise due His Name. I do pray and I do praise, but I have not been blessing. I want God to be blessed because He is God and He is worthy.

God is the only One who does miracles. And the whole earth is filled with His glory when from the four corners of the earth, we all praise His Name. We all know that we need God on a daily basis just to get through the challenges of the day. What I have been neglecting to do is to bless Him, as the Psalmist did. I plan to spend some of my day today just blessing God. I am blessed to be a blessing. How about you?

Although I did not read the first book in this Travellers series, I was able to flow the plot and characters very well. This was a well-written book about a group of people who are mostly ridiculed by the rest of society. The Pavees are known as gypsies, travellers without roots who are not to be trusted. Brynn Callahan is a Pavee, an ex-Marine who is still suffering from PTSD when she joins the sheriff’s office as the newest deputy. She is just in time to work on solving a homicide. I loved how the book flowed from one scene to another and how the characters interacted. My favorite character was Brynn, a flawed character to be sure, but a strong one with a story to tell and a future to survive for. I also liked Sheriff Pusser, a man who stood for values and protecting the town. The ending and the villain were total surprises to me, indicative of how well-written the book was. I definitely plan to look for other books in this series as this one kept me entertained and guessing. Readers of mystery and suspense will enjoy this book!

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. I was not required to post 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.”

Available now. Caution to readers: violence, language and more than a little description of blood and gore. But, overall a good, suspenseful read!

Available NOW at your favorite bookseller! A clean Christian read that is not at all “preachy.”

I certainly could not tell that this was a debut book by Natalie Waters. She told the story of Lane Kent and her move to a small town in Georgia absolutely seamlessly. The secrets that Lane takes with her are nothing compared to the secrets that are being hidden in this small town where everyone seems to know everyone else. Lane befriends a Vietnam veteran named Miguel who has to overcome PTSD in order to just survive. She also seeks the help of new deputy Charlie Lynch, also a veteran, because Lane is the one to discover the body of a dead teenager. This book was fantastic and kept my interest all the way to the satisfactory end! There is romance, mystery and the deep topic of depression and how it should be dealt with. I loved that the author was not afraid to tackle the hard topics and that she confronted them with knowledge and sympathy. I will definitely look for more books from this author and highly recommend her books to fans of mystery, intrigue, romance and suspense.

Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell. 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.”