Review: The Accidental Guardian

The Accidental Guardian by Mary Connealy
My rating:💛💛💛💛
I really enjoyed this audiobook.

Trace's unrounded roughness came through in everything he did, and I laughed a few times how this affected the way he interacted with Deb. I loved his attitude to protect those he cared about.

The ending of the story set the background for the next story and tickled my interest to read book two.

*I listened to the audiobook on Scribd.*

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About the book:

When Trace Riley finds the smoldering ruins of a small wagon train, he recognizes the hand behind the attack as the same group who left him as sole survivor years ago. Living off the wilderness since then, he'd finally carved out a home and started a herd - while serving as a self-appointed guardian of the trail, driving off dangerous men. He'd hoped those days were over, but the latest attack shows he was wrong.

Deborah Harkness saved her younger sister and two toddlers during the attack and now finds herself at the mercy of her rescuer. Trace offers the only shelter for miles around and agrees to take them in until she can safely continue. His simple bachelor existence never anticipated kids and women in the picture, and their arrival is unsettling - yet enticing. Working to survive the winter and finally bring justice to the trail, Trace and Deborah find themselves drawn together - yet every day approaches the moment she'll leave forever.

About the author:

Mary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys always with a strong suspense thread. She is a two time Carol Award winner, and a Rita, Christy and Inspirational Reader's Choice finalist.
She is the bestselling author of 65 books and novellas.
Her most recent three book series are: Braced for Love, A Man with a Past and Love on the Range for Bethany House Publishing. She’s also written four other series for Barbour Publishing and many novellas and several stand-alone books for multiple publishers.
Mary will be a published author for ten years in 2017 with nearly a million books in print. She has a degree in broadcast communications with an emphasis in journalism and has worked at her local newspaper.

Find Mary online at:
Seekerville
Petticoats & Pistols
My Website

Review: Hope Harbor

Hope Harbor by Irene Hannon
My rating: 💛💛💛

Hope Harbor is a place for second chances. A second chance on finding love and reconcile with loved ones.

I enjoyed both the story line of Anna and her lost relationship with her son, her impact on a young teenage girl, and Tracy and Michael’s journey of making peace with lost spouses and regrets of decisions made when their spouses were still alive.

Through their journey, I learned to treasure my loved ones and to appreciate every moment we have with them.

*I listened to the audiobook on Scribd.*


View all my reviews

About the book:

Tracy Campbell never wanted to leave Hope Harbor, Oregon, or the idyllic three-generation cranberry farm where she grew up. But life–and love–altered her plans.

When tragedy strikes and changes her plans yet again, she finds herself back in her hometown with a floundering farm to run and a heartbreaking secret. Romance is not on her agenda. Nor is it on Michael Hunter’s. The visitor from Chicago has daunting secrets of his own. But when Tracy recruits him to help save a struggling charitable organization, the winds of change begin to sweep through Hope Harbor, bringing healing, hope, and love to countless lives–including their own. 

About the author:

Irene Hannon, who writes both contemporary romance and romantic suspense, is the author of more than

50 novels. Her books have been honored with three coveted RITA awards from Romance Writers of America (the “Oscar” of romance fiction) and she is a member of that organization's elite Hall of Fame. She has also received a Career Achievement award from RT Book Reviews for her entire body of work. Other awards for individual books include National Readers' Choice, HOLT Medallion, Daphne du Maurier, Retailers Choice, Booksellers' Best, and Reviewers' Choice from RT Book Reviews. She is also a two-time Christy award finalist.

A former corporate communications executive with a Fortune 500 company, Irene now writes full time. To learn more about Irene and her books, visit www.irenehannon.com.

Review: Christmas at the Circus

Christmas at the Circus by Joanne Bischof
My rating: 💛💛💛

This was a sweet story featuring two of the most loved fiction couples around Christmas time.

If you read The Lady and the Lionheart you should read this Christmas time novella.

Review: Review: The Lady and the Lionheart        

View all my reviews

About the book:

A short story about The Greatest Season on Earth

In 1800's New Orleans, newlyweds Charlie and Ella Lionheart are spending their first holiday season together within the circus. It’s Ella’s first Christmas away from her mountain home and with thoughts of family and new beginnings, see what surprises the kindhearted lion tamer has in store for her on Christmas Eve.
A touch of holiday magic beneath the Big Top!

About the author:

An ECPA Christy Award winner and an ACFW Carol Award winner, Joanne Bischof writes deeply layered

fiction that tugs at the reader’s heartstrings. Joanne’s 2016 novel, THE LADY AND THE LIONHEART, received an extraordinary 5 Star TOP PICK! from Romantic Times Book Reviews among other critical acclaim. Joanne has a long-standing passion for romance and a budding fervor for theology. She is more and more awed by how wondrously the two go hand in hand. She lives in the mountains of southern California with her three children and is represented by Sandra Bishop of Transatlantic Literary Agency.

Review: A Dangerous Stage

A Dangerous Stage by Camy Tang
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Rating 3.5

A crazy car chasing scene sets the pace for this humour filled action packed suspense. But between all the fight scenes and funny moments, we also get a lot of depth with Tessa needing to deal with forgiveness.

I enjoyed meeting up with Tessa and Charles and seeing the crazy scenarios Tessa finds herself in.

There was a cliffhanger due to an unresolved issue and I hope the author will deliver a third Tessa and Charles story to wrap up all those open issues.

Review book 1: Protection for Hire


View all my reviews

About the book:

Tessa Lancaster worked for her uncle in the Japanese mafia until she was sent to prison for a murder she didn't commit. Now, after finding God behind bars, she takes odd jobs as a bodyguard to keep her distance from the family business.
In A Dangerous Stage, the second book in Camy Tang's Protection for Hire series, Tessa gets caught up in the web of lies surrounding a shady singing competition. Hired by one of the contestants, she works with Charles Britton---the lawyer who sent her to prison---to discover the dark figures manipulating the contest from behind the scenes.
Tessa's abilities will be tested like never before as she's forced to balance the safety of her client's family and her deepening relationship with Charles. In the midst of the chaos, she holds on to her faith to keep her safe and bring down the shadowy organization

About the author:

Camy writes Christian romantic suspense, contemporary romance, and cozy mystery as Camy Tang and

Regency romance under her pen name, Camille Elliot. She grew up in Hawaii but now lives in northern California with her engineer husband and rambunctious dog. She graduated from Stanford University in psychology with a focus on biology, but for nine years she worked as a biologist researcher. Then God guided her path in a completely different direction and now she’s writing full time, using her original psychology degree as she creates the characters in her novels. In her free time, she’s a staff worker for her church youth group and leads one of her church’s Sunday worship teams. She also loves to knit, spin wool into yarn, and is training to (very slowly) run a marathon.

Review: Married 'til Monday

Married 'til Monday by Denise Hunter
My rating: 💛💛💛💛

I love marriage reconciliation stories. Marriage is powerful and I always enjoy a story where a husband and wife overcome big issues and are stronger after. This one was a bit different, since Ryan and Abby was divorced for three years.

Denise Hunter did a great job of writing the struggles between Ryan and Abby in such a way that moved this reader emotionally. I found myself hoping they will work through their issues and feeling frustrated when there was one snag after the other. What I liked about how the author tackled this relationship development, was the fact to emphasized that Abby first had to realized and work through her own individual struggles due to her horrible abusive past to be able to work on her relationship with Ryan.

This story dealt with a heavy issue of child abuse, but I feel that the author handled it with grace and dignity, giving enough detail to give the reader the idea of what Abby had to endure, without going into too gritty details.

The McKinley family was true to their tight loveable meddling self. Their protectiveness for Ryan to avoid more heartache felt realistic.

I enjoyed being a part of the McKinley’s lives in this series and looking forward to reading about Abby’s cousins in the Summer Harbor series.

Review book 1: Barefoot Summer

Review book2: Dancing with Fireflies

Review: A December Bride

Review book3: The Wishing Season

View all my reviews

About the book:

With a big anniversary party in the works for his ex-wife’s parents, Ryan has just one weekend to play Abby’s husband . . . and win back the woman of his dreams.

Ryan McKinley has tried to move on from his ex-wife, Abby. He’s sulked, he’s gotten angry, and ultimately he bought her dream house. Big mistake. Living alone in the massive two-story has only made him miss her more. When her parents call him out of the blue about their anniversary party in Summer Harbor, Maine, Ryan believes God has dropped a golden opportunity straight in his lap.

Abby McKinley never exactly told her parents about the divorce. A strained relationship with her dad has culminated in a distant relationship with her parents, but she’s finally succumbed to her mom’s pressure to make the drive for their 35th-anniversary party.

Then Ryan shows up on her doorstep, looking as handsome as ever. When he insists he’s going to Summer Harbor, with or without her, Abby knows she can’t say no. Her parents still think they’re married and now Ryan knows it too. It’s just a one-week road trip with the man who broke her heart. What could possibly go wrong?

About the author:

Denise Hunter is the award-winning author of more than 40 novels, three of which have been adapted into Hallmark movies.

Denise writes heartwarming, small-town romances, peopled with layered characters who have real-life issues. Her readers enjoy the vicarious thrill of falling in love and the promise of a happily-ever-after sigh as they savor the final pages of her books.

Review: The Wishing Season

The Wishing Season by Denise Hunter
My rating: 💛💛💛💛

PJ and Cole met with a bang and ever since the first meet, they were in a fight to further their own hopes and dreams. Just like the first meet, their connection was just as fast and not easy to ignore.

I adored Cole. He had a very difficult background and it played a big part of who he is today and why he didn’t think twice helping PJ when she needed help.

I love Mama Jo and the close nit McKinley family, but in this story, I did get frustrated with their meddling and how Mama Jo judged the situation and made her own conclusion on face value. However, she did redeem herself when she realized her mistake and apologised.

Both PJ and Cole had to overcome insecurities based on life events and trust God to truly know what they deserve.

Denise Hunter has a talent of taking difficult subjects and writing beautiful, sweet stories which not only touches the heartache, but also the hope and the victory over these challenges. In book 1, it was alcoholism, book two rape, book 3 the foster system and book 4 it is child abuse.

Review book 1: Barefoot Summer

Review book2: Dancing with Fireflies

Review: A December Bride

View all my reviews

About the book:

Living side-by-side, a fledgling chef and a big-hearted contractor find a delicious attraction.

Trouble is, their chemistry could spoil their dreams.

Spirited PJ McKinley has the touch when it comes to food. Her dream of opening her own restaurant is just one building short of reality. So when a Chapel Springs resident offers her beloved ancestral home to the applicant with the best plan for the house, PJ believes it’s a contest she was meant to win.

Contractor Cole Evans is confident, professional, and swoon-worthy—but this former foster kid knows his life could have turned out very differently. When Cole discovers the contest, he believes his home for foster kids in transition has found its saving grace. All he has to do is convince the owner that an out-of-towner with a not-for-profit enterprise is good for the community.

But when the eccentric philanthropist sees PJ and Cole’s proposals, she makes an unexpected decision: the pair will share the house for a year to show what their ideas are made of. Now, with Cole and the foster kids upstairs and PJ and the restaurant below, day-to-day life has turned into out-and-out competition—with some seriously flirtatious hallway encounters on the side. Turns out in this competition, it’s not just the house on the line, it’s their hearts.

About the author:

Denise Hunter is the award-winning author of more than 40 novels, three of which have been adapted into Hallmark movies.

Denise writes heartwarming, small-town romances, peopled with layered characters who have real-life issues. Her readers enjoy the vicarious thrill of falling in love and the promise of a happily-ever-after sigh as they savor the final pages of her books.

Review: A December Bride

A December Bride by Denise Hunter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a sweet Novella over Christmas time. The romance developed really fast, but the years of friendship between Layla and Seth made it more realistic.

I loved Layla when I met her in Barefoot Summer and was glad to see that she got her own HEA.

Review book 1: Barefoot Summer

Review book2: Dancing with Fireflies

*I listened to the audiobook on Scribd.*

View all my reviews

About the book:

Under normal circumstances, Seth Murphy—the best friend of Layla O’Reilly’s ex-fiancé—would be the last person she’d marry. But the news of their upcoming (and phony) nuptials convinces a big client that Layla may be high-society enough to work for his agency—a coup that would put her fledgling home-staging business on the map.



Seth has secretly loved Layla for years, even when she was dating his best friend. Maybe she’ll never forgive him for the way he hurt her back then, but he has to try. And Layla is willing to keep up their engagement farce until she’s landed her client.



For Layla, it’s the chance to save her career. But for Seth, it’s his last chance to win her heart.

About the author:

Denise Hunter is the award-winning author of more than 40 novels, three of which have been adapted into Hallmark movies.

Denise writes heartwarming, small-town romances, peopled with layered characters who have real-life issues. Her readers enjoy the vicarious thrill of falling in love and the promise of a happily-ever-after sigh as they savor the final pages of her books.

In 1996, Denise began her first novel, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she's been writing ever since. Her books contain a strong romantic element, and her husband says he provides all her romantic material, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too!

Denise and her husband live in Indiana, where they raised three sons, and are currently enjoying an empty nest.

Book Spotlight Fridays! What I Would Tell You

 

Book Beginnings and Friday56

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading. Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice and asks you to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your e-reader and share a non-spoiler sentence or two.  First Line Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Reading is my Superpower that asks you to share the first sentence of the book you're reading.

A dual-time story between featuring WW2 in Greece.

What I Would Tell You

About the book:

Determined to resist the invading Nazis, a Greek Jewish woman's greatest dream has become her worst nightmare, and now she faces an impossible choice whose consequences echo across the generations. 
 
1941—The pounding of Nazi boots on the streets of Salonika, Greece, reverberates in Mathilda Nissim’s ears, shaking her large community of Sephardic Jews to its core and altering her life forever. If only her people would rise up and resist their captors. At great risk to herself and those around her, she uses the small newspaper she publishes to call them to action, all to no avail. Her husband encourages her to trust God to watch over them, but God has once again deserted His people. Amid the chaos, Mathilda discovers she’s expecting a longed-for child. Still, nothing stops the occupiers’ noose from tightening around their necks, and she may have to resort to desperate measures to ensure her daughter’s survival.
 
2019—College student Tessa Payton and her cousin take a popular DNA heritage test only to discover they don’t share any common ancestors. In fact, the test reveals Tessa is a Greek Sephardic Jew. This revelation threatens her tenuous faith. Always the overlooked child in her family, she empties her savings account and jets off on a journey to Greece to discover where she belongs and which God demands her allegiance. The enchanting curator at the Jewish museum guides her as she navigates life in Thessaloniki, helps with her genealogical research, and loans her a fascinating journal written by a Jewish woman during WWII. Tessa’s search, however, may open old wounds and uncover long-hidden secrets that could fracture her family forever and leave her with more questions than when she started.
 
Based in part on true accounts of Jews in Salonika, Greece, What I Would Tell You traces two women’s journeys, delving into what faith looks like and where it leads us as they navigate difficult circumstances and impossible choices that have ripple effects across the years.
Split time fiction: WWII and 2019
Stand-alone novel
Approximate book length: 91,000 words
Includes author’s notes

*************************************************************

Book Beginnings

This is the day I dreaded, the day I feared might come, the day I prayed never would.

Friday 56

I have sat by idly for far too long. I allowed the Nazis to take my husband away. Who knows if he's even alive?

My thoughts so far

This is one of the best WW2 stories I've read. The past POV is so good!                  

                                    ************************************************************* 

Review: Distant Echoes

Distant Echoes by Colleen Coble
My rating: 💛💛💛💛

I enjoyed the second read of this story just as much as I did the first time. This time I connected Bree and Samson from the Rock Harbor series, so it was fun to be more in the know of who they were.

I loved the dolphins as part of the mystery and how everything evolved.

*I listened to the audiobook on Scribd.*

View all my reviews

About the book:

In the land of aloha and paradise, dark secrets lurk just below the surface.

When a tragic accident downs a tourist boat off the coast of Hawaii, dolphin researcher Kaia Oana is one of the first in the water, risking her own life to try and save others. She’s enlisted to help the U.S. Navy find out what really happened – utilizing her specially trained dolphins to help

Kaia and Lieutenant Commander Jesse Matthews team up in the investigation – but as they edge closer to the truth about the incident, their own lives are threatened. Will a spirit of grace and forgiveness prevail or will it be overshadowed by the distant echoes of past pain and the imminent danger from a cold-blooded killer?

Set on the breathtaking Hawaiian island of Kauai, this novel provides an intoxicating mix of romance and suspense with the rhythms of island life.

About the author:

USAToday bestselling author Colleen Coble lives with her husband, Dave, in Indiana. She is the author of

dozens of novels including the Rock Harbor Series, the Aloha Reef Series, the Mercy Falls Series, the Hope Beach Series, the Lonestar Series and two Women of Faith fiction selections, Alaska Twilight and Midnight Sea. She has more than 2 million books in print.

Review: The Max Lucado Christmas Collection: The Christmas Child, the Christmas Candle Cosmic Christmas

The Max Lucado Christmas Collection: The Christmas Child, the Christmas Candle Cosmic Christmas by Max Lucado
My rating: 💛💛💛

A sweet collection of Christmas stories with a surprising story about the supernatural events leading up to Christ’s birth and the effects thereof.

*I listened to the audiobook on Scribd.*

View all my reviews

About the book:

Come along as Max Lucado takes us on a journey into three of his bestselling Christmas classics: The Christmas Child, The Christmas Candle, and Cosmic Christmas. 

About the author:

With more than 130 million products in print and several NYT bestsellers, Max Lucado is America's bestselling inspirational author. He serves the Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, where he lives with his wife, Denalyn, and their mischievous mutt, Andy. His next book is publishing August 2018 and is titled Unshakable Hope.

https://www.facebook.com/maxlucado/

https://twitter.com/maxlucado

https://www.instagram.com/maxlucado/

Review: Prisoner

Prisoner by Camille Elliot
My rating: 💛💛💛💛

This serial should be read in order, otherwise you will loose crucial facts and feel like you are watching the first episode of the 5th season of a series.

Warning: this story includes mention of abuse/torture.

I enjoyed getting to see more scenes with the enemies in this book, having quite a few scenes with the pale eyed man (who is still very intriguing) and Jack. We also discover more about Lady Wynwood’s dead husband’s past and also learn the inner strength she has.

So many possibilities of where the author will take the reader but still so many unknowns.

If you enjoy regency era with action, suspense and some speculative fiction, you should enjoy this serial.

*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.*

Reviews for all the books in the series:

 0.5 The Spinster's Christmas       

0.5b The Gentleman Thief

1. Archer

2. Berserker

3. Aggressor 

4. Betrayer        

View all my reviews

About the book:

A Christian Historical Adventure set in Regency England with romance and a supernatural twist
Part five in an epic-length serial novel

Lady Wynwood’s team of aristocrat spies is shocked at the betrayal by one of their teammates and the kidnapping of a second. In a race against time, they must find the hiding place of the treasonous group that they call the Gentians in order to save one of their own.

However, they also face the threat of mysterious agendas within the secret government department, the Ramparts. The team is split apart by the Ramparts’ leaders, who seem overly interested in using the mysterious Root elixir for their own purposes.

While knowing that each day brings more suffering and torture for the prisoner, Lady Wynwood’s spies scramble to uncover any clues left behind as to where the Gentians have gone. But with their resources and abilities limited by the Ramparts, can they make it in time before the enemy accomplishes its perplexing goal?

PLEASE NOTE: Like the novels published in Jane Austen’s time, this is a novel in multiple parts. Each volume has a completed story arc, but this is NOT a stand-alone novel and the story continues in volume 6.

Can't Wait Wednesday: Under Fire

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights and discusses the books we're excited about that we've yet to read. Generally, they're books that are yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

The third and final book in the series, is coming March 2023!

About the book: Under Fire

USSS Special Agent Zane Fletcher has landed his dream assignment protecting the president of the United States. When the president plans a fundraiser at the exclusive estate of a political supporter in Raleigh, Zane is thrilled to be working again with Special Agent Tessa Reed, his best friend--and the woman he desperately wishes could be more.

Though Tessa almost lost everything, she battled her demons and came out on the other side healthy and healed. But when her role as the liaison between the Raleigh office and the president's protective detail wrenches her past back into the present, her greatest failure threatens to come to light.

Zane refuses to let Tessa go through this alone. But can he stand by the woman he loves and protect the president from a mounting threat at the same time?

Sparks fly as award-winning romantic suspense writer Lynn H. Blackburn closes out her Defend and Protect series with this explosive tale of secrets kept, lies exposed, and relationships restored.

What are you waiting on this week?

Can't Wait Wednesday! Cold Light of Day

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights and discusses the books we're excited about that we've yet to read. Generally, they're books that are yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Excited about this new series coming Feb 2023!

About the book: Cold Light of Day

Police Chief Autumn Long is fighting to keep her job in the quiet Alaska town of Shadow Gap when an unexpected string of criminal activity leaves her with a wounded officer, unexplained murders, and even an attack on her own father. Despite her mistrust of outsiders, she turns to Grier Brenner, a newcomer who seems to have the skills and training Autumn needs to face this threat to her community.

Grier is in Alaska for the same reason so many others are--to disappear--when Chief Long enlists his help. He emerges from the shadows and proves his mettle, but his presence in her life could be a deadly trap for them both. If his secret is exposed, all will be lost. And he's not sure even Autumn could save him.

As the stakes rise and the dangers increase, Autumn and Grier must rely on each other to extinguish the deadly threats.

What are you waiting on this week?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Hope Santa Brings This Year

 Join in the Top Ten Tuesday fun! Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Bookish Wishes:  Oh my, which Avid reader do not have a long wish list of books to buy.  I have so many different lists on Amazon, but if I have to choose, this will be the top 10(ish), because it is books I would like to complete series I have started and having to put on hold because I do not have the next book in the series: Wishlist

1.  The Journey of Runs-Far

2.  Return to Boones' Hallow

3.  The Baby Rescue

4.  With Autumn's Return

5.  Deadly Intent

6.  Where Grace Appears

7.  All That's Fair

8.  All That's Fair

9.  Authentically, Izzy

10.  Dark of Night

Can't Wait Wednesday! The Sound of Light

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights and discusses the books we're excited about that we've yet to read. Generally, they're books that are yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Sarah Sundin's WW2 stories never disappoints.  And with this beautiful story, I am expecting a beautiful story, coming Feb 2023!

About the book: The Sound of Light

When the Germans march into Denmark, Baron Henrik Ahlefeldt exchanges his nobility for anonymity, assuming a new identity so he can secretly row messages for the Danish Resistance across the waters to Sweden.

American physicist Dr. Else Jensen refuses to leave Copenhagen and abandon her research--her life's dream. While printing resistance newspapers, she hears stories of the movement's legendary Havmand--the merman--and wonders if the mysterious and silent shipyard worker living in the same boardinghouse has something to hide.

When the Occupation cracks down on the Danes, these two passionate people will discover if there is more power in speech . . . or in silence. Bestselling author of more than a dozen WWII novels, Sarah Sundin offers pens another story of ordinary people responding to extraordinary circumstances with faith, fortitude, and hope for a brighter future.

What are you waiting on this week?