Spring has arrived, the snow is gone, and that means dreaded yard cleanup. Some of my friends love gardening but for me? ….. I wouldn’t go so far as to use the word love. I do love having pretty gardens though. And I love the feeling of accomplishment when full garbage bags pile up and clean looks so good. I love the strength returning to muscles that have had the winter off too. Over all, it’s a win/win situation.
Maintenance I can handle. The hard part is knowing what looks good, when new plants are needed. Manitoba Hydro came through last fall and took out two tall blue spruce trees that were the focal point of my back yard. Now they have to be replaced, but with what? That’s the challenge. Maybe I will learn to like this aspect of gardening too, it could happen.
The up side of stiff muscles from yard cleanup? Extra reading time. When it comes to reading, any excuse works for me.
It has been an excellent week, with many books of the hard to put down variety.
Chasing Tomorrow – Tomorrow’s Lullaby book 2 – Lindzee Armstrong ….. Sienna is back in college pursuing music and an entrance into Juilliard, a dream side tracked by an inopportune pregnancy. Giving her son up for adoption was one of the hardest things she had ever done.
Aaron is conflicted over his place in the family, feeling like an outsider most of the time. Forced Spanish lessons, meant to help him connect with his roots, have only served to widen the gap, also leaving him with a negative attitude toward the birth mother who put him in this uncomfortable position.
Sienna has a secret and Aaron has emotional baggage. Is it possible for their attraction to survive any of this?
Bitter Root Mysteries – Bitter Roots book 1 – C.J. Carmichael …… A dead woman has been found on the walkway to the local clinic and after a quick look at the crime scene, the sheriff decides the blame belongs to an unknown outsider.
Zak has taken the job of dispatcher by choice, even though he is underutilized in that position. He has his reasons. And besides, one of the perks of dispatcher – he’s privy to information he would never see in any other role.
Deputy Black cannot understand his reluctance to take a deputy position. She recognizes his talent and is quick to enlist his help when she sees him taking an interest in some of the areas the Sheriff has bypassed. They hope to uncover the truth. Is this woman dead at the hands of an outsider, or is she dead because of harboured small town secrets? Is the sheriff trying to cover for someone?
Mitchell’s Crossroads – Charming the Trouble Maker book 2 – Pepper Basham …. Dr. Alex Murdoch is demoted to a small town university and he doesn’t expect to have reason to stay any longer than necessary. His natural charming ways come out when he catches a glimpse of beautiful Rainey Mitchell and he thinks this small town job may work out better than he thought.
For her part, the last thing Rainey needs is an arrogant flirt in her life and she tries to put as much distance between them as possible. It sort of works until cutbacks threaten her special program and it seems Alex is the one with the needed skills and connections to help save the project,
Forgotten Coast Florida Suspense Series was my favorite read this week. I liked it because the characters are complex and well developed, the plot is interesting and unpredictable, and the story doesn’t remind me of any other book I’ve read. The quality of writing is high too. I was hooked and stayed with it until I’d read all four books. The fifth one is from 2016
Low Tide book 1….. a dead body is discovered on St George’s Island and Lt Maggie Redmond is distressed to find it’s someone with a past connection to her. It’s been ruled a suicide and she is confident no one, including her boss, knows her secret but she is still worried someone will accuse her of murder. When Gregory’s rich and infamous uncle views her with a sudden and inexplicable interest, the worry increases.
Riptide book 2 …. Before Lt Redmond has a chance to solve the cause of death for Gregory Boudreaux the foot of his best friend shows up in a fisherman’s net. It’s looking more and more like Bennett Boudreaux – Gregory’s uncle and the town villain – could be responsible somehow. Maggie is conflicted with this development because, against her better judgement, she is starting to like Bennett. This increases the angst she feels about keeping secrets from the boss she is also starting to like. Sheriff Wyatt Hamilton likes her too and is not happy about her meetings with Boudreaux and the unhealthy rumors they are causing.
What Washes Up book 3 ….. Multiple bodies have washed on the beach, appearing to be those of families attempting to reach US shores. The first two murders have yet to be solved and now there are two more murder cases. The second new murder is the body of a man found tied to the mast of a burning boat. The whole situation has turned out to be much bigger than the death of a man and his best friend. The feds have gotten involved and the residents of Apalach are outraged at the thought of all these deaths. Has all of this been part of a bigger Bennett Boudreaux scheme all along?
Landfall book 4. …. Maggie is getting ready to leave town before the hurricane hits, because someone is threatening her family and she is trying to keep them safe. What she doesn’t know is that the threat is coming from an unexpected source and when a stranger shows up at her door she is stunned to find herself and her family hostages of a madman. Even worse, no one will know they are in trouble. They are expected to be on the road already.
In the middle of the madness and her attempts to free herself, the hurricane hits with a vengeance and everything goes sideways. Help in an unexpected form shows up but even that doesn’t go well. Will they be able to survive, or is this the end for them all?
These four books form the foundation for the rest of the series and are best read in sequence. After that, the following books can be read as standalone.
Book 5 showed up on my radar in 2016, I liked it then, too.
Forgotten Coast Florida Suspense Series – Dead Wake book 5 – Dawn Lee McKenna …. Local florists, William and Robert, are not happy about tearing their shop apart after a flood only to find a dead body bricked up behind the dry wall. it’s bad for business in a resort town. They don’t want the whole town in on the news so instead of 911 they call Lt Maggie Redmond at home. She doesn’t want to deal with this alone so she drags her boss, Sheriff Wyatt Hamilton, along. She already knows the victim is someone declared missing decades ago so the big question is – how and why did he turn up in the wall of the florist shop?
What well kept town secrets will be uncovered this time?
Happy reading for you this week too.
The Man He Never Was – James L Rubart….. Toren Daniels wakes up one day and feels like a different person. And has no idea why.
A Novel – And the Greatest of These is Love …….. Gabi had no idea the community centre was in this much financial trouble, and she is determined to find a way to keep things going. These kids have no where else to go.
A Novel – The Long Way Home ….. Jaxton is more than a little upset his parents have ordered him to abandon his high powered clients and visit the ailing grandfather he hasn’t seen in fifteen years. The whole idea of this visit is distasteful.
A Novel – Coming Undone …… Ben is revelling in the single life; few responsibilities, weekly card games with his buddies, parties on the weekends. He is totally unprepared for the call asking him to step up and be next-of-kin, the one making the hard decisions.
The Harmony Series – Lucky book 2 …. One terrible moment and everything Danae believes to be true is exposed as a lie, and she’s left in a puddle of grief, with no way of getting home from the wedding.
A Novel – More Than This …… Jake likes the anonymity of the dark corner of the coffee shop, a quiet place to sit with his laptop writing the novel that will have his name in lights. At least he’s hoping it will.
The Faith Series – A Work in Progress book 1 … Rebecca has never been one of the beautiful people, instead she finds herself forever doing the alone thing, watching the beautiful people enjoying relationships, wondering how they do it.
The Courage Series – To Protect & Serve book 1 …. Jeff endures much good natured teasing from his friends over his inability to strike up a conversation with a pretty woman. Reluctantly, he joins a celebratory night out on the town after graduation at the fire academy.
The Friendship Series – Eternity book 1…. Aaron has given up on life and girls since the love of his life left him for someone else. He’s stuck in a job he hates and the only bright spot at work is Harmony, a friend who has always been there for him. Unfortunately for Harmony, she loves Aaron but doesn’t expect he will ever feel the same way about her.
A Novel – Deep in the Heart…… Maggie has successfully applied for a nanny position she desperately needs. What she doesn’t know – the strict house rules have been responsible for the short tenure of the all previous nannies, and there are bets she won’t last either. In the meantime, the children are starved for simple connection and there is something about her that causes them to cling to her.
The Harmony Series – Cowboy book 1 ….. Beth is struggling to make a life for her little daughter, stuck in a diner trying to make ends meet, flooded with grief after the death of her husband.
For the Love of Books 