Month: February 2022

Free books February 28, 2022

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Another month coming to an end. Unbelievable.

We may have books today, it will depend on how many turn out to be interesting. Hopefully lots.

BookBub has a FREE suggestion.

Seeking Home: A Sweet Rockyview Romance (Family Bonds Book 1)

She’s a single mother looking for redemption.

He ‘s a widower who wants to sell the ranch that stole his family from him in a tragic accident.

Sabine Radowski’s rocky childhood left her looking for a stable future for her daughter. So when the insurance payment arrives from her estranged husband’s passing, she brings her dream alive and buys a ranch. And though she’s determined never to lean on another man, she’d still appreciate the handsome former owner’s help to get things running…

Tanner Bond is plagued by the guilt of the death of his wife and daughter. Ready to flee the property that reminds him of his loss, caring for his sick grandmother forces him to put his plans on hold. But despite the new owner’s young daughter being an ever-present reminder of his burning grief, Tanner finds himself falling for the fiery widow.

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LPC Free Books has a FREE suggestion.

Murder Mezzo Forte (A Preston Barclay Mystery Book 2)

”Two professors accused of murder on a college campus must find the killer in a whodunit that plays to the beat of a unique soundtrack. The main character and narrator, Preston Barclay, suffers with musical hallucinations that started when his wife died and music passed from Faith’s soul into his.

Barclay’s female colleague is Wiccan, hired as part of the university’s new policy of inclusion. Her blue gaze burns Preston, but their budding friendship intrigues. Suspended by the administration and suspected by police of killing a fellow professor, evidence mounts against the pair, even as they conduct a risky investigation of their own. The ending has an unpredictable and satisfying twist.” ~ Publishers Weekly

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Sadly, that’s it for good suggestions.

My current read is great. I’m 2/3 of the way through and still trying to decide who the killer will be.

Refuge of Redemption: The Colsons (Fog Lake Suspense Book 7) 

Home is a place of refuge—unless it’s a killer’s playground.

For years, Bear Colson has been known as the serial killer’s son. But now, someone else is behind bars for the crimes his father was accused of committing. Bear wants to believe hope for a brighter future is in sight, but he has reason to suspect more than one killer was involved.

Forensic photographer Piper Stephens’ career crashed and burned when she trusted the wrong man. Now, after discovering an alarming secret about the infamous Good Samaritan Killer, she sets out to find both answers and redemption. But things go awry when her assistant becomes the next victim.

As fear batters Fog Lake residents once again, Bear and Piper join forces to track down the truth. But the killer is determined to remain in the shadows—and he’ll destroy anyone who stands in his way.

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Happy Reading!

“Sunday Scriblings” Prompt – Strawberries

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Each week Sunday Scribblings issues a prompt looking to inspire submissions, it has been awhile since inspiration last hit me. Today the prompt is strawberries and I have a TON of strong memories for these little balls of deliciousness.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Earliest memories have me in a large field picking for a farmer who needed help getting his crop in. The plants grow close to the ground and it’s not the easiest job n the world but it was good experience for a young kid. My first official job, other than in the field picking, was on the belt in a processing plant picking the unacceptable berries off the line before they were washed and frozen. At least there we were standing, much better in so many ways.

Over the years I’d still visit farmer’s field but to pick for myself this time. We’d freeze them for winter. Some whole, some sliced ready for strawberry shortcake or ice cream with strawberries. So good. They didn’t all make it to the freezer though, they were wonderful fresh and we couldn’t resist eating our fill. The best of the berries went in the freezer but the rest went into jam jars. There is nothing like homemade jam.

I did a lot of canning and freezing over the years but life moves on. Now it’s easier to pick them up at the grocery store with seasonal availability no longer an issue.

Raspberries were a big part of my life too, for all the same reasons, but I liked strawberries so much better. Still do. Probably because raspberries were so much easier to grow and the abundance was a burden sometimes. And they aren’t as sweet.

So many good memories. I could go for some right about now. All this talk is making me hungry for sweet strawberries.

Current enjoyable read February 26, 2022

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It’s a collection. Four books.

I’ve finished the first one and I have to say it was full of tension. Which is a good thing. It makes for a gripping story, one that’s not easy to put down.

Now I’m on to the second book and it is off to a roaring start, especially when it comes to drama.

Past hurts color our reactions in triggering situations when, inevitably, all the old memories come flooding back. For Javier, everything he does is met with bad attitude, the one caused by his still weeping wounds. And now, the perpetrator is standing right in front of him, seemingly oblivious to the root cause of his rude behavior.

This leaves me dying to know what happened, and did she betray him the way he obviously thinks she did.

It’s Saturday, between loads of laundry I aim to find out.

Romance from the Heart Boxed Set by Lee Tobin McClain

The Quintana siblings are too busy saving their struggling family restaurant to fall in love… Four heartwarming, small-town Western stories of intense attraction, devastating secrets, and the twisty path to the altar, from the USA Today bestselling author of thirty Christian inspirational romances.

Sheltered Hearts: A jilted bride gets stranded in a snowstorm with a handsome restaurant cook who’s not what he seems to be.

Secrets of the Heart: When a single mom returns to her hometown to manage the farm-to-table remake of a struggling Mexican restaurant, she must work closely with the handsome ex who broke her high-school heart.

Wise at Heart: He’s an old friend. She’s his nanny. There’s a spark. It would all be so romantic… if she weren’t keeping such a terrible secret.

Joy of My Heart: Will the overprotective Quintana brothers stand by while their little sister falls in love with a mysterious older man?

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Happy Reading y’all

I haven’t found any good bargain suggestions yet today but I will keep looking.

Bargain books February 25, 2022

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BookBub has a bargain suggestion from another author I’ve yet to meet. The sample looks interesting.

Matchmaker at Melody Meadow Boxed Set Books 1-3: Cowboy Romance

Olivia Williams has always fancied herself something of a matchmaker, and she’s set her matchmaking sights on her fellow cowboys at Melody Meadow Ranch. If she has her way, each of the cowboys will be partnered up in no time at all!

Meet Jonas, the single dad; Levi, the cowboy billionaire; and Seth, the former soldier.

They aren’t gonna know what hits ’em in this heartwarming romance!

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1531 Entertainment has an interesting suggestion. I’ve seen this book before and enjoyed the author many times.

Winter’s Secret: Clean Romance Mystery (Northern Intrigue Book 1)

Some secrets chill to the bone…

In a small Wisconsin town, a record-breaking winter brings a series of disturbing crimes. The new sheriff and home health nurse will do anything to stop whoever is responsible.

All the while they’ll try not to do something even more dangerous–fall in love. With God’s help, can they crack the bone-chilling mystery — and the secrets of their own hearts?

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That all I have at the moment, Still it is four books.

Have a good weekend y’all.

Happy Reading

Free and bargain books February 24, 2022

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BookBub has a FREE suggestion for us.

Missing on Main Street: Small Town Christian Suspense (Honey Pot Mysteries Book 1)

Small towns aren’t always as safe as they seem.

One missing teen sends three homeschool moms on a thrilling search.

Lydia, Kat, and Flora put lesson plans aside as they hunt for Ivy Hooper. Little do they know they’re not the only ones looking for her. With a less than picture-perfect past, Ivy’s trail leads them to shocking revelations and an even more surprising resolution.

Will a trio of stay-at-home moms be able to thwart the dark side of their small town? Can they rescue Ivy before her pursuers find her?

Launch into book one of this binge-worthy Christian Mystery series that builds your faith as it gets your heart racing.

Pour yourself a fresh cup of coffee and get ready to stay up late with the moms of Honey Pot.

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Found in the suggestion strip.

Alaskan Refuge Christian Suspense Box Set (Books 1-3)

Deep in the heart of Alaska, there’s more to fear than just the cold …

Real faith meets real suspense in these 3 thrilling novels you can’t put down!

Find out why Christian fiction readers are racing headfirst into the depths of rural Alaska, where unforgettable characters face unimaginable dangers. These believers will risk everything to save the ones they love:

A woman hiding from the fatal mistakes of her past. A sister rescuing her autistic little brother from the clutches of danger. A mother confronting the demons in her past to rescue her kidnapped daughter.

If you like determined characters, faith-based suspense, and heart-stopping action, then you’ll love these riveting novels from bestselling Christian novelist Alana Terry.

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Another in the suggestion strip.

Murder in Half Moon Bay: A Jillian Bradley Mystery Book 1: (Jillian Bradley Christian Cozy with Suspense Mysteries Series Book 1)

All Jillian Bradley wants is to spend a quiet weekend by the ocean and enjoy her afternoon tea. But a startling discovery draws Jillian and her garden club friends into solving a mystery that threatens her life and changes her future.

‘Murder in Half Moon Bay,’ Book 1 in The Jillian Bradley Mystery Series, introduces Jillian’s little companion ‘Teddy,’ a Yorkie who falls prey to danger but rises to become a sleuth dog in the next book.

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We are back to mysteries.

Enjoy.

Happy Reading!

Free and bargain books February 23, 2022

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1531 Entertainment has a suggestion, I’ve not read this author and there is no sample. We are going into this one blind.

Me, You, Us: (A gripping story about a marriage facing the painful unexpected.) 

Melissa and her husband of 20 years are ready for the next phase in their lives: the empty nest. Despite life having worn down their marriage over the years, they are looking forward to a time when it’s just them again. A life where they can try to rebuild what they once had.

When Melissa finds out she’s pregnant with their third child, their whole lives unravel. A pregnancy fifteen years after his vasectomy leaves Christopher doubting her faithfulness. Their teenage kids take sides, and soon the family finds themselves in the grips of unfair accusations and anger that tears them apart.

Will the impossible choices and unexpected heartaches help Melissa and Christopher fight for each other, or will they give up on what they once had?

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If you enjoy cozy mysteries BookBub has a collection for us.

Garden Girls Cozy Mystery Series: Box Set I (Books 1-3) (Garden Girls Cozy Mysteries Boxed Set series Book 1)

BOOK 1: Who Murdered Mr. Malone?

Nothing exciting ever happens in the small town of Belhaven. Nothing that is, until a body was found in the woods behind the local elementary school.

With the entire town in an uproar, “Garden Girl” Gloria Rutherford makes it her personal mission to find the killer or killers and solve the mystery with some help from her friends.

With a little amateur detective work, Gloria is able to uncover enough clues that point right to the murderer. She’s about to discover, however, things aren’t always as clear cut as they would appear.

BOOK 2: Grandkids Gone Wild “Garden Girl” Gloria Rutherford, has her hands full. Her mischievous and energetic grandsons are coming for a weekend visit. To top things off, she discovers someone is living in her barn. But who and why?

As this amateur sleuth investigates what’s going on in her own backyard, another murder victim turns up in their sleepy little town.

Hot on the trail of a murderer, trying her best to make sure her grandkids don’t end up in the ER and facing a budding romance, Gloria and her small town of Belhaven are once again about to be turned upside down.

BOOK 3: Smoky Mountain Mystery

Life is good for “Garden Girl” Gloria Rutherford. Spring has finally sprung, love is in the air, and no dead bodies have turned up in the small town of Belhaven…lately. It seems as if it’s almost too good to be true.

Just as Gloria starts to get settled into her familiar routine, she receives a mysterious message from her older sister, Liz. Certain that her sister, the drama queen, is once again bent on turning Gloria’s life upside down for no good reason, she almost chooses to ignore the dire message that she may be in danger.

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BookRunes has a Free suggestion

Honey Creek Homecoming (Honey Creek Romance Book 1)

Honey Creek is the one place on earth Olivia Swanson never wants to see again. When her step-grandmother sends for her, Olivia returns with a plan. To marry the town’s wealthiest bachelor, Payton Vance. But things go quickly awry for the self-absorbed, arrogant, and angry woman.

Secrets in her past, the devotion of a woman longing to be her grandmother, a destitute family, and Rusty Baker, the guy she humiliated in high school all push Olivia into an emotional battle only a Savior could help her win.

Over a short amount of time, Olivia learns she can’t make it alone no matter how independent, ambitious, and stubborn she is. Something spiritual is at play here. Her return to Honey Creek was no random happening. God has chosen this particular time and place to give Olivia a choice. Either trust Him or lose everything.

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Happy Reading y’all

Bargain book February 22, 2022

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Just one book today. 1531 Entertainment‘s suggestion is one I’ve read and think I’ve enjoyed. My memory on this is a little hazy.

One Thursday Morning: Inspirational Romance (Romance At An Inn) (Diamond Lake Series Book 1)

How Do You Start Over?

Running not only for her own life, but that of her unborn baby, Serenah moves across the country to a little town outside of Spokane Washington called Newport. It’s here she’ll begin to build a new life and go by a different name in the hopes of staying hidden from her abusive husband John.

Can Serenah find happiness in her new life? Or will the past eventually catch up to her?

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Nothing much is showing up in the suggestion strip and it is not easy to care very much tonight.

Life all around us is going a little crazy. Just like in this book suggestion, where the abuser is leveling accusations loudly and convincingly with both words and fists, and his abuse has escalated. She is afraid for her life and rightfully so.

In real life the one yelling the loudest is the bully. Actually, if we look closely, he is the only one yelling. The abused has been emotionally beaten down over an extended period of time to the point she is incapable of standing up to protect herself. At rock bottom she will either choose to stay in abject defeat or in desperation plan and follow through on an escape.

It looks like we are at that point. Rock bottom lowest point.

Low point shows up in the amount and kind of damage being done. The bully has ceased to care about keeping injuries hidden from public view and rage is out of control. The last blow wasn’t fatal but the next one could be.

It’s funny how the world around the couple can often see the truth of a relationship when those living in it day-to-day can’t. Until it’s almost too late.

Free and bargain books February 21, 2022

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LPC Free Books offered the first suggestion. The next three appeared in the suggestion strips. All four look interesting. All authors are new to me, so no opinions here but plenty of optimistic hope.

Tempest: The Veil Chronicles, Book One

To unearth the truth, she must embrace the legend within.

For eighteen-year-old Lexi, freedom is a luxury. She’s spent her life evading capture for a genetic gift that feels more like a curse. Her bulletproof immunity and monstrous disfigurement is of great interest to a secret organization, but they aren’t the only ones. A cryptic tip alerts Lexi that something else hunts her—something darker.

Desperate to enjoy her life before it’s too late,Lexi leaves the protective cocoon her parents created for her and signs up for art classes at her local college. There she meets Conner, who is confined to a wheelchair, and they become friends who are willing to share each other’s secrets. But a chance encounter with Connor’s foster brother Killian changes everything.

Killian shares the same mysterious secret within his blood as Lexi. Their fateful meeting sets off a chain reaction of catastrophic events that exposes the terrifying truth—Lexi is a celestial queen of a bygone race. Connor is their last royal heir, and Killian is a half-breed abomination hated for his very existence. With Connor kidnapped by an ancient god determined to rid the world of the stain of humanity, Lexi and Killian find themselves under the protection of the secretive Order of Kings.

Lexi believes she’s been thrown into a world of myths and legends, but things are not as they seem. Lexi becomes convinced the Order is keeping dangerous secrets that threaten not just her but all of mankind

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The Groom: A Clean and Wholesome Romance (A Keeper at Heart Romance Book 1)

The only thing more awkward than falling in love on national television is having your heart broken in front of millions of viewers.

When public school teacher Millie Kincaid signed up for the popular dating show, The Groom, falling in love was always a possibility. But then Jace proposes to someone else on the season finale, and her hurt and humiliation leave her desperate to escape the glare of Hollywood’s spotlight…until a new reality TV show provides her a shot at the money her school desperately needs.

Former star of The Groom, Jace Westfall, went from fan favorite to villain overnight. Hurting the sweet and shy Millie cost him everything: his reputation, his endorsements, and his heart. It was the last thing Jace wanted to do, but he had his reasons. Now on the verge of financial ruin, Jace finds himself left with no choice but to do another reality show.

Neither expected to face each other again, but both need the money. As they race from country to country, trying to put the past behind them, it quickly becomes clear they have a real shot at the million dollar prize…and a second chance at love.

But only if Millie and Jace can overcome the biggest obstacle that stands in their way: each other.

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Billionaire Revived: A Sweet Billionaire Romance (Love’s Redemption Series Book 1)

She’s running from a sketchy past. He’s a billionaire business tycoon.

Struggling to make ends meet and living a life she hates, when Gail Samuels is offered an opportunity to work at Peace Mountain Ranch she jumps at the opportunity. She’s overjoyed to escape her old life and start afresh with her daughter, but upon meeting the obnoxious ranch owner, she begins to reconsider her decision.

Billionaire businessman Xavier Richards enjoys a successful career, but his cutting-edge business sense failed to translate over to relationships. Heartbroken after his fiancée cheated on him, he returns to Peace Mountain Ranch to heal – but he didn’t expect to meet the feisty Gail, who challenges everything he thought he knew about life… and love.

As a series of crazy events bring together two people from completely different worlds, Gail might just find the new life she’s been looking for…

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Billionaire Rescued: A Sweet Billionaire Romance (Love’s Redemption Series Book 2)

When a maid falls in love with her billionaire employer, only the bottle stands between them.

Having just lost his old maid, billionaire Marcus Parker is intrigued by his new one – the new maid is as far from his old one as he could have possibly imagined. Molly Butler sings when she works, smiles at him when she sees him and is always trying to make conversation. Even though he detests it at first, soon she begins to grow on him.

Coming from an alcoholic mother and a close friend who betrayed him for a quick buck, Marcus learned to only depend on himself – with his own company and a bottle of wine, he believes he’s better off without anybody else. But after meeting Molly, things began to change.

Molly finds herself drawn to Marcus, but after her fiancé was killed in a drunk driving accident, she developed a hatred of alcohol in all forms. Though Marcus’s personality draws her in, his drinking problems overshadow their relationship. Can she really risk her heart a second time to a man who is a slave to the bottle?

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Happy Reading!