Month: March 2022

Read and enjoyed March 08, 2022

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I haven’t read much from this author and wasn’t sure how I felt about his writing. This book turned out to be an excellent read and now I’ve added Robert Whitlow to my favorites list of authors.

I’m also happy to have stayed with my decision to read to the end. My initial reluctance was due to the genre. Sometimes I feel like I’ve read more WWII novels than I can handle. I was back to experiencing a spark of interest and it paid off.

This one had unique elements to draw the reader in and that was a game changer. His story treatment was a mixture of old and new with a twist. I loved his characters too, except for the ones he wanted us to hate.

I loved this read.

The whole book was a surprise and I gave it five stars.

The Witnesses 

Young lawyer Parker House is on the rise—until his grandfather’s mysterious past puts both of their lives in danger.

Parker House’s secret inheritance is either his greatest blessing . . . or his deadliest curse. The fresh-faced North Carolina attorney shares his German grandfather’s uncanny ability to see future events in his mind’s eye—a gift that has haunted 82-year-old Frank House through decades of trying to erase a murderous wartime past.

While Parker navigates the intrigue and politics of small-town courtroom law, Frank is forced to face his darkest regrets. Then, a big career break for Parker collides with a new love he longs to nurture and the nightmares his grandfather can no longer escape. Sudden peril threatens to shatter not only Parker’s legal prospects but also his life and the lives of those dearest to him.

Two witnesses, two paths, an uncertain future.

Bargain book March 07, 2022 Part Two

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This bargain showed up as I was pursuing the books in today’s part one post. It is with an author I’ve not had a chance to read and I’m looking forward to the experience.

The Cryptographer’s Dilemma (Heroines of WWII Book 1

A Code Developer Uncovers a Japanese Spy Ring
 
Full of intrigue, adventure, and romance, this new series celebrates the unsung heroes—the heroines of WWII.
 
FBI cryptographer Eloise Marshall is grieving the death of her brother, who died during the attack on Pearl Harbor, when she is assigned to investigate a seemingly innocent letter about dolls. Agent Phillip Clayton is ready to enlist and head oversees when asked to work one more FBI job. A case of coded defense coordinates related to dolls should be easy, but not so when the Japanese Consulate gets involved, hearts get entangled, and Phillip goes missing. Can Eloise risk loving and losing again?

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My current read pairs well with this new bargain as they are related to the same era. Not in exactly the same way but still. I’m not far enough in to truly say I’ve started this book but I’m motivated to keep going because I’ve only read one story from this author. Not nearly enough to make a decision on likes.

The Witnesses

Young lawyer Parker House is on the rise—until his grandfather’s mysterious past puts both of their lives in danger.

Parker House’s secret inheritance is either his greatest blessing . . . or his deadliest curse. The fresh-faced North Carolina attorney shares his German grandfather’s uncanny ability to see future events in his mind’s eye—a gift that has haunted 82-year-old Frank House through decades of trying to erase a murderous wartime past.

While Parker navigates the intrigue and politics of small-town courtroom law, Frank is forced to face his darkest regrets. Then, a big career break for Parker collides with a new love he longs to nurture and the nightmares his grandfather can no longer escape. Sudden peril threatens to shatter not only Parker’s legal prospects but also his life and the lives of those dearest to him.

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It’s always a good idea to grab quickly because we never know how long a bargain price will last. It could go back to full price in a flash.

I’ll have to revise my current read status. I was checking it out a bit more and forgot I was supposed to be working on this post. That’s always a good sign.

Happy Reading… while I go back to my book.

Free and bargain books March 07, 2022

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BookBub has a FREE suggestion from a well known author and it’s a book new to us.

Over the Waters

“Dr. Botox” to the bored rich women of Chicago, plastic surgeon Max Jordan is shocked by his son Joshua’s decision to focus his medical degree and talent on Haitian orphans. Embittered by Joshua’s sudden death, Max searches for resolution in the place his son called home—an orphanage outside of Port au Prince.

The selflessness of Joshua’s coworkers stuns Max. He is particularly taken with American volunteer Valerie Austin, whose dream of a tropical honeymoon has been crushed, replaced by a stint working in the impoverished orphanage. But Valerie’s view of Joshua’s sacrifice—and her own—challenges everything Max knows. Have the doors to his gilded cage finally opened to a freedom he’s never known?

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LPC Free Books has a suggestion. An interesting story with a surprise ending.

Abide With Me (The Barn Church Series Book 3)

Although Angelina Rousseau pours all her pent-up feelings into her paintings, when she meets a handsome stranger at a friend’s wedding in Las Vegas, she believes she’s discovered why she feels so lonely — she simply married the wrong man.

Nicholas Rousseau is a highly successful industrial engineer and has the Midas touch with his investments. Or so it seems. But when Nick is arrested for real estate fraud, his career implodes.

Angelina doubts his innocence, doubts her own love for Nick. She is certain of only one thing — this will end their marriage. But Nick’s duplicity snares Angelina and the authorities believe her to be as guilty as Nick. To protect her own future, she must sell her cherished possessions to finance Nick’s defense.

Though Nick desires to reconnect with his estranged wife, their emotionally bankrupt marriage proves more difficult to repair than either imagined. As they seek to discover what went wrong between them, the couple realize Nick could spend the rest of his life in prison.

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1531 Entertainment has a bargain suggestion from one of our often seen favorites. One I’ve read and enjoyed.

Always Watching (Elite Guardians Book #1) 

The bodyguards of Elite Guardians Agency have more than just skill and prowess in common–they’re also all women. When it becomes clear that popular psychiatrist and radio personality Wade Savage has a stalker, his father secretly hires Elite Guardians in order to protect his son.

But when Wade’s bodyguard is attacked and nearly killed, agency owner Olivia Edwards must step in and fill the gap. Olivia’s skills are about to be tested to the limit as Wade’s stalker moves from leaving innocent gifts at his door to threatening those closest to him. Olivia has the feeling that she’s next on the list. And to complicate things even further, she realizes that her heart may be in as much danger as her client.

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I’ve read and enjoyed the last two but happily, the first one is new to me.

I have one more suggestion that fits with my current read and I’ll tell you about both of them in the next post. Soon to follow.

Happy Reading.

Read and enjoyed March 06, 2022

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This has been a productive weekend for both book reading and blogging. A very satisfying situation, to be sure.

Here is my latest finished read. By a prolific and favorite author.

It was enticing because the danger level was high and so was the emotional stress level. The setting was different this time too. The change in scenery created new variety both in the situation and the characters involved. This was an enjoyable change. Hopefully the rest of the stories in this series will follow suit.

Brandon (Lantern Beach Blackout: Danger Rising Book 1) 

Physically he’s protecting her. But emotionally she’s never felt more exposed.

The last person tech heiress Finley Cooper ever wanted to see again was Brandon Hale. Two years ago, Brandon shattered her heart. Now Finley needs protection, and, against her wishes, Brandon is assigned the job. Even worse, they must pretend to be a couple in order to find answers.

Brandon, a former Navy SEAL, met Finley while on an undercover assignment in Ecuador. But he broke her trust, and now he doesn’t blame Finley for hating him. As a new Blackout operative, Brandon’s first assignment throws him into Finley’s life 24/7. Someone wants her dead, and it’s clear this person won’t stop until that mission is accomplished.

To keep her safe, Brandon must regain Finley’s trust. Can he convince her she’s more than a job to him? Or will peril permanently silence them?

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The next book in the series is coming out soon and is available on pre-order, at a bargain price. I have my order in. I would like it to be my next read, sadly I will have to wait a month. I’m pretty sure I won’t be bored, though, while I’m waiting.

Dylan (Lantern Beach Blackout: Danger Rising Book 2)

His job is to protect her. The trouble is . . . she doesn’t want protection.

Former Navy SEAL Dylan Granger’s new assignment requires him to both use his tactical abilities and tap into his acting skills. Hired by Katie Logan’s father, his job is to protect the gutsy university professor. But Katie can’t know Dylan’s protecting her. Instead, Dylan must act as her assistant.

Katie—a former reporter—has stumbled upon a lead she can’t ignore. Now, it’s clear someone is targeting her, but she refuses to back down. Her handsome new assistant is a welcome distraction from the chaos. But Dylan’s skillset goes way beyond his job description, and Katie is determined to discover who this man really is.

Dylan’s mission can’t be made known—not if he wants to keep Katie safe. But as his feelings for her grow, acting like someone else becomes more of a challenge than he ever imagined.

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My current new read is shaping up to be a good one. This is my second book with this author and I’m looking forward to the experience.

Bayou Liberty 

An emotional story about the importance of family, the secrets of the past, and the healing power of love.

Growing up, sisters Maggie and Sawyer were close and carefree. Following their parents’ death when they were teens, Maggie was forced into a caretaker role for her younger sister, changing the nature of their relationship forever.

Years later, Sawyer’s turbulent marriage finally ends, and she returns home to live with her sister. But the reunion is bittersweet. Maggie, now running their parents’ old bed and breakfast, reveals a diagnosis of cancer.

As the sisters reconnect and support each other through tragedies, a friend from the past reemerges, and with him, secrets about their parents that could change everything.

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

Happy Reading y’all.

Bargain books March 05, 2022

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BookBub is suggesting three bargain books today. I haven’t read the first book yet but I have read and enjoyed the other two.

Saving Sara (THE JAMIE AUSTEN THRILLERS Book 3)

Sara is missing in the Cayman Islands. No one knows it. Except her abductors, of course.

Beloved CIA heroine, Jamie Austen, is sent to Tampico, Mexico, to rescue four girls, abducted on their senior class trips. Are the cases related?

All of Jamie’s skills are tested as she must overcome the powerful drug war lord, El Mata, his ruthless band of heavily armed killers, and a hurricane that’s bearing down on the Caribbean islands.

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The Accidental Guardian (High Sierra Sweethearts Book #1) 

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.

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Cry in the Wilderness (Acts of Valor, Book 3): Romantic Suspense

Rachel LeMere is certain she’ll never love again. It’s taken three years to move past the tragic death of her husband and high-school sweetheart, Blake.

Rachel’s adoptive brother, a military lawyer, has managed to gain shared custody of her twelve-year-old son, Liam. Forced to live with her brother and endure his cruelty, Rachel promises her son they will escape to freedom and a new life. If only she can convince Blake’s best friend, Saul, to help them escape.

Legendary Navy SEAL Saul Wade is headed to Oklahoma to reclaim the ranch where he grew up. It’s bad enough Saul has to face his tragic past. Honor also demands he risk his entire career by helping a woman he scarcely knows.

What begins as a debt to a friend sets Saul on a journey of forgiveness, healing, and love. But when evil threatens his and Rachel’s burgeoning relationship, Saul is forced to make a life-changing decision—remain America’s top sniper or allow God’s grace to give him a whole new reason for living.

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The last few days have more than made up for the latest no-book days. We have had a number of great suggestions.

Enjoy reading this weekend along with me.

Read and enjoyed. March 05, 2022

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This book is right up there on my favorites list. There are aspects of the story that I know will stay with me for a long time. It was well written, well thought out and I would love to read the other five books in this series. This one is still free, grab it quick before that changes.

His Pledge to Honor: a Sweet Marriage of Convenience Romance (The Silver Star Ranch Book 1)

Scout Silver can rehabilitate the most wounded of horses. But when an injured soldier shows up at her ranch, will she follow his lead down a trail of love?


Though she’s the daughter of a general, Scout Silver is used to giving orders, not taking them. That’s why horses thrive on the rehabilitation ranch she runs with her half-sisters. Over the years, her absentee father’s many divorces created a patchwork family, held together by their love of the ranch. But his last will is an order that threatens to rip their lives apart.

As the leader of an elite group of soldiers run by the brilliant tactician General Abraham Silver, Lincoln Rawlings has set out on his final mission—to fulfill the dying wish of his commander by ensuring that the general’s six daughters are taken care of. When Linc arrives on the Silver Star Ranch, he learns that what the Silver sisters need are husbands, else they’ll lose their beloved business. Instead of doing an immediate about-face, Linc’s heart stands at attention under the assessing gaze of Scout, the eldest Silver.

Unwilling to let her father once again interfere in her life, even from the grave, Scout has no plans to give in to the general’s demands. But when she meets the handsome and accommodating Linc, she has a hard time reigning in her heart.

Letting down the general is not an option, but Linc is hiding a secret from Scout. And if she learns of the deep wounds he bears, he might lose everything—the ranch, his honor, and the woman he’s falling for.

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Here is my next read, just started. This is a favorite author and I’m looking forward to another one of her books.

Bookshop by the Sea

Sophie Lawson should be enjoying her sister’s wedding day. But nothing could have prepared her to see the best man again.

After her mother became bedridden and her father bailed on the family, Sophie found herself serving as a second mother to her twin brother, Seth, and younger sister, Jenna. Sophie supported her siblings through their college years, putting aside her own dream of opening a bookshop in Piper’s Cove—the quaint North Carolina beach town they frequented as children.

Now it’s finally time for Sophie to follow her own pursuits. Seth has a new job, and Jenna is set to marry her college beau in Piper’s Cove. But the destination wedding reunites Sophie with best man Aiden Maddox, her high school sweetheart who left her without a backward glance.

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Happy Reading y’all.

This and that … Saturday March 05, 2022

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Click Bait. A skill I have not mastered but really should. It would help draw in unsuspecting new people, or even lure back some I haven’t seen in a while. Click bait has a good reputation for attracting attention. On the other hand, it has a bigger reputation for being a total liar. I have first hand experience so fact checking will not be necessary. All those times I took the bait, listened to the very end only to realize I’d been had. If any attention was given to the person or subject promised, it was but a blink of the eye and I missed it entirely. While I wouldn’t mind grabbing more attention myself, my guilty conscience for lying to make things seem special would be a killer.

So what is taking up thinking space in my head this week? Ukraine is on the minds of the whole world. I like keeping track of what is going on. Click bait stuff has been going on. People in a hurry to put something out when they had nothing were forced to improvise. Oops. Who knew someone would recognize those pictures from another place in another time.

I’m not so sure anyone has really figured out the truth of what is going on with this situation. I’m hearing many voices with as many “expert” opinions but I’m not hearing consensus, even on a small scale. When the truth finally comes out, if it ever does, there will be more than a few people saying the same thing. So far we are not hearing it.

When I ponder this for a while, it seems there are a whole lot of things going on, most of them under the table. I’m sure we would be shocked if we learned who the real players and influencers were in all of this.

It’s easy to worry about where the world is going but when it comes right down to it there is nothing in my power to do that would make any difference to the outcome. Worry will do nothing but destroy my life. We need to care, pay attention, and pray earnestly for the innocent people caught up in the flying debris, but we can’t let worry consume us. What good would we then be if trouble ever did come knocking on our door?

I have to give myself this lecture on a regular basis as I walk away from one more podcast on the whole scenario.

I’m focusing, briefly anyway, on my everyday life and I’m finding it gives me a mental boost in the right direction.

My frig, after many months, is now free of the long haired residents I was loath to deal with. (my grandsons will be impressed.) (procrastination is my middle name) A few closets and shelves have been sorted through and are looking better once I tossed some things I haven’t used in years. (I’ve found expiry dates as old as 2014!)

There is something about accomplishing tasks I have been avoiding forever that makes life suddenly seem good, very good in fact.

Who knew such mundane and inconsequential things could be an outlook changer?

Another of my current fixations. My first time ever growing an amaryllis.

A little beauty is another unexpected game changer.

I’m wishing some unexpected game changers for you too in these turbulent times.

Current read March 04, 2022

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I’m still excited about my current read and I did promise to share it with you. This looks to be a first book for this author and it’s great. I’m looking forward to book 2 whenever it comes out.

I enjoy fantasy but my tastes are fairly narrow in this genre. Although I guess in a way it’s not that much different from other genres, in than not every book appeals to me on a deep level. There are a select few that rate like the best meal I’ve ever eaten.

I can still remember the specific fantasy books I loved over the years. I can’t tell you the names or quote much of the story line but I still have vivid recollections of the emotional experience. Caught up in lands that belong to another realm. This book has done that for me. I’m living life with them. I love it when that happens.

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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There are so many things I’d like to say about this book but I would be giving out spoilers and that would never do.

Right now, Lexi is in a tough spot and it will be interesting to see what surprising twist happens to facilitate her rescue. Up until now there have been awesome new details emerging at opportune moments and I can’t help but root for her as she discovers new things about who she is and the what she can do. Speaking of that, there are some crazy elements in this fantasy but I can’t tell you what they are..

I’m in the final chapters and since it’s a series I’m pretty sure the story will close on a cliff hanger.

This tale certainly is it’s own person. It is not a cookie cutter plot or a look-alike book, by any means.

I would give it 4.5 stars. There was one consistent element that didn’t seem all that important to the story and it began to be annoying. That resolved itself when something dramatic happened and the importance became clear.

Overall, this has been a very good read. Highly recommended.

Bargain books March 04, 2022

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1531 Entertainment has several bargain suggestions for us.

The Number of Love (The Codebreakers Book #1) 

Three years into the Great War, England’s greatest asset is their intelligence network–field agents risking their lives to gather information, and codebreakers able to crack every German telegram. Margot De Wilde thrives in the environment of the secretive Room 40, where she spends her days deciphering intercepted messages. But when her world is turned upside down by an unexpected loss, for the first time in her life numbers aren’t enough.

Drake Elton returns wounded from the field, followed by an enemy who just won’t give up. He’s smitten quickly by the intelligent Margot, but how can he convince a girl who lives entirely in her mind that sometimes life’s answers lie in the heart?

Amid biological warfare, encrypted letters, and a German spy who wants to destroy not just them but others they love, Margot and Drake will have to work together to save themselves from the very secrets that brought them together.

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The Witnesses

Young lawyer Parker House is on the rise—until his grandfather’s mysterious past puts both of their lives in danger.

Parker House’s secret inheritance is either his greatest blessing . . . or his deadliest curse. The fresh-faced North Carolina attorney shares his German grandfather’s uncanny ability to see future events in his mind’s eye—a gift that has haunted 82-year-old Frank House through decades of trying to erase a murderous wartime past.

While Parker navigates the intrigue and politics of small-town courtroom law, Frank is forced to face his darkest regrets. Then, a big career break for Parker collides with a new love he longs to nurture and the nightmares his grandfather can no longer escape. Sudden peril threatens to shatter not only Parker’s legal prospects but also his life and the lives of those dearest to him.

Two witnesses, two paths, an uncertain future.

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I’ve read and enjoyed The Number of Love but not The Witnesses and I’m looking forward to it after reading the first chapter.

Contrary to first impressions, it has turned out to be a decent week for books afterall. Just in time for weekend reading. It will be good.

Happy Reading y’all.

Free and bargain books part three … March 03, 2022

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This has been an excellent day for free books.

BookRunes has another FREE suggestion for us.

Bayou Liberty

An emotional story about the importance of family, the secrets of the past, and the healing power of love.

Growing up, sisters Maggie and Sawyer were close and carefree. Following their parents’ death when they were teens, Maggie was forced into a caretaker role for her younger sister, changing the nature of their relationship forever.

Years later, Sawyer’s turbulent marriage finally ends, and she returns home to live with her sister. But the reunion is bittersweet. Maggie, now running their parents’ old bed and breakfast, reveals a diagnosis of cancer. As the sisters reconnect and support each other through tragedies, a friend from the past reemerges, and with him, secrets about their parents that could change everything.

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

1531 Entertainment has a bargain suggestion for us, from a favorite author.

Bookshop by the Sea

Sophie Lawson should be enjoying her sister’s wedding day. But nothing could have prepared her to see the best man again.

After her mother became bedridden and her father bailed on the family, Sophie found herself serving as a second mother to her twin brother, Seth, and younger sister, Jenna. Sophie supported her siblings through their college years, putting aside her own dream of opening a bookshop in Piper’s Cove—the quaint North Carolina beach town they frequented as children.

Now it’s finally time for Sophie to follow her own pursuits. Seth has a new job, and Jenna is set to marry her college beau in Piper’s Cove. But the destination wedding reunites Sophie with best man Aiden Maddox, her high school sweetheart who left her without a backward glance.

When an advancing hurricane strands Aiden in Piper’s Cove after the wedding, he finds the hotels booked to capacity and has to ask Sophie to put him up until the storm passes. As the two ride out the weather, old feelings rise to the surface. The delay also leaves Sophie with mere days to get her bookshop up and running. Can she trust Aiden to stick around? And will he find the courage to risk his heart?

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This has been a good day and I’m thrilled with all the new books we are seeing.

I would have saved some of them for tomorrow but you can never tell whether the good price will last that long. Often it is only set for a day or two so we have to move quickly

We will find something else to talk about tomorrow if necessary. I’ll tell you all about my current read. I’m loving it.

I promise this is it for today.

Happy Reading