Month: October 2022

Free and bargain books October 10, 2022

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BookBub has a FREE suggestion for us, one we’ve read and enjoyed but it’s nice to see it again.

The Loneliest Cottage (Alaskan Hearts Book 1) 

An imaginative Beauty and the Beast retelling set against the Alaskan wilderness…

Lauren Dalton’s world shattered the day her father died. It shattered again when she found a box of old keepsakes commemorating a life she’d never even known he lead.

Heartbroken but determined, she accepts a seasonal job in rural Alaska to look after an injured musher’s dogs while searching for the truth about her father’s hidden past. But her cantankerous new boss comes with dangerous secrets of his own.

When a fire ravages part of the property, all will be revealed—and four-thousand miles away from the only home she’s ever known, Lauren will discover just how quickly everything can change.

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LPC Free Books has a FREE suggestion we’ve also read and enjoyed in the past. It’s nice to see it again though.

Deep End of the Lake

2021 Golden Scroll Award Winner

Who Says Giving Up Dreams Isn’t Success?

Ally Cervantes has all she wants in life—an upcoming wedding, a chance to prove herself with a writing gig, and two great kids. But her life turns for the worse when the unexpected happen and she soon finds herself struggling with a rebellious teen daughter, a shaky job, and a shakier engagement. With her newfound faith acting as a life preserver, Ally discovers if you’re in the deep end of the lake, you’d better learn how to swim. Although fiction, Deep End of the Lake, is written from the authors’ personal compassion for families who have the privilege and responsibility to care for a child with a disability. Having worked with autistic students, Carol has seen first-hand the stress and demands these parents face and wanted to capture in a story those pressures, all while providing the encouragement that a beautiful hope and faith can bring into the struggles.

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My current read is one we’ve seen before somewhere but I’m not sure where. Probably a collection with other authors. I do remember the experience but the details are hazy so I’m reading and enjoying it again.

Mountain Man (Finding Love in the Blue Ridge Mountains Book 2)

A “Briskin” had dared to trespass on forbidden Maxwell land—and that spells trouble.

Meera Briskin is determined to find out for herself whether the Maxwells are the unmitigated rogues she has been taught to hate. The long-standing feud between the two families that began three generations ago—the result of a chestnut tree blight brought in from the Far East—is still very much alive.

Posing as a participant at a writers’ conference held at the famous Chestnut Lodge, run by none other than Elliot Maxwell, Meera soon is caught in the web of her own deception. Should she admit to being a Briskin and face immediate expulsion? Or should she linger, knowing that with each passing day that her feelings for her enemy grow stronger?

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Not a bad day for interesting books.

I have a continuation This and That post almost ready to go, just need to read through it another time or two.

Happy Reading!

This and that October 07, 2022

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Not much going on today with books. I’ve been trying to get some reading in but keep getting side tracked. It’s a collection and some of the stories are more interesting than others but none are gripping me enough to keep me focused on them. I’m trying to get through it though so I can move on. Soon.

The last few days have been sunny but they are quickly becoming shorter and colder. There have been heavy frosts the last few day and the trees have turned color in a hurry and are losing their leaves at warp sped too. The seasons don’t last long here. Well, at least three of them don’t. They would last longer if winter didn’t hog half the year for itself.

Some of my kids are visiting Bali and judging by their pictures they aren’t freezing right now. I haven’t decided whether or not to be envious. For sure, the warmth would be nice.

This is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada and we are getting ready for the traditional turkey dinner. I’ve been tasked with bringing Dill pickles, black olives, and cranberry sauce, What is a turkey dinner without them!

I was hoping to have fresh cranberries to cook up until the berries pop and then when they cool the juice thickens and makes a sauce. So good. There weren’t any that I could see and so I was looking for the canned version. The store is very big and they keep moving things around, very confusing. Of course it doesn’t help that I’m short and the shelves aren’t.

…to be continued. It turned midnight and when I wasn’t paying attention

Free and bargain books October 06, 2022

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Jumping right in.

BookBub has a FREE suggestion for us today. Yesterday we had a WWII suggestion and today we have another one. They are both attractive because they have a fresh slant on the subject. Each one from a different perspective. I’m looking forward to this read. The author is new to us too, but the first few pages flow nicely so I have high hopes for her writing ability.

Spies & Sweethearts: A Christian WWII Romance (Sisters in Service Book 1)

She wants to do her part. He’s just trying to stay out of the stockade. Will two agents deep behind enemy lines find capture… or love?

1942. Emily Strealer is tired of being told what she can’t do. Wanting to prove herself to her older sisters and do her part for the war effort, the high school French teacher joins the OSS and trains to become a covert operative. And when she completes her training, she finds herself parachuting into occupied France with her instructor to send radio signals to the Resistance.

Major Gerard Lucas has always been a rogue. Transferring to the so-called “Office of Dirty Tricks” to escape a court-martial, he poses as a husband to one of his trainees on a dangerous secret mission. But when their cover is blown after only three weeks, he has to flee with the young schoolteacher to avoid Nazi arrest.

Running for their lives, Emily clings to her mentor’s military experience during the harrowing three-hundred-mile trek to neutral Switzerland. And while Gerard can’t bear the thought of his partner falling into German hands, their forged papers might not be enough to get them over the border.

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1531 Entertainment has a bargain book from a new favorite author. Five enjoyable downloads from this author in the last two years means I’m looking forward to this one too.

Love Starts With Elle (A Lowcountry Romance Book 2)

Elle’s living the dream but whose dream is it?

Elle loves her life in Beaufort, South Carolina. Summer days on the sand bar, coastal bonfires, and dinners with friends, sharing a lifetime of memories. She’s found her stride professionally as the owner of a successful art gallery. Life is good.

And she’s found love with handsome, confident Jeremiah Franklin. But Jeremiah has accepted a large pastorate in a different state, so Elle turns her life upside down to take the call with him. When Jeremiah has a change of heart, Elle is hurt and her faith is shaken.

New York lawyer and recent widower Heath McCord imagines the lowcountry cottage he’s rented for the summer is the balm his grieving heart needs. That and time to connect with his little girl. He’s unprepared to meet his beautiful landlord, Elle Garvy, or the love her friendship awakens.

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The reviews for both of these books are positive which is very encouraging.

I hope you give these a try. The goal always is to find books that will be attractive to anyone. Clean, positive, interesting is the criteria. Occasionally something unexpected will pop up, something I’d rather not see. For the most part, though, it’s been a good experience. The downside, if there is one, usually has to do with skill and writing ability. Not all stories are created equal when it comes to abilities, but writers have to start somewhere.

Here’s hoping I made good choices. I think I did.

Happy Reading!

Bargain books October 05, 2022

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I’m getting an early start today. Midnight is still a long way off, not like the last two nights when I barely made it under the wire to keep from breaking the chain of daily posts. It’s not the end of the world to start over, at the same time it’s nice to see the days add up. One fellow blogger managed to reach 1000 days in a row. Amazing. I doubt I will ever make it that far but hey, it’s incentive to keep posting when I lose momentum.

It’s helpful that I have a purpose for maintaining this blog. It’s to encourage you to read, to help you find books worth reading in a mind boggling sea of options, and most of all, to inspire you to fall in love with reading if you haven’t discovered the love already.

It’s never too late to find the right book that will make you fall in love with the experience.

The books here may not be your first choice but exploring them will put you in a position to stumble over books that you could love. If that happens I figure – mission accomplished.

So, on to some books.

I’m excited because Christy Barritt has published a new book in her latest series. We’ve been following it and I’m glad it’s a bargain because she puts out so many and I want them all.

Deadly Intent (Vanishing Ranch Book 4)

Sarah Chamberlain enjoys a new life far away from her abusive ex-husband, thanks to help from Vanishing Ranch. But when she starts to have unexplained, dangerous episodes and suffer memory lapses, she begins to doubt her reality.

She senses her ex has found her. But she doesn’t know if the problem is real or if her mind is playing tricks on her. She can’t contact the police—they would ask too many questions. So, she turns to the very people she knows can help her.

When former Secret Service agent and Vanishing Ranch operative Ruger Stark is assigned to check in on Sarah, he comes determined to find what exactly has her so spooked. But when he arrives at her lakefront home, he realizes he has much more to handle than a typical protection detail.

Ruger and Sarah must stick together to sort through the lies and uncover the truth. Is Sarah drowning in confusion. Or is someone playing a deadly game?

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Continuing on, we have a WWII story suggestion we didn’t have time to get to with yesterday’s short post. It has a fresh perspective on the Second World War and this makes it attractive to us. We’ve seen a large number of books lately covering this subject and a fresh slant relieves possible boredom.

The Lines Between Us 

A WWII novel of courage and conviction, based on the true experience of the men who fought fires as conscientious objectors and the women who fought prejudice to serve in the Women’s Army Corps.

Since the attack on Pearl Harbor, Gordon Hooper and his buddy Jack Armitage have stuck to their values as conscientious objectors. Much to their families’ and country’s chagrin, they volunteer as smokejumpers rather than enlisting, parachuting into and extinguishing raging wildfires in Oregon. But the number of winter blazes they’re called to seems suspiciously high, and when an accident leaves Jack badly injured, Gordon realizes the facts don’t add up.

A member of the Women’s Army Corps, Dorie Armitage has long been ashamed of her brother’s pacifism, but she’s shocked by news of his accident. Determined to find out why he was harmed, she arrives at the national forest under the guise of conducting an army report . . . and finds herself forced to work with Gordon. He believes it’s wrong to lie; she’s willing to do whatever it takes for justice to be done. As they search for clues, Gordon and Dorie must wrestle with their convictions about war and peace and decide what to do with the troubling secrets they discover.

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1531 Entertainment has an exciting suggestion for us from another favorite author.

Sunrise (Sky King Ranch Book #1)

Coming home was never the plan

Pilot Dodge Kingston has always been the heir to Sky King Ranch. But after a terrible family fight, he left to become a pararescue jumper. A decade later, he’s headed home to the destiny that awaits him. 

That’s not all that’s waiting for Dodge. His childhood best friend and former flame, Echo Yazzie, is a true Alaskan–a homesteader, dogsledder, and research guide for the DNR. Most of all, she’s living a life Dodge knows could get her killed. One of these days she’s going to get lost in the woods again, and his worst fear is that he won’t be there to find her.
 
When one of Echo’s fellow researchers goes missing, Echo sets out to find her, despite a blizzard, a rogue grizzly haunting the woods, and the biting cold. Plus, there’s more than just the regular dangers of the Alaskan forests stalking her . . .

Will Dodge be able to find her in time? And if he does, is there still room for him in her heart?

Sunrise is the first explosive volume in a new nail-biting series from USA Today bestselling author Susan May Warren.

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We are in good shape for reading material for the weekend.

Happy Reading y’all.

Bargain book October 04, 2022

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Sorry guys, this will be short and sweet, not paying attention to time and it’s almost midnight. Today’s finish is fast approaching and the chain will be broken without a sprint.

BookBub has a bargain book that looks exciting. We read and enjoyed book 1 in this series a while back and more is good.

False Pretense (A Murder in the Mountains Book 4)


Tess has her work cut out for her—from her day job at the police station to her nights on the campaign trail with her husband, she’s stretched thin. Her two young children also keep her busy, but thankfully she has a supportive mother-in-law who lives just next door.

When the legendary Mothman makes a terrifying appearance and a local librarian goes missing, Tess feels compelled to get involved, convinced something evil has been unleashed on her little town. Then another woman disappears—this one bearing an eerie resemblance to Tess—and the police receive a cryptic message hinting that a serial killer is on the prowl.

After a nightmarish turn of events completely upends the Spencer family, Tess musters her courage to hunt for the monstrous murderer in the woods…even if she has to walk straight into the Mothman’s lair to do it.
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Happy Reading!

Read and enjoyed October 03, 2022

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Short and sweet so I can keep the chain going.

I’ve read the first book in this collection and I’m a good way through the second. I’m enjoying it.

Christmas Tale Boxset: Heartwarming Contemporary Christian Romance Book

(this says Christian but it’s not preachy, it is just clean. Which I appreciate, although there’s a little more kissing than absolutely necessary.)

No good suggestions today but maybe tomorrow.

Happy Reading

This and that October 02, 2022

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For a Monday morning things were not going well. Last week I missed garbage pick-up, not an uncommon occurrence since I don’t put it out every week, and I needed to get it done this week. Pick up days move ahead one day every time we have another statutory holiday. That messes me up so much that I’ve stared leaving a note in a prominent place to jog my memory. I remembered this time. As a double check I even remembered to look out to see what the neighbors had done.

The street was clear, not a single garbage can to be seen anywhere. Maybe it’s too early. I checked the time. This was very strange, someone always get their stuff out early before anyone else. Nothing. I checked back a few more times, still nothing.

Maybe I’m wrong about the day. I’ll check the online garbage schedule just to be sure Monday is October pick-up day. Nope, not wrong, Monday is the right day. This is so bizarre, what is going on? I think I’m going out of my mind. Maybe everyone slept in, give it some time..

Still nothing. People in this neighborhood are dependable. Some of them can be counted on to be first out every time. What am I missing? There has to be an explanation. Maybe I have the date wrong or something. The date looks right. Doesn’t it? Maybe I need to look closer, the font it so small it’s hard to tell for sure. Hover over the date, bend down and squint, look closer. It’s SUNDAY.

I was positive it was Monday. It’s month end and I have been burning the midnight oil to beat a work deadline (because I left it to the last minute) and was feeling good to be all ready to roll first thing this morning. Finding out it was only Sunday still seems unbelievable. One the other hand it’s a huge relief.

Reading until 4 AM does not make for a good start on a Monday morning. What was I thinking?

All bets are on me forgetting it’s garbage day tomorrow. Remember the day before, forget on the day. I have to find a new way to keep from messing this up. A boxing glove that flies out and hits me upside the head would work.

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Here is the book I lost sleep over. Such a good read. I loved it. And laughed, The sense of humor was awesome.

To Disguise the Truth (The Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency)

When a man arrives at the Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency, anxious to hire them to find a missing heiress, Eunice Holbrooke realizes her past has finally caught up with her . . . and that she may no longer be able to hide under the disguise that has kept her safe for so long.

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I think I’ll stop fighting sleep and go back to bed. At least that’s the plan. Unless something sidetracks me.

Happy Reading.

Free and bargain books October 01, 2022

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What a disappointment. I’ve read both of these but forgot. I kind of remember the second one but have no memory at all of the first one. I may have to read it again to jog my memory, it sounds like a fun read.

BookRunes has the free suggestion for us.

Daughters of the Heart (Texas Romance Book 5)

God’s perfect plan is sometimes so hard to determine.
Gwendolyn, Cecelia, and the youngest, Bonnie, make a pact never to break their father’s heart like their big sister did. Then their determination is sorely tried when suitors show up, and he gets so pigheaded with his rules.
Will Henry survive his daughters coming of age? Will they endure and keep their promises to each other?
From one man asking to court her—who Daddy sends packing—Gwen goes to three! How can she ever decide? Cecelia knows exactly who she wants, but she’s still a year away from Daddy’s acceptable courting age. What if her beau doesn’t know or won’t wait? And Bonnie hates being the baby and wants to be grown-up more than just about anything…except her man. She is for sure and for certain in love.
In his life, Henry Buckmeyer has never been so beside himself. His little girls are so young, just babies, too young. He hates the whole idea of men coming to take them away and is inclined to shoot every one of them, but praise God for a level-headed, loving wife and step-mother! She helps keep him sane amidst the female chaos. Packed with fun, romance, deception, action, heartbreak and tears, this delightful Christian novel keeps the twists and turns coming.
Will the Buckmeyer home ever be settled and peaceful again? Will any of his daughters find true love…a man he’ll approve and to whom he can give his blessing?

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Traces of Guilt (An Evie Blackwell Cold Case)

A Riveting Cold-Case Mystery from Dee Henderson

Evie Blackwell loves her life as an Illinois State Police detective . . . mostly. She’s very skilled at investigations and has steadily moved up through the ranks. She would like to find Mr. Right, but she has a hard time imagining how marriage could work, considering the demands of her job.

Gabriel Thaneis a lifetime resident of Carin County and now its sheriff, a job he loves. Gabe is committed to upholding the law and cares deeply for the residents he’s sworn to protect. He too would like to find a lifetime companion, a marriage like his parents have.

When Evie arrives in Carin, Illinois, it’s to help launch a new task force dedicated to reexamining unsolved crimes across the state. Spearheading this trial run, Evie will work with the sheriff’s department on a couple of its most troubling missing-persons cases. As she reexamines old evidence to pull out a few tenuous new leads, she unearths a surprising connection . . . possibly to a third cold case. Evie’s determined to solve the cases before she leaves Carin County, and Sheriff Thane, along with his family, will be key to those answers.

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Nothing else interesting has come to my attention so that’s it for books today.

I did finish one of our recent downloads and was disappointed with it. I will share my thoughts about it in another post.

I’ve been binging on Fox news clips today rather than spend time reading so I must turn to books to have something more to say. It’s quiet now, videos are all shut down so I can think about this post and my next read. I’ve got one picked out but haven’t started it yet. I’ll wait to share it until I’ve read a chapter or two to see what it’s like.

Do you ever look at words and think they just don’t look right. I often find myself thinking that way and that’s how I’m thinking right now about binging. You know binge-ing, as in I’ve been binging. I Googled it for spelling clarification and binging is what came up but it’s been flagged as incorrect here. It looks wrong to me too but… I’m not seeing a better spelling.

The other word that drives me crazy is read and read. And it comes up often.

Like – my current read is . . . and I just read . . . I am so tempted to use read and red. I would but that doesn’t sit well with me either. It feels so wrong but I really want to. I don’t but I want to, you have no idea.

It would be nice to come up with another spelling but thinking it through I can see that it could potentially create even bigger problems. After all, read is not the only word in the English language with multiple meanings. Once started where would it ever end?

Anyway, moving on. I’m going to read now. I’ll be back hopefully.

Happy Reading.