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Exciting new books August 27, 2024

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It’s a good day! An enticing new book with an author I’ve not read. I can hardly wait to read it.

Dangerous Intent: Clean small town romantic suspense (Northern Pines Suspense Book 4)

Ornery livestock, an isolated farmhouse, and a dangerous stranger lurking in the forest–why on earth had she taken this job?

Ethan needs help
While away having surgery in a distant city and then recuperating at home, Ethan desperately needs summer help caring for his son and small farm.

Abby and her new rescue dog need a home
But it has been impossible to find a place for the summer in the busy, northern Wisconsin resort town. Especially one that will accept both her and her dog. Ethan’s offer is a perfect solution, right?

It is…until she must learn to deal with his flock of ornery goats, a herd of cattle escaping, and a litter of new puppies born while he’s away.

And now, an armed and dangerous stranger is lurking in the shadows..
A man who will stop at nothing. Not even murder, to get what he wants.

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And there is another suggestion I’m excited about. The first chapter has me wanting more.

Running to You: Amnesia in Shadow Cove (The Wright Heroes of Maine Book 1) 

Sam never understood why Eliza left him five years ago, ghosting him without explanation. He’s avoided romance ever since, focusing on building his business. Money might not keep him warm at night, but it can sure buy a lot of blankets.

Then Eliza shows up on his doorstep and throws herself into his arms. She can’t explain her bruises or the head injury that’s left her with no memories of the past five years, including their breakup. No matter how good it feels to hold her, though, there’s no way he’s getting sucked into romance again.

He’ll deliver Eliza to her mother, and that will be that. But instead of finding her mom, they’re met by two attackers and barely escape alive. Despite the danger to his life and his heart, he can’t leave Eliza to fend for herself.

Together, they embark on a journey to reconstruct her past while evading the men chasing her. As Sam and Eliza close in on the truth, their romance reignites, but her secret threatens to destroy them both.

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Two books, equally enticing and now I have to choose. Or maybe not. Maybe I will delay the difficult choice and finish the current read.

Season of Wonder Boxset:

This romance series will be a needed break from the suspenseful recent reads. The next new one on the list adds an even deeper level of stress and was going to be about trafficking. I think it will be a good read when I do get to it but I need a moment first.

Every Star in the Sky

She is willing to testify against her trafficker.
If she can stay alive that long.

“You’re safe here, Starr.”
How many times has Detective Cole Blacksky said that to her since helping her escape the life she’d been forced into eight years earlier?
Starr desperately wants to believe him, but she knows Brady Erickson, her former captor, too well. Although Cole has promised her protective custody on his family’s remote ranch, no place on earth is safe enough. Brady will stop at nothing to permanently silence her before she ever reaches the witness stand.
And he is powerful enough to do it.
If Starr wants to help the other women, she has no choice but to put herself in God’s hands. And Cole’s. But the longer she and Cole stay hidden, the more her life is at risk. And her heart.

Happy Reading.

I hope you are feeling inspired to look for a favorite book too.

Books I want to read Part two Aug 18, 2024

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The first book I wanted to read tonight was book 1 in a series. Now that I’ve browsed a little more, I can’t pass up the opportunity to read books 2 and 3 as well. They are all on at a promotional price and it won’t last.

Speaking of promotional prices, one of my favorite authors offers his latest books (after a reasonable period of time, of course) at an amazing price for a day or two. I haven’t been checking my emails often enough and I MISSED it.

I’m a penny-pincher. Have to be practical, don;t you know. My appetite for books would bankrupt me if I didn’t pay attention to great price opportunities. That’s why I like to pass the chances on to you. So you can read with abandon too.

So here we go. 12 books by the time we are done this one!

Every Flower of the Field (two sparrows for a penny book 2)

Safe is the most dangerous feeling of all.

For as long as she can remember, Rose Galway has been a captive, controlled by one man or another. To her, though, God is the one holding the keys, refusing to set her free despite the desperate pleas she has sent heavenward.

Detective Laken Jones has known hardship too, including the daily trauma of racism. Still, nothing he has gone through compares to what Rose has endured. He wants nothing more than for her to experience hope and healing and maybe even happiness in her life.

But first he has to find her.

Laken is willing to risk everything to set Rose free. And to help her find her way to God. Even if that means letting go of her—and the future he envisions for the two of them—forever.

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Every Bird That Falls (two sparrows for a penny book 3)

Lies have kept them apart for eight years.
Now the truth could destroy them completely.

Bomb squad leader Tag Monroe’s world is shattered when his sister and her foster sister are abducted by a human trafficker. Eight years later, the two of them have been miraculously freed. As thrilled as he is to be reunited with his sister, Tag has lingering questions.
How did Jae-won Lin, the third foster sister, elude capture that night? Why didn’t she call the police or Tag to let them know what happened? And where has she been for the last eight years? He loved Jae once, but he can’t let her back into his life until he has more information.
Unfortunately, time is running out. Someone powerful is coming after Jae, bent on revenge. If Tag can’t get to her before her mysterious pursuer, Jae could take the answers to all Tag’s questions to her grave.
Along with any hope the two of them might have to find their way to each other again.

The explosive Christian romantic suspense series two sparrows for a penny by multi-award-winning author Sara Davison continues with this on-the-edge-suspense love story that might finally answer the question: Where was Jae?

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Big change coming up now, hold on.

Season of Wonder Boxset: Heartwarming Contemporary Christian Romance Book Collection (Boxset Series: Small Town Sweet Romance Collection 3)

SEASON OF WONDER BOXSET is a 10-book mega bundle that includes:

Finding Home
With her world in turmoil, how can Chrissy find the happiness she always dreamed of – filled with love, laughter, family, and renewed faith?

Crisis of Faith
Torn between pain and love, Jack and Lena must overcome much if they are to have a shot at a future together. Time is running out, but God has a plan.

Christmas Angel Hope
Will Claire take what Travis is offering her? Is Travis beyond his own grief enough to teach her how to give herself permission to love again?

Home for Christmas
Loss, grief, new love, and redemption are on the horizon for Sarah. All she must do is put in the effort and happiness could be hers once again.

Mason
Can Gracie believe and truly let the past go? Or will she hold onto her fears?

Home Is Where Your Heart Is
Will Jessica be able to rise above her past and show faith and trust in Kaedon? Will she finally find a place to call home – a place to build a family?

New Beginnings
Filled with faith, friendship, and the promise of forever, this heartwarming novel is intriguing, sweet, and heartfelt.

Michelle and Tyler
Can a crisis of grief and faith lead to new hope and happiness for Michelle and Tyler?

Forever Bodyguard
Is Emma and Keith’s love for each other enough for their second chance together?

Songs of the Heart
Excited by new opportunities, and the chance at love, Sue dives into an entanglement of danger and suspense. Is Mike the one for her?

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That was easy.

A book I want to read. August 18, 2024

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A BookBub email suggestion caught my eye and I want to check it out. It is a tough subject involving trafficking and I’m hoping it will a rescue story. We are always in need of a hero to come in and save the day. My heart breaks for the victims of these monsters. and I’m hoping rescues can happen in real life. I think they do, just not as often as we would hope.

Every Star in the Sky (two sparrows for a penny book 1)

She is willing to testify against her trafficker.
If she can stay alive that long.

“You’re safe here, Starr.”
How many times has Detective Cole Blacksky said that to her since helping her escape the life she’d been forced into eight years earlier?
Starr desperately wants to believe him, but she knows Brady Erickson, her former captor, too well. Although Cole has promised her protective custody on his family’s remote ranch, no place on earth is safe enough. Brady will stop at nothing to permanently silence her before she ever reaches the witness stand.
And he is powerful enough to do it.
If Starr wants to help the other women, she has no choice but to put herself in God’s hands. And Cole’s. But the longer she and Cole stay hidden, the more her life is at risk.
And her heart.

TW: human trafficking, some violence, sexual intimacy inferred (clean and closed door)

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I like strong female characters and by my estimation this looks like a good one. One thing about frontier stories – they all had to be strong characters to survive.

A Heart as Untamed as Thunder: A Historical Western Romance Novel (Hearts Across the Frontier) 

Maddie MacDougall has spent all of her childhood among horses and she can’t imagine a life without them. The yearning for adventure she has always harbored in her heart will lead her to a match sent from heaven, Carter, a horse breeder in Wyoming. She will soon be intrigued by his tales of wild mustangs and his chivalrous manners but she will also realize that his obsession with Thunder, the legendary stallion of Croy Canyon, can endanger both the animal and their relationship.

When love fuels the heart though, all obstacles can be overcome…

Carter Stone has led a harsh life among the wild horses, full of challenges and adventures. He has always wished to have someone by his side who shares this passion and when the match with Maddie is arranged, he is overjoyed. What he did not expect was to find himself stricken with her unique beauty or her rare wit, with which she challenges him when she differs from his methods.

Will he be able to tame her wild heart?

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There is another book suggestion in this series too. I’ve experienced one of the authors but not this one. I’m excited to see if the story lives up to the great impression of the first few pages.

A Sheriff for the Gracious Widow: A Historical Western Romance Novel (Hearts Across the Frontier) 

Orphaned at a young age, Emily Carter is left devastated when her husband dies under mysterious circumstances. Determined to uncover the truth, she seeks help from the handsome new sheriff, Jacob. But her new ally might be able to give her more than mere answers…

Can Emily overcome her guilt and allow herself to open up to the growing affection she feels for Jacob?

After the tragic death of his older brother, Jacob Turner harbors a deep sense of responsibility toward his small community of Willow Creek. When Emily seeks his help to solve the mystery of her husband’s death, Jacob realizes he’s in trouble. The young widow embodies everything he’s ever wanted, but he knows he can’t have her while she’s still in mourning…

Can Jacob successfully navigate the delicate situation between duty and his personal involvement?

When Emily discovers she’s being followed, Jacob must put his growing feelings aside and work tirelessly to keep her safe from the schemes of a ruthless killer. As dark secrets are revealed, will they find a way to be together or will Emily’s tragic past and Jacob’s sense of duty prevent them from finding happiness?

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Another enticing suggestion. How can I possibly pass that up?

River Falls Books 1-3 Box Set: Three Small Town Christian Romances 

Pieces of Forever: Eight years ago, Ava and Joseph had the perfect future planned—until a terrible accident changed everything. Unwilling to believe they could still have a future, Ava made Joseph promise to leave and live out their dreams without her. Joseph has never broken a promise to Ava. Until now. Because before he made that stupid promise to leave, they’d made each other another promise—one of forever. And he’s determined to return to River Falls and show her that his promise still stands…

Songs of Home: In the wake of a very public breakup, country music star Lydia St. Peter finds herself in need of a place of refuge. She doesn’t know why she thinks she’ll find it with the family she never knew she had in River Falls, Tennessee, but at least the small town will offer her the privacy she so desperately craves. She never expects it to offer more—in the form of her new landlord, Liam, and his troubled teenage daughter. But when Lydia is presented with an opportunity that could rocket her to household-name status, she has to decide whether she’s willing to give up everything she’s gained in River Falls to chase her dreams—or if her heart has finally found its home.

Memories of the Heart: As a Christian counselor, Simeon knows he should be able to help his wife cope with the losses they’ve suffered. And it’s killing him that he can’t. It seems like the more he tries, the harder Abigail pushes him away. He’s determined to save their marriage… but what if it’s already too late? When an accident leaves Abigail with amnesia, stealing her memories of their life together, will it be the end of their marriage? Or is God giving them a second chance to build a love even stronger than they remember?

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This is long and there are more and I can’t resist.

Another post is the only way to go

I’m having so much fun.

Interesting new book September 27, 2023

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This BookRunes suggestion will be emotionally challenging, adding a high level to the interest factor. They say a good story always has a requisite number of crisis points and intense interactions. While it adds interest to the story it’s sad that a situation like this happens at all never mind more often than we realize.

Picking Daisy (New England Inspirations Book 3)

It’s never too late…

to find the love of a family.

When divorcee Elise signs up to be a foster parent at the age of 50, she wonders if she made a huge mistake.

Her fear increases when her first placement comes straight from the police station in the middle of the night. Elise struggles to care for the angry teenager who is more difficult to love than anyone she’s ever met before.

At only 15, DJ has lived a harder life than most other orphans.

A terrifying step-father and a string of unfit foster parents has left DJ with a fragile heart that keeps its distance. That way no one can ever hurt her again.

When DJ is sent to live with Elise temporarily, the two struggle to connect while DJ makes secret plans to run away. But as Elise shares God’s love, both hearts begins to soften and believe that a happily family might not be completely out of reach.

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I’m excited to find another Lynette Eason mystery not in my library yet.

A Silent Terror

A deaf woman navigates a maze of danger and intrigue in the first High Stakes thriller from the USA Today–bestselling author of A Silent Fury.

When Marianna Santino’s roommate is killed, Detective Ethan O’Hara can’t fathom the motive. Then he realizes the deaf teacher was the intended target. Marianna must have something the murderer desperately wants. But what?

Digging for the truth, the guarded cop tries to learn everything he can about Marianna. Her world. Her family. Her beauty, faith and fierce independence. In spite of himself, Ethan finds that he can’t keep his feelings at bay. Soon, he’s willing to risk everything—including his heart—to lay the silent terror stalking Marianna to rest.

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Another treasure turned up. This is a good day.

Thread of Revenge (Coldwater Bay Intrigue)

There’s no quit in a Coast Guard investigator trying to save a woman from his past in this stormy thriller from the USA Today–bestselling author.

Marine biologist Sadie Strand is back in her coastal hometown to prove her best friend was murdered—but searching for evidence almost costs Sadie her life. Abducted, drugged and left for dead on a sinking boat, she’s barely rescued in time by Coast Guard Investigative Service special agent Gage Sessions, an old friend. Assigned to protect Sadie and connect three complicated cases, Gage risks his life time and again to make sure the woman he once loved survives. But although the handsome, guarded agent vows to protect her, someone will keep killing to ensure the truth never rises to the surface.

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My current read is pretty interesting.

Still Waters (Low Country Series Book 1)

Apologies – The cover picture is unavailable in a form suitable for this space.

Welcome to Edisto Beach where the days are slow and the past is never far away…

Recent graduate Cora Anne Halloway has a history degree and a plan—avoid her own past. Then her beloved grandmother requests one last summer at Still Waters, the family cottage on Edisto Beach.

Despite difficult memories lingering among the oak canopies and gentle tides, Edisto tempts her with forgiveness—especially since Nan hires Tennessee Watson to oversee cottage repairs. A local contractor dedicated to the Island’s preservation from development, Tennessee offers Cora Anne friendship and more, if she can move beyond her guilt over his father’s death.

For this young woman on the cusp of a new life, peace with her past means reconciling her family and her Edisto memories. But acceptance of her story may mean loving the man determined to preserve a history she’d rather forget.

This is a heartwarming story of young love, old tragedies, and new life wrapped in an idyllic Lowcountry setting praised by NYT bestseller Patti Callahan (Becoming Mrs. Lewis) as a “moving tale of reconciling the past and living for the future.”

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That’s it for today folks. It’s been fun.

The Myth of Normal April 21, 2023

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I’m always on the lookout for useful help on my journey toward emotional wellness, no small thing given my traumatic childhood.

Awareness is one of the best tools in this quest and my ears are always open and tuned in to anything that will answer the many questions rising to the surface of my mind.

Today I watched an in-depth interview with a successful doctor with his own lived experience. What he has to say speaks to where I am at this moment. I will be watching again, this time taking notes to help this become part of who I am. Dr Gabor Maté has also written a new book, the reason for the interview, and I’m planning to read it too. For years I’ve been walking the awareness path he lays out and at this point in the road I expect this book will take me even further in the right direction.

I’m sharing both the book and the podcast. I want to be able to find this material again but I also hope that sharing it will be helpful to my readers on their own journey. Our physical struggles are rooted in the emotional. By experience I know this to be true. The question forever before me is: what is behind this new set of ailments? Usually it is some new piece of old brokenness that has shaken loose and risen to the surface.

The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture

Gabor Maté’s internationally bestselling books have changed the way we look at addiction and have been integral in shifting the conversations around ADHD, stress, disease, embodied trauma, and parenting. Now, in this revolutionary book, he eloquently dissects how in Western countries that pride themselves on their health care systems, chronic illness and general ill health are on the rise. So what is really “normal” when it comes to health?
    For all our expertise and technological sophistication, Western medicine often fails to treat the whole person, ignoring how today’s culture stresses the body, burdens the immune system, and undermines emotional balance. In The Myth of Normal, co-written with his son Daniel, Maté brings his perspective to the great untangling of common myths about what makes us sick, connects the dots between the maladies of individuals and the declining soundness of society, and offers a compassionate guide for health and healing. The result is Maté’s most ambitious and urgent book yet.

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Here is the podcast.

Continuing PTSD conversation

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Photo by PhotoMIX Company on Pexels.com

Things are changing.

This is but another small part in my story as an adult survivor of child abuse.

I’m going to jump right in and say that as a child I compartmentalized to survive. My mind took charge and was very careful about what thoughts were allowed to linger. For sure there were never any questions asked. Never any attempts to figure out the why. As an adult this practice continued for decades. The doors securely locked in the vault of my mind. In recent years things have changed and my mind has opened to the possibility of seeing and examining the truth. A very freeing experience, I’m finding.

Many moments of realization and insight are beginning to add up to something that feels huge and life changing.

Recently, I started reading a book that suggests that: the best way to figure out what your future should look like, you need to go back and write your story. The author makes the case that most of us have never looked beyond basic facts to see the heart of who we are and what makes us who we are. He suggests that if we ever did look back in this way we would begin to make different choices for our future. And we would be happier for it. I think he’s right.

I’m beginning to look at my life in this way and there have been some startling revelations.Today, I am thinking about how to write about it, as he suggested. I think it will take the size of a book to fit it all in.

This morning I’ve been basking in gratefulness for the latest clear moment of insight. It’s covers a part of my life I’ve never written about, and now that I see what a treasure it truly is – it needs to be fully explored.

If I could pick a song that expresses the current new stage of my life, this song would be it.

“I can see clearly now, the rain has gone. I can see all obstacles in my way. Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind. It’s gonna be a bright, bright, sunshiny day …”

“… I can make it now the pain is gone. All of the bad feelings have disappeared…”

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The song of my heart these days.

Bargain books and PTSD, January 30, 2023

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We have books. Hopefully more than one. After today’s search.

BookBub has the first good suggestion. We’ve read earlier books in this series so this is a welcome addition to our expanding library.

A Home in Cranberry Cove (Cranberry Cove Series Book 4)

Madison Mitchell will never trust a man again. The love of her life broke her heart and married a French chef. Now she throws herself into her work at The Inn at Cranberry Cove. When she accidentally tangles with the manager of a nearby fishing supply store, she suspects the handsome guy is hiding something.

Micah Collins flees Sacramento seeking solace in the seaside village in Washington state. But he discovers an enemy has followed him to Cranberry Cove. He must endure frightful threats at the same time keeping his previous life secret. When Madison finds herself in danger, Micah blames himself.

Madison and Micah are haunted by someone from Micah’s past, but is the culprit the real enemy or should they look elsewhere? Will they find a future together?

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Next, an interesting book showed up in the suggestion strip. A total change in time period.

A Mosaic of Wings (Dreams of India)

It’s 1885, and all Nora Shipley wants, now that she’s graduating from Cornell University as valedictorian of the entomology program, is to follow in her late father’s footsteps by getting her master’s degree and taking over the scientific journal he started. The only way to uphold her father’s legacy is to win a scholarship, so she joins a research expedition in Kodaikanal, India, to prove herself in the field.

India isn’t what she expects, though, and neither is the rival classmate who accompanies her, Owen Epps. As her preconceptions of India–and of Owen–fall away, she finds both far more captivating than she expected. Forced by the expedition leader to stay at camp and illustrate exotic butterflies the men of the team find without her, Nora befriends Sita, a young Indian girl who has been dedicated to a goddess against her will.

In this spellbinding new land, Nora is soon faced with impossible choices–between saving Sita and saving her career, and between what she’s always thought she wanted and the man she’s come to love.

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1531 Entertainment has a suggestion that I want to be next up on my reading list. I’m hooked from the beginning.

Dangerous Beauty: A Novel 

Liliana Vela hates the term victim. She’s not a victim, she’s a fighter. Stubborn and strong with a quiet elegance, she’s determined to take back her life after escaping the clutches of human traffickers in her poor Mexican village. But she can’t stay safely over the border in America–unless the man who aided in her rescue is serious about his unconventional proposal to marry her.

Meric Toledan was just stopping at a service station for a bottle of water. Assessing the situation, he steps in to rescue Liliana from traffickers. If he can keep his secrets at bay, his wealth and position afford him many resources to help her. But the mysterious buyer who funded her capture will not sit idly by while his prize is stolen from him.

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It has turned out to be a very good book day and I’m one happy book lover, I have to say.

I may even be tempted to speed quickly through the current read to get to this new book just a little sooner.

Temperatures have dropped and the sun is shining brilliantly. It hard not to look up on a day like today. The sunshine provides a good blow to the winter doldrums, cabin fever, and all that.

Have a great reading day. I certainly plan to.

I’m still here, thinking on this last book and why it appeals to me so much.

I’m guessing the short answer could be that a strong, abused and vulnerable woman has been rescued by a resourceful, compassionate, but deeply angry man. Rescued being the operative word.

Probably because of any word that could be applied to my life, rescued is the very first word on the thankful list. To be honest, I haven’t really considered the idea in much depth, until now, thinking about this new book. But it’s true. When ever the subject of my early life comes up, the very first thought always is, where would my brothers and I have been if we were not rescued as pre-teens.

I do think of my life in depth at times, when it seems appropriate. Much healing has come from being willing to face the terror of my past.

The other day I was thinking about how far I’ve come in this journey. I’m not that little girl any more.

And yet the healing is incomplete, the damage runs deep and there is residue that will go with me to the grave.

I’m grateful for the rescue, I’m grateful for the major healing gained over many decades. I still don’t lead the life of a normal woman but close enough.

Besides, what is normal anyway?

Detransitioning is a thing January 09, 2023

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Detranistioners are speaking out. Their stories are horrific.

One young woman has accepted a number of interview invitations and it’s heart breaking listening to the way things have turned out for her.

One of the best interviews I’ve heard so far is with Jordan Peterson, a clinical psychologist. Not only is he able to ask intelligent and respectful questions to draw out her story but he is able to provide relevant information and explanations for questions coming to mind for both the young woman and the audience.

There is so much more I can think to say but hearing the interview would be a better way to go.

One other interview that I would rate in second place for the interviews I’ve heard so far is with Glenn Beck. His interview was also compassionate and thoughtful. He is not a doctor, that’s why Jordan Peterson has the advantage.

Heart breaking, is all I can say.

There are others in the same position but Chloe is the one I’ve watched so far.

I was talking to my daughter about this whole subject the other day, in relation to my grandson’s high school. She tells me the subject is prevalent in our schools already. And like everywhere else neither parents nor the conflicted young people are not being given the full picture about the real risks and consequences of the drugs and radical surgeries.

The saddest thing for me was when Chloe said that if she had known the risks involved with this treatment, she would never have said yes to what the health professionals wanted to do for her.

She was twelve when she first started down this path.

Now, still a teenager, Chloe wants to tell her story to save others from what her life has become.

It sounds like handling these treatments as an adult is less traumatic but not necessarily by much.

My own observation was that the consequence discussion was graphic, very personal, and unexpectedly surprising. I would never have dreamed what would rise up to be a problem for her.

I hope many of you will watch this and pass it on to spare others who may be in the position of making a decision without benefit of knowing the real risks.

A PTSD conversation December 19, 2022

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The conversation in my head tonight is the aftermath of a telephone call with an old friend this afternoon We have been through deep waters together and now we were updating each other on our current lives.

Both of us lived through relationships with sex addicts. Our main experiences were different. Mine was originally from childhood, her’s all from adulthood. The men were out of control, we had that in common.

I’ve spent the evening attempting to find access to books I’ve found helpful over the years and they seem to have disappeared.

One book was the personal story of someone living with a man addicted to pornography. His addiction was a secret but as it grew larger in his life that all changed. It was helpful to hear her findings about the start, the source, and the pathway to deep destructive patterns in a relationship.

That’s where our conversation was today. How does it start? Why does it start? From sources I’ve found, it can start at a very early age if material is available. The reason it will take hold is to fill an emotional need. Loneliness for one. It acts as a pain reliever and it is highly addictive to the unsuspecting.

One book I found helpful in the beginning of my search for help understanding seems to be out of print and I’m sad. I wanted to send the link for this book to my friend.

I can find a link on Amazon for the paperback which is unavailable and it appears a Kindle edition hasn’t been created.

I have other books that address this addiction too but I wanted this one. Oh well, I’ve started reading it again to refresh my memory maybe I can share useful bites with her.

Laurie Hall’s story reveals pornography’s subversive side and offers comfort, encouragement, insight, and a plan of action to women whose husbands are addicted.

There is so much more to think and say but we’ll leave it there for tonight

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On a different note . . .

There were no good book suggestions today. Maybe tomorrow.

Bargain books November 28, 2022

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We have more exciting book suggestions today. Actually, a few were from yesterday but my email is wonky somehow and several did not show up in a timely manner. Better late than never though. Especially since they do have something we want.

BookRunes has the good suggestion for us this time. With an author is new to us. I’m loving her engaging writing style as I read through the sample. The last new author had a story line centered around big gang activity, it sounds like today’s story is in the same vein. Definitely a new twist compared to what we are used to seeing.

Withered Rose

What happens when a Christian woman and a mafia boss fall in love? Their passion breeds chaos.

Rosa and Amory have no business getting involved with one another but they also have no choice. Rosa is Amory’s captive bride, kidnapped and forced to marry him as payment for her brother’s debt. All she wants is to live a life free of crime and violence but now she’s shackled to the most dangerous man in New York City. Only God can help her now.

Meanwhile, Amory is looking forward to having a beautiful young bride. But Amory is a mafia underboss and Rosa is a Christian woman. Her faith is standing right between them, and he hates that. The sting of her refusal to marry him runs deep. But something in Amory feels drawn to Rosa, despite their differences.
Maybe she is the calm to his storm, maybe he is the chaos she secretly craves. Whatever the case, they’re in it together.

*****DISCLAIMER/WARNING*****

Withered Rose is a Christian story. There is no foul language and no graphic scenes of sex, violence, or gore. However, our characters are members of the mafia which may present an environment some readers consider triggering. Topics such as gang violence, abuse, and distribution of illegal substances will be introduced throughout the book.

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Searching for this book there were others by this author. One of them was also a bargain and looked interesting so I think we will go for it too. It is in the same series but set many years later and is a stand alone story. It will be safe to read it without reading the rest of the series first.

Fractured Diamond: A Christian Romantic Suspense Novel (Withered Rose) 

Christian Romantic Suspense
Standalone Novel

After a vicious attack leaves Brianna Gem paranoid, she decides to hire private security. Little does she know, the man she hires is none other than Bobby Ackard, her high school sweetheart.

It’s been six years since Bobby dumped Brianna—now he’ll be following her around everywhere she goes. Protecting her.

Neither Brianna nor Bobby are kids anymore, but Bobby’s still got those piercing blue eyes and that dangerous smile. Absolutely nothing about him has changed but everything is different about Bri—and how could it not be? The last time Brianna saw her ex, they were madly in love. Then she found herself suddenly abandoned and drowning in rumors about her boyfriend. He was at the center of a police investigation before he dumped her and vanished six years ago. Now he’s back, but with his arrival comes a new load of drama and mystery.

Is it possible that Bobby isn’t the man Brianna thought he was? Could he be tied to the dangerous gangs of New York? Did he have something to do with the attack that led to their reunion?

Maybe Bobby’s untimely return is just a chance encounter. It might even be a gift from God so they can finally clear the air. Brianna has been targeted more than once. Her life could very well be in danger and Bobby could be her saving grace. But as Brianna gets to know him again and begins to peel back the layers covering the secret of his disappearance six years ago, she starts to wonder if their connection is a coincidence or a curse.

Fractured Diamond is a standalone novel that takes place ten years after the Withered Rose trilogy. While some characters from its prequel series do make an appearance throughout the novel, the storyline is unrelated and can be enjoyed without reading Withered Rose.

***WARNING***
Due to gang-related activity, this book is recommended for adult readers

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There were other emails with suggestions but nothing showed up that could compare to the books we have already. Mostly same old same old.

I’ve read and enjoyed two books we downloaded the other day, with similar stories, and now I’m looking forward to the two new ones.

I’m also looking forward to book three in the first series to see how it all ends. Book 2 ended with a big cliff hanger.

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One thing that stood out starkly for me in the series was this: things that look exciting and pleasurable have an unexpected dark side.

There was a brothel connected to the gang’s very large drug operation. The women were beautiful. The men were distracted with unquenchable lust. They “loved” the same woman but weren’t necessarily aware of the truth of the situation. The unexpected dark side was jealousy, murder, and betrayal. They thought they had it all but there were no winners in this game.

A vivid portrayal of real life I’m thinking.

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Tough stuff but a good read none the less

Happy Reading y’all