Lost in Hardyland

August 18, 2019August 17, 2019 / For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

Lost in Hardyland is a cool book with an irreverent approach to family life.

Lost in Hardyland – Shannon Heuston

Brad Hardy, manager at Walmart, has commitment issues. With good looks and a magnetic personality women love, he has no shortage of willing partners. He is upfront about his casual intentions but they are all convinced they will be the one able to change his mind. Needless to say, he leaves a long string of broken hearts in his wake.

One did trick him into a wedding early on and soon left him a single father of two. He loves his kids but won’t be settling down again anytime soon.

He’s pretty sure there are no other offspring out there belonging to him, well, except for a daughter. One of his brief encounters resulted in an unintended pregnancy. She sidestepped the abortion he demanded and was willing to pay for. His life was crazy at that point and he was convinced he couldn’t take on the responsibility of another child. It turned out he was glad she refused. The minute he caught a glimpse of Zoey he was in love.

Zoey’s life has been turned upside down. Her mother died after a too brief bout with cancer. Now she’s been sent to live with the father she barely knows. No one in her life has ever had anything good to say about him. On top of that, he’s cancelled her private tutor and mentor, the one bright spot in her life. Zoey is not your average teenager. She’s brilliant and her IQ adds an interesting dimension, and challenge, to family life.

It appears her dad is brighter than he wants anyone to believe. It seems he is trying to fly under the radar with his casual, not-that-bright persona, but she is not fooled. In fact she’s glad to have noticed… life is looking up.

I loved this book. Nothing is as it at first seems. This happens in real life more often than we realize, I think. On the surface the family lives a loose and carefree lifestyle with little ambition and few goals. Beneath the surface lives intent, commitment to family, and deliberate self control in areas that matter. There is also awareness and thoughtful consideration.

Sometimes an irreverent look at life is a good thing. It can help us identify what is really important after all.

And then there’s the list of other great books enjoyed.

Following Rain – Darrel Nelson

Georgia Patriots Romance series – The Twelfth Hour Patriot – Jennifer Youngblood

Blind Justice – James Scott Bell

The Caretaker's son Secrets in Savannah – The Caretaker’s Son – Yvonne Lehman

Smitten Historical Romance Collection – The Cowboys – Jennifer Uhlarik, Linda W. Yezak, Sandra Merville Hart, Cindy Ervin Huff

I hope you will join me in some Happy Reading!!

Boy in the Darkness

August 11, 2019 / For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

Historical fiction is fascinating, giving us a peak into life from another era. Usually it’s a picture of life beyond our imagining, especially for those of us born in the last few decades.

There are a multitude of settler stories describing life on the wagon trail, before trains and roads. Stories showing the hardships of life from the perspective of many different nationalities. Boy in the Darkness is one of them. It takes a look at life on the trail from a new perspective. It is a heartbreaking tale I could see happening in real life.

Struggling artists have been discovered many years after they lived, achieving fame and recognition many centuries later. The same holds true for brave souls. Unnoticed acts of courage, hidden away for decades, maybe even centuries, somehow uncovered and finally honored. The lives of those discovering these stories can’t help but be changed by the experience.

Boy in the Darkness – Anne Schroeder … A young indentured Chinese boy was injured and left behind by his wagon train. He failed to show up when it was time to move on and was considered expendable.

Running to find shelter from his abuser, he’d fallen into a deep hole with no way of getting out. His cries were eventually heard but… he had the eerie sound of a wounded animal and his language was unknown to them. Viewed with superstition he was believed to be an evil spirit, someone to be honored and feared but not rescued. Not everyone was afraid it seemed. Food and water were thrown down to him occasionally, keeping his hope alive.

It took one hundred and fifty years for someone to discover and preserve the truth of his courage.

It’s difficult to read a story like this and walk away unaffected. It left an impact on my life., that’s for sure.

Cape Ann – John Theo Jr. … Danger lurks above and below the water.

Return to Walhalla – Laura Hodges Poole …

Down to Earth – Patricia PacJac Carroll … A sweet feel good romance

Genesis – What Happened to Lori book 1 – JA Konrath … a thriller. Is she dead? Or is it much worse? (Mind-Blowing Twist Thriller Duology)

Fields of the Fatherless – Elaine Marie Cooper … a historical novel based on a true story

Happy summer reading!

Within The Candle’s Glow

July 3, 2019July 26, 2019 / For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

I think my favorite book in this new list was Madeleine L’Engle’s The Other Side of The Sun. Although Gathering Storm stands out for me too. It deals with murder but it’s treatment is not terribly dark. The story leans more toward family dynamics than it does toward murder itself. Family members are developing compatibility in unexpected ways. Especially the protagonist. Stephanie is savoring the gain of the loving step family she was never allowed to know. And she is beginning to see her father in a whole new light too.

Witin the Candle's Glow Ella Dessa’s Story – Within the Candle’s Glow book 2 – Karen Campbell Prough … This is a complicated love story where hearts are broken. Ella Dessa and Samuel are best childhood friends and he’s grown to love her. She loves him as a friend but it’s his older brother Jim she’s in love with. Then there’s Josh. A dirty, unkempt, and injured miner, Josh has recently come to town with a bag of gold and wild tales about how he got it. He fancies himself in love with Ella and will resort to kidnapping to have her. Samuel loves her enough to risk his life to rescue her and return her to his brother.

But, ….. it’s not quite that as simple as all that.

Ella Dessa’s Story – With This Peace book 3 – Karen Campbell Prough … There is a third brother in the McKnapp clan, the wanderer Duncan. He’s spent many years away from the family farm always returning with grand tales of fame and fortune. This time he returns with arguments to convince his brothers, Jim and Duncan, to join him in a venture that he says can’t lose. He tells them stories of vast fertile farmland in Florida, just for the taking. Ella Dessa was not in favor of the trip to begin with and with confusing inaccurate maps and continually changing plans she faces hardship like she’s never known. Left alone with her children in an unfamiliar part of the world, she would have died without the help of kind souls travelling the same lonely, isolated path.

When Darkness Falls – The Gathering Storm book 1 – Barbara Warren … Stephanie hasn’t seen her undependable and dishonest father in three years. She’s shocked to see him at her door now. He’s here to convince her to visit the grand hotel he shares with his celebrity wife. Suspicious of his motives she refuses to go with him.

It seems too easy. He accepted her refusal and left. It was too easy. The valuable diamond necklace borrowed from her aunt is missing. He doesn’t need it. It’s an enticement. He knows she will follow him to get it back.

In a rage, she storms through the hotel looking for him. She finds him alright. In his room, dead. And they think she did it.

So, why did he want her here? If she knew that, maybe she could figure out who would want to kill him.

The Other Side of The Sun – Madeleine L’Engle … Stella is barely married when her new husband is sent on a diplomatic mission to some unknown place in the world, for an indefinite period of time. He’s left her alone in the deep south, beach front, family cottage. Living with elderly relatives she’s just met, in a culture she knows nothing about.

Day to day living has her stumbling into dark family secrets she wasn’t supposed to find. The three ancient aunts warn her against certain people and certain places but she doesn’t listen. People approach her with invitations she sees no reason to decline. She has no idea what kind of clan she’s married into, or the dangerous repercussions of exposing their long buried secrets.

She may not have survived without the wise intervention of the one aunt who knows all of the family secrets, and the identity of the true owner of the massive cottage with the legendary pirate history.

Madeleine L’Engle is a master story teller and weaves an awesome tale.

The Gilded Curse – Marilyn Turk … Her brother Robert died at Pearl Harbor. Shortly after, came the death of her mother in a mental hospital. Lexie is left as the sole heir to a crumbling family empire. A common dilemma for the wealthy of those days. Her empire has been reduced to an abandoned family cottage on a holiday isle of the wealthy. A cottage her mother claims is cursed.

The clubhouse is still catering to their members and staff arranges to meet her ferry, even though she hasn’t advised them of her arrival time. Both the fact she was met and the identity of the person meeting her are surprises. She is arriving with plans to sell the cottage but Russell has another agenda. He plans to convince her to change her mind and keep it.

Another story with dark family secrets and hidden agendas.

It’s summertime and publishers are promoting an abundance of reading material for those days of leisure at the beach and cottages. I’m thrilled. I hope you too. Are you taking advantage of the extra opportunities?

Happy summertime reading!

Mysteries, and writing

March 3, 2019 / For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

The other day someone asked me if this blog is about writing. It is…… indirectly.

I am a novice at writing so have little to offer that would be useful in perfecting a writer’s craft. I have thoughts and opinions but nothing I would share.

On the other hand, I have much experience as a reader. I’ve learned to recognize good writing and not-so-good writing. I am passionate about the value of an active and robust reading life in an aspiring writer.

Deeply disappointing experiences with books that could have been great and weren’t has ignited this passion to be an influencer.

To be great you have to hang out with the greats.

Discussion of mechanics will only take you so far. Watching a master at work will take you places an instruction book could never hope to go.

Attempting to inspire, here are a few more examples of good writing.

If you get caught up in a story and lose sight of the writing……it was a good book.

Hunt for Justice Willa Carson Novels – Due Justice book 1, Twisted Justice book 2 – Diane Capri ….

Due Justice … Judge Willa Carson and her sister have a long history of a rocky relationship and Carly has been ignoring Willa’s attempts to connect with her for over a year. The sight of her sister showing up at her door is a bit of a shock, to say the least. This visit wouldn’t be happening without good reason and Willa is immediately wary of being drawn in, again. If she asks the reason for the visit, and it turns out to be criminal in nature, she would have to choose between loyalty to her sister and the letter of the law requiring her to report to law enforcement. It could mean her job.

Carly is a successful lawyer herself and knows how to make things go her way. Despite her best efforts to avoid involvement, Willa finds herself signed up as legal counsel for a sister accused of murder. Can she manage to walk this tightrope? Helping her sister while keeping her job? Or will she crash and burn?

Twisted Justice …. Judge Willa Carson’s beloved husband has been arrested for murder. He has been leading the fight to defeat General Randall Andrews’ nomination to the Supreme Court. Andrews has been found dead and the police are convinced the evidence points to George Carson.

Willa doesn’t believe George did it but she feels helpless because he won’t discuss it with her. He says he has an alibi but can’t, or won’t – she’s not sure which – tell her where he was. He is refusing to hire a lawyer or to discuss his defense with anyone.

Willa decides; under normal circumstances George trusts her judgement so hopefully he will this time. One of Willa’s old classmates has become a high powered defence lawyer, it looked like a good fit but things don’t go as smoothly as hoped. George still refuses to cooperate and clues are hard to come by. Things are not what they seem and the truth – when it comes out – is a shock.

Leah Nash Mysteries – Dangerous Mistakes book 2 – Susan Hunter ….. Reporter Leah Nash is back at her small-town newspaper after a disgraceful exit from her big city job. She plans to do whatever it takes to survive this job and work on her true-crime book as a way to get back to the city. This won’t be easy since her new boss seems to have it in for her for some reason.

Escaping the notice of her boss becomes difficult when the daughter of the local surgeon is convinced her father did not commit suicide but was murdered. The authorities believe this murder theory is a figment of an overactive imagination so in desperation she turns to Leah for help. Soon everyone in town, everyone that matters anyway, is upset with Leah for poking her nose in where it doesn’t belong.

Even she begins to question the sanity of the murder theory but then odd things begin to happen and it’s clear, this is a dangerous position to be in, chasing a determined killer. Well, so is she … determined ….. to find the truth.

If your passion for reading is at a low ebb, I hope you will be inspired to make a change.

Here’s to finding books that will carry you away to magical places.

Happy hunting.

The Presence

February 17, 2019 / For the Love of Books / 2 Comments

It’s always a special moment for me when a story speaks into my life with something appropriate for the place I’m at. Unexpectedly, this book has done just that, more than once. It feels like validation.

The Presence would have caught my interest even if I was at a different point in life. Having it relate to where I am now is a bonus. Davis Bunn always provides a good read.

The Presence – T Davis Bunn ….. The downside to helping his young friend get elected was his own loss for re-election. It seems his sense of integrity was a contributing factor in his defeat.

T.J. Case, lawyer and politician, has always been an honest man. That’s why billionaire entrepreneur Jeremy Hughes hired TJ to represent his company many years before and has never regretted a day of it.

Their relationship is not just business. They have also become close friends over the years. So close that Jeremy can tell when something is bothering TJ. That’s why he knew something had happened while he was out fishing the quiet lake on Jeremy’s large yacht.

TJ wouldn’t talk about it on the drive home and his wife, Catherine, would only say that it wasn’t her story to tell.

He’d loved God all of his life and had never had an experience like this one. It was still hard to wrap his head around what happened, even after a few intense days to think and pray. It seemed impossible to talk about, to anyone – including his wife, because it sounded so unbelievable.

With his usual cup of coffee, TJ had gone up on deck – like he did every morning – to read and pray in the quiet of the dawn. The morning started out like any other but then something changed. It was a new quiet that seemed sacred, one that pulsed with meaning.

When it was gone, TJ was left questioning what had just taken place. Was it a dream, a hallucination? Was it real?

He did know one thing. He was supposed to go to Washington DC.

How could that possibly happen? You don’t just decide to go to the capitol without invitation. And besides, what was he supposed to do when he got there?

Over the next few days both Jeremy and Catherine wrestled with this new idea that would turn both of their lives upside down if TJ went through with it.

Jeremy announced he needed a few days away to think but he didn’t give any clues as to how he was thinking.

Catherine was struggling with moving away from everything familiar and going to who knows what; when her daughter took sick and grandma was needed. It felt like a blessed reprieve, giving her more time to embrace a decision she knew she’d make.

Meanwhile, back in Washington, newly elected Congressman John Silverwood was having lunch with two senior Senators and feeling very pleased about it. He was not yet acquainted with political workings and didn’t think to question motives.

The Senators had come with an agenda. For some reason, unclear to John, TJ’s presence was needed in Washington. Filling a position with an outsider was rarely done. The three of them would have to get their heads together and come up with an assignment that could be given without raising a great deal of suspicion.

John was then tasked with persuading TJ it would be in his best interest to come and accept Education Advisor to the President. He was hoping TJ would feel honored and view this insider opportunity as a favor given. One he would feel obligated to pay back, somewhere in the future.

The cab arrived at an address that was a surprise to TJ. Hopefully Jeremy, who was obviously waiting for him, would have an explanation for this fancy house. The thing is – Jeremy knew that Washington would eat him up and spit him out unless TJ had someone in his corner watching his back. That was the reason for the house, and like it or not, Jeremy planned to fill every other need as well…. butler, driver, whatever. TJ was hoping that, when she got here, Catherine could talk some sense into Jeremy. He hasn’t figured out, yet, that the two of them are working together on this.

With no idea about what he would be doing, or with whom, TJ could only trust that if God was behind all of this, his presence would be near, and he’d let him know what to do when the time came.

His wildest dreams couldn’t have predicted the way things would go. God moves in mysterious ways….. because he knows the truth about what is in the hearts of men.

Like TJ, I’ve been saying yes to God for decades. Lately, it’s like he has a task in mind for me but hasn’t let me in on the details yet.

It’s scary saying yes when I do know what it’s all about, never-mind when I don’t. Even when I know ahead of time, it’s always something bigger than I could accomplish on my own. This time will be no exception.

God tends to be gentle with me, especially when he’s asking for something outside my comfort zone. He always waits for me to say yes and then he works on answering my fears, bringing me to the place where I am happy to do whatever it is. Everything he’s ever asked of me has turned out to be a blessing, even when it’s been hard. We have a good track record together.

Writing has not been on my radar, nor has the thought of coming-out-in-the-open in such a public way as this.

I’ve been highly resistant to the idea of writing. Especially a book.

I’m beginning to rethink my position on this. I’m finding myself coming around and being okay with working to produce something that could be used, maybe. It all just quietly happened with the beginnings of my newest blog. Just like the needle you expected would hurt and felt surprise when it didn’t.

I’m left thinking…. wow, smooth move. I didn’t see that coming, God. He just smiles.

The second blog is already started at letterstomamierose.blog “a safe place to talk about PTSD, and other things we wrestle with” The focus will be sharing my journey with abuse and PTSD. This isn’t about me needing a place to talk. It’s about hurting people needing a safe place to land. Most of us hurt in silence and loneliness. Healing comes when we discover community.

The idea of starting a community is not new to me. It has been in the works for over a decade, it seems now is the time. Some of my support community will be with me in this venture. We’re better together.

I’m also working on the courage to start a third blog “God, Creator of the Universe, Loves Me” It will be about my journey with God. He has been with me my whole life, including the darkest years – the first 12. I know I’m supposed to share about this and have to keep my Yes promise.

I think I’m meant to talk about him this way because God wants a chance to say I Love You to others as well. If you think he is saying it to you, and you want to know if he is….. ask him. He will talk to you.

This third blog is in the works and hopefully it will go live soon. I think this post will be the first post over there. It seems appropriate somehow.

In the meantime ….. may you hear some things you need to hear too.

Happy reading!

A Forced Vacation — Bamboo Sketches

January 24, 2019 / For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

Shared from Bamboo Sketches

A story of life taking us outside our comfort zone, and finding out it’s OK

via A Forced Vacation — Bamboo Sketches

Romance

January 8, 2019 / For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

The recent death of my Kindle slowed me down, (read the story here (Happy New Year ) , but now I’m back in business with the arrival of the new and improved version.

The upside to technology is; improvements. The downside is …. improvements – nothing is ever the same, and I’m sad.

It looks like having to adjust to new layouts may help unearth long forgotten unread books, of which there are many. This may even inspire the reorganization of all 2500 downloads. Cull the herd, so to speak.

Who would have thought it possible to find so many suggestions tempting me to click the download button.

I have to admit, I didn’t love all of the downloaded books when I got right into them. Then I felt bad rejecting them because it occurred to me that others may find them interesting even if I didn’t. Conflicted emotions only lasted a short while and I moved on.

We all have different tastes and that is as it should be.

I’m hoping you are finding ways to discover books you can get excited about.

Now, on to some of the latest books read.

I liked all of these books well enough to talk about them but the first one was my favorite. I’d like to read the sequel if there is one.

I think I’ll stick to Romance in this post and save Mystery for the next one, change things up a bit from the usual mix.

A Pleasant Gap Romance – Just the Way You Are book 1 – Pepper Basham….. How embarrassing, the contents of her purse are spread across the airport floor because someone bumped her from behind. And, as if that isn’t bad enough, her heel caught in her purse strap and now she’s landed on top of someone. Her mortification is complete – she has squished a silver haired grandpa.

As she helps him up it’s obvious he is injured, and when he recognizes her as the guest he was sent to meet, she feels even worse. With a twinkle in his eyes, he assures her it will all be fine but please don’t mention this to his son when he picks them up.

The glare was the first hint about the reason for the strange request. His devastatingly handsome son is clearly unhappy with her visit.

Be that as it may, she has promised her uncle she will research family secrets for his upcoming book and she intends to keep that promise. No matter what kind of disapproval she faces in this handsome but glacial man.

The question is: why is he so upset by her presence? What is there about her that makes him feel so threatened? Does he have his own secrets? Are they tangled up with the secrets her family has been protecting all these years? She plans to find out, one way or the other.

Seven Brides Seven Brothers Pelican Bay – All This Love book 3 – Belle Calhoune ….. The Donahue brothers of Pelican Bay are cousins to the Donahue brothers in the popular Cape Code Series. (This distinction is important if you are like me and on first glance you’re thinking wait a minute……)

Most of the brothers in the Donahue family were adopted. (A miracle in Heath’s life – after the untimely death of his single parent mother.) They are a tight knit, fiercely protective family and they would do anything necessary to be there for each other. If they knew what needed to be done.

Heath has been keeping secrets, he’s come home from Afghanistan with deep wounds of the unseen variety, added to that, the trauma of coming home from school to discover his mother in her untimely death. Now he is barely hanging on emotionally and no one knows.

Deciding it would be kinder to sever the connection with the love of his life, to spare her the effects of the darkness in his life, he breaks up with her and walks away. Leaving her confused and devastated.

Five months of intense work with a therapist has made a difference. Now he’s beginning to second guess the break up decision and needs to see Bella, hoping to re-establish their relationship.

He’s devastated to discover she’s pregnant, and he didn’t even know, you’d think in a town this size he would have heard rumors. He wants to do the right thing and be there for her but it’s not going well …. she’s unwilling to let him back into her life just like that.

Secrets are a huge problem… so, how far is he willing to go to fix things?

Holmes Crossing – The Only Best Place book 1 – Carolyne Aarsen ….. Her husband’s business has failed and their marriage is in trouble, her husband has admitted to having an emotional affair with a co- worker. He says it’s over but she doesn’t trust him. They have grown so far apart it doesn’t seem like there is anything left to work with anymore.

It’s decided that the only alternative they have to stay afloat financially is to move back to Dan’s home town. Leslie is reluctant because she knows very little about his life before they met, and she’s a city girl – what does she know abut farming?

The surprises are huge and daunting. Leslie had no idea God was a big part of family life for him growing up. Not only is she not a farmer, she does not fit the description of a suitable mate for their son and brother.

Dan promised they would stay a year and move back to the city. Under his family’s influence, she finds he has already gone back on that promise. He has even started making other major decisions about their life and finances without consulting her.

Leslie wants to fit in and gain the family’s approval but it seems like a losing battle.

In despair with no one to talk to, she runs into the most unusual woman at an auction sale. She seems to be a free spirit, totally out of place in this farming community, and yet for some inexplicable reason she seems to fit in. The connection between them is instant and Leslie intends to get to know her better, Maybe her new friend will be able to help her navigate life in this uncomfortable place.

The Shadows Series – Secrets and Sacrifice book 4 – Juliette Duncan …. Grace is in the middle of closing arguments in a high powered case when her brother Caleb slips into the court room, sending worry into her heart. What’s happened, why is he here?

It’s their sister, she’s been found, in a run down apartment barely alive. She’s in hospital with an overdose and they all need to be there.

Brianna promised to stay clean this time but obviously hasn’t. Drugs was always her go-to place when she couldn’t handle the voices from the past. With Grace it was work. She would bury herself in it to still the voices. She wasn’t destroying her body but she was destroying her relationship with her sister, never there for her when she was needed most.

Determined to be there for her this time, Grace decides to take her sister home with her. Brianna is not comfortable in the posh surroundings and it turns out to be a bigger challenge than expected to make it work. At a loss she think’s maybe a trip with a change of scenery would work better. A plan like this would mean a leave of absence from the District Attorney’s Office. Could she do it? This job is her whole life and she’s worked very hard to get this far.

Her brother Daniel runs a successful recovery program and, with a trip in mind, Caleb is pressuring her to make use of Daniel’s offer to help. Grace is not interested, she has nothing but disapproval for his methods.

It isn’t until she runs out of options coping with Brianna that she gives up and heads in Daniel’s direction.

Now she has another dilemma in her life. Niall, the prosecutor back home is an old flame trying to rekindle the relationship. The complication is the good looking teacher, part of Daniel’s staff, who makes her heart race and her cheeks blush.

Brianna seems to be fitting in well but where does this leave Grace? Go back to her job and Niall or stay here to build a connection with family and explore the possibility of Ryan?

Happy Reading!!

Everard – Not-So-Fairy Tales

November 10, 2018 / For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

Everard Everard – Not-So-Fairy Tales – Chautona Havig

The awesome narrator (I’ll tell you why she’s so awesome, later) is telling us the Terrible War is finally over and the surviving soldiers are allowed go home.

Brave and courageous, Everard of Havilund is one of the first allowed to leave the battlefield. He knows he is ahead of the others, and they will likely be at least a half day behind him. He also knows the people in the villages will be unaware of their victory and he is excited to share the news with them. This is uncharacteristic for him because, despite his bravery, he finds it difficult to hold simple conversations and will go out of his way to avoid them.

He’s been travelling four days without seeing another person so when he comes upon a farm house with someone in the yard, he’s fairly bursting to share the news.

Roana has a brother in the war and is desperate to know what’s happening, She is as excited to hear the good news as he is to give it. So excited, in fact, that she flies into his arms, and in the emotion of the moment he does something he has never, ever done before. Something that leaves him totally stunned.

He kisses her.

Of course, she has flown back into the house to share the good news with her dad, completely unaware of Everard’s state of mind.

In the weeks following his arrival back home he comes to a decision. After wrestling with his guilt over what he considers his compromising of her good reputation – he feels honour bound to marry her.

Normally, in this situation, because of his status as a prince, he could simply ask for her hand and it would be given to him. His sense of fairness won’t allow him to do that. He has decided that he must ask for her hand and she must be freely willing to give it.

This is where it gets a little sticky. You would think a father would be thrilled to have a prince asking for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Not this father. For reasons we have yet to understand, he decides the prince must fulfil a challenge first, to earn the right to ask for the hand of his daughter. It wasn’t just any old challenge either, he had to slay a dragon, and he had to do it alone.

Everard negotiates to have one person accompany him so that when he is killed there will be a witness to take word home to his family. You can see he is not expecting this situation to go well for him and yet he is willing to try anyway.

This challenge does not go the way you might expect, her father keeps changing the rules.

I liked this story because, while it is the retelling of a fairy tale, it is a loose retelling. It’s more like a mash-up of several fairy tales. This makes it impossible to predict where it is going next. It seems like it should end in a wedding but there are times when it looks a little doubtful.

That brings me to the Narrator. She is hilarious, in my opinion anyway. She thinks it is her duty to stop and explain certain things, and she has definite opinions on the type of things the reader needs to know. She also wants to avoid misunderstandings, and is apt to stop suddenly, to clarify some detail she thinks may confuse someone. I like the way she thinks.

She also has opinions on some of the decisions Everard makes; but he’s not listening to her. He is bound and determined to stick to the course he has set out for himself.

Everard’s strong sense of responsibility for the wrong he thinks he has committed makes his task that much harder to complete. And, when it gets right down to it, things are not always what they seem either.

He is so likeable you can’t help but cheer him on.

This was a fun read. If you like fairy tales I’m sure you will like this one too.

There are more books to talk about…. soon.

Happy reading!

Rogue Wave

October 30, 2018 / For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

Last post ended with this comment: Speaking of addictions: that reminds me….. of a idea which I will save to talk about in the next post……… This subject that has been on my mind, often, since that post, and as it won’t seem to go away, I’ll share what I was thinking that day….

I heard an interesting commentary on addictions the other day. It was in regard to things that – in and of themselves – are not bad for you. Things like work, sports, reading…. activities that, if taken too far, can cause us to neglect obligations, and the significant people in our lives.

The speaker was describing a way to enjoy an activity while encouraging it to shrink back to healthy levels. The gist of her thought was this – We need to expand our happiness base. Adding to the number of activities we enjoy will do this, and the hold any one activity has on us will be lessened.

This commentary belongs to award winning lyricist, Gloria Gaither, and she was giving it in response to a question from Mark Lowry on Monday’s With Mark, (Mark Lowry’s live video interviews on You Tube.) (Mark is funny, real, and wise beyond his years. Check him out, you might like him). The addict Gloria was speaking about is workaholic Bill Gaither, who agreed – he is an addict. He also agreed that expanding his happiness base has made a big difference in it’s hold on him. Interestingly enough, reading has become one of his new favorite activities. We are cheering you on, Bill!

After hearing this interview, I’ve been taking an honest look at the activities in my own life. It seems I bounce back and forth between four or five different things (sometimes all in one day). Maybe that’s a good sign my happiness base has broadened…. at least a little. There is this compulsion though, in the back of my mind, always looking for openings to snatch a few diversionary moments, doesn’t matter how big or small they are. I think my happiness base expansion still needs some work.

Addictions and stress levels are never as simple as all that but even now, several weeks later, I can still see the value in the point Gloria was making. I have been making an effort to vary the way I spend time and it has been making a difference. It is getting easier to make myself get up and get going when I need to.

This time the book is …. fantasy.

Deep sea adventure, intrigue, death threats, bombings, rogue killer waves, green men …. really….. a good book for the addictive reader

Rogue Wave – Christopher Cartwright

A killer wave that can sink massive ships without leaving evidence of what it is, or where it came from.

A mystery solver dragged into a sinister plot for reasons that are unclear. Someone notices and now his life, and that of his crew, is in danger.

His business associates have fallen for the promise of a payout in the millions, but with his personal wealth and laser focus on new inventions – the lure of money has no effect on him. He votes to reject the lucrative deal, he can see what this takeover is really all about – a threat to life as we know it.

His rejection of this deal is a threat to life as he knows it.

In the meantime, his father’s shipping business has been taking a hit with mega tankers disappearing and he wants his son to figure out what’s going on.

Are any of these things related? Are they all related?

He has a talented crew, with sophisticated equipment, ready to take on the challenge. He’s not confident they will live through the experience so he makes plans.

He decides their best hope is to disappear while they investigate discretely. That’s when the fun begins.

I love a good book, don’t you? 🙂

Happy reading, everyone

Exposed

October 14, 2018 / For the Love of Books / 2 Comments

Hours of enjoyment, that’s what was waiting for me in this boxed set. A Romantic Suspense collection.

Off the top, I have to say – I appreciated the clean-ness of these books. I find that when it’s less than clean (for me anyway) it’s like going to a party with a spot on the front of your favorite outfit ….. it takes the shine off the whole experience. I love an awesome, distraction free, tale of mystery and intrigue.

These books were well written, with interesting characters, and a fresh slant on the idea behind the stories. I’m a fan of all three attributes but fresh slant is my favorite.

It seemed like before I knew it, I was finishing the last book. I’m a chain smoker when it comes to books. Finish one and light up another. I think I’ve mentioned I’m an addict.

I’m always sad when a story comes to an end. For a few seconds anyway.

Speaking of addictions: that reminds me……. of a idea I’d better save for the next post.

So….. back to books

Exposed

Exposed

A Boxed Set Book Bundle Collection of Romantic Suspense with seven great books

Hallowed Ground – Mary Alford …… Erin is devastated when Blake, her CIA partner, is killed in a terrorist attack in Afghanistan and she’s grateful to have the support of Blake’s best friend and fellow agent, Jax. The team is sent to Afghanistan on a mission to find Blake’s killers but it’s a set up. This realization set in when their unit was attacked and none but two survived. The details of their deployment could only have come from their superiors. With no idea who to trust, they carefully start digging and uncover more lies. Did Blake discover something he shouldn’t? Or was he part of something worth killing for? Working with Jax to find the truth has Erin realizing for the first time, Jax is a good man.

Fire – Lynette Bonner …. Kyra is a teacher by trade but helps out with manicure’s on the side. It’s a shock, on the first day of school, to see a new student in her class, looking much like a younger version of the good looking guy in her shop on Friday, the one who asked her out. Case Lexington is just as shocked to see Kyra and is living with fear she will blow his cover. He’s posing as a student, to help umcover the source of the drug supply killing local teenagers. Kyra wants to do her part in this search, motivated by the drug related death of her brother. Case is attempting to discourage her, afraid for her safety. A mere student has no credibility so, as a last resort, he chooses to keep an eye on her by working with her. Not an easy thing to do. It’s been a very long time since he met a woman who could catch his interest, and she thinks he’s a student. The next shock is the source of the fatal drugs.

Jill Came Tumbling After – Lesley Ann McDaniel …. Jill Martin, a single mother of two, is looking for a job, after finding the courage sever ties with her alcoholic husband. Jobs are scarce but there is a new factory in town and, in spite of her obvious lack of skills, they hire her, effective immediately. Working to get the offices up and running she begins to see things that don’t seem quite right. She is smarter than expected and manages to figure out they are planning something that will be a hazard to the whole town, She’s torn between the need to tell and the need to keep her job. If they notice her discovery …. will she even live to tell?

Deadly Exposure – Lisa Phillips …. Bradley Harris comes home from deployment to discover his sister, a US Senator, has been abducted and the FBI suspect Alexis, her best friend and former aide. The whole town holds Alexis in contempt, but, knowing her as well as he does, Bradley has doubts about the accusations against her. Once he uncovers the truth behind her fall from grace, he wonders if any of them will survive the fallout. Getting his sister back and saving Alexis too – seems like an impossible challenge.

Dead on Arrival – Angela Ruth Strong …. Peruvian Princess, Maritza Rosado and her father land in Washington DC and instead of the usual presidential welcome, they are greeted with a gun battle that kills her father and his body guard and has Maritza running for her life. Hiding out in a soup kitchen is not going well, she’s been recognized by Levi Parker, fresh home from a mission trip to Peru where he learned of her. Terrified to trust him, she does anyway, and venturing they discover someone has taken over her country. Not only that, they killed her father and want her dead. Devastation is finding out the betrayal is at the hands of someone they both trusted.

Termination Dust – Alana Terry …. Kimmie is afraid to move away from her abusive step father after the death of her mother. She is old enough to leave and make a new life for herself but she is afraid she would be forced leave her little brother behind, and he would pay the price, in escalated abuse, for her actions. The family has lived in isolation and secrecy for so long, she can think of no one she can turn to for help.The local State Trooper suspects the truth of the situation and is trying to offer acceptable support, encouraging Kimmie to leave before the abuse escalates. It happens, before her plans are in place, – she is forced to grab her little brother and run for her life.

For Love or Money – Virginia Vaughan …. Amy Sullivan left everything behind with the lure of a family connection. When an aunt she didn’t know existed, contacted her requesting a visit, it seemed like a dream come true. While finding a family connection is important to Amy, it’s not easy learning to love a stranger. Inadvertently she discovers there is more to the situation than she has been led to believe. Her aunt has been hiding the fact she has terminal cancer. Amy was there for her mother and is determined she won’t be shut out now. Despite the growing closeness in those final days, it’s a shock for her to learn she has been left with a sizable inheritance. It’s an even greater shock to discover someone wants it enough to kill her to get it.

‘Til next time – Happy Reading!

Here’s hoping you are also experiencing many hours of good reading. I don’t want to be the only one finding exquisite treasures, not when there are so many to be found.